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MONTROSE STAR .COM » Houston Rainbow Herald
Wednesday May 1, 2019 e VOL. X, 3
Melissa Etheridge Has your Medicine
2 » Foodie Diaries
7 » WHAT A WORLD
14 INDEX Editorial Crossword Guide to the Clubs
3 15 22
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Photo: Lauren Dukoff
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| MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019
HRH Report BUNNIES ON THE BAYOU AT 40:
As wild and outrageous as ever e by johnny trlica
“
T H E S TA R C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S JIM AYRES by day is an employee benefits and human resources writer. By night he turns his creativity toward the local food and restaurant scene. Do you know of a restaurant that needs a review? Info@montrose-star.com NANCY FORD has enjoyed a front row seat to the most remarkable and sparkly Cultural Revolution in the history of mankind. “What a world!” She reflects appropriately. After moving to Houston from Ohio in 1981, Ford became a highly visible player in Texas’ LGBT publishing circles as an editor and contributor to myriad other local and statewide LGBT magazines and newspapers.
You can’t help getting older but you don’t have to get old.” That line by George Burns, who lived to be 100, speaks to staying young, no matter your age. Bunnies on the Bayou turned 40 this Easter and proved to be as wild and as much fun as numbers 1 through 39. No middle age crisis here! BOTB hopped over to Sesquicentennial Park this year, and featured bears in harnesses, twinks with floppy ears, lesbians with fluffy tails, and everything in between. And yes, there were large, fabulous, flamboyant, outrageous Easter bonnets, just like the first soirée that was held in a Montrose resident’s backyard in 1979. The city’s largest annual cocktail party had refreshing adult potations that were served by the many
volunteers, some in varying degrees of clothing (thank you). The VIP section featured a fully equipped Pasta Station by David Alcorta Catering that included Fusilli and Penne Pasta with Alfredo or marinara sauce, a classic Caesar salad, and pulled pork sliders. We witnessed several guests go back for seconds. Names have been withheld to protect the indulgers. No self-respecting LGBTQ event is complete without an after party and BOTB 40 did not disappoint. Rich’s played host to the throngs of revelers seeking to cool off from a long afternoon in the Houston sun. A shuttle was the preferred means of transportation to the packed San Jacinto Street destination. Bunnies on the Bayou, Inc. is a 501(c)3, all volunteer organization dedicated to the raising and distributing of funds for various
RANDALL JOBE has been a fixture in the Houston LGBT Community for several decades in marketing and promotions for top nightclubs, as an actor/director/writer for dozens of theatrical productions, and is also known for his whimsical art pieces. He is the author of the 12-part series “This Old Queen”, which summarized his many experiences living in the gay Mecca, Montrose. VIC GERAMI is journalist, media contributor and Editor & Publisher of The Blunt Post. Vic grew up in LA and has a BA in Theater Arts. He spent six years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. His syndicated celebrity Q&A column, 10 Questions with Vic, is a LA Press Club’s National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award finalist. Vic is a contributor for Montrose Star, DC Life Magazine, Out & About Nashville, Q Virginia, GNI MAG, QNotes, Windy City Times, WeHo Times, GoWeHo, Los Angeles Blade, Asbarez, California Courier, Desert Daily Guide, Armenian Weekly, GED, The Pride LA, IN Magazine and The Advocate Magazine. FOREST RIGGS is no stranger to the adventures of life, he bills himself as a “raconteur with a gypsy spirit.” A former educator, public speaker, hospital administrator, counselor and gay B&B owner, he was instrumental in the formation of OutSmart Magazine in the early 1990s. He has written for several newspapers, magazines and other publications. Recently he completed a collection of short stories about his beloved Galveston and is working on a novel. He currently resides on the island where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life. JOHNNY TRLICA has called the Houston area home all of his life. Four years ago he founded and still edits the Houston Rainbow Herald and has worked in the apartment leasing industry for the past two years. His passion is keeping the battle for LGBT rights at the forefront of today’s headlines and fighting complacency in the LGBT community.
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charitable, educational and cultural programs that seek to improve the quality of life and promote education and awareness of human rights for individuals in the Houston LGBT community,” reads the organizations website. Beneficiaries for 2019 include: AIDS Foundation Houston, Inc.; Bayou City Performing Arts; The Dalton DeHart Photographic Foundation, Inc.; HATCH Youth; Houston Pride Band; Lazarus House; Lesbian Health Initiative; M.E.N. Inc.; Out For Education; The Pet Patrol; SPRY Senior Diner; Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit; Thomas Street Patient Services Corp.; The T.R.U.T.H. Project; and the University of Houston LGBTQ Alumni. e Johnny Trlica is the manager of the Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page, your source for the latest LGBTQ news and information. Contact him at HRHeditor@gmail.com.v
MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019 | PAGE 3
OP-ED
Creep of the Week: Franklin Graham e by d’anne witkowski
H
ello and welcome to a world where a gay man with the word “butt” in his last name is running for president and it is not a joke. Pete Buttigieg, who has been Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012, is an absolute contender in a crowded Democratic field. He made headlines when he kissed his husband Chasten Buttigieg IN PUBLIC. It is honestly shocking the hell out of everybody, right and left. Although it’s just the conservative right that is calling Buttigieg’s rise demonic and saying he should be put to death. Also, his last name is pronounced “boot edge edge” and once you figure out how to say his name you will find it is truly delightful and you will never want to stop saying it. I’m thinking of getting a second dog just so I can name him Buttigieg. And I mean that as the highest compliment. Right-wing Christians are going absolutely bonkers over Buttigieg, and not in a good way. I mean, they didn’t overlook Trump’s breaking just about every commandment just so they could see a homo in the White House, amirite? Take Franklin Graham, for example. He has said of Trump’s election, “I think God put him there.” Buttigieg, though? Not so much. Right-wing conservatives have made it a habit of heckling Buttigieg at events, something he has handled with grace and maturity. And even Graham has said that heckling Buttigieg isn’t cool. Referring to protesters who shouted ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ at Buttigieg during an Iowa rally Graham wrote
on his Facebook page, “I don’t agree with heckling anyone – I think we should be respectful.” I mean, why heckle him when you could put him to death? Did Graham call for Buttigieg’s murder? Not in those exact terms. But he did cite Leviticus 20:13, a Bible verse that says homosexuals “have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” I mean, he didn’t say that part out loud, but he didn’t have to. Buttigieg reportedly told the protesters, “The condition of my soul is in the hands of God.” And Graham took issue with that. “Mayor Buttigieg is absolutely right, Graham wrote. “His soul is in the hands of God, so is everyone’s. He also says that he’s a Christian and wants to become the first openly gay president in America’s history. What’s wrong with that picture?” Um, nothing? I’m going to go with nothing. “Being a Christian isn’t just a title we select or a church membership,” Graham continued. “It is a faith in God and His Word that transforms our lives to be more like the One we follow — Jesus Christ. Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” In other words, Graham isn’t impressed that Buttigieg professes to believe in God because Buttigieg is a homo and those things are incompatible. So after essentially saying being a gay Christian isn’t a thing, Graham plays the Leviticus card. “The Bible makes it very clear that homosexuality is a sin. ‘If a man lies
with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination,’” Graham wrote, citing Leviticus 20:13. “That’s what God says and that settles it for me. I stand with the Word of God. I care enough about people to tell them the truth and to warn them about the judgment to come for all sin.” So you see, by indirectly calling for Buttigieg’s death, Graham is actually just doing him a solid by warning him because he cares. It’s the whole “hate the sinner, not the sin” thing. Wait, I got that right, right? Essentially Graham’s invocation of the “kill the gays” part of the Bible was basically just a great big no-homo bro hug. Also, as far as I know Buttigieg is still on his first husband, hasn’t paid off an adult film star to keep silent about their affair, doesn’t brag about sexually assaulting people, has actually served in the military, sees brown and black people as human beings and doesn’t think poor people are gross. Buttigieg probably knows how to read and isn’t even afraid of stairs. At this rate, Buttigieg will never reach Trump Level Christian, and seeing as that’s the only kind of Christian Graham and his followers care about, the Graham and Buttigieg bromance was over before it even started. I suspect that’s a pretty big relief to Chasten Buttigieg. Then again, the Buttigiegs are clearly very much in love. And ain’t no God worth worshiping sad about that. e
TOC MAY 1, 2019 | VOL. X, 3
COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM
6
Come out and cookout!
