METROSOURCE LA - AUG/SEP 2023

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0250 04/23

#1 PRESCRIBED HIV TREATMENT*

No matter where life takes you,

ELIAS SWITCHED TO BIKTARVY

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

Person featured takes BIKTARVY and is compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com.

WELCOME TO OUR FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE. My summer started off with participation in a number of vibrant Pride events, which always puts a smile on my face. Celebrating and connecting with members of our growing community has a vital impact on emotional well-being. We aren’t alone!

A couple of other community events I reveled in during the early summer months included the first Equality Wine Fest in Palm Springs, CA. This festival showcased wineries, eateries, artists and retailers which are owned or operated by women, or members of the LGBTQ+ or BIPOC communities sponsored by www.LGBTwinesociety.com. The love in the ballroom was palpable! Then I got a fix of vitamin D and exercise during my annual visit to Sonoma County, CA for Gay Wine Weekend in July where we danced the night away in a vineyard at La Crema Winery and splashed about during Sunday’s spirited pool party sponsored by www.GEDmag.com.

While many of our nation’s major Pride events take place in June, there are still dozens of events coming up in late summer and early fall. Maybe a good opportunity to plan a weekend getaway to one of these lively cities yet to host their 2023 Pride:

• Long Beach, CA – Aug 5 & 6

• Austin, TX – Aug 12 & 13

• Silicon Valley, CA – Aug 26 & 27

• Las Vegas, NV – Oct 8 & 9

• Phoenix, AZ – Oct 15 & 16

• Savannah, GA – Oct 21 & 22

• Palm Springs, CA – Nov 5 & 6

And for those of you adventurous souls, some wild weekends coming up include:

• Southern Decadence, New Orleans, LA – Aug 31-Sept 4

• Folsom Street Fair, San Francisco, CA – Sept 24

• Fantasy Fest, Key West, FL – Oct 20-29

I do agree with Jane Lynch in that, “We shouldn’t have to have a Pride season. Everybody should have pride in who we are all the time.” It’s a wonderful aspiration for our community to embrace. Please see the context of this quote and other insights from this multi-talented entertainer in our feature article this issue. You’ll see why Jane Lynch earned a spot on our cover.

While at the Equality Wine Fest in Palm Springs, I had the pleasure of meeting two Metrosource readers from Tulsa, OK who have been avid readers for many years. They were kind enough to share some of their city’s mustdo cultural, culinary and arts highlights as well as the philanthropic spirit that’s alive in Tulsa. I was also reminded during our pleasant chat of the work we still have to do in the heartland to achieve mainstream LGBTQ+ acceptance. There are a whole lot of people in our community who live in-between LA and NYC.

My new friends from Tulsa shared that they thoroughly enjoyed reading the original interviews we include in each issue. I was flattered, and also driven, to make sure we deliver that level of quality with this latest round! In addition to Jane Lynch, our writers have caught up with model, activist and life coach Barrett Pall; Tonywinning American playwright and screenwriter, Matthew Lopez; and bestselling author Steven Rowley whose new novel The Celebrants has been named a summertime must-read.

We’re also taking you abroad with visits to two vibrant European cities. You’ll take a “honeymoon” in romantic and budget-friendly Budapest, Hungary and then plunge into the brisk fjords of Oslo, Norway where the health and wellness regimens at the historic Sommerro House will intrigue you.

If you thought kombucha was just a tea drink with some noteworthy health benefits, just wait until you read what it can do for the health of your skin. One reputable skin care company has launched a new line of kombucha-based products that you’ll want to learn about. As always, we’ve curated some of the hottest new things to read, watch, and listen, as well as places to visit this season in our Scope section.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Metrosource as much as we enjoyed creating it. I wish our readers health and happiness as we close out summer 2023.

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BE HAPPY, IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

COVER: Jane Lynch

Photography by: Maarten DeBoer/NBC

CURATED BY MICHAEL WESTMAN

BENTLEY ROBLES “HOPE U CRY”

INDIE CHICANO POP PRINCE BENTLEY ROBLES HAS BECOME ONE OF THE DEFINING VOICES OF NEW YORK UNDERGROUND. Live 365 named him to the “10 LGBTQ+ Artists You Should Know in 2022” list, with the song going strong on Spotify’s “OBSESSED” playlist for 6 months straight. Bentley is kicking off a whole new era with the recent release of his latest smash “HOPE U CRY.” As the lead single from his forthcoming sophomore EP,“HOPE U CRY”is quintessential Bentley Robles: a synth-pop breakup anthem with sharp tongued lyrics, bass synth, and emotive drums that make you want to cry, dance and scream as it all climaxes into a dance break that will hit you like cold water.

Bentley says, “Have you ever been so f--ed over by an ex that you fantasize about their life crashing and burning? I have. ‘HOPE U CRY’ is an anthem for that. I wanted to write a song where every lyric feels cathartic to sing, something you can belt in your car to get the anger out. I think I delivered, now I just want my EX to hear this in every club he enters this summer. I hope he cries.”

Bentley has had a whirlwind year as he continues to establish himself an indie pop staple in the music industry, landing several Spotify editorial playlists (including ‘OBSESSED’, ‘BRILLO’, ‘Fresh Finds’ and more) with huge pop bangers like “i hate the weekend,’ ”kiss my friends”, and the sweaty synth cover of ABBA’s “lay all your love on me” which has since gained over 1.5M streams on Spotify--marking his first single to achieve over 1M streams on the platform. This summer, he’s on tour across North America with fellow pop artist Tom Aspaul for the Planet Fantastic Tour (the pair also collaborated on a new ABBA cover “Gimme! Gimme! Gimmie!” out now for Pride Month) and released collaborations with Zee Machine (the viral TIkTok single “See Me Naked”) and Gregory Dillon (“don’t listen to this song”). Boisterous, fiery, impassioned, and a shameless Cancer sun boy, Bentley has been hailed as“the future of pop”by Monster Children, and has become one of the

THESCOPE

defining voices of New York underground. His early 2023 singles landed him on UPROXX’s artists to watch list, Bentley teases his sophomore EP project saying, “I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve been promising my fans an EP since last year. Being an indie artist, releasing bodies of work can be tough. I wanna make sure what I deliver is top notch. I’ve written over 50 songs and gone back and forth on which ones are the best. I feel happy about the ones we’ve chosen. Expect pop perfection.”

DITA VON TEESE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY – “A JUBILANT REVUE”

JUBILEE THEATER, HORSESHOE

LAS VEGAS OPENING OCTOBER 5, 2023

INTERNATIONAL QUEEN OF BURLESQUE, DITA VON TEESE, IS DEBUTING DITA LAS VEGAS: A JUBILANT REVUE, AT HORSESHOE LAS VEGAS, OPENING IN THE JUBILEE THEATER ON THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023. Dita is debuting a new show merging her signature burlesque acts with the celebrated iconic Las Vegas show Jubilee aesthetic, including incorporating some of the show’s original costumes and sets.

DITA LAS VEGAS: A Jubilant Revue is heralded as the most lavishly staged burlesque production ever, anywhere. This is the art of burlesque at its most bona fide and beautiful embodiment—from choreography to costumes, stage production to razzle dazzle. Dita’s own marquee revues are the grandest staged and most attended worldwide, selling out millions of seats in landmark theaters. On the crystalspeckled heels of the recent European and U.S. Glamonatrix tour, this new Vegas revue marks the inaugural arrival in this glittering city for the undisputed Queen of Burlesque.

As Marquee Star and under her exacting Creative Direction, with this 75-minute nonstop show, Dita tips her hat to the spectacular spirit of Jubilee of yore and the historic theater at Horseshoe, putting to maximum effect its epoch-making hydraulic lifts, floating platforms and renowned passerelle. The iconic Jubilee costumes created by the legendary Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee will sparkle again under the klieg lights, as Dita and Company conjure the verve of the Vegas showgirl in a re-imagined way as only she can.

“It’s been my dream to create a show that honors the great American art forms of burlesque and the showgirl,” notes Dita. “After many tours across Europe, Australia, the U.S. and Canada, to secure a home in Las Vegas— the showbiz capital of the world—and with the vaunted Jubilee legacy, well, I couldn’t be more ecstatic. I visited the show many times before it went dark, never getting enough of the spectacle of feathers and rhinestones! It was the ultimate showgirl revue, from the theater to the MackieMenefee costumes.”

Collaborating with Dita to stage this unprecedented show is Director and Executive Producer

Michael Schwandt, among the most dynamic trailblazers in creative and stage direction for live experiences today. Schwandt’s extensive body of work includes innovative live stage spectaculars, such as Cirque du Soleil’s R.U.N. and the groundbreaking global hit TV series “The Masked Singer.” Other notable work includes Miss Universe, The World Cup, Ringling Bothers and The Olympics. His roster of superstar artists includes Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Diplo, Katy Perry,

Bush, and Janelle Monae, among many others.

DITA LAS VEGAS: A Jubilant Revue will electrify the Jubilee Theater stage select Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 9 p.m., including special New Year’s Eve weekend performances on December 28, 29, 30 and 31.

For a complete show schedule and to purchase tickets, please visit ticketmaster.com/DitaVegas.

For more on Dita, visit dita.net, as well as on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter @ditavonteese.

high school, Las Encinas, and the clash between the wealthy and working-class students.

The series explores many different concepts and themes, and the twists and turns keep you coming back for more. Think of it as a mixture of the TV shows Gossip Girl, Riverdale and How to Get Away with Murder. The cast has changed significantly over the seasons; however, it looks like one of the original cast members, Omar Ayuso, will be reprising his role as Omar Shanaa in Elite season 7. Along with the return of Ayuso is the addition of seven new cast members.

ELITE SEASON 7 PREMIERES ON NETFLIX ON OCT. 20, 2023. AND BEFORE YOU EVEN WATCH AN EPISODE, SEASON 8 HAS ALREADY BEEN SLATED. This popular teen series on Netflix was created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona and follows a group of students attending the fictional prestigious

Elite has been renewed for an eighth season. Netflix has also announced new cast members Ane Rot and Nuno Gallego are joining the series, and Mina el Hammani, who recurred for the first three seasons, will return as Nadia. Production of the new episodes will begin in August.

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/elite

Dita Von Teese by Albert Sanchez & Pedro Zalba

LESLIE-LOHMAN MUSEUM OF ART

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

CHRISTIAN WALKER: THE PROFANE AND THE POIGNANT (SEP 22 - JAN 7, 2024)

A SEASON IN DELHI

(RELEASE DATE NOVEMBER 12, 2023)

BY SCOTT ALEXANDER HESS

SET AGAINST THE DAZZLING BACKDROP OF MODERN DELHI, A GAY COUPLE’S IDYLLIC INDIAN JOURNEY TAKES A DARK TURN WHEN A SECRET INFIDELITY IS REVEALED. Newly-married New Yorkers Brant and Lloyd are enjoying the great beauty and frenetic atmosphere of Delhi until Brant’s recent infidelity is revealed to his husband. Left alone in what was supposed to be their honeymoon bungalow, Brant discovers a diary buried in the garden that was written by a diplomat’s wife, Carol, who had a torrid, scandalous affair in Delhi in 1950. Brant connects with the 90-yearold Carol first on the page—and eventually, in person—discovering a bond that transcends time and culture.

Inspired by the works of Paul Bowles (The Sheltering Sky) and Lawrence Osborne (The

Forgiven), A Season in Delhi is both modern and timeless, driven by a fascination with the great disparity of privilege and wealth; the flawed beauty of the human spirit; and the complexity and humility we face when we engage first in reckless deception, then forgiveness, and— ultimately—redemption.

Scott Alexander Hess is the author of seven novels, including Skyscraper, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and The Butcher’s Sons, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2015. His latest fiction—a pair of novellas, The Root of Everything & Lightning—was named a best book of 2021 by St. Louis Librarians. His writing has appeared in HuffPost, Genre Magazine, The Fix, Thema Literary Review, and elsewhere. Hess co-wrote Tom in America, an award-winning short film starring Sally Kirkland and Burt Young. He teaches fiction writing at Gotham Writers Workshop and curates Hot Lit, an LGBTQIA+ themed monthly newsletter. He was a 2022 Lambda Literary Judge and a semi-finalist for America’s Next Great Author. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Hess lives in New York City with his husband.

CHRISTIAN WALKER: THE PROFANE AND THE POIGNANT IS THE FIRST MUSEUM EXHIBITION SURVEYING THE WORK OF ARTIST, CRITIC, AND CURATOR CHRISTIAN WALKER (1953-2003). Active in Boston and Atlanta from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, Walker was a pathmaking Black, gay photographer who made compelling and experimental work about queer sexuality, race, and their intersections. In the mid-1980s, his artistic practice shifted from documentary photography and portraiture toward alternative photographic processes of multiple exposure, archival appropriation, and integration of paints and non-traditional materials. Walker’s artworks, criticism, and exhibition-making addressed myriad subjects, including queer public sex, interracial desire, HIV/AIDS, censorship, drug use, and Blackness and whiteness in public and private image cultures. By contextualizing Walker within his artistic and activist communities in Boston and Atlanta, this exhibition situates his photographs, critical writings, and curatorial projects as vital contributions to the histories of art and photography.

More at leslielohman.org.

