Los Angeles Blade, Volume 07, Issue 49, December 08, 2023

AN ‘EXISTENTIAL’ THREAT

(Photo courtesy Actum Vice President Savannah Farrell)

LGBTQ resort communities coping with climate change, PAGE 06

DECEMBER 08, 2023 • VOLUME 07 • ISSUE 49 • AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

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CALIFORNIA

The Abbey raises $10,000 for Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation WEST HOLLYWOOD – The Abbey raised more than $10,000 for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation at its annual World AIDS Day tree-lighting ceremony Friday evening, an event that featured Sutton Stracke of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.

The ceremony was the last to be hosted by David Cooley, the founder of The Abbey who recently sold his business to Mistr CEO Tristan Schukraft. Cooley was visibly emotional when he told the crowd how his friendship with Elizabeth Taylor – struck up over drinks at the Abbey – inspired him to start the annual tradition.

“What this woman has done for our community and continues to do for our community – she wouldn’t even mention how many people she has taken care of and continues to take care of,” Cooley said. “It means a lot that we do this in her honor, for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.”

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation works to fight the ongoing HIV epidemic through direct care, prevention, advocacy, and education.

The moment clearly felt bittersweet for Cooley as he went off-script to talk about how he’d founded The Abbey 33 years ago.

“I had a dream coming from college that I wanted to open a gay bar in southern California and be open and proud and not behind closed doors. I started across the street there as a coffee house and expanded into this,” he said. “When we give donations, it’s not the Abbey, it’s not David Cooley – it’s all of us here. You have supported The Abbey and David Cooley for thirty years. Thank you very much.”

Cooley then became wry and wistful as he described his decision to walk away from the bar he built.

Trans Choir of LA (Photo by Rob Salerno)

“It was a decision that was hard to make. I decided that maybe I should take a little time for myself. I’ve been very selfish with the business. I took time for the business always, and maybe not my friends, my family, building a relationship – that never worked out,” he said to laughs from the crowd.

“I went back and forth seeing the offers and opportunities I had. I made a clear decision and the right decision on who I decided to pass the torch on to. He’s part of our community,” Cooley said of Schukraft. “It was a very tough decision but a very easy decision at the very end.”

Schukraft took the opportunity to reassure the crowd that he intends to uphold The Abbey’s central place in the West

Hollywood community.

“I’m very excited. I know I have some big shoes to fill to continue your legacy, making sure that the Abbey and Chapel continue to be the cornerstone of the gay community here and beyond. These events make it even more special,” Schukraft said.

“David’s not going anywhere. He’s going to be here. The only thing is he’s not going to be asking for free drinks,” Schukraft said to laughs from the crowd, and joking protests from Cooley that there’s language about that in their contract.

When Sutton Stracke took the stage, she spoke about the toll that AIDS has continued to take on the community.

“AIDS does still exist. I know I have lost many friends to AIDS, as I know many of you have to, so this is very special to me,” she said.

The crowd was then treated to a performance by the Trans Choir of Los Angeles, who sang “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” as a reminder to the crowd that many in our community – especially the trans community – do not have families that welcome them home for the holidays.

A $10,000 check was then presented to the Elizabeth Taylor Foundation by Tito’s Vodka, which was sponsoring the event, on behalf of the Abbey.

Stracke then announced she would write a check to the foundation herself after the ceremony, then began the countdown to the lighting of the enormous tree on the Abbey’s front patio.

The event closed out with a performance by South African pop singer Lyle Anthony.

ROB SALERNO

West Hollywood celebrates ACT UP LA’s 35th anniversary WEST HOLLYWOOD - The City of West Hollywood hosted the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) LA’s 35th anniversary with a tribute event at Plummer Park’s Great Hall/ Long Hall, on Saturday, December 2, 2023.

ACT UP LA 35th Anniversary in West Hollywood (Photo by Catherine Eng for WEHO TIMES)

The event also paid tribute to the memories of ACT UP LA activists Mary Lucey and Nancy Jean MacNeil, who died in early 2023 and raised awareness of ACT UP LA’s history surrounding World AIDS Day by highlighting ACT UP LA’s

decade of brave and deeply influential HIV/AIDS activism.

And it all originated in West Hollywood.

West Hollywood council members Lauren Meister and Chelsea Byers attended the event, which turned out a packed house paying tribute and celebrating 35 years of AIDS activism following World AIDS Day the previous day.

Community members were also joined by City Staff, City Commissioners and Board Members.

ACT UP is a diverse, nonpartisan group of individuals, united in anger, and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. ACT UP was founded in 1987 in response to the Reagan administration’s blatant refusal to acknowledge the growing AIDS crisis.

In December 1987, ACT UP Los Angeles became one of the first chapters established in the world. Regularly meeting at Plummer Park in West Hollywood, ACT UP LA stood out from other chapters with its focus on compassionate release for prisoners with AIDS, fight for clean needle exchange, and taking a national leadership role in the ACT UP Network Coalition for Universal Healthcare.

Mary Lucey and Nancy Jean MacNeil were together for more than 30 years. They eventually married when it became legal to do so. Lucey and MacNeil, along with fellow AIDS activists Jordan Peimer, Helene Schpak, and Judy Ornelas Sisneros, launched the ACT UP LA Oral History Project on World AIDS Day 2021 with the goal of documenting

HIV activism in the Los Angeles area from 1987 to 1997, with a notable focus on the work of ACT UP LA. Mary Lucey and Nancy Jean MacNeil both joined ACT UP LA after they attended the first Women’s Caucus meeting in June 1990. Lucey was among the first HIV-positive women in Los Angeles to be out about her status. Fueled by a sense of outrage at AIDSphobia, she fought for several years in ACT UP to expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s definition of AIDS to include women’s opportunistic infections and for health care for incarcerated women with AIDS. MacNeil became the founding Executive Director of Women Alive, an organization by and for HIV-positive women with a membership of more than 500 people. She established a treatment-focused newsletter and the first national women’s AIDS hotline.

The ACT UP LA Oral History Project is committed to giving a voice to the activists who constructed regional and national history during the AIDS pandemic. Focused on the lifespan of ACT UP LA from 1987-1997, the intent of this project is to capture the experiences of those individuals whose participation in ACT UP LA led to successes in the community that saved lives, changed the way society thought about people with AIDS, and challenged and changed the institutional biases that allowed the AIDS crisis to explode to such a devastating level.

PAULO MURILLO

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 03

CALIFORNIA

Out Assemblymember Evan Low eyes South Bay House seat SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. - With the news Tuesday that Congressmember Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) will retire from the South Bay House seat she has held since 1993, it provides an opportunity to see the first LGBTQ person from the Bay Area be elected to Capitol Hill.

Long considered a likely congressional candidate once a seat opened up, gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino) is widely expected to enter the 2024 race to succeed Eshoo. Low, 41, told the Bay Area Reporter that he is interested in running for it but is not yet ready to make an official announcement.

“Any person who follows in her footsteps must commit themselves completely to upholding her incredible legacy.

Today, I’m going to celebrate one of our valley’s greatest public servants and a personal mentor to me. There are a lot of people in the community I need to talk to before I make a formal decision,” Low, who has until early December to decide, wrote in a texted reply November 21.

Tuesday morning Eshoo released a video about her decision not to seek reelection next year in order to break the news to her constituents.

“As the first Democrat and first woman to ever represent this distinguished congressional district, no one could ever be prouder than me to carry our Democratic Party values,” Eshoo wrote in an email to her supporters.

Eshoo’s 16th Congressional District spans both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. She had first sought a House seat six years after winning election to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors but fell short in the general election of 1988 to Republican then-Stanford professor Tom Campbell.

When Campbell opted not to run for another term in 1992, and instead mounted an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid, Eshoo ran again and won. She has long been a champion of LGBTQ issues in Congress and has enjoyed strong support from the LGBTQ community throughout her time in the House.

As the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column reported last year, Eshoo ran her first TV ads since being elected to Congress for her 2022 candidacy. In it, she touted being an original co-sponsor of the Equality Act, the federal omnibus LGBTQ rights legislation adopted by the House in 2021.