D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.
DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD Lena Waithe goes west
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HRH Report ......................................................... 2 OP-ED.....................................................................3 Community .......................................................... 4 Cooking with Paula Dream ............................. 6 Foodie Diaries ......................................................7 Deep Inside Hollywood .................................. 12 What A World ................................................... 14 Across the Causeway.......................................17 Out At The Theater ......................................... 18 Crossword Queeries ........................................ 21 Star Buds ...........................................................20 Guide to the Clubs...........................................22
May 1, 2019. None as of press time.
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Community
BUNNIES ON THE BAYOU
40
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Cooking with Paula Dream
Come out and cookout e by paula dream
(A K A K AL E HAYGO O D)
M
ay brings May flowers, mosquitos and cookouts (and, of course, those clothing optional pool parties). I just love warming my buns over a good grill! In this issue we feature recipes for that cookout. You are going to think Paula has busted the string off her corset with all these recipes. (I bet some of you don’t even know what a corset is.) Aside from burgers, brisket is always a hit at any gathering. I don’t recall where I got this recipe, but with some modifications I’ll try to repeat it to you. It’s called Better Than Sex Brisket. Whoever came up with that name must have had me in mind, because they always come back for seconds and thirds. We’ll need a couple of sides to go with that beautiful glazed brisket, right? And finally, we’ve got to have something for the sweet tooth to cap off the cookout. As always, thank you for your continued comments and questions — you sure make this old lady feel good. And please remember to support our advertisers who help make this publication possible.
BETTER THAN SEX BRISKET
2 7 10 Montrose Blvd. Houston, T X 7 7 006
713.526.0202 Order Online www.pepperonis.net
1 beef brisket (8 to 12 pounds) 2 tablespoons beef base For the rub: 2 tablespoons garlic salt 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon smoked paprika For the wrap sauce: 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons shallots, chopped 2 tablespoons apple juice For the glaze: 3/4 cup bottled barbecue sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar R emove fat cap and any fatty areas from brisket, and then score the meat crosswise on both sides. Coat both sides meat with beef base. Combine all the rub ingredients and rub into the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat smoker or grill to 225 degrees. If using a grill, create a direct/indirect heat area. Add your favorite smoking wood that has been soaking in water overnight. Place the brisket in the smoker/grill and let smoke for about five hours. Remove brisket from grill, coat meat with wrap sauce, then wrap in heavy-duty foil, forming the foil into a packet. Place foil packet back on the grill. Let the brisket steam in the packet for another two hours, maintaining the same grill temperature (the internal temp of the meat should be 190 degrees). Remove packet from grill, then place brisket back on grill, and brush the combined glaze ingredients on to the meat. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes. QUICKIE POTATO SALAD
6 cups unpeeled gold potatoes, boiled, drained, cooled and quartered 6-8 bacon slices, cooked crisp, and crumbled 3/4 cup mayonnaise Find us on P v Facebook.com & t Twitter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 4 to 6 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped Combine bacon, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, green onions and parsley in a large bowl. Add potatoes, mixing until potatoes are coated. Refrigerate before serving.
KALE’S BEST BAKED BEANS
2 15-ounce cans pork and beans 2 teaspoon seasoned salt 1 small onion, diced 1 small bell pepper, diced 1 or 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard (to taste) 4 slices bacon 1/3 cup molasses 2 tablespoons bottled barbecue sauce (optional) M ix all ingredients together in an oven-proof baking dish, laying slices of bacon across top of bean mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes until bean mixture thickens and bacon is slightly browned.
OREO-STUFFED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2 sticks butter, softened 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 3-1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 10 ounces of chocolate chips 1 bag Oreo cookies (if you want to live on the wild side, get the double stuff) P re-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and both sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add all dry ingredients and mix. Add chocolate chips, and mix. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place one scoop of dough on top of an Oreo and one scoop on the bottom of cookie. Press together and seal cookie with dough. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 9 to 13 minutes until brown. e Paula Dream, AKA Kale Haygood, owns Beyond Service, a Montrose-based, home-cooking catering company. For more information, call 713-805-4106 or email barrykale@yahoo.com.
Foodie Diaries
MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019 | PAGE 7
4412 WASHINGTON AVE | LAURENZOS.COM
BURGER MANIA:
Burgers from the most unexpected places e by jim ayres
Occasionally, I crave a burger. Imagine that! Most of the time, I head to Houston’s well-known burger joints such as Mia’s, Rodeo Goat, Bellaire Broiler Burger or, well, The Burger Joint. But I’ve found four restaurants that specialize in other types of cuisine — places where you might have to do a little digging to find their excellent burgers on their menus. It’s often said that Houston is America’s burger town. Everyone has their favorite, but give these unexpected burgers a try. They just might surprise you!
La Lucha M y favorite new restaurant of 2018 also just happens to have one of my favorite burgers. La Lucha’s Classic H-Town Pharmacy Burger is traditional as far as toppings go (cheese, pickles, onions, mustard, lettuce, tomato). The draw here is the burger’s perfect construction. Each ingredient is juicy, melty or crunchy exactly as that ingredient is intended to be. Not much this year has given me so much pleasure to bite down on! In a recent Burger Friday column, the Houston Chronicle’s Alison Cook reported that chef Ford Fry created this burger as “an homage to the ones he remembers from Whataburger and the original Avalon Diner.”
Laurenzo’s T he Dom Burger at Laurenzo’s is without a doubt the thickest, messiest, juiciest, most guiltridden burger in all of Houston. Just look at this ingredient list: A half-pound of beef, capocollo, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, arugula, brown mustard and spicy mayo! It goes without saying that the burger is delicious, as is everything at Laurenzo’s. The only challenge is to finish it in one sitting! (I can’t.) Arriving and parking at the restaurant is easy. Laurenzo’s has an ample selfparking lot. What a happy surprise, not having to dig for valet cash. Even if it’s complimentary, there’s always the tip.
Moussaka, and Greek salad. But their Athenian Mushroom Burger is a hidden gem. There’s a thick charbroiled patty, then they add feta cheese, that special creamy yogurt sauce, and sautéed onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. When they call your name, get ready for fireworks! The burger oozes perfectly when you take the first bite, and it’s so big you may not finish it — especially if you save room for the hand cut skin-on fries that are piled next to the burger. If you don’t want to go “all the way” with the Greek-style toppings, note that Niko Niko’s regular Cheeseburger Special is just as filling.