VISIT

MATTHEW LÓPEZ IS BEAMING RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

THIS AUGUST, AMAZON PRIME RELEASES THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, THE TALE OF ALEX AND HENRY, THE SON OF THE US PRESIDENT FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE SON OF THE KING OF THE UK – SHENANIGANS AND POLITICS ENSUE. The film, both sultry and sweet at the same time, is based on the New York Times bestselling book by Casey McQuiston. The book was an instant hit, and with the charm, stellar cast (including Uma Thurman), and truly heartful direction, this film should be no less. At the film’s helm is the king (or queen) of the stage, mastermind Matthew López, making his feature film co-writing and directing debut. Let’s hope if the film sweeps the award shows, he has enough room on his shelf next to his Tony Awards, Olivier Award, Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Award, GLAAD Media Award, and a handful of others. Despite his youth, he’s already achieved more on the stage as a playwright than most writers accomplish in a lifetime.

I WAS ALWAYS TELLING STORIES FROM THE GET-GO.”

Though he is entertainment’s hardworking darling, he wasn’t always the center of attention. His awkward childhood was a blessing in disguise.

I wasn’t very popular [laughs]. I was that kid who was popular with adults, but not with other kids. I read a lot of books as a kid, and I listened to a lot of musical theater cast albums. I was largely out of step, I kept to myself, and I cocooned a lot. Whether that was because I was a little queer Puerto Rican kid in Panama City, Florida, I don’t know. That may have been a coping mechanism. But I think the result is that I learned how to use my imagination. I was an incredibly imaginative kid. I dreamed up scenarios in my head, I put on plays. So, I think I was always telling stories from the get-go, and fortunate for me that I actually turned that into a career!

Entertainment was in his blood. Not only was his father in the original West Side Story film, but his aunt is actor Priscilla Lopez, who originated the role of Diana Morales in A Chorus Line. The real spark, though, was thanks to Broadway itself.

My parents took me to New York for the holidays one year. Not only did I see my first Broadway show, I saw my first piece of theater ever, which was Peter Pan, the musical with Sandy Duncan. It lit my fuse. It absolutely set the course of the rest of my life on that one matinee when I was five years old. There was something there. Obviously, there’s something incredibly magical and fantastical about Peter Pan. There’s something about being a forever kid that is very appealing. I think there’s a lot of Peter Pan in me. There’s a reason my character in The Inheritance, Toby, is named Toby Darling - he’s named after the kids in that story.

López’s pieces couldn’t be more different. Not banking on the success of a previous subject matter, each of his plays tells a tale more different than the other. His breakout play was the Off-Broadway production of The Whipping Man. Taking place immediately after the Civil War, it centers around two former slaves who encounter their former master, all of whom are Jewish. It explores the different ways people can remain enslaved – addictions, prejudices. It was a hit and extended four times with López winning the John Gassner New Play Award. His next three plays, Somewhere, Reverberation, and The Legend of Georgia McBride, were all hits unto their own, with subject matter ranging from a theatrical family in 1959’s Manhattan (a tip of the hat to West Side Story), to agoraphobic victims of violence, to a down-on-his-luck Elvis impersonator who turns to drag for redemption. It was his fifth major play, The Inheritance, that sealed López’s place in the theatre. Called“the most important American play of the century” by The Daily Telegraph, the play takes place 30 years after the AIDS epidemic and explores the relationships and connections gay

I THINK THERE’S A LOT OF PETER PAN IN ME.”

PAGE : PHOTO BY ROB YOUNGSON/PRIME

men make across generations and social classes, asking the question, what responsibilities do we have for the youth who come after us? It was an instant critical success, sweeping the awards season, including 11 Tony nominations. With each play so wildly different than the other, he doesn’t seem burdened by the need to stick with a style or theme.

I guess I don’t like to repeat myself. I have a tendency when I do anything, I do it with an obsessive quality. It really becomes the only thing that I can think about and when I’m done, I don’t want to think about it again. And so, I think that sort of lends itself to wanting to try different things and try different kinds of storytelling. At the end of the day, I’m fascinated by people who are not me. I’m stuck with me; I’ve been me for all my life. I think that I’m not one of those people who really needs you all to watch my therapy session. I did a fair amount of that in The Inheritance, and I feel like I’m done. I’d rather really explore other people. I think there’s also a part of it that kid who spent much of his childhood in his room alone, reading books and listening to music. So, when I, as a writer, as a creator, get to sort of take bits of people who actually exist in the world whom I know or have observed,

and then turn them into my characters, I sort of encounter the world that way. Maybe it’s because it’s safe. Look, I’m not a shut-in, I’m very much in the world and I definitely have very healthy relationships with other people, but many writers are, before anything else, observers. And I feel like I’m the same way.

Not only did The Inheritance win the Olivier, Drama Desk, Drama League, and GLAAD Media Awards, but López made theatre history as the first Latino writer to win a Tony for Best Play. After such success, where do you go from there? Did he feel the pressure to strike gold again?

I’m going to fail at things, it’s inevitable. I’m a human being. I’m flawed. I’m just a person telling stories. I’m truly fortunate that I get to tell the stories that I want to, and that I’ve been supported along the way and been given the chance to tell them. I don’t ever take that for granted. If you can accept that failure is inevitable, then it just relieves you of the pressure to succeed. And you can just simply tell the story you want to tell in the best way you know and hope that you know your instincts are right and that people will respond to it. So far, so good.

Matthew just won this year’s Tony for his cowriting musical adaptation of the classic film Some Like It Hot. So, yeah, so far, so good.

Always one to challenge himself, he is shifted from the stage to the screen for the adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue. Filled with romance and comedy, it also has substance but is never heavyhanded. It is simply a love story first. For someone who has witnessed the evolution of LGBTQ content on the stage and screen, this type of content is the future in representation and a sign that we have moved on to a new level of storytelling.

At the end of the day in a story like this, you need to care. Sometimes in order to make an audience care, you need to put your heroes in danger, but you also want the audience to fall in love. And there is nothing more deliriously fun than falling in love. Just as Alex and Henry fall in love with each other, the audience has to fall in love with them. And that is such a fun thing to be able to create. That’s a fun story to tell. I never thought that we were making something completely lightweight and disposable. I definitely didn’t want the movie to feel disposable. I didn’t want people to see it and then forget about it the next day, because the characters stayed with me after I read the book. I wanted the movie to feel exactly the same way the book felt. I wanted those characters to linger in the audience’s mind once the movie was over in the days, in the weeks after they’d seen

A SEX SCENE IN A MOVIE IS LIKE A SONG IN A MUSICAL.”

PAGE : PHOTO BY ROB YOUNGSON/PRIME

the film. And that was the most important thing to me.

I grew up in the ‘80s and the ‘90s and the only queer media I was able to consume was all about dying of AIDS, or how to hate myself. There are great works that came out of that time. There are tremendously beautiful pieces of traumatic literature, movies, and even television at the time. But I’m very grateful that I am able to participate in the creative process now. I think one of the exciting things is the scope of representation and the number of people who I, as a queer creator, get to both work with and get to watch their work. With this explosion of storytelling, what I’m eager for is the beginning of a conversation between these pieces, between queer creators. Are we creating a constellation of individual pieces that don’t cohere in any kind of a cultural narrative? Or are we actually building some sort of a tapestry that generations from now can look back at the work we are making right now, and be able to tell a story about who we were as a society?

Directing this film was at the top of López’ to-do list.

I read the book and I basically stalked (producers) Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter until they relented and let me make the film. I read the book in early 2020 just before the pandemic, and I was so crazy in love with it. I felt crazy in love with Alex and Henry. I read it in a day and a half, and I was obsessed with it. I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I said ‘I have to make this movie.’ I’m grateful that my passion didn’t read as insanity and they all said yes. It has been my very happy obsession for the last two years.

This film also marks Matthew’s debut as a director. Even with all of his stage awards and successes, doing film is an entirely different beast. What were the first few days of filming like?

Nausea every morning [laughs]. The best bit of encouragement I got was from my 78-year-old director of photography, Steven Goldblatt, who worked with Mike Nichols and Francis Ford Coppola. He said to me, after the first hour of the first day, “You will no longer be an inexperienced filmmaker, you will simply be an unpracticed filmmaker, and that will take care of itself over time.”

I remember those words almost verbatim because they really calmed me. I was surrounded by incredibly experienced people who taught me how to make a film, especially through the pre-production process.

The most daunting thing was that we had a Covid shutdown about three weeks into production. So, I went into the edit because I had nothing else to do, and I figured I’d go ahead and get started cutting the movie. That was the most helpful thing for me because I came back to the set once we went back into production, and I had a week’s worth of knowing how to edit a film. It changed the way I made the movie. I wish I had sat in on someone else’s edit because the most daunting thing was simply trusting that I had what I needed and trying not to overshoot and avoid undershooting. Someone else knew where to put the light, someone else knew where to put the camera, and I knew how to talk to actors from my experience in theater.

about the book. I knew that I’d be committing heresy if I didn’t bring that into the film. A sex scene in a movie is like a song in a musical. It really does need to either charm you or teach you something about the characters and move the plot along. The other thing, too, is that you’re asking two performers to do something that is really vulnerable, and you don’t ever want to ask too much of them, and you don’t ever want to make anybody feel uncomfortable or forced into doing something. We were conscientious about how we approached each one of these scenes. I spent a lot of time with my intimacy coordinator mapping them out. We really paid particular attention to what story are we telling with each and every one of these intimacy scenes

I think for me, it was how do you have the movie in your head before you’ve even made the movie? That was the practice I needed to gain.

The leads in the film are hot, hands down. And the film does not shy away from the physical aspect of Alex and Henry’s relationship. Even though straight mainstream films are saturated with sex scenes, there is a bit of tension when watching same-sex coupling in a mainstream film. With the political attacks on our community focusing on our alleged hypersexual and grooming nature, why was it so important to keep these scenes in, naked and all?

Our sex is beautiful. The way we have sex is beautiful. Our intimacy is beautiful. Consensual sex between two humans is a beautiful thing, and it’s one of the wonderful things about being alive. The book is very steamy, very sexual, and I really love that

so that we could turn around and speak to Taylor and Nick and explain to them exactly why we were asking them to do what we were asking them to do. Beyond just sort of the mechanics of the filmmaking, to tell the story of Alex and Henry and not include the fact that they are very passionately, physically attracted to one another, is to not tell the full story of Alex and Henry.

The full story of Alex and Henry is beautifully crafted and a joy to watch. No doubt it will join the library of queer films that become a staple of viewing not just for the queer community, but for everyone. No doubt López’s film career will meet the same success as his stage career for the simple fact that any one of his projects comes from the heart. Obsession has its payoffs. ■

Red, White & Royal Blue streams on Amazon Prime on August 11th.

JANE LYNCH

NOT JUST PLAYING GAMES

INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE BY HER TALL STATURE, SIGNATURE VOICE, AND IMPECCABLE COMEDIC TIMING, JANE LYNCH’S CAREER CREDITS READ LONGER THAN A CVS RECEIPT, TAKING PART IN SOME OF TV AND FILM’S BEST-LOVED PIECES. Born and raised in Illinois, she would eventually move on to Chicago and work for over a decade with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and, at the time of her audition, was one of only two women picked to join The Second City comedy troupe. Her on-screen career started in 1988 with a small role in Vice Versa starring Fred Savage, and after a string of commercials in the ’90s would be handpicked by her Frosted Flakes director, Christopher Guest, to appear in the truly hilarious film, Best in Show. She would become a regular with the Christopher Guest troupe, also appearing in A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration, quickly becoming an audience and critic favorite.

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

I HAVE NO BUCKET LIST. I JUST STAY AS PRESENT AS I CAN.”

Despite her being very recognizable, she has avoided being typecast and has popped up in an array of on-screen insta-hits. Her TV appearances include her iconic, tracksuit-wearing turn as Sue Sylvester in Glee, as well as recurring roles in Two and a Half Men, The L Word, Criminal Minds, The Good Fight, Party Down, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and voice work for American Dad!, not including guest spots on an even longer list of fan-favorite shows. On the big screen, in addition to her Guest films, she’s appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Julie and Julia, and Role Models, and voiced characters in Shrek Forever After, Rio, and the Wreck-It Ralph films. On stage, she took part in Nora Ephron’s off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, wrote and starred in the award-winning play Oh Sister, My Sister, appeared with Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brad Pitt in a performance of Dustin Lance Black’s play 8, making her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in the 2013 revival of Annie, and most recently, playing Mrs. Bryce in the Funny Girl revival. A decade ago, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and to date, has received five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. With an indelibly strong presence on screen and on stage, chatting with her, she is

down to earth, intimate, and ready to share her opinion.

Her personality shines through in her hosting gigs. She’s hosted VH1’s The DoSomething Awards, the Primetime Emmy Awards, and SNL. She has also become the queen of the game shows, hosting Hollywood Game Night and the latest reboot of Weakest Link. What does she love most about hosting game shows?

I love to have parties. I love watching people have fun, and I like to be in charge of it. I don’t like going to parties, I don’t like playing games, but I like to be in charge and help everybody have fun!

This Pride season, Weakest Link, now in its third season, featured a panel of drag queens on an episode titled “Drag Extravaganza!” WooWoo Monroe, Lili Whiteass, Scarlet Envy, Cierra Symone, Pickle, Kat Sass, Olivia Lux, and Gila Moonstar all competed to outlast one another in this biting of the press-on nails high-level trivia. The show included the tagline, “They have beauty and brawn, but who has the brains to be crowned champion?” With the current political attacks on the drag community, presenting the episode seemed, pardon the pun, pretty ballsy. What were the conversations behind the scenes for that episode and why was it so important to

follow through in presenting it?