(It died when the U.S. Senate failed to vote on it.)

It is believed to be the first time a Bay Area congressmember highlighted their support of the Equality Act in a

campaign commercial. In an interview Eshoo had told the B.A.R. she was proud to have that distinction.

“I have always believed there is one class of citizenship in our country and that is first class. So without the movement for equality and fullness of citizenship that can’t happen,” Eshoo had told the B.A.R. “I am very proud of that, so I wanted to highlight the Equality Act.” Eshoo also had the honor of being the first woman to serve as chair of the Democratic Party in San Mateo County, as she noted in her email to constituents. She also served as a member of the Democratic National Committee.

“I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved together and that the strength of our party rests on a strong foundation of clubs, caucuses, and county committees with our allies in Labor and other valued advocates. Our party continues to be strengthened by our diversity, and I’m confident this will continue because it is who we are,” wrote Eshoo. “As the last year of my service in Congress lies ahead, be assured that I will continue to bring my tenaciousness and unswerving commitment to my work to strengthen our democracy, and our work together for a sweeping Democratic victory for the country we love so much.”

In a statement he released reacting to Eshoo’s news, Low called Eshoo “an icon” and a “personal hero” to him. He also praised her for being a “champion who leads this community with tremendous energy, grace, and grit.”

He added that he is looking forward “to the many ways” the community can honor Eshoo for “her extraordinary service” over the years.

“We are so blessed to have her as our leader, gracefully navigating the complex issues in this valley of high expectations,” stated Low. “Her public service has been noble and selfless, advancing quality healthcare access for all, immigration reform rooted in compassion and humanity, and stringent consumer protections unfettered by special interests.”

As the B.A.R. reported last year, Low moved into the redrawn 26th Assembly District that includes Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and parts of San Jose in order to avoid competing against his colleague Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) for reelection to the state Legislature.

Berman had been drawn into Low’s former Assembly District.

Doing so required Low to vacate the 1,100 square foot condo in Campbell that he co-owns with his brother, a San

04 • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

Assemblymember EVAN LOW is considering a run for a U.S. House seat now that Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) has announced she will not seek reelection next year.

(Photo Credit: Office of Assemblyman Low/Facebook)

Jose police officer. He moved into the Sunnyvale home of his father and stepmother.

Low grew up in San Jose, and his parents separated when he was 18. He graduated from San Jose State University and went on to win election to the Campbell City Council in 2006.

He was the first Asian American to serve on the governing body. Four years later he became the youngest openly LGBTQ+ mayor in the country at age 26.

He first won election to the state Assembly in 2014. He has strong ties to Silicon Valley’s tech industry, which could benefit him in a House race as a source of support and financial donations to his campaign.

Low would be the second out candidate running next year for an open House seat in the Bay Area. Jennifer KimAnh Tran, Ph.D., a queer leader within the state’s Vietnamese American community, is seeking to succeed Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who is running for U.S. Senate rather than seek another House term.

Tran is the partner of Nenna Joiner, who owns several sex shops in the East Bay and a downtown Oakland nightlife venue. She is in a tough race to survive the March primary along with fellow Democrats BART board member Lateefah Simon and business owner Tim Sanchez, a U.S. Navy Reserves veteran who served in Afghanistan.

As the B.A.R. first reported in an online story November 17, there are now out House candidates in all three of the West Coast states. The 2024 election could thus see the California congressional delegation’s LGBTQ contingent expand from its current two gay members, while those in Oregon and Washington state could see their first out members.

MATTHEW S. BAJKO

CALIFORNIA

Gaining a new foothold in Redding, the only gay bar’s renaissance REDDING, Calif. - For nearly 27 years in this Northern California city the only refuge for Shasta County’s queer community was the 501 bar and club in downtown Redding. Then last year during Pride Month the owners alerted their customers and the community the bar was closing permanently.

The club was given a rousing farewell which on its Facebook page it was dubbed the “Last Dance.” Featuring music, a candlelight vigil, the community gathered to say their final goodbye to a place that always accepted them for who they are.

This week Redding’s ABC News affiliate KRCR 7 interviewed Brad Thompson, the new owner of the bar now called ‘The Vault’ that sits on the corner of Center and Division Street, telling KRCR it [the 501] felt like home when he moved to the city in 2015.

“This was really the only bar that I found to be home and where I felt comfortable in being who I wanted to be,” Thompson says. “Hanging out with other people who had the same values of just being authentic and being in the moment and being here.”

Thompson explained the sense of loss when the 501 shut down in 2022.

“The community got really fractured,” he says. “And it’s just not good for everybody The Vault bills itself as Redding California’s Gayest Bar & Nightclub. to not have a place to be that’s explicitly (Photo Credit: The Vault/Facebook) open to them being who they want to be.”

According to ABC 7, Thompson was eager to acquire the property and get it re-established as a

safe space place for LGBTQ+ people to be themselves.

“I’m just trying to improve on it or, at least, create my vision of what I want to see here,” he shares. “Which is more relationships formed, more people connecting and creating good vibes, and that expanding out into the community.“ Although the bar has been reopened since October, it has gained a loyal following and continues to make its mark in Redding and Shasta County.

You can find more information about The Vault’s hours and events on their site.

LA BLADE STAFF

LASD seeks help in locating Jack Basil Cooper last seen in WeHo

(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit)

WEST HOLLYWOOD - The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Persons Unit’s investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating missing person, Jack Basil Cooper, a 23 year-old White male who was last seen in West Hollywood.

A bulletin released on Friday states that Cooper was last heard from on October 23, 2023, near the intersection of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevard, only steps away from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station.

Cooper is described as 5’09” tall, 125 lbs., straight brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and black hat.

His family is concerned for his well-being and is asking for the public’s help.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500.

If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store.

If you see something, say something. Anyone with information can also drop a tip at https://www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Your identity is always encrypted and anonymous. No personal information, phone number, e-mail, IP address or location is ever requested, saved, traced, tracked or monitored.

Period.

West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station polices the City of West Hollywood and the unincorporated communities of Franklin Canyon, Universal City (which includes Universal Theme Park, Studios, and Citywalk), and the Federal Enclave in West Los Angeles.

PAULO MURILLO

‘Christmas Bags of Hope’ event to support homeless kids SAN DIEGO - The 14-year-old founder and CEO of San Diego-based non-profit Sports4kids, Arden Pala and his volunteers are kicking off this holiday season to support and make a difference in the lives of homeless kids with the annual 1000 “Christmas Bags of Hope” campaign.

The volunteers will be assembled for area local homeless kids. These bags will be filled with essential items including toys, hygiene kits, books, and food items. More than 10,000 people in San Diego are facing homelessness- 20 percent being kids. According to a study published by Point-in-Time Count homelessness in our region increased by at least

14% this year and kids are especially vulnerable.

Event Details: • Date: Saturday, December 9th • Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM • Location: Perkins Elementary School, 1770 Main St, San Diego, CA 92113 Hundreds of volunteers (both youth and adults) will be assembling “Christmas Bags of Hope” for low income and homeless families in San Diego. Volunteers will decorate and then fill bags with essentials to include nutrition items,

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Sports4Kids was founded by Arden Pala 3 years ago and is a San Diego-based nonprofit that supports individuals and youth who are facing homelessness. The organization does this by providing volunteer opportunities for kids of all ages.

Over the past three years, the organization has raised over $140,000 to help over 7500 needy people. Its youth volunteers have spent a combined amount of 6500 volunteer hours serving our homeless population.

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NATIONAL

Climate change threatens LGBTQ resort communities As the world reckons with worsening impacts of climate change, some LGBTQ communities and destinations are grappling with the “existential” threat posed by the crisis.

The United Nations’ annual climate conference will take place in the United Arab Emirates through Dec. 12. LGBTQ climate activists, however, are concerned about representation at COP28 because the meeting is taking place in Dubai, which is in a country that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.

President Joe Biden on Nov. 14 delivered a statement on climate change policy during his administration. Biden spoke on the American Rescue Plan, the Fifth National Climate Assessment, new transparency about the state of the country’s climate and more.

