Metrosource April/May 2018

APRIL/MAY 2018 METROSOURCE

METROSOURCE

THE ART OF MAINE EUROPRIDE TIMES TWO THE BEST

BEACH

FOR YOU? APRIL/MAY 2018

PIONEERING PANSEXUALITY

DANIEL CREEK $

TRAVEL

GUS KENWORTHY FROM SOUTH KOREA WITH LOVE

DEPARTMENTS THE TRAVEL ISSUE

April/May 2018 | VOLUME 29, NO. 2

THIS PAGE: SHRIMP BY GAYLE VAN WELY • SCUBA COURTESY ANDBEYOND.COM

30

CULTURE 5 TECH Solving travel troubles.

10 METROSCOPE A look back at Barbra, forward to a new season of Handmaid’s Tale, and to Tribeca for the future of virtual reality.

22 SCREEN A teen struggles to come out, an eccentric artist paints a portrait, and two geniuses change history.

26 FINANCE Crafting good credit.

56

28 MUSIC Moby, JT and festival fun.

62 BOOKS From English estates to O’Keeffe’s Hawaii.

BODY 15 METRO HIV How Marc Jacobs is making safer sex stylish.

54 HEALTH How inhaling salt can tame your allergies

VIEWS 20 DIARY Lost luggage derails Wade’s oh-so-fashionable vacation plans.

55 POV Kevin’s Amsterdam adventure leaves him a little more out than proud.

64 LAST CALL Exploring the indigenous gender identity known as being two-spirited.

CONTENTS

April/May 2018 | VOLUME 29, NO. 2

30 WHAT KIND OF BEACH ARE YOU?

WHETHER YOU LIKE YOUR SAND NEAR

opportunities to explore wildlife or social life, we’ve got unexpected suggestions for your next escape.

36 DOUBLE EUROPRIDE BEFORE WORLD PRIDE HEADS TO NYC

next year, head to Sweden for this huge Pride event as it’s shared by two cities for the first time.

42 SCHITT’S HEAD DANIEL LEVY TALKS ABOUT CREATING A

hilarious show about a wealthy family brought low — and how it’s pioneering sexual freedom.

46 21st CENTURY QUEER HAVE YOU MET THE NEW FAB 5? TEN

years after its predecessor left the air, we talk to one of the new Queer Eye guys about reinventing the show.

47 GUS KENWORTHY HE HEADED TO KOREA HOPING TO MEDAL

58 THE ART OF MAINE LONG A GAY ESCAPE BECAUSE OF

Ogunquit, Maine offers much more to attract the gay traveler — particularly when it comes to art.

ON THE COVER PHOTO BY MAARTEN DE BOER, COURTESY GETTY IMAGES AND POP TV

PHOTO BY COURTESY POP TV

but ended up winning hearts and minds instead. The hunky hero opens up in our exclusive chat.

GAY VOICES

IS OUR ONLINE FORUM FOR SHARING STORIES — FROM THE HEARTBREAKING TO THE HILARIOUS — ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE IN THE LGBT SKIN WE’RE IN.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY ESTRANGED COUSIN DECIDED TO READ MY LIFE

METROSOURCE

A COUSIN WHOM I HAVEN’T SEEN IN 20 YEARS decided to tell me my life. This is the kind of person who posts memes revealing she could “live at the beach all year long.” She begs friends to adopt local shelter pets, and advertises “Wine o’clock” is her favorite hour. She has an intense love of children — despite the fact that she buys clothes almost-certainly made by other peoples’ children in sweatshops. And she’s a Trump supporter. (Someone needs to run numbers to determine how many Trump supporters claim to love children but don’t want them to have universal healthcare).

“You don’t have a real job. What’re you doing with your life? Don’t you wanna family?” she recently asked me.

“I had corporate jobs. I had a lease. I was married,” I explained. “None of that made me happy.”

(It’s worth noting that she’s also divorced.)

I reminded her she could only afford her home because she put her own mother in a home. I asked if she would rather I had never taken any risks and

gone to a college closer to home, simply in order to have stayed closer to the family as she had.

“There’s nothing wrong living 15 minutes away from mom,” she said. “My girls turned out fine.”

“Can they speak French? Did they ever visit Italy? Did they edit a newspaper?” I protested.

“They have good jobs. That’s what matters,” she answered indignantly: “They own homes, have families. No matter what books or places or movies you know, they live better than you. All you have is memories and friends.” The words stung. I cried.

I wondered if she was right. I imagined her comfortable life: “Art” from Target; trips to CostCo in a mid-priced sedan.

I browsed her social media profile. There were “Live, Laugh, Love!” memes and silly faces made with family. It made me realize: she’s happy she hadn’t taken risks. She’s just fine with the fact that her kids will never see Amelie or read Dostoyevsky or weep at seeing a Caravaggio in Rome. She’s happy with Christmases made in China. She’s happy with children that never realized any dreams.

I may not own my home. I may take the bus.

I may occasionally need to worry about things like having my shoes repaired. But — all things considered — I’d be happy to tell her that in the grand scheme of things: “Actually, I think that I live better than you.”

Unfortunately, we are no longer speaking.

■

GAY VOICES

BY SEBASTIAN FORTINO

Respond to Sebastian’s story or share a story of your own now at Metrosource.com

WE WANT TO HEAR Your GAY VOICES! ATTENDING

GAY PRIDE CELEBRATION?

Do you have tales about your first Were you ever concerned about attending a parade or festival for fear of being recognized? What are the special ways that you celebrate the occasion with your gay friends and chosen family? Head to ”Gay Voices” at Metrosource.com and click on

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! to share your story with the Metrosource family.

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

3

CROSSING OCEANS

VIEWS

EDITOR’S LETTER

WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL, MY THEN-BEST-

4

friend Pete had an older sister who was (more-or-less openly) a lesbian. It was something that he and I joked about: I suppose it was our frightened young person’s way of pretending this thing we didn’t understand — “being gay” — didn’t have anything to do with who we were. (The joke would ultimately turn out to be on us, as both Pete and I also came out of the closet a few years later as well.) Though she rarely spoke about it directly, I remember sensing that Pete’s mother — a proud Polish immigrant — struggled with shame about his sister’s orientation. She had likely not envisioned coming to the United States only to have her daughter end up living a life that stood in direct opposition to her religious beliefs.

Pete’s sister was the first person I ever knew to be a lesbian, but in college my universe would expand to include a variety of vibrant gay women, both classmates and professors. I remember being surprised the first time I heard a fellow student discuss introducing a girlfriend to her parents or advocate gay rights in a classroom setting — in particular because our university (though relatively gay-friendly) was still Catholic and therefore officially answerable to the Church’s disapproval on the subject. I was still gradually coming to terms with my own sexuality, but it would be years before I could be honest about it with my family, particularly my mother, who hails from a long line of fervent Irish Catholics.

My dear friend Sarah was among the out-and-proud females I met in college, and she taught me much over the years — both about the importance of living my own truth and that of helping others feel free to live in theirs. It was no surprise when she eventually got engaged to a frank and feisty Irishwoman named Varina. What did surprise me was how many members of Varina’s family they were expecting at their wedding. Crossing an ocean is not something everyone is willing to do for a wedding, but what really baffled me was the idea that her Irish family would show up to see two women get married.

It must have been some sort of cultural hang-up leftover from my youth. The message I constantly received from my mother and the Church was that homosexuality was unnatural and a sin. On those supremely rare occasions when I’d see a gay couple have something like a wedding on TV or in a film, they were not marriages as I had understood them — not recognized by the State or any religion with which I was familiar. What was left seemed like going through the motions — and certainly not something I could see someone’s family traveling more than 3,000 miles to witness.

I could not have been more mistaken. Not only were both Sarah and Varina’s families there to support them on their big day, but it was also one of the best weddings I’ve ever attended.

When the happy couple stood before us all declaring their love and loyalty to one another, it was the furthest thing from going through the motions. Varina’s relatives did not seem bothered one bit by the fact that it was a same-sex wedding or that in attendance were guests like me in all my flaming, flower-festooned glory. One of Varina’s brothers-in-law even boisterously attempted to lift me on the dance floor like something out of Dancing with the Stars. It was more acceptance than I could ever have dreamed.

And now I’m the one planning a wedding. I’m the one who is asking family to travel to be a part of it (though not nearly as far). But even after seeing the outpouring of love and goodwill for Sarah and Varina’s wedding, I still can’t quite believe my mother’s very Irish Catholic family seem genuinely excited to come to my gay wedding — and that I’m not about to wake up in a world just as hostile to the idea of gay marriage as the one I grew up in. I’m so grateful to Sarah and Varina and all the gay couples who have shown the world, no matter what came before, that we deserve the right to love, to have that love celebrated by our families — and that we are worth crossing oceans to celebrate.

■ APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

PUBLISHER Rob Davis ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Evelyn Vayner EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paul Hagen CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jiyon Son ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kevin Phinney SENIOR DESIGNER Jayson Mena COPY EDITOR Kevin Phinney PROOFREADER Barbara Mele CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Day, Matt Gross,

Erin Jordan, Jeffrey James Keyes, Christopher Lisotta, Terence O’Brien, Kevin Phinney, Jonathan Roche, Eric Rosen, Wade Rouse, Jeff Simmons, Megan Venzin ADMINISTRATION Luswin Cote INTERN Caitlin Sawicki NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING

Rivendell Media 212.242.6863

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER David Miller GENERAL MANAGER Thomas K. Hanlon DIRECTOR | OPERATIONS MGT Ray Winn DIRECTOR | MARKETING Ryan Christopher DIRECTOR | STRATEGIC Linda Pierce PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR | ORDER Heather Gambaro MANAGEMENT MANAGER | ADMINISTRATION Erin Jordan MANAGERS | OPERATIONS Leonard Porter, MANAGEMENT Christopher Regalado MANAGER | PUBLISHING & Tom McCann MARKETING CONTROLLER David Friedman DIRECTOR | CREDIT & Elizabeth Teagarden COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT MANAGERS | CREDIT & Rosa Meinhoffer, COLLECTIONS Diedra Smith For national advertising inquiries, call: 212.691.5127.

Subscriptions: One year (6 issues): $19.95; 12 issues: $34.95.

Reproduction of any article, listing or advertisement without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

The people, businesses and organizations appearing in Metrosource are supportive of the gay community. Mention of any person, business or organization is not a reflection of their sexual orientation. ©2018 Davler Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. Metrosource is a registered trademark of Davler Media Group LLC. Printed in the USA. Metrosource Davler Media Group 498 7th Ave., 10th Floor New York, NY 10018 212.691.5127 metrosource.com

Dual Port USB Cigarette Lighter Adapter

TRAVEL WITH TECH

Traveling in today’s technologically advanced world may mean you’ll need to add a few things on your “to pack” list. BY TERENCE O’BRIEN AS SOMEONE WHO TRAVELS A LOT FOR BUSINESS AND VACATION, I’VE

picked up a few tips and tools to take the hassle out of traveling.

Here’s a few things you should always bring with you and things you should always do to smooth out the bumps in the road trips.

THIS PAGE: CHARGER COURTESY 360 ELECTRICAL • PHONE CRADLE COURTESY IOTTIE

DRIVING SMART Rental cars can be hit or miss when it comes to how tech tricked out they are. Although USB ports are increasingly the norm, there are exceptions, and even if the car is equipped, you may find yourself in need of the extra slots provided by a DUAL PORT USB CIGARETTE LIGHTER ADAPTER if you’re traveling with a group. At about the size if your thumb, it doesn’t take up much room, and you’ll be glad to have when your phone is about to die and your rental car doesn’t have a port.

The other hit-or-miss feature of rental cars is GPS. The good news is your phone will probably do a better job than anything they can rent you anyway. However, if you’re going to use your phone as a GPS, you really should bring along a windshield mounted phone cradle like the iOTTIE EASY ONE TOUCH 4. Perching your phone in your lap or on the dash can be both insecure and distracting especially in unfamiliar territory. A cradle keeps your phone in place and your eyes on the road.

GOING NATIVE When smartphones first came out, there was a lot of hubbub about carriers locking them to their networks, but since 2015 — with very rare exceptions — all smartphones arrive unlocked. Unless you’re with T-Mobile (which offers international data and texting to its customers at no charge), the best thing to do if you travel outside the country is to get A LOCAL SIM CARD for your U.S. phone. Most countries are payas-you-go, so there is no commitment required. It’s almost always far cheaper than paying your home carrier for data to browse, use apps and navigate.

KNOWING THE RULES You may have heard that the TSA has implemented NEW RULES that

iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Phone Cradle

require personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone to be removed from your bag and scanned separately during airport screenings; these rules will be phased in at all domestic airports within the next year. However, on a recent flight, I discovered that the TSA definition of “personal electronics” is fairly broad, and both my Bluetooth speaker and my electronic toothbrush both got me sent to the naughty line for additional manual screening. So in addition to laptops, tablets, e-readers and handheld game consoles, don’t forget even your low tech items like clock radios and digital cameras may extend your stay with the TSA if you leave them in your carry-on bags.

These rules will make PRECHECK worth considering, even if you only travel once or twice a year. Though it was originally designed for frequent business travelers, one of the benefits is that with PreCheck, the rule change above won’t affect you. PreCheck allows you to leave your gear in your bag and your shoes on your feet. The enrollment fee of $85 might be worth not having to unpack and repack all your stuff in a line of disgruntled travelers; its good for 5 years.

METROSOURCE

In my Year End Tech Roundup, I recommended the Poweradd 4 Port USB Wall Charger to charge all your electronics on the go. But in older hotels and cruise ships, power outlets tend to be inconveniently placed and often in use. If you want your stuff in arm’s reach while you’re lying in that king sized hotel bed, you’ll also want to add a 6 FOOT EXTENSION CORD to your bag if you travel with a lot of gear.

If you plan to spend some time in your hotel room, bring your CHROMECAST, FIRE STICK or APPLE TV and plug them into the in-room television, so you can stream on the big screen.

TECH

PLUGGING IN

BACKING IT UP The most important rule in tech also applies to travel: have BACK UPS OF ALL IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. Yes, with smartphone apps, travel can now be a blissfully paperless experience, from electronic boarding passes to hotel check in apps, you don’t technically need a single piece of paper. But you should always have them just in case. Always print out boarding passes, hotel and rental confirmations, and keep one copy in your carry on and another in your checked-in luggage.

Also, take a photo of your passport and driver’s license. That way, if your phone or wallet is lost or stolen, you’ll have the critical information somewhere else. Keeping copies of such documents means that if your phone dies, you won’t be stranded.

■ METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

5

CHURCHES AND HIV?

6

Reverend William Francis

The Initiative in Action

ULTIMATELY STATISTICS BECAME THE UNAVOIDABLE WAKEUP CALL.

In the United States, HIV rates in the black community were alarmingly higher than in the general population — accounting for 41% of all people living with HIV and 45% of new infections, despite the fact that the black community represented 12% of the population.

It was clear that traditional methods of addressing the HIV/ AIDS epidemic would require a different kind of approach here.

Acknowledging the need for a new strategy, The Black Church & HIV: The Social Justice Imperative formed eight years ago — assembling a coalition of faith leaders, religious institutions and community members determined to address the HIV epidemic in a new way: from the pulpit.

“At our original meeting, we discussed a three-pronged strategy,” says Rev. William Francis, an Initiative ambassador who serves on its Advisory Committee. “Churches have a great responsibility. We were the original community-based organizations.”

That strategy included enlisting faith leaders to attend trainings in 30 cities across the country in order to witness communities that had been bearing the greatest HIV burden, securing formal resolutions from major denominations to incorporate HIV messaging into church activities, and integrating HIV-related materials into the curricula of predominately black ministries.

Among the cities targeted (most located in the East and South) were Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, New York City and Newark.

This initiative was fueled by powerhouse organizations — the National Association for the Advancement of Colored APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

People (NAACP), Gilead Sciences, and the Clinton Global Initiative —and was committed to finding ways to connect with more people through their churches.

Since the initiative launched, members have trained more than 1,800 faith leaders. More than 140 faith leaders across the country committed to preach about HIV as a social justice issue on a Day of Unity (last year’s was July 23), and six denominations passed resolutions in support of the initiative and 11 issued public endorsements. The approach, which also connects HIV rates with other social factors (such as poverty, access to care and other health disparities) strategically shifted the conversation away from a focus on behavior-as-cause.

They battled stigma — including the perception that HIV was a “gay disease.” Rev. Francis faced challenges that many face when he disclosed his HIV status to his previous congregation. “I was in my church for many years, and when I said I was HIV positive,” he remembers, “I was very stigmatized and hurt by the church.” He describes his new ministry — Georgia’s Atlanta Faith in Action — as a “rebirth.”

By re-framing HIV as a social justice issue, the initiative has been able to achieve more productive conversations and solutions about HIV and — in some cases — help churches to be more accepting toward the LGBT community. And although the initiative’s mandate is slated to soon come to a close, Rev. Francis predicts, “The work will not stop.” Tools created by the coalition — such as a Pastoral Brief and Activity Manual, fact sheets about the national epidemic and local initiatives, and shareable video — will continue to live on online.“To see our faith put into action has been one of the personal highlights for me,” he says.

■

PHOTOS COURTESY REVEREND WILLIAM FRANCIS

BODY

HEALTH

An organization aims to address rising rates of HIV in black communities from an under-unexplored position of power — the pulpit. BY JEFF SIMMONS

WHAT’S YOUR STORY GOING TO BE? INTRODUCING BIKTARVY® Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

To learn more, visit

BIKTARVY.com Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the adjacent pages.

Do not take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide

Brief Summary of Patient Information about BIKTARVY® BIKTARVY (bik-TAR-vee) (bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with BIKTARVY. For more information, see “What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking BIKTARVY?”

What is the most important information I should know about BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY can cause serious side effects, including: } Worsening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

If you have an HBV infection and take BIKTARVY, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking BIKTARVY. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before.

} rifampin

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking BIKTARVY? Before taking BIKTARVY, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: } have liver problems, including hepatitis B virus infection } have kidney problems } are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not

known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with BIKTARVY. Pregnancy Registry: There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiviral medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. } are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not

• Do not run out of BIKTARVY. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your BIKTARVY is all gone.

breastfeed if you take BIKTARVY.

• Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking BIKTARVY, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking BIKTARVY.

• At least one of the medicines in BIKTARVY can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in BIKTARVY can pass into your breast milk.

For more information about side effects, see “What are the possible side effects of BIKTARVY?”

What is BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY is a prescription medicine that is used without other anti-HIV-1 medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) in adults: } who have not received anti-HIV-1 medicines in

the past, or } to replace their current anti-HIV-1 medicines for

people whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain requirements.

HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

BIKTARVY contains the prescription medicines bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide.