Well, it didn’t come out of a reaction to what was going on. In fact, we planned to do this probably over a year ago. It was just one of the great ideas that our executive producer had. We did wrestlers, we did a soap opera cast, Christmas characters, and we did drag queens. So, it ended up being very timely and a good idea. A very good idea. I’m really glad that we did it.

We can’t respond to the whim of every bigot and every bigot movement. You just have to go forward and keep it normalized. Men have been dressing up as women for centuries, and probably even further back than we have recorded history. We have to just keep moving forward and weather this storm. We will get past it. It’s just really an overreaction swinging way out into the right stratosphere, and we will come back to center. But until we do, we stay the course - it is a normal thing.

Lynch has certainly been witness to, and part of, the current boom of continued LGBTQ content in the mainstream world to the point that we even have Hallmark movies! What is Jane’s take on the trending representation in front of and behind the camera in opposition to what is happening to our

PAGE : PHOTO BY CHRIS HASTON/NBC

WE CAN’T RESPOND TO THE WHIM OF EVERY BIGOT. KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND WEATHER THIS STORM.”

community politically?

It makes total sense - when things are changing and start to normalize in society, there’s an even bigger reaction. I think Donald Trump was a reaction to the election of a Black president. We’re into extreme reactions right now and the opposition to the arc of justice, going more toward justice, is always something very, very extreme and when it looks inevitable, it’s like, “We’ve gotta get this back!”

With headlines today leading with what actors came out, or how they identify becoming media fodder, there was never a moment where Lynch had her media coming out. She just was who she is, without the fanfare, without the spotlight on her sexuality. Her lifestyle was always her norm.

When I came out, when I came on the scene as an actor, Melissa Etheridge had already come out, Ellen had come out, K.D. Lang had come out, so I really didn’t need

to. They kind of blazed the trail, leading to people getting used to us. I just found myself in their wake so I didn’t have to have a press conference or anything else. I’m a character actor, I’m not the lead actor. There’s not as much interest in me as there was say, Ellen. I mean, she really took one for the team.

With her many roles in well-known projects, her career and characters didn’t seem to be limited by her sexuality as her star continued to climb. Why does she think she never got pigeonholed by the industry?

I think it didn’t happen to me because I show up and I do my work. Most of Hollywood just wants good work. Now, there is something to be said about the romantic leads that they want those folks to have straight vibes on them. I think we’re still a long way off from that being normalized. Some people’s careers have been hurt, but like Ellen really stuck her neck out. She was the first one,

she was very popular, and it could have all ended for her. She’s someone who really had to face it. But I think we just keep doing our work.

Growing up in the Midwest, in a Catholic environment, staying there through college, acting would be a source of identity while her sexuality was blossoming, contrary to the norm accepted in her Illinois community.

I didn’t want to be gay for sure because nobody else was. I just wanted to be a part of the group. So, it was a big secret. I suffered over it a lot. That part was hard growing up and I didn’t know anybody else like me. Any whispering about homosexuality was about how weird it was and how sick it was and how perverted it was. Now that’s not my parents telling me this at all, we didn’t talk about it at all. But it was the environment, and I didn’t know anybody like that and if there was anyone - my parents’ friends who were - they were definitely closeted. Any members of our family who might’ve been, and there had to be, we all have gay people in our family, weren’t able to express their true selves.

So that part was tough, and I have a very sensitive nature, so I suffered over that. Getting into theater is the best antidote for that, it’s teeming with gays (ha!) and understanding that just by being in the arts itself, you’re always exploring human nature and the different expressions of human nature. I didn’t encounter any homophobia in our little theater community in Chicago. Not all of us were out either. I wasn’t sure until I was in my late twenties. It wasn’t the most fun thing in the world. I know other people didn’t suffer it as much. I think it depends on the person’s nature, how sensitive they are, and how much they want to be a part of the world. I didn’t want to be banished, as Romeo says.

Living in big cities like Los Angeles or New York, it is easy to become more comfortable with living your true life. We hear from our readers in the Midwest that our articles, our issues, are their only source of feeling normal whether they are in the closet or live in an area where being a part of the LGBTQ community is not welcome. Coming from that environment, how does Jane think we can best support those members of our community that are far from our safe spaces?

It’s a tough one because they put themselves in danger. But I loved - and I know this doesn’t sound like it’s the answer, but it

is AN answer and I think it can be effective - Dan Savage’s campaign, “It Gets Better.” We can’t go in there and change their parents and change their relationship with their parents and change how the teachers treat them. We can’t do that. But we CAN tell them it does get better. And there are places where you’ll be loved and fricking name the cities down to, the streets! Roscoe and Clark in Chicago! Come to LA, go to New York, go to Chicago! Unfortunately, if you stay (in little towns) your path is laid out for you. Either accept that, this is what it’s going to be and hopefully, it will change, or go where people love you, go where you’re accepted .

The word “iconic” is bandied about so often, but truly a number of Lynch’s roles are truly iconic and even have become memes. Who can forget Sue Sylvester’s clap backs, Christy Cummings’ relationship with Jennifer Coolidge’s Sheri Ann, or Jane’s version of Annie’s Little Girls? With this library of characters and hosting gigs, what has been a pinnacle personal moment for Lynch?

I don’t know that I’ve ever had that moment. You always think that you should have them. Like it should have been here, and it should have been there. I think it’s kind of a myth that we say, “I made it!”You just move on to the next job. And it’s not like I don’t love what I do. I remember the first season of Hollywood Game Night where we actually shot it in a house. It was a really rough shoot and when I got through the sixth one, I remember driving home and going, “That was something!” Because you were almost not in the moment, we were working through to the end. That felt good. It felt good that we pulled that off, there’s nothing better. But I don’t think I said, “I made it!” I’ve walked away from jobs like the first season of Party Down, remember that ending going, “Oh my God, this is the best.” And I knew it while I was in it. “This is one of the best experiences in my life.” So, I mostly remember the joyous ones, the Christopher Guest movies, getting through a day where you improvise, and you always hope the muse shows up because you’re improvising. You don’t know how it’s going to go, it’s the great unknown. You’re always hoping that the magic shows up - and it does. It always does and never lets you down. And at the end of the day going, oh, even more than I could have ever dreamed

came out of today. Those are my high points. Are any roles or genres left on Lynch’s bucket list?

I have no bucket list. I really don’t. I never have. I don’t have any idea of what I want to do, or even if I want to do it. I love where I live. I live in a little kind of rural community and I’m very happy here and I feel very satisfied artistically. We’ll see what happens. Like when I talk to my friends about this, they’re like, “Eh, you’re not done.” But we’ll see. I just stay as present as I can.

A personal gem for Lynch is her musical touring shows with The Office’s Kate Flannery. If you haven’t seen one, run, don’t walk, and catch their Christmas show, A Swinging Little Christmas. It’s a hoot and the perfect showcase for Lynch’s musical and comedy prowess, and her unbeatable chemistry with Flannery.

It’s a great show if I do say so myself. We play little venues like City Winery and stuff like that. Some bigger theaters too with 800 to 1,000 seats, but nothing large. They’re very intimate. They’re very fun. We have a beautiful five-piece band called the Tony Guerrero Quintet. We have an album, Swinging Little Christmas from which we perform music with a lot of fun and funny lines here and there and Kate acting like a drunken fool - in the most delightful way. What’s funny is, Kate barely

drinks but she plays a very good “I’ve had a couple too many cocktails” person.

There is no stopping Jane Lynch. She delights as she trailblazes, never shying away from who she is. Her message to our community this Pride season?

We shouldn’t have to have a Pride season. Everybody should have pride in who we are all the time. It is fun to go to the parades and dress up and do the crazy stuff. I love that. I never want to lose that. But, I hate that we’re in a place where we have to go, “Hey, we exist and we’re going to have some fun and, just remember, we’re equal to you!” It’s a shame. It felt like we were past that. I think the response to the fact that we’ve been integrated into society as being just as standard a human being as anybody else really created a crazy backlash that a lot of people are capitalizing on and putting gasoline on the fire.

Just keep going. Stay present. They say, “I don’t want it in my face.” Just being who you are is not putting it in anybody’s face. So don’t listen to the haters. They’re screaming really loud right now because things are changing, we’re ascending. Society is ascending into a much more equal-loving place. ■

You can follow everything Jane at JaneLynchOfficial.com

GO WHERE PEOPLE LOVE YOU, GO WHERE YOU’RE ACCEPTED.”

HUNGARIAN HONEYMOON: BUDAPEST

BY MONTE MATHEWS

IT’S SURPRISING HOW MANY CITIES LAY CLAIM TO BEING “THE PARIS OF ….” THERE’S BUCHAREST, ROMANIA WHICH CALLS ITSELF “THE PARIS OF THE EAST.” And so does Prague, Istanbul, Beirut and Shanghai. There’s Montreal, “The Paris of North America,” not to be confused with Buenos Aires, “The Paris of South America.” Not to be outdone, Kansas City was given the moniker “The Paris of the Plains” in the 20th century Jazz Age. We nominate a new Paris of the East, Budapest, Hungary. We think it’s the perfect place to honeymoon. And we’ve even found the perfect hotel.

Budapest has everything Paris has but one: You won’t break the bank in Budapest.

Hungary’s capital has glamour to spare. It’s a wildly romantic place whose architecture alone is a spell-binding mix of styles ranging from Renaissance to Rococo. Its broad avenues are lined with shops, cafés, and pastries that rival anything in the French capital. It’s famous for music, museums, and immense thermal baths that are fed by Hungary’s subterranean hot springs. And most of what’s on offer in Budapest is well within budget. But it’s not just the money you’ll save. It’s that Budapest will always belong to you both. Once you visit here, it’s officially ‘your place.’ Its restaurants quiet little tables for two are yours. Its sidewalk cafés are your Starbucks (and yes, there are actually 33 Starbucks and counting. But buyer beware, they don’t appear on TripAdvisor’s records until #129.) Instead, go to our local favorite restaurants and coffee bars set out below.

Budapest is an out-sized city built when it was one of two capitals of the Austria-Hungarian Empire.

You may wonder why everything in Budapest is, well, big. Its magnificent Parliament Building is the second largest Capitol in the world and built when Hungary was three times larger than today’s Hungary is. In punishment for being on the wrong side in both the 1st and 2nd. World Wars, Hungary’s territory was reduced to its present size. But that still didn’t prevent the city from being, after Berlin, the second largest city in central Europe. It now contains 1/5th of the country’s entire population. And that’s not counting its thousands of commuters. And if ogling has a special fondness for you, more than half the country’s gorgeous university students study here. But look away, you’re on your honeymoon, remember?

Budapest is actually two places: Buda and Pest. Which side to choose?

A river runs through the city dividing it into Buda on one side and Pest on the other. That river is the magical Danube or, in Hungarian, the Duna. The Budariver is on a hill overlooking Pest and the River. It’s been residential long before the baroque Buda Palace was completed in 1769. Destroyed or damaged most recently in World War II, it’s been completely restored. It’s well worth a visit as is the whole Castle Hill. You’ll be amazed by the tiled spire of the medieval Church of Our Blessed Lady, more commonly called Matthias Church. Its interior stenciling is as much of a draw as the Fishermen’s Bastion, built on the site of an ancient fish market. From this vantage point, you can see

Visit Buda but stay in Pest.

It’s the Pest side where you’ll find the action. And right in its center is one of the greatest boutique hotels in Europe. Situated practically in the lap of the historic St. Stephen’s Basilica, it’s steps from a glorious square surrounded by shops, restaurants, cafés, and music venues. It’s 5 minutes from the renowned Chain Bridge, the chic stores of Andrassy Avenue and the newly reopened Budapest State Opera House. The Aria Hotel Budapest is truly unmatched in every way.

We love the Aria Hotel so much; we went out of our way to go back.

On quiet Heregprimás Street, The Aria Hotel Budapest is dedicated to music. Every one of its 49 guest rooms and suites are a celebration of artists in classical, opera, contemporary and jazz music. Assuming your partner shares your taste in music, request a room in your favorite genre. Open the door and walk into rooms dedicated to

commemorating a composer or an artist. Irving Berlin, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Mozart, JS Bach, Diana Ross are all celebrated in rooms whose décor, art and sound systems are finished in minute detail. Even the books on the coffee table celebrate whatever artist’s room you select. Caricatures by Josef Blech adorn the walls. Famed architect Zsolt Szecsi and master interior designer Zoltán Varró transformed a 19th century bank building into a limestone-clad intimate luxury hotel with the atmosphere of a private home and a to-die-for rooftop bar and restaurant.

The lobby is the heart of the hotel.

Leaving the pleasures and splendor of your honeymoon hotel room is a tough call. But leave you must for the splendors of the Aria Lobby, the Harmony Spa, the Café Liszt and the spectacular High Note Sky Bar. In the Music Garden Lobby, follow the piano keys and find a perfect spot to have a beautiful (and included) breakfast up until 11:00am. And after a day of touring, what’s more welcoming than complimentary wine and cheese from 4pm to 6pm. To one side of this skylit room,

incredible views of all of Pest on the other side of the river.

