LEO Weekly April 21, 2021 by leoweekly

THE ROAD TO

SOCCER CITY HOW LOUISVILLE’S NEW WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM IS POISED TO RESHAPE OUR IDENTITY

FREE APR.21.2021 LMPD’S CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR | PAGE 3

A STUDIO VISIT WITH THE CREATORS OF THE FILM ‘PINBALL’ | PAGE 18

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

Archie: Archie is ready to meet

his forever family! This goofy, sweet boy is about a year and a half old and appears to be a Terrier mix. He weighs about 50 pounds which he will tell you is NOT too big to sit on your lap. Archie came to the Kentucky Humane Society when his owner could no longer care for him. This guy REALLY loves his food and toys and would prefer not to share with people and other dogs. Through our behavior modification program, we’ve taught Archie that it’s ok to loosen up and the snacks and toys are readily available. Now he will even bring you his toys and ask you to play. He still can be a little stingy with his sharing, but he will go home with a training plan and post-adoption support to help his family work with him. Archie can be a big snuggle bug and loves to cuddle next to you, or on you. He is young and energetic so he will need someone committed to giving him exercise every day. Archie should go home as an only dog, but he can have doggy friends and generally enjoys being around other dogs (but not sharing his food/toys). Archie is approved to go home with children ages 12 and up. He is neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and micro-chipped. Could you be the perfect match for Archie? Visit kyhumane.org/dogs to learn how to meet Archie today!

Skittles: Trumpets, get into position. Flagbearers, unite. People,

prepare. Skittles is here and making her appearance! This eight-yearold feline is looking for a home as bold and beautiful as herself! Skittles came to the Kentucky Humane Society when an overcrowded shelter could not hope to hold onto a cat as powerful as her. You see, Skittles believes herself to be an ancient feline deity. As such, she requires to be the only cat in her realm so no other felines can compete for her glory. Mortals are barely purr-mitted to lay hands on her paws, but they may certainly carry her around her temple. Skittles adores conversing about her day and will gladly fill you in on the happenings of kingdoms near and far! She does prefer acolytes who can give her proper independence, so small humans should be at least five years old to properly appreciate and respect this lovely queen. But Skittles is not immune to weaknesses (despite her protests that she has none). She did test positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), which weakens Skittles’ immune system. This means she needs to be on a healthy diet, be pampered indoors, and live a low-stress lifestyle - all habits a goddess like herself deserves! If you’ve been looking for a worthy cat to join your realm, consider Skittles! She is spayed, microchipped, and up-todate on her shots. To schedule an appointment to visit with this great and mighty cat at the East Campus, 1000 Lyndon Lane, go to kyhumane. org/cats!

LOUISVILLE ECCENTRIC OBSERVER

Volume 31 | Number 19 974 BRECKENRIDGE LANE #170. LOUISVILLE KY 40207 PHONE (502) 895-9770 FAX (502) 895-9779

THE ROAD TO

SOCCER CITY HOW LOUISVILLE’S NEW WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM IS POISED TO RESHAPE OUR IDENTITY

ON THE COVER

FREE APR.21.2021 LMPD’S CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR | PAGE 3

PHOTORACING BYLOUISVILLE KATHRYN HARRINGTON FC PLAYERS NEALY MARTIN, SHELBY MONEY AND JORIAN BAUCOM.

A STUDIO VISIT WITH THE CREATORS OF THE FILM ‘PINBALL’ | PAGE 18

FOUNDER

John Yarmuth EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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LEO Weekly is published weekly by LEO Weekly LLC. Copyright LEO Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Publisher. LEO Weekly is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express permission of LEO Weekly LLC. LEO Weekly may be distributed only by authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) is a trademark of LEO Weekly LLC.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

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EDITOR’S NOTE

THE LMPD’S CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR By Aaron Yarmuth | leo@leoweekly.com “I’M GOING to punch you again.” Over the weekend, Denorver “Dee” Garrett was wrestled to the ground and arrested by several Louisville Metro Police officers. While pinned face down on a concrete sidewalk, one of the officers punched Dee in the head several times. He was downtown protesting police brutality, and he became its latest victim. Officially, he was arrested for “causing a disturbance to the public and causing a safety issue to motorists,” and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest according to the citation. At one point on a video taken of the assault, Dee can be heard saying, “You just punched me!” “I’m going to punch you again,” one officer responded, before leaning into three more brutal punches to Dee’s face and head. The officer should be fired and criminally prosecuted, as any other violent criminal would be prosecuted. First, there is no ambiguity or question of the brutality Dee suffered. After being released from jail, he spoke to the media just outside of the courthouse — a few

LEO WEEKLY PROMOS

feet away from the spot on the sidewalk where he was attacked — and his swollen eye, bruises and cuts evidenced the severity of the assault. Police Chief Erika Shields announced LMPD will conduct an internal investigation into the officer and supervisor. “This raises serious questions and is not consistent with LMPD training,” Shields said in a statement about the video. That’s simply unacceptable. Whatever questions Shields might have, video of the attack provides enough answers to demonstrate this officer is clearly unqualified for the job: Where he failed has nothing to do with training — it cannot be fixed with department policies or operating procedures. It was a failure of common sense. He lacks common sense, self-awareness and basic, human decency. He’s selfish. He demonstrated reckless disregard for human life, human rights and every other police officer — with LMPD and across the country. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse, either. To be a police officer, today, you have to be aware that the biggest story

in the country, right now, is the trial of a police officer who killed a Black man by kneeling on his neck for almost 10 minutes. You have to be aware that the person you are punching in the face is protesting where protesters of police brutality have been rallying for a year. You have to understand — or at least expect — that you are being videoed every time you engage with someone in public. (That little camera on your uniform should have tipped you off.) Add it all up — rather, any one of these failings is evidence this officer is not qualified for the job. You don’t have to believe my liberal, virtuesignaling wokeness. Take the “woke” words of religious, conservative televangelist Pat Robertson: “We don’t have the finest in the police department …. We need police. We need them and we need to honor them and I’m all for it,” he continued. “But at

the same time, we cannot have a bunch of clowns running around who are underpaid and who really are not the best and brightest. We’ve got to have the best in there.” We need the best in there, and we need to hold them to an even higher standard. And we need a police force that will defend that higher standard. What happened to Dee over the weekend was completely unacceptable. His human rights were violated, violently and criminally. And when the police violate one person’s rights, it is only reasonable for everyone to question whether government is holding up its end of the original bargain. There is no question that Dee was the victim of a violent crime. But, this ofﬁcer’s selﬁsh, criminal act was also a gut punch to the rest of the community, still suffering from previous acts of police violence, and further destroying faith in our government. •

May 14 - Quiet Hollers (Outside & Socially Distanced)

May 16 - Back To Mac (Outside & Socially Distanced All Ages)

May 15 - Back To Mac (Outside & Socially Distanced)

May 28 - Nick Dittmeier & The Saw Dusters with Wolfpen Branch (Outside & Socially Distanced)

May 30 - Carly Johnson Album Release (Outside & Socially Distanced)

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

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A LABOR LAW PROF TALKS UNION CO-OPS By Ariana Levinson | leo@leoweekly.com

Editor’s Note: This interview with UofL law professor and labor expert Ariana Levinson originally appeared on the Kentucky State AFL-CIO website. Parts of the answers are drawn from the articles, “Union Co-ops and the Revival of Labor Law,” from Volume 19.3 of The Cardozo Journal of Conﬂict Resolution (2018) and “Founding Worker Cooperatives: Social Movement Theory and the Law,” from Volume 14.2 of the Nevada Law Journal (2014).

also do more by potentially contributing to increased unionization rates and a resurgence of unions in their traditional role as a representative of working people.

HOW CAN A UNION CO-OP BENEFIT UNION WORKERS?

A worker-owned co-op is a business that is owned and managed by its workers. In a true worker co-op, each worker has one share of ownership and one vote, creating property ownership and formal decision-making power for all. Profits are distributed on a patronage basis, meaning they are based on how much an owner works and not on how many shares an owner holds. In larger co-ops, the worker owners elect a board who hires management to run the business. In a smaller co-op, the worker owners themselves may make many decisions as a collective. The most basic definition of a union co-op is a worker co-op where at least some of the employees are represented by a union. Particularly in large worker-owned co-ops, a union can ensure that democratic decision-making on matters of interest to workers, such as job security or discrimination, extends beyond election of directors and officers to the “shop floor” level. Even in a smaller co-op, a union ensures the protection of minority voices and interests. A union provides an avenue for individual workers to file grievances and resolve them, rather than have those workers who are unhappy or outvoted left without a stable process for dispute resolution. A union also ensures that terms of employment are transparent and fairly

Worker co-ops increase job security, longevity of employment, and job satisfaction and provide an opportunity to accumulate wealth, in addition to income. Unionized owners will beneﬁt in all these ways. A union worker co-op can be a way to save a company that is closing because owners are retiring or to avoid a buy-out by an out-of-town private equity fund. Small businesses are a key sector providing jobs in local communities, and, even without the impact of Covid-19, the Silver Tsunami, in which many older business owners retire without a buyer for their business, is upon us. In these instances, the co-op is a means to save well-paying union jobs and keep income and wealth in the local community. A union worker co-op can also be a way to create new companies and organize workers in a new way that doesn’t require an expensive protracted union campaign. Does your union have a contract with a company to water plants or keep up the grounds? Why not provide unionized workers who own their own business a preference for these jobs? Are there local workers who see a need and want to start a business? Why not use union expertise to help them so they will see the value of a union and unionize themselves? In these instances, the co-op is a way to add new members using less resources and save more resources for the long-protracted campaigns at larger employers. Union worker co-ops can help ensure the success of a particular business and save or create well-paying jobs. They can

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

HOW DOES A UNION COOP WORK?

