Montrose Star Entertainment News–Magazine since 1976

DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

Almodovar & Penelope Cruz reteam for ‘Parallel Mothers’

24

≈ Houston Rainbow Herald ................

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≈ Foodie Diaries.....................................

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≈ What A World ....................................

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INDEX Editorial Crossword Guide to the Clubs

5 27 30

Wednesday June 2, 2021 e VOL. XI, 26 Foto Netflix

THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE!

MONTROSE STAR.COM

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PAGE 2 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

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

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

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

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

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

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.  Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:  Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.  BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

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

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. 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.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.  Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, KEEP ASPIRING, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0368 04/21

BVYC0368_BIKTARVY_C_10X13-65_MontroseStar_Dimitri_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

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Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 3

DIMITRI LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP ASPIRING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

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

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Dimitri’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

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

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5/17/21 4:46 PM

PAGE 4 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

HRH REPORT FROM ‘SURVIVOR’ TO ‘THE TWILIGHT ZONE’

Publisher / Executive

LAURA M VILLAGRAN Business Development Manager

RANDALL JOBE Production

RAFA ESPINOSA News Features

JOHNNY TRLICA Copy Editor

Scene Writers

JIM AYRES JANICE ANDERSON FOREST RIGGS Distribution

MIRIAM ORIHUELA ELIZABETH MEMBRILLO

NANCY FORD

TH E S TA R CO NTR I B UTI N G W R ITE 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@montrosestar.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.

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 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.

©2020 GLYP Media. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permision from the Publisher.

The Montrose Star is published every two weeks and distribuited free of charge at choice establishments throughout Houston, the Bay Area & Galveston. Annual mail subscriptions are $54.

All rights to material by outside contributors revert to the author. Views expressed in articles, advertisements, graphics an/o photos appearing in Montrose Star do no necessarily refelcts the views of the views of the editors or advertisers. The Montrose Star is not responsible for unsolicted submissions of articles or artwork. Advertisements accepted for publication in the Montrose Star are presumed to contain information that is true and advertisers are authorized to sell the product(s) shown in his/her ad.

The Montrose Star assume no responsablity nor liability for possible errors contained herein or for advertisers' claim or performance.

e BY J OH N N Y T R LI CA

ommentary: Parts of the past year has felt

like living in an episode of Survivor. We’ve C been isolated and had to provide food, fire and shelter for ourselves. We have been tested both physically and mentally and have been progressively eliminated — too many of us did not make it.

Now that our winter of discontent is behind us, we have the long summer months and television reruns to look forward to. What does the future look like? It’s not going to be pretty based on what is happening in our state legislature and the national Congress. And for the second year in a row, Pride festivities are cancelled or greatly reduced.

Photo via RD.com

OFFICE 713-942-0084 EMAIL TheMontroseStart@gmail.com

Stay focused and united

‘Saved by the Bell’ No Texas legislative session is complete without anti-LGBTQ bills proposed and this one was no exception. A controversial bill would have mandated that transgender student athletes play on sports teams based on their sex assigned at birth instead of their gender identity.

“The bill’s proponents said it was necessary to protect girls’ sports, arguing that allowing transgender girls to play on school sports teams gave them an unfair advantage because they have higher levels of testosterone,” wrote Texas Tribune.

LGBTQ advocates said the legislation was harmful and discriminatory against transgender Texans.

House Democrats pulled out their bag of tricks and spent much of the May 25 session using delay tactics to keep several GOP-backed bills from coming up in time to be debated.

As the clock approached the midnight deadline, transgender pride flags began appearing on the House floor in recognition of the success of the stall tactics.

Not willing to accept defeat, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session of the Texas Legislature in June to address the anti-trans legislation, as well as other conservative priorities.

There’s no Zac or A.C. to make this look pretty.

‘Gunsmoke’ Besides making abortion all but impossible and voting harder, the Texas legislature passed the “Constitutional Carry” bill. The new law eliminates previous requirements that Texans must be licensed to carry handguns openly or concealed along with fingerprints on file, completion of four to six hours of training, passing a written exam and a shooting proficiency test. Soon the streets of Texas cities will be overrun with wannabe Matt Dillons. What could possibly go wrong? v Facebook.com & t Twitter Find us on P

‘2 Broke Girls’ Enhanced and extended unemployment benefits have been a lifeline for millions of Americans since the pandemic struck and sent the economy reeling. Gov. Abbott pulled the rug out from under hundreds of thousands of Texans by opting out of the pandemic relief programs. Effective June 26, most unemployed Texans will be cut off from the aide that has sustained them the past months.

Citing the extra $300 in weekly benefits, Abbott said he is going to connect unemployed people with work instead of unemployment assistance. What he is really doing is connecting businesses and his donors to his pocketbook.

The move came after business groups were complaining they couldn’t find enough staff to adequately man their restaurants and other businesses. Signs like “no one wants to work anymore” began appearing on restaurant doors, when in reality what the sign should have said is “no one wants to work anymore for poverty wages.”

Abbott’s action shows the lack of empathy and respect he has for food and beverage workers. Max and Caroline would have a few choice words for the governor.

‘The Twilight Zone’ “You unlock this door with the key of imagination.

Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into... the Twilight Zone.”

Those immortal words were uttered

by Rod Serling as the opening monologue of The Twilight Zone.

They can be applied to today’s Republican Party. Either that or they are just batshit crazy. Many elected GOP officials are trying to convince Americans that we did not see what we saw on January 6. On that day of infamy, a defeated president incited an insurrection on our nation’s Capital and tried to overthrow the results of a fair and honest election.

They are calling the mob that assaulted more than 140 police “tourists.”

“Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes, taking videos, pictures,” Rep. Andrew S. Clyde (R-Ga.) said. “You know, if you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.”

Never mind that same congressman was photographed helping to barricade the door to the House and cowering in fear behind a Capitol officer.

Many of our right-wing “friends” have become completely unhinged and irrational, much like their feckless leader, making it even more important for us to stay focused and united. From Washington to Austin, we are all wondering, “Who the hell is electing these people?” e The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of MONTROSE STAR. Johnny Trlica is the administrator of the Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page. Reach him at HRHeditor@gmail.com.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 5

OP-ED CREEP OF THE WEEK

Of course, I realize that Gov. Lee and the members of the legislature who hurled this bill onto his desk don’t believe that it will be an end to a new generation of queer kids. Not literally, anyway. The aim is to send a signal that LGBTQ+ people are damaged and deserving of the hatred and oppression coming their way. e BY D’ANNE W I T KOW S K I The cruelty is the point.

It reminds me of when then-GOP ennessee is on an anti-LGBTQ+ roll, presidential candidate Mitt Romney y’all. You may remember that I wrote said he was in favor of “self-deportation,” about how gay country music star T.J. which meant making life in the U.S. so Osborne was supposed to get honored unbearably miserable for immigrants that by the state legislature via a resolution. they’d just choose to leave themselves.

But a Republican, Rep. Jeremy Faison, (Keep in mind that he’s now considered stepped in and said, “Uh, no. Too gay.” the World’s Most Reasonable and Decent This pissed a lot of people off because it Republican, so, you know, yikes.) seemed so, well, petty. Like, let Osborne Representation matters. This law have his day, you know? It’d be a cool precludes history classes from including thing for LGBTQ+ kids to see... oh, wait. the Stonewall Riots, Obergefell v.

Hodges, Pete Buttigieg, or teaching We can’t let kids know LGBTQ+ people that Ronald Reagan was a trash exist, let alone happy and successful president who refused to even say ones, or they’ll all want in on the action.

“AIDS” while scores of gay men died.