High Note Aria

Gellert Spa Bath-Palace-Budapest

Music Room Lobby Aria

Cafe Liszt Library Aria

Jazz Wing Room Aria

you’ll find the musical director’s library. Yes, the Aria employs a musical director to select music to listen to in your room via iPads and 55-inch flat TVs. All rooms are soundproofed with double noise protection to allow every guest to hear their music and theirs alone.

The Café Lizst offers a selection of irresistible cocktails and treats, its wall autographs of famous Aria guests. Across the hall is the intimate “Library,” where guests dine on fine cuisine.

The Harmony Spa is an amazing place. It has both Swedish and infra-red saunas, a steam bath, an indoor pool, jacuzzi, an aquatic exercise bicycle, and a fitness center with cardio equipment.

The spa pampers with an array of treatments featuring Hungarian thermal mineral waters

coupled with Hungarian natural herbs and seed extracts. And of course, the Aria provides music playlists customized to your preferences. There’s even a treatment designed for couples.

The High Note Sky Bar is in a class all by itself.

One step inside the rooftop bar on the Aria’s 7th floor and you’ll see why the High Note is consistently on the lists of Best Roof Top Bars anywhere. And in Budapest, it’s the only year-round full-service rooftop garden terrace there. Apart from its unbelievable views of the city, it offers dining, cocktails, and sunbathing. One of its unique features is a drinks menu that pinpoints the sights - all ten of which feature a cocktail created to salute each place. Just point the menu in the direction of the Basilica next door. And if you’d care to combine your honeymoon with a destination wedding, the High Note features a glassed-in pavilion that accommodates 40 people.

Where to go in Budapest:

For a wonderful overview of the city, hire a guide in a luxury car through the Aria concierge. In 3 or 4 hours, your well-informed guide can show you the lay of the land – on both sides of the river. And his luxury car has permissions to park

closest to the sites you want to see. Splurge, it’s worth every forint, which is Hungary’s official currency. (Currently 350 forints to the US dollar.)

Cruise the Danube after sunset.

Budapest outdoes itself by lighting every key monument along the Danube River. And the best of all ways to see it is from the decks of the sightseeing boats that cruise its waters after dark.

Silverline’s 6 Course Dinner Cruise with a window table (a must) will set you back $109.57 each. Or opt for unlimited drinks and that window table for $278.90 per couple. The concierge at the Aria will make all reservations for you.

Sip cocktails at Széchenyi, Budapest’s most opulent thermal bath.

The crowning jewel in a city famous for them, you can soak in these 77°F waters and toast each other from one of the pop-up bars at Szechenyi in City Park. Or choose the Gellért Spa behind whose Art Nouveau façade is a water palace.

Don’t miss Budapest’s quirkier museums.

By all means, visit Buda Castle’s Hungarian National Gallery and Pest’s Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. But don’t miss such only-inBudapest galleries as The House of Houdini. A

Matthias Church Tile Roof

private museum in Harry’s hometown, escape artist David Merlini highlights Houdini’s memorabilia and his own artistry every 30 minutes. Reservations are essential. Go to www.houseofhoudinibudapest.com to make them. Then there’s the Flippermúseum which is filled with vintage arcade and pinball games.

Experience Budapest’s coffee culture.

Coffee and cake are a Budapest ritual. And there’s a good reason Café Gerbeaud is wildly popular with locals and tourists alike. And it’s not just for the coffee. It has its own cake!

Gerbeaud cake combines a ground walnut and jam filling with layers of sponge cake covered with chocolate. When you visit Buda Hill, you’re practically on top of Ruszwurm, the oldest Café in Budapest at Szethátháromság utca 7 in the Castle District. Its pastries so delighted

Queen Elizabeth “Sissi,” (1837-1898) Austrian Empress and Queen of Hungary - and more recently The Empress on Netflix - sent couriers to pick them up for her breakfast.

The tip of the iceberg in restaurant recommendations.

There are, at last count, 3,028 restaurants in Budapest. Since the city attracts not only tourists but chefs from all over the world, you can find whatever you fancy at all price points. We even have friends who raved about the pizza they ate at Local Korner, Semmelweis utca 17. Turns out Local Korner tops Trip Advisor’s list too. For a taste

GAY POLITICAL CLIMATE:

The government of Hungary is currently led by Viktor Orbán, who has been roundly criticized for an anti-transgender law his government passed in the middle of the pandemic. But Hungary is part of the European Union. And the EU won’t stand for any laws attacking the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. Everyone, from Emanuel Macron of France to Angela Merkel of Germany piled on Orbán. This prompted Viktor to declare himself a fighter for LBGTQ+ rights stating: “I am a fighter for their rights. I am a freedom fighter in the communist regime. Homosexuality was punished and I fought for their freedom and their rights. So, I am defending the rights of the homosexuals.” Whatever Orbán’s views are, Hungary is far richer in the EU than it would be if it weren’t. So, economics win and, by extension, the LGBTQ traveler wins. There was nowhere in Budapest where this writer and his partner felt the least bit unwelcome.

of Hungarian cuisine accompanied by live music, we loved Rezkakas Bistro at Sas utca 3. But if a Michelin star is your guide, Hoppá Bistro at Oktober 6 utca, not only has one, it’s also a great value according to the guide.

There’s never a bad time to honeymoon in Budapest.

In spring, Budapest streets are filled with the scent of linden trees. Summers can be hot, but

the city has multiple places to cool off. Think of those thermal baths. Fall is brilliant as the treelined boulevards burst into color and the crisp air encourages walking everywhere. Finally, there’s the joys of winter - cold yes, but Budapest’s central park, City Park becomes a fairy tale landscape when its lake transforms into a magnificent ice rink rimmed by castles. ■

Happy honeymoon!

THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY MONTE MATHEWS

Interior Matthias Church

"Bringing together wine "Bringing together wine lovers and LGBTQ+ friendly lovers and LGBTQ+ friendly wineries, restaurants, hotels, wineries, restaurants, hotels, and others for a community and others for a community experience." experience."

HUMOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE WAY THROUGH EVERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR ME.”

STEVEN ROWLEY

TALKS GRIEF, LOSS, JOY AND CELEBRATION

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

WHAT A COMPLETE THRILL AND JOY TO TURN ON THE TV FOR MY USUAL MORNING VIEWING OF THE TODAY SHOW TO FIND NY TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR STEVEN ROWLEY ENJOYING HIS CHAT ABOUT HIS LATEST NOVEL, THE CELEBRANTS, AS AN OFFICIAL TODAY SHOW READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK. As part of his mega book tour that took over a month, he was in the spotlight as never before, having earned his way with his previous novels, Lily and the Octopus, The Editor, and The Guncle, each earning a number of accolades from critics and readers alike. Not a bad start for having published his first book at the age of 45. Each novel is masterfully crafted, with the inclusion of queer characters so perfectly woven into the story, the books are not limited to the LGBTQ community but rather appeal to all audiences while telling our stories.

Growing up in Portland, Maine, writing was an inherent part of Steven’s life from early on.

It was a great place to grow up, I have a lot of good memories from there. Of course, as I entered high school and my teenage years, I couldn’t wait to get out. In part, because at the time it seemed like gay men had to leave in order to come out and be themselves wherever they grew up. But as a kid, I really loved it. I was always a writer. I used to write short stories and my dad would bring them into his office and photocopy them. And I was like, wait, there can be

more than one copy of something I write? And I think a little light bulb went off then. I always thought that I wanted to be a writer and yet, Maine felt very far away from publishing. And I thought, oh, maybe you have to be a kid who grows up in Manhattan or have a society name or something to be a writer. But then lurking in the background was Stephen King in Maine.

As soon as I graduated from the children’s room in the library, I went straight for Stephen King and read everything he wrote. I was probably the loner, creepy horror kid.

Thank goodness for my mom too. I have the career I have today in part because she insisted that I have a public library card and brought me regularly to use it. So grateful for that.

A running theme in Steven’s books is grief. Particularly grief due to loss. And while that seems depressing, his novels are not. They are filled with humor and joy, deeply emotional, for sure, but always optimistic. Having recently experienced a great loss myself, his latest novel The Celebrants came at a unique time. Better than a grief guidebook, his story and how his characters dealt with loss brought tears to my eyes more than once, not out of sadness, but out of hope and belief in the strength of the human spirit.

There’s an honesty about the difficulty in life, and I do write a lot about grief and grieving, but in a way that feels hopefully uplifting and also funny, because humor has always been the way through every difficult time for me. For the gay community at large, it has been such a coping mechanism through years of bullying and then AIDS and rejection from our own families and building found families, which is another theme I think in my work. I think that grief

in particular can feel very isolating when we’re in the throes of it.

The truth of the matter is, it’s such a uniting part of the human experience. If we’re fortunate enough to love, we’re going to lose it eventually. So many people have been there, and I don’t know why there’s not more of a communal understanding of grief, particularly in the last couple of years. We’ve lost so much, not only just in the US but worldwide, so much loss. It’s not even just the loss of a person, it’s a loss of time, and certainly togetherness. I don’t think we’re dealing with that quite as headon as we should be.

Why can we not all unite sort of around it? To the extent that in this country we’re very immature on a lot of issues, and grief is sort of one of them. We’d rather not talk about it than talk about it. Hopefully, my books feel like a place where people can go and that there’s some healing in reading them.

Rowley has such a grasp on the stages of grief, how it looks from the outside, and how it feels from the inside. What is his direct relationship to grief?

It’s just a part of life for me. I haven’t suffered loss any more than anyone else, I

haven’t lived a particularly tragic life. Most recently before writing (The Celebrants), I lost one of my best friends from college. There is something unique about losing a close contemporary for the first time that makes you sort of question your own mortality in a way. I think it stems back to some trauma that we don’t really talk about, particularly for a gay man my age - I’m 52.

I came out 30 years ago in the very early 1990s when more men were dying of AIDS than even in the 1980s. When I came out, I assumed that life would be very sort of lonely and sad and short. I think there’s inherited trauma from that - when the opposite has been true. Life has been full of community for me and very joyous and comparatively long from what I was expecting. So, I’m still working through that trauma. I also try to write about gay men in middle age now too, because I’m missing that generation above me, for those who are sort of five or 10 years above me. We’ve lost so many of those beautiful voices, so I’m also trying to create examples or work through what it’s like to age, hopefully gracefully as a gay man.

Called a Big Chill for our times, The Celebrants focuses on a group of college friends through

decades-long friendships and promises to each other and to themselves, reunited to honor a pact to throw each other living “funerals,” celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth livingthat their lives mean something. Rowley does not glamorize these characters - they are each flawed, they fight, they love, they cry, they feel defeated, they feel reborn … all of these nuances culminating into a deeply emotional connection between reader and story. You feel like these people are your friends, you understand them, you are them.

I had great fun concocting this particular group of characters. It’s my most diverse because it’s an ensemble and I wanted the friends to be as diverse as my friends are in real life. But that meant truly writing characters, for the first time, that were different from me and my perspective.

I’ve heard some pushback from readers, like, well they fight, and they squabble and it’s like, why are these people friends? Well wait, you don’t fight with your friends a little bit? I mean, there’s something particular about longstanding friendships. Those people who knew you before you were married or before you had your career and you were full of hopes and dreams, and you didn’t know what life was going to be and still know you in love. Now those are

really special friendships because I think those are the people that you can let your guard down with them. You don’t have to present as your most perfect self around those people, which means you can be messy sometimes.

These were particularly difficult characters to say goodbye to. And I did have a moment because I also narrated the audiobook. I remember the audio engineer looking at me as I finished recording the last page. He was like, oh, look at you, you’re crying. And I’m like, I’m not crying. I’m sweating. But I thought, oh wow, that’s going to be the last time I’ll probably ever read this book from cover to cover. There was a real sort of moment of having to say goodbye to these characters that I came to love so much.

Rowley’s last book, The Guncle, really put him on the map. Telling the story of a gay uncle, living in Palm Springs, who is unceremoniously given guardianship of his niece and nephew after tragedy took their parents. The book was an instant success and proved that mainstream readers will in fact read a book centered around a gay character. It was about family, love, and grief – regardless the sexuality. For Rowley, not being published until he was in his mid-40s had its advantages in telling stories with gay characters.

I wasn’t publishing books in the 1990s when I was first starting writing. At that time, books were sort of relegated to a section in a bookstore or only at queer-owned bookstores. They certainly didn’t have the ability to break out in the mainstream. I certainly wouldn’t have been talking about them on the Today Show. It was just a fortune of the moment in time when I broke through and also the culture had changed enough.

But there’s a real backlash now to that too. The Guncle is a book that has been embraced broadly and read widely. However, since we have ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills and stuff popping up in Florida, I can see the evolution. The Guncle came out in May of 2021, Don’t Say Gay in 2022. I had no problems for that first year. Then suddenly once that policy passed in Florida, I was the victim of a targeted Twitter hate campaign because the book is about a gay man being the caretaker for young children. All sorts of insults were hurled at me for daring to write a book that celebrated everything that the community can offer children, from

empathy and understanding and love of self and total acceptance of self. It’s a tough moment in the culture, too. I’ve gotten both sides of it.

A truly beautiful part of Rowley’s real life is his husband, Byron Lane, a writer himself who just released his sophomore novel, My Big Gay Wedding, also to critical acclaim. How do two novelists exist in the same household?

Not only do we exist in the same household, but we also had the same publication day for our new novels. It really is something that a lot of people would assume was a nightmare. But I think we’re good at it. One, our house is quiet, which is nice. Byron might have a different answer because I type too loudly. I’m a loud, loud typist. But we each have an understanding of the job. Novel writing can be a very solitary endeavor, most novelists don’t get to see anybody else do the job.