It is not known if BIKTARVY is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.

• You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may interact with BIKTARVY. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. } You can ask your healthcare provider or

pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with BIKTARVY. } Do not start a new medicine without telling your

healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with other medicines.

How should I take BIKTARVY? } Take BIKTARVY exactly as your healthcare

provider tells you to take it. BIKTARVY is taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection. } Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or

without food. } Do not change your dose or stop taking

BIKTARVY without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care during treatment with BIKTARVY. } If you take antacids that contain aluminum,

magnesium, or calcium, take BIKTARVY on an empty stomach 2 hours before you take these antacids. } If you take supplements that contain iron or

calcium, take these supplements with food at the same time that you take BIKTARVY. } Do not miss a dose of BIKTARVY. } If you take too much BIKTARVY, call your

healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. } When your BIKTARVY supply starts to run

low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to BIKTARVY and become harder to treat.

What are the possible side effects of BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } See “What is the most important information

I should know about BIKTARVY?” } Changes in your immune system (Immune

Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine. } New or worse kidney problems, including

kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys when starting and during treatment with BIKTARVY. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY if you develop new or worse kidney problems.

What are the possible side effects of BIKTARVY? (continued) } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic

acidosis). Too much lactic acid 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. In rare cases, severe liver

problems can happen that 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, lightcolored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

The most common side effects of BIKTARVY are diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

General information about the safe and effective use of BIKTARVY. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use BIKTARVY for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give BIKTARVY to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them.

This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about BIKTARVY. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider.

You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about BIKTARVY that is written for health professionals. For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.BIKTARVY.com.

Keep BIKTARVY and all medicines out of reach of children.

Issued: February 2018 BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2018 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved.

GILC0366 02/18

BIKTARVY.com

CAN’T MISS

MY FAIR AWARDS IF POP CULTURE ENTHUSIASTS HAVE AN EQUIVALENT TO COLLEGE

Basketball’s March Madness, it’s Awards Season — the heady time when organizations from the Hollywood Foreign Press to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declare who made the “best art” over the past year. Though GLAAD is not the only organization who offers awards on behalf of the LGBTQ community (others include GALECA - the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association), the GLAAD Media Awards are unique in their stated goal of saluting fair, accurate and inclusive representations of our community and issues. As in

10

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

years past, the awards will be celebrated with a pair of ceremonies (in LA on April 12 and NYC on May 5) and will recognize nominees in categories including film (Call Me by Your Name), television (One Day at a Time), music (Sam Smith) and various achievements in journalism. Each evening also honors individuals whose work has impacted the community with honors such the Ally Award and the Excellence in Media Award. In accepting the latter last year, Debra Messing joked:“I starred in one of the most iconic gay shows of all time — Smash!” before publicly calling on Ivanka Trump to stand up for LGBTQ rights. glaad.org

THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY ANDREW ECCLES - NBC

CURATED BY PAUL HAGEN, ERIN JORDAN AND JEFFREY JAMES KEYES

METROSCOPE CULTURE

1}

METROSCOPE

THIS PAGE: HANDMAIDS HULU COURTESY TAKE FIVE • CRYSTAL COLLECTION COURTESY AVIÓN

2} 3}

TV SET

MAID IN AMERICA AFTER THEIR FIRST SEASON HAD ITS CAST AND CREATORS DASHING

up and down podiums to collect awards (including Emmys for Elisabeth Moss, Ann Dowd and Alexis Bledel), Hulu’s sumptuous drama The Handmaid’s Tale returns for a second season on April 25th. Starring Moss in the title role, the series — which is based on the 1984 Margaret Atwood novel of the same name — takes place in a dystopian future America called Gilead, where women are subjugated under a theocratic patriarchy.

A falling birthrate has led leaders to force the few remaining fertile women to become“handmaids”— a third-class caste of

sexual servants, tasked with repopulating society. Though the novel was originally read as a warning against the conservative politics of the Reagan era, it’s now an even more apt critique of the Trump administration, particularly as women’s rights have come under fire. Theories abound over the potential surprises in the upcoming season, which creators promise will be even darker and show us more of the world of Gilead. They’ve also hinted that we’ll see more from fan favorites Bledel and Samira Wiley. What is certain, though, is that we’re in store for another season of fantastic television. hulu.com

POWER SPLURGE

THE ESSENCE OF AGAVE TEQUILA GETS A BAD RAP. MANY PEOPLE ARE ONLY FAMILIAR

with its lower quality iterations — pounded punishingly as shots or mixed into syrupy sweet margaritas made to mask the burn. But fine tequila is meant to be sipped and savored, and if you’re in the market to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a tequila tipple, you’ll find few ways more luxurious than the Avión Collection Gift Set. For a mere $249, Tequila Avión — in partnership with the producers of legendary Waterford Crystal — offers this decanter and rocks glasses set so you can sip in elegance. Its design is meant to look like a piña, which is the center of the agave plant and the source to tequila’s signature flavor. It’s an ideal way to serve Tequila Avión, whose silver tequila has won accolades such as“World’s Best Tasting Tequila”and “Best Unaged White Spirit” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. For more beautiful barware and to find out where you can purchase, visit Tequila Avión online. avionstore.com METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

11

HELLO, GORGEOUS! WHILE LA STREISAND IS RIGHTLY PRAISED FOR

of the performer — in that twinkling halflight between struggle and superstardom — that few others have been afforded.

From browsing through the racks at thrift stores to lounging in her modestly decorated New York City apartment in 1963 to a behind-the-scenes visit to a studio recording session in 1966, the photos give glimpses into Streisand’s life as she was still on the cusp of becoming a household name. She may be best remembered for larger-than-life roles in pieces like Hello, Dolly!, A Star is Born, Yentl and Funny Girl (the film adaptation of which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary), but there’s a singular charm to remembering the way she was. rizzoliusa.com

5}

NEW YOU

IF IT MAKES YOU CHAPPY

GONE THROUGH ALL OF GRINDR? IN A TIFF WITH TINDER? YOU CAN TAKE

your search for Mr. Right (or Mr. Right Now) to Chappy, a gay dating app whose goal is to bring decorum back to the dating world.

Launched in early 2017, the app aims to help men meet their next beau in a safe and respectful environment. Some of the features Chappy uses to help keep it a polite place to peruse potential partners include: a policy of no faceless photos; users get notified if their conversations are screen-captured, and new users must sign a pledge to respect their fellow members. The app also puts limitations on the kinds of material users are allowed to share: no pornographic or obscene media; no personal information (last names, e-mails, phone numbers, etc).

Already the third most downloaded gay dating app in the US and UK, Chappy is poised to make a name for itself as a more genteel option to the anything-goes atmosphere of the alternatives. You can download Chappy for both Apple and Android. chappyapp.com

12

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: BECOMING BARBRA COURTESY BILL EPRIDGE AND RIZZOLI • CHAPPY IMAGE COURTESY OF JACK, OLLIE AND MAX

THE WAY SHE WAS her extraordinary voice, over the course of her career she’s also inspired many a photographer with her unique beauty and style. Babs may still be glowin’ and goin’ strong (as she proved in last year’s Netflix special Barbra: The Music... The Mem’ries... The Magic!), but longtime fans and more recent devotees alike will find much to kvell over with this peek into her past in American photographer Bill Eppridge’s new photographic retrospective Becoming Barbra (available from Rizzoli for $39.95 this April). On two separate assignments for LIFE magazine, Eppridge was treated to an intimate look at the life

CULTURE

METROSCOPE

4}

INK SPOTTED

THIS PAGE: VR COURTESY TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL • OVERBOARD COURTESY METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES - PANTELION FILMS

6}

NEXT UP

A TRIBECA LED QUEST

THE 17TH ANNUAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL IS BACK IN NEW YORK CITY

from April 18-29th. Founded in 2001 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, and Craig Hatkoff in effort to help rebuild lower Manhattan in the wake of the September 11th attacks, the festival aims to bring unique, independent storytelling to wider audiences. While this year’s lineup is still being finalized, notable LGBTQ films from last year — including the LGBT-themed whodunnit The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson and king of kink biopic Tom of Finland — are great examples of the caliber of film showcased here. In recent years, the festival has expanded beyond the realm of film as the media landscape becomes more multifaceted. Television, virtual reality and video games all made appearances last year, alongside such attractions as the premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale and crowd-play of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Episode 1 as part of the first Tribeca Games Festival. The VR and immersive exhibits are of particular interest, as they begin to explore what may well be the future of cinema as it evolves into a more immersive experience. Previous exhibits include an exploration of an island whose inhabitants slowly began to view the world in black and white, and a video narration of a Holocaust survivor’s return trip to a concentration camp. A complete schedule for this year’s festival will be available on the festival website after March 15th. tribecafilm.com

ONCE UPON A TIME, GARY MARSHALL MADE A ROMANTIC

7}

SCREEN IT

OVER AND OVERBOARD

comedy about a cruel heiress (Goldie Hawn) who gets her comeuppance for bad behavior toward a hired carpenter (Kurt Russell): when she’s struck with amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her they’re husband and wife. Thirty years later, directors Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers) and Rob Greenberg (How I Met Your Mother, Frasier) have resurrected the story — with a few key changes. For this iteration of Overboard, the gender roles have been reversed: Leonardo (Eugenio Derbez - How to be a Latin Lover) is a spoiled playboy and Kate (Anna Faris) is a single mom hired to clean his luxury yacht.

After Leonardo fires and refuses to pay Kate for her services, he falls off of his yacht and has no recollection of who he is or how he washed ashore. Payback time, and Faris serves it up without mercy. Derbez is known around the world as one of the most influential Latinx men in showbiz, having directed, co-written and starred in Instructions Not Included, the most successful Spanish-language film ever to hit the US. Meanwhile, Faris — who rose to fame in the Scary Movie franchise — has gone on to find success opposite Allison Janney on CBS sit-com Mom. The film also features Eva Longoria, Swoosie Kurtz and John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral). Together, can they rise to the camp comedic heights of the original? See for yourself when the film opens April 20. facebook.com/overboardmovie METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

13

8}

TECH BITS

TAPPING IN KEEPING YOUR KEYS, WALLET, LAPTOP AND

METROSCOPE

those sleek new spring boots secure while you’re benching your bodyweight should be the last thing on your mind at the gym. Let’s face it, though, we’ve all faced that moment where we just can’t

get our lock to open. Imagine if there were way to secure your stuff without ever risking the embarrassment of getting out of the shower, realizing you can’t get to your stuff and having to tiptoe to the front desk and beg someone to find that big weed wacker-looking tool to cut your lock off. Tapplock has created the world’s first smart fingerprint padlock so you’ll never need a mini key or combination again. Their state-of-the-art capacitive fingerprint sensor allows unlocking in under 0.8 seconds. The Zamak 3 zinc alloy metal body is reinforced with a 7mm stainless steel shackle and built sturdy with a double-layered lock design and anti-shim and anti-pry technologies. Looking to share the security with your business or club? The Tapplock can store up to 500 fingerprints so multiple users can have access; plus Bluetooth technology can tell your smartphone exactly who has opened the lock and when.

Prices start at $99. tapplock.com

10}

CIRCUIT SHAKERS

SHOW YOUR PRIDE IN MIAMI BEACH,

dance in the desert and more: MIAMI BEACH GAY PRIDE APRIL 2-8 MIAMI BEACH GAY PRIDE, presented by Celebrity Cruises, draws over 130,000 people to the beach each year. Its world-class stage has featured stars like Iggy Azalea, Jordin Sparks, Gloria Estefan and Adam Lambert. This year’s week will feature a Pride Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony, Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride Pageant and the 10th Anniversary Pride Parade & Festival. miamibeachgaypride.com WHITE PARTY PALM SPRINGS APRIL 27-30

CULTURE

in the World will bring thousands of men to the desert to dance to this year’s deejay lineup which includes Abel, Alex Lo, Ana Paula, Grind, Ralph Rosario, Suri and Tommy Love. jeffreysanker.com DALLAS PURPLE PARTY MAY 11-14 NOW ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS OF THE gay calendar: the annual Purple

9}

14

ART BEAT

Party features both local and international deejays and plenty of Texas-sized hospitality — and a weekend to write home about. purplefoundation.org

PRÊT-À-PORTLAND

PINK WEEK SLOVENIA MAY 24-28

MAINE’S 2018 PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART BIENNIAL, RUNNING NOW THROUGH JUNE 3, WAS

PINK WEEK 2018 WILL FEATURE ADVEN-

designed to highlight intersectionality and inclusivity. It features more than 60 works by 25 artists, and although part of its goal is to highlight artists connected to Maine, guest curator Nat May observes, “This exhibition, though regional by nature, should not be defined by regionalism. Our border is permeable, and our world in Maine is intricately connected to the world beyond our state lines.”May is the former executive of SPACE Gallery in Portland and founding member of the Bakery Photo Collective and Common Field, a nationwide network of contemporary, experimental and noncommercial visual art spaces. There’s even diversity to be found among the curators working with May on this year’s Biennial — including Theresa Secord (founder of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance), Sarah Workneh (Co-Director of the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture) and Mark Bessire (the Judy and Leonard Lauder Director of the Portland Museum of Art). The biennial includes photography, paintings, quilts, sculpture, installations, film screenings, and a live performance by Gina Adams, as well as talks with several of the curators and artists. For more great ways to explore art in Maine, see our feature starting on page 58 of this issue. portlandmuseum.org

tures, parties, and special events for foodies — inspired and accompanied by local couple Matej & Mattej. This power couple, comprised of Matej Knife and Mattej Valencic, are husbands, activists and business partners — founders and managing partners of Luxury Slovenia DMC, one of Slovenia’s leading luxury travel operators. The event has blossomed from an event first organized in 2014, featuring a Eurosong gala dinner at Ljubljana Castle. It’s a great way to get to know this little European country with a great big heart. pinkweek.eu

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: PORTLAND BIENNIAL IMAGE (LAQUAN MCDONALD BY SHAUN LEONARDO) COURTESY THE ARTIST • TAPPLOCK IMAGE COURTESY OF TAPPLOCK

THE LARGEST GAY DANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL

MARC JACOBS IS MAKING SURE

YOU PLAY SAFE

BODY

METROHIV

How do you make being prepared with protection something everyone wants to do? Ask one of fashion’s favorite names. BY JEFF SIMMONS

THIS PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY MARC JACOBS

THE NOVEL FASHION ACCESSORY UNVEILED BY MARC JACOBS

last December has less to do with being runway ready and more to do with being ready to protect yourself and a partner during intimacy.

The limited edition cloth bag and plastic container is the latest iteration of the New York City Department of Health’s #PlaySure kit, an innovative safer sex package designed to hold everything people need to play “sure” — including both condoms and lubricant.

“We keep evolving this kit to make it an object of desire,” says Health Department Deputy Commissioner Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who first showcased the Marc Jacobsdesigned bag on World AIDS Day. The result is protection that seems less imposing. “They look like a little sexy hockey puck,” Dasklakis explains. “We think that HIV prevention isn’t something that’s scary.”

The Health Department launched a kit designed by the Keith Haring Foundation in 2015, followed by one created

by New York City-based artist Jordan Eagles in 2016. This past year, the agency approached Marc Jacobs with the idea of designing an update of their own.

Christopher Brumfield, Marc Jacobs’ former Director of Art and Concept for Special Projects, was enthused to try.

“When the project came across my desk, I instantly saw this all-in-one kit as something definitive in the community that has everything you need to be involved in responsible and safe sex,” he says.

“We had developed several patterns and designs for the bag, but ultimately we went with a sketch design that Marc had tinkered around with,” Brumfield says. “The colors were a slight nod to 1980s club scene colors, but knowing that this was to release in the winter, I built Marc’s initial sketches into a play on Nordic Sweater Patterns. Best to ‘cover up’ so you don’t get sick in the winter. All in all, the idea has a multitude of layered stories, and at the same time makes an otherwise stale object fun and (story continues on page 19) METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

15

Get Our Tablet Issue, Free on All Devices!

Download Metrosource on your preferred device (iPad, Android and Kindle) now for expanded interviews and extra content — all for free!

ENJOY LGBT LIFE

THIS PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY MARC JACOBS

METROHIV (continued from page 15) accessible with a touch of Marc Jacobs to elevate it to that next level.”

Brumfield says that Marc Jacobs has always “jumped at the chance” to educate people on leading healthier lifestyles. “The HIV/AIDS community is made up of so many diverse groups of people, but the one common thread is that color, happiness and — most importantly — humor are essential to everyone,” he says. “And we touched on this in the design, in hopes that it could reflect a sense of ease when it comes to the simple action of respecting your partner, and yourself.”

Since the free kits were introduced, the Health Department has distributed over 150,000; anyone can obtain them at community events or NYC Sexual Health Clinics. Officials suspect the newest version will become familiar sights.

“Marc came up with this amazing bag and a fun color scheme,” Daskalakis says, adding, “Who doesn’t want a free Marc Jacobs bag given to you by New York City?”

■ METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

19

WHO AREN’T YOU WEARING? Wade and his pal Trish spend a year planning to look fabulous on vacation, only to end up arriving without a thing for her to wear.

BY WADE ROUSE

VIEWS

DIARY

THE FOUR OF US STOOD IN SILENCE

20

as the luggage carousel in Naples kept spinning and spinning.

There was nothing left on it, and there seemed to be nothing else coming. The rest of the passengers on our flight had already claimed their bags and departed.

We had been in Italy less than an hour, and already it seemed our vacation was doomed.

“You can wear my bra,” Gary joked to our dear friend Trish, whose suitcase had failed to materialize.

She laughed — already handling it better than I would have, though we could see her eyes welling with tears.

Trish and her husband Steve made their way to file a missing luggage report, while Gary and I coralled the bags that had actually made it.

The four of us had been planning this trip for over a year — including what we would wear. We were going to Capri, for Heaven’s sake, where people dressed as if every night was an awards show red carpet. We had even shopped together, buying complementary scarves, pink slacks and new shoes.

Trish was a former pageant queen and Wilhelmina model.

Fashion was her passion, and when she traveled, she took pride in looking her best. The only bag of hers that made it to Italy was her carry-on, which (in an ironic twist of fate) she’d stuffed with Barbie dolls and outfits for them.

Our attempt to remedy the situation was to spend the first day shopping with Trish. We started at high-end shops, but it seemed silly to spend on Gucci when it seemed likely the designer contents of her own luggage would eventually turn up. We sought advice from locals, who suggested we head to the non-touristy side of town. There, Trish bought some inexpensive colorful cover-ups, a few pretty wraps and a flowy sundress.

The next day of our once-in-a-lifetime vacation was spent buying Trish a bra. It took us four hours of trying to convert sizes and communicate with the male shop owner, who not only spoke no English but was also utterly shocked when Gary dared to follow Trish into the changing room to help her strap on her selections and offer his opinion.