If a teacher was going to give a lesson Not to mention the complete absence including the legislature’s snub of Osborne, of LGBTQ+ people from sexual education however, that teacher would have to wait classes, whatever that means in Tennessee.

30 days to give parents sufficient warning.

According to The Advocate, Gov. Bill It’s not like there’s any kind of national Lee, a Republican, “signed a bill into standard for sex ed, and it tends to vary law requiring schools to give parents from school to school, with some schools a 30-day notice about any lessons that being like, “Hey, here’s an inclusive deal with sexual orientation or gender and comprehensive education that will identity and allow the parents to opt teach you to respect yourself and keep their children out of that instruction.” yourself safe” while other schools are This’ll solve the problem of kids like, “Chew up this piece of gum and “turning” LGBTQ+ because no doubt look at it, that’s what girls become the reason LGBTQ+ people say, my age, if they have sex before marriage.” exist is because of the rampant pro“LGBTQ people are integral to the fabric LGBTQ+ curriculum of the 1980s and of American society. Gov. Lee and the ‘90s in public schools, not to mention all Tennessee state legislature’s disgraceful of the clubs and supportive teachers and attempts to erase LGBTQ individuals the Pride parade down every hallway. from coursework is discrimination in its I’m kidding, of course, there was less clearest form,” Human Rights Campaign than none of that. It did not stop me from Associate Regional Campaign Director going full lesbian. I even drive a Subaru.

Melodía Gutiérrez said in a statement.

Gov. Bill Lee

T

Disgraceful is the right word, but sadly this kind of shit isn’t uncommon.

According to HRC, “Tennessee is one of 30 states that has introduced a slate of discriminatory, antiLGBTQ legislation this session.”

And who can blame them, really?

It’s not like there are a lot of pressing national concerns right now. Oh, wait (touches earpiece), I’m being told that COVID-19 is still a thing. Also something about all hell breaking out in the Middle East. Global warming. Bridges and roads turning to dust. Racism. Police brutality. So, like, nothing big.

The Log Cabin Republicans of Tennessee are definitely not helping. I’ve long been disgusted with LCR — they endorsed Trump, remember? And the Tennessee group’s response to the whole T.J. Osborne resolution is, well, downright bizarre.

They posted a statement on Twitter that is the definition of “cringe.” Written as if by a Gay Sass Bot 2000, it reads in part, “None of us got resolutions when we came out — and we were a lot younger than Osborne. Don’t expect rainbow confetti and a ticker-tape parade just for liking boys, hunty. Shut up and sing.”

You’ll remember that “shut up and sing” was directed at the all-female country music group The Chicks back when they had the nerve to oppose the war in Iraq and criticize George W. Bush. So, you know, classic move.

LCR also included statements that could’ve been written by the Family Research Council, like, “This is America, not gender studies class” and “Legislative sessions are NOT coming out parties.”

All this statement does is reinforce my belief that conservative comedy is an oxymoron and Log Cabin Republicans are sad and pathetic people. e

JUNE 2, 2021 | VOL. XI, 26

COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM Put a little Pride on your palate

10

D’Anne Witkowski is a writer living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBTQ politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

IN MY (JUDGMENTAL) OPINION Mannerless millennials

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CONTENTS HRH Report ........................................................ 4 OP-ED .................................................................. 5 Opinion ................................................................ 6 Review ................................................................. 7 Cooking with Paula Dream ......................... 10 Foodie Diaries .................................................. 11 Positive Thoughts .......................................... 12 What a World ................................................... 14 LGBTQ+ Spotlight .......................................... 16 PFLAG Houston News .................................. 18 Across the Causeway ................................... 21 In MyA (Judgmental) Opinion .................... 22 Deep Inside Hollywood .............................. 24 Crossword Queeries .................................... 25 Guide to the Clubs ........................................ 30 ©2020 Montrose Star All Right Reserved Montrose Star™ Newspaper since 1976, is owned

by GYLP Media, a Texas minority-certified company est. in 1990.

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CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATION June 2, 2021. None as of press time.

PAGE 6 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

Opinion

It’s time for the filibuster to go e BY C OLBY ET H ER TON

Much of President Joe Biden’s agenda faces an uphill battle due to the narrow 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate. Biden’s $1.9 trillion dollar COVID relief plan eked through Congress entirely on party lines, due to a process known as budget reconciliation, which is typically only allowed once per fiscal year. Biden has vowed to address many issues that have been unaddressed in our nation for too long, such as infrastructure, a lagging minimum wage, reforming our election systems to make it easier for Americans to vote, climate legislation and combating gun violence. Yet so many parts of his agenda won’t have a chance at becoming reality due to what’s known as the filibuster, a tool used in the Senate to stonewall legislation. A bill needs to hit a 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster, and considering the increasing tendency for parties to vote strictly along party lines. That means that 10 Senate Republicans voting with Democrats on any given measure are incredibly slim.

To eliminate the filibuster, all that would be needed is all 50 Democrats to be on the same page; however, there is opposition on that front as well. Two of the Senate’s most moderate Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have repeatedly said that they refuse in any circumstance to eliminate the filibuster. Their train of thought has been that if Congress can’t come to an agreement on legislation, then Congress isn’t doing its job.

Yet, the filibuster hasn’t ever encouraged compromise so their argument rings hollow. We’re in an age where our political climate is so polarized, and congressional Republicans have repeatedly shown that they’ve become the party of obstruction. It doesn’t matter if most people in the country agree on Biden’s COVID relief package or his infrastructure plan; they’ve decided to stonewall ad nauseam.

It remains to be seen if Manchin and Sinema will have a change of heart. One key part of Biden’s COVID relief bill — raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour — had to be left on the cutting room floor due to both Senators not wanting it in the final package.

Fortunately, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough (a nonpartisan civil servant who interprets the rules of the Senate) has given the OK for Senate Democrats to pass two more bills through budget reconciliation through the current fiscal year. This means that Biden’s infra-

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structure proposal will be able to pass without 60 votes, assuming that all 50 Democrats are on board. This is a big victory, as there’s a lot in Biden’s infrastructure plan that is necessary and a good step in the right direction. In the infrastructure plan is money allocated toward modernizing bridges, roads, public transit, and investing money into electric vehicles. Furthermore, it bolsters the wages of caregivers in America, a group of people that for too long have been underpaid. Per CNN, there is money allocated for expanding access to long-term care services under Medicaid as well. CNN breaks down other elements of the $2.2 trillion bill, including funding for housing, schools, manufacturing, insuring high speed broadband for every American, and rebuilding the nation’s water infrastructure — something incredibly vital to communities of color, in particular.

However, from there it is difficult to see how much of what congressional Democrats want to get done can become a reality, assuming the filibuster stays a part of the Senate. It’s a tool that has a problematic past, being used to block anti-lynching and Civil Rights legislation. If its use has been to block change rather than to promote compromise, it has no part in our democracy. At this point, it’s clear that it has done more harm than good, and as such, it should be removed.

Since the 2020 presidential election, we’ve already seen some frightening proposals introduced by Republican officials. In the state of Georgia, the new law makes it illegal for people to offer food and water to people who are waiting in line to vote. Additional measures are taken regarding what must be printed on the outside of an absentee ballot, and should they not be present, an absentee ballot will be rejected. Voting in runoff elections has been reduced from nine weeks to four weeks. Georgia Republicans are essentially making it more difficult to vote, an obvious response to the 2020 election and the Georgia runoffs that gave wins to Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

It’s been justified as necessary to restore “faith in the electoral process,” but officials have already said that the 2020 election was one of the most secure in recent history, and there has never been evidence of voter fraud on a wide scale, contrary to what Republican officials say. e It’s measures like Georgia’s that make something like a national reforming of the electoral system necessary. Yet, making progress is going to be an uphill battle so long as outdated systems remain in our government. Get rid of the filibuster.

The opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of MONTROSE STAR.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 7

Review ‘SERVICED’

The spiritual side of erotic touch e BY DAV I D - E L I JAH N AH M O D

The message of Serviced, a 45-minute documentary by Charlie David and Nickolaos Stagias, is that everyone is deserving of intimate touch and physical pleasure, regardless of age or body type. The filmmakers underscore this point by training their camera on two sex workers, an erotic masseur, and a “professional cuddler” and allow them to talk about their work and what they offer their clients. Some of these clients appear on camera with them.

One of the film’s most fascinating subjects is Oscar, an actor who moonlights as a cuddler, a service some viewers may not have heard of before. Oscar points out that his service is platonic; what he offers to his clients is simple, non-sexual intimacy. Oscar is seen with two clients, one male and one female. There is no nudity between Oscar and his clients. He touches them, talks to them, finds out what their needs are. He brings inti-

macy, affection, and the human connection that’s missing from their daily lives to them. And they respond.

“The reason I like providing this service is because it allows me to really be present with that person who’s in front of me to make sure that I give them the most of my attention, so they feel like their being heard, understood,” Oscar says.

The film also provides viewers with a look at the opposite side of the spectrum. A porn star and BDSM escort who goes by the curious moniker Rogue Status speaks about his career in the sex trade. Rogue is quite candid as he talks about the work he

does and how he keeps himself safe in what he admits has the potential to be a dangerous profession.

Clips of Rogue appearing in bondage porn are included as he speaks.

“One of the best ways to feel safe and comfortable with someone is to be tied up by them,” he says. “Because you have to let yourself go somewhere else and it’s going to be cathartic, and you might cry.”

Serviced is fairly straightforward in its appaoach to its subject. The filmmakers focus their camera on the interviewees and let them speak uncensored. They all come across as regular guys who just happen to be in a

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business. They take their work seriously and treat their clientele with utmost respect while never crossing their own boundaries. Never before has a film so completely humanized sex workers.

One of the film’s most beautiful interludes is an encounter between Raj, a South Asian escort, and Andrew Gurza, a disabled man who uses a wheelchair and who needs help with getting in and out of bed. Raj and Gurza have been seeing each other for a while, and they’ve developed an intimate rapport that almost seems romantic. They start their sessions by asking each other how their day went. Raj carefully lifts Gurza out of his wheelchair and places him on the bed before undressing. As the two touch each other, they smile and kiss tenderly. It’s really quite lovely to see them together. Their onscreen encounter underscores the film’s message that everyone is deserving of touch and intimacy.

The film doesn’t preach or moralize about the whys and wherefores of sex work; it merely presents what is in a thoughtful and compassionate manner. The interviewees are articulate, intelligent and unapologetic about what they do. They make a strong case for more acceptance and less judgment of the sex trade and should be commended for opening up about their lives so honestly.

Serviced is now streaming at Amazon Prime and Tubi TV. e

PAGE 8 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021 e BY C HRI S A ZZO PAR D I

Leyna Bloom made a splash this year for being the first Black and Asian openly trans woman to be featured in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, out in July. But even before reaching that historical milestone, the 27-year-old Chicago native was changing the game both on the runway and on the screen.

In 2019, Bloom was the only transgender woman of color to walk Paris Fashion Week in 2019 at the Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya fashion show as part of an all-Black female runway. Then there’s her drama “Port Authority,” which features Bloom making her major movie debut in a prominent role, positioning the model, actress and activist as the first trans woman of color to lead a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival in the festival’s 72-year history. After first premiering at Cannes in 2019, “Port Authority” will expand to VOD on June 1.

In writer-director Danielle Lessovitz’s romantic drama, which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Bloom plays Wye, a trans woman of color and “femme queen” who encounters Paul (Fionn Whitehead) after he’s kicked out of his home in central Pennsylvania. Set against the backdrop of New York’s vogue houses and kiki ballrooms is their blossoming love. Bloom’s next film, “Asking For It,” a film focused on sexism that stars Kiersey Clemons, Ezra Miller, Vanessa Hudgens and Gabourey Sidibe, will premiere this summer at the Tribeca Film Festival. The actress can also be seen as ballroom figure Pretentia Khan in the third and (allegedly) final season of Ryan Murphy’s “Pose.”

During our recent conversation, the rising trans vanguard got emotional reflecting on making Cannes Film Festival history with “Port Authority.” Bloom also talked about drawing on legendary house mother Carmen Xtravaganza for her role on “Pose,” her dashed dreams of being in the Navy like her father, and being celebrated for her groundbreaking Sports Illustrated shoot.

When were you first interested in acting and modeling?

My great-grandmother was a model. My grandmother and my auntie, her daughters were both models. And my auntie was a dancer; she danced for Sammy Davis Jr. So dance and performing have always been in my blood.

I come from two backgrounds, Nigerian and Filipino, which has a very rich background full of dance. So my ancestry and my creativity is all inside my body asking to be released constantly.

Acting has kind of always been kind of part of the plan, just like, “When am I gonna get there, and what script and what project will be the best project for that opportunity?” When “Port Authority” arrived, it was right on time because it was just a dream opportunity to play that character because it is literally the voice and the story of so many trans bodies. So, I’m glad that that was the first opportunity given to me to show the world the future.

“Port Authority” is the first film in Cannes Film Festival’s 72-year

history to feature a trans woman of color in a lead role. How do you feel knowing that?

To be able to do something like this, which is my ancestors’ wildest dreams, is truly monumental. Why has it taken so long? And what can we do with this moment to make sure that it doesn’t take that long for the next person? That’s where my mind is always going to be wrapped up in. Because I may be the first, but I will not be the last. I think it’s just powerful because just 72 years ago, Black and brown bodies and queer bodies were nonexistent in this space.

I think it’s just... I don’t know. I’m getting so emotional thinking about this.

Who are some of the people who paved the way for you to feel comfortable to be who you are?

A lot of beautiful women. Carmen Xtravaganza. Halle Berry. Tyra Banks.

Tracey “Africa” (Norman). You know, Tyra Banks was the first woman of color to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, so I’m standing on her shoulders.

It’s very powerful and I’m so happy that (“Port Authority,” a story about) love was the first reason why we made history. It wasn’t about war, it wasn’t about pain. It was about love. It was a love story that made history about two people, (featuring a) trans woman, that has been missing in society. That is why it is so important, and that is why we need to continue having more moments like this.

How much of your own ballroom experience is the experience of your character, Wye, in “Port Authority”?

My experience is very similar. Wye’s character comes from a ballroom family where she is getting ready for balls and she is helping her family get ready for balls. Paul’s character is actually helping her get ready for balls, so that is very familiar to my lifestyle over the years. I’ve been (doing) ballroom since I was 15 years old, so I’ve gotten ready for many balls and prepared myself for many different competitions through the circuit. It’s very real, it’s very raw, and I love that Danielle wanted to just bring that authenticity to the film.

I chuckled at the line, “I mean, you could be a model or something,” which Paul says to Wye after she tells him that she was in the Navy. Was that based on your own real-life experience?

My dad was actually in the military.

He was a Marine. I was raised in that environment, I was raised around my dad and us living on base, and us traveling to many different bases around the world, and officially being a Marine brat.

That was something that we wanted to add to the character. I also wanted to be in the Navy at one point in my life, but because I am trans and because the system is not set up for me to serve my country, I could not do that. So I thought that was a beautiful little piece of nuance.

How did ballroom culture shape who you are today?