Like, how often do you talk to your agent or to your editor? Or what does your cover look like? Or what do you do when you don’t like it? All these sorts of

behind-the-scenes things and now we can see each other and help each other through that and give each other advice to navigate the publishing process, which can be very emotionally fraught. In terms of the craft too, even when we’re just writing, we are each other’s first readers. I think the challenge is just knowing what he’s asking for at the moment. Is he asking me to read something as a spouse? In which case I just want to be encouraging. Is he asking me as another writer and looking for notes? So, it’s just to be sensitive about the role that we’re wearing at any given moment.

Each of Rowley’s novels is being worked on as an on-screen treatment in some form or the other. With the current writers’ strike, that is paused and he is already at work on his next novel, for release already next year. Not able to give any details, he simply said that his fans will be very, very happy. A Guncle sequel? Hmmm …

His Pride message to the community is in line with his writing.

Stay strong. Celebrate, right? I wrote a book with the theme of celebrating; celebrate the people in your life who mean something to you. We’re all good with a catty comment and a funny line at brunch and sometimes undermining our friends. It’s part of the language, it’s part of how we show our affection, but there’s nothing wrong with balancing that with some genuine thoughts about how important our friends and our found community are to us as well. If anything, I’ve come through Covid a bit of a mush now and through writing this book. I tell my friends too much maybe now how much they mean to me. They’re like, we know. I’m like, all right, all right, just making sure. Time is limited - and it goes by really fast.

The other message I have is that life is sort of cyclical right now and we gain rights and there’s a step backward and we feel like we’re in real danger for steps backward. We must be vigilant for the most vulnerable members of our community right now, and that is the trans community. We cannot forget everyone’s rights as we move forward. ■

You can follow everything Steven at StevenRowley.com

The Celebrants is now on bookshelves or available to order online.

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

and ultimately placed fifth in his debut season. Six years later, he returned to the most recent season of All Stars with a more refined look and a far-from-subtle determination to win. In both seasons, he caused a social media storm of fan comments – whether fans loved her or dished her, she was on everyone’s lips. He has expanded his brand beyond Drag Race by performing in theatre and releasing new music. A drag queen who can legit sing? That is a commodity. With a wink to Queer Eye, Alex was part of a drag queen team for TLC’s Dragnificent! helping brides get ready for their big day. Whatever Alex does, he does it big. He was born for the spotlight.

won the coveted

PERFORMER ALEX MICHAELS WALKED INTO THE WERK ROOM FOR RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE SEASON 9 AND INTRODUCED ALEXIS MICHELLE TO THE WORLD. Giving us full Liza Minelli, he

Snatch Game

DRAG IS A TOOL IN MY KIT FOR TELLING STORIES.”

Alex’s relationship with drag started very early on, playing professional gigs way before Drag Race. Becoming a diva herself, she learned from the greats.

I have been playing dress-up since I was about three. Halloween is the ‘gateway drug’ to drag and my first Halloween in drag was at 12. My first professional gigs came around 19 years old for me. Dressing up stemmed from adoration of powerhouse female performers like Carol Burnett and Judy Garland. Something I’ve only realized more recently is I was also starting to tap into the femme/ female energy I identify with.

Not concerned about heeding societal pressures and being defined by his drag as a boy growing up, it was the theatre world he was most worried about being judged by. Early on, their drag and theatre worlds would remain separate, something that would change in later years.

My biggest concern wasn’t so much about gender identity as it was about being

typecast within the theatre community. I was very secretive about doing drag until I started auditioning for Drag Race, which was sort of my second coming out. It was very liberating.

His theater career would include off-Broadway stints in Big Apple Circus and Field of Mars, Chapter One, and in both regional/national tours for Hair, Little Shop of Horrors, and Oklahoma! As his acting credits grew, so did his professional drag gigs. He auditioned for every season of Drag Race from Season 2 on, finally being cast in Season 9. He learned the winning formula not just for his audition tape, but for how he would deal with the other queens and Drag Race fans.

I think I finally figured out that a ‘this is me, take it or leave it’ energy works best. Years later, I was told by the highest-up folks that I could’ve been cast many times before and that they’d been watching.

And what does he think sets him apart from the other queens?

My theatricality and performance chops. There are incredibly gifted performers in this industry, and a lot of the drag artists from places like NYC especially, come from a performance background. So, I’m not alone in this category but it is part of what makes me special. I’m also pretty polished for a theatre gal.

His debut season taught him a lot, not just about his actual drag, but how reality TV is edited and perceived by the audience.

I learned that I’m tenacious. I also learned that if you don’t figure out your abandonment issues in therapy, you maybe blame people on camera for your poor fashion choices … misplaced expectations [laughs].

Declaring ”Broadway is back in the house and ready for action” and ”I want that crown, I want that title, I want that legacy,” Alexis returned to the Drag Race franchise for All Stars. Fans noticed immediately that her level of drag was on the up and up, and she came to slay. Publicly stating her

HALLOWEEN IS THE ‘GATEWAY DRUG’ TO DRAG.”

PAGE : PHOTO BY THE CLAVEL

disdain for the voting process, the lipstick drama and how Alexis played the game would make for much fan chatter. What was it like returning to the show?

Knowing how the machine works is a blessing and a curse. You know how to handle yourself (sometimes) but having that information can make staying out of your own way and out of your head even harder [raises hand].

As to the subject of drag’s evolution and the Drag Race universe expanding, Alex doesn’t limit the growth to blatant commercialism.

I think the beauty of it becoming more commercial is that more artists can make their livelihoods and careers in this business. Of course, that has an impact on the art. But then before you know it, something wild, like the current right-wing attacks on the drag community surface, and we are thrust back into activism. This art form will always be slightly fringe. Emmys and all.

Unlike Alex’s earlier years, his music career, his theatre career, and his drag can now all coexist.

I used to see them as separate and as I’ve become more and more myself, I realize their connection. I’m an actor first. It informs how you sing and how you tell the story. Drag is a tool in my kit for telling stories. It’s also deeply about self-expression. So, these are all intrinsic parts of who I am and just a diverse garden to tend to.

The truth is, while there are two names, they’re one and the same Alex/is. Just the attire changes. But Alexis really is my female side and Alex is my more male side. I’m fluid. I’m in between. Navigating the two is really about finding my most authentic self.

Alex, under the Alexis persona, released Lovefool under Broadway Records. Featuring 10 tracks with music ranging from The Cardigans, to Blondie, to Cy Coleman, it’s campy yet sincere and presented unabashedly. Alex co-produced the album with popular musician Brandon James Gwinn, who has also produced for Trixie Mattel and Pandora Boxx. The energy is Alexis, and the skill and passion for music is Alex.

In Lovefool, Brandon James Gwinn and I created the album that I would make if I was already a leading lady on Broadway. It is a loving tribute to albums I grew up on from the likes of Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, and Christine Ebersole. Music removes the separation between people. It brings our humanity closer together. Art is a universal language and music is the medium I find to be the most common ground experience people can share.

Alex’s immediate focus is music, with her summer anthem, “God is A Queen,” an electropop bop that swerves just south of musical theatre. She had a direct mission with this song, taking a stand against the political oppression of the drag community.

The attacks on drag happening now are merely diversions from the real dangerous actions the GOP is taking on trans people and stripping the queer community of equal rights. We saw it with the recent SCOTUS decisions. So, focus on the real issues at hand and VOTE, and trust that drag will be fine because it’s always been about celebration.

Alex’s summer anthem follow-up is “Heaven on the Dance Floor,”where we are presented with a sultry Alexis, purring her way into the dance beat. This is just a sample of more new music that is on the way.

Of the four pop/disco songs I created with 808 Annie and Mason Rose this year, we really built “Heaven on the Dance Floor” from the ground up. Building the feeling layer

by layer. It’s about how joy and release can be born out of the dark crevices. That’s the essence of queer joy and this is meant to be an anthem for our community.

There are so many different directions that Alex can explore next. Music? Theatre? Drag? Yes to all. She hints that there is a lot more theatrical goodness coming our way, and perhaps even some more kitchen content. Have you seen her spots on YouTube’s Cooking is a Drag? It’s never a drag chatting with Alex, and he left us with a message for the LGBTQ community for this Pride year.

Celebrate loudly, visibly, and always safely - not just now, but all year. Visibility is more important than ever, as a constant reminder that we’re not going anywhere, but forward. And protect trans people! ■

You can follow Alex on IG: @AlexisMichelleOfficial and check out their music, streaming wherever you get your music.

Barrett Pall USING HIS INFLUENCE

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

AT FIRST GLANCE, SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY BARRETT PALL, WITH HIS GOOD LOOKS AND SCULPTED PHYSIQUE, FITS THE MOLD OF THE CURRENT TREND OF POPULAR, GAY INFLUENCERS. With literally millions of followers across his YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok, he has always been in the public eye from his career as a professional model, starting when he was just a freshman in college. Yes, he is attractive. But after you stop scrolling and really look at his material, you see he is much more than what meets the eye.

In addition to his social media presence, he has been a professional life coach for the past eight years, graduating from NYU with a Bachelor of Science in Communication, Culture, and Media, focusing his studies on human interactions, social processes, journalism, and politics. He is certified in Behavioral Change from the American Council of Exercise and has since created his own methodology that incorporates the mind, body, soul, and emotional space. He has traveled to all seven continents, taking part in humanitarian work throughout different sectors in countries like Cambodia, Thailand, and Kenya, and was named an official UN Partner in 2019. He has meshed his social media and life coaching skills to provide messages of acceptance, self-affirmation, and positivity while calling out attacks on inequality or the promotion of misogyny. Though he is the first to admit that he is still discovering himself and coping with life’s obstacles, he has overcome a path laden with bullying, personal demons, and even sexual assault. His journey of self-discovery started very early on, out of necessity.

As a kid, I was very badly bullied, and I did not have any kind of connection to the way that I looked. It wasn’t something that was praised. I was very obviously queer without being out because as a child, especially in the nineties, it was just like you were a kid. But at school, I was “the faggot” and it wasn’t meant to be nice. That really put this deep level of empathy into just what it’s like to be a different person. It’s really what has enabled me to become the person that I am today, which is the person that I needed as a kid.

My parents were always very cool with me being me, and I’m grateful for that because I know that’s not everyone’s experience. But we also had a lot of struggles in terms of financial insecurity and experiencing homelessness in different parts of my life. While people have gotten to know the adult version of me, the young me was very insecure, very scared. I didn’t really talk. I was afraid people were going to just be mean and make fun of me - my voice is what gave me away. I was not welcomed into a lot of spaces. But, my best friends to this day tend to be women because they really gave me that safe space.

Recently, Barrett shared a journal entry that he wrote when he was 13 years old, heartbreakingly detailing how much he hated his life and how much he was tormented by bullies and even himself trying to come to terms with his sexuality.

It’s wild to read through those journals because the feelings and the emotions are so

raw and so real and so right there because it was written down on the page. I’ve journaled for as long as I can remember and I’m grateful for that. Being able to go back and read my own words and, in some weird way, read them as if there’s someone else’s is really healing. Part of what I wanted to do with sharing that entry was letting just all those young people, and people who are older as well, know that we’ve always been around, we’re always going to be around, and through a lot of work and conscious effort, we can heal and find ways to have things be better. There’s the campaign It Gets Better and I’m a big proponent of that and I like to remind people it doesn’t just get better; it can be amazing if you let it be.

I LIKE TO REMIND PEOPLE IT DOESN’T JUST GET BETTER; IT CAN BE AMAZING

Barrett’s looks have been a double-edged sword, and continue to be. Around 16, his braces came off, he got contacts, and started to grow into his own. It wasn’t until he started exploring circles outside of his school that people started to welcome him. He vividly remembers the first time someone referred to him as their“hot friend.”

It literally was just something I had never even thought of, and it was never something that people had given me any insight other than me being just something different. Because of the disconnect for so long, I still have a weird disconnect with it and modeling put another disconnect to it. I call this [my face] my “avatar.” I’m going to have fun with it while I have it, but I don’t want it to be where all my value comes from.

He does know that a lot of his social media success started because of his looks, and certainly his early modeling career was literally focused on how he presented. Does he continue to feel

overshadowed by his own body?

I really appreciate this question. No one’s ever asked me this before, but the answer quite frankly is yes. I don’t want to complain. I know that this is part of my toolkit, and if it helps people look at me and then listen to me, then great. But there’s definitely been moments where I have felt like that has been the main focus and it’s been hard. Again, I don’t want people to be like, waa-waa, you’re a victim. No. I understand that there’s a privilege with it, but it’s definitely brought a different set of things that have made some of my life easier and some of my life a little bit more difficult. Why it’s so important for me to talk about the fact that it’s like an avatar is that it’s changing, it’s going to get old and it’s going to get wrinkly and it’s going to do all these things that all bodies do. It’s just to remind people that this is not where our main source of value should come

from. And with the rise of social media and being one of the first models on social media, I recognize how I was used to push where we’re at today. And it’s why it’s so important for me to speak out because I see so many people falling into the trappings of it.

And just like everyone else, especially from the gay community, there are struggles with body image. Something Barrett talks about often on his social media.