That evening, we had plans to dine at an upscale restaurant.

As Trish’s luggage still had yet to arrive, she reluctantly wore her new sundress. As the sun set, we watched the matriarch of the family who owned the restaurant make our pasta by hand. We drank wine. The family gave us homemade limoncello, and as APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

we walked home, Trish was in a buzzy state of relaxation, finally not thinking of her lost luggage — that is, until we walked by a group of young women drinking wine at an outdoor bar. They were dressed to the nines in the edgiest of fashions, and they giggled and pointed as we passed.

“Are they laughing at us?”Trish asked.

“Ignore them,” I said. But she couldn’t.

“Can I help you?” she snapped.

The women looked at Trish’s dress and then around the plaza.

We suddenly realized that 20 women seemed to be wearing the exact same dress.

“It’s just — a schmatta!”Trish exasperatedly tried to explain, tugging on her dress.

I started to laugh. Then Trish started to laugh. Soon even the girls seemed to understand.

The next day, we decided to have some fun with someone whose best looks had made it across the ocean: Barbie. Gary and Trish dressed up the dolls, and we photographed them all over Capri. “They have better clothes than I do,”Trish quipped.

“It’s just a schmatta!” I yelled, grabbing Barbie’s cape.

And at last — as though we had finally managed to exorcise our fashion demons — Trish’s luggage finally appeared.

We got dressed up and went to eat at a restaurant with spectacular food and views that took our breath away. And it seemed like everyone — waiters, diners, strangers on the street — had a compliment for Trish that night.

“Your dress is so beautiful!”

“Where did you get your shoes?”

“Is that the new Kate Spade bag?”

Without warning, Trish’s eyes filled with tears and her voice became choked with emotion.“Despite everything, this has been one of the best trips of my life — thanks to all of you,” she said, raising her glass.“Cheers to the dearest friends and best husband anyone could ask for.”

We laughed all night and had a waiter take a picture of us with the sea shimmering in the background. “This is a keeper,” I said, studying our happy faces in the photo — not paying a lick of attention to a thing we were wearing, realizing the key to great travel isn’t what you pack: it’s who you bring.

■ Wade’s latest novels as Viola Shipman is The Recipe Box, out this March. Visit waderouse.com.to learn more about all his work.

HAVE YOU HAD A VACATION GO HILARIOUSLY AWRY? SHARE YOUR STORY NOW IN “GAY VOICES” AT METROSOURCE.COM.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

CULTURE

SCREEN

Our screens light up with quests for identity — a gay suburban teen struggling to come out, a home-schooled kid trying to grow up, a mutant falling in with a gang of rebels and a pair of geniuses attempting to craft their manifestos. BY JONATHAN ROCHE

DIRECTED BY GREG BERLANTI (THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB,

Brothers & Sisters) and adapted from Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon is the story of a suburban teen named Simon (Nick Robinson - Jurassic World), who narrates his own thorny journey towards coming out to his family, friends, and the rest of the world. The community in which he lives appears immaculate, prosperous and is nearly devoid of a gay presence — save for the high school’s token gay student (who is far more femme than Simon aspires to be). Simon’s lifeline during his identity crisis turns out to be another closeted gay boy from his school whom he discovers via a confessional Craigslist-esque website, and their anonymous correspondences quickly turn into something more than simply shared experience. Luckily for Simon, the rest of his circumstances are pretty ideal: His parents (played by

22

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) are liberal-minded, fantastically warm and supportive, while his close-knit, mutli-ethnic posse of friends (including Katherine Langford of 13 Reasons Why and Alexandra Shipp of X-men: Apocalypse) are distinctly mature, loyal and kind. It turns out that the main thing in Simon’s way — in coming to terms with who he is and who he wants to be —is himself.

And though this may sound dramatically threadbare, the absence of any external threat helps to highlight how difficult and painful everyone’s process of coming out is, even when it seems like it should be easy. THE WORD: Despite its oh-so-shiny veneer and pithy teen chatter worthy of a series on The CW, Love, Simon displays some pretty genuine meditations on its subject, and the appeal of its leads (especially Robinson in the title role) comes through. COMING TO: Theaters

THIS PAGE: BEN ROTHSTEIN - TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION

LOVE, SIMON

MOM AND DAD SOME FILMS ONLY HAVE A GOOD PREMISE GOING FOR THEM

THIS PAGE: MOM AND DAD - COURTESY MOMENTUM FILMS • HOUSE OF TOMORROW - COURTESY SHOUT STUDIOS

and most need far more than that to succeed. However, the perfectly titled Mom and Dad might be one of those few that gets by on just one deliciously clever idea. The darkly fun premise: For reasons unknown (perhaps having something to do with a mysterious signal hidden within the static on TV screens), parents are being gripped by a powerful desire to kill their own children.

It works as an inversion of the parental urge to protect one’s children and plays well as a critique of how kids can be so obnoxious to the very people who’ve given up so much of their own lives and dreams to raise them. Surely every parent who’s had a moment where they’d like to off their ungrateful spawn will gasp and cackle at Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair chasing after their characters’ son

and daughter with hammers and chainsaws, or titter with glee as they try to gas their brood to death once they’ve taken shelter in the basement. These darkly hilarious moments — like when the outbreak is just beginning and parents press against the school yard fence like zombies or a row of new fathers staring through high-security glass in the maternity ward with murder in their eyes — are what make the film. And then there’s the entrance of Grandma and Grandpa, but I’ll leave that for you to experience. THE WORD: This film is particularly perfect for Cage, because it gives him the opportunity to do what he does best: completely freak out. Blair also exhibits some delightful dementia and though the film’s ending is just short punctuation of its premise — after only 83 minutes, that might just be enough. COMING TO: Streaming

THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW ADAPTED FROM PETER BOGNANNI’S BEST-SELLING NOVEL OF

the same name, The House of Tomorrow is about a young man searching to find his own path in life. Sebastian (Asa Butterfield - Hugo, Ender’s Game) knows what his lovingbut-overbearing grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) wants: for him to follow in the freethinking, visionary footsteps of her mentor, the great futurist Buckminster Fuller (inventor of, among other things, the Geodesic Dome — the same kind of futurist hippie-dippy enclosure where she has now raised Sebastian). Sheltered by his home schooled existence under the dome, Sebastian is awkward amongst his peers, but when Grandma is slowed down by a minor stroke, he latches onto a fellow 16-yearold, Jared (Alex Wolff - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle).

Jared is a an outsider — partly by choice and partly because he is the recent recipient of a heart transplant (and his heart condition has lead his father (Nick Offerman) to be overprotective. The two youths come to share a love of punk music and attempt to form their own band, in spite of the forces seeking to stop them. One must assume more meaningful nuances from the novel were lost in the translation to film as the story doesn’t offer anything too interesting, aside from a minor education about the life

of the brilliant and enigmatic Buckminster Fuller. Freshman feature director Peter Livolsi does a decent job getting things down on film, but the film’s substance doesn’t move much past teenagers learning how to balance rebellion and responsibility as they discover themselves amidst the expectations of their parents. THE WORD: Though Sebastian comes off as flat, Wolff stands out as the most compelling and dynamic performance in the film. COMING TO: Theaters METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

23

FINAL PORTRAIT in his career (J. Edgar, Call Me By Your Name) in Stanley Tucci’s first directorial effort in ten years. However Final Portrait is scarcely concerned with the sexuality of his character — noted art writer James Lord — it’s hinted at almost accidentally in the middle of the film’s tight 90-minutes. Rather, the focus is on Lord’s odd and seemingly interminable encounter with Swiss-Italian artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), unquestionably one of the great sculptors of the 20th century.

When Giacometti (who is also a painter) declares that he wants to paint Lord’s portrait, it is impossible for art lover Lord to decline, even as one day of sitting for the artist turns into two days — then weeks, and a month.

Giacometti is never satisfied with his work, frequently whiting it out to start over even when it seems nearly finished. Suddenly Giacometti will throw down his brushes, curse in his luxurious Italian drawl, and soon he and his assistant/brother (Tony Shalhoub) will be conferencing — shaking their heads and declaring that Giacometti has nearly gotten somewhere, and maybe with one week more it will be closer to something worthwhile. The impeccably well-mannered Lord finds his patience tested, though he also seems to appreci-

ate the show he is getting from the artist, who seeems to be in a tempestuous state of perpetual motion and constantly smoking.

Giacometti loves his elegant wife but also adores his mistress, a prostitute (Clémence Poésy - In Bruges) who owns every scene she blows through like a playful sprite. And that’s all — eventually the portrait is done (though never truly finished), Lord goes back to his life and Giacometti to his death some months later. But we see none of that. Still, what we do see is more than enough: Lord filling out a suit in the way that only Armie Hammer can — looking indescribably cool as he witnesses and later writes about the details, which Tucci clearly has such a strong eye for. THE WORD: There is no plot, and I’ve rarely seen a film needing one less. COMING TO: Theaters

LEGION SEASON 1 IF YOU LIKE SUPERHERO FARE, THEN YOU’RE SPOILED FOR CHOICE THESE

days. Having already conquered the big screen, characters with super human abilities are now swarming the small screen with an onslaught of new shows. But few can even hope to be as quirky and original as this masterstroke from showrunner Noah Hawley, who has already brought us three seasons of the impeccable Fargo. For the

24

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

uninitiated, Legion — embodied behind the icy blue eyes of the dreamy Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), is actually connected to the X-Men, but you’d probably not know that from this show, which gratefully leaves backstory behind in order to forge its own path. It has a lot of style — at times it’s almost campy, and its settings and costumes seem to defy accurate dating by sporting a kind of ‘70s chic with a futuristic tweak. The special effects are excellent and unusual, continually blurring the lines between what is real and what’s just Legion’s warped perception. But back to Legion himself (or David as he’s also known): he’s a mutant so psychically powerful there’s almost nothing he can’t do. That is, if he can learn how to control himself and shake the shadowy forces that pursue him in the real world, and within his own mind. Complementing the quirkiness is a cast of excellent and unusual actors including Bill Irwin as a SuperNerd type sharing his body with a Native-American girl (hard to explain); a pitch-perfect Aubrey Plaza as, well, we’re not really sure what yet; Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) as a leisure-suited Professor Xavier clone; and the radiant Jean Smart, who holds together her ragtag gang of rebels against all efforts to destroy them. THE WORD: It’s a whole different caliber of superhero show. COMING TO: Streaming

THIS PAGE: FINAL PORTRAIT - COURTESY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS • LEGION SEASON 1 - COURTESY MICHAEL FAYE/FX

CULTURE

SCREEN

ARMIE HAMMER PLAYS GAY FOR AT LEAST THE THIRD TIME

DOUBLE LOVER WHEN LITHE BUT TROUBLED EX-MODEL CHLOÉ, (MARINE VACTH -

Young and Beautiful) begins dating her handsome therapist, Paul (Jérémie Renier - Saint Laurent) she ends up with more than she bargained for. As a matter of fact, she ends up with twice as much (at least) when she discovers Paul’s estranged twin brother Louis — who also happens to be a therapist. But Louis employs very different methods than his gentle and giving brother, and soon

Chloé, who is already haunted by a duality living deep within herself — ends up physically and psychologically caught between the two seemingly diametrically opposed brothers.

Director François Ozon is no stranger to the inner lives of women, repression and intense gender themes (as explored in films such as 8 Women, Swimming Pool, The New Girlfriend) but in Double Lover he seems to take things up and notch, to nearly David Cronenberg levels (who famously explored the human fear of transformation in such works as The Fly and eXistenZ). Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers in particular comes to mind, as it also features twisted twins who are doctors (anyone who enjoys this film should definitely check that one out).

As the title suggest, Double Lover is a fairly sexual film: audiences will bear witness to some powerfully salacious imagery, including some ‘Renier-on-Renier’ action that’s pretty fun. Though it’s not Ozon’s finest work, there’s a lot working in this film. Both leads are strong — with Renier pulling double duty and the mood and visuals are well on point. Yet there’s also something less than fresh about the film overall (although that may depend on how many films in the genre you’ve actually seen). THE WORD: Loosely based on the novel Lives of the Twins by Joyce Carol Oates, Double Lover offers a dreamy, psychosexual dive into the inner self and the dark reflections that live therein. COMING TO: Video on Demand

THIS PAGE: DOUBLE LOVER - COURTESY COHEN MEDIA GROUP • THE YOUNG KARL MARX - COURTESY THE ORCHARD

THE YOUNG KARL MARX HAITIAN DIRECTOR RAOUL PECK FOLLOWS UP HIS

Oscar®-nominated documentary about the brilliant writer and thinker James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, with a feature about another remarkable ruminator, one whose work went on to change the world so deeply that that we’re still feeling aftershocks 150 years later: Communist Manifesto author Karl Marx.

Naturally this means Peck must also represent the manifesto’s other author, Friedrich Engels — whose observations of the English working class were invaluable to their shared purpose. Indeed, it was this shared sense of purpose that was strong enough to unite the two young Germans despite their differences — Engels was born rich while Marx was desperately poor. Much of the film sees Marx (August Diehl - Inglorious Basterds) struggling to feed his intelligent wife (Vicky Krieps - Phantom Thread) and two babies, while Engles (Stefan Konarske - Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) courts his Irish labor-agitating love (Hannah Steele - Black Mirror). What makes this film succeed, aside from terrific acting across the board, is the purity of its intellectual discourse. The plot moves well and at 118-minutes, the film never flags despite the fact that what drives the story is a series of strikingly well-written conversations — in

German, French and sometimes English — that seem to be genuinely on the intellectual level of the genius characters participating in them.

In short, this is a good film for those who can get into palpably thoughtful material — I Am Not Your Negro being another shining example of the same kind of film. THE WORD: There may be no greater example of how mere ideas can change the world than what these two brilliant, insolent and sharp-witted young men accomplished. COMING TO: Theaters METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

25

GIVE ME SOME CREDIT Do banks see you as a good candidate? Here’s how to put your best financial foot forward.

BY JENNIFER DAY than their straight allies. For example, your likelihood of facing an unplanned pregnancy is comparatively minimal; however, those who do want to pursue parenting will likely run into costs related to projects like surrogacy or adoption. What unites us all is the desire to have good credit, so that when you find yourself in need of funds, you’ll be able to access them. Let’s take a look at how credit works and some simple tactics you can use to maximize it.

CULTURE

FINANCE

WHAT’S A CREDIT SCORE? A key to understanding your financial well-being is your credit score. This score can affect the interest rate you pay to lenders and even whether you’re approved or declined for a loan.

Your credit score is based on your payment history, the number of accounts you have open and the amount owed on those accounts. The number ultimately represents the risk a lender is willing to take when you borrow money. Everyone has three credit reports — one from each of the major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies once every 12 months. Request your free report from at visitannualcreditreport.com. Once you get the report your score will fall into one of five categories: Excellent (750+), Good (700-749), Fair (650-699), Poor (600-649) or Bad (below 600).

WHY DO I HAVE A LOW CREDIT SCORE? There are several reasons why you might have a score that’s lower than you expected. They may include: Payment History - If you have a history of making late payments, creditors will see you as a bigger risk.

Amount of Debt - If all of your credit cards are currently maxed out, creditors will worry whether you’ll be able to continue making your payments or take on more credit.

Age of Accounts - If you are newer to credit and borrowing, you don’t have any history. Keep paying your bills on time and you will see your rating improve.

26

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

Account Mix - Lenders like to see that you can handle different types of debt from credit cards to auto loans.

History of Credit Applications - Think twice before you apply for every credit card offer you get in the mail. If you apply for several in a month, creditors will worry you’re overextended financially.

HOW DO I KEEP A GOOD CREDIT SCORE? The easiest way to keep that score high is to pay your bills on time, including rent and utilities. You can make that easy by setting up auto-payments with your credit card companies or bank. This will ensure you wont get dinged for payments made past the due date.

The next step is to fix your credit utilization ratio — how much of your credit you use. If your balances are more than 30% of your limits, your score will suffer, even if you pay off balances in full every month on-time.

Another important strategy in pursuing good credit is to make sure your credit reports are accurate. Errors to look out for in your score include: Identity Errors: Incorrect information (name, phone number, address); accounts belonging to another person with the same or similar name as yours; false accounts resulting from identity theft Incorrect Reporting of Account Status: Closed accounts reported as open; accounts wrongly reported as late or delinquent; incorrectly recorded dates (of payments, account openings or delinquencies), debts listed more than once Balance errors: Inaccurate balances or credit limits If you find any of the above errors, it can take time to correct the information, but each credit agency has (allegedly straightforward) processes to help you address issues.

THE BOTTOM LINE Your credit score can change your life. It will determine whether you qualify to borrow money and at what interest rate you’ll pay it back. If you’re not happy with yours today, make sure you’re paying bills on time and start keeping low balances on any open credit, so when the time comes, banks will be eager to help you finance that dream home — or whatever your heart desires.

■

STOCK PHOTO COPYRIGHT : NEYRO2008

LGBT PEOPLE OFTEN ENCOUNTER DIFFERENT FINANCIAL UPS AND DOWNS

TAKE THE LEAD

Take an active role in your health.

Ask your doctor if an HIV medicine made by Gilead is right for you.

onepillchoices.com GILEAD and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC4606 06/17

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

MOBY

Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt (Mute Records)

BY TURNS HAUNTING AND FILLED WITH DESPAIR, THE LATEST RELEASE FROM MOBY

beautifully tackles the brokenness of humanity in these modern times. With subtext clearly criticizing our nightmare-inducing Commander-in-Chief, Moby explores ideas such as finding solace through spirituality and the spirit of individuality. Musically, he returns to his roots by bringing orchestral, soul, trip-hop and gospel sounds into his mixes. On the album’s definitive highlight,“Like a Motherless Child,”featuring LA-based songstress Raquel Rodriguez, Moby reworks a well-known spiritual of the American South previously reinterpreted by the likes of Odetta, Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson and Van Morrison. And for those curious: yes, the title of the album is a reference to Billy Pilgrim’s epitaph in Kurt Vonnegut’s classic 1969 novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Moby will be bringing the album to life for audiences at live shows throughout the year; for more on how you can attend, visit moby.com.

