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. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.
Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY. 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.
People featured take BIKTARVY and are compensated by Gilead.
Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.
*Source: , 04/19/2019 through 05/19/2023. IQVIA NPA Weekly #1 PRESCRIBED HIV TREATMENT*
BIKTARVY® is approved for more people than ever before.
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. Scan to learn more about BIKTARVY.
*This information is an estimate derived from the use of information under license from the following IQVIA information service: IQVIA NPA Weekly, for the period week ending 04/19/2019 through week ending 05/19/2023. IQVIA expressly reserves all rights, including rights of copying, distribution, and republication.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com.
AUGUST IS LIKE THE SUNDAY OF SUMMER
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 second annual Palm Springs Equality Wine & Food Fest presented by the LGBT Wine Society (lgbtwinesociety.com). This festival showcased wineries, eateries, and retailers which are owned or operated by women, or members of the LGBTQ+ or BIPOC communities. The love in the ballroom was palpable! Then I got a fix of vitamin D and exercise during my annual visit to Sonoma County, California for Gay Wine Weekend in July where drank, ate, and danced the night away in a vineyard at La Crema Winery. Metrosource was a proud sponsor of both events.
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:
• Silicon Valley, CA – Aug 24-25
• Las Vegas, NV – Oct 11-12
• Atlanta, GA – Oct 12-13
• Phoenix, AZ – Oct 19-20
• Palm Springs, CA – Nov 1-3
And for those of you adventurous souls, some wild weekends coming up include:
• Southern Decadence, New Orleans, LA – Aug 30-Sept 2
• Folsom Street Fair, San Francisco, CA – Sept 29
• Fantasy Fest, Key West, FL – Oct 18-27
And speaking of New Orleans, our cover feature is writer Christopher Rice, son to famed author Anne Rice and poet Stan Rice. He spent the first decade of his life being raised in the Castro District of San Francisco, and subsequently moved to New Orleans at the age of 10. Rice tells us about his upbringing, coming out, and writing his first book while sitting by his mother’s bedside in the hospital.
It is also Olympic Season and the 2024 Olympic games in Paris have more LGBTQ+ representation than ever before. We have highlighted some athletes to watch and follow, now and in the future.
And we have features to close out your summer – from reading suggestions, to drinks, to relaxing spa destinations around the world. As always, we’ve also curated some of the hottest new things to experience, 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 2024.
PUBLISHER
Michael Westman
James Delyea
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bent Share Entertainment, LLC
Cesar A Reyes
Christopher Jackson
FEATURE WRITER
Alexander Rodriguez
Ben Rimalower
Jeffrey James Keyes
Jennifer Day
Megan Venzin
Paco Ojeda
Michael Westman
NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING Rivendell
Los Angeles
6475 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., #438 Long Beach, CA 90803
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511 Avenue of the Americas, #901 New York, NY 10011
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info@metrosource.com
reserved. Content may only be reproduced with written permission from Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. Metrosource assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained anywhere in this magazine and reserve the right to cancel or refuse advertising at publisher’s discretion.
COVER: Christopher Rice
Photography by: Cathryn Farnsworth
August/September 2024 | VOLUME 35, NO. 4
CULTURE
7 THE SCOPE Trans rocker Jordan Maye’s new single “Deranged”, Sebastian A Film By Mikko Mäkelä, RuPaul presents The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir. Plus podcast, artshow and Concerts.
SUMMER
12 Summertime Sippin’ Five Refreshing Cocktail Recipes to Enjoy this Summer
20 Self Help for Summer Six Heath and Self-Help Books to Enjoy
HEALTH
12 Beard Care Products to Make Your Beard More BILF
FINANCE
36 Tips for a Healthy Relationship with Your Money TRAVEL
46 Global Spa Retreats Bring Rest and Rejuvenation VIEWS
4 EDITOR’S LETTER August is Like the Sunday of Summer
CURATED
BY
MICHAEL WESTMAN
JORDAN MAYE
Creation of Jordan Maye LP (August 24, 2024)
TRANS ROCKER JORDAN MAYE’S NEW SINGLE “DERANGED” IS OUT NOW AND IT HAS BEEN GETTING SOME STELLAR REVIEWS. Rockdafuqout writes that “Maye isn’t afraid to confront her darkest thoughts and openly share them with us. There’s a bravery here in her candidness,” and Hot Lunch Music writes that “the vocal timbre and hard rock production are reminiscent of hair metal that is a sick combination of [My Chemical Romance], Queen, and maybe some Dio? If the rest of the record is as explosive and emotive then it is sure to be a big success.”
“Deranged” meshes big psychedelic guitars and piano balladry into a Queen-sized stadium rocker. She wrote the song on an acoustic guitar to be soft and unsettling, then built the song up in the studio to its hard rocking current iteration—hitting falsetto high notes that mirror Jordan’s mental meltdowns as she was literally “kicking walls and screaming.”
Maye isn’t afraid of big guitars and even bigger vocals on her debut album Creation of Jordan Maye (out August 24). Her lyrical honesty, depth and profound imagery is a portal into what she’s lived through in her 21 short years: mental health challenges, being a full time student at Berklee College of Music, going through the process of transitioning, all the while navigating relationships with family, lovers and friends. Through all of this, she’s had a prolific year of writing, recording and releasing songs.
From fun uptempo songs to deep ballads, Maye leaves it all out there for the listener.
Maye writes deeply personal songs that resonate with who we are as a society. She taps into our shared empathy and compassion as she guides us through these specific moments of her life. Maye recently met songwriter and producer Rico Love (Usher, Beyoncé, Trey Songz) who’s advice deeply impacted her.
“Something he said really stuck with me,” says Maye. “Write things that need to exist, so people can relate to them. I just want to humanize our struggles in my songs, to relate to the problems we all share.”
Maye has been a consistent student of songcraft, piano, guitar, and voice, since she was a child growing up in Atlanta. She learned to record on her own in high school and began writing original songs.
THESCOPE
Creation of Jordan Maye takes us on a candid journey of mental stress, love and death. Her songs are personal yet feel universal in their humanity. We feel them viscerally and understand them innately.
“For me, ‘In My Life’ by The Beatles is the perfect song,”says Maye.“I find myself going back to it a lot. I’m always thinking about how time changes. Time passes. People come and go. The sun goes up and down. ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd is another one
of those. I feel like I spent most of my life wasting time, especially now that I’ve found who I really am. I lost the kind of childhood that I wanted, in terms of my gender identity and in terms of who I actually am. I felt very isolated then. Now there are people in my life that make me feel found, happy, and that I matter.”
WATCH SEBASTIAN
(Opens in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on August 2nd.)
A Film By Mikko Mäkelä
Starring Ruaridh Mollica
MAX (RUARIDH MOLLICA) IS A 25-YEAR-OLD ASPIRING NOVELIST, LIVING IN LONDON AND PAYING HIS DUES WORKING AT A LITERARY MAGAZINE. Frustrated by his own ambitions and the pressures to succeed, Max begins moonlighting as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, secretly meeting men via an escorting platform and using his experiences to fuel his stories. What begins as a few furtive meetings soon becomes a hidden nocturnal life, and the debut novel that he has been longing to write finally seems within reach.
Finding himself more comfortable as Sebastian than expected, yet determined to keep his exploits a secret, Max increasingly struggles to remain in control of a delicately balanced double-life. As he confronts conflicting feelings
BRUCE SILVERSTEIN GALLERY SUMMER GLOW EXHIBITION
529 West 20th Street 3rd Floor / Suite 3W
New York, NY 10011
(Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10am to 6pm)
IN PHOTOGRAPHY, LIGHT IS THE MEDIUM’S ESSENCE, shaping each photograph’s composition, mood, texture, and depth.
During the long days of summer, light evolves from the soft, diffused glow of the Golden Hour (the period after sunrise and before sunset) and the ethereal Blue Hour (before sunrise and after sunset) to the bright, direct overhead, midday sun, allowing photographers to create images defined by stark contrast and shortened shadows.
To pay homage to this summer light, Bruce Silverstein Gallery is pleased to present Summer Glow, an exhibition that explores the effects of the unique qualities of summer rays on the art of picture making.
Featuring a curated selection of works by over thirty artists, spanning from 1903 to 2018,
of ecstasy, shame, and exhilarating liberation, Max has to reckon with whether Sebastian is merely a writer’s tool to achieve first-hand authenticity or whether something more is at stake.
“Captivatingly explores the creative process and contemporary conversations around authenticity and authorship. Sebastian sees [Mäkelä] continue
to establish himself as a significant voice in contemporary queer cinema,” says James Kleinmann of The Queer Review.
Director Mikko Mäkelä is a Finnish-British writer/director based in London, and was named by IndieWire as an LGBTQ Filmmaker on the Rise. Sebastian is Mikko’s second feature.
VISIT
Summer Glow is a diverse collection of photographs that captures the unique interplay of light and shadow only seen during the summer season. With lush landscapes by Elger Esser and Manuel Alvarez Bravo, abstracted sands by Aaron Siskind, intimate family moments captured by Chester Higgins, and tranquil scenes by Adger Cowans, each artist brings
a unique perspective. Using the summer light, they transform seemingly ordinary scenes into serene and dynamic compositions that resonate with both tranquility and vibrancy.
For more information visit: brucesilverstein.com.
Marie Cosindas (1923-2017) Sailors, Key West, 1966
THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS: A MEMOIR
RuPaul (Author)
FROM INTERNATIONAL DRAG SUPERSTAR AND POP CULTURE ICON RUPAUL, COMES HIS MOST REVEALING AND PERSONAL WORK TO DATE--A DEEPLY INTIMATE MEMOIR OF DISCOVERY, FOUND FAMILY, AND SELFACCEPTANCE. The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag.
Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul.Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known.
In The House of Hidden Meanings, RuPaul strips away all artifice and recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography life-story, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.
Here in RuPaul’s singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living—a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.
A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity, The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. “I’ve always loved to view the world with analytical eyes, examining what lies beneath the surface. Here, the focus is on my own life—as RuPaul Andre Charles,” says RuPaul.
If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.
READ
STONEWALL WOMEN’S FUND PRESENTS
An Evening With Rita Mae Brown (October 24, 2024 | 5:30pm) Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 N Dixie Hwy, Oakland Park, Florida
STONEWALL NATIONAL MUSEUM, ARCHIVES, & LIBRARY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE ICONIC, AMERICAN FEMINIST AUTHOR RITA MAE BROWN. Few authors today have proved themselves to be as versatile or prolific as Rita Mae Brown… she is a New York Times-bestselling author, activist, and screenwriter. A writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, Brown is the author of over 50 books which have been translated into eight languages. With razor-sharp wit, Brown gives entertaining and enlightening talks about her writing and advocacy throughout the years.