UofL law professor and labor expert Ariana Levinson.

applied. A collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) governs terms and conditions of work. Union representation in such matters ensures that the worker owners’ interest as workers, and not only as owners, will be considered with respect to terms of employment. It provides a method to resolve disputes between management owners and non-management owners or between two non-management owners. As with many organizations, elites may emerge in worker-owned ﬁrms, and collective bargaining is a method of reducing the power of that elite. Separation of powers between the co-op and the union, even when ultimately the same worker-owners control both organizations, serves as an independent check on each.

RELATIONS BETWEEN LABOR AND MANAGEMENT ARE BY NATURE ADVERSARIAL. HOW WOULD THAT WORK IN

A CO-OP?

Relations between labor and management in the U.S. are often extremely adversarial, but the adversity results largely from our history of anti-unionism and our legal framework. Our legal framework provides ultimate decisionmaking about major business decisions, such as whether to remain open or shut down or who to hire to manage the company, to the employer. These decisions are actually often as crucial to the workers and community as they are to the owners or managers of the business. A union co-op provides means for workers to have say on these larger issues and not only on wages and other terms and conditions of work. If you speak to union representatives who have been involved with negotiations at a union co-op, they agree that, while negotiations are still arms-length, the union has more power to craft initial provisions and is able to work more cooperatively with the co-op than with most traditional employers. The union has bargaining authority and is a

VIEWS

separate entity from the employer, not a company union.

cians, and other community members, the employees were able to reopen the company as a union co-op. Closer to home, The Cincinnati Union GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF Co-op Initiative, now Co-op Cincy, was SUCCESSFUL WORKER COstarted by four amazing activists in 2009 OPS IN THE U.S. during the Great Recession and incorEqual Exchange may be the bestporated as a nonprofit in 2011. The first known worker co-op in the U.S. The over co-op that they helped incubate was Our 130 workers elect a board of directors Harvest. Our Harvest was incorporated from among themselves to make high in April 2012. It is an urban farm and level business decisions. Equal Exchange food hub intended to eventually be fully is a fair-trade coffee and chocolate busiemployee owned. It ness that had has three revenue of $74.4 The longest running currently worker-owners and million in 2018. 14 workers. A UFCW and largest union They have oper[United Food and ated as a worker co-op in the United Commercial Workers co-op for 30 years. International Union] Equal Exchange is States is the organizer reached not unionized, but Cooperative Home out to the employother prominent ees in 2014, and the worker co-ops are. Care Associates. employees voted to The longest have union reprerunning and largest They employ over sentation. The initial union co-op in contract negotiations 4,000 people, the United States were cooperative, is the Coopmany of whom are efficient, and sucerative Home Care cessful, resulting in a Associates. They minority women. collective bargaining employ over 4,000 agreement between The company, people, many of Our Harvest and whom are minorlocated in the Bronx UFCW Local 75. ity women. The

company, located in New York City, in the Bronx in provides homeWHAT IS THE New York City, HISTORY OF provides homecare assistance care assistance to THE UNION the elderly, ill, and CO-OP to the elderly, ill, disabled. The comMOVEMENT? and disabled. The pany started out Historically, many as a worker co-op successfully operated company started in 1985, and the worker cooperaemployees unionout as a worker tives have survived ized in 2003. They economically and co-op in 1985, are represented by provided workers Service Employcontrol over the busiand the employees ees International ness. The ﬁrst moveUnion (“SEIU”) unionized in 2003 ment toward worker Local 1199. The cooperatives started union helped the in 1790 because of cooperative to secure government conchanges in work process. The Knights of tracts contributing to both the cooperative Labor, a union with hundreds of thouand the union’s ability to grow. sands of members in the 1880s, made Another example of a union co-op is starting cooperative businesses a primary New Era Windows in Chicago. When focus of the union movement in the 1870s Republic Windows and Doors shut down and 1880s. Then, in the early 1900s, in 2012, the union employees occupied another wave of cooperatives formed in the plant and reclaimed the business as response to the massive unemployment of an effort to avoid job loss. Through the the Depression. Between 1790 and 1959, support of the union representing them, there were more than 700 documented the United Electrical workers, local politi- cases of worker co-ops in industries

ranging from shoe manufacturing to sheet metal work to coal mining. Then, during the 1960s and 1970s, which is known to have been a time of social unrest, another group of worker co-ops was founded. An example of a union co-op formed during this time is Denver Yellow Cab. Before it was established as a co-op in 1979, Denver Yellow Cab was a privately held company. In 1978, the holding company for Denver Cab bought out the other investors and was looking for a buyer. The union leaders set to work thinking about how members could buy the company and run it as a co-op. They had a strike fund of over $100,000 and quickly formulated plans. Union members voted to buy the company, and the attorneys worked out an agreement whereby workers would take over the company. The new bylaws were the result of meetings and discussion and were approved by a large majority of employees. All drivers had to belong to the co-op, and four of the six unions covering other employees also required co-op membership. Membership lasted as long as a person was employed with the co-op, and each member had one vote in decisionmaking. The members elected a board of directors from members who were not union officers or department heads. The board appointed the officers and management team. The day-to-day routine of employees and drivers was not changed by the co-op structure. In 1984, the co-op had 400 cabs and more than 900 drivers. The co-op appears to have declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1993 and to have subsequently been bought out by new owners. Since the Great Recession, a new social movement has resulted in a significant number of unions supporting the establishment of union co-ops. These co-ops are union, not only in the sense that the employees are likely to select union representation once the business is up and running, but also because unions are supporting their establishment by, for instance, providing governance models and expertise, meeting space for unionrelated co-op conferences and a source for hiring skilled employees. The movement began in approximately 2009, when Mondragon and the [United]Steelworkers entered into a historic agreement to foster union co-ops in the United States. •

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

MOST PROTEST CHARGES DISMISSED

WHILE OTHERS STILL LINGER AFTER LENGTHY PROCESS By Danielle Grady | dgrady@leoweekly.com THE majority of the cases against people arrested during Louisville’s racial justice protests have been dismissed. Around 900 people were arrested during the unrest in Louisville, and approximately 600 of those cases have been resolved, according to Ingrid Geiser, the first assistant for the Jefferson County Attorney. Out of those 600, close to 500 were dismissed. Geiser said that the County Attorney’s office is going after cases that hampered community safety while dismissing, one-byone, cases of people exercising their First Amendment rights of assembly and free speech. But, attorneys volunteering to help protesters pro bono said that a better strategy would have been to unilaterally drop all the charges against legitimate protesters. Protesters who were arrested, even if their charges were dropped, still Ariana Tulay, Stephanie Kornexl-Kaufmann and Matt Kaufmann have all had their protest charges dropped. had to deal with the evils of the criminal justice system, Of the cases that were dismissed, including what they called deplorable jail Geiser insisted that it was a good conditions and the fear (and sometimes many required the protesters to serve thing that County Attorney Mike the reality) of career consequences. 20 volunteer hours, said Geiser. In the O’Connell is deciding what to do with case of charges being resolved, but not Tracy Davis, a volunteer attorney who the charges on a case-by-case basis. dismissed, around 60 were guilty pleas. Some cases, she said, are more serious took on the cases of over 100 protestOf the approximately 300 cases than others. ers, is one of the lawyers who would that have yet to be resolved, around 30 “We assigned a team of experienced have preferred to see cases unilaterally felonies have gone to Circuit Court to be dropped, although she praised the County prosecutors to review these cases, and screened for indictment. Approximately they have spent hundreds of hours lookAttorney’s office for dismissing the cases 33 other cases are out on bench warrant, ing at body camera footage and trying to it has. meaning the accused have not shown up determine who really is a true protester, “I think that it would have spoke to to court appearances. The rest — around just exercising their rights, versus who is the community,” she said. “Not people 230 — are in limbo, some delayed by there to cause some type of disturbance that, you know, are actual rioters or COVID-19, which has played a major or commit a crime, cause physical harm, troublemakers or that are there to bring factor in how quickly protest cases are cause property damage,” she said. “So, dissension and to disturb, but those who being handled. For some of the remainI have to commend our prosecutors. truly set out to find justice and because ing cases, the County Attorney has made They have looked at all of these cases they wanted true reform with regard an offer to resolve it but that offer has individually rather than whipping them to the policies for the police and with not been accepted yet or the defense has all into some category.” regards to sovereign immunity.”

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

THORNS & ROSES THE WORST, BEST & MOST ABSURD THORN: HAPPY NOW, SHIELDS?

New police Chief Erika Shields was billed as a fresh start for the city, so why is she advocating for her officers to continue to escalate against protesters? After a small demonstration on Bardstown Road last Tuesday, in which protesters blocked an intersection for less than an hour with furniture from nearby businesses, Shields said at the Louisville Forum that officers should have made arrests. Instead, they hung back while protesters voiced their justified anger and then cleaned up after demonstrators left. No riot gear, tear gas or forcing people through the criminal justice system — just good trouble met with good policing. Days later, LMPD arrested and brutalized Denorver Garrett for a similar “crime.” Is that what Shields was endorsing?

THORN: …AND A LACKLUSTER RESPONSE

After Denorver Garrett was punched multiple times in the face by a police officer, Shields, in a press release, said that the incident “raises serious questions and is not consistent with LMPD training.” Oh, really, a brutal assault as standard procedure isn’t in the LMPD employee handbook — thanks for the update. It’s such an off-putting, public relations-type, distant response that lacks basic empathy, compassion, fairness and justice. Shields needs to win public support. And the only way she can do so is by taking a stronger stand against acts of bad policing. But, we’re not holding our breath.