28

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: • MOBY IMAGE COURTESY MUTE RECORDS • FACING PAGE: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE IMAGE COURTESY RYAN MCGINLEY • COACHELLA - THE DRUMS - CREDIT MONI HAWORTH • GOVERNORS BALL - KELELA - CREDIT DANIEL SANNWALD

CULTURE

MUSIC

Moby returns with commentary on modern times, Justin Timberlake hits the road and summer music festivals heat up. BY MATT GROSS

FESTIVAL PREVIEW

COACHELLA April 13–15 and April 20–22 WHILE YOU — OF COURSE — SHOULDN’T EVEN DREAM OF

missing Beyonce’s headlining spot, there are definitely many other acts you definitely need to catch if you find yourself rocking (and sweating it) out in the California desert. Among them is The Drums. Fronted by openly queer and totally adorable singer Jonny Pierce, the band effortlessly combines elements of surf pop a la The Beach Boys, new wave a la The Smiths, and something entirely their own that is limitlessly catchy. Their latest release, Abysmal Thoughts, chronicles the process of picking up the pieces after a split with a longtime beau and is stunning from start to finish. coachella.com

GOVERNOR’S BALL June 1–3 TAKING PLACE AT RANDALL’S ISLAND (NESTLED JUST

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Man of the Woods (RCA Records) REUNITING WITH THE LIKES OF TIMBALAND, PHARRELL WILLIAMS OF THE

Neptunes and acclaimed blues singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, the former *NSYNCer’s latest album feels simultaneously ground-breaking and familiar. Bringing in sounds of traditional American rock — think Tom Petty and Buddy Holly, Man of the Woods explores storytelling inspired by his 3 year-old son, his wife (actress Jessica Biel) and his personal journey from Memphis to where he is today as an international superstar. Listening to (and watching the videos for) hypnotic lead singles “Filthy” and “Supplies” will transport you to a turn-of-the-millenium dance floor — it’s nostalgia at its finest. If you were impressed by his Super Bowl performance back in February, be sure to catch Justin Timberlake on his extensive North American stadium tour this spring and summer. Join his 65 million Twitter followers @jtimberlake.

between Harlem and Queens), Governor’s Ball has been rocking NYC since 2011 with a variety of music that encompasses genres from pop and hiphop to electronic and folk. Some of this year’s most acclaimed acts includes Jack White, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and James Blake.

However, the real gem on the roster is DC-based diva Kelela. Inspired by heavily by early ‘90s R&B, her star has risen considerably over the last year with the release of her electrifying debut album, Take Me Apart. If you long for the days when Janet Jackson was explaining the way the love goes, you don’t want to miss a chance to be front and center at Kelela’s set. governorsballmusicfestival.com METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

29

Cartagena

Beach Vacations

FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELER

Not all beaches are created equal. We’ve got picks for tentative travelers, exotic explorers, social butterflies, sea safarists and more. BY ERIC ROSEN BAHA MAR: FOR TENTATIVE TRAVELERS

— with polar vortices and bomb cyclones bearing down on much of the country in recent months — the good news is that there are more, and more extraordinary, beaches than ever to which you can get away from it all. This year, if you’re looking to take a break from (still splendid) standbys like Puerto Vallarta, Mykonos and Sitges, consider one of these up-and-coming destinations, each of which will be home to exciting new hotels and happenings in 2018 and chosen to suit a variety of personal tastes.

Only have a few days off to seek solace in some sunny climes? No need to venture too far, thanks to the recent opening of the massive and massively luxurious $4.2 billion BAHAMAR (bahamar.com) development on the Bahamian island of Nassau. It is already home to the GRAND HYATT BAHA MAR (hyatt.com) and the SLS LUX (slshotels.com), with the lavish ROSEWOOD BAHA MAR (rosewoodhotels.com) opening later this year. All told, the end result will boat over 2,300 rooms.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY THEIR RESPECTIVE DESTINATIONS.

WHILE WINTER WEATHER SEEMS TO GET WILDER EVERY YEAR

30

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

Drift in Dubai

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

31

Kokomo House Reef

Kokomo West Beach

Apart from the hotels though, Baha Mar will be able to offer some 40 restaurants and lounges, the Caribbean’s largest casino, an 18hole Championship Jack Nicklaus Golf Course, the first ESPA spa in the Caribbean and over 30 luxury stores. And — just in case all that is not enough to keep you busy, guests can also book special experiences like a chef-led conch or lobster excursion aboard the resort’s private yacht.

CAMBODIA: FOR EXOTIC EXPLORERS

CARTAGENA: FOR COLONIAL CULTURALISTS Colombia was a no-go zone for the last two decades of the 20th century due to its illicit drug trade and a raging civil war. That war was formally declared over just last year and the country’s rebound onto the tourism scene, which was already well underway, is now going full speed ahead. The glittering jewel in its crown — known in fact as the Pearl of the Caribbean — is the colonial coastal city of Cartagena.

Cartagena is just a five-hour flight from New York, with non-stops on JetBlue. The city, which was once home to novelist Gabriel García

ALL IMAGES COURTESY THEIR RESPECTIVE DESTINATIONS.

Benguerra Island Scuba Diving

While Siem Reap and Angkor Wat have topped travel bucket lists for decades, it is along the Cambodia’s sleepy southern coast that visitors should focus their attention in search of something new. This untouched strip of shore provides a calmer counterpoint to Southeast Asia’s party beaches in Thailand and Vietnam with plenty of new properties on the horizon.

In mid-2018, Asia-based luxury brand Alila will debut the ALILA VILLAS KOH RUSSEY with 50 pavilions and 13 villas all inspired by traditional Khmer architecture, while spa-driven luxury chain SIX SENSES (sixsenses.com) has plans for a resort with 40 pool villas discreetly distributed throughout the 30-acre Krabey Island.

For the ultimate in rustic romance, though, book a stay at SONG SAA (songsaa.com). The resort, whose name means “The Sweethearts” because it straddles two nearly-touching neighboring islands, opened in 2012 and is not only a paragon of luxury, but also of thoughtful, conservationdriven development. Owners Mel and Rory Hunter also started the Song Saa Foundation, which supports projects ranging from wildlife and marine preservation to local employment and medical care initiatives. Their overwater villas are pretty spectacular, too.

Márquez and the setting for Love in the Time of Cholera, offers a significant slice of history since it was founded back in 1533 and has undergone a series of dramatic booms and busts ever since. Today, it offers all the advantages of a beachy Caribbean getaway with a lively cultural scene, fine dining and jet-set cachet all mixed in — creating an elixir tastier than local rum in the cocktails you won’t want to miss in one of the town’s rooftop bars like ALQUÍMICO (alquimico.com).

To make the most of your time, divvy it up between the cultural center and the beach. In the heart of the UNESCOlisted walled old city lie marvelous digs like the CASA SAN AGUSTÍN (hotelcasasanagustin.com) in a former monastery and the SOFITEL LEGEND SANTA CLARA CARTAGENA (sofitel.com) in a converted convent (notice a theme here?). The city also contains colonial treasures like its pastel cathedral, the Palace of the Inquisition, Castillo San Felipe and the Church of Santo Domingo, not to mention 11 kilometers of well-preserved fortification walls with scenic sea vistas and a bounty of balconied, bougainvillea-draped buildings just asking to be Instagrammed.

Once you get the historical sightseeing out of the way, move over to one of the beach hotels in town — such as the INTERCONTINENTAL (ihg.com) or the HILTON (hilton.com), both of them near Hollywood Beach (where the gays come to play on Sundays). While you might want to skip the beaches in town, book a private boat out to the Rosario Islands through THIS IS CARTAGENA (ticartagena.com) for snorkeling and a beach lunch or spend a day lounging in the cabanas at the FENIX BEACH HOTEL AND CLUB (fenixbeachcartagena.com) on nearby Playa Bomba with views of the city in the background.

Don’t forget to book dinner — try for 10pm when the locals start arriving — at foodie favorites like CARMEN (carmencartagena.com), a swanky eatery serving updated iterations of classic Colombian fare and modern mixology cocktails; or sophisticated Cuban-themed LA VITROLA, where reservations are hard to come by, but worth it. Afterwards, venture to the boho-chic Getsemani neighborhood just north of the walled city for streetside drinks at low-key lounges like BAR DEMENTE.

COSTA CAREYES: FOR SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES Altready taken yoga in Tulum? Snorkeled El Arco in Cabo?

Spent the day basking in sun and men at Mantamar in Puerto Vallarta? If you think you’ve seen everything Mexico has to offer, think again. Those looking to explore one of the country’s more underrated, and thus unspoiled, destinations should consider COSTA CAREYES (careyes.com) on the country’s rugged Pacific coast.

Careyes lies about a three-hour drive south of Puerto Vallarta, or just an hour from the airport in Manzanillo. The private community was established by an Italian magnate named Gian Franco Brignone who bought the land in 1968 and soon transformed it into the destination of choice for his jet-setting friends.

Today, the property spans over 20,000 acres of jungle, mangroves and wetlands, in addition to eight miles of virgin Pacific shoreline. It also boasts a collection of casitas and palatial villas that blend a Mexican and Mediterranean aesthetic, six restaurants, a selection of sea-based activities including surfing and scuba, not to mention quirky monuments like the sculptural Piramidion and the bowl-like Copa del Sol, which perches on a cliff to catch the sun.

The resort recently rebranded the Hotel Careyes as the EL CAREYES CLUB & RESIDENCES (elcareyes.com). The new property is comprised of 35 private residences ranging in size from studios to four-bedroom suites redesigned by Mexican architects Gabriela Carrillo and Mauricio Rocha and interior designer Uribe Krayer. Each expansive accommodation enjoys beach or jungle views, gleaming new bathrooms, some of which have infinity pools or tubs overlooking the ocean, full kitchens and access to the private beach club. The resort also has five infinity pools, a new Mexican restaurant and an allnew fitness and yoga center.

Though there is no shortage of activities to keep guests busy even during quiet times, one of the best reasons to visit is the schedule of social events that take place throughout the year. Those include the Arte Careyes Film Festival in April, the Ondalinda Music Festival celebrating Mexican culture in November, fantastical Chinese New Year festivities in February and a variety polo events including the Agua Alto Polo Tournament in March. The resort also spearheads several conservation, artistic and community-based philanthropic programs through its Careyes Foundation.

DUBAI: FOR JETLAGGED JETSETTERS Not so long ago, the United Arab Emirates was a just another out-of-the-way spot halfway round the globe. Today, thanks not only to decades of development, but also to the rapid expansion of both Emirates and Etihad, the country has become a major hub for travel and transit.

If you find yourself passing through Dubai, it might well be worth booking a stopover for a bit of culture and a beach getaway. This year, the country is celebrating the centennial of its founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with a series of events intended to promote themes of tolerance, unity, societal development and economic prosperity. In neighboring Abu Dhabi, just an hour car ride away, the monumental LOUVRE ABU DHABI (louvreabudhabi.ae) opened its doors in November with a collection of thousands of masterpieces on loan from its namesake in Paris.

But many people forget that Dubai is actually an attractive beach destination as well. Though temperatures soar well above the 100-degree mark for several months in the summertime, they run in the 80s and 90s for the rest of the year, and sunshine is guaranteed. Many of the hotels along its coast have capitalized on that fact by adding swanky beach clubs in recent years.

DRIFT BEACH (driftbeachdubai.com) at the ONE&ONLY ROYAL METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

33

Benguerra Island Dhow Bar

FIJI: FOR WILDLIFE WANDERERS Epitomizing the allure of the South Pacific, Fiji’s immaculate waters and warm hospitality have been drawing travelers to this remote archipelago for centuries. Luckily, Fiji Airways offers daily flights from Los Angeles to Nadi nowadays and travelers have their pick of places to stay.

Those with hotel points can put them to use at either the new FIJI MARRIOTT RESORT MOMI BAY (marriott.com), the HILTON FIJI BEACH RESORT & SPA (hilton.com), or the SHERATON FIJI RESORT (sheratonfiji.com).

However, more unique options abound. The newest is KOKOMO PRIVATE ISLAND, a 45-minute flight from Nadi. It has just 27 villas and residences total, each with its own private garden and infinity pool. Chances are you won’t be lounging around, though, when you could be snorkeling or fishing the vibrant waters of Great Astrolabe Reef just offshore.

In April, SIX SENSES FIJI (sixsenses.com) will debut on Malolo Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Nadi. It will have 24 bures, or villas, each with a private plunge pool, and 10 residential villas ranging in size from two to five bedrooms (with another 50 planned down the line). Eco-seekers will appreciate that the resort will be 100% solar-powered.

A favorite among return visitors, the JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU RESORT (fijiresort.com) opened in 1996 on the island of Vanua Levu, overlooking Savusavu Bay. With just 25 bures crafted from local timber, the resort has long set the tone for sustainable luxury thanks to innovations like energy-saving lighting and ventilation, solar panels, an organic garden supplying its kitchen, and water efficiency and reclamation. Through its homegrown Ambassadors of the Environment program, marine biologists create custom programming to educate guests on the local ecosystem through activities like coral planting, mangrove adventures and rainforest treks.

Finally, for the ultimate splurge, LAUCALA ISLAND (laucala. com) is a private paradise set on its own 3,500-acre island. Its 25 villas range in size from one- to three-bedrooms, and though the rates are high, everything from romantic beach dinners to cooking classes, multi-course tasting menus, treatments in the hilltop spa and private cruises are all included.

34

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

MALTA FOR: EURO-ESCAPISTS If you’re aching for a trip to Europe, it might be time to forgo a return to well-worn watering holes like Mykonos or Ibiza, and instead head to MALTA (visitmalta.com), Europe’s 2018 Capital of Culture. You might recognize Malta’s dramatic coastline and sun-dappled towns from Game of Thrones (the island is one of several nations that stand-in for parts of Westeros), but even Cersei Lannister couldn’t find much to complain about here.

Malta’s three main islands claim some of Europe’s most panoramic beaches. The azure waters of the Blue Lagoon on tiny Comino make for a perfect day trip from the main island of Malta, while Gozo’s Blue Hole is one of the best dive spots on the continent. With a name like that, how could it not be?

Now is the time to go, thanks to the packed roster of special events in the works for the nation’s year in the spotlight, including individual village festas, or feasts, throughout the summer, a world music festival in May and October’s Notte Bianca all-night arts festival.

MOZAMBIQUE: FOR SEA SAFARISTS Though Mozambique’s 15-year civil war ended in 1992, the tourism development of nearby countries like South Africa, Kenya and Botswana seems to have mostly eluded this lush locale. That might be changing, though.

The country’s 1,500-mile Indian Ocean coastline borders some of the world’s most wildlife-rich waters, all of which you can explore while enjoying the comfort of a world-class lodge.

As luxury safari outfitter andBeyond CEO Joss Kent describes it: “For me, Mozambique has the quality of an earlier time in Africa.” That translates to a destination you can experience before any of your friends do.

The flight from Johannesburg to Vilanculos in the south takes just over an hour, but delivers you to the doors of the sprawling Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. There, the recently refurbished ANDBEYOND BENGUERRA ISLAND (andbeyond.com) is one of Africa’s finest luxury camps, with just 13 casinhas, each with personalized butler service. But Benguerra’s charms go beyond the soft amenities.

“The Archipelago is in a protected marine conservation area and offers pristine beaches and unspoiled coral reefs teeming with marine life,” says Kent. He is speaking of rare dugongs (a relative of the gentle manatee), enormous manta rays, multitudes of dolphins, sea turtles galore and more. After a day out swimming among them — or perhaps taking a picnic to a private island, guests can unwind with a sundowner at the lodge’s beach bar as the Milky Way comes into view overhead.

If you have time, head north to the Quirimbas Archipelago.

During a stay at MEDJUMBE (medjumbe.anantara.com), your days out on the water might include such once-in-a-lifetime experiences as swimming with behemoth whale sharks migrating through the sprawling coral reef systems or the beauty of a sunset cruise on a traditional fishing dhow.

■

SALA IMAGES COURTESY JUSTIN MOTT • ALL IMAGES COURTESY THEIR RESPECTIVE DESTINATIONS.

MIRAGE (oneandonlyresorts.com) is an enticing enclave set in one of the city’s most exclusive resorts. Reserve a lounger at the infinity pool overlooking a half-mile stretch of beach with views of the city skyline. And don’t worry about being disturbed by shrieking kids because children under 16 are not admitted. The club also has a Provençal restaurant, so prepare to rosé all day.

The new W – THE PALM DUBAI (whotels.com) is also opening this spring with 350 rooms and suites as well as an AWAY Spa, a WET pool deck with private cabanas and a rooftop bar.

If you just want to keep things casual, though, do as the locals do and head to Kite Beach just north of the landmark Burj al Arab hotel for spectacular sunsets and alfresco dinners from one of the food trucks like Maíz Tacos or SALT for burgers.

Bahamar Pier Sala Outdoor Spa

Bahamar Aerial

Malta

Malta

W Palm Dubai

Stockholm

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: COURTESY VISIT STOCKHOLM. OPPOSITE PAGE: TOP- AND BOTTOM-RIGHT COURTESY MRNY, BOTTOM LEFT COURTESY VISIT STOCKHOLM.

DOUBLE YOUR FUN AT

EUROPRIDE 2018

IN STOCKHOLM AND GOTHENBURG *WITH A WEEKEND IN WEST SWEDEN

Here’s what not-to-miss as two beautiful, water-framed Swedish cities share the honor of hosting Europride this summer.

BY MARK A. THOMPSON

IN THE FACE OF MOUNTING GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR

the LGBT community, Sweden has declared its determination to lead the fight for LGBT equality.

And if you doubt the resolve of this Scandinavian country of ten million, think again. Think of the dominance of Swedish brands — Ikea, Absolut, H&M, Volvo. Consider their pop hits, packed with hooks you can’t get out of your head. That’s Sweden when they put their mind to something.

Throughout its modern history, Sweden has been a champion of the LGBT community. Same-sex relations were legalized in 1944, which was followed in 1976 by the integration of the Swedish military. In 1979, Sweden became the first country in the world to declassify homosexuality as a medical disorder— and same-sex marriage has been legal since 2009.

In honoring Sweden’s LGBT advocacy, EuroPride has chosen two Swedish cities as hosts for its 2018 festival. Under the banner“Two Cities, One Summer,” EuroPride 2018 will join with the organizers of Stockholm Pride and Gothenburg’s West Pride for a three-week celebration that commences in Stockholm and concludes on Sweden’s west coast in Gothenburg.

As the Swedish government recently asserted, “Every effort we have made to strengthen LGBT rights has been preceded by lively discussions.

Sometimes it sounded like the world was going to fall apart. But that has not happened; the world has not broken up because we said yes to love and equality of all people.”

Now that’s a government you want in your court.