In 1973, Brown published her debut novel Rubyfruit Jungle, a landmark coming-of-age story about a young woman forging her own path and refusing to apologize for her sexuality. The book has been heralded as a milestone, with The New York Times calling it “groundbreaking” and Gloria Steinem praising it as “the rare work of fiction that has changed real life.”
Since her debut, Brown has continued to
PULSE:
THE UNTOLD STORY
(Audible)
GRIPPING EIGHT-EPISODE DOCUMENTARY PODCAST REVEALS SHOCKING NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE FBI’S FAILURE TO STOP THE HORRIFIC 2016 ORLANDO NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING. The captivating new documentary podcast Pulse: The Untold Story is now available exclusively from Audible. From journalist Trevor Aaronson and Western Sound, this Audible Original investigates the Pulse nightclub shooting and raises startling questions about the FBI’s culpability.
In a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, the shooter, Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11.
But there’s a story you haven’t heard. The FBI had a secret history with the shooter and
DISCUSS
write literary fiction while also venturing into other genres. She is the recipient of two Emmy nominations and the Writer’s Guild of America Award for best television variety show. Brown is also the author of numerous mystery novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Mrs. Murphy series, which she writes with her feline co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown, and the beloved Sister Jane fox-hunting novels, which most recently featured the new title Out of Hounds. She has also written poetry and nonfiction.
Rita Mae Brown has remained a prominent
his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
Through a relentless and thorough investigation, Aaronson uncovers the volatile relationship between the shooter and his father and how their
activist for human and animal rights for over forty years. In 2015, she received the Lambda Literary Pioneer Award for “individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBT literature and publishing.” Brown is also the recipient of the 2015 Lee Lynch Classic Book Award.
An advocate for human and animal rights for over forty years, she is a hilarious and insightful speaker who encourages audiences to follow their own paths in writing and in life.
More information at: stonewall-museum.org.
Lister here: tinyurl.com/mr3852k9 PODCAST
troubled interactions with the FBI lead to a disturbing final question: Could the FBI have prevented the massacre?
Pulse: The Untold Story is a documentary like no other. It will leave you wondering if anything you’ve heard about this case is true.
Warning: This program contains descriptions of violence and death and includes recordings from 911 calls and police body cameras from the night of the shooting. Listener discretion is advised.
EXPERIENCE
DURAN DURAN
Danse Macabre at Madison Square Garden (October 31, 2024) 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY
DURAN DURAN ARE SUMMONING ALL HALLOWEEN ENTHUSIASTS TO SHOW UP, DRESS UP, AND CELEBRATE
All Hallows’ Eve in style at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday, October 31.
Now a highly anticipated annual tradition, The Danse Macabre Halloween Party was originally conceptualized at a fabled Halloween Duran Duran gig for the ages in 2022 and is now immortalized across 13 songs on their 16th studio album, “Danse Macabre.” Threading together new music, themed covers, and darkly reimagined versions
of the band’s classic tracks, the album has been described as “a treat for the senses” by American Songwriter, and “delightfully devilish” by Billboard, with Rolling Stone proclaiming, “Duran Duran are feeling the spooky energy.”
Duran Duran has also announced a North American east-coast run, set to take place this fall, bringing the legendary, award-winning fourpiece to Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and New Hampshire.
Duran Duran is a popular British rock band that’s been making music since 1978. The band has
sold over one million albums and have achieved 30 Top-40 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart and 21 Top-40 singles in the US Billboard Hot 100. The band has won numerous awards throughout their career, including two Brit Awards, two Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. Duran Duran was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Get tickets at ticketmaster.com.
THE BEE’S KNEES
The phrase “bee’s knees” was prohibitionera slang for “the best.”This classic cocktail born from the prohibition era combines gin, lemon, and honey. Refreshing, floral, and perfect for summer.
Ingredients:
• 2 oz Barr Hill Gin
• .75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• .75 oz Raw Honey Syrup (2:1)
• Lemon twist for garnish
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin, add ice, shake, then double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add garnish.
SUMMERTIME SIPPIN’
FIVE REFRESHING COCKTAIL RECIPES TO ENJOY THIS SUMMER
CURATED BY MICHAEL WESTMAN
THE DYE HOUSE
Sweetened with blueberry syrup and garnished with blueberries, this Barr Hill Gin cocktail is a seasonal play on the classic Clover Club. Summer in a glass.
Ingredients:
• 1.5 oz Barr Hill Gin
• 0.75 oz Fino Sherry
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 0.75 oz Blueberry Syrup
• 1 egg white
• Fresh skewered blueberries for garnish
Preparation:
Combine ingredients into a mixing tin, dry shake without ice, add ice, then shake with ice, and double strain into a coupe cocktail glass. Garnish with skewered fresh blueberries.
TOM CAT OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL
The Old Fashioned Cocktail is the first drink to ever bear the name ‘Cocktail’ (c. 1806). People would order at the bar a ‘Cocktail’ made with their spirit of choice mixed with a little sugar, some bitters and citrus twists. Here we call for a ‘Tom Cat Gin Cocktail’ using Barr Hill’s barrel-aged Tom Cat Gin as a stand-in for whiskey, making this twist on a classic insanely drinkable in the summer (or anytime, honestly).
CLASSIC TOM CAT
OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL
Ingredients:
• 2 oz Tom Cat Gin
• 1/2 tsp Demerara syrup (2 parts demerara sugar: 1 part water)
• 2-3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• Lemon or orange twist, or both, for garnish
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir, then strain into an old fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish by squeezing the citrus twists over the top of the cocktail.
MUDDLED FRUIT
TOM CAT OLD FASHIONED
Ingredients:
• 2 oz Tom Cat Gin
• 1 tsp Demerara syrup (2 parts demerara sugar: 1 part water)
• 2-3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 1 cherry
• 1 half orange wheel
Preparation:
Combine sugar and fruit in an old fashioned glass then gently muddle. Add other ingredients and fresh ice, stir, strain into an old fashioned glass over fresh ice, then garnish with an orange slice and cherry.
c. 2014 by Sam Nelis (a play on the classic Clover Club)
WALK ON WATER
For those looking for a fancy brunch cocktail, this one is a stunner. Made with Barr Hill Vodka, sparkling wine, and grapefruit juice, among other ingredients, this beautiful cocktail can be enjoyed all day long.
Ingredients
• 0.75 oz Barr Hill Vodka
• 0.5 oz Amaro Braulio
• 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 0.5 oz Rosemary Syrup
• Sparkling Wine
Preparation:
Combine ingredients (besides the wine) in mixing tin, add ice and shake, strain into champagne flute and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with an orange twist and rosemary sprig.
c. 2017 by Sam Nelis
JUNGLE CAT
Made with Vermont maple syrup and barrel-aged gin, the Jungle Cat is where craft cocktail meets tiki drink. With tropical flavors like pineapple and lime, this one is as refreshing as it is unique.
Ingredients
• 1.5 oz Tom Cat Gin
• 0.75 oz Campari
• 1.5 oz Fresh Pineapple Juice
• 0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 0.5 oz VT Grade A Dark, Robust Maple Syrup
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin, add ice, shake, and strain over crushed ice in a tiki mug if you’ve got it. Go crazy with the garnish, a Campari soaked pineapple works well, and using cherries or pineapple leaves is fun. Try and make it look like a cat’s face!
c. 1978 @ The Aviary bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (A play on the classic)
BEARD CARE
PRODUCTS TO MAKE YOUR BEARD MORE BILF (BEARDS I’D LIKE TO FONDLE)
BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES
WHILE FACIAL HAIR HAS BEEN IN SEASON FOR SOME TIME NOW, MANY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THAT NEW-ISH QUARANTINE BEARD. Maintaining a quality beard does not take a tremendous amount of work, with a few strong products you can let the oils, lotions, and conditioners do the work. Be sure to properly wash your face and beard and prep your beard and the area around before doing any shaving or trimming. Be sure to introduce quality oils and lotion into your routine and keep it sanitized and free of residual germs from any of those viruses going around. With a little TLC, you can train your beard to look clean and sharp at any length. Here is a selection of products and
WASH
NIVEA DEEP CLEANING
BEARD & FACE WASH niveausa.com
A pre-shave cleanser and facial scrub in one that exfoliates for an easier, closer shave. Eco-friendly, biodegradable scrubbing par ticles help to unclog pores, prevent ingrown hairs, and minimize shaving irritation. Re moves oil, dirt, and dead skin cells to leave a clear path for your blade.
Tough enough for facial hair, but gentle enough for daily use. Formulated with Natural Charcoal, the wash thoroughly cleanses your Beard & Face, and has a masculine Vanilla & Bourbon scent.
MALIN+GOETZ
GRAPEFRUIT FACE CLEANSER malinandgoetz.com
Malin+Goetz is an apothecary launched by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood in 2004. The focus of their brand is easy-to-use, gentle treatments helping to cleanse and restore pH balance without harsh ingredients, irritants, or unnecessary detergents, colorants, and synthetic fragrances. Their foaming cleansing gel is gentle on the beard and whole face. This perfect blend of natural grapefruit extract with amino acid-based cleansing agents work to purify and hydrate pH balance to the skin.
PREP
AIDAN
GILL FOR MEN SHAVE OIL
aidangillformen.com
When Aidan Gil, the infamous Irish barber based out of “the Big Easy” came out with a line of grooming products, we leaned into it. The Aidan Gill For Men’s Pre-Shave oil, was formu lated by Aidan, and is used daily in the Barber shops to ensure the most comfortable and close shave. Apply this lightly scented blend of es sential oils to clean wet skin prior to the appli cation of shaving cream and you will be able to keep everything clean, safe, and looking great.
LATHER
JACK BLACK BEARD LUBE CONDITIONING SHAVE WITH JOJOBA & EUCALYPTUS
getjackblack.com
If you are looking for a dynamite all-in-one product Jack Black’s Beard Lube Condition ing Shave with Jojoba & Eucalyptus should be considered a go-to. The translucent formula does the heavy lifting as a pre-shave oil, shave cream, and even an after-shave conditioner to soften facial hair for a painless shave. In addi tion to jojoba & eucalyptus, the lube includes macadamia nut oil, heather, menthol, pepper mint, and a variety of other subtle ingredients. Leave the product on for about sixty seconds before shaving. When finished, rinse with cold water. You will thank us later.
JACK BLACK BEARD OIL getjackblack.com
This exclusive blend of certified organic natural oils, potent antioxidants and vitamins protect skin from the damaging effects of free radicals and environmental pollutants. Key ingredients like Vitamin E, Kalahari melon oil and Marula oil, work to counteract free-radical damage, soften facial hair and smooth skin underneath. Keep your beard healthy.
EUFORA HERO FOR MEN CLASSIC SHAVE
eufora.net
Eufora, offering clean, quality beauty products since 1997. Eufora formulations harness the power of more than 100 unique plant and flow er extracts, essential oils, vitamins, and natural aromas for their products. While the company is known for their fantastic line of hair care products, the ultimate 3-in-1 pH balanced shave solution is a fantastic product to help you to shave away any excess or unnecessary hair to make your beard look good and stand out. The non-foaming formula is the perfect choice because it allows you to essentially “mark out” detail easily on your cheeks and neck.