Ballroom just allowed me to see myself in my rawest state and understand that if I wanted to change, it’s up to me; it’s not up to anyone else. Ballroom is a place where you can find harmony in yourself,

in your community. Where you can feel the vibrations of the people that are feeling the pain that you’re feeling and can heal together because of that. So ballroom holds lots of raw energy and power that the world has been exploring at a very small rate. But now ballroom is going to homes around the world, and people are redefining the ideas about themselves and what’s around them.

As for “Pose,” were you a fan of the series before you starred in it?

I actually auditioned for “Pose,” and a lot of my friends on the show auditioned and got the part. I was a huge fan of any project that was about Black and brown trans women being the centerpiece of the glory of television. So, I’m a huge fan of that show, and I’m so happy I got a chance to be a part of (this) last season.

How would you describe your character, Pretentia, and what was it like embodying her?

I have so many ideas about her character. Pretentia is kind of like Carmen Xtravaganza, this amazing ballroom icon woman that is Spanish and Black African, and she just inspired me growing up.

I wanted to just really bring Carmen back to life through Pretentia. She’s just a combination of a lot of different strong women that I just grew up loving. She reminds me a lot of Sharon Stone. She had a lot of really strong alpha characters, and I wanted to bring that to Pretentia.

Tyra Banks has been such a huge supporter of yours. How important is it to have prominent cis people, like Tyra Banks, lift up the trans community?

And what does it mean for you to have people like Tyra in your corner?

Honestly, it’s full circle for me. I was that kid that was watching “America’s Next Top Model” first season, jotting notes to use in my everyday life.

Tyra was this woman that was giving us access to free information about her lived experience. And, to one day be aligned in some way, shape or form — aligned to what she has created — is truly powerful. And for her to acknowledge that is even more powerful.

I grew up reading Sports Illustrated, and knowing that Tyra was on the cover many times was truly powerful for me as a young trans woman. Seeing a beautiful Black woman that was full bust — big smile, beautiful personality, in tune with her femininity — was really powerful for me to see. When I did Sports Illustrated and it was announced, I immediately hit her up to acknowledge her as like, “I would not be here if it wasn’t for you,” like I did when I did “Pose.” I hit up those women that I told you (about): Carmen, Tracey “Africa.” I hit up these women to acknowledge that, “I’m doing this because you allowed me to see something that changed my life, that now I can be a part of, and I would not be able to do it if it wasn’t for you.” And (Tyra) acknowledged me. We’re texting here and there, and she’s sending me words of affirmation, and I’m moving to Paris soon. She’s like, “Oh, that’s where I was at; my career started in Paris.” So she’s a huge inspiration of mine, but she’s also a mentor, and you know, like a mom-

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my also. I’m one of her babies. (Laughs.)

Who else reached out to you acknowledging how big of a deal your Sports Illustrated shoot was?

So many people hit me up. People from all different walks of life. A lot of white men reached out to me, and not fetishizing or sexualizing me but acknowledging the fact that the world is changing and the decisions that Sports Illustrated is making allow me to not only just be a part of Sports Illustrated but to tell my story through them. (It) was truly monumental for them. They acknowledge that the world needs to change, and why has it taken so long? A huge, prominent person in sports, (NBA star Dwyane) Wade, who is also from Chicago, reached out to me and congratulated me, sent me some bottles of wine — shout out to D-Wade! He’s raising a young trans daughter, and it was just truly powerful to know that the world is really changing in this moment.

What do you think it will feel like when you get your hands on a physical copy of the magazine?

I just… I honestly, oh my… even seeing a billboard of me anywhere just gives me chills. Because that was part of my vision board, you know? I would go to these places and see these billboards and just dream that one day that could be me.

So the idea that there’s a magazine that’s on the level of Sports Illustrated that is acknowledging my life and what I do in this world with my life, wants me to be something, or sees something inside of me, that’s just truly powerful to me. This new generation of people, you ask them the names, you tell them the stories, and it doesn’t really click with them. But for me, who comes from that era of understanding before social media how powerful these spaces are, it’s just out of this world. I just pinch myself every time.

When it comes to trans women of color leveling the p laying field both in and out of Hollywood, what’s next?

What do you want to see leveled up next for trans women of color?

I want to see education level up. I think it’s important for me to pass on information just like information was passed onto me. Since we are in a time when education is always going to be a powerful tool, I definitely want to see how I can work in that environment, whether it’s me opening my own school or building a curriculum in a school to develop some type of information and data so people like me can have resources that I didn’t have when I was growing up.

What’s next for you?

One of my mentors, Carmen Xtravaganza, I’m writing her story. That was one thing she wants to leave on this Earth: just information and ideas and wisdom, and I want to put it in a book. After I write her book, I’m going to be writing my own book. e This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carvey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 9

THIS TRANS ACTRESS AND SPORTS ILLUSTRATED MODEL IS CHANGING THE GAME FOR TRANS WOMEN OF COLOR

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PAGE 10 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

Cooking with Paula Dream

Put a little Pride on your palate e BY PAULA DR EAM (AKA KALE HAYGOOD)

Guys and gals, it’s that time of year to let your hair or pants down, to celebrate our LGBT Pride! Looking back, the year has presented us with some challenges as well as many things to celebrate.

Of course, nothing can spoil Paula’s appetite, so I am giving you recipes that can’t miss during Pride Month. This Banana Pride Punch drink is perfect for your carry-to-the-events jug.

Also, remember the “foam parties?” Am I the only one that broke out in a rash after a foam party and went home without their panty hose? Well, Pride Foam is a snack that is a salute to the residue you enjoyed when you lost your underwear.

The Post Pride Breakfast Hangover Casserole a sober-me-up breakfast dish to make the day before going to a Pride event that needs little prep the day after.

It makes enough for the 12 people you have crashed on your living room floor.

Enjoy Pride Month, everyone!

Thanks for remembering to support our advertisers and supporters.

And please use alcohol responsibly.

2 7 10 Montrose Blvd.

Houston, T X 7 7 006

713.526.0202 Order Online www.pepperonis.net

BANANA PRIDE PUNCH 6 cups water (or substitute vodka or rum) 3 cups sugar 3 (32 ounce) cans unsweetened pineapple juice 1 (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted 1 /2 cup lemon juice 3 cups mashed ripe bananas (usually about 9) 3 1-liter bottles chilled ginger ale (or substitute vodka or rum) Bring six cups water (or vodka or rum) and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, then stir in pineapple juice, orange

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juice concentrate and lemon juice.

Pour into a two-gallon container. Freeze for two hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving. Pour ginger ale (or vodka or rum) over banana mixture until slushy.

PRIDE FOAM 2 1/3 cups brown sugar 2 /3 cup water 2 teaspoons vinegar 2 egg whites 1 /2 teaspoon vanilla 1 /2 cup nuts, chopped Beat egg whites until stiff peaks forms. In heavy saucepan, cook brown sugar, water and vinegar to a firm ball stage. Allow syrup to cool about five minutes. Add vanilla, and stir well.

Slowly pour syrup over egg whites, beating until candy holds its shape. Quickly add nuts. Drop from tip of spoon onto waxed paper. Makes about 50 pieces.

POST PRIDE BREAKFAST HANGOVER CASSEROLE 12 bread slices 1 Stick of margarine (1/2 ) cup 2 pounds pork breakfast sausage 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream 12 eggs 4 cups milk 3 teaspoons salt Ground black pepper, to taste Remove crust from bread. Heavily spread margarine on each slice. Line a greased 9” by 13” pan with bread.

In a large skillet, cook and drain sausage. Sprinkle sausage over bread slices.