Biden emphasized “advancing environmental justice for disadvantaged communities, because they’re the ones always left behind.” Evidence of this trend can be found in LGBTQ destinations across the country.

Julian Cyr, a gay Massachusetts state senator who represents Provincetown and other towns on Cape Cod, recognizes the state’s importance to the LGBTQ community, stating that “according to the Census, it may be the highest per capita density of LGBTQ+ people certainly in the United States, and perhaps internationally.”

Provincetown, a popular gay destination located at the tip of Cape Cod, is facing worsening storms as climate change advances. These storms reshape the natural environment as well as damage the built environment. A series of Nor’easters in 2018 flooded Provincetown, damaging homes, businesses and the town hall.

“The climate crisis is … already forcing us to do a lot of planning and reevaluation of coastal resilience of our built environment,” said Cyr. All hope isn’t lost yet for Massachusetts destinations.

Then-Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, in 2022 introduced the Climate Roadmap, which aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050. The state also is building the country’s first offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind.

Cyr said citizens can push for climate change legislation by making the urgency known to their local elected officials.

“This is truly existential for coastal, low-lying communities like those that I represent,” said Cyr. “It’s really important that constituents weigh in with their elected officials and make sure that they know that this issue is crucially important. I don’t know how we not solve this issue.”

Experts are seeing similar effects in nearby LGBTQ destinations, such as Cape Cod. “One thing that we do see already is the effect of storms,” said Mark Adams, a retired Cape Cod National Seashore cartographer. “Those storms are the signal of sea level rise.”

Adams said that as a result of rising temperatures and new, intense storms, he is also starting to see damaged ecosystems, unnatural migration patterns of local wildlife, and planting-zones moving northward. Adams told the Washington Blade these changing ecological relationships may mean an uncertain future for life along the coast: the self-sustaining lifestyle and seafood could be at risk as ocean acidification puts shellfish in danger.

“If you can’t get oysters and clams, that would really change life on Cape Cod,” he said.

The beach in Fire Island Pines, N.Y., on New York’s Fire Island has been the scene of extreme erosion in recent years.

(Photo courtesy Actum Vice President Savannah Farrell)

In addition to the damage caused by storms, Cape Cod’s natural environment is also facing the threat of littering and plastic pollution. While the area’s beaches keep tourism alive, fishing gear and marine debris washing up on the shore are growing concerns for the community.

Adams said this is where the choices individuals make to avoid plastics will make a huge difference in the future of these communities.

“There are little choices we can make to get off of the petroleum stream,” he said.

Aspen Gay Ski Week adapts to warmer winters Aspen Gay Ski Week was the first gay ski week, and it is the largest such event in the world, and is the only non-profit gay ski week.

Rising temperatures and short winters are growing concerns for destinations like Aspen, Colo., that depend on snow, according to AspenOUT Executive Director Kevin McManamon.

“As our seasons get shorter … we have to plan for the future,” McManamon said.

Colorado has also faced increased forest fires in recent years.

The Marshall Fire in 2021 devastated the state, destroying buildings and killing two people. Increasingly dry conditions feed into these fires, which will mean more impacts on humans, nature, and infrastructure.

McManamon nevertheless said he is optimistic about Aspen Gay Ski Week’s future due to the organization’s forward thinking. One such initiative is its involvement with

06 • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

Protect Our Winters, an organization that advocates for protecting the environment with the support of the outdoor sports community.

“The cool part about being here in Aspen and having a great relationship with Aspen Skiing Company is that they are … on the leading edge of climate change,” said McManamon.

Stronger storms threaten Fire Island Fire Island Pines on New York’s Fire Island has been a safe haven for the LGBTQ community since the 1950s.

Fire Island Pines Property Owners’ Association President Henry Robin notes natural disasters cause more damage in the community as opposed to those that are across the Great South Bay on Long Island because Fire Island is a “barrier island.”

“When Superstorm Sandy hit, or when a Nor’easter hits, or a hurricane hits, the brunt of the storm is first taken by the Pines,” said Robin.

Robin said “the Pines is thriving” just over 11 years since Sandy, but there is no climate change response. The federal government implemented a beach restoration project for Fire Island, and later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created an engineered beach for the Pines.

Robin also formed three task forces — comprised of community members — to address local concerns, many of which were climate related, according to focus groups and a survey. Robin is also hoping to introduce recycling programs and solar energy to the Pines.

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LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 07

NATIONAL

EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes with LGBTQ staff working on Biden’s campaign Senior advisers say contrast between president and Trump will sharpen in 2024

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com “Both as senior adviser and personally as a very openly (Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series profiland proud gay man,” Gonzales said, next year’s election “is ing senior LGBTQ staff working on President Biden’s re-election one of the most important if not the most important election campaign. Part one was published on Nov. 21 and part two was of our lifetime,” because “I see what sits on the other side; I published on Nov. 29.) see all of these different states who are trying to attack our WILMINGTON, Del. — Last month from campaign headrights, who are banning books, who are passing ‘Don’t Say quarters, the Washington Blade spoke with Sergio GonzaGay’ laws, who are attacking trans people and trying to undo les, senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and the gay marriage, who are — both through policy and through Biden-Harris reelection campaign, along with senior camrhetoric — making the country more dangerous for people paign adviser Becca Siegel. like me and our community.”

On the importance of LGBTQ representation in the presi“I’m glad and proud to work for a principal and work for a dential campaign, Gonzales said, “When it comes to policies campaign that is about continuing that affect the lives of millions of the progress and ensuring we don’t people in our communities across turn back the clock and we don’t go the country, having people who back on these things,” he said. have that experience and that Gonzales noted the Biden-Harbackground really does matter.” ris administration’s appointment Moving into next year, he said, of record-breaking numbers of the team is working “to ensure LGBTQ folks in senior positions in that we have people from across the White House and across the the spectrum of America who are federal government, but stressed able to both bring their own perthat the commitment to equality sonal experiences and lives into runs deeper. these roles, but also bring a lot of From left: SERGIO GONZALES, senior adviser to “This administration is an adminrelationships across the country Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Haristration that has ensured that not and being able to engage with the ris reelection campaign; BECCA SIEGEL, senior adviser to the campaign. only is there representation for the community, talk to the community, (Photos courtesy of the subjects) LGBTQ community, but also has persuade the community, turn out actually driven multiple policy wins, the community.” both through the executive level and through Congress, that Gonzales has worked for Harris since she was elected ensure and afford greater rights and freedoms for people in to represent California in the U.S. Senate, and he said her our community,” he said. record supporting and defending the LGBTQ community Helping voters see the contrast between this and what Rethroughout her career was one of the major factors leading publicans — like the party’s frontrunner, former President to his decision to join the campaign.

Donald Trump — would do if elected will be an important “Especially when it comes to issues related to LGBTQ part of the campaign’s work moving into next year, Gonzales rights and freedoms, this is something [Harris] has such a said. “As things become much more clear and what we are long history on,” he said. “She has always — both in her ofup against, and Donald Trump comes more into focus, I truly fice and externally — formed these strong relationships with believe that we’re going to see a lot of different parts of the people in the LGBTQ community and those relationships country start to engage in this election,” he said. have always been very, I think, important in not only ensurVoters will also remember “the specific things that [Trump] ing her office and the work that she has done reflects the did in his last administration,” Gonzales said. “They tried to various things that we as a community need, but also just in erase LGBTQ people from the census. They imposed a ban the way she supports people of color and LGBTQ folks who on transgender individuals in our military, which this adminhave worked for her.” istration undid. They undid protections for LGBTQ AmeriIn an election where, as the vice president says, so much cans, including transgender individuals, in the workplace, is at stake for our fundamental freedoms and rights,” Gonzaand more broadly,” so, “this is not just bluster.” les said, “that is especially true for LGBTQ Americans. If you And the Biden-Harris administration “has so much to run look at the number of attacks by GOP leaders at the local, on” with respect to LGBTQ matters, Gonzales said, “whether state, and federal level across the country, so much is on the we’re talking about health care, whether we’re talking about line in this election.” the Respect for Marriage Act, whether we’re talking about, On the right, Gonzales said, “We have a lot of leaders and you know, some of the ways that we’ve addressed bullying a party in this country who are doing their best to try to atin schools — these are very real policy wins for our commutack fundamental rights and freedoms of a lot of different nity.” folks, including people in the LGBTQ community — and, in Like Gonzales, Siegel has “worked on many presidential some ways, who are trying to turn back the clock on a lot of campaigns.” the progress we’ve made.”