BILLY JEALOUSY BEARD QUENCHER billyjealousy.com
Packed with shea butter, amino acids and black oat seed, Beard Quencher adds strength, elasticity and gloss to your bristly buddy. The lightweight formula quickly absorbs into your beard to moisturize, fight frizz and improve hair strength and texture. Slip some through once or twice a day to give your beard what it’s thirsting for. Build your beard care routine with the perfect Billy Jealousy scent.
BULLDOG
BULLDOG ORIGINAL BEARD OIL bulldogskincare.com
This fast-absorbing beard oil combines a blend of thoughtfully curated ingredients, like aloe vera. It’s formulated to soften, tame, and condition coarse facial hair, leaving your beard with a healthy-looking shine that doesn’t appear greasy. Plus, our signature fragrance made with a blend of natural ingredients will leave it smelling great.
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SELF HELP FOR SUMMER
SIX HEALTH AND SELF-HELP BOOKS TO ENJOY
BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES
WHILE SELECTING THE PERFECT PAGE TURNER TO READ BEACH OR POOLSIDE, THERE ARE SEVERAL GREAT HEALTH AND WELLNESS BOOKS ON THE MARKET. If you’re looking for a little out of the box guidance from the universe, or a few dips from drag artists we’re including a few titles below, as well as useful tips for decluttering and healing the prostate. Choose one or several and use the long days of summer to find opportunities to come back to yourself and get healthy. We’ll meet you in the cabana, see you there!
HEALTHY KETO AIR FRYER COOKBOOK
By Aaron Day
Air fryers became the craze a couple of years ago and they have been the key to helpful weight loss for many. Aaron Day’s Healthy Keto Air Fryer Cookbook is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a manual to healthy cooking. The book includes 100 keto-friendly recipes including breakfast, mains, sides, snacks, and even desserts. Day, an accredited nutritional therapist, clinical weight loss practitioner, advanced sports exercise nutritional advisor. He previously penned Keto Sweet Tooth Cookbook and Easy Keto Meal Prep. In addition to recipes,
Healthy Keto Air Fryer Cookbook offers complete nutritional data for calories, fat net carbs, protein, and dietary fiber as well as expert keto and air fryer information including “tips and tricks’’ for getting the most out of using your air fryer. Day walks readers through information describing the fundamentals of the keto diet, how it can help with weight loss, as well as tips for keto success. Recipes include Raspberry & Vanilla Pancakes, a Mediterranean Halloumi Bake, Breaded Onion Rings, Ratatouille, Zucchini Rounds, Pumpkin Pie, and even Snickerdoodle Cookies. Wait, keto Snickerdoodle Cookies? Yes, the keto alternative is delicious and chewy, and will be a healthy hit at your next social gathering.
FITNESS FOR EVERYONE: 50 EXERCISES FOR EVERY TYPE OF BODY
By Louise Green
Not a gym person? If you’re someone who’s never felt comfortable lifting weights, pounding on an elliptical, or riding on an exercise bike then Fitness for Everyone: 50 Exercises for Every Type of Body is the book for you. Flipping through the 256 pages and seeing models of all shapes and sizes embarking on manageable, effective exercise can bring a smile to even the staunchest gym evader. Louise Green is a personal trainer, fitness coach, fitness activist, and writer who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and throughout her twenties, like many of us, she lived “through a period of extreme diet culture.” Green states “maybe your struggle isn’t weight, but whatever it is, accepting and adapting to how your body moves is absolutely possible.”Want to target muscles in your upper or lower body, strengthen your cardio, or develop balance and stigma, these fifty exercises (and modifications) are a manageable variety that literally anyone can do. The book is divided into five chapters, including Fitness Basics; Upper Body & Core; Lower Body & Cardio; Stretch & Balance; and Combinations, Intervals, & Complexes. Green is the founder of ‘Big Girl Fit’, a brand, fitness app, book, weekly podcast, and monthly column in Self magazine. Her work has impacted thousands of individuals around the world. Join Green in her quest to break the stigma that fitness and working out is only for one body type.
SECRETS OF SPACE CLEARING: ACHIEVE INNER AND OUTER HARMONY THROUGH ENERGY WORK, DECLUTTERING, AND FENG SHUI
by Denise Linn
Does your home or workspace no longer feel comfortable? In her new book, Secrets of Space Clearing: Achieve Inner and Outer Harmony through Energy Work, Decluttering, and Feng Shui, Denise Linn notes every space has energy, and that “every cubic centimeter of it, whether solid or seemingly empty space, is composed of infinite energy...sometimes energy in a home or office can become stagnant and dull.” For the past five decades, Linn has practiced the art of cleansing and harmonizing home energy. “Space clearing,” a term Linn coined, is the art of cleansing and harmonizing the energy within an environment. This practice has the power to not only make your home feel good but also help those within to feel more positive and energetic, to bring balance to relationships, and to remove blocks for increased abundance, creativity, and well-being. Linn’s guidebook is peaceful and fun, she walks you through space clearing fundamentals like space clearing practices, the four stages of space clearing, setting the groundwork for space clearing, and shares how clutter clearing is modern-day alchemy. In Part II of the book, she shares the deeper energy of space clearing tools, like sound, the alchemy of air and fire, as well as elemental space clearing and mystic mudras. The appendices in the back of the book, includes a reference guide to colors, stones, aromas, flowers, and more. and how they impact us, and how each type of stone or gem elicits a particular kind of energy,
HEALING THE PROSTATE: THE BEST HOLISTIC METHODS TO TREAT THE PROSTATE AND OTHER COMMON MALE-RELATED CONDITIONS
By Dr. Mark Stengler
Dr. Mark Stengler wrote an essential book for all men, regardless of age. For all its many important functions, the prostate gland can become a health curse to many men. Many common prostate conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer, prostatitis, testosterone deficiency, and erectile dysfunction can be healed holistically, or even prevented through simple steps that every man can take. Diet, supplements, and lifestyle choices can all support your prostate and overall health. While there are surgical, pharmaceutical, and other conventional therapies for all these conditions, scientific studies have demonstrated that a comprehensive, integrative, or holistic approach to healing can dramatically reduce risk and/or decrease negative side effects and symptoms. Adjusting your diet to a more “Mediterranean diet”full of organic plant foods, no dairy, and low in animal products, exercising, taking herbal supplements, even incorporating Beta-sitosterol or Saw Palmetto into the diet can make an enormous difference. Don’t know where to begin? Dr. Stengler offers a clear two-week meal plan with a variety of delicious recipes in the back of his book. It’s never too early to start healing your prostate.
ANGEL WISDOM TAROT GUIDEBOOK
by Radleigh Valentine
Illustrations by Dan Craig
Tarot novices and experts alike can gain a great deal from the lavishly illustrated and symbolic tarot deck, which “draws upon the wisdom and power of the archangels to help you speak with the Divine”. The Guidebook, accompanied by a deck of stunning cards, offers a quick reference guide to the specific card, meanings behind the cards, and how to work with Tarot, in general. Find uplifting interpretations of traditional tarot messages and imagery, including diverse, contemporary depictions of classic characters/ Valentine includes unique features on each card to make them easy to use. Is this your first-time exploring Tarot cards? The Guidebook offers clear details and reference points for each card, including the Major Arcana, which consists of 22 cards describing major events and turning points in your life. Explore deeper insights like words of awareness, other people, and additional interpretations meanings of specific cards. Enjoy gorgeous artwork while flipping through these cards, and who knows what answers you might receive from the cards.
SERVING FACE: LESSONS IN POISE AND (DIS)GRACE FROM THE WORLD OF DRAG
By Felix Le Freak
Self-help from drag queens? Oh, yes, hunty... come through and serve it to the children! For drag fans, or those who need a little charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent in their life, Serving Face: Lessons in Poise and (dis)grace from the World of Drag is a wonderful addition to the coffee table. Written by Felix Le Freak, winner of Drag Idol UK, 2018, with a foreword by Monét X Change, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season four and Miss Congeniality, RuPaul’s Drag Race season ten. Author Felix Le Freak says, “It has been a privilege and a romp to delve into the minds of these utterly fabulous artists. Drag is not just a hot topic right now but a rich historic tradition and the starting point of infinite creative possibilities. I hope that the sass, wit and campery contained within this book sparks joy in the imagination of its reader, as writing it did for me!” Serving Face offers inspiration and motivation while dishing out real talk life lessons and offering tips and tricks from some of the most revered drag queens and kings from around the world, including Adam All, Andro Gin, Art Simone, Calypso Jeté Balmain, Cheddar Gorgeous, CHIYO, Miss Coco Peru, Crystal, Evah Destruction, Fay Ludes, Freida Slaves, Gingzilla, Glamrou, Majic Dyke, MYNXIE, Myra Dubois, Peaches Christ, Sum Ting Wong, Tynomi Banks and Yuhua Hamasaki. Explore the multitude of fun offerings of this book, including a handy glossary of terms including “clock”, “for the gods”, “lace front, “shade”, and “gag”. Peruse through the nuanced, and informative interviews and profiles of each of the queens and kings including a fun “60 second” sidebar for each legend. Explore the broad array of performers and lewk queens, including those who identify as camp, fierce, glam, and punk. The interviews, as Le Freak states, “cover a broad range of topics, from queer history and underground movements to the peaks and perils of the reality TV zeitgeist. What they have in common is a wealth of overflowing insight on life, style, and performance, straight from the unicorn’s mouth!”
I REMEMBER THE ANTICIPATION LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 24 YEARS AGO. THE LEGENDARY ANNE RICE, THE FUEL OF ALL MY QUEER, YOUTH, EMO FEELINGS, HAD A GAY SON AND HE WAS JUST RELEASING HIS FIRST FICTION NOVEL! Before the age of ordering books on Amazon, there I was, waiting for Barnes & Noble to open. They unlock the door and in I swoop to snatch up A Destiny of Souls. Was it going to be gay vampires? Gay witches? How was the offspring of one of my two favorite writers (the other was Stephen King) going to carry on his mother’s reign? A quarter through the book and I realized, this was not an Anne Rice book. It dealt with four high school friends in New Orleans in the throws of ego, passion, and a secret murder. Though it wasn’t a gay book, it had gay characters and dealt with the everyday aspects of being a gay youth. It was a mainstream and queer hit, becoming a New York Times Bestseller. With that book, Christopher Rice showed the world that he was his own writer, with his own voice, and he was here to tell his own stories. I have been enamored by his work since. He has amassed a long list of novels in a wide variety of genres, including his latest, Sapphire Dawn, a continuation of his Sapphire Cover series under his pen name, C. Travis Rice, that unapologetically dives into the world of the gay romance novel with a dash of erotica.