Sprinkle cheese over sausage. Combine eggs, sour cream, baking powder, milk and salt and mix well with mixer or blender. Pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Serves 12. e Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood) owns Beyond Service, a Montrose-based, homecooking catering company. For more information, call 713-805-4106 or email barrykale@ yahoo.com.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 11

Foodie Diaries A FRENCH QUARTER FAVORITE

Acme Oyster House opens in Montrose

of time to work out the kinks. Especially if they’ve done it five times before.

Acme Oyster House in Montrose shone like a burned-out light

Acme Oyster House, that’s all you’re getting here. My friends shared the Captain’s Platter, with enough fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried filets, soft

bulb. Like that oil spot in your driveway. Like winter in Pittsburgh.

Maybe we ordered wrong (I doubt it). Two of our party of three didn’t eat oysters. The one who did shielded her half dozen as if she were in prison and said, “Yeah, they’re pretty good.”

shell crab, craw puppies and mostly French fries, hush puppies and Coleslaw for two. (Except they only got slaw for one.) Every shrimp was tiny, every filet did yoga and every bit of it was fried in old oil to the point of burning.

I got Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya

e BY JI M AYRES

We finally got a table on Wednesday, May 12, a month and two days after Acme Oyster House opened in Montrose. We’d tried twice before, but massive crowds meant three- and two-hour waits, respectively.

In fact, according to Eater.com, “Acme Oyster House… was so overrun with customers during its first two days of service that the restaurant was forced to close down temporarily in order to restock.”

My question is, “What the hell could anyone have been waiting for?”

Acme Oyster House has been open in New Orleans since 1910, and has operated successful outposts in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida for years. They’ve got game.

I presume the early crowds knew that and came to enjoy the good food and service to which they’re accustomed elsewhere. I expected it as well, although I was an Acme virgin.

But even if none of that were true, a new restaurant today must shine right out of the gate if it hopes to have repeat customers spending hardearned money there. A month is plenty

and Seafood Gumbo. I didn’t like the Jambalaya quite as much as I like leftover Zatarain’s from my own kitchen. At least that can be zapped back to life.

Red Beans and Rice was an average rendition if you leave out the spice.

But the gumbo was inexcusable. There is no way this watery, bland soup with Rice Krispie-sized seafood piecpiec es could ever compete with the richrich ly flavored, comforting gumbos found at scores of Houston restaurants.

Acme offers a cocktail called the Coconut Cucumber Margarita. Supposedly it’s made just as it sounds. Having recentrecent ly started experimenting with cucumcucum ber tequila myself (do it) I ordered it.

I was presented with two different-looking cocktails. Our fun server, trytry ing as hard as she could, had to explain it somehow. There was a fight between bartenders on the proper way to make this cocktail. Didn’t they know the recrec ipe? Couldn’t a manager have interinter vened? They both sucked, by the way.

Friends, take this with a grain of sel gris. I cannot imagine Acme is still operatoperat ing like this. Maybe when Tillman… . e

Acme Oyster HOuse 1201 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006

346-571-2071 ACMEOYSTER.COM

EXCITED FOR BRUNCH? SO ARE WE! SUNDAY BRUNCH 11AM - 3PM LAURENZOS.COM / 4412 WASHINGTON AVE / 713.880.5111

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PAGE 12 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

Positive Thoughts

I had to get past the stigma of having HIV Then I had to do the same for mental illness e BY M A RI A H W I L B E R G

I was 19 years old and pregnant when I received my HIV diagnosis in 2006.

“This is punishment,” I thought, just rewards for the survival sex I turned to on the streets of Minneapolis as a homeless, runaway teen. I already felt unlovable because of my history of sex work. Now it felt like the love I had to give would be literal poison.

My abusive partner, who tested HIV negative, reinforced these fears. He said I was lucky to have him. Without him, I’d still be on the streets selling my body, he said. And nobody else wanted a dirty, diseased bitch.

When he went to prison, I fell apart. I had no support system. I relapsed almost immediately, and I wasn’t being the mother I wanted to be for my newborn daughter.

I stopped taking my HIV meds. It was so easy to take them when pregnant to keep her from being born with HIV, but then so hard to take them just for myself. Besides, the other drugs I was taking — cocaine and ecstasy — made me feel good. Unlike the HIV medications, which were a constant reminder of my unworthiness.

When my daughter was 8 months old, I was arrested for selling drugs.

Out on bond, I impulsively fled from Minnesota to Texas. My daughter was safe at my parents’ house, and I figured, “I already have a death sentence, so I’ll be damned if I spend my last years, the rest of my life, in prison.”

After I missed court, my parental rights were terminated and a felony warrant was issued for my arrest.

I buried my HIV deep and locked it away, telling no one. The one time I re-engaged with HIV care while on the run, a roommate discovered my pills and told our mutual friends and my then partner. I convinced them she was lying to hurt me — and in the garbage went the HIV meds.

After four years as a fugitive, I was on my way home to visit my family for the holidays. I had just told my daughter I would see her in the morning over the phone; I was never to see her again, as of yet.

We were pulled over after that phone call, and I spent the holidays in jail, instead of with family. I was sent to prison shortly after.

There, I received an AIDS diagnosis. I was 25 years old. I could no longer afford the luxury of denial; it was killing me. In group therapy, I told my secret to a group of women I had come to know and love.

I saw no fear, no disgust. “It could have been me,” they said. “Thank you for sharing, I now think differently about HIV because of you.”

My life suddenly made sense. I had the power to transform my pain into purpose. “I’ve made it this far so that I can help others,” I thought. In prison, I began to learn how to love myself. All of me.

When I left prison in 2013, I knew I was done with closets. I settled down in St. Paul and was quickly embraced by Minnesota’s HIV community — my community.

I became a volunteer HIV educator, which quickly turned into a paid position. Learning that my undetectable viral load meant I was unable to transmit HIV through sex was the final blow to my internalized stigma. I could love without fear! I started dating, this time, sharing my status.

I was relieved to find that most people were receptive after learning more about HIV. However, it didn’t all go smoothly. After disclosing my status to a potential partner, I noticed some red flags and stopped talking to him. In retaliation, he put my picture, name, and HIV status on social media. It was my community that kept me safe, holding me tight as I received death threats from strangers online.

That was the worst-case scenario I always feared, but I was strangely relieved. Because I realized then that the fears were far worse than the reality.

Months later, I met my husband.

He chose science over stigma, and we recently celebrated our sixth anniversary. I wanted to make sure all people living with HIV knew the truth about their bodies. So I incorporated the most recent science about treatment as prevention into the presentations I did as an educator and prevention worker.

Later, as a communications specialist for the state of Minnesota, I led us to be the third state to sign on to the undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U) campaign. I also coordinated a U=U transit campaign with millions of views. Since 2019, I’ve been leading the implementation of END HIV MN for the state. Not only am I done with HIV stigma in my own life, but I am also privileged to work alongside my community on statewide efforts to reduce stigma for everyone.

This is my dream job! It’s the reason I sacrificed, spending seven years of fulltime school on top of full-time work to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree.

Yet as work-from-home dragged into the fall of 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, my dream job started to feel more like a nightmare.

I was wracked by guilt as the pandemic upended much of my work. Projects were moving slowly or put on hold as staff reassignments and a hiring freeze turned my coordinator position — designed to lead project teams across departments — into a one-person show.

I felt like a constant failure, like I was letting my community down. I was isolating myself, scared to leave the house, uninterested in video calls with family or friends. I didn’t think I was depressed. I told myself, “I can still get out of bed. I’m still going to work. I’m not sad, I’m just overwhelmed. Everything is just so hard.” I was drinking more and more, mostly to escape the feelings of failure and get some sleep.