THORN: JUST. STOP. TWEETING.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, who perpetually hangs in the top five of the power rankings for Kentucky’s most embarrassing politician, is very bad at forming thoughts on Twitter. Here’s a post from Monday: “Without an ongoing global pandemic, how do Democrats and spendy Republicans continue to justify spending trillions of dollars above our normal budget? They can’t, and so the pandemic will rage on, or a new crisis must be found.” Saying the government is using the virus to needlessly overspend during a legitimate time of crisis, while hinting it’s currently a hoax, is incredibly irresponsible.

ROSE: MORE HOURS, MORE SHOTS

The mass vaccination site at Cardinal Stadium is extending its hours this week, running from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., instead of closing at 6 p.m. as it did previously. At the 28-lane operation, appointments are recommended, but not required. It’s getting easier and easier to get a shot, so if you’ve been holding off because of long work hours or tech problems, hopefully this helps.

NEWS & ANALYSIS

asked for discovery evidence, said Geiser. Courtney Kellner, who is among the 100+ attorneys who have volunteered to represent protesters, said some of the remaining cases will end up going to trial. The cases that the County Attorney’s office is prioritizing prosecuting are violent crimes, property damage and obstruction of a roadway. There were legitimate protesters who were not using the unrest as a cover for crimes who obstructed a roadway, including those who shut down a NuLu Street in July and demonstrators who overtook the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge in June. Kellner called obstructing a roadway an “outlier,” in the list of charges, but she said the County Attorney’s office did offer volunteer time to some of the protesters charged with that offense, including some NuLu and bridge protesters. Julie Helman Maldonado, a licensed attorney who is coordinating the lawyer volunteer effort, said she didn’t understand why the county attorney is aggressively pursuing obstruction of a roadway cases over others. “I don’t know why that’s any worse than anything else, just I mean to me, I don’t,” she said. But, Geiser said protesters who obstructed roadways were interfering with the right of the rest of the public to travel freely. They were also endangering others, she continued. “We’ve had some main thoroughfares blocked. It’s a safety concern,” she said. “I mean, there was one instance where one of the ramps, I believe it was 65, was blocked, down near the hospitals. And that ramp is regularly used by ambulances when they’re transporting people to the hospital. So we just can’t have that.” While Geiser said there must be consequences to obstructing a roadway, the offense is “low on the spectrum,” of criminality and it likely won’t carry a significant punishment. The sentencing guidelines for obstructing a roadway, which is a Class B misdemeanor, suggest up to 90 days in jail or up to a $250 fine. And, “we’re not putting people in jail,” Geiser said. Chanelle Helm, a core organizer of Black Lives Matter Louisville, is one of those protesters who blocked off the Second Street bridge. She said she wants to take her case to trial. “We don’t necessarily just want anything on our record, we actually do want to make sure that people know that there’s a reason to fight,” she said. But, going through the criminal justice system can be a consequence in itself, and even those protesters who were arrested while lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights had a rough time.

PROTESTER STORIES

Ariana Tulay, 20, a Northern Kentucky University sophomore majoring in political science and philosophy, was arrested in May while trying to depart a protest at which police were deploying tear gas and pepper balls. She and several other protesters could not ﬁnd a way out, because ofﬁcers had boxed them in. She was imprisoned in Louisville Metro Department of Corrections for around 30 hours, one of the last of the protesters arrested that night to be released, because at

some point in the process her paperwork had been messed up and her name misspelled. “I think it’s exhausting because they have such a lack of care for the way that they treat you,” she said. One of the protesters she was arrested with was Matthew Kaufmann, a former Kentucky Teacher of the Year. “I’ve learned when you are arrested you are not seen as a person at all,” he said. “It is a very dehumanizing experience, and the people who dealt with us were very dehumanizing.” Kaufmann was imprisoned in a jail cell with around 30 other people, which was significant because it was the middle of the pandemic, he said. According to Kaufmann, the cell was not sanitized while he was there, he was denied water most of the night and it was “evident” that the only drinking fountain had been used as a urinal. Tulay and Kaufmann were both assigned volunteer attorneys, and in November, they were both relieved to have their charges dismissed. “There’s no reason that we had those charges in the first place,” said Tulay. “So, to have justice done, in a sense, was fulfilling.” But, Tulay still had to deal with the stress of court dates, uncertainty about the outcome of her charges and the possibility that her future employment could be impacted — all further complicated by her identity as a Black woman. Davis said she represented one person from out of state who lost a job opportunity. Kellner said other arrested protesters represented by volunteer lawyers had to defer employment and experienced other consequences. “I mean, think about just what being off 48 hours could do in the life of a parent, you know?” said Kellner. “What do you do with your kids and things like that? I mean there’s a big impact that I’m not sure that we’re really going to be able to put our hands around.” Kaufmann said that his perspective, and even his career direction, has changed since attending the protests and being arrested. He now believes that money should be reallocated from police departments and invested in the communities law enforcement have harmed, and he no longer supports the presence of police officers in schools. He also has pivoted, at least temporarily, from his goal of being a principal and, instead, has started a Justice Now learning hub at JCPS to “empower students to be the change in the community.” “My work’s about empowering the next generation to lead, you know?” said Kaufmann. “And then get out of the way and support them however I can. And this summer, my work was to stand beside them and to learn. And I did.” Tulay works with Justice Now, too. And, after being released from jail, she returned to the Louisville protests on a weekly basis. She wants to continue her activism, at protests and in her future career, whatever it may be. Being arrested was a “call to continue to fight,” she said, because it showed that people in power were more willing to push people through a system that is harmful to Black and brown lives than to take accountability for their actions. “It’s a call to continue to protest and a call to continue to use our right so we do not lose our right,” she said. •

Defense attorney Courtney Kellner is among the lawyers helping to represent the arrested protesters.

Tracy Davis is another volunteer attorney representing protesters. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

Brooke Hendrix celebrates with teammates on the field. | BEE BUCK PHOTOGRAPHY

THE ROAD TO SOCCER CITY

HOW LOUISVILLE’S NEW WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM IS POISED TO RESHAPE OUR IDENTITY

By Carolyn Brown | cbrown@leoweekly.com

THE GOLDEN, post-rain haze had already wafted away from the ﬁeld at Lynn Family Stadium and given way to night, but the crowd was glowing with the energy of anticipation and uncertainty: 5,300 people, dots of purple and lavender against the concrete, were waiting for a miracle. The Racing Louisville Football Club, Louisville’s new professional women’s soccer team, was losing to

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

the Orlando Pride by a point in the 93rd minute. The game was in stoppage time, in the team’s ﬁrst ever match, and the Louisville club faced the formidable threat of Orlando standouts like Ali Krieger and Marta. Louisville defender Brooke Hendrix, by her own admission, doesn’t score often. She wasn’t expecting that her teammates would head the ball to land right by her feet. She wasn’t expecting that she’d be the one to

kick it past the Pride’s goalie, right into the net. She wasn’t expecting to single-handedly change the game for her team. The drums beat; the fans roared; the sky lit up with the ﬂashes of purple lights against purple smoke. The Racing, who were now swarming Hendrix with hugs, had tied their debut game 2-2. In soccer parlance, they had “equalized” it. And that’s how the match ended.

Racing Louisville Coach Christy Holly. | PHOTO COURTESY OF CONNOR CUNNINGHAM.

Racing Louisville and Orlando Pride players enter the stadium. | PHOTO BY TIM NWACHUKWU, GETTY IMAGES

It was the team’s first accomplishment on the field, but it definitely wasn’t its first challenge — or its last. In a debut season, the players have had to connect with new teammates, a new city, a new community of fans and a new coach. That’s challenging for any expansion team in its inaugural season, but even more so during a global pandemic. But Racing Louisville, as the only top-level professional sports team in the city, has the chance to become a major revenue generator and provide a cultural boost. Hendrix said being a year-one team has its difficulties, but it also provides new opportunities. “With Racing, because it’s a new team, there’s a lot of unknowns of what we’re going to bring, what we can bring. I feel like it gives us a blank slate, which is really cool,” she said. “We get to do what we want, rather than having to form to a mold.” The Racing’s coach is Christy Holly, a native of Derry in Northern Ireland, who joined the team in August of last year. When Racing lost to the Washington Spirit in its second game on Thursday, April 15, Holly was dismayed at the result, but not devastated. “We know we’re in a long journey here of growing and evolving a team and adversity, and losses are vitally important,” he told LEO. Holly feels “very, very honored” to coach. He offered praise for the “tremendous professional” Michelle Betos, the team captain, and the “world-class” vice captain Savannah McCaskill. “There’s not one player I looked at last night as we walked off the field and thought, ‘God, I wish you weren’t here,’” he said. “Every single player is so

aligned and really driven to contribute to the bigger goal.”