“Your whole life is here when you’re working on a camVoters are aware of the fact that, for instance, Republicans paign,” she said. “This is your work, but also your social life elected “a new Speaker of the House who has a very, very and your friends,” so “if you are not bringing your whole self alarming and disturbing record of attacking people in our to this community, you’re not bringing it anywhere in your community, including trying to outlaw you know, being gay,” life.” he said.

08 • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

Our job is to persuade and engage with voters,” Siegel said, “and we have to have a campaign that reflects the voters we are trying to engage with.”

“Core to my approach to this work is respect and empathy for voters,” she said. “That’s what we should think about every day. I think we are much better prepared to do that when we have a staff that looks like those voters.”

Siegel added, “It’s not just so that you walk into the office and it looks like it is a diverse place to work. That’s important, too. But it’s actually about the work.”

With respect to her individual role within the campaign, she said, it comes down to “let’s take that strategy” of using data to find a pathway to victory “and then make sure we are executing a campaign that reflects it.” When it comes to “travel, comms, which radio stations we’re on, what our TV ads say, where we’re allocating our money, where we’re hiring staff — do those things align with the strategy to get us to 270 electoral votes?”

The importance of representation, LGBTQ and otherwise, may not seem self-evident in data-centric roles, but Siegel noted, for instance, the persistent challenge of combatting bias within datasets.

Like Gonzales, Siegel stressed the contrast between the Biden-Harris administration and campaign and those run by the Republican opposition. “LGBTQ rights feel more under attack now than they have in the past,” she said, “and so that rises to the top of concerns for voters — and our policy and position on this is really far away from the Republicans’.”

“That’s a clear contrast between us and the opposition,” she said, adding, “It’s at the top of people’s minds. It’s something they care about, and we have a pretty unimpeachable record on it compared to the opposition.”

It is not necessarily so simple, however.

“We who work in politics feel like, of course, this is a choice between, most likely, Donald Trump and President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Siegel said, “but voters, especially the voters who are most persuadable, don’t feel that way right now, necessarily.”

The choice voters will face will crystalize and the contrast between the campaigns will deepen moving into next year, she said.

On lots of LGBTQ issues, Americans are on our side. And when it becomes a choice between, ‘there’s this version of America and then there’s Trump’s version of America,’ — then, that is really clear,” Siegel said.

The campaign is working to reelect the president and vice president to represent the people, the voters, who “have day-to-day things that prevent them from, like, reading Politico,” she said. “They have kids, they have to pay their bills, they have to worry about all kinds of things.”

Siegel added, “I have a lot of faith in voters. They care about their families. They want a good life. They care about people who are different than them. I think most people care about other people.”

For those working on the campaign, she said, “it’s really on us” to make sure to “explain and show and demonstrate to them what you are getting from this administration, from these candidates.”

“We get to run on issues that help people and are popular,” Siegel said. “That’s a great place to start from.”

NATIONAL

California AG: Unredacted federal lawsuit against Meta “damning” OAKLAND, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced the public release of a largely unredacted copy of the federal complaint filed by a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general against Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates (Meta) on October 24, 2023.

Co-led by Attorney General Bonta, the coalition is alleging that Meta designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children and teens to their mental and physical detriment.

As originally filed, however, much of the federal complaint included information conditionally under seal. Based on the company’s own documents, the removal of the redactions provides additional context for the misconduct that the attorneys general allege against Meta.

“Meta knows that what it is doing is bad for kids — period. Thanks to our unredacted federal complaint, it is now there in black and white, and it is damning,” said Bonta.

“We will continue to vigorously prosecute this matter.”

CBS News reported that the state’s prosecutors built their case, in part, using snippets of emails, earnings call transcripts and other internal communications — all of which suggest the extreme value of young users’ personal information and time to company profits.

In an emailed statement from October when the joint suit was filed, Meta said it was disappointed by the route taken by the attorneys general.

Meta is determined to provide teens with “safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families,” the company said at the time.

In a Monday statement, a Meta spokesperson said, “The complaint mischaracterizes our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents.”

Highlights from the newly revealed portions of the complaint include the following: Mark Zuckerberg personally vetoed Meta’s proposed policy to ban image filters that simulated the effects of plastic surgery, despite internal pushback and an expert consensus that such filters harm users’ mental health, especially for women and girls. Complaint ¶¶ 333-68.

Despite public statements that Meta does not prioritize the amount of time users spend on its social media platforms, internal documents show that Meta set explicit goals of increasing “time spent” and meticulously tracked engagement metrics, including among teen users.

Complaint ¶¶ 134-150.

Meta continuously misrepresented that its social media platforms were safe, while internal data revealed that users experienced harms on its platforms at far higher rates.

Complaint ¶¶ 458-507.

Meta knows that its social media platforms are used by millions of children under 13, including, at one point,

California Attorney General ROB BONTA listens intently to a member of the LGBTQ+ Community during a August 2023 presentation. (Photo Credit: Office of the Attorney General)

around 30% of all 10–12-year-olds, and unlawfully collects their personal information. Meta does this despite Mark Zuckerberg testifying before Congress in 2021 that Meta “kicks off” children under 13. Complaint ¶¶ 642-811.

LA BLADE STAFF

NFL’s Kirk Cousins: Anti-LGBTQ group’s ‘Ambassador for Christ’ ORLANDO, FL. — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has made no secret of his Christian faith; just the opposite. But his recently recorded sit-down interview with the chief operating officer of the rabidly anti-LGBTQ group, Focus on the Family, has caused a massive backlash by fans.

Even though their chat did not include references to what the group’s website calls the gay and lesbian “lifestyle” or the “threat” of “transgenderism,” Cousins used coded language that reinforced the group’s dogma that “same-sex attractions” are a “choice.”

“There are consequences to the choices you make in life, good or bad,” Cousins told Focus on the Family COO Ken Windebank in the Nov. 3rd Focus on the Family Broadcast on YouTube. “And if you sow good things you’ll reap good things. But if you sow poor decisions, you’ll reap poor decisions.”

Their conversation was recorded before a packed house at the Sand Lake campus of his father’s mega church in Orlando. Don Cousins is lead pastor at Discovery Church. The church also has two other campuses in the Central Florida city that ranks fourth highest in the nation for gay and lesbian couples and was ranked the most LGBTQ+ friendly travel destination in the U.S. In fact, Cousins and Windebank sat in front of a large projection of Lake Eola, site of Come Out with Pride’s annual celebration of the city’s thriving LGBTQ+ population, held Oct. 21, just two weeks before their talk.

Reports revealing their conversation followed complaints by an anonymous fan of the Minnesota Vikings, who alerted LGBTQ sports journalists about the video.

“It doesn’t matter how innocuous the content in the video is,” said the fan. “Focus on the Family has consistently

pushed for abhorrent policies and to enshrine their views into American law. For the Vikings’ franchise quarterback to partner with them is shocking, disappointing, and runs counter to the image the Vikings have tried to project.”

Minnesota Vikings quarterback KIRK COUSINS. (Photo Credit: NFL/Minnesota Vikings)

The Vikings proudly boast on the team’s website that they were the first in the NFL to host a summit and fundraiser focused exclusively on LGBTQ inclusion in sports, back in 2018, and that a front office employee who’s in her 8th season with the team is an out lesbian.

The fan also noted what they saw as the hypocrisy of the four-time Pro Bowl player, who Focus on the Family calls an “Ambassador for Christ” and whose Instagram bio describes him as “Believer. Husband. Father.”

“It also runs counter to Cousins’ public image, that of ‘all are welcome’. Focus on the Family has built their political arm on trying to drive people they don’t approve of out of American society.”