Rice had an unconventional beginning, born to author Anne Rice and poet Stan Rice, spending the first decade of his life being raised in the Castro District of San Francisco.
Those early years, particularly in comparison to what came after, were like an alternate reality. I was living in Northern California in the early to mid-1980s in the Reagan era where all of that was being kept out by this army of progressive lesbian school teachers who ran the school I went to where we had no grades. It was fantastic. Everything that came afterwards for like the first five years felt like a living nightmare.
The other thing that was happening was that we were living just two blocks from Castro and Market, and this was one of the ground zeros of the AIDS epidemic. There were stores closing and there were men lining up to buy things like diapers in the drugstore that you wouldn’t expect grown men to be buying. And my mother’s friends were getting sick. I don’t know another seven or eight-year-old who had kind of that front-row seat to what was unfolding in a neighborhood like that.
CHRISTOPHER
THE ELEVATION OF GAY ROMANCE RICE
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
His early literary experience wasn’t Dr. Seuss or Encyclopedia Brown, he found his love for reading in a bit of a different genre.
We had a little library at that experimental school, the lesbian-run school, and there was a mass-market paperback copy of Jaws by Peter Benchley, and I kept going for it. The teacher finally put it up above where I could reach because she felt as permissive as that school was, I was too young to be reading Jaws. If it was scary, I was after it when I was little. I liked being scared. And I also hated being scared. And I think that’s what I’m still after. It was a big problem in my house that I was reading more Stephen King than Anne Rice when I was younger. Rice would be whisked away to New Orleans when he was ten years old. As he grew up, he found himself among the affluent community (even going to school with the Manning boys of football fame), and his sexuality started to come into play, he felt that he didn’t quite fit in. Themes he covered in his debut novel. Interestingly enough, his mother’s books had presented themes of non-binary, pansexuality, bisexuality,
you name it, before these terms were even being presented by the queer community. Still, Rice waited to come out.
I always tell the story of grappling with my sexuality, having been to the gay bars a few times. I went on this trip to Italy with my family and awkwardly came out to them. On the way back in the airport, there was a newspaper article on the front page of The New York Times saying that a new class of drugs radically transform the AIDS epidemic. And I was like, okay, good. Because I was terrified.
I really, really, really wanted to be bisexual. (My mom) thought I might be, but I think her position in that moment was, if you are bisexual, embrace being bisexual. Don’t fall prey to that “pick a side” mentality that people give you. There’s mom as an island and then there’s everybody else. I think I was a little too focused on everybody else. There were a lot of people in my life at that time who said, you’re just doing this for attention. Let me tell you something, there are way better ways to get attention.
It was 1996, they were still saying things about gay people on television that would get you canceled today, people who were senators and celebrities. I think that the ultimate struggle we all fight is within ourselves. We can be assaulted, we can be attacked, but when it comes to our sexuality, what we’re really wrestling with is our own definition of it. The things that we say to ourselves in the quiet of the night are far more powerful than what any bigot can say to us. So it’s about not letting them in in those moments.
Most of Christopher’s fans associate him with New Orleans, and while the assumption and fantasy might be that he was spending his teens in a haunted mansion surrounded by gothic figures and the Rice family kingdom, that wasn’t quite it. The adjustment from living in San Francisco was not an easy one.
Everybody who had been at that wonderful school with me had had the jarring transition of going out into the real world, even if they didn’t leave San Francisco. It was very healing to me to hear that because it wasn’t ultimately about New Orleans. We had been in a very special place that was run by a set of rarefied very liberal principles, and the rest of the world was just not like that. So I had to learn how I had to learn. I remember my dad saying, “You need to get good grades.” I said, “You’ll be happy with the grades I get. They’re an expression of who I am.” And he was like, “Oh, we got a lot of work to do here in the real world.”
There was an adjustment period, and then I kind of snapped into it and got used to the community that I was in. I cut my hair, I got rid of my rat tail. I put on polo shirts and khaki shorts for pretty much the rest of my life in New Orleans. I found a place in theater. Theater was not the most popular choice in my high school, we were a big athletics high school. By senior year, a lot of those things flattened out, the kids grow up. If you’re someone who’s always felt a few steps ahead of the other kids, a lot of them catch up with you by senior year. And so I wasn’t in this constant atmosphere of fear or feeling like I was going to be bullied or assaulted by like junior or senior year. But the first few years were tough.
After high school he went to attend Brown University, thinking he would take the theater
Anne Rice and Christopher Rice
Eric Shaw Quinn and Christopher Rice
world by storm. He did not. He transferred to Tisch School of the Arts in New York City and started studying dramatic writing. It just wasn’t for him, and he was introduced to Los Angeles by friends and he fell instantly in love. Southern California remains his home to this day. He started exploring the world of screenplays.
One of his first Los Angeles friends invited him to a reading series called Spoken Interludes where writers were asked to read one of their short stories. If they were too nervous, there would always be a celebrity or two that would step in.
There were several ideas that had been circling, which I thought were going to be screenplays. I thought, well, this is an opportunity. And it felt kind of like a theater thing as well. So, I wrote this short story that was just all of my repressed sexuality and rage at the Garden District in New Orleans, it was basically a story about a gay rape, for lack of a better term. I read it to this mixed crowd in this bougie West side LA restaurant. There was a mix of well-known actors there and Wendy Malick came up afterward and just shook my hand, I thought, holy shit! I felt like I was doing this crazy thing. I downed like five glasses of wine reading this really gay story in this crowd full of people I didn’t know. The response to it convinced me that it could be something else.
The seed for A Density of Souls was planted. Just as the seed was planted, Christopher was called back to New Orleans, his mother had slipped into a diabetic coma.
I had downtime at night away from the hospital and I just dove in blind. I just took the attitude that maybe what I was writing wasn’t publishable, but it could be fixed down the road. It was totally therapy and it was totally emotional and raw. You never have an experience like that again, writing your first book, because you’ve never been reviewed. You don’t have any book critics living in your head, so it was a very pure experience. You can really just convince yourself you’re writing the greatest thing ever.
The book was a hit. As Rice puts it, the detractors can say his success was due to his mother, but that only gets you so far. He is working on his 16th novel. The pressure to live up to his mother’s reign was palpable. He proved right off the bat that his style was all his own.
Anne used to say, “You, as a writer, process your present in a way that I don’t” She would say things that sounded vaguely insulting, but she wouldn’t mean them to be, like, “I
could never write a book about going to high school.” What she really meant was you are psychologically processing your experience as a human being by way of your present. And for her to get to where she wanted to go creatively, she needed to go into the past, she needed to go into the vampire’s point of view. That was where she found her truth, even though she was expressing a truth that was relevant in the present. That helped me because I think if I thought I had been writing something that was similar to her, or an imitation of her, it would’ve completely shut me down.
His sexuality was highlighted in the media, being labeled a “gay” author, and his last name was highlighted in the media as being the son of Anne Rice. The two headlines meshed and allowed his work to cross over the gay wall into mainstream fandom. Simultaneously he was on the cover of The Advocate and a guest on the Rosie O’Donnell Show. It became very apparent that his inclusion of gay characters and themes was a reflection of the diversity that was happening in the real world, not just to cater to a gay audience and not depending on tragic themes that were prevalent in gay literature that Rice grew up reading. His novels were relevant to both queer and straight audiences.
A lot of his work deals with forbidden love and he’s delved into the world of intrigue, murder, mystery, magic, and even two collaborations with his mother on the Ramses novels. In 2014, he dipped his toes into the erotic romance realm with his novel, The Flame. He has ramped up to his Sapphire Cove novels, starting with Sapphire Sunset in 2021. The series takes place in Southern California, centering on a luxury resort, perfectly detailing the locale, the attitudes, and the different personalities that exist in the gay community. Each book can exist on its own but are a tag team of characters who take turns in the spotlight with each book. For this series, he has created the pen name C. Travis Rice.
I get a lot of people who ask, what are you doing? Why are you putting both names on the cover? And it’s like, look, it makes total sense. I need to tell you that this is going to be a different product. There are not going to be any demonically possessed plants, there’s not going to be a face-stealing serial killer. This is going to be messy, complicated boys falling in love.
The books are delicious and a perfect escape into gay romance and erotica and come at a refreshing time when we are bombarded by social and political attacks on the queer community. Truth be told, Rice had somewhat of contempt towards gay romance
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT, IF I HAVE AN AGENDA, IS TO TELL STORIES ABOUT QUEER MEN THAT MAYBE DIDN’T EXIST WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.”
novels. Gasp! A lot of gay romances are written by women. But Christopher did his research and became enamored by the content and ultimate optimism that each story brought. He learned about other writers and learned about the romance novel fandom. The fact that no one in the novels was dying of some horrible disease and that happily ever after was definitely on the menu appealed to him, tragedy and loss were not the plot climax. The Sapphire Cove series offers all of the romance and bulge-hardening elements that we want, but there’s also a signature Rice substance. It is the elevation of gay romance.
There are temperatures in gradations of romance that are all great. There’s really light and fluffy and deliberately so. There’s the I want a total escape; I want to read about two people falling in love who work in a candy store. And then there’s what I do which is, it’s got this candy coating on it, but there’s kind of some rock salt and a few sharp edges in the middle.
Writing this series has been very intimate for Rice. He’s not able to hide behind bigger-than-life characters or magical circumstances, romance is from the heart.
You have to pull from your own body. It’s really personal. I wasn’t prepared for that because I had just come off a series I wrote for Amazon Publishing The Burning Girl series, which was really fun and I really loved it, but it was way more mainstream. It was really from the point of view of a straight woman with a superpower at her disposal. It was very different from this. It wasn’t like I told this story out of my past. It was because these are my desires as a man. These are my hopes and ambitions for an idealized relationship.
The Sapphire Cove series also deals with hot topics from the gay community. Themes like monogamy, open relationships, cheating, mental abuse, and jealousy are all explored. His new book in the series, Sapphire Dawn, is about a former porn star who discovers he doesn’t want casual encounters and an event planner who is set in his ways, both dealing with a horrific relationship from their past. Will they let their defenses down and find love? Throw in an undercover agent and the mob, and you’ve arrived at Sapphire Cove. Again, Rice is drawing from his own experiences and trends in the gay community.
I’ve never been in a relationship that was open with my knowledge. And I think what I was convinced of in my twenties is
not what I’m convinced of necessarily in terms of what I need today. I had an interesting experience with the third book in the series which has a character who identifies as ace (asexual), which was new for me. That person has a desire for deep romantic relationships that don’t include sexual intercourse, which can absolutely happen and it’s a valid identity. So, for the first time, I was looking at the sexuality spectrum. There’s ace, there’s demisexual, there’s sapiosexual, and there’s aromantic. I was talking with a friend recently – am I polyamorous? Am I coming to the realization that I’ve never really landed with one person? The irony of this is that I don’t hop on Grindr, I’ve never really been on the apps. I would rather watch porn than have a stranger in my house. I’m working on a novella in the Sapphire Cove universe that explores the throuple. So, I’m dealing with the polyamory of that, it may just be I’m getting too into character.