West Pride

Stockholm Pride

West Pride

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

37

At Six Lobby

STOCKHOLM: LGBT SCANDINAVIA’S SEXY CAPITAL AS THE HOST OF EUROPRIDE IN 1998 AND 2008, STOCKHOLM SHOWED

the world how Sweden celebrates their LGBT community. During the city’s annual Stockholm Pride celebrations, rainbow flags wave from the city’s most prominent buildings and bridges. Its Pride Parade attracts more than 500,000 spectators as it winds through the city for nearly three miles — from Stockholm City Hall and on through the central district of Ostermalm with more than 45,000 participants and 200 floats marching in solidarity to Pride Park, the historic sports ground that played host to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

This year’s EuroPride 2018 celebrations will include EuroPride Park, as well as EuroPride House which will host over 400 seminars and workshops — and a record-breaking EuroPride Parade featuring international music artists. For a bird’s-eye panorama of the parade, a table at ORANGERIET (restaurant-orangeriet.dk) offers a Swedish take on la dolce vita along Stockholm’s waterfront. Packed with rainbowclad revelers, the party at this popular trattoria on Mälarstrand continues long after the parade passes by.

38

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

Afterwards take your travel companion (or the sexiest Swede who’ll accept your invitation) back to AT SIX (hotelatsix.com) Stockholm’s latest luxury hotel. What was once a 1970s Brutalist-era bank is now a hot new hub for Stockholm’s belle monde. More than a hotel, At Six features numerous social spaces, including a listening lounge and a cocktail bar known for its gin-infused Tipsy Tea. At Six’s extensive art collection showcases commissioned works — as well as the hotel’s signature sculpture, an eight-foot high marble head (pictured) perched on the lobby’s grand white granite staircase. The steel-and-timber interiors are softened with lush textiles, while guest rooms are clad in dark oak with tinted mirrors and marble credenzas.

Apart from spectacular views, the hotel’s rooftop offers Frida Ronge’s restaurant TAK (tak.se). Meaning “roof” in Swedish, the restaurant continues Ronge’s love affair with Japan while providing the celebrated chef with room to spread her gastronomic wings.

Complemented by a raw bar and a rooftop bar, the restaurant fuses Japanese cuisine with Swedish ingredients for a uniquely flavorful take on Scandinavian staples and delicacies.

A summer visit to Stockholm would not be complete without a nightcap at MÄLARPAVILJONGEN (malarpaviljongen.se), the floating oasis on Lake Mälaren. Held afloat by three pontoons, the seaside bar and lounge remains one of Stockholm’s most beloved nightspots.

One of the best ways to appreciate the beauty of Stockholm is from the water. Comprised of 14 islands connected by various bridges, Stockholm possesses a vast network of ferries that glide along the city’s quays from island to island. Less than twenty minutes by ferry from central Stockholm, the isle of Fjäderholmarna gives a great sense of Stockholm’s 24,000-island archipelago. A former military compound, the island is dotted with artists’ studios and boutiques— and RÖKERIET FJÄDERHOLMARNA (rokeriet-fjaderholmarna.se), a restaurant renowned for its slow-smoked prawns and salmon.

Equally alluring is the bucolic isle of Skeppsholmen, which is home to the MODERNA MUSEET (modernamuseet.se) and its sculpture gardens showcasing works by Niki de Saint Phalle and Picasso. Set amidst a sylvan landscape of lawns and waterfront vistas, the design-

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: WATERFRONT COURTESY VISITSTOCKHOLM3 • AT SIX LOBBY PHOTO ANDY LIFFNER

Stockholm Waterfront

THIS PAGE: GOTHENBURG GARDEN SOCIETY COPYRIGHT PER PIXEL PETERSSON • THE CLARION POST FACADE AND TERRACE AND NORDA COURTESY THE CLARION POST.

Gothenburg Garden Society

Clarion Post Terrace

savvy HOTEL SKEPPSHOLMEN (hotelskeppsholmen.se) is an urban resort located in 17th-century buildings that once housed the Royal Marines.

The hotel still maintains its original floorboards — as well as Sweden’s first tennis court, built in 1882.

For another glimpse into Sweden’s Gilded Age, consider HALLWYL HOUSE (hallwylskamuseet.se), originally built for Count and Countess von Hallwyl who desired a Mediterranean palazzo in downtown Stockholm. Completed in 1898, the private residence was noted for introducing electric lighting and central heating to Sweden. During summer, Hallwyl House converts its interior courtyard into a restaurant, thereby offering guests the pleasure of dining in a Swedish palace.

Before leaving Stockholm, take a stroll along Strandvägen, one of Sweden’s most posh waterfront promenades. When you notice a fullsize rainbow flag flying proudly alongside the flags of Sweden and Britain, you’ll know that you’ve arrived at Hotel Diplomat. What was once an Art Nouveau residence for diplomats is now a luxury hotel with splendid harbor views and elegant rooms furnished in period décor— and a secluded cocktail bar perfect for postprandial trysts.

Clarion Post Facade

GOTHENBURG’S GAY REVOLUTION LITTLE MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AGO, GOTHENBURG WAS KNOWN AS the most homophobic city in Sweden. Back then, it wasn’t easy

Norda Bar and Grill

to be gay in Gothenburg, according to EuroPride coordinator Alex Snäckerström. Located on the west coast of Sweden amidst a dramatic 100-mile coastline of more than 8,000 skerries and islands, life in Sweden’s second most populous city was a challenge for LGBT people.

Yet today, Gothenburg is widely recognized as one of the world’s most progressive cities. A laidback coastal city with a cosmopolitan vibe, Gothenburg was designed by Dutch city planners in the 17th century, hence its canals and broad boulevards. Each summer, Gothenburg hosts Sweden’s second largest Pride, a five-day festival known as West Pride, with more than 1,000 rainbow flags flying from municipal buildings, hotels, and restaurants, as well as Gothenburg’s trams and buses.

Those who remember a less tolerant Gothenburg attribute the change to various factors, such as the formation of Sweden’s first municipal LGBTQ Council (with representation from all political parties) and LGBT Gothenburg. Equally important, according to West METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

39

Similarly, when Gothenburgers speak about going to“Fish Church,” it’s to worship at RESTAURANT GABRIEL (restauranggabriel.com), housed in the historic fish market that resembles a Neo-Gothic church. Visitors from around the world climb a narrow flight of stairs to the father-son restaurant where an open kitchen enables patrons to witness some of Scandinavia’s most delicious seafood served from sea-to-plate.

Should you find it necessary to walk off such gastronomic excess, head to Götaplatsen, the city’s cultural hub where you will find the GOTHENBURG MUSEUM OF ART (goteborgskonstmuseum.se). The neoclassical museum houses a superlative collection of 19th-century Nordic art, as well as the Hasselblad Center for photography. Equally inspiring is the museum’s restaurant Mr. P which faces onto the square where West Pride’s Rainbow Parade circles an immense statue of Poseidon. Pop a cork at a ringside table and toast to “Mr. P” himself, 19th-century merchant and art collector Pontus Fürstenberg.

You might also raise a glass to Gothenburg’s commitment to human rights. As a cohost of EuroPride 2018, the city is reminding the world just how far it has come from the era when this riverside gem was not such a great place for you to be LGBTQ.

Harbour Canal

Gothenburg Museum of Art/

Feskekôrka

40

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

WILD AND WONDERFUL WEST SWEDEN WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA FOR EUROPRIDE, WHY MISS THE OPPORTUNITY

to explore more of this picturesque portion of Sweden? Notable for its rocky cliffs and granite outcroppings, West Sweden is where the “Big Five” means lobster, langoustine, oysters, mussels, and prawns. A short drive from Gothenburg’s city center, you’ll find the Bohuslän coast and its 8,000-island archipelago — celebrates its maritime heritage with mussel safaris and lobster fishing.

Quaint little fishing villages dot the coastline as it meanders to the Norwegian border. The charming port of Lyckorna was once an iconic health resort for Gothenburg’s upper classes and is now home to MUSSELBAREN (musselbaren.se) with its mile-wide mussel farm.

Guests who embark upon mussel safaris head into the fjords to harvest live blue mussels. Back on terra firma, the mussels are cooked over a

THIS PAGE: CANAL AND FESKEKÔRKA COPYRIGHT KJELL HOLMNER • MUSEUM OF ART COPYRIGHT SUPERSTUDIO

Pride’s Executive Director Rebecka Adin, is West Pride, which attracts more than 125,000 visitors to Gothenburg each year.

“We are constantly educating to ensure there is awareness of LGBTQ life in Gothenburg,” says Adin. “The work on improving the living conditions of LGBTQ people is based on the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The starting point is that all people are born free and equal in value and that human rights are universal.” Given the global zeitgeist, it’s important to note that this declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948 as a response to the two world wars.

Where better to fall into Gothenburg’s embrace than Drottningtorget, the vast public square in front of the city’s Central Station? Immediately, your gaze is drawn to the massive granite edifice that was once the city’s post office. Built in 1925, the listed building is now CLARION HOTEL POST (nordicchoicehotels.se), a contemporary design hotel with majestic public spaces that encompass a stylish new tower and atrium. Its sleek guest rooms offer citywide views from panoramic windows, while at the hotel’s Norda Bar & Grill, Swedish-American chef Marcus Samuelsson plays with the theme“Gothenburg meets New York.”

To get your bearings in Gothenburg, you might consider TIME TRAVEL SIGHTSEEING GÖTEBORG (timetravelgbg.se) for a madcap sightseeing tour behind the wheel of a classic mid-century Volvo vehicle.

The 90-minute tour ends along the waterfront at Michelin-starred restaurant SJÖMAGASINET (sjomagasinet.se) where gregarious chef Ulf Wagner oversees the festivities. Famous for its sumptuous seafood buffet, the restaurant is a testament to Gothenburg’s shellfish bounty.

Crayfish Cooking

Nordic Watercolour Museum

THIS PAGE: CRAYFISH COURTESY LISA NESTORSON • SMÖGEN COURTESY ASA DAHLGREN • NORDIC WATERCOLOUR MUSEUM COURTESY THE MUSEUM AND ANDER ARENA • W. SWEDEN IMAGE COURTESY © ÅSA DAHLGREN / WEST SWEDEN TOURIST BOARD

Smögen, West Sweden

fire pit with Musselbaren’s signature recipe before they’re served with piping hot fries. Gazing into the archipelago, feeling salted and sated, you might think Musselbaren also holds the recipe for happiness.

Once known as Herring Isle for its pickled herring industry, Klädesholmen is home to “boatel” SALT & SILL (saltosill.se), built on pontoons. Complete with its own lobster reef, the floating hotel includes a two-floor sauna and relaxation lounge. Open since 1999, Salt & Sill’s acclaimed restaurant offers sweeping views of the sea that provided the shellfish on your plate. Guest rooms feel like Swedish summer houses (think Scandinavian Shaker: clean lines, functional furnishings) with plunge ladders into the pristine Skagerrak sea.

Further up the coast, the NORDIC WATERCOLOUR MUSEUM (akvarellmuseet.org) opened in 2000 on the island of Tjörn. Winner of “Museum of the Year” in 2010, the waterfront museum showcases watercolorists whose work is celebrated in rotating exhibitions. The museum’s seaside restaurant Vatten (meaning “water”) overlooks pink granite scurries and the museum’s five artists’ studios which are available for residencies. As for the food, the chefs find inspiration in the sea and the landscape—and the results are works of culinary art.

Nordic Watercolour Museum

Equally mesmerizing is Tjörn’s sculpture park PILANE (pilane.org), where ancient stone circles and Iron Age cairns share space with grazing sheep and the work of leading contemporary artists and sculptors.

Should you choose to linger longer along the coast of West Sweden, you might consider LÅDFABRIKEN (ladfabriken.eu), a former fish box factory located on the Bohuslän cliffs at water’s edge. Owned and operated by a charming pair of global nomads with roots in the region, the four-room boutique inn bursts with rainbow style. More than innkeepers, the two men are gracious hosts and knowledgeable concierges with keys to numerous activities and day trips. Amidst such natural beauty, however, you might be tempted to remain in the garden, gazing out to sea — and once you see a West Sweden sunset, you’d be forgiven for wishing to remain where you are.

For more information about Sweden’s upcoming pride celebrations, visit EuroPride 2018 (europride2018.com), Stockholm Pride (stockholmpride.org), and West Pride (westpride.se) More info is also available at Visit Stockholm (visitstockholm.com), West Sweden (vastsverige.com), and Visit Sweden (visitsweden.com).

■ METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

41

$ HITT

SC

HEAD ANIEL ASTERMIND D M K E E R C ’S T SCHIT DEFINING ARIOUSLY RE IL H S LK TA Y OF LEV L PERCEPTION A R U LT U C R OU AGEN Y. BY PAUL H T LI A U X SE N PA

ipped of their ised to be a Rose family str tt’s Creek prom backwater, Schi ar ul tit its is promise to th retreat delivered on hes-to-rags. It ric of y ed m ene Levy) co ug classic ther Johnny (E eyebrows of fa e th : ly tics, faded ul an tif beau try bumpkin e at local coun ris rp su g ting with rin cia registe ara) over enun (Catherine O’H ra oi casually M r y) sta ph soap is (Annie Mur ay, sister Alex sm di . e ry iv he iss uc dism rnational deba ne days of inte go by ). With r vy fo Le g l in long David (Danie e was brother er th nchant en pe th d d an An nty manner d fashions, jau ar rw But he fo y. oga -s as oh his aracter read just-so, the ch gs in townie th e ng al vi m fe for ha rtation with d a friendly fli pe lo which ve in de e ly en quick this led to a sc ampshire), and H into a ily m ed (E rn tu ie Stev e preferences respective win r ei th g sin us n. disc s his orientatio them to addres ker,” Stevie said in code allowing dr e in w d clear: I’m a re t, I was under “So, just to be until last nigh up nd “A . lly fu ng d wine. But I to David meani only drank re o, to u, yo at n th the impressio e rong?” w as w I s es te wine, and I’v gu also drink whi I t bu e, in w d swered David, “I do drink re sional rosé,”an ca oc e th e pl m sa been known to

42

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

ALL PHOTOS THIS PIECE COURTESY SCHITT’S CREEK.

RICH E SUPREMELY HICH SAW TH to EPISODE — W ed ST rc FIR fo d ITS an FROM worldly wealth

alluding to desires to sleep with men, women and possibly those outside the gender binary. “And a couple of summers back I tried a merlot that used to be a chardonnay, which got a bit complicated.”

“So you’re really just open to all wines?”

Stevie asked to clarify.

“I like the wine and not the label.

Does that make sense?” David replied, signalling the start of a journey that would see him encounter a tasting menu of sexual idenitities. Now, with the show’s excellent fourth season in full swing on Pop TV in the U.S. (not to mention critically lauded in Canada and gathering new audiences via Netflix), Metrosource speaks with Daniel Levy about creating one of the most complex queer characters on television; his multi-faceted roles as actor, co-creator, producer, writer and showrunner; and the new possibilities offered by David finally having a healthy relationship with a man.

“WHO CAN I TRUST TO PICK OUT A WOMAN’S BLOUSE?” One of the singular joys of Schitt’s Creek is watching Moira and David trot out in costumes both conspicuously extreme yet limited to a fashionista palette of blacks, whites and metallics.

“I am involved in every single fitting ... alongside our costume designer Debra Hanson,” explains Daniel. ”Costume to me is one of the most important elements of the show because not only is it fun to watch, but it also allows us to continually remind the audience where these people came from, and it’s a really fun device because you don’t have to then write characters constantly talking about how they miss their old lives.” Daniel takes genuine pleasure in this stage of the process. “It certainly helps me get into character, and I know that Catherine and I have a lot of fun in those fittings because she can literally wear anything.” He admits to considering pieces for Moira and wondering whether they might be too strange. “Then she puts it on and it’s like: no, not strange enough.”

He laughs. “This sea foam wig might be pushing it too far — nope, not far enough.”

Another dependably enjoyable aspect of the show is its unabashed display of men-as-eye-candy, with certain characters

like Mutt (Tim Ozon) seemingly made to go shirtless. Daniel says the sexy impact doesn’t always hit him until later in the process. “It’s funny, when you enter the production world of TV, it becomes quite clinical,” he notes. “I’m standing there in front of Tim, who’s shirtless,”he recalls.“I’m genuinely just critically looking at his body thinking: Yeah, I don’t think it has enough oil or — you know what? — actually there’s too much oil.” It’s only after he’s done dealing with technicalities, racing the clock and trying to make the actors comfortable that he can see it as the audience does.

“Then you get to watch it, and that’s when I get to be like: Yeah, Tim looks great.”

“IF YOU INCLUDE THE MONTH HE WAS SEEING OTHER PEOPLE...”

If you’ve seen a headline related to Schitt’s Creek, there’s a good chance it’s related to its pioneering position on pansexuality (attraction to people regardless of their gender identity). But it seems Daniel didn’t necessarily seek out such press. “It was definitely a priority for me to tell a queer story on this show,” Daniel says as an out-and-proud gay man. But his primary goal was to do what was right for the character. “I didn’t really think twice about the fact that there’s not a lot of pansexual representation on TV, and that David might be the first explicit out pansexual.” The process led Daniel to make discoveries about more than his character. “I’m able to sort of reveal him not only to the audience, but in a way to myself, and the amazing thing about David is that inherently I am way more introverted and, I think ultimately, fearful than David is, so in the process David’s audacity to be his genuine self — regardless of who’s standing in front of him — has really in a way been quite an inspiring experience for me and has taught me sort of to be more less fearful of judgment and what people think.”

That’s not to say that what ensued was a romantic free-for-all. After David and Stevie sleep together (ultimately deciding to remain friends), they eventually find themselves each entangled in relationships with the same hunky woodworker: Jake.

When Jake proposes they merge their relationships into a triad, David rejects the

David and Patrick

Stevie Rose Apothecary

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

43

A Rose Family Portra it

Patrick and Moira

a certain louche photographer who visits to photograph Moira. Daniel says this reserve may have more to do with David’s state of mind than his amount of experience. “I think David’s general persona in Season One was extremely guarded, and I think he was pulled so far out of his comfort zone that he really retreated.

To admit to any kind of personal revelations would be to explore sides of himself that he didn’t want to show,” he explains.“I think that’s why the intention of David’s arc over the course of these past few seasons has really been poking a hole in him by way of Stevie — finding some kind of ally and then slowly letting the light in and letting the character who has never felt safe in his life open his mind to the possibility that this town could be the safe space he’s always needed — and then the introduction of Patrick.”

“I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BOYFRIEND’S SHOES?” idea soundly. However, Daniel explains it wasn’t meant to judge the idea of threeway relationships in general.“It was definitely not rooted in any kind of politics whatsoever,” he says.“ That storyline was really about David and Stevie realizing that sexual intimacy was going to complicate something that they feel is quite substantial — which is their friendship.”