I’ve nitpicked every single part of myself. Growing up my dad told me I had a big nose. And that’s something that has stayed with me to this day. I’ve been told in casting, to my face, you’re not tall enough, you’re not attractive enough, you’re not muscular enough. I was told by agents that I needed to have an insane body. At the time I wasn’t looked at as unhealthy, but I was exercising two and a half hours a day and I don’t think anyone should be exercising that much. I never got to a dangerous place and I’m grateful for that. But I look at my career and understand how I very much have had to work through my own issues of body dysmorphia.

Unfortunately, the community can be one of the meanest communities when it comes to this stuff. And for anyone who’s struggling through this, I just want them to know - I’m going to keep saying it - this is your avatar, and it is your home and this is the only one we get. And if we are not kind to this, we are doing ourselves a disservice because we should feel safe and happy in this home. I definitely want to say that it’s a struggle. I work on it every day. I have to remind myself every day of the wisdom that has been shared with me. But if we’re not kind to ourselves, it’s going to make it that much harder to believe when someone else is being kind to us. I really hope everyone can find someplace to just be compassionate and loving to themselves.

His sexual assault would come at age 19 when Barrett, still a virgin, was forced into oral sex by a photographer on a photo shoot. Still coming to terms with his own sexuality, it took him a bit to even address it himself, much less make it public.

The hardest part for me was just thinking that that was something that I had done, and I blamed myself, the way I think a lot of survivors do. It wasn’t something that was talked about publicly. It wasn’t until the MeToo movement. I know exactly where I was when I had the realization that I had to speak up. I was sitting in Oprah Super Soul

I WANT TO MAKE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE FEEL SEEN, HEARD, AND HAPPY.”

Sunday conversations. I went to it live at the Apollo Theater in New York, and she was sitting there talking to Selma Hayek and she said something, and I just looked at my friend who I’d gone there with, and I was like, this thing happened to me. I had alluded to it, but I know if I’m going to continue to advocate for others the way that I do, I need to advocate for myself. I was nervous to take away space from women who were finally having their voices heard, but I just knew that it was the right thing to do. And it’s a conversation that’s ongoing.

Being tainted by the modeling world, he shifted his focus to becoming a life coach. He offers personal coaching and offers insight and motivation on his website and social media. He’s worked with everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs and royalty to celebrities and members of the queer community. What inspired his shift to life coaching?

I’ve always loved helping people. I think it comes from the fact I didn’t really have help. I remember my mom talking to my guidance counselor when I was in 7th grade, and they talked about this “white knight”thing. There’s definitely a balance of making sure you’re not falling into a savior complex. But I got into fitness professionally when I was in between my first bout of leaving the entertainment industry and figuring out what I wanted to do next. I was a trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp and ended up with my first client being someone quite well-known, and then followed by several private clients. The theme that I kept finding while I worked with people one-on-one is that while they needed to change their bodies in a way that made them feel better, what most people are really looking for is just a safe space to talk through things. Because of the world we live in, changing our body has technical results that you can see and that are measurable, but the thing that I think most people are looking for, in general, is really a place to find healing. I’m grateful that this has been the journey my career has gone on and it’s continuing to evolve and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Even as a qualified and learned life coach, he is open about the work he continues to do for himself.

Being honest and upfront about the fact that I am still struggling through my own issues of body dysmorphia and processing

what aging is like, is important to me. I’m also consistently honest about the fact that I am struggling with family stuff and that I wish my family was what we see on social media and on TV. I want to make as many people as possible feel seen, heard, and happy.

As with any social media personality, there will always be people that will get behind their keyboards and leave comments of disapproval or even hate. Barrett works hard to take this in stride, and not let it affect him mentally, because he knows what the mission of his content is.

The mission is what I’ve known since I was young, and it’s just to make this world a little bit better than how I came into it. Even for the people who leave me hateful, mean comments, I’m still fighting for their rights. It’s hard when it comes from our own community. I’ve talked about this before, a lot of gay men have been very mean to me. At the end of the day, I’m rooting for you. I want to see you live your best life and be successful and find love and find peace and find happiness. If I can help someone else just feel a little bit more seen, heard, and understood, and find their way to healing, then I think it’s all been worth it.

His message to the LGBTQ community this Pride season is clear:

You are valuable, you are important, you are worthy, you are deserving, you are loved, and there is nothing wrong with you. We hear a lot of people saying awful things about our community. But I also want to highlight that word, community. We do better when we are unified. And unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are looking to get rid of the “T” in our community, and that’s not okay. I can’t imagine what transgender people are going through right now. As a person who experienced such visceral homophobia and hate throughout my entire life to this day, we have to remember what that’s like so that we have the empathy and the fire to stand with our brothers, sisters, and non-binary family members in this fight because it is a fight. And while we may never see true equality or peace, we have to fight so that it doesn’t get worse. ■

You can find everything Barrett at his website, ArtisanandKing.com

BY MARK A. THOMPSON

PLUNGE INTO YEAR-ROUND SUMMER VITALITY OSLO

IN PREPARATION FOR IMMERSION INTO AN 8°C POLAR PLUNGE POOL, IT’S NECESSARY TO BREATHE CORRECTLY. THAT’S WHAT THE WIM HOF METHOD INSTRUCTOR TOLD US, A GROUP OF TRAVEL JOURNALISTS ON THE VERGE OF HYPERVENTILATING. Shivering in our swimsuits, we stood in front of the ice-cold Roman bath at Sommerro House in Oslo, uncertain as to who would plunge first. According to the extreme athlete Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, prolonged exposure to arctic waters is beneficial in combatting numerous physiological ailments. Fortunately, we didn’t yet know that the Iceman’s corneas had frozen solid and blinded him during an attempt to set the record for the longest under-ice swim.

Whether or not you adhere to Wim Hof’s claims and methods, ice bathing has been a Nordic tradition for generations. In recent years, a new generation of young Norwegians have revived the Nordic sport of wild swimming, plunging into the North Sea and espousing the reputed health benefits which include lowered stress levels and reduced rates of inflammation and infection.

All along Oslo’s harbor in front of the Oslo Opera House and the Munch Museum, numerous floating saunas await passengers for a journey into Oslo Fjord. Founded in 2018 by a female commercial pilot, KOK has a fleet of nine floating saunas which offer two-hour sauna cruises captained by a slightly sadistic skipper who fuels the sauna to nearly infernal temperatures while insisting, “This hurts me more than it does you.” Once your skin has parboiled

like a lobster, there is no choice but to launch into the frigid waters of the North Sea.

Just to be clear, the temperature of an 8°C polar plunge is less than half the normal body temperature of a human. And the North Sea is hardly much warmer, even during the summer months. And yet, no matter where you position yourself along Oslo’s waterfront, you’re bound to see people plunging into the polar waters of Oslo Fjord.

For years, Oslo residents learned to swim at Vestkantbadet, the city’s most historic public baths which opened in 1932 in a massive subterranean space beneath the head offices of the city’s electrical company. Ninety years later in the autumn of 2022, Vestkantbadet reopened as an urban wellness center within the new luxury hotel Sommerro House.

One of Vestkantbadet’s most notable features is its Art Deco swimming pool with its iconic wall-sized mosaic created by Norwegian artist Per Krohg. Rendered in stylized shapes and brilliant colors, Krohg’s mural, titled “Swimming Women and Seals,” is a testament to Norwegian fortitude and wellbeing. Krohg received global recognition for his inspirational murals at the United Nations Security Council, and similarly, his Sommerro House murals reflect the luxury hotel’s focus on holistic health.

The prevailing philosophy at Sommerro House is a respect for the eight-hour regimen of a 24-hour day: eight-hour workday, eight hours of sleep - and a decided emphasis on a full eight hours of recreation. Regardless of

Located in Oslo’s historic Frogner neighborhood, just down the street from Norway’s Royal Palace, Sommerro House reopened its landmark Art Deco building after a meticulous two-year reconstruction and restoration. What was once the headquarters for Oslo’s electrical company has been transformed into a cultural haven for locals and visitors. Conceived by the London/ New York design firm GrecoDeco, Sommerro House honors the building’s Art Deco provenance with period architectural details and an original wrought-iron central staircase that climbs to a vertiginous skylight.

In addition to Vestkantbadet’s swimming pool, there’s also a heated rooftop pool and year-round sauna with sun terrace which is particularly alluring during the golden hour. The

NORWAY

where you wander, and even when attired in a spa bathrobe, the relaxed atmosphere at Sommerro House seeps into your bones. Named for the Norwegian word “sommerro” which translates to “summer calm” in English, Sommerro House evokes Henry James’ iconic quote, “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Oslo’s summers are notable for their long days and white nights, a season of light and brightness which is refracted throughout the sun-dappled Sommerro House.

panoramic rooftop views of Oslo and its fjord provide a perfect complement to the cocktails served at TAK Oslo where award-winning chef Frida Ronge serves her acclaimed Nordic-Japanese cuisine.

The numerous amenities at Sommerro House include various restaurants and cocktail lounges, as well as a private screening room, library, and bakery, which makes it very easy to linger on property - especially when so many attractive Norwegians fuel the buzz. Let’s not forget that Norway is one of the world’s most LGBTQ-friendly nations, with same-sex marriage and adoption rights, and full rights in the

KOK Floating Sauna.

Photo by Kristin Lorange

The Twist, Kistefos Museum.

Photo byKim Erlandsen

military. Sommerro House’s reopening has infused the Frogner district with new energy, which is evident nearly every evening at Ekspedisjonshallen (the former Expedition Hall) where locals and visitors revel in the sounds of the Sommerro Soul Band.

A member of Legend, Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Historic Hotels Worldwide, Sommerro House is only a short walk from Oslo’s new waterfront cultural district dotted with“starchitecture.”The opening of the Oslo Opera House in 2008 was followed by the Astrup Fearnly Museum in 2012 and the Munch Museum in 2021- and now the newly-completed National Museum has become the latest must-see attraction. In spite of numerous construction delays and the public’s initial distaste for its fortress-like exterior, the National Museum opened to visitors in June 2022. As a repository for Norway’s largest collection of art, the $650 million museum checks all the boxes for an immersive visual experience with more than 80 galleries.

Further afield, about an hour’s drive from Oslo, is Kistefos, a spectacular sculpture park with more than 50 sculptures, many of which are site-specific. Named for the waterfall that once powered a paper pulp mill, Kistefos includes works by Olafur Eliasson, Yayoi Kusama, Fernando Botero, and numerous other artists whose sculptures coexist in blissful harmony with nature. Certainly, the most well-known building at Kistefos is Bjarke Ingels Group’s The Twist, a mesmerizing sculpture that bridges the water with a suspended art gallery. Fascinating

Villa Inkognito Study.

Photos by Francisco Nogueira

Francisco Nogueira

Pipkin KItchen at Villa Inkognito

Villa Inkognito Suite Bathroom

Conservatory of Lily Pad Lounge at Villa Inkognito

from every angle, The Twist has become one of Norway’s most celebrated attractions.

For those visitors to Oslo who prefer a curated collection of decorative objects in a sumptuous setting, Villa Inkognito offers the pleasures of a private residence, complete with house staff and personal chef. Originally built for a wealthy industrialist, the 19th century Italianate mansion housed the Algerian Embassy in the 1980s before its recent reopening as Villa Inkognito. Comprising a total of 11 rooms and suites, the Villa is connected to Sommerro House via a skywalk outside the fourth-floor Tower Room. Guests at the Villa have access to all the amenities at Sommerro House, including Vestkantbadet and its multiple treatment rooms, gym, infrared saunaand, of course, that cold-plunge pool.

According to various studies, a two-minute ice bath can reduce wrinkles. Still not tempted? One polar plunge a day can burn off 200 calories while reducing stress. Need more motivation? There’s also the relief of sore muscles and greater circulation. “Control your breath, slow and steady,” commanded the Wim Hof instructor as she counted down the seconds. And once you’ve hit that two-minute mark, your reward is the infrared sauna - where you might consider doing it all over again.

That’s how they do it in Oslo. That’s the key to allyear summer vitality that keeps Norwegians healthy and looking good. And that’s why they’re so happy. So, plunge into Oslo - you’ll be glad you did. ■

Heritage Suite at Sommerro House

Ekspedisjonshallen Seating

To Søstre at Sommerro House. Photos by Francisco Nogueira

Exterior Terrace at TAK restaurant atop Sommerro House

BY MICHAEL WESTMAN

OVER THE PAST DECADE, KOMBUCHA HAS GONE FROM A LITTLE-KNOWN TEA DRINK TO A FULL-FLEDGED INDUSTRY. Its health benefits are widely accepted and the product has been popping up everywhere from candy to hot sauce. And now many are touting the use of kombucha tea products in their skincare regimen. We decided to investigate for ourselves by trying the new kombucha products from a renowned organic skincare company and were delighted with the results. Sound interesting?

Since 1958, ÉMINENCE

ORGANIC SKIN CARE has been using sustainable farming and green practices to create natural, organic, and Biodynamic products. Many of the hand-picked fresh ingredients are combined with pure waters drawn from a thermal hot spring lake containing minerals and trace elements found nowhere else on earth. Their reputation has created a loyal celebrity following including the likes of Laura Dern, Hillary Swank and Zooey Deschanel.

Their KOMBUCHA MICROBIOME line are luxury skin products with pre, pro, and postbiotics for an exhilarating experience for your skin.

Kombucha SKINCARE’S LATEST BUZZ:

While we can suggest some of the best skincare products on the market for you, before choosing the perfect products for your skin, it’s best to identify your personal skin type for maximum results. Once you have pinpointed your skin type, you’ll be headed in the right direction to selecting the products that will work best for you.