I have a great life. And my life does not feel incomplete because I don’t have a partner. I’m content. I would love to meet someone, but it would need to be somebody who also has a great life or has their own life, and we can sort of share certain things together. I’m not a 23-year-old who’s out looking to build a home with somebody. I have different priorities now. My mother said towards the end of her life, “You’re just a bachelor. That’s who you are. You like your alone time. You like to be on your own.”
Looking towards the future, he has the responsibility of carrying on the Rice family legacy, which he has done remarkably well considering it is a constant reminder that he lost his best friend. He is also co-partner with Eric Shaw Quinn for The Dinner Party Show Network, where the two have built a very popular podcast currently focusing on true crime, with more projects on the way. With all of that, he is still finding time in the day to connect with fans and continue his writing.
There are moments where it feels confusing, but there are also moments where it presents incredible opportunities. (The Dinner Partner Network) is really going to become the home for future Anne Rice projects, in television and film. It’ll produce the Celebration of Life. We look at the property she has that nobody has really done anything meaningful with and we think, God, there’s so much potential here. There are moments where I think, am I going to have to abandon my own writing to be the CEO of the Anne
I HAVE A GREAT LIFE. AND MY LIFE DOES NOT FEEL INCOMPLETE BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE A PARTNER. I’M CONTENT. ”
Rice legacy? You learn how to write where you can. I got the Sapphire Cove series written by waking up at six in the morning and doing it before anything else could intrude.
This is going to make me sound possibly like a grumpy, older person, but I think your career is going to be what it’s going to be. I think you want to show up and you want to try for the stuff you’re really passionate about, but you have to be willing to adapt to what happens because it’s not all going to go perfectly. I don’t make too many longterm plans really when it comes to it, that’s how I stay sane. I’ve always got a folder full of ideas. Some of them grow legs and some of them don’t. I always want to be writing a book that I care about.
I think the most important, if I have an agenda, is to tell stories about queer men that maybe didn’t exist when I was younger. It’s not to say I’m the only one telling them, but I don’t know if there were books like this in 1996, I don’t think they would’ve been popular. They would’ve been dismissed as too mainstream, too shiny, and too glossy. Everything needed to be a little bit more serious. I want to fill in the gaps and right now the thing that I have a really burning obsession with is historical fiction and excavating the history of queer people who have been erased from history. What steps to the forward usually does so organically as a result of what’s happening around me. ■
The Sapphire Cove series is available wherever you get books.
Head to ChristopherRicebooks.com
PAGE 30, 32, 33 : PHOTOS BY WADLEY
LISTENERS OF SIRIUS KNOW JOHN ARTHUR HILL FOR HIS WEEKLY, WITTY REPARTEE AND QUEER COMEDIC LOOK AT LIFE AND POP CULTURE AS CO-HOST ON ANDY COHEN LIVE AND ON HIS OWN SHOW, THE JOHN HILL SHOW Social media lovers know John for his sexy thirst traps, viral song parodies, and funny one-on-ones. Musical theatre aficionados have seen John in Broadway’s Hairspray and The Boy from Oz and from Off-Broadway’s Bare. Reality TV fans have seen his work on Top Chef, Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List, Project Runway, Watch What Happens Live, and more. Combine all of that with John’s live touring shows and standup, you wonder how this man has time to sleep… and workout. He is an entertainment industry renaissance man and his journey to today has been a winding one.
John is a proud San Antonio boy. He stayed local until his stint singing country music at Fiesta Six Flags in his late teens. Growing up in Texas was a grab bag for Hill. Yes, he found his love of entertainment, but he also had that all too familiar grapple with his sexuality. But through that, he started forming his sense of humor.
Growing up in Texas was actually pretty great. It was the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. Anne Richards was in office, Clinton was President, people were way more liberal there than they are currently. So, I was out. I had friends who knew I was gay, but I was raised in a Christian conservative environment, so I definitely was closeted for a long time as well. A select people knew.
I was a theater kid. I think if I have a biting sense of humor, it’s probably a trauma response. It’s probably like a rage response that comes from growing up in a shame-drenched Christian church all my life. I worked at Disneyland once and this guy turned to me, I was 19, and he had had it with my attitude and he was like, “You are the youngest, old, bitter queen I have ever met!” And in that moment, I was like, wow, he really sized me up. But it was true. At 19, I was like with a cigarette, eye roll, checking the manicure. If there had been Drag Race at that time, I would’ve just like become a drag queen and gone on Drag Race. I was just always reading, always like above it. I just had such an attitude problem. But I was a theater kid. I always was a comedian of sorts and a performer and a musician, but I was not the jock, and I was kind of like a quiet class clown. I would sit in the back with one person and judge and read and make fun.
JOHN ARTHUR HILL
NONE OF THIS IS SERIOUS
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
He would leave San Antonio to attend Pepperdine University in Southern California to study acting, using his Christian upbringing to his advantage.
I was on a Christian scholarship at Pepperdine and I kind of scammed the system because I was raised in a church that was affiliated with Pepperdine and was looking around at my options, I didn’t have every college offering me a big full ride, but Pepperdine offered me a ton of money because of my religious connection. So, I took their Christian money and I went out there and got myself a boyfriend my freshman year. It was a little bit of a culture shock, but it was such a conservative school that we were in a little bubble up in Malibu and all the conservative people were just like the people I’d grown up with in high school, so it was kind of easy. The culture shock happened when I moved to New York.
Right after Pepperdine, he booked his first big, professional theatre gig in the Broadway national
tour of Miss Saigon. Being that young and sowing his oats, did he behave while on his first tour? I was so well-behaved because it was such a big break for me. All I wanted was to be in a big Broadway show and I finally booked my dream. I loved Miss Saigon. It was, at that point, the biggest show, it was just the biggest deal. The role was so demanding, vocally, that I didn’t drink, I didn’t smoke. I had to keep my voice in tip-top shape. I was a late bloomer when it came to partying. I saw the country, I learned how to tour, I learned how to travel quickly with not many bags. It was the dream job to get paid to just tour. And you feel like a little celebrity in every little city you’re in. It was a dream. Being part of the tour would bring him back to New York City and into the lap of the Broadway production of Hairspray. As destiny would have it, the production was shuffling actors and parts and Hill was brought in to replace Matt Morrison, who was moved up to play the role of Link. Hill would get his first Broadway credit.
I dramatically came in at the last minute. Then we did the out-of-town tryout together pre-Broadway in Seattle. Then when we got to New York, and it was one of the highlights of my life. I had struggled with my parents because they were very conservative, and it took us a long, long time to get cool with everything. But they were there, they came, and they supported, which was a big deal to me. It was just a very emotional night. My parents were meeting my best friends and these small-town people from my little family coming to see a big Broadway show, I was so happy to get to show them that. I felt accomplished and proud.
John went on to play Mark Herron and understudy Hugh Jackman in Broadway’s The Boy from Oz. He found it a growing experience, coming off of the Tony Award-winning Hairspray from going back into the wings, waiting for his time in the starring role. Hugh Jackman never called out sick, so John never took the spotlight. He openly admits that it was a challenge for him and that his attitude could have been better. But, looking back on the growing pains, he honors the experience and the opportunity to share a scene with Jackman every night in a show that has every gay diva’s dream, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.
After The Boy from Oz, he took part in the original, Off-Broadway Bare: A Pop Opera in a leading role. The show was cut short, and John’s entire career pivoted. From that point on, his resume and experiences spread wider than a CVS receipt. Broadway would be in the rearview mirror as the world of TV would envelop him. Even with his success on TV, he would continue to challenge himself and get back to his roots in the form of radio and his own, individual time in the spotlight.
We had a six-month break (from Bare) when we weren’t allowed to work because the show was going to transfer. It never did. But we were kind of paid to sit around so I wrote a screenplay based on a show choir. I was dating Andy Cohen at the time, and he read it and he was like, you should pitch this to World of Wonder and see what they think. I flew to LA and I pitched it. They were like, we don’t make movies, but we can work with you on this to make it a docuseries reality show. So when that ball started rolling, I was probably 28 at that point, I started thinking, do I want to continue pounding the
I WAS A THEATER KID. I THINK IF I HAVE A BITING SENSE OF HUMOR, IT’S PROBABLY A TRAUMA RESPONSE. I WORKED AT DISNEYLAND ONCE AND THIS GUY TURNED TO ME, I WAS 19, AND HE HAD HAD IT WITH MY ATTITUDE AND HE WAS LIKE, “YOU ARE THE YOUNGEST, OLD, BITTER QUEEN I HAVE EVER MET!”
pavement? I’ve had these great breaks on Broadway, I couldn’t imagine bigger breaks. But I wanted to see what else I could do so I really went with it and I started working at World of Wonder. I started hustling really hard and moved to LA and I thought maybe I would just try. It just seemed like a respectable, cool job, I’ll just be a TV producer. Lo and behold, I ended up missing Broadway so much that I found myself back on the radio, which is my version of performing and improvising live on the radio and kind of doing standup. And now I do my show where I tour around and write original songs and I perform. So, I miss performing a ton. That is my true calling. That’s what I do best. I’m great if I can speak and sing and perform and make people laugh. And that’s as simple as I try to keep it.
When I got sober, I turned 40 and started thinking, what is my life adding up to? I can’t just always be chasing approval from my parents or feeling bad that I’m this or trying to be that. I think if you look back at who you were at like age 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, early as a kid, what made you happy then is probably the same thing that’s true now. And that’s true for me. I was always doing
silly things around the house, making up stories, making up songs, making little movies, and so I was like, you know what? I’m just going to keep doing that.
As a gay man, he had the opportunity to infuse his queer style and sensibility into shows like Project Runway and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
For me, it’s such a part of my voice. My identity is wrapped up in my humor. I luckily never felt any pushback. I always felt very encouraged on all those shows to bring that sense, my unique POV, and that’s why I was hired on those shows with a unique perspective and unique sense of humor.
Each week, John finds himself “on,” expending energy on the two radio shows, his social media, and on stage. How does he handle his mental health and that pressure to be the persona we’ve come to know?
My dog, number one, helps with that. But if I’m not performing or on the radio or something, I don’t overexert. I’m an introvert. I like to be at home. I like to be quiet. I like to recharge. I need some time alone. I really just spend a lot of time writing music and writing stuff. I don’t get out in the mix. I’m not like a social butterfly by any means.
I’m grateful to have this job. I feel so lucky that I figured out that doing this makes me happy and that trying to fit into another profession is bad for my mental health. So, if my job is to show up and make people laugh, it’s really easy and I’m really grateful for it. Gratitude keeps me, I know that’s cheesy to say, but it’s true. I would be so unhappy if I had stayed in the closet as a kid and if I was a music minister at a Christian church in Texas, I would be suicidal. I’m so lucky to get to do what I do.