It’s worth noting that while Alexis is constantly making reference to her fairly full sexual resume, David chooses his moments more judiciously — for example, admitting that he’d had a relationship with

44

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

In Season Three, after completing his tenure at the local Blouse Barn, David sets out to open his own business and ends up seeking advice from, then becoming business partners with, and ultimately dating Patrick (Noah Reid). The pair are a study in opposites — Patrick’s practicality balancing David’s penchant for perfection, David’s beenthere-done-them approach to relationships in contrast to Patrick’s first steps toward understanding his own sexuality. Watching their relationship blossom has been a joy for audiences, and Daniel says his writers’ room has enjoyed exploring “the sort of naivete of being

in a relationship with someone where you don’t have to question whether they’re going to leave you or not.” He also likes that “you get to see David acknowledging that he is deserving of love in a core, base way and that Patrick has balanced him in a way to make him feel comfortable enough to be open to that possibility.”

Daniel says that in creating the character of Patrick, he wanted explore an experience that some of his friends have had:“Realizing very late in life that they had feelings for people that they didn’t previously expect,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just the person, and sometimes it’s more than that: sometimes it’s realizing that you are gay.”Patrick’s story of coming out works in beautiful tandem with David’s story of opening up, and the two make an immensely lovable pair, in no small part due to a winning performances from both Daniel and Noah. “Noah Ried, who plays Patrick, is just so brave and plays that character with such a gentle confidence and charm; he was just the perfect fit for that character and able to handle all that comes his way.”

So far, that has included a scene where the pair share a touching, tentative first kiss, which Daniel admits, “I ended up re-writing, like, four times because I just couldn’t get it right, and finally — I think it was about an hour before we started shooting — I ran up to Noah with the scene that we ended up shooting, and I was like: ‘It needs to be perfect and it needs to be special and it needs to feel real and I hadn’t got it, and now I got it. So, sorry, you have 45 minutes to learn these lines.”

The relationship has also included Patrick serenading David with a heartstring-tugging acoustic rendition of “Simply the Best” — made all the more touching when Moira offers her blessing, shushing someone because, “My boy right now is being serenaded by his butter-voiced beau,” while David smiles, fighting back tears.

“THE FBI KNEW WHERE I WAS THE ENTIRE TIME” Daniel says that although he spends most of each year making the show, he turns to travel as “a way to reset my brain.” He counts the Land of the Rising Sun among his favorite destinations. “I’ve been to Japan five times now; I try to go every year, Tokyo is the most incredible city I’ve ever experienced.”

“You have a city that is so progressive in terms of its technology and at the same time so rooted in tradition and honor, and that intersection is so remarkable to experience,”he says.“And then Kyoto and Naoshima and Hakone and all of these amazing places — Nagano and seeing the monkeys: there are so many places [there] that I haven’t visited,” he says.“Coming from the political climate here in North America, it’s always sort of reassuring to be in a place where things are done with a great deal of care.”

“I don’t get out a lot, so traveling is actually one of the only times when I get to really see how far reaching the show has gotten,” Daniel adds. “I lived in London for a while, and then I went back and visited last year and I was stopped on the street by some people who are fans of the show and I asked them, ‘Where do you see our show?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s on Netflix,’ and I was like, ‘Oh — of course it is!’”

for slightly more thoughtful, more focused storytelling. ... I know the stories that I want to tell in the meantime.”

“It really is a show that has consumed my life but also changed it and broken it open in ways that I never thought possible,” he explains.

“So I’m going to ride this ‘til it dies, and by that I mean, when the show ends, not when we get it to a point where people stop watching, but I will say that this is not a show that will go on forever, and there will be a time to say goodbye, and hopefully people will still be interested.”

Working on the show also helped Daniel realize showrunning is something he was meant to do — so much that he’s already developing a new show.“If it works out,”he says,“I’m going to be very happy about it, because it’s a good one. I think so we’re at a point now where we’re trying to get that off the ground, and we’re close.”

In the meantime, Daniel plans to continue telling stories rooted in joy, love and acceptance on Schitt’s Creek. “In a small way, you feel like you’re contributing to the cultural conversation in a constructive way, and being able to tell stories in a public forum is something that’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly, and I think there needs to be more positivity out there in television, and hopefully our show is an example of an idea that is rooted in something very joyous without compromising humor.”

And along the way, he’ll also continue to inadvertently set off devices equipped with Amazon’s Alexa — which tends to respond to Schitt’s various characters shouting Alexis’ name. “I guess I’d like to publicly apologize,“ Daniel says of the phenomenon,“but at the same time, in the back of mind, every time I read this, I was like: You know what? They’ve got to make Alexa a little bit sharper, because ‘Alexis’ and ‘Alexa’ are two different names, and I feel like in 2018, Alexa should know the difference.” As he discusses the subject, his voice takes on a delightful comedic intensity — perhaps channeling a bit of David.“It is an epidemic, and I don’t know what to say about it other than: Alexa wasn’t around when I started writing the show — I don’t think, and we were here first!” Catch up with Schitt’s Creek at poptv.com and follow Daniel on Twitter @danjlevy.

■

“IMPULSIVE, CAPRICIOUS AND MELODRAMATIC” When it comes to the future, “I know everything about Schitt’s Creek, I know how it ends,” Daniel admits. “In this particular kind of show, it’s important to know what you’re building towards. I think it makes

David Lets them Eat Cake

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

45

The New Fab 5: Bobby, Karamo, Antoni, Jonathan and Tan

In our one-onone conversation, “Culture Guy” Karamo Brown explains why this Fab 5 has taken on a new mission for a new generation.

BY KEVIN PHINNEY

46

APRIL/MAY 2018

THIS IS NOT YOUR BIG BROTHER’S QUEER EYE FOR THE

Straight Guy. The newly rebooted series now streaming on Netflix is an extrapolation of the original, which hit the airwaves in 2003, before George W. Bush had even been reelected. This time out, the makeover subjects are referred to as “heroes,” they include gays as well as straights, and this Fab Five makes a concerted effort to ensure that the changes they effect are neither temporary nor simply cosmetic.

According to Karamo Brown, who provides culture advice to the heroes of Queer Eye, the intention with this series is not merely to recreate or modernize what the original cast brought to Bravo more than a dozen years ago, but rather to do something entirely different.

“The original show was more about tolerance,” says Brown of his predecessors. “This time, it’s more about acceptance. The first time out, we were trying to give people a sense of what we were needing as gay people and demanding as part of American culture. And with marriage equality and in some other areas, there has obviously been some progress since then.”

But Brown is also acutely aware that this new Queer Eye is being seen through the lens of Trump’s America.

“We are very divided today,” he says ruefully. “I think Queer Eye is giving different cultures an opportunity to experience what happens when we stop fighting and start listening. In one of the episodes, the hero is a white Southern cop who voted for Trump, and I jokingly put on his ‘Make America Great Again’ hat. But there was a lot going on beneath the surface, because although I’m there under the guise of being gay, my identity as a black gay man is part of the equation, too. And so how he felt about Black Lives Matter became part of our interaction too, and we had a very transparent conversation — which is sometimes the best result you can hope for. I’m not looking to solve any problems, but starting a conversation has a value of its own.”

The show is also unfettered from having to shy away from content that could have made network execs twitchy had the show returned to its original home

METROSOURCE.COM

on Bravo. “With Netflix,” Brown says, I” think people watching will notice that there are fewer restrictions on what we can do because we’re not bound by advertisers in those days of ‘the host can’t do this,’ or ‘you can’t show that,’ or ‘you can’t speak your mind so frankly.’

Here we have the ability to be our authentic selves, and not at one point did anyone tell us no. And maybe that’s one of the reasons we were able to go to some pretty deep places with our heroes.”

Brown says that while his predecessor Jai Rodriguez focused on introducing his makeover clients to pop culture, Brown’s background allows him to engage his subjects on another level entirely. “Jai was a Broadway and musical actor,” Brown explains, “so he was very much about exposing people to the arts.

But my background is in social work, so I’m looking for something very different. One of the things we teach in the show is self-love and confidence. A lot of times we’re told that being proud of something you’ve done is a sign of someone who’s self-centered or has a big ego. It’s not. It’s part of being fulfilled and knowing that you’re a good person who has his own accomplishments. We teach people to say things like,“I have been a great Dad today.’”

Those may seem to be lofty goals for a franchise often remembered as a pleasant reality TV diversion some 15 years ago. Brown says that change is intentional, too.

“I want to know,” he says, “what the blocks are in their past. What’s keeping them from being the best version of themselves possible? What’s holding you back? So I’m much more about being a life coach and trying to help people find a life that resonates for them. I mean, how do you really feel about yourself? It’s great that we can change your clothes. But if we can’t change why you haven’t been curious about life, then what good is a new wardrobe? Making those changes has kept us in contact up to today with a lot of the heroes. And they’re sharing things like,‘I’m keeping it together.’And they’re coming to understand why they were fearful of letting themselves go in the first place.”

■

FAB 5 COURTESY NETFLIX

21ST CENTURY QUEER EYE

Greater THAN Gold

Olympian Gus Kenworthy on his Olympic experience, goals for the future and that unforgettable kiss. BY KEVIN PHINNEY AFTER BRINGING HOME A SILVER MEDAL SKIING AT THE

THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF HEAD & SHOULDERS’ “SHOULDERS OF GREATNESS” CAMPAIGN

Sochi games in 2014, Gus Kenworthy came out, and his appearance at this year’s Olympics in South Korea was one of the most remarkable made by an American athlete in recent memory — but not in a way that anyone foresaw. Metrosource caught up with him a few hours after he his last run.

METROSOURCE: This was certainly not the Olympics experience you came seeking — between the injuries and becoming the focal point of gay rights on the world stage. What was in your head as all of that was unfolding?

KENWORTHY: A lot was going through my mind as I was preparing. You know, I just wanted to do myself proud, represent my team and my country with some degree of grace if at all possible. I didn’t get to land a run in the final round that I would like to have, and I was dealing with a rough go with the practice. But I was honored to be in the final. And now I get to be happy for friends; happy that they’re getting to have the experience of getting a medal.

Was it mentally tougher having the media pull you into the political arena while you were trying to focus on your event?

In some ways, yes and in some ways, no. Constantly talking about the competition sometimes makes it more real and more nerve-wracking than it is already. So it’s often a nice distraction to have something else to talk about. And when the topic has any controversy about it, it’s like anything; you get a ton of support and a ton of negativity.

Do you think of your time in the world spotlight as saying something to anyone: The current administration? The global LGBT audience who was watching? The haters on social media?

Well, I can tell you this: If you’re not following my feed, you’re missing out. To the haters, I say: Don’t come for me unless you have “your and you’re” and “there, their and they’re” sorted out — that’s a basic requisite. To the LGBT community, I’d say I hope I represented you well. I feel lucky to have had the chance to represent you, and I hope my

Gus Kenworthy

doing that makes it easier for others who are coming up in the community and brings some satisfaction to older members of the community as well. As for the current administration, I’d say things need to change.

A lot of people aren’t happy and I hope that leads to some understanding on their part that they could make life better for a lot of people.

Everyone’s still buzzing about The Kiss. It may be the most watched smooch since Kirsten Dunst put a lip-lock on SpiderMan while he was hanging upside down. Have you and your boyfriend (Matt Wilkas) discussed all the fuss?

It’s funny; we haven’t really talked about it.

It was no big deal and a no-brainer for me, and I didn’t know the cameras were catching it. Didn’t think anything about it all day until after the competition. It seemed so nominal in the moment. But as kid who’s coming up and trying to be successful, it would have made things easier for me if somebody had done it before I did — because I’d have come out sooner. So I’m hoping it makes it easier on the next generation watching at home, whether they play sports or not.

You came into the games with so much publicity and heavy-hitting corporate sponsorships like the Head & Shoulders “Shoulders of Greatness” campaign.

What’s next? Do you think you have a third games in you?

I’m really looking forward to some down time. My body is ready for a rest. As to

whether I’ll ski again ... Well, the real push will start in two years. Right now, I’m taking a little me time. I’m already one of the older guys on the team this year. If I returned, I’d probably be one of the oldest, if not the oldest. It’s a lot to digest right now.

If you were offered a moment to meet Vice President Mike Pence, would you?

I think the current push-back against diversity has everything to do with the current administration. The entire campaign was based on fear and hate, and it gave people a chance to rise up. It’s given this minority a platform to lash out against anyone they see as different. And I do believe that hearts and minds can be changed. People are not born with prejudice, and bias can be unlearned.

As far as meeting him? I don’t see the benefit. He’d get an amazing photo op and gets to save face and show face, while in practice as Governor of Indiana and as Vice President, his record has been anything but gay friendly.

Had you known what your experience at the games was going to be, would you have done anything differently?

I don’t think it’s fair to second-guess yourself on these kinds of things. What’s done is done.

And there’s the butterfly effect — where if you change one thing, then other things change as well. I’m in a great headspace now.

I’m feeling pretty gutted, and it sucks when it’s not your day competitively. But I’m at peace, and I’ve had a moment on the podium ■ — and that was great, too.

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

47

What is TRUVADA for PrEP?

Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP?

TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: ® Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. ® Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. ® Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin.

While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. ® You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. ® If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. ® To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: ® Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. ® Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. ® Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. ® Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ® If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: ® Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: ® Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. ® 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. ® Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? ® All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. ® If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. ® If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. ® All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. ® If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose.

These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

I’m passionate, not impulsive.

I know who I am. And I make choices that fit my life.

TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices. ® TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.

Learn more at truvada.com

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1.

• You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

• See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information.

TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1.

• To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status.

• Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1.

• Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices.

• Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

• 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.

• Bone problems.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight.

These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.

• Have any other medical conditions.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.

• Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.

• Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection.

• Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design, TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0120 07/17

PUERTO RICO AND HIV

THIS PAGE: STOCK PHOTO IMAGE COPYRIGHT, SERGIO PAULO GOMES LACUEVA

Rico, a significant portion of the island was still without power, while food and water were still being distributed by federal authorities, and many homes were still covered with tarps.

The impact of what has been called the worst natural disaster to ever strike Puerto Rico was strikingly worse for those living in poverty-stricken communities of the region, which is home to 3.4 million people. And, for those already facing health concerns such as HIV and AIDS, the challenges of receiving proper care and accessing vital services became formidable, if not altogether impossible.

“The instability in the overall infrastructure on the island has created challenges at every level for service providers.

Without electricity or internet, providers are not able to access electronic patient records or function to their full ability,” said Valerie Rochester, VP of Program Strategy at AIDS United.

“Communication within and outside of the island continues to be a challenge. Some organizations still have not been able to reach all their staff members after the hurricane and have had challenges communicating with funders from the States.”

By the end of January, AIDS United had raised $2.5 million through its HIV Hurricane Relief Effort to assist organizations that provide HIV/AIDS healthcare services. More than $820,000 had already been distributed to 16 organizations in Puerto Rico, and to providers in Florida, Texas and the Virgin Islands that were impaired by the season’s disastrous storms.

“We hope to avoid adding a public health crisis on top of a recovery effort that is already beyond the capacity of the local authorities to manage,” Rochester said. “To date, funding has been used for everything from helping to repair destroyed facilities to providing medications and emergency kits to people living with HIV.” Hurricane Maria barreled into Puerto Rico with 155-mileper-hour winds in September, dropping more than two-and-ahalf feet of rain. While official reports claimed a mere 66-per-

son death toll, experts maintain that number likely tops 1,000 as people have since died from causes such as untreated diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Recent reports also noted an alarming increase in the island’s suicide rate — an astonishing 16% jump in 2017, including 26 incidents in November alone. In further disheartening developments, organizations on the front lines of combatting HIV and AIDS suspect that this rate will continue to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

As of the end of 2015, there were 16,783 people living with HIV in Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control — another number that experts say will likely rise. “I do expect HIV rates and Hepatitis C rates to go up — not because we stopped providing a service, but because there is a real trauma here,” Rafael A. Torruella, Executive Director of Intercambios Puerto Rico, told Metrosource. He paused, noting, “That was a real issue before Maria. People should not think that it’s all better now, and that things are operating.”

Intercambios, which distributes syringes as part of its harm reduction efforts, is an independent organization affiliated with Housing Works, Inc. Each year, it reaches thousands of people in the eastern part of the island, endeavoring to eradicate HIV and Hepatitis C. Nearly 100% of his program participants live below the poverty level.

“We still don’t really have a plan to make things better in Puerto Rico. More than 60% of the people we work with still have no power, many of them have no water. Many of the communities we work with, the military only came once or twice,” Torruella said.

In the weeks and months after Maria, his organization adapted to begin distributing water, clothing, food and air mattresses, too. And while they had stocked up on syringes to maintain distribution, they nevertheless encountered many that were damaged or destroyed, further curbing access to those in need. “People were really responsible,” he recalled, “telling us ‘I held out as much as I could without sharing.’” ■ METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

BODY

NEARLY A HALF YEAR SINCE HURRICANE MARIA DEVASTATED PUERTO

METROHIV

Puerto Rico continues to suffer in the aftermath of Maria; what does that mean for people living with HIV? BY JEFF SIMMONS

51

THE PURPOSE OF PURPLE

BODY

HEALTH

LAVENDER, THE DISTINCT PURPLE FLOWERING PLANT WHICH manifests itself in roughly 47 different species is actually part of the mint family. The classic (and more common) variety is Lavandula angustifolia, most often recognized because of its distinct Crayola crayon hue, but the history of lavender goes back over 2,500 years. Indigenous to India, the Mediterranean, and Middle East, the plant was used by the Romans — both for medicine and to spruce up baths and make their clothes smell nice.

Some people might think using lavender as a sleep aid might just be an old wives tale, but research — including studies at the University of Maryland, Southampton University, and recently by P.H. Koulivand and M.K Ghadiri with support of the University of Muenster — supports the medicinal benefits of lavender for a variety of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia, anxiety and stress. Those looking to use lavender medicinally may brew it as a tea, create aromatic lotions infused with the plant, or administer it combined with epsom salts or oils, or even have it crushed and rubbed directly onto a variety of pressure points.

Lavender oil is a strong anti-inflammatory and natural antihistamine, which comes in handy during allergy season for a number of reasons. People suffering from allergies can use lavender to strengthen the body against dust mites and other air-borne allergens by placing a few drops at the temples and around the nostrils, or simply breathing it in through a diffuser. Lavender oil can also aid in soothing rashes and hives. Try rubbing lavender oil with a little coconut and/or jojoba oil and apply directly to the affected area for an almost immediate soothing effect.

PROVENCE, nestled in the Southeastern corner of France (from the lower Rhone River to the Western Italian border), is known by many as “Lavender Country.” Fields bloom purple from mid- to late-June until the middle of August. Provence tourism has created a handy map with a lavender route (which you can explore at provenceguide.com) that begins at La Ferme aux Lavendes and includes such landmarks as the DISTILLERIE LES AGNELS (lesagnels.com); the LAVENDER MUSEUM (thelavendermuseum.com) where you can get up-closeand-personal with its massive assortment of 16th Century copper stills (used to extract lavender’s precious essence), ornate perfume bottles and enough knowledge to become an expert in all things lavender. LES LAVANDES CHAMPELLE (gaec-champelle.fr) is a popular farm that makes its way into into the foothills of Mount Ventoux and over Sault and Aurel.