Then I suddenly developed an aversion to alcohol and quit drinking around the new year. I’ve done that before in

the past, cycled through times of heavy drinking and total abstinence. I was overdoing it anyways, so I didn’t give it much thought. Besides, my husband and I are saving up for in vitro fertilization, so stopping was a good thing.

Sleep was elusive without the alcohol. My thoughts would race, magnifying my every fear. It might start with, “Should I have worded that email a little differently?” It always ended with, “You are failing, everyone secretly hates you, and you’re terrible at your job.”

Objectively, I knew that wasn’t true. I was even participating in the Emerging Leaders Institute for the State of Minnesota. But logic was no match for these feelings.

Then came the panic attacks. I usually have maybe one a year — now I was having one every few days. My heart was racing, sometimes resting at over 120 beats a minute. I couldn’t understand why my anxiety, usually limited to overthinking, was now showing up in my body.

I was worried about money. My husband lost his day job during the pandemic. Ever since, he’s working around the clock to grow his own automotive detailing business from part time to full time.

Even though I knew winter is a slow season for detailing, I became suspicious of the fact that he wasn’t pitching in as much financially.

And then, Aha! Suddenly, it all made sense. The panic attacks, the insomnia, the racing heart — “It’s my body telling me something,” I decided. “I know what it is now. My husband is hiding something.”

I became fixated. I was investigating him, looking for evidence to back up my fears. I found none, but that didn’t dissuade me. My brain wove snippets of phone calls and meaningless events into an intricate story of a double life. I thought he was using our home security cameras to listen in and spy on me, to monitor whether I had learned his secrets.

I finally confronted him. He was adamant and believable in his denials. And a month prior, we were excitedly discussing the types of parents we’d be together. But I still had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

Very wrong. I was so confused.

It felt like he was speaking to me in subliminal messages, trying to hurt me. I spent hours researching gaslighting, trying to understand why I was doubting my own perceptions. When he spoke to me, I sensed an underlying malice, hidden meanings. I finally told him that I wanted a divorce.

He stayed on the couch, where he had already been sleeping for days. I went upstairs to our bedroom and saw the smoke detector on the dresser, from months before when I watched him take it off the wall because it was chirping.

Only this time, I wondered if he was planning to set the house on fire and kill me for insurance money.

That’s when I knew something was very wrong — with me. My husband wasn’t gaslighting me; my own

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brain was. I realized I hadn’t eaten in days and had barely been sleeping. But I was neither tired nor hungry.

I asked my husband to take me to the ER. When I got there, my heart rate was over 180 beats a minute, and I had an immediate EKG test. Even as he held my hand tightly, I was flipping back and forth between understanding I was having a medical issue and fearing that he was orchestrating this, to get me admitted and out of the way.

Those thoughts only stopped after a medication to rebalance my neurotransmitters dissolved under my tongue.

As I calmed down, they told me I was experiencing mania. The fear and confusion, paranoia, altered perceptions and false beliefs were symptoms of psychosis. The doctors said that had I wandered in alone in the state I was in, I would have surely been admitted. But since I had a support person with me, I should continue taking the medication they had just given me and follow up next week.

As we finally got home after a very long night, I Googled my new meds. Zyprexa (olanzapine), an antipsychotic. I noticed a visceral reaction in my gut. I’ve been here before, confronting stigma in a pill bottle.

A little over a month later, I am still confirming the suspected diagnosis of bipolar disorder, with a full neuro-psychiatric test scheduled later this spring. My new provider strongly suspects that I am living with attention deficit disorder as well.

I am not afraid of these new labels; rather, I am empowered with this new lens. It puts so much of my life in perspective: running away from home, the homelessness, the sex work, my HIV diagnosis, my incarceration, my relationship with drugs and alcohol, my yo-yoing body weight.

Did I only gain 15 pounds during pregnancy from the HIV meds alone, or was I manic also? After my baby was born, was I really just a bad mom, or was it more likely that I had experienced postpartum depression?

Looking back, I have more empathy for my younger self. I don’t believe in regrets — I am exactly where I’m supposed to be in life. But I do wonder if my child would be with me now, as I so desperately want, had I been diagnosed at a younger age.

I now see how my internalized stigma of mental illness prevented that earlier diagnosis. I channeled all my symptoms into two socially acceptable categories: I am anxious, or I am overwhelmed.

Once I recognized the stigma, I was set free. I have no desire to climb into a closet. Instead, I immediately knew that I would — I must — be open and transparent about this part of my journey. I know that our stories triumph over stigma. HIV taught me that.

I hear the stigma informing my friend’s gentle questions. “Are you sure you want to be open about this?”

“Don’t you want to take some time and think about it?” and “As long as being open doesn’t hurt other areas

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 13

COMMUNITY

State & Liberty open in Houston this Fall Montrose Collective welcomes the acclaimed menswear retailer

Mariah Wilberg of wellness — like employment.”

They are not trying to silence me — they are my friends. But they worry about what I’m up against.

Unstable. Dangerous. Crazy. These are some of the many labels that society assigns to people living with mental illnesses or differences, people who aren’t neurotypical.

But these do not describe me, not at all. I will not participate in stigmatizing myself. Just as I learned to reject labels like “dirty” or “diseased,” I reject these labels, and the idea that I should keep this a secret.

I love myself, and my brain. The same gifts that have allowed me to build a life and career I am proud of are the same things that got dialed up too high during my episode. I wouldn’t trade my brain for anything.

I believe it is different, but not ill.

Others in my life reacted warily to my suspected diagnosis and new mental health meds. “You probably don’t need to take them forever,” they said. “Aren’t you worried your personality will change?”

“You’re probably not actually bipolar.”

But so far, my new medication, the antipsychotic, makes me feel great. It hasn’t changed my personality or dampened my gifts. Rather, I feel like the best version of myself.

Gone are the racing thoughts, torturing me into the night. I am sleeping well, and I have no panic, no racing heart. I trust my husband again, even when he’s working late. Since starting them, I feel even-keeled, more optimistic, more motivated, and I am happier than I have been in a long time.

For now, I’m sticking to prescribed medications and nonalcoholic beverages. I’m getting out of my own way and giving the doctors a chance to diagnose and treat the conditions that I’ve obviously been self-medicating my whole life.

I see how my trauma history is negatively impacting my relationship with my loving and incredibly patient husband. So I’ve also started EMDR therapy, which helps reduce the impact of trauma on your life.

I will accept whatever diagnosis aligns most closely with my symptoms, while also understanding that human diversity is rich, the line between “normal” and “ill” is subjective, and we don’t fit neatly into checkboxes or categories.

This pandemic and isolation are hard for us all. Please, seek help if you need it.

Don’t let stigma stand in your way. e Mariah Wilberg utilizes her lived experience with HIV, trauma, homelessness, survival sex, substance use, mental illness and incarceration to inform an award-winning career in public service that spans from public health to justice reform. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ and Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ+ wire service. Visit their websites – http://thebody.com, http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com and http://poz.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

Montrose Collective, the forthcoming mixed-use retail and office project delivering later this year in the heart of Lower Westheimer, is excited to announce that revered performance-fabric clothier State & Liberty will be opening its first Texas store in the project. The 1,100 square foot State & Liberty Montrose Collective store will be located off of Westheimer and Grant Street alongside a treelined promenade amid a collection of unique restaurants and retailers.

State & Liberty was founded in 2015

by University of Michigan alumni Lee Moffie and Steven Fisher after the two couldn’t find form-fitting shirts for their athletic builds. Moffie, a former professional hockey player, and Fisher, a baseball player, found regular-sized shirts to be too baggy, and slim-fitting shirts too tight for their athletic builds. They created State & Liberty as a technical fabric menswear line that bridges the gap between tailored dress shirts and performance apparel, which is suitable for office and travel.