Another aspect of John’s social media fame is his body. More than many social media commentators are enamored by his handsome face, muscled body, and glimpses at what’s under his clothes. How does he deal with the body image pressures inflicted by the gay and entertainment community?
Man, it has been such a journey. First of all, this is new. I was such a drunk, like an alcoholic and drug addict for so long that I never would ever take my shirt off. I hated myself. I hated my body. And then when I got sober, I saw my dad’s health was failing. I was like, okay, you’re 43. Are you gonna be diabetic? Are you gonna get heart disease? Are you gonna do all this stuff? I think every person goes through that moment where they’re like, oh, I should probably clean up my act. But I really did. I took it seriously because my dad ended up dying and I felt like I needed to change my lifestyle. I got sober. I started working out little by little. I couldn’t even do a pushup toward the end of the pandemic. Not even one. But just day by day, I got a little healthier. I was eating ice cream for breakfast, it was COVID.
The other thing I’ll add though, there is a ticking clock on this. That’s why I’m doing it now. That’s why I’m getting it. I’m ringing everything I can out of this dish rag because I’m 46. I’m not going to be a 50-year-old in his underwear. Or if I do, it’ll be that version of that. But I’m holding, I’m trying to keep my insides as tight and right as the outsides.
John is very unapologetic with his comedy, his sarcasm and edge, even his embracing of sexuality, have become his brand. He doesn’t feel the need to hold back, even in our current political and social climate, and has even found it a tool in building bridges with the other side.
I think as long as I’m authentic and honest, I’m not too worried about what I say because people come to my shows. If
you write down the actual words I’m saying, it does sound graphic, but when you’re there in the spirit of what I’m saying, I’m just trying to entertain and be funny. I’m not saying things for shock value. I never do. I’m not a shock person. I find that if I say something, even if it’s off-color, if it’s from an authentic place and if I’m making a point, it goes over well. I do not feel pressured to do more, and I don’t feel pressured to do less. If anything, I try to just challenge myself to listen to other people if we have differing views.
That’s been the great thing about working at Sirius is we have a lot of conservative listeners. Instead of saying like, here’s why that’s stupid, I try to say, okay, great, where are you coming from? It makes for a better discussion. It makes for a better radio anyway. My job is to entertain. Say the zombie apocalypse happens, or the Civil War breaks out and I have to entertain people who are not in my political party, I’m going to have to figure that out somehow. So I try to just keep an open mind and try to have compassion too.
John’s latest stand-up show, John Hill is Gooning, is popping up everywhere this summer. If you don’t know what“gooning”is, Google it. Just don’t Google it at work. The show, part improv, is a culmination of all of John’s talents.
The live show is where it’s at. It is so funny. I love getting up. It took me a while to find my groove with stand-up in particular. There are musical songs, there are original songs that I write that are funny. I guess I would say I’m a comedic musician. I play piano. They’re all timely. Sometimes I’ll tell a story and then sing a song. It’s not like a cabaret. Sometimes I improvise. I’ve been doing it more and more where I improvise most of it in between the songs and that’s been going over really well. I love, love doing it. It’s definitely an extension of the radio, I love performing live.
I started kind of from scratch again. I had always been performing, but in terms of a solo, I’ve always been Andy’s co-host or someone’s co-host or part of a team or part of a show. And if I knew then what I know now, I might’ve been too scared to do it. I just started with one show a little over a year ago and thought, I’m going to get up every once a month and see if people respond to what I’m doing. And then before I knew it, I had a residency in New York. I
I THINK AS LONG AS I’M AUTHENTIC AND HONEST, I’M NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT WHAT I SAY BECAUSE PEOPLE COME TO MY SHOWS.”
was doing three shows a month and then it took off and I just kind of am constantly on tour. I was always too scared to play anything in front of people. I was too scared to play piano in front of people until about a year and a half ago. I kind of played in secret for all my life. When people would be out of the house, I would practice piano, I would write songs. And then I thought, these are stupid. No one wants to hear these. And I was like, well, they’re funny. I’ll just start performing them live.
Who knows where John’s career will go next? With so many open roads, it really is the dealer’s choice. Beyond the persona we see on camera, he is down to earth, optimistic in his realism, and a joy to chat with. And his message to the community this Pride season?
This is not serious. None of this is serious. I say my jokes with a straight face, and I like being a dramatic comedian and I’m dry and sarcastic. But this is all for entertainment. It does look like we’re headed into some dark territories in the months ahead, and my job in life is to bring a little bit of joy to people and lift the mood. And so that’s my message, try to keep it light and just be authentic. Feel free to laugh. ■
For everything John, head to www.johnhill.online
John Hill is Gooning continues to tour the US.
TIPS FOR A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MONEY
SETTING ASIDE EMOTIONS CAN AID RATIONAL DECISIONS
BY JENNIFER DAY
MONEY MAY NOT BUY HAPPINESS, BUT STUDIES SHOW THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH IT CAN IMPACT YOUR HEALTH. It’s not surprising that research has demonstrated a clear correlation between stress about money and poor physical and psychological health. If we add the current health and economic crises into the mix, stress about money is almost unavoidable.
In March 2020, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) revealed the results of a study that highlighted the economic risks to LGBTQ people from the expected economic fallout due to the coronavirus. There are an estimated 14 million LGBTQ adults, with an additional 2 million gay youth, in the United States according to the HRC. The nonprofit’s study revealed that more than 5 million LGBT workers had jobs that are more likely to be impacted by COVID-19. Most specifically, those were jobs in the restaurant and food services, hospital, education, and retail industries. Forty percent of all LGBTQ people work in the five industries most affected by the pandemic.
Anything you can do to improve your relationship with money can go a long way toward helping, not only your finances but potentially, your physical and mental health.
RECOGNIZING THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION.
It’s well known that stress can trigger unhealthy habits. We’ve all heard of stress eating and, in some cases, drinking. Long-term stress — including anxiety about money — can trigger a bump in cortisol, which increases appetite. There’s also evidence that stress can affect food preferences, prompting people to increase their intake of fatty and sugary treats. Indulging in comfort foods regularly can, in turn, lead to weight gain and health problems such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, creating an unvirtuous cycle.
MONEY STIRS UP ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS.
Financial education is often seen as the solution to helping people manage their money, but financial coaches and therapists say education is not the only component. The more anxious someone is about money, the less likely they are to deal with it. Many people who are deeply anxious about money will handle that anxiety with avoidance. Unfortunately, their avoidance increases their anxiety and then they want to avoid things even more. Because of that mental block, telling someone who is stressed about money to start tracking their daily spending or creating a budget can be a tall order. Take small steps towards regaining control over your finances.
BE RATIONAL AND TRAIN YOUR BRAIN.
Because dealing with money or avoiding dealing with money can be fraught with emotion, therapists say the first step is to acknowledge the emotional component. The goal is to acknowledge the emotional part of the brain and to appeal to the executive functioning, decisionmaking part of the brain. Changing your behavior is not easy. Changing your mindset can be even harder. But a healthy relationship with money is better for your health — and probably for your wallet, too.
SOME EXERCISES TO GET YOU STARTED.
There’s a rational part of the brain, but also an emotional part of the brain that sometimes wants to take over. Acknowledging the emotions could help you set those feelings aside and appeal to your rational self. Setting aside emotions can help you make more rational decisions about your money and many other things in this life. Realize that little choices add up, whether it’s about spending, diet, or anything else. Every penny really does make a difference. Best of all, you can control your financial choices.
So, while it is human nature to stress about your career, finances, and the future. Try this advice I give to myself: Take steps to build your credit, lower your debt, and remember to save. We can reap the rewards both physically and mentally and look toward a brighter future.
GAMES WIDE OPEN
LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
AT PRESS TIME, PARIS IS SET TO HOST ITS BIGGEST EVENT EVER WHEN AN ESTIMATED 10,500 ATHLETES COME TO COMPETE IN THE 2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS. The official motto for this year’s competition was announced by the President of Paris 2024 Tony Estanguet as “Games Wide Open.” In his official and bold statement, he declares that the motto is “power, the power to open our hearts and minds, to stop seeing differences as obstacles. The power to write the greatest collective story of a whole generation, through everyone’s contribution, by giving room for everyone.”The Paris Olympics marks a milestone for our community and beyond. This is the first competition where there will be an equal split between men and women at 50/50, competing in 32 sports over 339 events. This will also be the first Olympics in which we have the most openly LGBTQ athletes participating. The lead into Pride season was full of athletes coming out, almost every week, as they announced their participation in this summer’s Games. Fitting, considering the official motto.
Even before the Games begin, our queer community will be represented at the opening ceremonies. Queer identifying ceremony director Thomas Jolly will be at the helm for both the opening and closing festivities. He is a leading art director in France, and he sat down with Vogue for an exclusive and shared that his mission with the ceremonies is to make “everyone to feel represented.” He has talked about his journey as a queer man, having been bullied as a kid who found his safe space in the theatrical world. He got the job by submitting a proposal of how he would direct the ceremonies to a French newspaper. Soon after, he was contacted by the Olympics executive director and Paris’ mayor and now he is commissioned to add his queer sensibility and vision to this year’s Games.
NIKKI HILTZ
Nonbinary and trans runner Nikki Hiltz is the reigning 1500-meter national champion and will compete in the Summer Olympics after qualifying at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials. They hold the record as the second-fastest 1500 by a US athlete ever and as the fifth-fastest in the world for 2024. They also hold the record for the 2023 national championship in Olympic Trials as well as winning four USATF national titles and taking home the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor World Championships in the 1500 this year. They had previously thought they would have to wait until retirement to come out, due to the division of the queer community and the running world. After seeing four runners come out during 2020’s Virtual Pride 5K benefiting the Trevor Project, they decided it was time to live their truth. Their coming out is particularly prudent considering the number of anti-trans bills that have been introduced this year. They hold the mantra that keeps them on the winning streak, “If you win, you will be seen. The camera follows the athlete in the lead, the interview goes to the athlete who wins.”Visibility for the trans community is crucial this year.
NICO YOUNG
21-year-old Nico Young will make US and queer history as the first out gay male US track and field Olympian. In 2021, he came out to his team, and his close friends and family. A year later, he made his sexuality public by coming out in an Instagram post. In his post, he declared, “Anyone who tells you that being gay is a choice is wrong. I am living proof that it is not a choice; it is something I have always known and been aware of, but have kept silent out of fear of rejection. I have struggled to accept myself, but I am becoming more proud and happy with who I am. I have realized that the only reason I never liked this part of who I am was because of what society has told me, not because of how I actually feel.”
This Southern California native became a runner for Northern Arizona University and his career has been on the rise becoming an NCAA Record Holder and NCAA Champion. He qualified for the Olympic team after coming in third in the men’s 10,000 meters at the track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. In a chat with Runner’s World, he talked about the number of LGBTQ youth who have reached out, thanking him for coming out. He hopes his coming out will inspire others in the sports world and for queer youth in sports to live their truth.