A NEW TEAM, A LINGERING PANDEMIC

The Racing Louisville Football Club players come from 15 different states, and some are from as far away as Sweden and Japan. For all but one of them — forward Emina Ekic, a duPont Manual grad who played for the UofL women’s soccer team before coming to Racing — playing in Louisville is a new venture. “Every player in this club has a point to prove,” Coach Holly said. “They do have to show that they belong at this level. The reason that we got access to them is because maybe it didn’t work out for them at their previous organization. And that’s not a poor reﬂection of them, or of the previous organization — it just wasn’t the right ﬁt. So it’s an opportunity for them to come in and show that they belong at this level, and they can contribute, and that they’re deserving of the opportunities that lie in front of them.” “When we have that hunger and that cultural alignment, I think it makes them a little bit different-than and somewhat dangerous,” he continued. The pandemic put a dent in Holly’s initial recruiting and team-building plans — as he puts it, “You can’t email a handshake.” Still, he says, the larger losses of the last year remind him to reframe the losses of competition. “There could be someone associated with our team, associated with our community, with our fans, that may

have lost a family member to the pandemic or various other reasons,” he said. “It’s been challenging, but it helps keep things in perspective that we’re still very privileged, and we should use our platform for the greater good.” The pandemic’s impact is being taken extremely seriously inside the stadium during games. This season, Lynn Family Stadium is using the same VenueShield protocols as event centers like the KFC Yum! Center and Freedom Hall: masks required, hand sanitizer stations everywhere, temperature checks and social distancing signs, amongst other things. For what it’s worth, I have covered a number of sporting events in Louisville since February, including multiple bull riding shows, a basketball game at Freedom Hall and a boxing weigh-in, but I have never felt as COVID-safe — nor seen as much mask-wearing — as I have in two reporting trips to Lynn Family Stadium. And the pandemic hasn’t quashed the ever-growing fan energy that has been building up since the team was founded in October 2019. When I went to that inaugural game on April 10, I didn’t feel like the team was breaking new ground — I felt like I was watching a team that already belonged. The fandom was enthusiastic and the journalistic interest was strong. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that the Racing had already been an active presence in Louisville for a year or 10.

THE PURPLE BUS IN THE GOLD LOT

If you’ve been to a soccer game in Louisville, you’ve seen them: they park a purple bus in the gold lot. These are not the fans who sit idly by, sipping their beers while the game action rages in front of them; they are the game action, every bit as much as the players. Their claps, their chants, their cheers, and their capos — group members with megaphones who lead the crowd — collectively create a soundtrack to the gameplay, both to encourage the players and elicit cheers from the fans. These are the supporters groups, more commonly called SGs, who make up the most visible fan presence in the stands. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

A Racing Louisville team meeting. | PHOTO BY TIM NWACHUKWU, GETTY IMAGES.

concentrate largely in the lower part of the standing-room-only Estopinal End, right above the goal. Collectively, they make up a subculture that officials and players cite with gratitude as a driving force for both the team and the sustainability of the franchise. Even during the pandemic, their members are here at Lynn Family Stadium in the hundreds, making a vocal, united show of support. After years of supporting the men’s team, they’re now eager to bring that support to the women of the Racing. The large crowd signs at a recent game. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ISI PHOTOS. Still: why and how would they bring such fervor for a team they don’t know yet, for whom, unlike You see their purple face masks, purple lipstick, LouCity, they don’t have years of precedent? purple t-shirts, buttons, scarves and shoes. You see the “We’ve had a year to plan for this,” said supporter purple smoke grenades that they set off when a LouisMichele Wilkinson. “The team’s had a year to market, ville player gets a goal. You see their banners, like the the supporter’s group has had a year to market. The thing one bearing a silhouette of a player, big enough to cover that has built soccer in Louisville is word of mouth. If a car, with the caption “THIS IS HER LOUISVILLE,” you tell a friend, you bring a friend; and if you bring that hung from the rafters on April 10. them, they’re coming back, they’re bringing another You hear their chants — “Vamos Morados!” — friend. That’s just how soccer is built in Louisville.” through their megaphones. Wilkinson is president of the LouCity Ladies, an There are several supporters’ groups for the Racing officially recognized SG whose members are all female and Louisville City Football Club who maintain an and female-identifying. You might not see them in all active presence on social media and at the games. Five the commotion and color of a regular match, but they’re of them, including Scouse’s House, The Sheep’s Pen, the there, both seated and standing throughout the stadium, Louisville Ledgehogs and The Louisville Coopers are keeping an eye on the action on and off the field. (In “official” groups recognized by the Club itself; others, fact, they are the only official SG that has permission to including The Lavender Legion and the Derby City sit outside of the supporter’s section.) Ultras, are “unofficial,” but no less active. The groups

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

For the Ladies, their club isn’t just a group of women, it’s a group for women — women who might not feel completely comfortable at a sporting event, even with a women’s team on the field. “Sometimes the women’s voices get kind of lost in the mix of the people who have been around the game forever, and unintentionally, women get the feeling [of], I can’t ask a question — if I ask what an offside is, somebody’s gonna judge me,” Wilkinson explained. As part of her role with the Ladies, she answers texts about the game mechanics of soccer — and, when necessary, deploys members to go sit or walk with women in the stadium who ask for company, for any reason. “Find us — we’re everywhere; you’re safe,” Wilkinson continued. “Whether you’re trans, whether you’re femme, especially if you’re an out-of-towner, coming to a new city might feel uncomfortable and unsafe. We want people to know, when you come to Louisville, find us. There’s somebody everywhere that you can sit with, and you’ll feel safe.” Amidst the purple banners and flags at this season’s Louisville soccer games were rainbow Pride flags and flags in support of Black Lives Matter, both of which made appearances on fans’ apparel as well. Several female soccer celebrities are part of the LGBTQ community, including married couple Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, who played against the Racing this year. There were a few other signs up at the first game, too, courtesy of the supporters’ group The Lavender Legion. Black and white banners hung on the Estopinal side bore, in all caps, the names of notable women from Louisville: on one side, ANNE BRADEN, SUE GRAFTON, DAWNE GEE; on the other, AMIRAGE SALING, TORI MURDEN MCCLURE, ELIZABETH KIZITO. A banner easily four times as large as the others was

The socially-distanced crowd during a recent Racing Louisville game. | PHOTO BY TIM NWACHUKWU, GETTY IMAGES.

front and center, visible all the way across the ﬁeld. It had only one name: BREONNA.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT

Conquering social inequities is a key factor in bringing healing to the city, one that the Racing’s officials, players and fans take seriously. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the economic benefit that a new professional sports franchise will produce. As Karl F. Schmitt, Jr., president and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, wrote in an editorial last December, “Sports […] are an important boost to the economy. At this point in our history, sports are not a luxury, they are a lifeline.” The numbers agree: Sports bring in very big bucks. A casual Racing fan who lives in Louisville might pay for a ticket and a snack at the stadium a few times a season, but they might also need gas on the way there. A serious fan visiting from out of town would pay for multiple tickets, multiple meals, multiple hotel nights, multiple flights or bus tickets and lots of merch. Multiply that by 5,300 — or 15,000 in any other year — and those numbers create a serious economic force to be reckoned

with. “Kentucky tourism is an $11.8 billion industry in the commonwealth and is the third largest industry in Louisville, generating an annual economic impact of $3.5 billion,” said Danielle Jones, executive director of public affairs and constituent services in the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet, in an emailed statement to LEO. “While the tourism industry has suffered signiﬁcant loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky’s strong tourism industry combined with access to outdoor recreation positions us to be a leader in recovery.” When I spoke to fans, one recurring theme I kept hearing was the idea that this team’s existence was proof positive that Louisville is and deserves to be a major sports city. Jessica McGraw, who serves as a capo for The Coopers, said, “There a lot of haters out there because we’re Kentucky, and we still have that stigma [that] it’s a little podunk area,” she said. “I’ve seen in all these different group chats where [people say], ‘Why would they want to go to Kentucky?’ Well, Louisville is not the same as Kentucky as a whole, and if you don’t know us, then you don’t realize Louisville has a lot to offer.” Calvin McPherson, who associates with the LouCity

Ladies through his wife Hope, agreed: “I think we’re going to play better than a lot of other cities may have given us credit for. I think we’re gonna show them that the players want to be here and that Louisville’s a serious soccer city.” “Soccer City” is a phrase I’ve heard numerous times in the process of reporting this article — on a Zoom call with Coach Holly, in a video of a press conference on Twitter, from fans that I talked to in the parking lot. Even without the exact phrasing, the sentiment is there from as far away as Frankfort; Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman told LEO in a statement that she was excited for the Racing’s new season. “The team will serve as ambassadors for Kentucky and powerful examples to our daughters that, with hard work and dedication, they can accomplish their dreams,” she said. Being a part of the National Women’s Soccer League has the potential to reshape Louisville’s future as a city of sports. The road to Soccer City is just beginning. •

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

STAFF PICKS THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 25

Alice In Derbyland!

Christy’s Garden | 720 Brent St. | paristown.com/happenings $30, adults; $20, kids | Times vary An original Derby musical with drag queens? That’s so Louisville. In this all-ages show, Alice faces off against the evil Delta Queen and Seersucker Cat with the help of MUSICAL the Mad Milliner, the Fascinate-Hare and the Churchill Rabbit. Your stars are Gilda Wabbit, Diana Rae, Philip Clemons and more. —LEO

FRIDAY, APRIL 23-25

Spring Into Derby Presented By Woodford Reserve Paristown | 720 Brent St. | springintoderby.com | Prices and times vary

The stunning new multi-use entertainment district will finally be able to join in the Derby season festivities… and, by join in, I mean it’s bringing a lot of festivities you DRINK won’t want to miss. Starting on Friday, a weekend of live music will kick off with The Crashers. Then on Saturday, are performances by MaryMary, Hot Brown Smackdown (each $30 with table options of four for $60 and six for $90). There will also be free shows on Saturday by Hickory Vaught and Kaintuck Band, who will also perform on Sunday. There will also be the inaugural Paristown Art Fair, with up to 50 art vendors and pop-up shops, beginning at noon on Saturday and Sunday. Cocktails and concessions will be available, as well… it is Derby season after all. All ages are welcome, although pets are not. —Aaron Yarmuth

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

SATURDAY, APRIL 24

Earth Day Tree Planting

Shelby Park | 600 E. Oak St. | Search Facebook | Free | Times vary Humans are but guests on this Earth, which will surely outlive us. It did OK alone for the first few billion years, didn’t it? While we’re here, though, we should be nice to GREEN our temporary habitat. To celebrate Earth Day, which is actually April 22, Louisville Parks and Recreation is looking for volunteers to plant 100 trees in the Shelby Park neighborhood. You must sign up online beforehand. Volunteers are needed for various tasks and times throughout the day, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.. While ensuring the environmental health of our city, we should take care of our own, too, so masks, temperature checks and social distancing will all be required. —Danielle Grady

SATURDAY, APRIL 24

Puppy Palooza!