DRY SKIN

Your skin feels dry and tight, and sometimes you can see flakes on your cheeks, chin, and forehead. Fine lines may be present around your eye and lip contour areas. It is important to use moisturerich products such as a daytime moisturizer, and a moisturizing treatment at night to repair your skin while you sleep. Weekly moisturizing masks will keep your skin soft and supple and will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

NORMAL SKIN

Your skin is best described as well-balanced. It has even moisture and hydration, uniform texture, and minimal sensitivity. While your skin may show slight variations in oiliness and dryness, it does not endure persistent skin concerns or conditions. To keep your skin even and toned, a good skin care routine including cleansing and moisturizing is a must.

COMBINATION SKIN

Your skin is both dry and oily. With more active oil glands in your T-zone, you tend to exhibit the characteristics of oily skin on your chin, nose and forehead and normal-to-dry skin on your cheeks, jawline and hairline. The best approach for combination skin is to address the needs of each area individually. Use different skin care products and techniques to control excess oil in your T-zone and replenish moisture elsewhere.

OILY SKIN

Your skin is shiny, has visible pores and is prone to spots and blemishes. Makeup seems to slide off your skin as soon as it is applied. Oily skin has the benefit of not showing lines easily but needs to be maintained to help prevent breakouts and to control shine.

SENSITIVE SKIN

Your skin has fine pores, can be easily irritated and is prone to redness. Sensitive skin is often genetic and can also react to poor diet, changes in weather, hormonal imbalance and certain cosmetic products. Sensitive skin must be treated with the correct skin care products that are gentle and soothing to heal your skin and relieve your symptoms.

1A thorough cleanse clears your skin of oil and debris that can lead to clogged pores and dullness. It also prepares your complexion for further treatment, making it easier for your skin to absorb the beneficial ingredients in the rest of your routine.

KOMBUCHA MICROBIOME FOAMING CLEANSER $46

Refresh and purify skin to reveal a healthylooking glow. Crafted with targeted micellar technology, this liquid-to-foam cleanser gently removes impurities without over-stripping moisture from the skin. Kombucha, ginger, white tea and jasmine work in unison to refresh and balance the microbiome and look of the skin without compromising the moisture barrier. Suitable for all skin types.

Toning completes the cleansing process by conditioning your skin and adding beneficial vitamins and minerals to your complexion. Unlike alcohol-based toners of the past, today’s toners, essences and facial mists support the effectiveness of your cleanser by adding replenishing ingredients that support your skin’s health. Cleansing and toning work together like shampoo and conditioner: both steps help keep the skin as healthy as possible.

KOMBUCHA MICROBIOME BALANCING ESSENCE

$52

Restore the look of balanced skin with this nourishing essence. A blend of pre, pro and postbiotics works harmoniously to enhance the appearance of luminosity and gently primes the skin ahead of your full skin care ritual. White tea and jasmine flower soothe dry, dull skin for a healthy-looking glow. One of the key ingredients, Kombucha Ferment (Postbiotic), is derived from fermenting black tea, which is rich in postbiotics and nourishes the skin microbiota, enhancing the look of skin smoothness, luminosity, and clarity. Suitable for all skin types.

Your daily routine should include a serum, concentrate or facial oil. These potent formulas contain concentrated amounts of active ingredients to target concerns and neutralize the effects of environmental stressors.

KOMBUCHA MICROBIOME LUMINOSITY SERUM $110

Illuminate the appearance of the skin with a lightweight serum designed to give you a vibrant-looking glow. Kombucha, white tea, ginger and jasmine unite with microbiome-friendly pre, pro and postbiotics to bring out a visibly renewed look. Perfect for all skin types, this gel serum can be used daily to even tone and boost the look of the skin’s luminosity.

An additional treatment to indulge in is a face mask. Face masks contain high amounts of concentrated vitamins and nutrient-rich ingredients which absorb efficiently into the skin, making it appear healthy and resilient. In addition to their hydrating and firming benefits, masks can be used to control more persistent skin concerns like acne, large pores and dark spots.

KOMBUCHA MICROBIOME LEAVE-ON MASQUE $70

Bring comfort and serenity to dry, dull-looking skin with a rich slow-absorbing masque. A luxurious step in your routine, this formula features ginger and pre, pro and postbiotics to visibly renew the appearance of the skin while supporting your moisture barrier. Ideal for all skin types, this masque helps the skin appear hydrated and healthy.

Of course, the final and most crucial step in every skin care routine is sun protection. Daily and consistent sunscreen use helps protect skin against the damaging rays that contribute to skin irritation, premature aging, and the formation of certain skin cancers. Year-round, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen or SPF moisturizer to shield your skin from exposure.

You can visit www.eminenceorganics.com/us for more skin care tips, product information, and purchases.

THREE HISTORIC HOTELS ALONG THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST

BY STEVE GOTTFRIED

Palihotel San Diego

FOR MY MONEY, THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE RIVALS THAT OF COASTLINES FROM EUROPE TO HAWAII. And if you’re a California resident, you can spend the money you’re saving on airfare and splurge on lux accommodations, fine dining and a spa treatment or two.

Sometimes you have a monetary budget and sometimes you have a time budget. In my case, I had both. I needed to squeeze a maximum amount of R&R into a minimum amount of time while keeping my finances in check. I hadn’t been on a vacation since the pandemic. For a variety of reasons, I had allowed myself to postpone selfcare. And the longer you go without, the harder it is to break the pattern. Even at the last minute, I almost let a less than perfect weather forecast derail my plans until a friend convinced me of the adage:“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”And its corollary: “If not now, when?” Little did I know that a three-day respite would yield such a windfall.

My first stop was a one-night stay at the Surf and Sand Resort, which first opened its doors in 1948, and was recently inducted into the Historic Hotels of America in 2021. The Surf and Sand is known for its breathtaking ocean view rooms situated above the picturesque shores of the Pacific Ocean. For those who cherish a panoramic ocean view room, you’ve come to

Surf and Sand Resort

Surf and Sand Resort

the right hotel. From certain rooms, the sound of crashing waves is loud enough to keep you up at night, but the hotel provides earplugs at the bedside expressly for that purpose. I’ll admit I used earplugs for most of the night. And they worked. But when I woke before dawn, I took out the earplugs and let the sound wash over me. Yes, it was loud, some might say jarring. But it was therapeutic, hypnotic, and healing. Nature’s sound bath. Louder than a white noise machine, but sometimes you need a more potent tonic to wash away the trauma of the accumulated stress of life in these politically fraught times and post pandemic fatigue.

The vibe at the Surf and Sand is refreshingly low-key casual. But that doesn’t mean you’re short-changed on an indulgent getaway or firstclass service. Understated elegance makes the Surf and Sand a favorite destination for weddings. One of many assets of the Surf and Sand is its in-house restaurant Splashes which offers delectable cuisine. I had the King Salmon which was served with a creamy basil emulsion on a bed of pureed cauliflower with steamed asparagus. The next morning, I would have a custom omelet with more veggies, and then another serving of salmon for lunch and a leisurely lounge on the pool deck before I made my way to my next destination.

My next stop was Orli La Jolla, about an hour and a half drive south from Laguna along the coast. Orli offers the hybrid experience of a top-tier boutique hotel combined with the privacy of an AirBnB. This new approach shifts the focus away from the hubbub of a busy hotel staff in favor of an indulgent and private retreat. Orli represents the fruits of a 2-year complete renovation of an historic landmark built in 1913 by famed architect Irving Gill. Orli is the brainchild of brother and sister founders Max and Hailey Waitt, each accomplished professionals in their respective fields who joined forces for this ambitious undertaking. The concept was to offer a novel option apart from the standard hotel arrangement with 13 private accommodations of various sizes and price points situated in a completely renovated historic residence. But nothing quite prepared me for my first walk through the two-story penthouse suite where I would be staying for the next glorious 23 hours. Stunning and exquisite are the first words that come to mind, like something out of Architectural Digest. Instagram nirvana.

During my 24-hour stay, there was an incredibly attentive hospitality manager who was there to greet me upon arrival and helped me with

everything from lugging my luggage up to my suite to fitting me with a helmet for the complimentary bicycles at hotel guests’ disposal. In terms of the design aesthetic, everything is tastefully curated down to the finest detail from the colored glass

sink in the bathroom to the carefully placed objects d’art throughout the residence which looked like they’d been arranged by a Hollywood set designer. The subtle signature scent permeated the residence, the window treatments, the wall sconces,

Orli La Jolla

Orli La Jolla

the textured wallpaper all conspired to give the aura of refined elegance. Even the coasters placed discreetly throughout the residence had rubberized protectors to prevent the inadvertent scratching of surfaces. Expectations met, exceeded, and surpassed.

No trip to La Jolla would be complete without a stop at my favorite vegan restaurant: Trilogy Sanctuary Café which offers an expansive menu of mouth-watering vegan delights. My personal favorite dish is the house specialty, Perfect Tacos, which live up to their name with their own blend of chorizo-seasoned quinoa topped with fresh guacamole, shredded beets and eggplant bacon. For the adventurous home chef, they even have a plant-based cookbook in their gift shop, chock full of recipes including their signature almond“love sauce” which accompanies several of their popular dishes.

For dinner, I avoided the usual tourist fare and opted for an authentic Italian owned restaurant called Piazza 1909. Under the auspices of brothers Alberto, Lorenzo and Mateo, Piazza 1909 is the perfect antidote to the overpriced tourist trap, offering fresh local cuisine with the ambience of authentic Italian fine dining. And if you’re in the mood for another historic landmark for breakfast, look no further than Brockton Villa, perched on a hilltop overlooking La Jolla cove, offering a wealth of breakfast options including their famous Coast Toast, which is their version of French toast and not to be missed.

The third leg of my itinerary brought me to Palihotel San Diego, the realization of yet another renovation of an historic landmark. The historic landmark originally opened in 1912 in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. The butterfly that emerged

from this cocoon is the latest offering from the boutique hotel franchise Palisociety. With its quirky style and hipster ethos, the Palihotel San Diego is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and sure to be a popular destination for young business types and convention-goers alike flocking here for ComicCon and myriad other events from the Bridal Bazaar to the Tattoo Arts Festival. The moment you enter the European inspired, high-ceilinged lobby, you’re reminded of a Wes Anderson film with a pleasant palette of teal blue, comfy couches and artful touches of whimsy like a ceramic swan filled with tennis balls behind the expansive front desk which nearly spans the length of a swimming pool staffed with fresh-faced, friendly hospitality staff with delightfully colorful names like Sapphira, Chianti and Luciano.

I made my way to my room to get settled in, taking in the “preppy nautical” decor and was pleasantly surprised to find everything one might expect for the weary traveler: a large comfortable bed, a fully stocked SMEG mini-fridge and a good-sized LG TV with easy to operate remote. Having just opened, everything was brand spanking new, clean and pristine. The view from the bedroom window offered a view of the city skyline which included the distinctive rooftop dome of the historic Spreckels Theatre where I’d been to see Avenue Q in 2007. The Palihotel boasts a beautiful in-house restaurant known as the Saint James French Diner, a nod to the original name of the hotel. The Saint James is also memorialized in a huge neon sign on the hotel roof where a rooftop bar is in the works, set

to open later this year. I would be remiss not to mention the gleaming brass retro elevators which were part of the original hotel. Considered some of the oldest original working elevators in the city, city regulations forbid substantive changes in order to maintain the hotel’s historic standing.