Café Annie I recently wrote about the marvelous, star-studded dinner I had at Café Annie. But who knew that a quick lunch at Bar Annie would be one of life’s little pleasures? Annie’s USDA Prime Hamburger with Smoked Cheddar Dressing is a standout. Though it arrives quickly, it’s perfectly cooked to exacting order. Fries are first rate, and this burger is best enjoyed with a glass of one of Annie’s lively reds. e
La Lucha
1801 N. Shepherd Dr. Houston, TX 77008
713-955-4765 L A L U C H AT X . C O M
French dip
~—•—~
Laurenzo’s 4412 Washington Ave. Houston, TX 77007
713-880-5111 LAURENZOS.COM
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Niko Niko’s
2520 Montrose Blvd. Houston, TX 77006
713-528-4976 N I KO N I KO S .CO M
~—•—~
Café Annie
1800 Post Oak Blvd. Houston, TX 77056
Niko Niko’s
713-840-1111
I have no
CAFEANNIEHOUSTON.COM
problem standing in line to order Niko Niko’s Souvlaki,
ace in l p t s e b the et town to g prime rib. it. come get
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Melissa
Etheridge Has your Medicine Returning with The Medicine Show, the legendary LGBTQ icon talks inspiration in world crises and her new ‘totally fueled by cannabis’ album e by chris azzopardi
A
in’t it heavy? Ain’t the night heavy? The opioid crisis, national anxiety, school shootings. Our political zoo. The general feeling that the world is always, probably ending. Because she’s a human being even though she’s Melissa Etheridge, this all weighed considerably on the 57-yearold LGBTQ icon when she went into the studio to confront the disheartening presentday with a state of mind she calls “balanced,” resulting in The Medicine Show, her first album in three years. There were deep self-reflective dives into her past, reframing older experiences with a newer, richer perspective, and there was last year’s tragic Parkland shooting, which happened while she was in the recording studio. To find these songs, wherever Melissa Etheridge finds them (not even Melissa Etheridge knows), she blazed cannabis because, she says, why the hell wouldn’t she? But the real roots of The Medicine Show grow from a place of renewal, reconciliation, reckoning, compassion and healing. From a stop in March in Copenhagen while on her Yes I Am 25th Anniversary Tour, Etheridge spoke about seeking answers in inner space, the statement she knew she was making with Amy Grant, and being proud of the fact that she led the way for a song called “Pussy Is God.”
When we last spoke, you were in the early stages of writing The Medicine Show. You told me then you didn’t want to create a protest album, that it was going to put a face on some serious issues, which it does. Why take that approach with these topics? Because – oh gosh – it goes to your soul more than just preaching something, saying, “We should do this.” People are gonna turn off the minute they hear a “should,” you know? And so making it – that’s art. That’s my art. You make it personal, and then that’s how you change hearts and minds, I think. As a music consumer, what have you been connecting with in terms of songs that speak to our current times? Well, I do listen to Kendrick Lamar. I listen to a lot of hip-hop. Some of those hip-hop sounds have even snuck into your own music over the years. I’m not very good at making it, but I love to listen to it. With some help, I can make it! But even “Medicine Show,” the song, is kind of a rap. So I listen to (hiphop). Boy, social media now just really connects you up with other artists, and I’ve been watching the paths of other folks. And even pop artists like Kesha, the choices she made, the things that affect the things that affect people and then the art that they make from it. I wouldn’t say I was listening to anybody else and them speaking about their times (while making this album). I listen to their experiences of the time. By examining the world right now through your own personal lens, did The Medicine Show bring you closer to any kind of truths about the world and the subjects that you wrote about? I’m pretty solid about what truth is and how the way that I hold my own experience and the way that I define my experience and perceive it is the most important thing. So, taking care of how I receive things is one of the reasons it’s hard for me to condemn anyone else. It makes more sense to me to experience and speak of finding a way to stay out of being a victim and stay out of being a judge. You gotta ride right in the middle. And that’s balance. I like the word balance, because we’re constantly given opportunities to define ourselves – and we can define ourselves as a victim of something or we can judge others, or we can understand that I make my own life, I make my own choices, and how I’m going to be affected by life. So you can’t really blame anybody else or become a victim. But that’s a whole other conversation. That’s, like, an hour-long conversation.
I recall reading that after your battle with breast cancer you went on an identity and self-love journey. And many of these songs look inside yourself as well as outside. Which songs for you fit into that journey that you’ve been on since beating breast cancer? My first instinct is to say all of them, even “The Last Hello,” which is just an observation. I was in the studio when the Parkland shooting happened, and their choices – the way that they
chose to not be a victim and to come out and say “we need change” – affected me deeply in seeing, “Ah, yes, I’m finally seeing outside of myself,” and what I believed in is how we can move forward and create change. So all of the songs, even the subjects that might seem outside of myself, all come from this journey of mine.
How did your song for Parkland end up being a song about the survivors and not the victims? When I heard the surviving students, and when I saw Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg get up and speak from their hearts the next day, it was so powerful. I remember reading where there over 150,000 survivors of school shootings – survivors! – and I thought, “Oh gosh, that’s a lot of people alive who are affected by this and how deeply they are affected,” and so instead of writing a sad song about the victims I said, “What about these survivors and how can one give them hope?” On “The Medicine Show,” you say, “Come on down to mama’s farm,” referencing your own marijuana business, called Etheridge Farms. What would I find on mama’s farm? You would find medicine. You would find an interest in a growing desire to bring plant medicine to the world, to have people understand health in a different way. And though we talk about – wooo! – getting stoned and people only talk about it in that little area, there is so much healing and understanding and consciousnessraising and awareness that plant medicine brings. I’ve always told people we’re trying to go to outer space but all the answers are in inner space. How does marijuana enhance the songwriting experience for you? And did it on this album? Yeah! This whole album is totally fueled by cannabis. Oh goodness, yes. (Laughs) For one, it quiets the left side of my brain; the left side of our brain is in charge of keeping us alive, keeping us from stepping out in front of a car; it worries about the future, it regrets the past, it’s that voice (saying) “you’re no good.” Its job is to keep us alive, so it worries. And cannabis, scientifically, I can go into detail: Cannabis quiets that part of your mind and it allows the intuitive (to kick in), the right side, which is all in the now. In the infinite now. Which is really all there is. And that place is where I can open up to the thoughts and instincts and inspiration. I mean, I’ve been writing songs for a long time and I’m the first one to understand that they come from nowhere. (Laughs) I can’t explain to you how I got that idea. But that’s what it does. It quiets it. When have you written a song high that you didn’t think you could’ve pulled off otherwise? (Laughs) I don’t know! I’ve never thought about it that way. I suppose I could pull it off in another way, without it – but why? That’s a funny question.
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I guess I wonder if it really allows you to tap into something that you don’t think you could without quieting the left side of the brain first. Well, I don’t think I have to be in the world of cannabis to do that. I think one can meditate and one can get to where plant medicine can get them but, again, why? (Laughs) You’re scoring the stage adaptation of the 1988 film Mystic Pizza Pizza, starring Julia Roberts. Are you done writing it? Oh no, I just started writing it. Once I said “yes” to doing it, they made a big press release. I was like, “Oh my god, I haven’t even started.” What’s the connection between the story and what you bring to the table as a musical and lyrical artist? What I liked about it is it’s a very strong woman story. I went back and I watched the movie, and I remember it making a big impression in the ’80s because it was three lead women and their stories, and it’s about immigrants and it’s about taking the Old World into America and keeping those secret ingredients. Then it’s about the freedom to go find your own dream. It’s a beautiful little story that I think has some beautiful moments, and it’s my first try at this. As someone who’s won two Grammys and also performed during the telecast, was a change palpable this year for women and the LGBTQ community? It’s easy to look around and see a lot of change in how our society’s holding women and sort of the empowerment that women have felt since the presidential election of 2016. Because you feel that slipping back and you’re like, “No, no, no, no, we were moving forward,” so you see a lot of empowerment in #MeToo and just equality and equal pay and in the music business. The music business is funny. How so? It’s run by 90 percent men, and so it was sort of the last place (to change). And the men in charge of the Grammys, they’ve been around for a long time (laughs) and we witnessed (Neil) Portnow’s, “Well, women need to step up” comment. I wanted to put on my album (and say), “Well, Neil, did I step up?” But you feel a shift from even opinions like his? So much. It’s an awareness. It’s a, “Oh, we never thought about it that way,” and that’s what’s happening. I don’t think anyone did it nefariously. I don’t think they said, “We gotta keep the women down.” They just didn’t think about it. And that’s the problem right there: The myopic view of music, as just men making music. I myself have even looked and gone, “Wow, I didn’t think it could be that way either.” It’s been a real change for the last two years. It’s been pretty amazing.