It’s easy to see what Focus on the Family says about homosexuality, since it’s right on the group’s website: “Focus on the Family is committed to upholding God’s design for the expression of human sexuality: a husband and wife in a marriage relationship. We also hold to the scriptural truth that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings transformation and power over sin. We reach out with compassion and respect to individuals, families, and churches affected by homosexuality.”

Focus on the Family has been headquarted in Colorado Springs since 1977. In the 1990s, the group’s anti-LGBTQ leaders led the fundamentalist charge in support of Amendment 2, a Colorado ballot measure that banned municipalities from including LGBTQ people in their anti-discrimination policies. Although the initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Almost a decade ago, Cousins himself called homosexuality a sin, saying he’d still welcome a gay teammate because “nobody’s perfect” and he would try to teach him to “follow Jesus.”

“Now, there are a lot of teammates in my locker room right now who may not have a homosexual lifestyle, but they have sins, too,” he told MLive in 2014. “They’re not perfect. So, I don’t say they can’t help us win. Nobody’s perfect.

To that degree, we’d welcome him into our locker room and say come help us win, and hopefully I can love him like Jesus and hopefully show him what it means to follow Jesus.”

Neither Cousins nor the Vikings responded to a request for comment.

DAWN ENNIS

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 09

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist.

He writes regularly for the Blade.

Key West doesn’t need more, or bigger, cruise ships

Seeking a balance of ‘environmental protection and sustainable tourism’ There is a fight today about whether they should let more, and bigger, cruise ships dock in Key West. The New York Times recently wrote about it. As someone who has spent many memorable vacations in Key West, I side with those who say “no” to more cruise ships. The organization Safer, Cleaner, Ships, is fighting to keep more, and larger, ships, out of Key West. They have the right idea.

The question that should be asked is: “What kind of an island do the people living on Key West want?” And the answer should drive the decision of the Florida Legislature, and Governor DeSanctimonious. Unfortunately, it may be decided based on political donations the governor received.

One resident of Key West, Christopher Massicotte, co-founder of Duval Street Media, said, “Key West voters overwhelmingly supported reducing cruise ship size, and the number of daily disembarkations. Then greedy Mark Walsh, who owns the dock, went straight to the governor and the legislature asking them to overturn the will of the people for his own financial gain, greased with a $1 million contribution to DeSantis’s campaign for president.

The citizens of Key West aren’t trying to stop all cruise ship traffic, or bring the city back to ‘The good old days.’ We are trying to create a balance of environmental protection and sustainable tourism.”

I cruise regularly and love it and have traveled to Alaska on a cruise and woke up one morning on the ship in Ketchikan, to step out on the balcony and see six massive ships, and hundreds of busses on the pier, ready to take passengers on tours. In Key West, that won’t happen. Instead, the thousands of passengers will not get on busses, rather throng the main street (Duval), from one end of town to the other, making it look more like Times Square, instead of a sleepy little island, which is what always attracted people to the idea of Key West. It is what attracted Hemmingway. It attracted President Truman to set up his winter White House. Everyone going to visit Key West heads to the Southernmost Point in the U.S. to snap their photo. One doesn’t need thousands more people heading there all at once. Just the thought of this would have Hemmingway and Truman turning over

in their graves.

I always thought Key West did fine with an airport, and people coming to visit by car, then staying in a hotel, or guesthouse. I often stayed at one of the great little guesthouses, or some of the smaller hotels, on the island. I remember the larger ones being on both ends of Duval Street. There were great bars and restaurants, and you could amble down Duval slowly, enjoying the sound of the music coming out of the bars — think Jimmy Buffett.

I loved Key West when it was a gay Mecca, having the first openly gay mayor of a city.

At the time there were lots of gay guesthouses and clubs. I remember dancing at the Copa, and there was the dock on the southern side of the island, next to the one tiny beach, which locals called ‘dick dock.’ It was a great spot for nude sunbathing, as was the pool at the Southernmost Motel. That period ended when the gay community moved to South Beach in Miami.

Key West is still welcoming to the LGBTQ community. There is the iconic La Te Da hotel, on Duval Street, with its tea dance. Performing there is another Key West icon, Christopher Peterson, a female impersonator extraordinaire. Christopher said, “Unfortunately I don’t think we need to dredge again the beautiful coral reef we live on, just to have 10,000 more people here for six hours, adding nothing to the economy because they eat and drink on the ship for free.” He added, “Bigger is not always better unless it’s in the bedroom.... king-size bed.... dirty minds!”

Numbers can always be used in many ways, but the Times column reported “Before the pandemic, nearly a million people a year were visiting Key West aboard cruise ships. But when Covid-19 brought that to a halt, the city’s $2.4 billion tourism industry, responsible for 44 percent of its jobs, did not collapse. Instead, hotel tax revenue rose 15 percent, and with 1.4 million arrivals, the airport set a record in 2021.”

If that is enough revenue to keep Key West being the wonderful place it is to live and visit, it seems adding thousands of more day trippers out of cruise ships isn’t going to make the place better.

Rather, it will hurt the environment, and make things worse.

10 • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

V O L U ME 07 I S S U E 49

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Hospitals are abusing this drug discount program Congress must step in to help low-income patients

Hospital chains are unfairly profiting off a program meant to help low-income patients afford their medicines.

If policymakers don’t reform this system soon, I worry that many of the marginalized patients I’ve devoted my career to protecting won’t be able to access the care they need.

The program, known as 340B, gives drug discounts to hospitals in underprivileged areas so that they can better serve their communities. Yet, with little oversight, the hospitals can divert the savings to their own bottom lines.

A recent report from the Drug Channels Institute exposed just how big the problem is.

The analysis found that under 340B, hospitals took discounts worth $52.3 billion in 2022 with scant evidence that those savings went to help low-income patients. The report also found that the 340B program continued its exponential growth during the pandemic, swelling by 22% between 2021 to 2022.

In short, money intended to help marginalized communities is instead being funneled into hospital profits in ever-greater amounts. Having spent much of my career helping Black men with HIV, I find this gravely concerning. But

the impact of the exploitation extends far beyond my own work, to all communities grappling with chronic disease and unaffordable health care. The solution is for Congress to bring some much-needed oversight and regulation to the 340B program.

It all started three decades ago when lawmakers launched a seemingly benevolent plan: In order to help non-profit “safety net” hospitals in poor communities, 340B required pharmaceutical companies to sell them drugs at big discounts. The idea was that this would lower drug prices for low-income patients and also help the hospitals, so that they could reinvest in facilities, equipment, and staff to serve disadvantaged patients.

Unfortunately, the 1992 law failed to codify any rules about what hospitals should do with the savings, so no proof of reinvestment is required. Soon enough, even hospitals serving prosperous communities realized they could use the law’s loopholes to turn 340B into a profit center.

Many hospitals have multiple locations. Under current regulations, a hospital can use its facility in an underserved community to qualify for the 340B Program, take millions

of dollars in drug discounts, then resell the drugs in more affluent neighborhoods.

Consider the Cleveland Clinic, known as one of the best hospitals in the country. It uses satellite “rural referral centers” to qualify for discounted drugs under 340B, then sells them at full price through its Cleveland-based flagship hospital.

The profit from such maneuvers can be substantial. For instance, 340B hospitals sell top oncology drugs at a median of 4.9 times their discounted price, according to a report from the Community Oncology Alliance.

It’s no wonder that 44% of U.S. hospitals now report that the 340B program is a substantial revenue source. It may have also contributed to industry consolidation in recent years, encouraging hospitals to merge in order to acquire qualifying facilities.

Despite the program’s rapid expansion, there’s little evidence that it’s benefiting marginalized patients. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the “financial gains for hospitals have not been associated with clear evidence of expanded care or lower mortality among low-income patients.” Another study, in the journal Health Services Research, concluded that when new hospitals join 340B, it doesn’t lead to any change in the amount of uncompensated care they provide.