Westport Village | 1315 Herr Lane | Search Facebook | Free | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Ready for a fur-nomenal time? Fur-tastic time? Organizers promise it will be the “UltiMutt day” for our fur friends. PAWS Whatever, it’s funny… and it’s time for you and doge to get out of the house. Let the dogs go nuts at the K9 splash zone and check out the 20 dog-friendly vendors at the Fido Marketplace, while Cull Hollow brings the live music. If you can’t make it for the Palooza part, you can sign up for a dog-friendly yoga class (with BendAndZenHotYoga.com) at 4 p.m. —LEO

STAFF PICKS

SUNDAY, APRIL 25

LFS 8th Annual Oscar Watch Party 2021

Mellwood Art Center | 1860 Mellwood Ave. | louisvillefilmsociety.org/owp $25 | 7 p.m. Watch the stars under the stars. The Louisville Film Society’s anACADEMY nual Oscar watch party is outdoors this year on the east lawn of the Mellwood Art Center. Like the film industry, the yearly soiree has been impacted by the coronavirus. As such, “COVID chic” clothing is encouraged (sweatpants, comfy sweaters, etc.), as well as cocktail attire — whatever you want to wear. There will be food trucks serving Filipino dishes, Hawaiian burgers and poke bowls with “Hollywood-inspired libations.” One ticket nets you a reserved seat at one of the party’s socially-distanced tables, two cocktails and an entry into a $250 ballot competition. With all that, do we even care about the Academy Awards? Of course, they will be broadcast onto a two-story screen anyway. —LEO

TUESDAY, APRIL 27

Handicapping Dinner with Mark Coomes and Jody Demling

Bourbons Bistro | 2255 Frankfort Ave. | bourbonsbistro.com/events-1 | $10-$55 | 6 p.m. It’s that time of year again when Louisville becomes all decadent and depraved,

FOOD so what better way to prep for irresponsible-decisions season than a little

gambling guidance? At this dinner, experts Mark Coomes and Jody Demling will give you advice on picking the right horses during this year’s Kentucky Derby and Oaks Day. It’s $10 for a virtual-only ticket, and $55 for the in-person dinner that includes spicy fried oysters, a baby kale and fig salad, bourbon chop, a mint julep and a side dish of betting instruction that could help you become one of the fortunate few. —LEO

THURSDAY, APRIL 26

Great Bed Races

Kentucky Exposition Center parking lot | 937 Phillips Lane | discover.kdf.org/greatbed-races | Free ($150 per team) | 4 p.m. A quirky entry into the Kentucky Derby festivities, the Great Bed Races are exactly what they sound like: You and four friends put wheels on a bed and turn it into BEDTIME a racer. The course goes from a figure 8 to a straight drag race format, so make sure you have some steering ability. The official tailgate party starts at 4 p.m. with the parade of beds following at 6 p.m., while the race will be held at 7 p.m. — the main event. —LEO

THROUGH MONDAY, MAY 3

‘Win Place ART Show’

Revelry Boutique + Gallery | 742 E. Market St. | revelrygallery.com | Free It’s time to place your wagers for Revelry’s third annual Derby art show. Viewers bet by selecting the three Derby-themed artworks they like best (aka win, place and show). That will be a hard ART call with a “field” of 12 Louisville artists including Ewa Perz, Bobby Hinkel and SAMOSA. The winners are announced on May 1, Derby Day. Voting also enters you in a drawing for a Revelry Derby goodie basket, with the winning ticket picked on Derby. —Jo Anne Triplett

‘The Final Stretch’ by Hannah Jo Burkhart. Oil on canvas.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

STAFF PICKS

THROUGH JUNE 30

‘Winners Circle’

Kentucky Fine Art Gallery | 2400 Lime Kiln Lane | kentuckyfineartgallery.com | Free If you arrived in Louisville without knowing where you were, you might wonder what was going on with all these horse-related shows popping up in the galleries. WINNERS It’s Derby time again, baby! The Kentucky Fine Art Gallery doesn’t disappoint with its annual Derby exhibitions featuring Jaime Corum, Susan Hackworth, Robert Halliday, Greta Mattingly and David O. Schuster. Besides their standard high-quality fare (Corum and Schuster are two of my favorite horse/Derby artists), the artists are also presenting a new 5-inches square series depicting jockey silks. The gallery is housed inside the Leslie H. Spetz Custom Picture Framing & Gallery. —Jo Anne Triplett

@leoweekly

‘For He Loves to Fly’ by Susan Hackworth. Mixed media.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

MUSIC

HIP-HOP/R&B ARTIST EL STEPHENS NAVIGATES LIFE, COVID AND A BURGEONING MUSIC CAREER By AB Elizabeth | leo@leoweekly.com NEARLY THREE YEARS into his self-made career, 18-year-old duPont Manual senior El Stephens recently began performing his music in local venues. Stephens, whose style is a blend of hip-hop and R&B, has two albums and 11 singles to his name — with more tracks dropping soon. While he writes and produces most of his music from the comfort of his home studio, Stephens enjoys co-creating with many of his talented network of friends — most of whom are also Manual students. We recently caught up with Stephens to discuss his music, collaborations, Covid and post-graduation plans.

LEO: WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?

EL Stephens: Chris Brown, Jack Harlow, Lil Skies, Bryson Tiller, Drake, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and my family and friends. Nostalgia is another big inﬂuence.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT NOSTALGIA?

It’s one of my favorite feelings. Navigating life, it changes very slowly. I am always taking pictures of everything and trying to capture good memories. I can look back on these moments and see the exact day and time I was doing something and remember what it felt like. That’s the vibe I try to associate with these songs. I’m looking forward to listening to my newest album next winter. A lot of the songs are written about what my friends and I were doing at the time. What if we are 10 states apart by then? The music and the photos will really bring it close to home.

ONE YEAR AGO, YOU FELT CALLED TO WRITE A SONG ABOUT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT. THE TRACK, ‘DO YOU HATE ME?,’ DEPICTS THE STRUGGLES BLACK PEOPLE FACE FROM SYSTEMIC RACISM AND OPPRESSION. WHAT’S BEHIND THE LYRICS?

I drew inspiration from everything I had learned and poured my feelings into the song. I’m biracial, and seeing how my mom and dad have different privileges because of their race really impacted me. I talk about myself in the song, but it’s not about me; it’s about ‘we’ as people in the movement. Toward the end [of the song] you can hear my voice crack. I was thinking ‘yeah I want the listeners to really hear and feel the raw emotion behind it.’

IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE SONG STILL RESONATE, AND HAVE ANY OF YOUR SENTIMENTS CHANGED? The message is still the same — it still resonates.

YOUR MUSIC BLENDS PROLIFIC PROSE WITH

NATURAL RHYTHM AND FLOW. DESCRIBE HOW THIS CREATIVE PROCESS COMES TOGETHER.

I have been spending less time on lyrics and more time on getting the vibe right with the melodies and ﬂows. I used to spend more time getting it ‘clever, quick and slick,’ but now I have a lot more fun with it. My songwriting style has changed signiﬁcantly; now I record the whole thing and write the lyrics down later. It usually starts with one phrase, like my song, ‘Sum2Say.’ I just slide in and have fun. I wanted it to feel like summertime and good vibes.

AS AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST, YOU HAVE HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO CO-CREATE WITH FRIENDS (MUSICIANS, SINGERS, ARTISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, PRODUCTION ARTISTS), MOST OF WHOM ARE FELLOW MANUAL STUDENTS OR BAND MEMBERS. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH YOUR PEERS?

Working with friends is really awesome. Because I am an independent artist, I have the freedom to do literally anything. It’s so open that the challenging part is making sure everything I produce is high quality. For example, my friend Mali (Manual student Malik Furqan; collaborations include “Champagne,” “Avenue” and “Slide 4 Me”) and I started making music at the same time. It’s like PB&J: We both get better at what we do — I get better at rapping and he gets better at singing.”

CAN YOU NAME SOME OF YOUR ADDITIONAL COLLABORATIONS?

I have several with my friends from Manual: Alyssa Goodman (“There4u pt. 2”), Aaron Moeller (“Aaron’s Interlude”) and Diego Gonzalez (“Hot Topic,” “What U Waiting 4). Plus, I have an unreleased song with Jayso Poetic, a couple of unreleased songs with Jordan Brooks and several collaborations with Russ Guapo (“Lipstick,” “Boog,” “Lost N Found,” “Let Me Know” and “Sum2Say.”) I also work with (Manual student owned) Belrok Production Company to produce videos for my YouTube channel.

HOW HAS COVID IMPACTED YOUR LIFE?