Photo: Lauren Dukoff
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You and recent Grammy winner Brandi Carlile went back and forth on Twitter about how much you admire each other. She actually recorded background vocals for your 2004 song “Lucky,” but you didn’t know each other at the time, right? Yeah, no. Josh Freese was producing the track and brought her in. She was in Seattle, but then I ran into her at some music convention thing where she ran up to me backstage and said, “Oh my god, I’m such a huge fan.” I’ve been watching her career since then, and I love her music so much and I would love to do more with her and would love to be in more contact with her. I’m just so proud of her. When I think about your collaborations, one of the most unexpected to me is your duet with Amy Grant on “You Can Sleep While I Drive” in 2000. Growing up, it meant a great deal to me as an Amy fan. My gay world and my Christian world were colliding. At the time were you aware of the significance of a major Christian artist performing with a very out lesbian? Absolutely! I met Amy in 1988 at a hotel in Amsterdam. We hung out and talked, and she’s just a sweetheart and a big friend. I’d seen her around at things, and when she and Vince (Gill, who she married in 2000 after a divorce from Gary Chapman in 1999) got together she got flack from the Christian community, and so she always had the belief that it’s un-Christian to hate someone for loving and did not stop for one moment from saying, yes, she would come and sing with me. I thought it was huge and I was very aware of what it meant. Looking ahead, you’re headlining the WorldPride Closing Ceremony, which takes place June 30 in Times Square. What kind of message do you plan on bringing to the event? I’m doing three songs and I’m probably gonna stick to the big gay songs. (Laughs) I’ll have to look and see what the audience is like. At the moment I know I start the thing off that night, so maybe … I really don’t know. It just means a lot to be there. It means a lot that there’s a thing called WorldPride. Just amazing being there, and I’m just gonna love being in the presence of my brothers and sisters. Which LGBTQ artists give you hope for the future for LGBTQ inclusion in music? I can’t tell you how excited I am about King Princess. (Laughs) Ahh! Dig her! My daughter’s really into her, and so we’re listening and all of a sudden “Pussy Is God” comes on and I just said, “Well, I’m glad that 25 years ago I did what I did so that today a woman could release ‘Pussy Is God.’” It’s like, so my work here is done. Thank you. e As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @ chrisazzopardi.
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Deep Inside Hollywood
Lena Waithe goes west e by romeo san vicente
S
ometimes Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe takes a break from being the Power Lesbian of All Hollywood, a breather from creating or writing or executive producing and running TV shows like Master of None, The Chi, and most recently BET’s series adaptation of the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang. Sometimes she just wants to relax and be an actor, which is what’s going to happen on the next season of HBO’s sci-fi head-scratcher Westworld. The details of Waithe’s role is being kept under wraps, of course, so we don’t know if she’s going to be a human being or a robot who looks like a human being, or even how long she’ll visit or if audiences will understand anything that’s going on at all. But what we do know is that when we get the opportunity to enjoy her in front of the camera, we take it, happily, and if Marvel or DC ever decided they needed a butch lesbian superhero, she’d be our first pick. Westworld returns to HBO in 2020 so there’s time for this wish to be granted. And we’re waiting.
Love, Simon coming to Disney+ Did you see last year’s adorable gay teen comedy Love, Simon? It was the John
Hughes movie John Hughes never got around to making, and its sleeper hit box office status and devoted fan base of The Youngs was crying out for a small screen adaptation. So the executive producers of This Is Us, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, who wrote the film, are developing the series version for Disney+, the Mouse’s new streaming channel that launches later this year. There’s no cast yet, and it’s unknown if the series will revisit the plot of the film – closeted gay teenage boy with a crush on a close friend has to come out and risk it all – or if it’ll pick up at the movie’s happy ending and move forward from there. But we don’t care. We’re ready. It was time for an all-queer DeGrassi, and this could be the fulfillment of that obvious and clear gap in the TV content market.
Kate McKinnon will commit fraud for Hulu Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or don’t care about the staggering entertainment value of weird Fyre Festivalstyle schemes that happily separate rich people from their money, then you’ve heard about Elizabeth Holmes and her “company,” Theranos. She’s the one who decided to make a fake startup for blood testing that, instead, was a massive scam that wound up seeing her indicted on multiple counts of wire
fraud. Her bizarre story became the subject of a podcast called The Dropout, then an ABC News documentary that aired in March, and will now become a limited series for Hulu starring Kate McKinnon. Not only does McKinnon look like Holmes, we have absolute confidence in her ability to ride that strangely delicate line between playing it straight and mining the extremely weird comic potential inherent in this freakish demonstration of the follies of capitalism.
Grease is the word again Grease, that stupendously successful film musical of 1978 that people still adore, was truly one of the gayest pop culture products of that decade. It was, after all, masterminded by one of Hollywood’s legendary queens, Allan Carr – see the wild documentary about his life and work, The Fabulous Allan Carr, for full backup on this fact – and though the film was about heterosexual love in the 1950s, everything about it was tailor-made for queer eyes to enjoy. So here comes the prequel, currently titled Summer Loving. As you surely recall, the film’s opening production number told the story of Danny and Sandy’s pre-Grease summer romance (his details raunchy, hers chaste), and that’s what this story will explore. John August, gay screenwriter
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Lena Waithe of Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will work on the script, and we’ve already envisioned something splashy and weird, the extreme opposite of bland and straight, and hopefully starring Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo. We’ve made our choice here, so Hollywood please listen. e Romeo San Vicente is also splashy and weird.
MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019 | PAGE 13
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| MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019
What A World
Via: abcnews.com
PEOPLE WILL TALK:
The all-over-the-map edition
Pete Buttigieg
“Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes.”
Via FoxNews.com
e by nancy ford
“Yes, I thought she was a boy, too. Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said, ‘I am not a boy!’ So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive. They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide. My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be.” —Actor Charlize Theron, announcing that her seven year-old child, assigned male at birth, is transgender. Via DailyMail.co.uk
“I was way out there by myself on gay and lesbian rights, starting my first month in office, in January 1991. And for 10 years, no one followed suit. I appointed the woman who wrote the decision holding equality of marriage as constitutionally compelled, which led to the Supreme Court case holding that.” —Former governor of Massachusetts William Weld, who is challenging Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination for U.S. president. Via LGBTQNation.com
Charlize Theron. “As governments around the world come under increasing pressure to protect LGBTQ rights, Russian authorities stubbornly retain laws that imperil the community’s safety. We can only hope that this ruling forces Russian officials to see LGBTQ people for what they really are: equal to anyone else.” —Daniel Balson, Europe and Central Asia advocacy director for Amnesty International, reacting to a first-of-its-kind Russian court ruling favoring of a transgender woman who claimed she was fired because of her gender i dentity. The Frunze District Court of St. Petersburg awarded “Anastasia Vasilyeva” nearly $28,000 in damages and lost wages after she was terminated from the Yanoshka printing press in 2017. Via LGBTQNation.com
—Openly gay Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, responding to Terry. Via TheHawkEye.com
—Randall Terry of the extreme anti-choice group Operation Rescue, protesting openly gay Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg at a campaign stop in Iowa. TheHawkEye.com
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and ‘Vana’.