In fact, 340B may actually increase healthcare costs for low-income patients. Because hospitals benefit from the difference between the discounted drug price and the sale price, they are incentivized to prescribe more expensive drugs, which yield higher profit margins than lower-cost generic alternatives.

This appears to be happening with the PrEP drugs that prevent transmission of HIV. A report from the American Action Forum, a think tank, found that 340B likely incentivizes hospitals to prescribe more expensive brand-name PrEP over generic versions. This means some patients are paying more than they should for this lifesaving medicine.

Hospitals chains’ continued abuse of 340B also takes critical resources away from the healthcare facilities the program is meant to help. For instance, Ryan White HIV/AIDS providers help low-income people living with HIV access medications and support services. But letting hospitals exploit loopholes in 340B could leave fewer discounted drugs for Ryan White and similar safety net programs.

Congress needs to reform the bloated and unaccountable 340B program as soon as possible. Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree that eligibility standards must be tightened and reporting requirements improved.

Hospitals must use 340B profits to help our most vulnerable patients.

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 11

Meet the ‘CEO of Everything Gay’ who just bought the Abbey

Tristan Schukraft, who owns Mistr, takes over iconic LA nightclub WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Tristan Schukraft laughs when I suggest he’s building a gay empire, but he doesn’t deny it.

When it was announced last month that the owner of the iconic Abbey and Chapel nightclubs in Los Angeles had entered into an agreement to sell the business to Schukraft, it seemed like a strange move for the jet-setting tech CEO. But the portfolio he’s building – founder and owner of the telemedicine app for gay men Mistr, owner of the queer nightclub Circo and Tryst Hotel in Puerto Rico – appears to be bent toward Hoovering up more pink dollars by getting involved in an ever wider section of queer life.

The Los Angeles Blade spoke to Schukraft at The Abbey during its annual tree-lighting fundraiser for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation about what he plans to do with the storied nightclub, and how he became one of America’s most visible gay moguls.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

TRISTAN SCHUKRAFT with equine friend at the Varian Stable in Newmarket, United Kingdom in 2019. (Photo courtesy Schukraft)

BLADE: Why the Abbey?

SCHUKRAFT: Well, I wanted to make sure it stayed in the hands of the gay community. You know, it’s an institution. It’s a cornerstone of West Hollywood gay life, but more importantly, it’s I think it’s a cornerstone of the gay community far beyond West Hollywood, right?

BLADE: Looking at your background in tech companies, your recent shift into the nightclub and hospitality industry seems like a bit of a left turn.

SCHUKRAFT: You know, I’ve been drinking here for a long time. So now, after all that investment, I’m actually gonna start getting money back. I basically bought it so I can get free drinks.

You know, at the end of the day, I’m an operations guy. I’m a technology guy. I own hotels. With hotels, you have bars and restaurants, so it’s not too far off the track. It’s a little off track.

Why not? Right?

You know, after watching “The Birdcage,” I always wanted

By ROB SALERNO my own hotel [like Robin Williams’s character in the 1996 film] and somebody shattered my dreams the other day by telling me it was a nightclub. I’m like, what? It was a nightclub? And then I watched it, and it’s true, it was a nightclub. So, now I have a nightclub. Yeah, so it all started with “The Birdcage.”

BLADE: You’re known for being a disrupter of the things that you invest in. Is there a disruption plan for the Abbey, or for Weho? Are you planning to change things here?

SCHUKRAFT: Not a major disruption here at The Abbey.

I’m gonna put my touches on it. But yeah, it’s a pretty welloiled machine. We’re definitely going to focus on our values of being LGBTQ. I got some ideas for new nights and I definitely want to make it an epicenter of the gay community. And I think there’s opportunities to take it beyond West Hollywood.

BLADE: Can you give any kind of sneak peek at what you’re thinking?

SCHUKRAFT: East Coast. That’s your sneak peek right now.

East Coast.

I think you’ll see in a couple months what I’m gonna do with the Abbey. But you know as far as taking it outside of West Hollywood, I see there’s opportunities on the East Coast right now.

I think that’s where David [Cooley, the founder and current owner of The Abbey] and I really we both appreciate the value of The Abbey brand. I think it’s world famous, right? It’s the biggest gay bar. It’s one of the longest lasting. Obviously you have the Stonewalls of the world. But this is like a bar where people go on a regular night versus a tourist attraction. Maybe for some it’s a tourist attraction, but I mean, it really is an institution. It’s a community gathering point. It’s a name that people recognize that we can bring into other communities.

BLADE: Do you have any plans to put a hotel somewhere here?

SCHUKRAFT: [Laughs] People are like, “Are you gonna paint it blue for Mistr?” Or, “You’re gonna make it a hotel?” But no, we’re not building a hotel here. That would be terrible to build.

I mean build a hotel and Abbey would be out. I don’t think the Abbey’s ever closed in 33 years, besides COVID. Minus that, it’s never closed for construction. You know, when David did his expansion, it was always open.

I was looking at those old photos and I’m like, oh my God, I remember the wall of candles. I’ve been coming here a very long time.

So you’re more or less like keeping the same sort of operation going here, keeping the team in place?

The team, I mean, I think that’s what kind of really makes The Abbey unique. It’s like a place where everybody knows your name.

When I bought the hotel in Puerto Rico, obviously I don’t know anyone. Buying here. I’m like, oh, yeah. I know Todd.

I know everybody, right? Not everybody, but a majority of people. And I think that’s why people come here. Because it’s their staple. They go every Sunday. They know they have their

12 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023

favorite bartender. So, you know, everybody will be kept in place, no changes to personnel.

BLADE: You gave an interview to Authority Magazine where you said you promised your partner that you wouldn’t be starting up any new businesses. How did you get him on board with jumping into becoming a WeHo nightlife impresario?

SCHUKRAFT: I broke that promise two or three times since I said that. I mean, no, I just buy him gifts to make him happy.

I work long hours, right? And he’s like, I don’t know why.

BLADE: You’ve created and run several tech companies.

How did you get started in that business? Where did that money come from?

SCHUKRAFT: I started my very first company at 21 with a $10,000 loan. I was living in Hong Kong at the time. I think my father really wanted me to come back [to California]. My dad’s a corporate guy, not a big risk taker, but he’s like, ‘I’ll give you $10,000 to start your company.’ It wasn’t enough to start the company, so I imported 437 Razor scooters and I thought I was gonna sell out in two weeks. It was very popular at the time – this is like 23 years ago. It took me six and a half weeks.

I was selling them out of my truck. I went to every swap meet in Southern California. Sold the last six on Christmas Eve and learned a couple lessons in business from that. But with the money I made from selling those scooters combined with the loan, I started my first company, which was like an Expedia for airline personnel.

And then I got into e-ticketing, and at that time, I didn’t know how to turn on the computer. So, I really surround myself with people that know what they’re doing, that are experts. So, do I know how to run a bar? No, but I’m an operations guy and I hire the talent to make it happen. That’s how I got started and I built that company and others along the way.

BLADE: Other than that first $10,000 loan from your parents, you’re basically self-made then?

SCHUKRAFT: Yeah. You know, I looked for investment. I did end up raising $18 million for my second company, but I put in a lot of money. I mean at 25, my first company was going really well, and there was this e-ticketing mandate and I said, oh there’s a real opportunity here. And I had a home and was doing good for a 25-year-old, and I kind of leveraged it all.

And I thought, “Oh my God, what did I do? I just fucked up my whole life. Why did I do this?” Anyways, I got that first investor, got that first client, and it just kind of took off from there.

BLADE: And now with Mistr, The Abbey, your Puerto Rico clubs, are you starting a gay empire?

SCHUKRAFT: The CEO of Everything Gay, yes. I have a few more things. You know, all the businesses are very complementary, right? So, you come to The Abbey, then you go to the Tryst Hotel or Circo in Puerto Rico, and obviously all of the people that come here or the Tryst, they’re all perfect candidates for Mistr. So yeah, so it looks a little weird. But it is very complementary to our various business units.