LAUREN SCRUGGS
Lauren Scruggs is the first Black, openly lesbian athlete to compete in fencing at this year’s Olympics. She has been fencing since she was six years old, being inspired by her older brother’s fencing, and this will be her first Games. She currently fences for Harvard University, helping bring the Ivy League school to the NCAA Championship, after the school’s 20-year absence. She won the 2023 NCAA women’s championship in foil and NCAA runner-up this year.
She has been open about her three-year relationship on social media and credits her girlfriend for being part of her Olympic journey. She will compete as an individual and for Team USA in fencing.
RAVEN SAUNDERS
Competing in the shot put this year for the US team, Raven Saunders will be taking part in their third Olympics, winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, and having participated in the Rio Olympics. Their opening throw at this year’s Trials reached 65 feet 2 ¾ inches. She caused a sensation when receiving their silver medal in Tokyo, they crossed their arms above their head in an “X” to represent that intersection of all people. It was considered a form of protest, and they were investigated by the International Olympic Committee. The investigation was later dropped. They came out to their mother when they were in third grade and were outed to other classmates in the sixth grade. Saunders states that it wasn’t until ninth grade that they felt truly out and proud. Sadly, their mother passed away shortly after the Tokyo Olympics. They are known for their big personality on the track and on social media, sporting bold looks while competing, and have talked about the support of their sponsors who appreciate their spirit and outspoken personality.
HALEIGH WASHINGTON
Representing the bisexual community, Haleigh Washington will compete in her second Olympics in volleyball, winning the gold medal with the US Team at the Tokyo Olympics. The US Team won in all three games, winning the first-ever gold medal for US volleyball. Haleigh came out as bi in a Tweet and quickly followed up on Instagram as to why she came out, “I’m not trying to talk about my sexuality because I want to be brave or a trailblazer. I talk about my sexuality because I want to be myself. So, I guess today’s thought is just: if there are things that are holding you back from being your most authentic self, I hope you find a way to combat that, and to just be you, because you are perfect and beautiful exactly as you are, whatever that may be.”
The Black community has also lauded her presence at the Olympics as there is low visibility in the volleyball sports industry. Youth that continue on to professional football are seen to have a place on the court because of coming from middle to high-class families who can afford to go to schools where volleyball is of importance. The US volleyball team goes into the Paris Olympics ranking fifth in the world.
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON
Also representing the bisexual community is sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. Coming out in 2015 on Twitter, she has made a name for herself and has been honored in some pretty big ways. Last year she won gold medals at both the USA Track and Field Nationals and World Championships. USA Track and Field named her the 2023 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year. Later that year, Dallas proclaimed November 10th as Sha’Carri Richardson Day, and her high school christened a Sha’Carri Richardson track on the field. Of the high school honor, she told Fox News, “I see that little girl who stood right here at Kincade. I told my mama I want to be great. I told my godparents I want to be better. I told my family I want to take care of them, and being right here in the moment, able to look back and see that I’m able to do that and more, I don’t want to stop.”
She qualified for this year’s Games with a running time of 10.71 in the 100-meter, making her the fastest woman in the world this year. She has also become a social media star with over three million Instagram followers and stars like Cardi B showing their support. After qualifying for the Olympics, she stated “I’d say the message I’m sending out is to believe in yourself no matter what.”
CHELSEA GRAY
Chelsea Gray returns with the US Women’s Basketball team for the second time, after taking home the team’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She was also a member of the 2022 USA Women’s National Team, capturing its 11th World Cup gold medal in Sydney. She currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Chelsea was named the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP.
Chelsea got married to a former college basketball player in 2019, after meeting her at a Long Beach State open gym. This last February, she and her wife welcomed their first baby. She shares a lot from her personal and family life on her popular Instagram.
TREY CUNNINGHAM
US track athlete Trey Cunningham is among the most recent athletes to come out. Raised in a rural, conservative town in Alabama, Cunningham just didn’t see being gay as possible. He came out to his close family and friends five years ago and told The New York Times that he’s had to lead a double life and that there are other athletes who are struggling by staying in the closet.“There are lots of people who are in this weird space. They’re not out. But it is kind of understood.” A day after he came out, he won the 110-meter hurdle at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix. He has also been named as the Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
He did not make the Olympics this time around but is ranked 11th in the world. He also won the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He continues to compete internationally and his coming out puts him at a safety risk in countries where homosexuality is still illegal or unprotected.
TOM DALEY
Representing Great Britain, four-time Olympic medal winner Tom Daley will compete in his last Olympics, competing with sports partner Noah Willamson in synchronized diving. This will make him the first British diver to compete at five total Olympic Games. Daley started diving when he was 7 years old and started competing nationally and internationally by the age of nine. Participating in the 2008 Summer Olympics, he became Britain’s youngest athlete to compete, and the youngest from any nation to reach finals. He became the first diver from Great Britain to earn four Olympic medals at the Tokyo Games. If he wins this year, he will join fellow queer athlete Greg Louganis in a very small group of five-time medal winners.
Daley came out ten years ago on his popular YouTube channel in a video that has over 13 million views. After coming out, he became an avid LGBTQ activist and made headlines again when he married Hollywood mogul Dustin Lance Black. They have two sons together. Daley retired from competitive diving but has returned for this year’s Olympics so his oldest son can watch him in person at the Summer Games. This year he also released his first children’s book.“Jack Splash” is an adventure story about a not-so-successful diver trying to impress his father, who is also his coach. This will be a bittersweet end to his Olympic career as he has become a fan favorite.
AROUND THE WORLD
DAN JERVIS
British swimmer Dan Jervis came out in 2022, right before competing in his third Commonwealth Games. Previously he won the bronze in 2014 and the silver in 2018 in the 1500-meter freestyle. The timing of his coming out was intentional and he told the BBC,“Now is a good time for me because the Commonwealth Games is in a month’s time and there’s going to be a lot of people watching that and there’s so many countries in the Commonwealth where being gay is illegal. And for me to be [visible] on that stage and to inspire people is what I’m here to do.”
He has credited other out gay athletes for his motivation and almost considered retiring two years ago. He has been training harder than ever for this year’s Games and qualified in the 1500-meter with a time of 14:47.94. He did compete at the Tokyo Olympics but stated that his nerves got in the way.
CAMPBELL HARRISON
Climbing was first welcomed into the Olympics during the Tokyo Games. Climber Campbell Harrison will make sports and LGBTQ history as the first openly gay competitor at the Paris Games, representing Australia. He qualified by winning the boulder and lead events at the Oceania Olympics trials last November.
Having very limited queer representation growing up, he was afraid to come out due to feeling inferior. He came out to his parents and the world during Pride 2021, speaking at a ClimbingQ panel and addressing the need for inclusion and representation in the world of climbing. During his speech, he stated, “Queerness is not a deficit that I was unfortunate to be born with, it’s an asset that both sets me apart from the crowd and connects me to so many others. By embracing myself as both a gay man and an athlete I have the ability to assure young people, who may be feeling the apprehension that I did, that gay people are not only all around us, but we don’t have to hide who we are to get respect.”The media captured him kissing his boyfriend upon qualifying for the Paris Games.
CARL HESTER
Carl Hester is a legend in the Olympics world. This 57-year-old Dressage competitor will be making his seventh Olympics appearance, representing Great Britain. His first Olympics were for the 1992 Games as the youngest British rider in history, making this summer a 32-year journey. He won the 1985 Young Dressage Ride Championship for Great Britain and made a name for himself by qualifying for the World Championships just five years later. He was Britain’s only out gay athlete when London hosted the Olympics in 2012. He was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire the next year.
He won a gold at the London Olympics and a silver in Rio and a bronze in Tokyo. He will be one of the oldest athletes competing this year, and there is a biopic about his life in development.
TIMO CAVELIUS
Also making sports and queer history, Timo Cavelius will become the first openly gay athlete to compete in judo at this year’s Games, representing Germany. He has been trying for years to make the team and in order to win the gold medal, will have to place 1st in six matches.
Timo came out at the age of 15 but kept his relationship with his boyfriend a secret. He told Instagram,“I didn’t have the courage to say that he was my steady boyfriend. It was just exhausting always acting as if I had a girlfriend or was attracted to the opposite sex.” He credits his sports psychologist for the motivation to come out professionally. He often competes in countries where homosexuality is still a big no-no in the world of sports, especially considering the close contact between competitors.
HERGIE BACYADAN
Hergie will be representing the trans community by making his Olympic debut in boxing. Hergie will take part in the largest number of Filipino boxers to qualify for the Olympics in 28 years. In 2023, he won the 2023 World Championship in the Vietnamese martial art of vovinam. He will compete in the women’s division because he has not undergone hormone replacement therapy.
He has faced discrimination and the Russian vovinam team wanted this gold medal for the World Championship taken away. He and his wife have been staunch activists in the Philippines and have been witness to the nation’s protections for the queer and trans community. If he earns a medal, he will be the first trans athlete to place at the Olympics.
AROUND THE WORLD
JACK WOOLLEY
Representing Ireland, Jack Woolley makes his return to the Olympics after the Tokyo Games, a first for his nation. This taekwondo athlete was a winner at the European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification tournament in Bulgaria in March. He previously won silver medals at the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 European Games.
He came out as bisexual in a documentary in 2020, and later regretted it, telling Ireland’s Extra,“I just wish I never labeled it. I still don’t like labeling it. People are just hell-bent on giving everyone labels nowadays.”
His entire family was not aware of his sexuality, and he states that the documentary just made it an uncomfortable situation. After coming out, he claimed that some athletes refused to shake his hand. He has since become more comfortable with being out and met his boyfriend shortly after the Tokyo Games. He has since added hashtags regarding his sexuality and pictures of his boyfriend on his social media. His boyfriend will join his family at the Paris Games.
NICK ALBIERO
Swimmer Nick Albiero will be representing Brazil for his Olympics debut this summer. Albiero won the gold in the 200-meter butterfly at the Brazil swimming championships and became the third-fastest Brazilian time in the event’s history. Nick is US-born and has dual citizenship in Brazil. He came out on Instagram in 2020 after attending a Pride event with his sister. After being bullied when he was young, he was afraid to come out due to the locker room environment. He says the feedback to his coming out has all been positive. He specialized in the butterfly for the University of Louisville and has won two national championships. He has achieved a five-time conference champion in one event — the 200-yard butterfly in the ACC, a rarity. He also set the record as the second-fastest 200-yard butterfly time in history, globally.
TYLER WRIGHT
Tyler Wright will be representing Australia in the surfing competition this year. She won the World Surf League Women’s World Champion in 2016 and 2017. She came out as bisexual in 2020 in an interview on a popular Australian series. Her coming out came on the heels of spending 14 months in bed with a debilitating case of influenza and chronic fatigue syndrome. She told USA Today, “I was away from the tour, from surfing, for almost two years. It was a really hard time, and I had a lot of things stripped away from me. I had to sit with who I was and then think about the person I was presenting to the world. I felt like there was a bit of a disconnection between that.”