They are certainly conversation pieces unto themselves but require a bit of patience. All in all, this three-day jaunt proved not only restorative but the change of scenery from one hotel to the next leant a nice variety to the mix and made it feel longer than it actually was. ■

Looking

Palihotel San Diego

LOS ANGELES DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTING

Greg Cash TaxPlus

Cash, Gregory D , EA, MST

5150 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Ste 350

Long Beach 562 597-4300

www gregcash com

ATTORNEYS

Parker | Waichman LLP

6 Harbor Park Dr Nationwide 800 JUST-CALL

www yourlawyer com

BAKERIES

Cake and Art

8709 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood 310 657-8694

www cakeandart com

BANKS

US Bank

Toll Free 800 720-2265

www usbank com/checking

Wells Fargo

Toll Free 800 869-3557

www wellsfargo com/lgbt

BOOKS & BOOKSTORES

Book Soup Bookstore

8818 W Sunset Blvd

West Hollywood 310 659-3110

Crossroads Books

1196 E Walnut St

Pasedena 626 795-8772

COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY

Lotus Place Recovery

1111 Baker St Unit A Costa Mesa 800 951-0735

www lotusplacerecovery com

EMPLOYMENT

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)

1700 Stadium Way LA 213 847-LAFD

www joinlafd org

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

700 E Temple St, B-38 LA 866 444-LAPD

www joinlapd com

FRAMING

Framing Gallery

8527 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood 310 657-6904

FITNESS/GYMS/PERSONAL TRAINERS

Body Builders Gym

2516 Hyperion Ave

Silverlake 323 668-0802

Fired Up Athletics 8474 W 3rd St, Ste 208, LA 213 608-9425

www firedupathletics com

GUEST HOUSES/B&B’S

MisterBandB

www misterbandb com

HAIR SALONS

Blades

801 N Larrabee St, Ste #1 West Hollywood 310 659-6693

Shorty’s Barber Shop 755 N Fairfax Ave West Hollywood 323 297-0554

www shortysbarbershop com

HOTELS

Opus Hotel Vancouver 322 Davie St Vancouver, BC Canada 604 642-6787

www opushotel com

Preferred Hotels & Resorts

www preferredpride com/metrosource

Ramada Plaza West Hollywood Hotel 8585 Santa Monica Blvd 800 845-8585

www ramadaweho com

Sunset Marquis 1200 Alta Loma Rd West Hollywood 800 858-9758

www sunsetmarquis com

INSURANCE

Marc Berton Insurance LA 323 872-0482

San Fernando Valley 818 365-9449 Toll Free 800 924-4459 www marcberton com

INTRODUCTION SERVICES

Bespoke Matchmaking LA 888 422-6464 www bespokematchmaking com

LEATHER

665 Leather & Fetish Co 8722 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 854-7276

Rough Trade 3915 W Sunset Blvd, Silverlake 323 660-7956 www roughtradegear com

MARKETING SERVICES

Brand2Fly

San Jose 408 763-7924

www brand2fly com

GayVan com Travel Marketing

www gayvan com

NUTRITION & FITNESS

Power Zone

8578 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood 310 289-1125

www powerzoneonline com

PET SUPPLIES

Nulo Pet Foods

nulo com/love

PHARMACIES/DRUGS

AHF Pharmacy 1400 S Grand Ave, Ste 801 Downtown LA 213 741-5271

1300 North Vermont Ave Hollywood 323 661-0643

www ahfpharmacy com

Cienega Pharmacy

99 N La Cienega Blvd, Ste 104 Beverly Hills 310 360-9969

www uniteddrugs com

PHYSICIANS & MEDICAL SERVICES

Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic

Family Medicine & Mental Health

3324 W Sunset Blvd, LA 323 660-2400

www hsfreeclinic org

TATTOO

Body Electric Tattoo and Piercing 7274 1/2 Melrose Ave LA 323 954-0408

www bodyelectrictattoo com

THRIFT SHOPS

Berda Paradise Thrift Store 3506 W Sunset Blvd LA 323 661-8246

VIDEO Broadway Video 3401 E Broadway, Long Beach 562 433-1920

WEDDING SERVICES

Cake and Art 8709 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood 310 657-8694

www cakeandart com

ATHLETIC

ARRIBA SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB

PO Box 69611

West Hollywood, CA 90069

www.arribaski.org

CHEER LA

1223 Wilshire Blvd #1580

Santa Monica, CA 90404 www.cheerla.org

DIFFERENT SPOKES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

P.O. Box 2466 Hollywood, CA 90078

www.differentspokes.com

GOLDEN STATE GAY RODEO

ASSOC - GLAC

P.O Box 2407

Long Beach, CA 90801

562 498-1675

www.larodeo.com

GREATER LA GAY BOWLING

www.igbo.org

LA BLADES ICE HOCKEY PO Box 4346

Laguna Beach, CA 92652 310 288-3632

www.bladeshockey.com

LA POOL LEAGUE PO Box 2227

Los Angeles, CA 90078 818 426-2171

www.lapl8ball.org

LA TENNIS ASSOC. (LATA) PO Box 481226 Los Angeles, CA 90048

www.lataweb.com

SHORELINE FRONTRUNNERS OF LONG BEACH PO Box 90774 Long Beach, CA 90809 562 252-0218

www.shorelinefrontrunners.org

SURF & SUN SOFTBALL

www.surfandsunsoftball.com

WEST HOLLYWOOD AQUATICS

www.wh2o.org

CULTURAL, SOCIAL

ASIAN PACIFIC AIDS INTL TEAM

6501 West Olympic Blvd Ste 610 Los Angeles, CA 90015 213 553-1830

www.apaitonline.org

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY

5001 Angel Canyon Rd Kanab, UT 84741 435 644-2001

www.bestfriends.org

BEST FRIENDS PET ADOPTION & SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES

15321 Brand Blvd Mission Hills, CA 91345 818 643-3989

www.bestfriends.org/la

CHRISTOPHER STREET WEST/GAY PRIDE

8235 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 969-8302

www.lapride.org

GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION (GLAAD) 5455 Wilshire Blvd, #1500 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 933-2240

www.glaad.org

GAY MENS CHORUS OF LA 9056 Santa Monica Blvd, #300 West Hollywood, CA 90069 800 636-7464

www.gmcla.org

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER

The Village at Ed Gould Plaza 1125 N McCadden Place Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 860-7302

www.laglc.org

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER McDonald/Wright Building 1625 North Schrader Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028 323 993-7400

www.laglc.org

LA YOUTH

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES 8111 Beverly Blvd #306 Los Angeles, CA 90048 877 465-2977

www.la-youth.org

LONG BEACH

LESBIAN & GAY PRIDE PO Box 2050 Long Beach, CA 90802

562 987-9191

www.longbeachpride.com

OUTFEST THE LA GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL 3470 Wilshire Blvd #1022

Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 480-7088

www.outfest.org

PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION

126 East Haley, Ste A-11 Santa Barbara, CA 93101

805 963-3636

www.pacificpridefoundation.org

THE POINT FOUNDATION 5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 370 Los Angeles, CA 90036

866 33-Point www.pointfoundation.org

VALLEY PERFORMING

ARTS CENTER

18111 Nordhoff St Northridge, CA 91330

818 677-2488

818 677-3000 valleyperformingartscenter.org

WORLD HARVEST

FOOD BANK

1014 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015 213-746-2228

www.worldharvestfoodbank.org

HEALTH/ COUNSELING

AID FOR AIDS AFA

8235 Santa Monica Blvd #200 West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 656-1107 www.aidforaids.net

AIDS HEALTHCARE

FOUNDATION/MENS

WELLNESS CENTER

• 6255 W Sunset Blvd, 21st Fl Los Angeles, CA 90028

888 AIDS CARE

• 1300 N Vermont Ave, Ste 407 Los Angeles, CA 90027

866 339-2525

800 367-2437 www.inspotla.org

AIDS HEALTHCARE

FOUNDATION PHARMACY

8212 Santa Monica Blvd

The David Geffen Center West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 654-0907 www.ahfpharmacy.org

APLA HEALTH

Client & Community Services

The David Geffen Center

• 611 South Kingsley Drive Los Angeles, CA 90005

213.201.1600

213 201-WALK (9255)

• 3743 S. La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016 323.329.9900

• 5901 W. Olympic Blcd. #310 Los Angeles, CA 90036

• 1043 Elm Avenue #302 Long Beach, CA 90813

562.247.7740

www.apla.org www.aidswalk.net

AIDS RESEARCH ALLIANCE 1400 S Grand Ave Ste 701 Los Angeles, CA 90015

310 358-2429

www.hopetakesaction.org www.aidsresearch.org

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

3333 Wilshire Blvd #900 Los Angeles, CA 90010

800 227-2345

www.cancer.org

BEING ALIVE PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS ACTION COALITION

621 N San Vincente Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069

310 289-2551

www.beingalivela.org

GAY & LESBIAN CENTER Orange County 1605 N Spurgeon St Santa Ana, CA 92701 714 953-5428 www.thecenteroc.org

HOLY FAMILY SERVICES, ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE 840 Echo Park Ave Los Angeles, CA 90026 213 202-3900 www.hfs.org

LA FREE CLINIC

• 5205 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038

323 653-1990 – appts 323 653-8622 – admin www.lafreeclinic.org

• 6043 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028

• 8405 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048

LA PUBLIC HEALTH

www.reallycheckyourself.org

OUT OF THE CLOSET

THRIFT SHOPS

• 8224 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 848-9760 • 3500 East Pacific Coast Hwy Long Beach, CA 90804

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD

922 Vine St Los Angeles, CA 90038

323 845-1800

www.angelfood.org

THE TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845

www.thetrevorproject.org

VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE

6801 Coldwater Canyon Ave North Hollywood, CA 91605 818 301-6314 - HIV testing 818 301-6390 - Medical Services

www.smarthealthla.com

LEGAL

LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION FUND INC. Western Regional Office 3325 Wilshire Blvd #1300 Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 382-7600

www.lambdalegal.org

NATIONAL G & L TASK FORCE

5455 Wilshire Blvd #1505 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 954-9597 www.thetaskforce.org

LESBIANS

LESBIAN LAWYERS ASSOC OF LA PO Box 480318 Los Angeles, CA 90048 213 486-4443 www.lgla.net

POWER UP 419 North Larchmont Blvd, #283 Los Angeles, CA 90004 323 463-3154 www.power-up.net

WOMAN ON A ROLL PO Box 5112 Santa Monica, CA 90409 310 578-8888 www.womenonaroll.com

PROFESSIONAL

LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 8424 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood,CA 90069 424.209.2708 www.laglcc.org

REFERRALS/ SWITCHBOARDS

LA Gay & Lesbian center Jeff Griffith Youth Center 7051 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038

TOLL FREE: 800 773-5540

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER MacDonald/Wright Bldg 1625 North Schroder Los Angeles, CA 323 933-7400 www.angelfood.org

THE TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845 www.thetrevorproject.org

THE VILLAGE AT ED GOULD PLAZA 1125 North McCadden Place Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 860-7328 prevention@laglc.org www.laglc.org

RELIGIOUS

ALL SAINTS PARISH 504 North Camden Dr West Hollywood, CA 90036 310 275-0123

BETH CHAYIM CHADASHIM 6000 West Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035 323 931-7023 www.bcc-la.org

GLORY TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN CENTER

3215 East Third St Long Beach, CA 90804 562 438-7758

www.glorytabernacle.com

OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 4101 Willow St 562 925.3533

www.open-door-ministries.org

ST. JANE FRANCES CATHOLIC CHURCH

G & L OUTREACH 12930 Hamlin St North Hollywood, CA 91606 818 985-8600

WEST HOLLYWOOD CHURCH 916 North Formosa Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 323 656-2400

PALM SPRINGS DIRECTORY

CANNABIS

PSA Organica

400 E Sunny Dunes Rd Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 778-1053

www iheartjane com

The Lighthouse Dispensary

395 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 3204420 www lighthousedispensary com

The Vault Dispensary and Lounge 35871 Date Palm Dr Cathedral City, CA 92234 760 8669660

www enjoythevault com

ART

Mod City Gallery

737 E Twin Palms Dr Palm Springs, CA 92266 760 567-6852

www modcitygallery com

The Shag Store 745 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-3400

www shag com

Trevor Wayne Pop Art

386 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 442 268-5498

www trevorwayne com

ATTRACTIONS

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens 47900 Portola Ave

Palm Desert, CA 92260 760 346-5694

www livingdesert org

Palm Springs Air Museum

745 N Gene Autry Trail Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 778-6262

www palmspringsairmuseum org

Palm Springs Art Museum 101 Museum Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-4800

www psmuseum org

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

1 Tram Way

Palm Springs, CA 92262 888 515-8726

www pstramway com

BAKERY

Over the Rainbow Deserts 1775 E Palm Canyon Road, Suite 150 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 322-2253

www romanblas com

Pastry Swan Bakery

70225 Highway 111 Suite A

Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760 202-1213

www pastryswan com

CASINO

Agua Caliente Casino

• 401 E Amado Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262 888 999-1995 www sparesortcasino com

• 32-250 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino 84-245 Indio Springs Dr Indio, CA 92203 760 342-5000 www fantasyspringsresort com

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa 49500 Seminole Dr Cabazon, CA 92230 800 252-4499

www morongocasinoresort com

CLOTHING

GayMart 305 E Arenas Rd #6635 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 416-6436

Revivals

• 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 760 318-6491

• 68401 Hwy 111, Cathedral City, CA 760 969-5747

FINANCIAL ADVISORS

Simon Hobbs California Financial Partners Inc California 818 637-0180

simon@calfp com

GIFTS

Destination PSP 170 North Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 354-9154

www destinationpsp com

Greetings Palm Springs 301 N Palm Canyon Dr # 102 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-5049 www greetingspalmsprings com

Just Fabulous 515 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 864-1300

www bjustfabulous com

Mischief Cards & Gifts 226 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-8555

www mischiefcardsandgifts com

Peepa’s 120 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 318-3553

www peepasps com

HAIR SALONS

Cut Barber 1109 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-2999

www cutbarber com

Daddy’s Barbershop 192 S Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 537-1311

www daddysbarbershop com

Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon 750 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 3 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-904-0434

www psfinemenssalon com

PET SUPPLIES

Bones-N-Scones 633 S Palm Canyon Dr Suite #26 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 864-1133

Cold Nose Warm Heart 187 South Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 424-2006 www pspetstore com

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

DAP HEALTH 1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 323-2118

www.daphealth.org

DESERT CARE NETWORK 760 561-7373

www.desertcarenetwork.com

DESERT OASIS HEALTHCARE 275 North El Cielo Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 325-DOHC (3642) www.mydohc.com

EISENHOWER HEALTH 39000 Bob Hope Drive Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760 340-3911 eisenhowerhealth.org

MICHAEL’S HOUSE 1910 S Camino Real Palm Springs, CA 92262 844 768-0633 www.michaelshouse.com

PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER 4575 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 416-5718 www.psanimalshelter.org

PALM SPRINGS FRONT RUNNERS & WALKERS frontrunners.clubexpress.com

STONEWALL GARDENS 2150 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 548-0970 www.stonewallgardens.com

THE LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr, 3rd Floor Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 416-7790 www.thecenterps.org