I have been focusing on the positives that have come out of it. Being ‘locked’ inside the house has given me way more free time. I really leveled up in terms of my music and exploring new genres and styles. I experienced a creative surge where I was making new songs every day. It used to take me six months to make a song. Now, the entire creative process is easier. Before COVID hit, I was planning on attending MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University; Stephens will now be attending UofL on scholarship as a business major). I realized during this time how much I want to be home near my family. That’s where I get most of my strength.

Local hip-hop artist El Stephens.

YOU RECENTLY STARTED PERFORMING IN LOCAL VENUES. WHAT’S IT LIKE PERFORMING TO A LIVE AUDIENCE?

I have mad nerves before the music starts. But once it’s on I’m ready to go. I’m still nervous through the ﬁrst couple of songs, but then I look out into the audience and see my family and my friends really amped up, and I just go off the energy of my homies.

TALK ABOUT YOUR NEWEST RELEASE, ‘WHATEVER U WANT.’

It’s the realest, most close-to-home I have been lately with regard to lyrics. I tried to have fun while creating something that is more relatable and truer to myself.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

This year I have had to spend a lot of time prioritizing school and work. After graduation, I plan to apply a lot more pressure creatively. I will be doing a lot more photo shoots, videos, singles, networking and performing. Plus, I have a new project I will be releasing.

CAN YOU OFFER A PREVIEW OF YOUR UPCOMING PROJECT?

I’m going to release four new tracks. This is me being more mature, more relatable. One will be very lit, conﬁdent and charismatic. Another will be more chill, reserved and calm. The third one is going to be more sad and interpersonal. I’m not sure about the last one yet.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

My deﬁnition is to be happy and healthy where you are and in whatever it is you choose to do. • LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

FOOD & DRINK

RECOMMENDED

TACO WEEK LURES US TO LIMÓN Y SAL By Robin Garr | LouisvilleHotBytes.com BAM! The notiﬁcation popped up on the top of my screen with an attention-getting tone: “Louisville Taco Week,” it read. “Because Taco Tuesday isn’t enough! We’re bringing you $2 tacos from some of Louisville’s most popular taco joints.” What’s not to like about that? Who doesn’t love tacos? It got my attention anyway and sent me on a taco quest that ended up at the suburban Mexican eatery Limón y Sal. (I’m sorry to have to tell you that the April 12-18 week of specials ended before you saw this, but hey, tacos are good cheap eats even when they’re not on sale.) Looking over the dozen “most popular taco joints” that participated with sponsors el Jimador Tequila and Gordon Food Service, I was a little disappointed to see that none of the little down-home, Spanishspeaking taquerias that I love were included. But hey, variety is the spice of life — a couple of Irish spots were even on the list — and everybody loves tacos. When I spotted a place that I hadn’t tried named Limón y Sal, I ﬁgured a Spanish name was a good sign.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

I got about halfway out to its far northeastend shop before it dawned on me that this is a margarita reference: lemon and salt. Indeed, its expansive shopping center space provided a tasty Mexican meal, with tacos, and although I didn’t indulge in one of the seven margaritas (available in small, large and pitcher sizes) for a workday lunch, I admired the look of the massive bar that dominates one side of the room. Kentucky’s pandemic-trimmed restaurant capacity was up to 60% at the time of our visit last week, which left plenty of open space around the tables. We felt even more secure, even with masks and vaccinations, in tall-backed booths topped by plastic dividers that turn them into bubbles. Lunch and dinner menus are similar in selection and price, with a few lunch items such as fajitas, quesadillas and specials aimed at quick, affordable midday meals priced under $10. Combination lunches offer a la carte options of tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, cheese quesadillas, tamales, burritos and chile poblanos at $7.99 for any one,

One of Limón y Sal’s Taco Week specials was the Ximena taco, a meatless option with an avocado-topped veggie mix with remarkable flavor and texture. | PHOTOS BY ROBIN GARR.

Limón y Sal’s caldo de res, the classic Mexican beef soup, is rich, comforting, and very, very spicy.

FOOD & DRINK

Even with restaurant capacity up to 60% at the time of our visit, there’s plenty of open space at Limón y Sal. If you’re still wary, tall-backed booths are topped by plastic dividers.

and $9.99 for choice of two, with rice and beans included. A dozen antojitos (appetizers) range in price from $3.99 to $10.99 and appear well chosen for noshing with libations from the bar, which, in addition to all those margaritas, offers a good selection of tequila-based Mexican cocktails, Mexican and domestic beers and a short wine list. There appears to be close to 100 main dishes on the lunch menu, a selection broad enough to be worth reviewing in advance — with only a couple of impressive steak dishes, a fancy chicken specialty and a mixed-meats combo plate topping $15. Complimentary chips got us off to a promising start: Crunchy, warm corn chips came with beakers of tasty mild and cilantro-accented hot salsa. A table card listed three tacos on sale for

Taco Week, and to be honest, they were a little off the beaten path: a “keto” taco with carnitas wrapped in lettuce leaves in place of tortillas; an avocado-based vegetarian taco; and a grilled shrimp taco. The carnitas was not the classic Michoacán-style crispy marinated, baked, then fried pork. It appeared to be pork strips seasoned with taco strips and grilled. It was tasty enough, though, as the three tacos were rolled in crisp green romaine leaves with tomato-and-pineapple salsa and drizzled with crema. The Ximena taco, a meatless option, filled three rustic corn tortillas with slices of ripe avocado atop a veggie mix of spinach, onion, green bell pepper chunks, yellow corn and bits of zucchini flavored with a piquant tomatillo salsa. The combination boasted outstanding flavor and texture, but

the single tortillas lacked the strength to carry the load without splitting, making this a knife-and-fork taco. We followed the tacos with a couple of Mexican entrees that made us happy. Enchiladas Soﬁa ($8.50) were a meatless option so good that no one would notice the lack of animal ﬂesh: Four corn tortillas had been marinated in adobo salsa, then folded over a delicious mix of black beans, cheese and yellow corn, with crumbled queso fresco on top and a pile of chopped iceberg lettuce and a pale tomato slice on the side. Where’s the beef? There was plenty of it in a huge, steaming bowl of rich, comforting and very, very spicy caldo de res ($13.99), the classic Mexican beef soup. The steaming hot reddish-brown soup had the bones left in, which added richness to a really excellent broth. Big shank bones had been cut across

with the marrow still inside, with long-simmered meat hanging in chunks off the bone. The soup also contained two large rounds of sweet yellow corn on the cob, large chunks of potato and oversize carrot chunks. Small bowls of chopped cilantro and Mexicanstyle rice came on the side, as did a few corn tortillas wrapped in foil. With water and a made-in-Mexico Coke ($2.50), a taco-discounted lunch for two came to $30.73, plus an $8 tip. •

LIMÓN Y SAL

10000 Brownsboro Road 423-4604 limonysal502.com

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FILM

STUDIO VISIT

MEET FILMMAKERS BRYN SILVERMAN AND NAVEEN CHAUBAL By Melissa Chipman | leo@leoweekly.com

THE GENESIS of the 9-minute short film “Pinball” is a long story, said director Naveen Chaubal. “It depends how far back you want to go.” Chaubal and co-editor and producer Bryn Silverman, who attended University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts together, were initially interested in the account of an outsider trying to fit in, then the idea for the film went through many iterations of time periods and settings. But several years back, the idea took a more solid form — something to do with buses. It was “a few years out of film school,” said Silverman. “Naveen and I had started working together on ads. He was living in LA taking buses everywhere, and I was living in Guatemala. He came down to visit and do some research on the camioneta buses there — the retired school buses that are turned into public transportation.” Through the “power of YouTube,” Chaubal said, he discovered figure 8 school bus racing at the Jeffersonville Sportsdrome Speedway in Indiana, just ten minutes across the river from Louisville. It’s a sport not unlike professional wrestling where crashes are expected, and if they don’t happen naturally, someone — often times Speedway promoter Mike Gibson — will hop in a spare bus and make sure a crash happens. Chaubal, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, was visiting his family in Indiana and decided to check out the races. He met Gibson, whose initial hesitancy quickly dissolved. Silverman and Chaubal were granted VIP access to the drivers and their pit crews, and, for four months, they were “regulars” at the Speedway. “The location is so cinematic,” said Silverman. The two elements of “outsider” and “buses” gelled into “Pinball,” a short film about an orphaned teenage boy who lives a reclusive life in a school bus and dreams of racing buses at a local speedway. The name of the film was in part inspired by the nickname of one of the most helpful racers to Chaubal and Silverman. Chaubal described the filming, which often ran deep into the night, as “speed racers fraternizing