She further displayed her queerness by donning the Progress Pride flag at the 2020 Maui Pro tournament. She met the woman of her dreams in 2021 and the two are married. Part of a surfer family, her brother won a bronze medal during the Tokyo Games. She has a strong chance of placing this summer, and her competition will take place in Tahiti rather than Paris. She has spoken openly about the lack of queer representation in the surfer genre as well as the disparity between female and male professional surfers.
To show how much queer representation has grown in the Olympic Games, 35 openly LGBTQ athletes competed in the 2002 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. That increased to 222 out athletes who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Paris Games will see even more. Athlete Ally, GLAAD, and Pride House Paris have joined forces to ensure that inclusive, fair, and accurate coverage of LGBTQ athletes and topics will be in place. They also report that 68% of Americans believe that all athletes, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to compete. Also, 58% of the US believe that queer athletes are a good representation of the nation, and that inclusion builds better understanding and awareness. With all of the social and political turmoil happening around the globe, the Paris Olympics might just be the band-aid the world needs.
GLOBAL SPA RETREATS
BRING REST AND REJUVENATION
BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES
EVERYONE CAN USE A SPA VACATION AFTER THIS PAST YEAR. AND LUCKILY, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF NEW AND TRUSTED TREATMENTS TO TURN TO ALL OVER THE WORLD. We surveyed the globe and found some of the best spas to check out as soon as you’re ready to don a robe and slippers for your pampering. Be sure to follow local guidelines for safety and find a window to rest and rejuvenate on your spa day. Soak it all in, you deserve it!
The Blue Lagoon was formed in 1976 during the operation of a nearby geothermal power plant. Its geothermal water has a unique composition of three active ingredients: silica, algae, and minerals. The water is a blend of fresh and seawater, combined at extreme temperatures rising at just about 100-degrees Fahrenheit. People started bathing in the lagoon and noticed the incredible effects it had on their skin. In 2005 the New Blue Lagoon Clinic opened with a variety of retail shops, building on the existing spa with skincare lines. Guests can opt to stay at the glamorous Silica Hotel with sweeping views of the nearby lava fields. The standard entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon (which includes a Silica Mud Mask, a towel, and a first drink of your choice) is $72. The luxury pass will grant you entrance to the Retreat Spa, a private changing suite, spa care amenities, a drink of your choice, and access to eight subterranean spaces as well as the Spa Restaurant. Take your spa day to the next level at the Blue Lagoon by adding on their Signature Massage, a 120-minute in-water massage in the revitalizing powers of geothermal seawater.
CASA SPA AT HOTEL PUNTA ISLITA, COSTA RICA
www.hotelpuntaislita.com
Hotel Punta Islita is a Costa Rican luxury property that connects guests with the vibrant culture and legendary landscapes of its surroundings. Located in Guanacaste, one of the most popular provinces in Costa Rica, this resort boasts one of the best ocean views in the country. Venture into a lush tropical garden to discover Hotel Punta Islita’s Casa Spa, home to “pampered wellness.” From the moment you are greeted with a relaxing cup of just-brewed herbal tea you will feel a true taste of Costa Rica’s legendary hospitality. Beauty rituals, Costa Rican traditional healing arts, and local herbalist wisdom are artfully combined to gently relieve modern stress. Casa Spa’s ample selection of treatments offer options for the whole family and includes massages, aromatherapy baths, body scrubs, and skin nourishing wraps. Keep the wellness going throughout your stay at Hotel Punta Islita, with on-site Pilates/Yoga, guided arm stretches to “channel the ocean’s energy” and take some time in the resort’s infinity-edge pool that merges with the ocean horizon. What a great way to start (or finish) each day!
EAU PALM BEACH RESORT & SPA, FLORIDA
www.eaupalmbeach.com
Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, situated on the expansive and inspiring backdrop of Florida’s gold coast, offers fun in the sun, an intimate ocean retreat, and a place to unplug and find your inner bliss. Indulge in the warm Florida sunshine, with chic accommodations designed by Jonathan Adler, and the award-winning Eau Spa. Step into the adorably titled Self-Centered Garden, a true oasis with cabanas, lush water gardens, a central dipping pool and swinging chairs for lounging and playing. The spa itself is a 42,000 square foot wonderland, a mix of play and relaxation. Planning on getting a few treatments? Eau Spa offers a completely customizable experience including a selection of scents, color therapy, tailored music, and your choice from their “Scrub & Polish Bar’’ available in nineteen different treatment rooms. Eau Spa proudly carries Storie Veneziane by Valmont, a line of elegant, handcrafted fragrances. Float a candle in the Wishing Well, sip on free-flowing bubbly, and nibble on whipped cupcakes. The sky is truly the limit at Eau Spa. Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa is part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, connect-
ing discerning travelers to not only luxury but unparalleled service levels through their Integrated Quality Assurance Program.
LA MAMOUNIA PALACE, MOROCCO
www.mamounia.com
In Marrakech’s La Mamounia Palace, one of the most Instagrammable hotels in the world, sprawling corridors reproduce Medina’s narrow streets and gorgeous wooden doors lead the way towards sweet dreams in 135 rooms, 71 suites, and three elegant riads. The lavish property is famous for celebrity guests like Winston Churchill, Elton John, and even Sarah Jessica Parker while she was filming Sex and the City 2. The crown jewel of the palace is the luxurious spa, of course, and if you’re ready to pamper it’s the place to be. Allow the lanterns to guide you to The Spa at La Mamounia, an expansive sanctuary of marble and exquisite ornamentation dedicated to beauty and well-being. Let your worries wash away as you travel from the hammam to the jacuzzi pavilion, sauna, outdoor heated ozone swimming pool, indoor ozone swimming pool and beyond. Need a workout? In addition to a high-tech fitness facility, La Mamounia offers a coaching room, cardio, fitness, yoga, two clay tennis courts, table tennis, and even a French bowling pitch.
KOH SAMUI SPA RESORT TREE SAMUI SPA, THAILAND
www.banyantree.com
Located just off the coast of the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand, Banyan Tree Samui is nestled perfectly in the jungles of Lamai Bay. The luxury all-pool villa resort offers a variety of exquisite spa treatments through the Banyan Tree Spa Samui. Disappear for an afternoon and indulge in this secret hideaway that features The Rainforest: a holistic hydrotherapy wellness experience designed to heal and soothe. Banyan Tree Spa Samui offers a suite of ten spa treatment pavilions where you can experience the Sukhothai Heritage treatment, an authentic spa journey including Thai Body Treats, a Thai Classic Massage, Coconut Jasmine Rice Facial, and a Thai Jasmine Bath. Products in the Sukhothai Heritage treatment include Thai ingredients like fresh coconuts, jasmine rice, turmeric and tamarind.
THE RITTENHOUSE SPA, PHILADELPHIA
www.therittenhousespaclub.com
Inspired by the fashions of Jean Paul Gaultier, The Rittenhouse Spa in Philadelphia is a luxurious hotel day spa serving locals and tourists alike in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. Skincare offerings include a vitamin C treatment to combat the signs of premature aging, a Diamond Brightening facial to diminish the appearance of hyperpigmentation, and a noninvasive, non-surgical HydraFacial MD procedure to resurface the face. Massages range from therapeutic to their classic Rittenhouse, custom tailored with aromatherapy and customized massage techniques. In the mood for something a little different? The Citrus Drench uses natural ingredients like crystallized honey shea butter and orange juice to restore elasticity and increase hydration. Be sure to head to the Rittenhouse Spa & Club for state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, bikes, yoga, treadmills, and an expansive atrium indoor saltwater pool.
MIRBEAU INN & SPA RHINEBECK, NEW YORK
www.rhinebeck.mirbeau.com
Just a short drive from the hustle and bustle of New York City, Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck embodies the Mirbeau philosophy of balancing life with wellness and indulgence. Check into the swank hotel for a weekend of indulgence and enjoy the 12,000 square foot spa featuring a European-style resting area, Aqua Terrace with thermal pool, eucalyptus-infused steam room, and Himalayan salt saunas. Mirbeau spa treatments tailored specifically include Just a Day Away treatment, featuring a manicure, pedicure, and two 50-minute (or a 100-minute) treatments with lunch for one in Willow by Charlie Palmer. Couples can opt for the Close to You experience, a 50-minute Couples Treatment and a quiet lunch for two at Willow.
ROUND HILL HOTELS & VILLAS, JAMAICA
www.roundhill.com
Round Hill Hotel and Villas, located on a lush 110acre peninsula just west of Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a classic resort known for attracting Hollywood A-listers and jetsetters alike. The Spa at Round Hill, nestled into a beautifully restored 18th century plantation house, is the only spa in the Caribbean to utilize the renowned Elemis product line. Center yourself with a transformative yoga class in the open-air pavilion with sweeping views of the sea, experience an outdoor Vichy shower under a canopy of tropical foliage, or indulge in a seaside massage as you listen to the Caribbean waters folding into the shore. The spa features an
SPA ALKEMIA AT ZADÚN, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE, MEXICO
www.ritzcarlton.com
Spa Alkemia, part of the Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is a playground of peaceful healing inspired by nature and tradition. Located just a short distance from the Los Cabos International Airport and San Jose del Cabo, the property is the fourth Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the world. Treatments in the spa are performed in secluded settings amid the rich foliage, blending the line between indoor and outdoor. The healing elements of nature and the magic of Mexico form the foundation for blissful signature experiences at Spa Alkemia. Indulge in the Day of Dreams, a four-hour adventure that includes agua frescas in a private soaking pool, three treatment choices including a massage, facial and manicure/pedicure. The unique Purificacion Ritual is a three-hour journey that includes ceremonial smudge, a steam with fresh botanicals, followed by a botanical scrub and outdoor shower, a detoxifying wrap and foot massage. Finish this luxurious ritual with a massage off the Spa Alkemia menu.
extensive treatment menu focusing on natural and indigenous influences, all focusing on each individual’s physiology while working to restore, balance and transform the skin. For a truly unique spa experience, book one of their authentic Jamaican treatments that utilize local ingredients or enjoy a therapeutic Vichy shower or massage in the secluded Hydrotherapy Loft surrounded by tropical gardens. The 120-minute “Total Time Out for Men” treatment is a complete face and body overhaul.
Take in the best of both worlds by combining a Time for Men Facial with a Deep Tissue or Wellness Massage to improve total body performance. At the end of your visit, go ahead and select a stone of your choice and cast the white, pebbled stone into the warm Caribbean waters silently with a clear intention. Each stone reflects positive energies - love, peace, prosperity, happiness. Cast yours and let go of any stress or worry and link your mind, body and soul with the spirit of Jamaica.