Via Uncrazed.com
Photo via Twitter.com
—York University historian Tom Hooper, commenting on the Royal Canadian Mint releasing a new commemorative coin marking the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. The coin is called a “loonie.”
“Vana and the amazing queens at the Blazing Saddle in Des Moines invited me for a visit tonight before their show. I felt underdressed, so I brought a dress I picked up yesterday. Turns out it fit me, but it fit Vana even better! Thank you for having me, ladies!” —New York senator and Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand. Via Twitter.com
Roseanne Barr.
“I posted the shirt for new swag and it just went out of hand and it got blowed up.” —Belle’s Smokin BBQ food truck owner Jamie Smith, promoting their new T-shirts on social media. Smith later apologized, posting, “We respect all beliefs and lifestyles and want no ill will towards anyone. We know each person has their own thoughts and beliefs but we are hurt that the people who are saying, ‘stop the hate’ are the ones coming at us with the harassing messages and threatening phone calls. Again we apologize for any hurt feelings and thank our supporters who truly know us.” Via NYPost.com
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“What? Oh, I just can’t say that word. Well, I can when I’m in the house, but I can’t say it outside the house. Okay, because I am queer as two motherfuckers. I’m queer, I’m alien, I don’t belong here with all these people. They make0 no sense. They are very queer. That makes me queer, I guess. But I did put the Q in it. Bye! Photo via NYPost
“There are literally children who are going to be seduced into the homosexual lifestyle because this man is heralded as a hero. He’s a champion, and that makes him mor e sinister than the average person… he’s an evildoer. He’s the beautiful face of evil.”
“As a historian, I’m hoping to inform as many people as I can about our history. So in some ways the coin is opening up that opportunity.”
—Actor/comedian turned right-wing activist, Roseanne Barr, explaining why when she uses the word “fag” it isn’t a slur. Via YouTube.com
MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019 | PAGE 15
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PAGE 16 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019
Please note: Events, dates and times subject to change without notice.
Ġ Wed › May 1
Q Alley Theatre presents the awardwinner Beth Henley’s play Crimes of the Heart, 8p (Thru 5/5) alleytheatre.org Q Contemporary Arts Museum proudly presents Stonewall 50, the exhibition that celebrates the GLBT civil rights movement through photographs, paintings, films and videos, sculptures, performance, and other media (Thru 7/28) camh.org Q Matchbox 2: Houston Splash & The T.R.U.T.H. Project, Inc., present an important Community Dialogue focused on Mental Health within the African American Community, 7:30p, truthprojecthtx.org Q Matchbox 3: The Catastrophic Theatre presents Brian Jucha’s Toast, 7:30p (Thru 5/5) catastrophictheatre.com Q Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents Between Play and Grief: Selections from the Latino American Collection featuring a survey of works from the MFAH collection of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latinx art (Thru 9/8) mfah.org Q Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Vincent van Gogh: Lis Life in Art (Thru 6/27) mfah.org Q Stages Repertory Theatre presents the hilarious smash hit murder mystery Murder for Two, 7:30p (Thru 6/16) stagestheatre.com Q Theatre Under the Stars presents the sweeping musical portrait of America: Ragtime (Thru 4/28) tuts.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents ‘WEPA Wednesdays’ hosted by Alexis Nicole Whitney, 8:30p, plus Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p Ġ Thu › May 2
Q League City’s Walter Hall Park: 65thAnnual League City Music Festival presents live music from national recording artists to graduates of the School Rock will transform the park into a musical smorgasbord ranging from reggae to rock, country to folk, 4p (Thru 5/5) destinationleaguecity.com Q Matchbox 4: Bert Entertainment presents ‘Anomaly: The Magic of Robby Bennett’, 7:30p, anomalyshow.com
Lauryn Hill
Q Smart Financial Centre presents Ms. Lauryn Hill in The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour, 8p, smartfinancialcentre.com Ġ Fri › May 10 Flor de Toloache, New York’s first and only all-woman Mariachi group
Q Matchbox 4: Foundation for Modern Music
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket invites all to celebrate Cinco de
presents Soy Latin(x), a celebration of Latin Culture through dance, 7:30p, modernmusic.org
Mayo with a Brunch & Patio Party, 1p, plus the Montrose Softball League’s fundraiser “The Wave”, 4p, followed by fun entertainment feat. Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers, 10p
Q Miller Outdoor Theatre: Society for the Performing Arts presents Latin Grammy® Award-nominated Flor de Toloache, New York’s first and only all-woman Mariachi group, 8p, milleroutdoortheatre.com
fado singer Mariza in support of her new Latin Grammy® nominated eponymous album, 7p, worthamcenter.org
Q House of Blues presents the Burlesque Varie-TEASE Show featuring The Burly Qutie Showgirls and hosted by Kiki Maroon, 8p, burlyqlounge.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket hosts a fundraiser for ERSICSS, 7p, followed by a fun night of entertainment featuring Hot Male Dancers at 10p
filmmaker Margarita Hernandez’ debut film Che, memorias de un año secreto (Che, Memories of a Secret Year), part of Latin Wave 14: New Films from Latin America (Thru May 5) mfah.org
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket Bar invites you to an evening of entertainment by Houston’s hottest male dancers, 10p Ġ Sat › May 4
Q Matchbox 4: Olé Flamenco and La Juerga Flamenco present Prendidos, the latest show of renowned dancer Alfonso Losa, 8p, oleflamencocorporation.org Q Tony’s Corner Pocket invites all to a night of entertainment feat. Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p Ġ Sun › May 5
Q Discovery Green invites you to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with performances by Kindeer HSPVA mariachi, ballet folklórico and more with emcees Mel Gómez and DJ Gracie Chávez, 3p, discoverygreen.com Q Miller Outdoor Theatre presents the Annual Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring Grammy® Awardwinning artist Lupillo Rivera, brother of the late Latin icon Jenni Rivera, 8p, milleroutdoortheatre.com
Q Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents Violeta al fín (Violeta at Last), the first film of Latin Wave 14: New Films from Latin America (Thru May 5) mfah.org
Q Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant presents Niche Manrique & Guateque Band, 7:30p, milunahouston.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket Bar hosts a fun night of entertainment by Houston’s hottest Male Dancers for your entertainment, 10p
Mariza Ġ Tue › May 7
Ġ Sat › May 11
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents Twisted Tuesdays,
Q Miller Outdoor Theatre presents the film of the
a variety show hosted by Amanda, Ashleey and Alexis Nicole, 9p, followted by Amateur Male Dance Contest, 10p
1981 recreation of the legendary reunion of folk duo Simon and Garfunkel Live in Central Park [Revisited], 8p, milleroutdoortheatre.com
Ġ Wed › May 8
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket invites you to support
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents ‘WEPA Wednesdays’
Ġ Fri › May 3
hosted by Alexis Nicole Whitney, 8:30p, plus Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p
Q Contemporary Arts Museum presents
Ġ Thu › May 9
former Houston Mayor Annise Parker in a discussion of the exhibition Stonewall 50 and the state of current LGBTQ+ issues in Houston (Walk-through, no seating) camh.org
Q Ensemble Theatre presents the regional premiere
Q Guava Lamp hosts the Lone Star Veterans Association’s LGBT Affinity Group Social, 6p (First Fridays)
10p, theclubs.com
Q Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents Cuban
Violeta al fín
Courtesy Photos
Q Wortham Theater Center presents world renowned
Q Club Houston presents Houston’s Exposed Party,
Lupillo Rivera
of Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline (Thru 6/2) ensemblehouston.com Q Matchbox 4: The Houston Equity Festival presents Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, 7:30p (Thru 5/19) daingeist.wixsite.com/htownequityfestival Find us on P v Facebook.com & t Twitter
the Space City Rugby Team’s Car Wash, 9a; Tony’s hosts a fundraiser for Camp Hope, 7p, followed by a fun night of entertainment featuring Hot Male Dancers at 10p Ġ Wed › May 15
Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents ‘WEPA Wednesdays’ hosted by Alexis Nicole Whitney, 8:30p, plus Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p
» Crossword Queeries ...... 21
» star buds .................................. 20
There’s Something About Marrying
What is the origin of 420?