FILM

‘Maestro’ captures passionate essence of queer musical giant Cooper’s titanic performance honors the legendary composer

By JOHN PAUL KING It’s hard to think of a modern celebrity that holds an equivalent place in popular culture to the one held in his day by Leonard Bernstein – the subject of Bradley Cooper’s ambitious biopic “Maestro,” now in theaters ahead of a Dec. 20 drop on producing studio Netflix’s streaming platform.

A “highbrow” musical prodigy who gained mainstream recognition after a spectacular debut as a substitute conductor for the New York Philharmonic made him a celebrity, he forged a path as an orchestral leader and composer of masterpieces across a range of genres, from symphonies to film scores to Broadway musicals. Youthful, erudite, passionate, and handsome, he brought classical musical education to the masses via popular television broadcasts, becoming identified with the sophisticated culture of intellectual humanism epitomized by the hopeful “Camelot” of the Kennedy era.

Of course, the Bernstein known to the public in those heady days was not the real Bernstein – or not all of him, anyway – and the story behind the scenes is part of what Cooper, who not only directed and stars in “Maestro,” but co-wrote the screenplay with Oscar-winner Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), aims to illuminate. Picking up the narrative in the early days of its subject’s fame, it conveys the essence of his professional career in broad strokes, but concerns itself mostly with his private life. More specifically, it focuses on his marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), whom we meet as she enters his life in the wake of his sudden success. There’s a definite chemistry – but there’s also Bernstein’s involvement with musician David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), with whom he shares both an apartment and a bed.

Nevertheless, and with knowledge of what they’re getting into, the two eventually marry; through specific episodes in their life, it tracks the inevitable ups and downs – from the soul-mate joy of their special intimacy to the strain imposed on their couplehood by a parade of male companions brought into the household across the decades – to present a portrait of an unorthodox marriage between two unorthodox people whose bond ultimately transcends conventional notions of love, sexuality, and commitment.

That doesn’t mean that things don’t get messy, however, and it must be admitted that the last third of the movie devolves a bit into domestic melodrama tinged with a touch of histrionics, and then threatens to go full tearjerker, to boot. But then, sometimes, so does life, and “Maestro” brings enough compassion, insight, and authenticity to the complex emotions at play that it is able to go deep, in the end, for the save.

Indeed, some of this melodramatic flair might be a func-

tion of Cooper’s stylistic approach, which blends fact, fantasy, and flights of fancy – such as a surrealistic “dream ballet” sequence inspired by “On the Town” (Bernstein’s first Broadway hit), as well as shifting from black-and-white to color and presenting much of the movie in an old-fashioned 1:33 aspect ratio – to form a sort of impressionistic view of Bernstein’s life. A significant part of that style derives from the lavish mid-century aesthetic that informed his music as much as it did the cinema that sprung from the same cultural movement. As for the man himself, his florid conducting style, to say nothing of the sweeping and dissonant passion of his compositions, were ample evidence that he would never be averse to tugging at a few heartstrings before building to a “wow” finale, so allowing a little indulgent sentimentality to assert itself along the way seems perfectly apropos.

At the same time, there is little about Cooper’s performance in the title role that could be called sentimental, or indulgent for that matter, despite the obvious license to “chew the scenery” when playing a flamboyantly biggerthan-life figure like Bernstein. Executed with a clear attention to detail and a fully invested personal connection to the character, Cooper’s portrayal expertly captures his intelligence and charm, as well as a remarkable level of chameleonic mimicry – enhanced by a dazzling physical transformation from makeup designer Kazu Hiro – that never once feels like “showboating,” but it wins us with an unvarnished candor in depicting his less appealing qualities.

Yet, at neither end of that spectrum does it ever feel as if any judgment is being made, only observation. It’s a titanic performance, even without the reenactments of Bernstein’s conducting prowess, which honors the legendary composer simply by rendering him as a flawed, if exceptional, human being.

Yet as superb as his work might be, and despite “Maestro” ostensibly being about Bernstein himself, the movie’s star turn comes from Mulligan, whose top-billed performance as Montealegre serves as the story’s emotional core. It’s her journey, from bold best friend to supportive muse to estranged “ex” and back again, that give the film its meat. She takes it from start to finish without a misstep, and in the process almost makes Cooper’s Bernstein a foil in his own movie. It’s a testament to his own artistic integrity that he allows, even amplifies, her every opportunity to do it.

For queer audiences, of course, it might be a disappointment that the movie chooses to center itself on Bernstein’s heterosexual marriage instead of exploring any of his nowwell-known same-sex affairs – little time or development is

spent on any of those relationships, not even with Oppenheim. Still, it makes no effort to hide, judge, or apologize for his sexual identity; in its inherent message of love beyond the constraints of sexuality or gender, it rises above such moralistic notions, and instead celebrates the commitment between two people willing to live beyond them, even when things get tough.

CAREY MULLIGAN and BRADLEY COOPER in ‘Maestro.’

(Photo courtesy Netflix)

The film is loaded with memorable performances; in particular, Bomer – especially powerful in the scene where he is introduced to the woman he already knows will take his lover away from him – reminds us how good he can be when afforded material that stretches him beyond his pretty-boy looks, and comedian Sarah Silverman has some rich moments as Bernstein’s sister, Shirley. So too, it is distinguished by a comprehensively detailed production design, which traces the evolving look and feel of the era it covers in succinctly evocative detail, delivered through outstanding cinematography by Matthew Libatique. In the end, however, it is Bernstein’s music itself that stands out as the key element in capturing the irrepressible passion – the “singing of summer” inside him – that made him an incomparable artist and informed his life as a whole.

In the end, that’s what “Maestro” wants us to take away, more than any insights into its subject’s musical genius or the difficulties of navigating a divergent sex life among consenting adults in a time where such things were beyond taboo: the importance of embracing and expressing our lives to the fullest, whether by creating art or simply experiencing the raw truth of our existence in the moment, for better or for worse, in all its contradictory, beautiful glory. It’s a big, glossy biopic that – on the surface, at least – sometimes falls into familiar tropes, but it’s worldly and wise enough to get that right, which is enough to elevate it above at least 90 percent of other films in its genre.

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 13

BOOKS

Our favorite books for holiday gifts Hitchcock, Britney, Barbra, and more!

By KATHI WOLFE

When it gets dark early, it’s cold outside and you want to spice up your life, what’s more intriguing than a book?

Here are some holiday gift ideas for book lovers of all ages.

Who isn’t fascinated by the dark, twisty, sometimes, mordantly witty, movies of Alfred Hitchcock, or by Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedren, Ingrid Bergman and the other actresses in his films? “Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession” by Laurence Leamer, author of “Capote’s Women,” is an engrossing story not only of Hitchcock, but of the iconic “blondes” he cast in some of his most beloved movies from “39 Steps” to “Rear Window” to “Vertigo” to “Psycho.” $29. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Reading about Hitchcock, no matter how intriguing the book, is never as good as watching his films. “Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection” (Blu-ray $39.96. DVD: $32.40) features “Rear Window,” “North by Northwest,” “Psycho” and “The Birds.”

“Corona/Crown,” by D.C.-based queer poet Kim Roberts in collaboration with photographer Robert Revere, is a fab present for lovers of photography, museums, and poetry. Revere and Roberts were deeply affected by the closure of museums during the COVID pandemic. In this lovely chapbook, they create a new “museum” of their own. “This is what I learned when the pandemic struck,” Roberts writes, “when I couldn’t stop thinking about the artwork in all the museums, bereft of human eyes.” $21.25 WordTech Editions Few things are as scary and/or captivating as a good ghost story. “The Night Side of the River,” by acclaimed lesbian writer Jeanette Winterson, author of “Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?” and “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,” is a provocative and engrossing collection of ghost stories. These deliciously chilling stories feature spirits, avatars, a haunted estate, AI and, pun intended, lively meetings between the living and the dead. $27. Grove.