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

with film nerds.” While it was Gibson who opened the door to the race world for them, it was Steven Schardt, a producer and director, who got the ball rolling with the Louisville film community and introduced them to the people they needed to know, including cinematographer Daphne Still from the Silverman/Chaubal short film “Pinball” Wu. Silverman and Chaubal buses they bought they retrieved raised some funds and shot a teaser for from Ohio. It had no keys and the short film to “develop the story and no seats and would start but not develop the world,” said Chaubal. turn off. Chaubal had to sit on the Chaubal grew up in Indiana. Silverman floor and manually feed gas to the was raised in Oregon, and her first time in engine from the body of the bus as Louisville was when they shot the teaser. they barreled down the highways. The overwhelming support from the local The bus didn’t need to run for film community, including the people who very long after they got it to town. worked on set, convinced them both to “We bought buses to crash,” said move to Louisville — Chaubal from LA Silverman. and Silverman from Germany. Silverman Looking ahead, we can expect said that the welcome they received in a feature-length documentary that the city was a “huge incentive” to move springs from “Pinball.” Silverman and “why pay a million bucks” to live in is currently working on a limited bigger-ticket cities? series on the life of Annie Oakley Through auditions at various local high and on one on the thyroid gland schools, coordinated with local arts and — she was diagnosed with thyroid English educators, they found their star in cancer a few years ago. Both — then 16-year-old — Yosef Al-Windawi, Silverman and Chaubal are intera Seneca High School student and nonacested in hybrid spaces between tor. As if by something more than chance, documentaries and fiction. “It’s a nice film Al-Windawi was on Chaubal and Silverspace to be in,” said Chaubal. man’s bus ride from the auditions back to “Pinball” has been shown at a number their AirbnB. of prestigious festivals including Tulsa “He has a strong spirit of curiosity,” American International Film Festival, Film said Silverman. It was essential for them Independent showcase, Syndicated Film to have a nonactor in the lead, and AlFest, Greenpoint Film Festival and the Windawi delivered with “vulnerability Louisville Film Society Short Film Slam without the performative aspects.” and Geoff Storts’ Below the Line short film Silverman and Chaubal offered up an series right here in Louisville. The film is anecdote to show how by-the-seat-of-theiravailable on NoBudge, where it won the pants the production was. They used part audience award. NoBudge is a movies club of their budgets to buy buses. One of the

Filmmakers Bryn Silverman and Naveen Chaubal

that presents a hand-picked selection of new indie movies daily. It is, “one of the best places to sample what’s happening in low-budget cinema worldwide,” says Glenn Kenny of The New York Times. • “Pinball” on YouTube: youtu.be/XPhRbRznSy8 More from Chaubal: naveenchaubal.com More from Silverman: brynsilverman.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FACT! ART PROGRAM KEEPS FAMILIES CREATING TOGETHER By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com

THE PAST YEAR has changed everything. The way we work, play, eat, etc. has been upended by living in a pandemic. Summer camps were canceled and many of the programs parents and kids relied upon were paused or eliminated completely. Throughout the pandemic there have been pockets of normalcy and ways to make sure that we survive this thing with not only our bodies but our minds intact. One way many of us did that was through the creation of art. Despite still being in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, with numbers stagnant or lower, there are signs of life emerging in the world. One of those is the return of summer camps and other programs. Parents rejoice. Soon, sign-ups for one of the few completely free programs, the FACT program will open and, though it will remain virtual, it will provide families with art instruction and supplies for 10 weeks of art experiences. Founded in Washington, D.C. and proctored by Bobby Austin, the FACT program was developed as an initiative through the Neighborhood Associates Corporation. The program partners with affordable housing communities and believes that creative families build stronger communities. As such, all youth involved in the FACT program do so with a parent, guardian or other important adult in their lives. FACT stands for Families Are Artists, Creators, and Teachers. It is a program that brings families together over art. Louisville is one of the program’s pilot cities with the local chapter starting in 2018. Any family, anywhere in the city, can participate. “The FACT Program launched in early 2018, serving families in affordable housing in Louisville’s Russell Neighborhood as well as in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Bradenton, Florida,” said FACT Communications Coordinator Alexander Bain in an email. “FACT is generously funded by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust of North Carolina, which supports initiatives in those states.” “We have worked for many years with the City View Park community, and so it was an exciting privilege to be able to bring our whole-family program to City View families and to welcome the Russell neighborhood as a whole. Going forward,

we invite families from across Metro Louisville to join us on our journey.” Locally, the classes are run by teaching artist and researcher Marlesha Woods. Woods has been involved with the project from the beginning. “Currently, we have 10 families per session, but right now I think we’re ramping that up to 15 families per term,” Woods said. In terms of how many people in each family can participate, Woods said: “Last time, there was like a family of seven or eight. And so in that case, it was a mom, her kids, she invited her sister, her sister’s boyfriend. I mean, like, you really get to define what that looks like.” The idea that families can be whatever we make them is important to the program and the communities it serves. Families can be so many things. To some families, the program serves as a means of transformation. “Some people don’t even know they have skills. Right, cause there’s this idea, especially around art, that art has this level of, you know, it’s rather elite or it’s kind of pretenA young artist at the FACT art tious…,” said Woods. “We don’t do program the ‘can’t’ stuff. We’re going to try. You know, like, we’re not asking you brains and bodies to be Rembrandt. We don’t even study the during the end — classical artists. What does art look like to we hope it’s the you?” end — of COVID, “When we can, we have guest speakart is never a bad ers that come in and do yoga and drama time. • and poetry or spoken word. So yeah, I’m a visual, interdisciplinary artist, but most of For more inforwhat I do is visual. Anything that I don’t mation, visit factdo — or I’m not doing presently — I try to 2genart.org. New incorporate other people.” spring sessions for Being involved with the program 10-week virtual includes not only the ability to experiart programs start ence several types of creative expreson April 20 and sion — there are, in non-pandemic years, April 27. the chance for outings and field trips with the program funding meals and the experiences. All of those amenities will return one day, but while we’re still limiting our contacts, yet trying to find outlets for our

A gardening experience at FACT Louisville LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

ETC.

28 33

29 35

38 44

52 57

119

107

108

110

115 120

121

116

122

123 126

127

128

129

Paper route hour, maybe Headliner’s cue Land between Togo and Nigeria Insider’s vocabulary Catch with a throw Alternative to Chuck Wistful sound Man’s name that’s 123-Down reversed Stanza contraction Home of the world’s largest carnival Word with red or army Man’s name that’s 118-Down reversed last year) since 2011. — W.S.

O D E A T O R O S C E N T

R O B B S T U F O K R A S

E G G P L A N T S U S O S H O W N A H

107 108 110 111 112 113 115 118 119 121 122 123

M A N I T S N E W M E L E R I O A V E R A R L S Y B S A I R S O N E T E T A G I R R O N O R O F A S L O N K G S I R A I N I N G O T H

E R E D L I V E A V E N P A R S S L Y E S A W T O L E A S T E G O O D O N C O S A L A O M A D L O V E E O B A L E R A I N G S R I O S A N T O

90 91 93 95 98 100 101 102 104 105 106

Eye cream ingredient Symbol on Captain America’s shield Villainous English king in ‘‘Braveheart’’ Outstanding pitcher Former Ford models Seller of Belgian waffles and French toast (fittingly, considering the ‘‘I’’ in its name) Super Soaker Soakzooka brand Like some orders Ancient halls Eldest Stark son on ‘‘Game of Thrones’’ G.I.’s garb, at times Speedskater Johann ____ Koss, winner of four Olympic golds One-named Nigerian Grammy winner Pained sound In the Renaissance, they were known as ‘‘mala insana’’ (‘‘mad apples’’) Baseball’s Gehrig and Piniella Most reliable Russian city on the Ural River Butterlike spread French West Indies resort island, familiarly Keep from flying, maybe Profession Camera inits. ‘‘With any luck .?.?. ’’ Tag line? Fancy pourers

I N T R O

82 85 87

112

109

125

74 75 76 77 80 81

111

103

124

66 67 69 70 72 73

100

114 118

106

113

102

105

79 86

92 98

101

78 85

104

71 75

60 66

N A D I R

S W I F T

56 63

A I M E

L S A T

A R L D E A X A U L W N N A B A S P N E E C R S F

I H O P

51 55

39 43

L T D S

117

S I X A M

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S T P A A K E U N S E N R L S C S A C T E A L L S L E R W E R S

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 29 32 33 34 35 36 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 53 56 58 59 62 64

DOWN

Bird that can spend up to 10 months in the air without landing Absolute bottom Digital assistant Food packaging abbr., once What’s heard at many a coffeehouse Group sometimes said to be ‘‘out’’ French article Pampering place In use Candle choice Gumbo pods Goddess with a sacred owl Designers’ studios Its capital is Sydney: Abbr. ‘‘Uh-uh’’ Go by Compete with Part of EGBDF Places to play cards, often The Daily ____ (online news site) ____ culpa It plays a role in arm-twisting ‘‘Venerable’’ saint Manual readers Air France hub It brought Hope to the world When doubled, a Nabokov protagonist Pre-bar challenge, briefly ‘‘Je t’____’’ Org. with Fire and Sparks It was first won by the N.Y. Mets in 1969 Snowblower brand Word on some Oreo packages Nothing special Tina Turner, voicewise Goldenrod, e.g. Append Instrument with a flared end Chinese steamed bun Ratio of an angle’s opposite side to the hypotenuse Blueprint details Runs out of juice

F J U O U N L B R E K E Y M A B U S H E S T U D I M E C O B B E D E O R I D E T E W S A L S R O O S D U L T I S I B D A A T E R R I S T I S T S

47 50 51 52 54 55 57 60 61 63 65 68 71 72 78 79 83 84 86 88 89 92 94 96 97 99 101 103 104 109 113

A V O W A L

ACROSS

Chow down on ‘‘Exactly like this’’ Word with mild or well Character often found in children’s books Emotionally process, in modern lingo Repeated cry in 1931’s ‘‘Frankenstein’’ *Perfect curveball? Ivy League city Jam Crucial White coat? Course standards Emergency-room concern *Batting coach’s instruction to a lackadaisical hitter? Habitual drinkers Opposed (to) *Apprentice groundskeepers? Singer/songwriter Parks with the 2021 album ‘‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’’ It might get pulled in both directions New York’s Mount ____ Hospital Dark wine grape Part of a heartbeat Diplomatic official: Abbr. Corn core Cancels Alacrity Afternoon socials Where dreams are made *Overenthusiastic description of a routine base hit? Stand-in for Middle America Pair of socks? *Umpire’s aid in judging foul balls? GPS approximation Sgt. and cpl., e.g. Airer of ‘‘Nancy Drew’’ Old salt Fury State where M.L.K. marched: Abbr. Some fins King James on a court Do as Henry VI did Letters on some foundations Jumpy sorts, in brief *Long hours of fielding practice? ____ only Tilting *Imperceptible fastball movement? All over the place Jimmy ____ (luxury shoe brand)