Section
THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE!
MONTROSE STAR .COM
B
Wednesday May 1, 2019 e VOL. X, 3
Galveston in the merry month of May e by forest riggs
“The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” —Harriet Ann Jacobs
W
hen it comes to months that are most celebrated in thoughts, songs, poems and movies, next to December would be the merry month of May. Finally, May has arrived and brings the onset of the summer vacation period that traditionally runs through Labor Day in September. May is known for celebrating spring in full swing. With spring comes sweet May and universe’s way of declaring “One more time.” Originally the third month of the year in the Roman calendar, with the addition of three “new” months, May became the famous fifth month of the year. Known for its brilliant birthstone, the emerald, and dainty flower, Lily of the Valley, May is symbolic of love, health, and beauty. Galveston welcomes the month and all the visitors and tourists will that cross the causeway to explore the “Little Baghdad in the Gulf.” Already the Seawall is lined with cars and the newly sanded beaches are full of folks enjoying the cool, southern breezes and warming waters. As the song says, “What good is sitting alone in your room?” when gay Galvetraz offers so much fun and summer excitement. Rumors Beach Bar along the Seawall offers a fantastic deck where bar patrons can sit, sip, soak up rays, and watch the world pass by below. 23rd Station Piano Bar has been “revamping” their outdoor patio bar and it is ready for some summer fun, with Todd and Tom creating a real getaway environment with the new additions to the “Margaritaville” setting. Robert’s
Lafitte, always a hot spot and mustdo, is still the place to gather, hang out with locals, and even take a dip in the pool. The drinks are always flowing and the amiable staff is ready to serve.
“With each day going by, hope is reborn, Dreams come true and a little step is taken toward happiness. May this May be unbelievably exceptional, Amazingly colorful and filled with joy, laughter and love.” —Anonymous
In 1599, the English Elizabethan dramatist Thomas Decker wrote a play “The Shoemaker’s Holiday” and in it, were the lines: “O, the month of May. The merry month of May, so frolic, so gay and so green, so green, so green! O, and then did I unto my true love say, Sunset Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.” This is perhaps the first mention of
Photo via Pinterest.com
Across the Causeway
» Guide To The Clubs............. 22
the “merry” month of May in recorded literature. It did not take long for the word “merry” to become the descriptive adjective commonly placed in front of the word for the fifth month. Just about everyone knows, or has heard the song “Strolling through the Park One Day”. The tune conjures images of striped-suited dandies
wearing bowler hats and dancing with a bent bamboo cane. Published in 1884, the original title by songwriter Ed Haley was “The Fountain in the Park”. However, due to the immense popularity of the first line, the title changed over time to its present form referencing a stroll in the park.
S 19
| MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019
Out At The Theater
Angry birds, God’s committee, and a world of dance e by randall jobe
T
he Alley Theatre presents the final performances of Crimes of the Heart, Beth Henley’s 1981 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Circle Awards winner. The author’s first play brings you to the Mississippi home of the Magrath sisters. Babe has just shot her husband because she didn’t like his looks. This brings middle sister Meg back to town from Los Angeles, where she is unsuccessfully pursuing a music career. And poor Lenny, everyone has forgotten her birthday! Warmhearted, irreverent and imaginative, Crimes of the Heart teems with humanity as the sisters forgive the past, face the present, and embrace the future. Renowned director Theresa Rebeck returns to the Alley to direct. Suitable for high school-aged audiences and older. Through May 5. The Alley also presents Constellations by Nick Payne. One couple. Infinite possibilities. Science and romance collide in this spellbinding play that imagines when boy meets girl. And when boy meets girl again. And again. Defying the boundaries of the world we think we know, Constellations delves into the universal truth of finding and losing love and questions the difference between choice and destiny. Directed by Leslie Swackhamer. May 3 through June 2. 615 Texas Avenue. Tickets: AlleyTheatre. org or 713-220-5700. Houston’s premiere music cabaret venue, The Music Box presents Songs of the Silver Screen with the incredibly talented ensemble of Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, and Luke Wrobel. The new production is a hilarious send-up of iconic movie moments and music from the history of the American cinema. Songs include “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Urban Cowboy and “Shallows” from the most recent A Star is Born, among others. Through June 15. 2623 Colquitt Street. Tickets: TheMusicBoxTheater. com or 713-522-7722. Stages Repertory Theatre presents Murder for Two, a new musical comedy. Everyone is suspect in this hilarious murder mystery with a twist. One actor plays the investigator, the other plays all 13 suspects, and both play the piano throughout! A zany blend of classic musical comedy and murder
mystery, this whodunit is a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs. Directed and choreographed by Mitchell Greco, with music directed by Steven Jones. Through June 16. 3201 Allen Parkway. Tickets: StagesTheatre.com or 713-527-0123. Main Street Theater presents Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking. Ginny and Greg are in love and despite the awkward moment of unexplained flowers and chocolates oddly filling her flat, Greg proposes as Ginny is heading off for the day to see her parents…or so she say. Greg has managed to find the address and arrives first to surprise her and ask her father for her hand. The problem is, these are not. In fact, Ginny’s parents! Regardless, Sheila and Philip, the “parents” invite Greg into their house, each thinking he is someone else. The unraveling of this hilarious mess is extremely well constructed and earned Ayckbourn a congratulatory telegram from Noel Coward! May 4 through May 26. 2540 Times Boulevard. Tickets: MainStreetTheater.