“Blackouts,” a novel by queer writer Justin Torres that received this year’s National Book Award for fiction, is a breathtaking book about storytelling, queer history, love, art, and erasure. A perfect gift for aficionados of characters that become etched into your DNA. $30. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

“The Woman in Me,” the memoir by Britney Spears will be devoured by queers of all ages – from tweens to elders. Much of Spears’s story is known – from her youth in Louisiana to her

rapid rise to fame to her conservatorship (when her father controlled her life). Yet the devil, as the saying goes, is in the details. In this riveting memoir, Spears reveals the horrifying and exhilarating aspects of her life: from how her father controlled what she ate and when she took a bath to the restrictions put on her ability to see her sons to her love of singing, dancing, and creating music. Spears writes of the queer community’s “unconditional” love and support for her. $32.99. Gallery.

Few memoirs have been more eagerly anticipated than Barbra Streisand’s “My Name Is Barbra.” In its nearly 1,000 pages, EGOT-winning (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), divine, queer icon Streisand, 81, tells seemingly everything about her life. She quarreled with Larry Kramer over filming “The Normal Heart.” It didn’t work out: Streisand thought mainstream audiences would be turned off by explicit sex scenes. Marlon Brando and Streisand were good friends, she loves Brazilian coffee ice cream and her mother was a horror show. Contrary to how some lesser mortals see her, she doesn’t see herself as a diva. The print version of “My Name is Barbra” is fab. The audio version, a 48-hour listen, which Streisand narrates, is even better. $47. Viking. $45 on Audible.

“Chasing Rembrandt,” by Richard Stevenson is a terrific gift for mystery lovers. Richard Stevenson was the pseudonym for Richard Lipez, the out queer author, who wrote witty, engaging mysteries featuring the openly gay detective Donald Strachey.

Sadly, Stevenson died in 2022. But, “Chasing Rembrandt,” a novel featuring Strachey and his romantic partner Timmy, was published this year. The idea for the story was sparked by a real-life incident when paintings were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “Robbers wreak havoc, smashing the glass covers protecting masterpieces and slicing paintings out of their frames,” Stevenson writes at the beginning of this entertaining story, “They make off with thirteen works, including three Rembrandts and a Vermeer, worth more than half a billion dollars and beloved in the world of art. It is arguably the greatest property theft in human history.”

With the repartee of Nick and Nora and the grit of Philip Marlowe, Strachey works to solve this mystery. $16.95. ReQueered Tales.

Some books never get old. “The Wild Things,” the beloved children’s picture book written and illustrated by acclaimed gay writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, was published in 1963. Sixty years later, the Caldecott Medal-winning classic is still loved by three to five-year-olds, their parents, siblings, aunts, and uncles. A new digital audio version of “Where the Wild Things Are,” narrated by Michelle Obama, was released this fall. Who can resist the Wild Things, when they plead: “Oh, please don’t go–we’ll eat you up–We love you so!”? Widely available in hard cover, paperback and e-book format. Audio: $5.50.

What’s more fun than playing a festive album while you’re reading during the holidays? Deck the halls! This year, queer icon Cher has released “Christmas,” her first holiday album.

Highlights of the album include: Cher singing with Cyndi Lauper on “Put A Little Holiday In Your Heart,” Stevie Wonder on “What Christmas Means to Me” and Darlene Love on “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” and the rapper Tyga on “Drop Top Sleigh Ride.” The perfect gift for Cher aficionados.

14 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023

More queer books we love

For the person on your gift list who’d love a boy-meetsboy story, wrap up “Bellies: A Novel” by Nicola Dinan (Hanover Square Press), the tale of a playwright and the man who loves him wholly, until a transition threatens to change everything.

If there’s a romantic on your list, then you’re in luck: finding a gift is easy when you wrap up “10 Things That never Happened” by Alexis Hall (Sourcebooks), the story of Sam, whose job is OK, and his boss, Jonathan, who should have never hired Sam. Too late now, except for the romance. Wrap it up with “Time Out” by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner with Carlyn Greenwald (Simon & Schuster), the story of a basketball player who’s newly out of the closet, and a politically minded boy who could easily get his vote.

For the person on your list who likes to read quick, short articles, wrap up “Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir” by Alicia Roth Weigel (HarperOne). It’s a collection of essays on life as an intersex person, and the necessity for advocating for others who are, too.

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Bold and beautiful, R&B’s Idman gives us a risk we want to take

Idman tells me on the Rated LGBT Radio HOLLYWOOD - Idman, the gorgeous podcast.

R&B toned singer/songwriter from ToronBorn in Toronto within a very close-knit to, knows that the ability to be a safely out Somali immigrant community, Idman LGBTQ person is a privilege. seems an unlikely candidate to stand In a recent Los Angeles Blade opinion courageously as a non-binary sexually piece, they cautioned those progressives fluid musician. They were raised fluent who are cavalier about the outing proin their parents’ mother tongue . “They cess. They became a spokesperson for really instilled a love for my culture. I was those who are susceptible to its dangers. really prideful for my heritage… we come “I wish we told queer and trans youth from a religious Muslim community, but more often that there is no standard (Photo courtesy of IDMAN/Arista Records) my parents were super unorthodox and within which to measure the authenticiopen minded.” Their mother was a wedty of one’s identity, and that they’re valid ding planner and part of that gig was to have the house conwhether they decide to come out or not. That the world’s restantly filled with musicians, leaving an aesthetic impact on the actions to their truths are not their fault, and that they are no talented Idman. less valid in their identities for deciding to withhold it from those Even though musically, Idman was initially exposed to the they believe cannot honor them,” they write, fully conscious that “love is forever” style wedding music, their relationship-orientteens coming out can spark abuse, depression and in some cased songs exhibit a deeper complexity. The songs do not depict es homelessness. They observe, “Statistics show that LGBTQ+ a heroine and a villain, but rather two humans trying to figure youth, especially those of color, are disproportionately affected things out. “When I was challenged to write about love, I was by homelessness… It’s crucial to challenge the idea that queer confronted with the fact that the R&B space was really in this and trans people owe intimate details of their lives to others.” energy of toxicity, that we are in an era of ‘ghosting’ and that The risk of coming out is one that they, themselves, have you need to leave before you are left. I found this genre could been willing to take however, and they do so in a new EP aptly only be done through honesty and I wanted my music to be the titled “Risk.” place where people can tap into the depth where it is not always “I know that I get to live in a world and have an experience black and white, and the other person isn’t always in the wrong.” where I have the privilege of figuring that out for myself… I have Idman leapt into the music scene in 2020 with their debut the opportunity to explore. I think I have more of a sadness single Down for It. Right from the get, they seemed to signal now in me for my parents and for my relatives in the fact that I that they were prepared for the challenges, confrontations and know that there are parts of them that they might not ever get potential fight for individuality that lay ahead. “Feel like I was to explore in this lifetime, and I know that it’s not their fault.”

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MUSIC

born for this (this), feel like it was calling me Never been down for the comfortable, that’s just impossible Never walked the road that was paved for Me,” they sing.

The song also projects Idman’s attitude towards those who are trans- and homo- phobic. “Have you ever met a hater, If you know (one) play this loud as hell, I can not hate you for not seeing for me what you can not see for yourself And I cannot hate me, blessed highly favored while you sit o’ there by ya self.” It is an attitude that they also reflect in their Blade article when they say, “It’s a shame, it’s a stain and it should be the regret of a lifetime for someone to deny themselves the love of a queer or trans person because they can’t see beyond their own projection. What a flop. It is always their loss. I promise.”

Idman’s newest release, the EP Risk, and the extended Risk-Reloaded version, is about the complexities and codependence of relationships. From the prominent track Hate, which is an ode to hating one’s own feeling of longing for the object of one’s desire, to In My Feels, which laments the inability to let go, Idman examines the layers that could bring emotions in any Romeo and Juliet style romance gone afoul.

It is in the songs and videos for the tracks Beach and Still where Idman takes their own “risk” by truly revealing themselves. The object of affection in Beach is spelled out in the first line of the song. “I know you’re somebody’s girlfriend but I know you ain’t innocent, I can tell by how you lookin’ That you’re likin’ what you’re seein’ I can show you something better baby all you gotta do is say when.” Idman realized that when that song came out, they had essentially outed themselves as being LGBTQ. CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

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LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • DECEMBER 08, 2023 • 15