The brand developed its proprietary fabrics and fits, and initially sold them exclusively online. It quickly achieved cult-like status with athletes, busi-

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ness professionals and celebrities who were flocking to the moisture-wicking fabrics and well-fitting attire. State & Liberty opened its first brick-andmortar store in Boston in 2017, and now has 15 retail locations throughout North America. The brand’s wicking fabric is particularly suited to the warmer climate found in Houston.

“We’ve been looking to open in Texas for quite some time and are extremely excited to open our first store at the Montrose Collective in Houston,” said Steven Fisher, Co-Founder of State and Liberty.

“For the past few years, Steven and his team at State & Liberty have been innovating the men’s performance apparel industry and gaining a loyal brand following along the way,” added Steve Radom, Founder and Managing Principal of Radom Capital, developer of Montrose Collective, “we are honored that they chose Montrose as the location of their first Texas store.”

Montrose Collective will be bringing 25 unique merchants, chefs and wellness concepts to Houston, in addition to multiple creative office tenants and the future home of the Montrose Library. It will be opening in the late Fall of 2021. e

PAGE 14 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

Spotlight

The room where it happens

confesses, “so I started screenshotting when they went out of the room. It helped me develop my current project.

But “Grindr Profiles” has more weight, is more independent and fully controlled.”

Raised in Taoyuan, Taiwan (just outside Taipei), Lu moved to New York in 2018 and earned an MPS degree in fashion photography at the School of Visual Arts. Inspired by the work of artist Hans Haacke and early Dan Graham, and disenchanted with fashion photography, Lu launched “Grindr Profiles” in August 2020.

Based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, he started fishing for subjects locally, messaging people in adjacent neighborhoods and scoring sessions in Bedstuy, Crown Heights and Bushwick.

Spending around 30 minutes on each photo shoot (longer if the subject is chatty), he later traveled to different parts of NY, planting himself in a public park, store or subway station to message and respond, targeting a wide variety of demographics.

He admits it’s been challenging finding willing subjects in certain neighborhoods, notably the posh West Village, trendy Bedford Street section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Chinatowns of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Flushing Queens (yes, NY boasts three distinct Chinatowns).

“They’re a little more conservative,” he muses. “I didn’t meet any in person for now, so I don’t know their situations, but I assume probably because of their family situations.”

Although some Grindr users are incredulous at first — “people say, ‘Why are you asking me this question?’ and some ask for money, but I’ll

generally say I can offer you lunch or something” — Lu has also dealt with the typical Grindr trappings of receiving unsolicited dick pics (which he ignores), an encounter with a horny subject who didn’t really care about the project (“he worked in the medical field and just wanted to have sex, but we ended up just chatting, so it’s fine”), and realizing he entered a home that he wanted to flee almost immediately.

“Yes, in Staten Island,” Lu recalls.

“He was like a hoarder and his room was packed with unnecessary stuff and his dog slept in a pile of trash.

It was very smelly, and he used foil to block his windows to prevent people from seeing in. That was very intense. He was an OK person, but his lifestyle was kind of horrible!”

Conversely, Lu has also been welcomed into a few exemplary, literally fashion spread-worthy spaces by well-known designers and artists, including the Ft. Greene, Brooklyn house of an interior designer that is routinely rented out for photoshoots.

“But I’m trying to keep it balanced,” Lu emphasizes, “because that’s not how most people live. I try to get people from the top to bottom, so you can see their actual worlds.”

Winding things up in Murray Hill, Lu’s Grindr lights up with a response from the 20-something, and they exchange another message.

Well? A Murray Hill success?

“He said no,” Lu replies. “That’s common. I don’t take it personally.” e NY-raised entertainment and travel journalist Lawrence Ferber has contributed to publications including Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, The Advocate, NewNowNext, The NY Post and TripSavvy. He also co-wrote/ co-created the 2010 gay romcom “BearCity” and authored its 2013 novelization.

Photos Hsiang-Hsi Lu

and accompanying the image with the occupant’s blurred face photo and respective profile text. (Lu’s own reads: “I’m doing a photo project about ppl’s lifestyles. No nudity, no identifiable face pic will be involved. Your real ID is confidential! Lmk if interested.”)

A sampling of his 80-plus entries to date are viewable on his Instagram Pandemic sex-cam browsing led account, although he ultimately plans one photographer to an art project to create an online interactive map of NYC and its boroughs including involving Grindr guys, their homes Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and and one very stinky situation Staten Island, with subjects and interiors from each neighborhood. e BY L AW RENC E F E R B E R “I still haven’t been to most of the neighborhoods, A couple of blocks east so it will take at least a half from Manhattan’s Empire year to finish this project,” State Building in the he says. “I’m generally a neighborhood known as curious person, so I’m trying Murray Hill, 25-year-old to understand humans through Taiwan-born photographer the digital world, and that’s Hsiang-Hsi Lu fires off why I document people and a Grindr message. collect data from Grindr and “He’s Taiwanese!” Lu Hsiang-Hsi Lu turn it into an index. So we remarks with a tinge of can see the slight differences.” pleasant surprise about the Although the openly gay Lu admits to 20-something recipient, perhaps hopeful more traditional sorts of experience with that their shared heritage may garner Grindr during his college years, it was a positive response and invitation to during the COVID-19 lockdown last year connect. But Lu doesn’t want a date, that he got bored and redownloaded the hookup, LTR or “plug” — he wants to app. Also during this time, Lu tumbled shoot photos of the guy’s apartment. down the rabbit hole of live webcam “Grindr Profiles” is the working title shows on Chaturbate, which inspired of Lu’s latest art project: photographing an antecedent to “Grindr Profiles” titled the living spaces of people — mostly “Cam Rooms.” “I found their living cisgender male, but all gender identities environments very fascinating,” he are game — he meets through Grindr

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SECTION B

≈ Crossword Queeries ....................... 21

Comparing Tongues MONTROSE STAR.COM

ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY

It’s Pride all over again e BY F O REST R I GGS

une is here and busting out all over with pride — Gay Pride, that is! Once again, in every hamlet, village, city and empire “where two or more are gathered…” there will be rainbow flags, parades, drag shows, club parties, fireworks, speeches and even a few demonstrations. After all, the “gays are ruining America,” or so certain groups and organizations want folks to believe.

The LGBT “movement” has indeed come a long way, especially in the past few years, but it is by no means out of the woods (or, the closet, perhaps). There is still a great amount of work to be done, on all levels. Education, dispelling myths, shining the light of truth on hypocrites and leaders that shout one thing but in private say and do another — these are areas where the community must continue to work and make differences.

Galvestonians and the LGBTQ community are pretty fortunate. The Island has long been known as a “bastion of liberals” where one can pretty much be whatever they choose to be. It is not so much that people don’t care, they just accept people as valued individuals rather than dwell on differences and things that divide and separate. Sure, there are economic and political differences, even choices of faith and how to worship, but in the end, Ol’ Galvetraz is a pretty “free” place to live and be part of a thriving community.

The history of June and Pride is well documented and really needs no re-telling. Rebellion at the Stonewall Inn in New York was the impetus for what was to become Gay Pride — not to mention that Judy Garland had just died! Over the years, the celebrations have evolved into huge affairs and gatherings drawing thousands around the world. June has pretty much become synonymous gays and Pride celebrations.