cast of 42, a soaring Broadway score, this is a theatrical event you will never forget. May 7 through May 12. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby Street. Tickets: 713-315-2400. A.D. Players brings to the stage The God Committee, a play by Mark St. Germain, promising a dash of medicine, money and morality. The moment arrives: a heart is available for transplant and is in transit to the St. Patrick’s Hospital. There is a list of available prospects, but who gets the heart? Told in real time, The God Committee gives us an exciting peek into the deliberation process of the heart transplant selection committee and how our own prejudices and experiences impact our view of the world, with unbelievable consequences. May 17 through June 2. The George Theatre 5420 Westheimer Road. Tickets: boxoffice@adplayers. org or 713-526-2721. Theatre Southwest presents Stupid F##king Bird, a sort of adaptation of Photo via EnsembleHouston.com
PAGE 18
The Ensemble Theatre presents Pipeline. com or 713-524-6706. The Ensemble Theatre presents the regional premiere of Pipeline. Nya, an inner city high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son, Omari, opportunities at his upstate private school where he is threatened with being expelled. Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away? May 5 through June 2. 3535 Main Street. Tickets: EnsembleHouston. com or 713-520-0055. Broadway at the Hobby Center presents the acclaimed new production of Miss Saigon. From the creators of Les Miserables, this is the epic story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim. In a bar run by a notorious character named The Engineer, Kim meets an American G.I. That encounter will change their lives forever. Featuring a stunning spectacle, a sensational
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Chekov’s The Seagull. This wonderfully fresh, raw, no-holds barred play challenges the notion of what theatre was, is and can be. It doesn’t matter if you know Chekov or not, SFB is a roller coaster of emotions from hysterical laughter, absolute anger, romantic lust, devastating sorrow and everything in between. Directed by Eric Dunlap. May 24 through June 15. 8944 Clarkcrest. Tickets: tickets@ theatresouthwest.org or 713-661-9505. Theatre Under The Stars presents Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. This awardwinning musical is an anthology comprising music from shows that were either directed or choreographed by the legendary, Tony award-winning Robbins. The shows represented include favorites such as The King and I, Peter Pan, West Side Story, Gypsy and more. Robbins won his fifth Tony for direction. May 28 through June 9. Hobby Center, 801 Bagby Street. Tickets: TUTS.com or 713-558-8887. e
MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019 | PAGE 19
PFLAG Houston News
Across the Causeway
PFLAG Helpline Moms to be celebrated on Mother’s Day e by janice anderson
A
s PFLAG Houston’s next general meeting is May 12, Mother’s Day, our presentation will celebrate PFLAG Helpline Moms, who are very important. A few years ago, my eighth grade child and I were having breakfast before school. We were talking about the politics of the day and bathroom bills came up. I told him that when he was four, I thought he might be transgender. He got very quiet. I thought I had offended him, so I tried to explain my thinking. It was because he wanted a boy name, a boy haircut, and boy clothes, etc. I told him I had watched for any further signals from him as he grew older (ones that in hindsight I had missed.) He cut my explanation short by telling me quietly that he was transgender and that he had been afraid to tell me. I was afraid for his safety. I was afraid for his future. I was afraid it was going to change our relationship. I walked him to school, told him everything was going to be OK, and that I loved him. Then I went straight home and called the PFLAG Houston Helpline. The mom that called me back was so loving and helpful. She told me what I could do for my kid to show my support and love for him. Most importantly, she let me know everything was going to be OK. During the May general meeting, we will visit with some of the moms who volunteer for the helpline so that worried moms like me can talk to others who have children just like mine. These are moms who have been there for their children and are now there for parents and family of LGBTQ who want to be there for their children. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street. Parking is available between Fannin and San Jacinto, across from the art museum parking. The general meeting runs from 2 ’til 3 p.m. with small groups meeting until 4:20 p.m. We have a small group for people who want support for issues of sexuality (LGB) and one for gender identity (TQI+). St. Paul’s is experiencing some construction in the courtyard in front of Jones Building. Do not let that deter you. PFLAG Houston has four other small
groups that meet during the month to share support throughout the metro area: Third Thursday of each month, 7 p.m. at Bering United Methodist Church, 1140 Harold Street, Houston, Texas Use entrance beside back parking lot. Fourth Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. at Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, Fellowship Hall. 17503 El Camino Real Drive, Clear Lake, Texas. Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. at First Christian Church, 22101 Morton Ranch Road, Katy, Texas. Enter through front doors. Last Sunday of the month, 2 ’til 3:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 2314 N. Grand Boulevard, Pearland, Texas. Use Jasmine St. entrance, room B211 in the Bethel building. PFLAG relies on membership and volunteers. Our membership drive will continue through the end of February. We invite all to join us in our three-fold mission of supporting families, educating communities concerning LGBTQ issues, and advocating for inclusive policies in order to end discrimination and promote equality. Some day, we hope that there will be no need for PFLAG. Until then, we look forward to expanding our membership so that our important work can continue. Information about joining PFLAG Houston is available on the website, PFLAGHouston.org. PFLAG Houston is committed to supporting families and educating the public about LGBTQ issues, and invites all to consider the group’s numerous volunteer opportunities. PFLAG Houston is also passionate about advocacy to ensure equal human rights and end discrimination. PFLAG Houston invites all family members, parents and/or youth who are having problems with coming out issues, and welcomes everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, ethnicity or political persuasion. The group is proud of its rich history and the continued contributions of members, and invites all to learn more about the organization and join in efforts to create a more diverse, accepting society. Find a home in PFLAG. e For information about support, upcoming events and meetings, as well as up-to-date news relevant to PFLAG Houston’s family and friends, visit PFLAGHouston.org, email janice_anderson@yahoo.com, or call the PFLAG Helpline at 713-467-3524.
“While strolling through the park one day, In the merry, merry month of May, I was taken by surprise By a pair of roguish eyes, I was scared but did not run away.”
S 17 And so it was that May was to forever be known at the merry month of May. When you think about all the summer adventures that lay ahead, May is an exciting time. When you think about it, May is a sort of magical door or portal into an upcoming summer filled with endless possibilities. The large LGBTQ community on the Island is waiting to make sure everyone has a great summer and makes the most of their getaway or road trip down from America! With the tanned and hot-looking visitors, there are bound to be some roguish eyes taking people by surprise. Don’t be shy, don’t be scared and, most of all, don’t run away; you just might find some island treasure that ol’ Jean Lafitte forgot to bury! e
Forest Riggs, a resident of Galveston is no stranger to the adventures of life. A former educator and business owner, he enjoys Island life and all that comes with it. He says he is a “raconteur with a quixotic, gypsy spirit.” Forest has written for several newspapers and magazines as well as other writing pursuits, including a novel and collection of short stories.
A DAZZLING RUDOLF NUREYEV ARRIVES IN PARIS AND MAKES A CHOICE THAT CHANGES HIS LIFE FOREVER.
“LOVELY, ELEGANT, IMPRESSIVE.” -Peter Debruge, VARIETY
THE
W H I TE CROW A FILM BY RALPH FIENNES
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
written BY david hare
directed BY RALPH FIENNES
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT
Houston REGAL GREENWAY GRAND PALACE STADIUM 24 , (844) 462-7342 #370 VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.THEWHITECROWFILM.COM
STARTS FRIDAY MAY 10 Find us on P v Facebook.com & t Twitter
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| MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 1, 2019
What is the origin of 420?
e by rena mccain
Photo via Speakeasy-Vape-Lounge-Cannabis-Club-sevl.business.site
H
appy Weedsday, everyone! I hope everyone across the globe had an exciting and educational 420! I know I had some enlightening experiences! I spent my time for 420 in Colorado Springs at the World Famous SpeakEasy Vape Lounge and it was amazing. The culture was so different from Texas, an illegal state, to Colorado, which is a legal state. I even bought cannabis and paid taxes on it. It was my first legal cannabis purchase! It was crazy! Some of you may be wondering about the history of 420. Well, supposedly, the story goes like this: In 1971, five San Rafael, California high school students — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich — called themselves the Waldos because “their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school.” The five used the term “420” in connection with a 1971 plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about, based on a treasure map made by the grower. The Waldos designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 pm. as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase “4:20 Louis.” After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to simply “4:20,” which ultimately evolveZd into a code-word that the teens
Star Buds
World Famous Speak Easy Vape Lounge in Colorado Springs.