52

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: BOTH PHOTOS, CREDIT LES LAVANDES CHAMPELLE

Where in the world can you find one of nature’s most vividly colorful plants, and how can you use it to do the most good once you’ve found it? BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES

THIS PAGE: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, CREDIT LAVENDER BY THE BAY • CREDIT LES LAVANDES CHAMPELLE • STOCKPHOTO, CREDIT CSEH IOAN • CREDIT LAVENDER BY THE BAY

In addition to colorful fields of blooming lavender, the farm offers a picnic area and shop with flowers, bouquets, essential oils and more.

Here in the states, LAVENDER BY THE BAY, located in East Marion New York, extends over 17 acres of farmland on North Fork, Long Island.

The most popular time to visit the farm — which has been family-owned since 2002 — is early July when the main French Bloom hits the farm. Lavender By the Bay sells lavender oil, dried French or English lavender bunches, soaps, lotions, shea butter cream, candles, bath and culinary soaps and more. Their popular, all-natural pillow mist is the perfect way to transport their fields of lavender home to lull you to sleep. Seasonal offerings also include honey from the farm’s beehives. Many of these products are available at Greenmarket Farmers Market locations around New York City (grownyc.org/greenmarket).

■

SAVE UP TO 41% OFF THE COVER PRICE THE ART OF MAINE EUROPRIDE TIMES TWO THE BEST

BEACH

FOR YOU?

Yes! I want all the fabulous that’s fit to print!

Please send me 6 issues (one year) for just $19.95.* (a savings of 33%) Please send me 12 issues for $34.95.* (a savings of 41%)

Please check the edition that you want: PIONEERING PANSEXUALITY

DANIEL CREEK $

GUS KENWORTHY FROM SOUTH KOREA WITH LOVE

NY Edition

LA Edition

National Edition

Name______________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________________ City________________________________ State____________Zip____________ Email______________________________ Payment enclosed Bill me * Add $2.50 per issue for foreign mailing, including Canada. Credit Card #______________________________________Exp. date_________ (Complete this form and send it back with your check or money order to: Metrosource c/o Davler Media 498 7th Ave., 10th Fl. New York, 10018)

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

53

54

SALT CAVES AND HALOTHERAPY CAN THEY BURY YOUR ALLERGIES? Some people are seeking relief from respiratory ailments by surrounding themselves with sodium. BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES

THERE’S SOMETHING DEEPLY RELAXING ABOUT CATCHING SOME SHUT-EYE

on a comfy chair in room surrounded by tons of Himalayan Salt.

That’s why spas, healing centers and holistic destinations all over the world are starting to add salt caves and salt rooms to help take wellness to a new level.

Halotherapy or dry salt therapy, has been around since Dr. Feliks Boczkowski opened the first health resort facility in the WIELICZKA SALT MINE in Poland in 1838. Now a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage monument, the mine has invited over 1,750,000 people to get into the salt. German scientists looked at the phenomenon a little closer in 1949 when physician D.K.H. Spannahel noticed that people who’d hid in salt caves and mines during World War II showed evidence of improved respiratory health. As of 1958, Professor Mieczyslaw Skulimowski started seeing patients in the salt chambers and by 1964 they created the Kinga Allergy Treatment Spa. Soon, hospitals also opened in salt mines, and by 1985 the first halotherapy device was developed in Odessa, Russia. Word travelled quickly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union and halotherapy has since spread around the world.

It turns out that spending a bit of time in a room consisting of tons of salt and can clear pollens, viruses, pollutants and toxins from your lungs and nasal passageways. This can help rejuvenate your respiratory tract and kick those allergies to the curb. Halotherapy provides this relief because salt is naturally anti-inflammatory and fights pathogens. In salt rooms, a halogenerator pumps sodium chloride into the air, which also clears mucus, phlegm and bronchial secretions; this can reduce or completely do away with coughing and sneezing related to a variety of air-borne causes.

While enormous salt mines are few and far between of course, APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

there are now hundreds of locations where you can go to breathe sodium-rich air, including salt caves, salt saunas, even mini salt rooms.

MONTAUK SALT CAVE (montauksaltcave.com), located near the Eastern shore of Long Island has both beautiful stacked pink Himalayan salt bricks and rocks plus fine (almost sandy) salt everywhere you look. Their new East Village location is already attracting a wide range of fans and regulars. For $40 clients can enjoy a 45-minute session in a zero gravity chair. Montauk Salt Cave also offers reiki, sound healing with crystal singing bowls, massages and a variety of events.

SALT STUDIO PASADENA (saltstudiopasadena.com) is an LGBTQowned and gay-friendly wellness spa in the heart of Pasadena. Owner Diana Leone is a CMT reiki practioner striving to help her clients restore balance to their lives. The studio offers a peaceful salt room where clients can relax while experiencing the opening of airways, skin detoxification and a renewed sense of balance thanks to the rooms negative ion environment. Guests can book a single treatment for $40 or add salt time to any spa treatment for an additional $20.

Some of their other treatments include massages, sweat sessions, Qigong classes, Dead Sea mud wraps and chakra harmonizing.

And PRIMAL OCEANS SALT CAVE (primaloceanssaltcave.com) has a gorgeous salt cave in La Grange, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) where you can book a reclining chair for just $35 and snuggle up with a warm Sherpa blanket. Take in the tons of Pink Himalayan Salt boulders and bricks as you allow the negative ions to swirl around you.

Additional treatments at Primal Oceans Salt Cave include Aquascape — a sensory immersion zen bed, Amethyst biomats (where you can receive the benefits of crushed amethyst crystals below you), and an ionic detox foot bath. If you book their “Journey to Tranquility” package, you can take in all four of these treatments for just $165.

■

PHOTO CREDIT PRIMAL OCEANS SALT CAVE

BODY

METROHIV

Primal Oceans Salt Cave

MAKE SMART CHOICES, BOYS! Kevin is anxious to find time to enjoy Amsterdam’s less-family-friendly pleasures, but ends up finding a state of freedom more total than he bargained for. BY KEVIN PHINNEY seemed to be silently reminding us,“Make smart choices, boys!”

The last day of the vacation was to be ours alone. We packed and took the long trip to the airport to say goodbye to our tour guides as they headed back to the States. Then we rented a room at the hotel that adjoins the terminal and headed back to town. Again, it was sweltering, and the streets were clogged with Dutch folk, now rapturous that their team had advanced to the quarter finals.

We stopped into a store known for its kinky accoutrements called RoB Amsterdam, where we found and tried on a variety of gear, and learned the valuable lesson that talcum powder is your best friend when it comes to getting in and out of rubber.

We bought a couple of mementos and, as we were checking out at the counter, I asked the sales clerk what was happening in the gay world this Saturday night. “There’s not much early on,” he demurred. “Amsterdam is a late-night kind of town — but there is Church.”

My guy and I looked at each other, bewildered.

“It’s not a church,” the clerk.“It’s called Church. Anyone with an interest in kink will have a good time there — but they don’t open until midnight.”Since it was barely 8pm, we decided to share a few beers and hang with the locals until the appointed hour.

At midnight, we took a cab over to the address we’d been given, and knocked at a very nondescript door. It all seemed a bit sketchy in a speakeasy sort of way, but once we were inside the doorman greeted us warmly, accepted our cover charge and asked, “You know about the dress code, right?”

My guy and I again looked at each other, bewildered.

The doorman smiled. “You can wear jockstraps, chaps, underwear or nothing.” I explained that we had did not have dress code-appropriate clothes and that I had also elected to go commando that day due to the heat. “I’m not seeing a problem,” the doorman smiled.“Please leave your jeans and clothes with me.”

I reluctantly stripped and we headed in, where a 6’4” , 260pound Norse God greeted us wearing an actual tire chain around his neck.“Welcome to Church,” he said.“Pray or be preyed upon.”

I will never forget that night — how it felt to be so on display among so many astonishing -looking men. It was a marked contrast to the engrossing museums and straight sports fans, but it’s not an experience I’d necessarily repeat. I had a fantastic time, but I also kept hearing my Mom’s voice in my head reminding me to always wear clean underwear because you never know where the day is going to take you. I smiled. She’d have said it herself had she seen what I witnessed that night: “Make smart choices, boys!” ■

POV

scorchingly hot in the middle of June was something neither my partner nor I expected. That the Netherlands was steadily marching toward victory in the World Cup was something we didn’t anticipate, either. But as it turned out for both us and the Dutch, June 2010 gave us ten days of unforeseeable highs and lows.

We agreed to make the trip because a friend of my thenpartner was had convinced us Amsterdam was one of Europe’s most progressive and chillaxed cities. She’d also visited so many times with her teenage daughter that she likely thought having a couple of gay boys to show around might freshen up her experience.

What we hadn’t realized is that she also believed we were going to stick to them daily from breakfast until well after dinner — leaving us little opportunity to explore the city’s eccentricities.

Instead, we spent days strolling neighborhoods being touristy.

The Van Gogh Museum offered fascinating looks at his early life and process; the World War II Museum was intriguingly candid about nation’s messy interactions with Nazi Germany. Afternoons were spent sampling local and international foods in the plazas — which were sprawling affairs with large open areas surrounded by bistros, bars and restaurants. In each of them, Jumbotrons proudly blared the Netherlands’ advance to the World Cup finals, and the Dutch enveloped us in a sweaty blond bearhug of patriotic fervor.

One afternoon, we visited the Anne Frank home, where she and her family had famously hidden for years before being discovered and packed off to their doom. The tour was predictably harrowing and sorrowful — ending in a large souvenir shop, full of translations of The Diary of Anne Frank in most known languages of the world. There the museum set up an on-the-spot interactive poll dealing with issues of ethnicity and prejudice, so visitors could see how far we’d really come in terms of tolerating diversity.

The few times my partner and I did venture out into the night to see what gay Amsterdam had to offer, our hostesses’ parting words were, “Make smart choices, boys!” Mostly the bars looked like others I’d seen — with two notable exceptions: Almost all of them had back rooms, where men fumbled randomly with others so inclined, and all of those had empty coffee cans nailed just past the entryways filled with government-issued condoms. They too

VIEWS

THAT AMSTERDAM WOULD BE SO

HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED FOREIGN GAY NIGHTLIFE? SHARE YOUR STORY IN “GAY VOICES” AT METROSOURCE.COM. METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

55

AN INTERNATIONAL FUSION

BY GAYLE VAN WELY LOOKING TO SERVE SOMETHING WITH INTERNATIONAL FLAIR? CONSIDER THIS SMOKED PAPRIKA SHRIMP ON DASHI COUS COUS. IT’S A

culinary excursion with stops in North Africa, Asia and Latin America — starting with cous cous from the mountains of Tunisia cooked in a unique umami flavored broth of dashi made from kombu seaweed and bonito flakes that points to the Far East.

Mix in the soft, Latin American flavor of avocado and top with Gulf head shrimp coated with smoked paprika (which accents the smoky flavor from the dashi). This healthy, satisfying dish is with good source of protein, and rich in fiber and B vitamins.

Avocado contains more potassium than bananas and loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acid. Serves 4.

1 Tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cup cous cous 2 cups homemade dashi 3 sprigs tarragon leaves 3 sprigs basil chiffonade 3 scallions, sliced diagonally 1/4” freshly ground black pepper 1 avocado cubed

SHRIMP 1 clove garlic 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 pounds head on shrimp, tail peeled 1 tbsp smoked paparika 1-2 Tbsp black sesame seed 2 tsp sea salt juice of 1 lemon

56

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

PREPARATION COUS COUS 1. Heat oil in sauce pan 2. Add chopped shallots, stir and allow to cook until soft. Stir in crushed garlic.

3. Add sake and cook for three minutes 4. Add cous cous, stir.

5. Add dashi broth, stir and bring to boil. Simmer five minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to stand for five minutes or until cooked.

6. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in avocado, basil, tarragon, scallion 7. Add pepper to taste.

SHRIMP 1. Preheat sauté pan over medium heat.

2. In a small bowl, crush the garlic with the salt. Mix in ground black pepper and paprika.

3. Stir in olive oil and lemon juice to form a paste. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with this paste and add sesame seeds until evenly coated.

4. Lightly oil pan. Cook shrimp for two to three minutes per side or until opaque.

5. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with lemon wedges.

FIND MORE HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS RECIPE ON METROSOURCE.COM.

PHOTOP BY GAYLE VAN WELY

INGREDIENTS COUS COUS

WHO SHOULD GET TESTED FOR HIV? EVERYONE.

See how often testing is recommended.

Visit HelpStopTheVirus.com © 2015 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC1858 03/15

More than LOBSTER, THE MAINE THING IS inspiration From its spectacular shorelines to its succulent seafood, Maine beckons artists and visitors to the Northeast.

BY MARK A. THOMPSON

Portland Head Light

58

APRIL/MAY 2018

at HIGGINS BEACH INN (higginsbeachinn.com), you might feel as if you’ve been enveloped by an Edward Hopper painting. The three-story clapboard structure has been welcoming guests for nearly 100 years, and it’s easy to imagine Hopper conjuring the image of a lone woman at a window, curtains billowing around her in the sea breeze, while a gentleman reads a newspaper on the wraparound porch.

For generations, artists have been migrating to Maine, attracted by its primal landscape on the eastern edge of America. At a time when much of the nation faced west, visual artists such as Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, and N.C. Wyeth focused on Maine’s craggy terrain and 5,000-mile coastline. The seasonal influx of painters and sculptors created a veritable artists’ community throughout a state that has been known as“Vacationland”since the railroad first connected Maine to the Canadian Maritimes in the 1890s. Though the railroads were supplanted by automobiles, the Vacationland nickname has adorned Maine’s license plates for more than 80 years.

Yet Maine is far more than the lobster rolls and L.L.Bean for which it’s known. About Manhattan, it was once said: “There are eight million stories in the naked city;”similarly, Maine harbors a METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT / MRNY • THE LOBSTER SHACK IN ROCKLAND / MRNY

AS YOU GAZE OUT AT THE RUGGED MAINE COAST FROM A WINDOW

The Lobster Shack in Rockland

Higgins Beach Inn

Crescent Beach

thousand tales behind its formidable façade. Going back to my childhood, Maine existed in my mind as home to talking pig Wilbur and his arachnid friend Charlotte, the protagonists of Charlotte’s Web, written by longtime New Yorker E.B. White — who ultimately exchanged Manhattan for the small town lifestyle of Brooklin, Maine.

THIS PAGE: HIGGINS BEACH INN / MRNY • CRESCENT BEACH / INN BY THE SEA • INN BY THE SEA / INN BY THE SEA • 250 MAIN HOTEL / MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM • ROCKLAND 3 / MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

THE ART OF MAINE So many artists of all genres have flocked to Maine that the state offers a MAINE ART MUSEUM TRAIL (maineartmuseums.org), highlighting seven art museums with more than 73,000 works of art that tell the story of Maine through various media. The subject of a recent exhibition at COLBY COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART (colby.edu/museum) — not to mention New York’s Met Breuer — Maine-born artist Marsden Hartley found his subjects along the beaches or (as he wrote to a friend) “went down into the bowels of the Y.M.C.A. and pulled up this ‘true beaut’… Well, the model is a wonder and we are quiet friends now…” Few would dispute Hartley’s taste upon seeing Canuck Yankee Lumberjack at Old Orchard Beach, Maine — featuring a very well-built man standing at the shoreline sporting some rather brief bathing attire.

With two world class museums and a main street lined with galleries, the town of Rockland likely holds more artwork per capita than most American cities. While most visitors might recognize Rockland for its annual MAINE LOBSTER FESTIVAL (mainelobsterfestival.com) which attracts enough visitors to polish off more than 20,000 pounds of lobster, the town is also home to the FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM (farnsworthmuseum.org) crowned by artist Robert Indiana’s instantly recognizable neon EAT sign first installed at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. Noted for one of the nation’s largest collections of works by local sculptor Louise Nevelson, the Farnsworth also includes the Wyeth Center with its collection of works created by three generations of the first family of Maine artists, the Wyeths.

Rockland’s cultural scene received a shot of architectural adrenaline with the 2016 debut of Toshiko Mori’s breathtaking new home for the CENTER FOR MAINE CONTEMPORARY ART or CMCA (cmcanow.org). As artist Alex Katz has stated, CMCA’s glass-enclosed space with its sawtooth roofline and open courtyard is a“game-changer for Maine art.”Adjacent to Rockland’s restored historic STRAND THEATRE (rocklandstrand.com), CMCA welcomes exhibitions that feature artists with connections to Maine, such as Linden Frederick whose nocturnal paintings of Belfast, Maine have fostered comparisons to Edward Hopper. Their exhibition Night Stories pairs 15 paintings to a series of short stories written by 15 award-winning American writers, including Ann Patchett and Richard Russo.

Inn by the Sea

250 Main Hotel Robert Indiana signage at Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland (file named Rockland 3)

59

Portland Harbor

CMCA in Rockland

Press Hotel Signature Exterior

without pretense from the smartly-attired and amiable staff.

Furnished with contemporary Italian seating, the hotel’s lobby hosts an afternoon wine social, in addition to a daily breakfast (with breakfast trays, should you wish to wake and surprise your spouse with breakfast in bed — and yes, I did). From the roof deck, panoramic views of Rockland’s waterfront and shipyards sprawl out for miles, reaching the neighboring isles of North Haven and Vinalhaven shimmering in the distance. Equally inspiring is bedroom wallpaper printed with Shakespearean quotes, such as “The world’s mine oyster…”

Speaking of seafood, Mainers are passionate about where to find the best lobster roll, and few would dispute that Rockland’s LOBSTER SHACK (facebook.com/thelobstershack04841) offers one of the best — accompanied by pickled green beans, chowder and a tangy slaw. Equally well-loved is the funky and fun CAFÉ MIRANDA (cafemiranda.com) which has been serving multi-cultural comfort food from its wood-fired oven for more than 20 years.

THE TASTE OF THE SEA

60

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

ROOMS WITH A VIEW Another of Maine’s top attractions is its spellbinding landscape, which is beautifully showcased at the 295-acre COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS (mainegardens.org). Situated along the tidal shore in Boothbay, the gardens were founded in 1992 by a group of mid-coast Maine residents; a quarter century later, New England’s largest botanical garden blooms as a quiet testament to the power of grassroots organization.

Indigenous flora is also celebrated at INN BY THE SEA (innbythesea.com), which boasts five acres of seaside gardens flanking Crescent Beach State Park. Located a short drive from Portland in Cape Elizabeth, the luxury waterfront resort features 61 rooms, suites and cottages with modern interiors, as well as Sea Glass, the award-winning restaurant that serves a lobster tasting menu as well as sustainable seafood recommended by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Beachfront sunsets are followed by cocktails around an open fire pit—and those who partake of an after-dinner stroll along the shore might find themselves accompanied by the resort’s beloved spirit bride — the friendly ghost of a 19th-century bride-to-be who drowned with her bridesmaids during a storm off Crescent Beach.