N O T I T

1 6 12 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 33 37 39 40 46

No. 0411

I H O P E

BY ANGELA OLSON HALSTED AND DOUG PETERSON / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

114 Scientist buried in Westminster Abbey 115 Pop artist who sings ‘‘Satisfied’’ on ‘‘The Hamilton Mixtape’’ 116 New ____ (cap brand) 117 Trouble, metaphorically 120 Ballgame extenders .?.?. and what can literally be found in the answers to the asterisked clues 124 Beekeeper 125 ____ to go 126 Run-D.M.C. and the Jonas Brothers, for example 127 Bands’ performance sheets 128 Unruffled 129 ____ Domingo

C H A S

The New York Times Magazine Crossword GAME CHANGERS

PHOTO BY RACHEL ROBINSON

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SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage | mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage

NUMB AND NUMBERED

Q: I'm a cis bi guy in my 40s who doesn’t have a lot of experience with other men. I'm happily married to a wonderful woman who knows I'm bi, and while we're presently monogamous, we've talked about opening things up in the future. If that happens, I'd like to casually hook up with a guy once in a while, but I'm a little anxious about gay hookup culture. 1. Will a lot of guys dismiss me for being bi or married? I assume biphobia is more of an issue when looking for a relationship, rather than a hookup, but I dunno. 2. If I meet a guy and we’re going to fuck, is it weird to bring up condoms? I know: I shouldn't be afraid to ask to use a condom, and if someone can't respect that, I shouldn't fuck him. I'm not and I won't. But will most guys be a little surprised, especially with PrEP these days? 3. On that note, should I ask my doctor about PrEP when all I want is a very occasional fuck (maybe a few times a year) with someone I've vetted and trust about their HIV-negative or undetectable status? I want to be safe, but I don't want to put superﬂuous meds in my body. 4. Is the “top shortage” I've read about a few times a real thing? Are a lot of guys strictly tops or bottoms? 5. And is there anything else I should know before hopping on the apps? Wondering About Navigating New Arenas Before Indulging A: 1. There are lots of biphobic gay men out there, WANNABI, but I gotta say… there are more biphobes in the straight community. Yes, straight biphobia is less gallingly hypocritical, I will grant you, but it does more harm; research has shown that having a biphobic straight spouse is the single biggest risk factor for poor mental health outcomes among bisexuals. So I’m happy to hear that your spouse accepts your bisexuality, WANNABI, and I’m going to apologize in advance for the biphobia you’ll encounter from some dumb gay men. But if all you’re after for is some casual sex, WANNABI, you don’t need to disclose your bisexuality to the men you meet on the apps. You also shouldn’t assume the men you meet on “gay” hookup apps are gay; some will be bisexual, just like you. And while biphobic gay men get all the press, WANNABI, there are lots of biphilic gay men out there—that is,

gay men who are really into married “straight” men. If you don’t wanna hide the wife and don’t wanna wind up with a FWB who wants you to leave the wife for him, ﬁnding guys who are actually turned on by the fact that you have a wife at home is not a bad strategy. 2. Even at the height of the AIDS Crisis—even at a time when contracting HIV was almost invariably fatal—condoms weren’t used 100% of the time by 100% of gay and bi men. Now with PrEP (a daily pill that prevents HIV infection) and treatments for HIV+ men that make it impossible for them to spread the virus (HIV+ men with undetectable viral loads can’t transmit the virus), fewer gay and bi men are using condoms these days. If you wanna use a condom because you’re not on PrEP and/or you wanna protect yourself and your wife from all the sexually-transmitted infections PrEP won’t protect you from—and that would be all the other sexually-transmitted infections out there—insist on condoms and pass on guys who argue with you about it. 3. If you wanna be able to have spontaneous and/ or anonymous sex with other men, taking PrEP daily is smart. But you can use PrEP without taking it daily if you’re having sex with other men once or twice a year and you’re making those sex dates at least a few days in advance. Intermittent or “on-demand” use of PrEP is highly effective; take two pills 24 hours before you have sex and one pill a day for two days afterwards. 4. Not all gay and bi men are into anal sex or into anal sex with casual partners, WANNABI, and while most of the men I’ve encountered—most of the men encountered the shit out of—were functionally versatile, there do seem to be more bottoms out there than tops. Not that “bottom” and “top” are static identities; a guy who’ll bottom for you might be more comfortable topping for someone else, a guy who enjoys bottoming when he’s younger might enjoy topping more later in life and vice-versa, etc. 5. Not every photo is recent, WANNABI, and not every guy is decent. Some guys will lie to get in your pants or in your ass or on your dick or on your face. Trust your gut, WANNABI, and be choosy about the guys you invite to rearrange yours. Q: I’m a gay male in his mid 40’s living in a rainy city. I met and fell for a recently divorced guy with a few teen kids. We progressed quickly, moved to the burbs, made a home, and even had one of his kids come

live with us. It was out of character for me to move that fast, but we clicked. I thought he knew what it took to make a long-term relationship work and his post-divorce finances put him in a spot where it really helped him for us to live together. Fast forward five years to me coming home one day with him declaring he was moving to a not-at-all-rainy state with his new boyfriend. New BF had been a mutual friend who I had suspicions about, but I was told repeatedly it was all in my head. Of course the friend made a show of being “really hurt” because he felt I didn’t like him anymore for something he claimed to be innocent of but was actually quite guilty of. So yeah, textbook gaslighting by both of them. Since then what I want from a relationship has changed. I miss and want the emotional connection, the day-to-day stuff, the sleeping in the same bed with someone, the incidental physical affection. Sex, that’s a different story. As soon as I have sex with someone once, maybe twice if it’s really good, I don’t want to continue seeing them. I still want and do have sex, just not with a person I might want a relationship with. My questions: 1. How do I get this? We all know LOTS of relationships where the partners don’t have sex with each other anymore, but they all did in the beginning. No one wants this from the start. 2. The close friends I’ve told this to think I’m broken and or nuts. I think I’m fine. I can’t explain why this is what I want but I know it feels right. Am I nuts? Am I broken? Down To Fuck Or Marry But Not Both A: 1. You ask for it. That’s no guarantee you’ll find it, of course, but it ups your chances considerably. And while it’s true most lovingbut-sexless relationships were sexual at the start, DTFOMBNB, not all of them were. So if lovingbut-always-sexless is what you want, well, then you should lead with that. Put it out there. There are gay asexual guys who want partners and day-to-day intimacy and someone to sleep with every night but who don’t want sex—not at the start, not ever. There are also gay cuckolds out there, DTFOMBNB, and while most wanna have sex with their “cheating” partners, some wanna be denied sex by a partner who constantly fucks around on them with other guys. 2. I don’t think you’re broken or nuts, DTFOMBNB, but something has definitely changed. What you want now, post-traumatic breakup, isn’t what you wanted before. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing… I guess… so long as you can find what you want or aren’t driven crazy by your inability to find what you

want. Because it’s definitely gonna be more difficult for you to find a partner; asexual gays and cuckold gays are out there and they’re great, for sure, but they represent tiny minorities of an already tiny minority. So I’m thinking you might wanna unpack this shit with a shrink. At the very least you need to acknowledge that what you want has changed and that it could change again. Do what and who feels right for you now but don’t lock yourself into anything—don’t sign any leases, don’t make any long-term romantic commitments, sexless or otherwise, don’t weld yourself to any self-fulfilling prophecies—at a time when you may still be numb or still be reeling from a traumatic breakup. mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. www.savagelovecast.com

CLASSIFIED LISTINGS LEGAL Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2008 Ford Fusion black VIN #3FAHP081X8R216001, Owner Jake Sweeney Kia Florence Ky Lien Holder: none Unless owner or lien holder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice. Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2003 Ford Focus gold VIN #1FAFP34PX3W320402, Owner Ricardo Lee Louisville KY Lien Holder:none Unless owner or lien holder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice. Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2006 Dodge Charger purple VIN #2B3KA43H86H362565, Owner Taiwan Martian Louisville KY Lien Holder: Credit acceptance co. Southfield MI Unless owner or lienholder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice. Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 1999 Honda accord Silver VIN #1HGCG5652XA092842, Owner Kaitlyn Green Louisville kY Lien Holder: Unless owner or lienholder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice.

**Notice is hereby given by AAMCO Transmissions, 6309 Preston Hwy Louisville, KY 40219 502-966-5166 to obtain the title to 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 VIN# 1C6RD7KPXCS240042. Owner: Bryan Bivens 277 Blossom Rd. Louisville, KY 40229. Owner has 14 days to respond in writing to obtain title. **Notice is hereby given by AAMCO Transmissions, 6309 Preston Hwy. Louisville, KY 40219 502-966-5166 to obtain the title to 2000 Honda Civic VIN# 2HGEJ6615YH569439. Owner: Sharita Kraft 8710 Timberline Dr. Louisville, KY 40291. Owner has 14 days to respond in writing to obtain title.

ATTENTION AERO AUTOMOTIVE! Your Black 2001 INFINITI QX4 with the license plate BEJ046 and the VIN: JNRDR09Y01W215165 Will be sold on MAY 6 2021 AT 3301 7TH Street Road Louisville, KY. 40216 at 0900 AM. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021

LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 21, 2021