used to mean consuming cannabis. Mike Edison says that Steven Hager of High Times magazine was responsible for taking the story about the Waldos to “mind-boggling, cult-like extremes” and “suppressing” all other stories about the origin of the term. Hager wrote “Stoner Smart or Stoner Stupid?” in which he attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers after Reddix became a roadie for the Dead’s bassist, Phil Lesh and called for 4:20 p.m. to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis. While no one knows for certain that this is how the now infamous 420 got started, it has certainly taken off and has global meaning outside what
was probably intended at the time. Many thanks for whomever made this spread out for cannabis awareness! So what does 420 mean, you ask? Well, in my opinion, for cannabis activists all around the world, it is our day to bring awareness of the stupidity of its illegality. We raise awareness of people locked in cages for life for this healing plant and, yes, we celebrate how far we have coming in moving society toward a more natural way of healing themselves. April 20 has become an international counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. Many such events have a political vibe nature to them, advocating the liberalization and legalization of
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cannabis. Vivian McPeak, a founder of Seattle’s Hempfest states that 4/20 is “half celebration and half call-to-action.” Paul Birch calls it a global movement and suggests that one can’t stop events like these. I tend to agree with the both of them. Activism is usually a daily part of our lives. So what we do on that day is protest and participate in civil disobedience by gathering in public to light up at 4:20 p.m. Often, there are the presence of protest signs and flags to express our feelings about this amazing plant still being illegal in many areas, and to bring awareness to those suffering because of its illegality. Many children and people are and continue to be sick without the aide of this plant. As marijuana continues to be decriminalized and legalized around the world, Steve DeAngelo, cannabis activist and founder of California’s Harborside Health Center, notes that “even if our activist work were complete, 420 morphs from a statement of conscience to a celebration of acceptance, a celebration of victory, a celebration of our amazing connection with this plant. It will always be worthy of celebration.” e References: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture) Rena McCain is a co-founder of the Cannabis Open Carry Walks. Find her on Facebook at GanjaGrrl420, or via Twitter @sassikatt24 and Instagram at ganja_grrl420. Listen to Conversations with Ganja Grrl & 420 News HQ, McCain’s broadcast on MixLR.com every Sunday morning, 11 a.m. ’til 2 p.m. CST on the MountainHighX station. To listen, download the MIXLR APP for Android or Apple. Make an account. Search for and follow MountainHigh10.
Crossword Queeries THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARRYING Across
1 Hairspray composer Shaiman 5 Twinkle in your partner’s eye 10 Visit Barneys, e.g. 14 Person with a PC 15 Two to one, for one 16 Scroll for the cut 17 Circumcision or baptism 18 Gussy up 19 Prefix with science 20 Start of a question in There’s Something About Marrying 22 More of the question 24 Ten-incher, for example 25 Tips off 26 Kind of straight, in poker. 30 End of the question 34 Be intense like a queen 36 Rear on board 37 Bone of John the Baptist, e.g. 40 Nuts
41 On-line locales 43 Airline to Ben Gurion 44 He cared for Samuel 45 Comic Lea 47 The I’s have it 48 Emulates Isadora Duncan 50 Seasonal serving 52 Cartoon series of the episode There’s Something About Marrying 56 Ryan of porn 58 German sub 59 “Lions and tigers and bears, !” 62 Matching notes for Rorem? 63 Head-oriented group 64 Secure with lines 65 Pain suppressed by Schumacher? 66 Chat room request
Down
1 Many a painting by Frida’s Diego 2 Broadway whisper
3 Change labels 4 Thick liqueur 5 Will Geer’s role on The Waltons 6 Cheryl of Charlie’s Angels 7 War zone, in brief 8 Opera singers put them on? 9 Yves, but not YSL 10 Pilot’s place 11 Character who married some gay couples and asked the question 12 Phrase from Ripley 13 Two queens, and others 21 Start of a Sappho title, perhaps 23 Kind of statesman 27 Response to an online personal, perhaps 28 1993 treaty acronym 29 Pass the threshold 30 Fruity kind of computer? 31 Latin I word 32 Urvashi has one
33 Degeneres program, for short, with The 34 Hauled ass 35 Marlene Dietrich role in Blue Angel 38 Otello villain 39 Drain trouble 41 Mississippi Sissy author Kevin 42 Breaks for Almodovar 45 Report card blemish 46 “Fourscore and seven years ...” 49 Boys Don’t Cry actress Sevigny 51 Fairy story figure 53 “Suuure!” 54 Tales of the City character 55 Time gone by 56 Part of a Stein line 57 The Times of Harvey Milk, for short 60 He comes between Larry and Curly 61 Periods that last 525,600 min.
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Guide to the Clubs HOUSTON
n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN Crocker Bar 2312 Crocker St, Houston (713) 529-3355 Large Deck | Karaoke George’s Country Sports Bar 617 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 528-8102 Sports Bar | Pool & Darts | Patio Guava Lamp 570 Waugh Dr, Houston (713) 524-3359 • guavalamphouston.com Video Lounge | Karaoke | Mixed JR’s Bar and Grill & Santa Fe 808 Pacific St, Houston (713) 521-2519 • jrsbarandgrill.com Videos | Patio | Karaoke | Shows Michael’s Outpost Piano Bar 1419 Richmond Ave, Houston (713) 520-8446 Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Piano Rich's Houston 2401 San Jacinto (281) 846-6685 RichsNightclub.com Barcode Houston 817 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 526-2625 • facebook.com/barcode77006
Shows | Neighborhood Bar | CD/Trans The Ripcord 715 Fairview St, Houston (713) 521-2792 • facebook.com/ripcordhouston Leather | Uniform | Fetish | Men
n DOWNTOWN / EADO Lucky’s Pub - Downtown 801 St Emanuel St, 77003 (713) 522-2010 • Luckyspub.com Sports Bar | Food
n NW HOUSTON La Granja Disco & Cantina 5505 Pinemont Dr., Houston (713) 518-6753 • lagranjadisco.com Latin dance club
Moon Tower Inn 3004 Canal St, 77003 (832) 969-1934 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Hot Dogs | Beer Gardens
Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon 11410 Hempstead Highway Houston, TX 77092 (713) 677-0828 • neonbootsclub.com
Neil’s Bahr 2006 Walker St, 77003 (281) 352-7456 • NeilsBahr.com Premier Nerd | Gamer | Intellectual hangout Tout Suite 2001 Commerce, 77002 713-227-8688 • toutsuitetx.com Bakery | Cafe | Pub Voodoo Queen 322 Milby St, 77003 713-555-5666 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Casual | Po’ Boys | Games n DOWNTOWN / WARDS 1-4 Tony’s Corner Pocket 817 West Dallas Street, Houston (713) 571-7870 • tonyscornerpocket.com Neighborhood Bar | Pool | Dancers n HOUSTON - NORTH SIDE Ranch Hill Saloon 24704 Interstate 45, Spring (281) 298-9035 • ranchhill.com Country | Cowgirl | Neighborhood Bar The Room Bar 4915 FM 2920 Rd, Spring (281) 907-6866 • roombarspring.com Neighborhood Bar | Shows | Dance | Mixed
Viviana’s Night Club 4624 Dacoma St, Houston (713) 681-4101 • vivianasniteclub.com Latino | Tejano | Dance n SW HOUSTON Crystal Night Club 6684 SW Fwy, Houston (713) 278- 2582 • crystaltheclub.com Latin Dance | Salsa n HEIGHTS / WASHINGTON CORRIDOR Pearl Lounge 4216 Washington, Houston 832-740-4933 • pearlhouston.com Neighborhood Art Bar | Live Music | Women
GALVESTON 23rd Street Station 1706 23rd St, Galveston (409) 443-5678 • 23rdstreetstation.com Piano Bar | Pub | Live Entertainment Robert’s Lafitte 2501 Ave Q, Galveston (409) 765-9092 • galveston.com/robertslafitte Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Cruise | Shows Rumors Beach Bar 3102 Seawall Blvd., Galveston (409) 497-4617 • RumorsBeachBar.com Beach bar | Shows
SOLUTION FROM PAGE 21
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