THIS PAGE: PORTLAND HARBOR / MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM • PRESS HOTEL SIGNATURE EXTERIOR (PHOTO BY PRESS HOTEL) • CMCA IN ROCKLAND / MRNY

Though for bibliophiles, the idea of farm-to-table Maine cuisine might conjure unfortunate images of Charlotte’s Web characters on a plate, a visit to Rockland’s award-winning restaurant PRIMO (primorestaurant.com) will banish any guilt related to the idea of dining on Wilbur. Chef and proprietor Melissa Kelly has been delighting gourmands for more than 17 years from her Victorian farmhouse located atop a hill surrounded by four acres of gardens, greenhouses and livestock. With a porch, a parlor room and various lounges, the genteel restaurant exudes a gracious atmosphere complemented by polished service. Kelly and her staff work wonders with their wood-burning oven, offering fresh, seasonal food that opens both the senses and the memory, recalling some of the best meals that have touched your palate — or your heart.

Visitors who dine at Primo find their way to 250 MAIN HOTEL (250mainhotel.com) — and vice versa — as both restaurant and hotel are the new standard bearers of Rockland’s refined hospitality. Originally conceived as luxury housing and designed to evoke the view from a yacht, 250 Main opened in 2016 as a 26room boutique hotel overlooking Rockland Harbor. With curated artwork displayed throughout the five-story structure, the hotel doubles as a high-end art gallery and design showroom — albeit

Press Hotel Roof deck

For another take on Maine hospitality, head south to Scarborough Beach where the hipster vibe of the restored HIGGINS BEACH INN (higginsbeachinn.com) melds with the beach’s history as a surfer sanctuary. A part of the Maine-based Migis Hotel Group, which also operates 250 Main), the historic inn retains its classic New England ambiance, albeit with an additional frisson of bohemian chic. Think coral pink wicker chairs with vintage vacation posters hanging from pine board walls. Breakfast is served on the covered porch; in the evenings, locals gather at Shade, the inn’s restaurant, for cocktails, craft brews, and dozens of free-range oysters fresh from the estuary.

THIS PAGE: PRESS HOTEL ROOF DECK (PHOTO BY PRESS HOTEL) • NONESUCH OYSTER FARM / MRNY

HEAVEN ON THE HALFSHELL While its lobster leaves an impression, Maine oysters are equally memorable, particularly when eaten on an oyster tasting tour with Abigail Carroll. In 2010, after her life in Paris required a reboot, Carroll founded NONESUCH OYSTERS (nonesuchoysters.com), a seven-acre oyster farm in a nature conservancy on the Nonesuch River. Known as the “accidental oyster farmer,” Carroll has become a passionate steward of the Scarborough estuary and her boutique oysters are reflective of their aqua“terroir”with a balance of brine and sweetness marked by notes of seagrass. A committed environmentalist, Carroll also utilizes locally harvested Maine marine ingredients for Nonesuch Skincare, her line of natural beauty and health products.

Numerous oyster farms populate the coast of Maine, as well as nearly 200 marine farms. Mussel farming has been a part of Maine’s maritime economy since the 1970s and Maine is at the vanguard of sea vegetable production, thanks to an abundance of wild, nutrientpacked seaweeds such as kelp, dulse and alaria.

Each October for the past ten years, gourmands head to Portland for HARVEST ON THE HARBOR (harvestontheharbor.com), Maine’s premier food and wine festival. Dedicated to both ending childhood hunger in Maine and showcasing Portland’s culinary bounty, the festival offers a mouth-watering introduction to Maine’s largest metropolitan area.

Located 90 miles north of Boston, Greater Portland is a vibrant mélange of towns and islands with roots going back to 1633. At EVO KITCHEN + BAR (evoportland.com), Chef Matt Ginn utilizes his locale near Portland’s Old Port to procure the best local Maine produce, which he then flavors with seductive touch of the Mediterranean.

One of the best places to absorb Portland’s casual cosmo vibe is the PRESS HOTEL (thepresshotel.com), the erstwhile home of Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest newspaper. A member of Autograph Collection, the hotel honors its ink-and-paper antecedents with an installation of vintage typewriters and letterpress sculptures, while guest rooms evoke editors’ offices from classic film noir. Reporters’ notebooks are also available should you overhear an inside scoop while sipping a classic cocktail at Inkwell bar.

At UNION (unionportland.com), the hotel’s locavore restaurant helmed by Maine native Josh Berry, the knowledgeable staff offers insider tips about the best from the open kitchen, which focuses on local purveyors. Consider the braised Maine lobster for dinner— followed by a vanilla brioche pain perdu at breakfast, both of which remind you why Maine is synonymous with eating.

The longer you linger in Maine, the better you understand why artists have returned year after year. PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART (portlandmuseum.org) founded by artists in 1882 — houses an extensive collection of 19th- and 20th-century works showcased in two heritage buildings conjoined with a contemporary addition. The museum also oversees Winslow Homer’s studio in nearby Prouts Neck, where visitors can wander along the coast that inspired his timeless representations of Maine’s rugged beauty. For as his work states — along with those who came before or have followed since — at its most elemental, the Maine Thing is inspiration.

■

Nonesuch Oyster Farm

METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

61

BOOKS CULTURE

AT HOME AND ABROAD

Georgia O’Keeffe discovers Hawaii’s feminine mystique, an artist creates portraits of Californians via their homes, and India Hicks looks back at her upscale heritage.

INDIA HICKS: A SLICE OF ENGLAND

By India Hicks; Rizzoli; $50 roles as a fashion model, as host of Bravo’s Top Design, or as the face of her own lifestyle brand. But A Slice of England offers an intimate look at her experience growing up as design royalty (not to mention literal royalty — Hicks is technically in the line of succession for the British Throne) by exploring a series of historic British homes. Through a combination of stunning photography and stories from her childhood, Hicks brings us through the legendary Broadlands estate of her grandparents, Lord Louis and Lady Edwina Mountbatten. We also see her parents’ homes, Britwell and the Grove, and father David Hicks’ famous garden. For something newer, Hicks also gives an inside look of her America Farm home, which captures her take on British culture while reflecting contemporary design. (By Caitlin Sawicki)

62

APRIL/MAY 2018

METROSOURCE.COM

THIS PAGE: COURTESY RIZZOLI

YOU MIGHT KNOW INDIA HICKS FROM HER

INTERIOR PORTRAITS

By Leslie Williamson; Rizzoli; $55 SELF-PROCLAIMED HOMEBODY LESLIE WILLIAMSON HITS THE ROAD IN ORDER TO TAKE PORTRAITURE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL IN INTERIOR PORTRAITS.

THIS PAGE: INTERIOR PORTRAITS IMAGES COURTESY RIZZOLI • O’KEEFE IMAGES COURTESY DELMONICO

Williamson spent a decade traveling and photographing the insides of peoples’ homes — not only to record the aesthetic impact of their interior design but also with an eye toward capturing who their occupants are as individual personalities. The results are a series of homeas-portraits: tour twelfth-century poet Robinson Jeffers’ stone cottage in Carmel, California or visit Roy McMakin at his neo-modernist, Irving J. Gill-designed “temporary home” in San Diego. Interior Portraits accurately conveys the idea that interior design is not only about making one’s home is attractive but also essentially a part of the person living inside it. (By Caitlin Sawicki)

Georgia O’Keeffe. Heliconia, Crab’s Claw Ginger, 1939.

Oil on canvas, 19 x 16 in. Collection of Sharon Twigg-Smith. © 2018 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Harold Stein. [Georgia O’Keeffe on Leho‘ula Beach, near Aleamai, Hana, Maui], 1939. Gelatin silver print, 2 x 2-7/8 in. Alfred Stieglitz/Georgia O’Keeffe Archive, Yale Collection of American Literature Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. © Estate of Harold Stein Georgia O’Keeffe. Pineapple Bud, 1939. Oil on canvas, 19 x 16 in. Private collection. © 2018 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAI’I

By Theresa Papanikolas; DelMonico Books; $35 THE WORK OF GEORGIA O’KEEFFE IS EASILY RECOGNIZED BY ITS CHANNELING OF THE FEMALE FORM

into all manner of subject matter, and this telltale imagery is in full effect here, in this volume celebrating O’Keeffe’s adventures in our fiftieth state. In 1939 (at age 51), the artist was already one of the most famed in the U.S. That’s when she took a nine-week trip to Hawai’i as part of a commission from the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The resulting 20 paintings offer lush interpretations of the islands’ natural life — each suffused in its own way with O’Keeffe’s signature nod to mother-energy. If you’re interested in seeing these works off the page, they’ll appear at the New York Botanical Garden starting May 19, 2018. (By Paul Hagen) METROSOURCE.COM APRIL/MAY 2018

63

TWO-SPIRITED AWAY

INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTIST TY DEFOE HAS BEEN PERFORMING SINCE THE AGE

of eight. Known for sacred hoop dancing, Defoe has performed all over the world — including at the opening of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Defoe also won a 2011 Grammy for his album Come to Me Great Mystery, appeared in the recent season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and is now at work on a wide array of new projects, including engaging artists from indigenous nations in the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands to create theater. Defoe identifies as Two-Spirit, and talked to us about what that means — both personally and in his work.

What does it mean to regard yourself as “Two-Spirit”?

The closest word that relates to it in English is queer, but also being transgender, not necessarily about going from one gender to the next gender but that you’re sort of transcending gender. Gender is unlabeled, so to speak. Being Two-Spirit also has a sort of cultural responsibility to society and the world. Many nations, as well as the Anishinaabe people, have a certain responsibility in the great hoop or great circle of life. Oftentimes, I find it falls on the Two-Spirit people to do multiple roles. There are other nations and tribes that have different definitions to it, but I’m just speaking about the Woodland Nations.

The English language has fairly limited terms to discuss subjects such as gender identity and gender expression.

I think that language is one of those unspoken tools that separate people from one another and also from identity. At the same time, it can also bring people together with a single word. Sometimes language can be limiting, but it’s the way we communicate. I like drinking coffee in the morning and in Anishinaabe, we say,“We like drinking makade-mashkikiwaaboo,” and people are like, “Ty, what is that?”

And I tell them it translates to “black medicine water,” and they say, “You mean like, coffee?”And I’m like,“Yes, it’s like coffee!” [laughs] So my language provides more descriptive terms for what things are and

oftentimes it can sound poetic in a variety of ways. We use language that empowers others to have a limitless expression.

That’s one thing that we can do. We see it happening now in the queer community: we’re expressing individual selves. There’s more than one way to express who you are and what your sexuality is.

That’s what’s so wonderful about the LGBTQ+ community. The labels are endless and bountiful. We need to uncondition ourselves and other people and stop thinking we only belong in a specific kind of box in order to be accepted.

How did you get started in the arts?

When I was young, I was one of those rambunctious kids. So my uncle gave me a hoop and it was made out of iron and another that was made out of willow and I was told to use then to do this sacred dance, like weave in and out of it. At the time I was like, “What are you talking about?” I did not want to do this; I wanted to be a kid.

In learning to do this, I started finding balance and movement, moving to the shapes of the hoop. It was quite interesting because I started dancing and was practicing and practicing until I met my mentor who showed me the ways of the world essentially. We started going all over the world doing these cultural exchanges. We traveled to so many different countries, and I was able to do story exchanges and learn about global myth as well as exchange stories and songs with youth from other countries. I was always able to come back home to Wisconsin and be an ambassador ... by providing people on my reservation with information and stories that I had learned.

That’s how I was able to begin to travel, which was interesting. I think traveling and being in the world became a way of finding sense and finding place. I always have this joke because I’m also from the Eagle Clan so I’m used to taking flight with wings.

As an eagle — as you say — how do you think we can we be more mindful in our travels?

Well, indigenous culture is a living culture: we’re existing with the environment, so the highest priority is cleaning up after yourself.

This is a simple thing you can do. If you see trash on the ground, you should pick it up. It’s great to see people not using plastic bags anymore. There are small things; how are you contributing to the fabric people are moving towards about taking care of Mother Earth. This is important. Sometimes even providing intentionality: if you are near water, there are beautiful, picturesque places you should acknowledge — the natural elemental forces of nature, like the weather.

Acknowledge the trees, rocks and water around you. Regardless of where you are in the spectrum of what you believe, these are natural entities that are living and breathing. We hope we can have them for many years and generations to come.

■

DEFOE HAS MORE TO SHARE ABOUT HIS ART, HIS HERITAGE AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE LAND ON WHICH WE LIVE — ONLY ON THE FREE METROSOURCE APP AND AT METROSOURCE.COM.

PHOTOS COURTESY TY DEFOE

VIEWS

LAST CALL

An artist offers ways to understand his ancient and often misunderstood queer identity, along with insights on why he travels the earth sharing stories. BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES

LAST CALL EXTRA

PHOTO COURTESY KATE FREER.

As our conversation continues, Ty Defoe talks about his Grammy-winning album, his collaboration with Jim Henson’s daughter and more. BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES METROSOURCE: What are you working on?

TY DEFOE: I just worked on this show Ajijaak on Turtle Island at LaMama Theatre in New York City. It’s the story about a little crane named Ajijaak on her migration journey, and she meets various nations of indigenous people on the way from Canada to the Gulf of Texas. It’s told in story and myth and metaphors and sort of centralizes indigenous perspectives and narrative throughout the piece. I’ve been working on it with puppet artist Heather Henson [daughter of Jim Henson].

I’m also working on this piece called Hart Island Requiem with my collaborator Tidtaya Sinutoke, who is a composer and it’s about this mass gravesite that’s off the coast of New York City. There’s people who have been buried there since 1849 — we’re talking about people who were forgotten, missing, who were sick, people who were on the outside. [We’re] making commentary about marginalized voices as a historical place but also something that exists in our contemporary society and world. We hope to give voices to those people who have a place to be, rest and grow.

What drew you to working with these themes?

Being a Native, Two-Spirit person, growing up in a community where I could speak my language, and being tied to the land and the Earth gave me a sense of place at a young age where I could be brave and have a voice and expression. I was able to utilize these tools in art and realized then that I could inspire people. There’s something larger than the idea of self with this work, it’s on a spiritual and intellectual level that I’m drawn to.

Your ancestry is Ojibwe and Oneida, right?

Yes. These nations are from Wisconsin. My mom is Oneida.You follow the bloodline of the mother in your family, there are ceremonies and cultures you need to follow. On my father’s side I’m Anishinaabe which is very much from Canada and the North. There are also various cultural responsibilities that come with that.

My parents got together ,and I’m the youngest of ten children, and sometimes people are surprised with that, but my mom actually worked in foster care, so I always had lots of brothers and sisters and grew up with a really interesting family. I feel like I was raised by a group of people.

FIND OUT WHAT’S COMING UP FROM TY DEFOE BY FOLLOWING @TYDEFOE. ON TWITTER.

PHOTO COURTESY KATE FREER.

Does your name have any cultural significance?

With regards to my name, Giizhiig (although with being Two-Spirit we transcend into different names as well) means “grass turns green” or “storyteller.” I was always looking for different narratives or ways to tell stories. Using those stories to activate and seek beyond what was there so I could also give voice to other people whether it’s through song, dance, theatre, film or things like that.

Come to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs won a Grammy Award in 2009.

What was this experience like?

It was amazing. I met a friend of mine when we were making music together in another country, and [the album] didn’t happen until I got back to the United States, and we were talking about how to honor the Earth and land and bring some of these subject matters to people’s homes in urban area.

We thought,“Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring people together through song and the gift of music?”

We started talking about how we as a society are archiving narratives. We’re archiving each other and we’re archiving moments. Song is one of the most powerful tools: it’s a gift that enters our heart and our lives unintentionally, the gift of sound.

We started brainstorming on things we could come up with, and I went to the mountains in Colorado, near Boulder. I was up in the mountains and went for a hike and had a great time there making music for about two weeks. I went on nature walks and spent a lot of time in silence and thinking about how to answer these bit questions.

Come to Me Great Mystery is such an interesting one. People always ask me what it means. There’s this thing that’s bigger than the environment and people, it’s this mystery that nobody knows. Maybe one day we’ll find out but we must have belief in the action we’re taking daily in order to live and exist in a good and peaceful way.

You just won a prestigious grant through TCG, the Global Connections grant, which also has a travel component.

A lot of people have been asking about land acknowledgement. I often travel to a lot of different indigenous communities sharing and learning and gathering. . . . My friend and business partner Larissa Fasthorse and I co-founded Indigenous Direction, and we started a website and small consulting company that helps guide people through the protocol of decolonizing work in their organizations and their lives. We go to different communities and find information to distill down and synthesize the material we’re learning in order to provide other structures and assisting systematic barriers to combat racism and oppressing people. WIth this grant, we’re traveling to Hawaii and Fiji to make time to talk to our relatives there as well as our friends. This work is inherent to our everyday living. I think, here in Turtle island (“Manhattan”) in North America, it’s definitely a process with many layers that involve politics and current culture that help guide people through those land acknowledgements and cultural competency and through decolonizing training.

How can we better acknowledge our land?

Indigenous people use a philosophy that everyone of all nations, races, sexes, sexual orientations [should] acknowledge the land of everybody and everything: the two legged, the four legged, the root, the fin. The way to acknowledge the land is by finding the original stewards or caretakers of the Earth. . . . Secondly, you have to find the nearest water area where you live.

This is a huge indicator — where there’s water, there’s people to drink, and that’s the surest way to find the natural caretakers of the land. Oftentimes there are different landmarks and even if it’s trees and rocks, you can even go to the library and sometimes google search these. Sometimes even in our street names you can find the indigenous — street signs, buildings. You just have to dig a little beneath the surface.

What do you is the next step forward for the LGBTQ+ community?

What I hope and would like to see is this intergenerational learning that is starting to happen because of all of the activism that’s happening now.

There’s a dialogue between elders and youth, and it’s incredibly fascinating. There’s more to be learned there — both in the Queer community and outside of that in our greater society. I’m enjoying being a part of those circles. The generations that are in between can ■ serve as facilitators and also learn a lot.

LEGENDARY NIGHTS BEGIN AT SUNSET

Welcome home to West Hollywood

1200 ALTA LOMA ROAD WEST HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA 90069 800.858.9758 SUNSETMARQUIS.COM

Something is brewing...

METROESPRESSO Get your weekly jolt of...

- can’t-miss upcoming events - exclusives you won’t find in print - hot pop culture updates and more Sign up now to give your inbox a perk at metrosource.com/subscribe