I have attended celebrations in huge cities such as New York, San Francisco and Houston, as well as some commendable efforts in smaller cities and communities in the Bible Belt. The enthusiasm and pride is there in

THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE!

both communities; however, when the smaller gatherings are being picketed, subjected to taunts and ridicule by an ignorant and misinformed group of haters (who, of course, claim to be on the side of God and family), it weakens the real joy and celebration. Having seen this several times while visiting friends in some “deep” southern states, I was appalled by the behaviors and activities of those opposing gay anything. The LGBTQ and pro-gay participants went about their business, celebrating with music, educational booths and guest

people are being educated about choice versus being born gay. It takes time. When you look at how far we have come in just the past 20 years, it’s amazing! Our country now allows us to marry. There are laws that protect against discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare and many areas. These are things I could not have imagined back in the 1970s when my journey began. We are moving forward, but it takes time.

For this reason, every Pride gathering is important and critical, no matter what the numbers reflect. Education begins with the individual, then spreads like ripples through a community. It’s hard to change ignorance, almost impossible, but we must make the effort and make it every chance we get.

While waiting on line in a local bank, I overheard two older gentlemen talking about their rental properties and tenants. Both men looked familiar and I am aware they own several properties around the Island. The first man said, “Oh brother, have I had it with the queers!”

The other man, looking rather puzzled, replied, “What do you mean ‘had it?’”

The first man said, “They all lie. They lie about their income to get a lease, they lie about smoking, fight and tear up the place and when I finally get them out, I have all the repairs and costs. No more queers for me!”

As he was saying this, I thought of a few folks I have known and how they might fit that description. Then, to my surprise, the second man, said, “Bill, they are gays now, not queers anymore. They have been my very best tenants, fixing things on their own, paying on time, respectful. I’d have all gays if I could.”

As the line moved forward, I thought about the conversation between the two men and their perception of “gays” based on their individual experiences. One felt queers to be destructive and the other felt gays are the best thing since sliced bread.

What is Pride? Pride is being one of the sliced-bread gays, making your community proud, striving for excellence in everything you do. Just like straight people, we are watched and judged based on how we come across, the impressions and images we make and leave behind.

This is where Pride is more than a rainbow flag or a parade — it is about setting an example and hopefully changing an attitude or misconception, one person at a time.

Happy Pride 2021. e Photo via QZ.com

J

Wednesday June 2, 2021 e VOL. XI, 26

speakers, while the opponents — some less than 10 years old! — ran up and down shouting through veinswollen foreheads about God, Hell and queers, spouting their cafeteria-style theology at anyone listening.

I share this because if you are celebrating LGBTQ Pride in Houston, Dallas, San Francisco or any other large city, just pause for a moment and think about some of our brothers and sisters in smaller communities trying to send a message of hope and love, only to be shot down by bigots and idiots. It is out there, still. I have witnessed it.

As LGBTQ people, we should not for one minute take for granted what has come before us — the rallies, the marches, the pins, buttons and banners and all those beaten or persecuted just for being themselves. Every Pride gathering, from two or more to a 100 thousand, is a start and sends a message of strength and hope. Eventually, as more and more John and Mary Does see that we are not monsters set on overthrowing the government (they are doing a good job of that themselves!) and that we, like them, just want a normal life, protected by laws and not hiding in fear, that we are wonderful and productive citizens.

Science is on the side of the gays and more and more

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A resident of Galveston where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life, Forest Riggs recently completed a collection of short stories about his beloved island and is working on a novel.

PAGE 18 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

WHAT A WORLD

Cereal so gay e BY N A NCY F O RD

very year, just like clockwork,

when June rolls around, there is a E feeding frenzy among manufacturers of consumer goods to slap a rainbow on their merchandise to celebrate (sellabrate?) LGBTQ Pride.

Some of these gay-targeted products include beer, vodka, shoes, watches, soap, LEGO characters, cosmetics, pillows, razors, Band-Aids, eyewear… basically everything on my Walmart shopping list. Even Mickey Mouse drops his traditionally red drawers in June and changes into a pair of rainbow culottes.

And why not? We homos make up a highly desirable demographic that spends an estimated $20 million annually, and that’s just in the United States. Companies would be crazy not to jump on that big gay gravy train. Everyone knows you can’t spell PRIDE without PR. As if awakened like some odd cicada-like cycle, evangelical opponents to equality have rushed to condemn Kellogg and all other prideful product purveyors.

Just like it has done in previous years, Kellogg announced the release of a special Pride Month cereal called “Together with Pride.” All June long, equality-minded folks regardless of their sexuality or gender can wake up to rainbow-colored

cereal hearts covered in edible glitter.

— a veritable floating rainbow flag in a It’s like a Pride Parade for your mouth. bowl. No word yet regarding if or when On cue, LGBTQ Nation reports that black, brown, white, pink and sky blue The Ruth Institute, an anti-LGBTQ hate will join the increasingly inclusive mix. group led by longtime marriage equality Soon a host of other queer-inspired opponent Jennifer Roback Morse, called cereals lined the grocery store aisles. the cereal another product of “a radical Post’s Fruity Pebbles attempted to agenda that targets children and families.” compete with Froot Loops, but no self“Not only are they pushing the LGBTQ righteous naysayers gave a Bam. General agenda, they’re directly subsidizing it,” Mills’ Lucky Charms featured a twinky Morse yammered on, mocking Kellogg for little Leprechaun in pumps who spent supposedly “virtue-signaling to the cultural a lot of time chasing a rainbow. elite and everyone who buys in to its In 2003, Kellogg even tried to market agenda. They’re saying ‘We’re nice guys. We a cereal named Bart Simpson’s Eat My love everyone. Buy our product.’ Apologies Shorts cereal, a “frosted golden syrup to Tony the Tiger, but ‘Grrrreat!’ it’s not.” flavored multi-grain” morsel literally I’ve got news for you, Ms. Morse: The shaped like a little boy’s shorts. You LGBTQ community took control of the probably never heard of cereal industry a long, long time ago. this breakfast aberration Surely you heard of the ungodly, longbecause it’s distribution term relationship lesbians have had with was limited to the United granola. I defy you to stroll into a Brandi Kingdom, where British Carlile concert and yell “I need granola!” to evangelicals are seemingly no one in particular. Immediately, you’ll too polite to call the be deafened by the sound of thousands most important meal of Jantzen backpacks simultaneously of the day an apostasy. unzipping, with thousands of lesbians Quaker Oats takes whipping out a Ziploc bag full of blended pandering to the oats, nuts, raisins and self-sufficiency.

LGBTQ community to The first LGBTQ battle in the war stratospheric heights. to control the breakfast cereal market Cap’n Crunch appealed came way back in 1959 when Kellogg’s to uniform queens. Their introduced the somewhat derisively short-lived Halfsies named Fruit Loops to an unsuspecting obviously appealed to populace. At that time the sweet, floating the bisexual community.

O’s were limited to hues of red, orange and Vanilla Life was a blatant yellow. Following a name change to Froot attempt to entice the Loops, an expanded variety of blue, purple no-kink set. Remember and green loops were added in the 1990s Quisps? Quaker claimed

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the confection was space-alien based, but in reality it was a wink and a nod to that beloved gay raconteur, Quentin.

I can’t explain why, but Malt-O-Meal’s Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Spooners sounds a little bit dirty. But not as dirty as General Mills’ Mr. Wonderfull’s Surprize.

Bottom line (and I mean that literally), any commercial organization worth its salt and high-fructose corn syrup knows it is a smart financial move to cuddle up to the LGBTQ community, especially in June. If Ms. Morse is as savvy as they are, she’ll swallow her Pride and dive into a big bowl of Trix. Turns out, they’re not just for kids.

Wishing all a safe and happy Pride Month! e

Photo via LGBTQNation.com

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 19

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PAGE 20 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

PFLAG Houston News

PFLAG Houston hosts ACLU for GSA guidance e BY JA NI C E A N D E R S O N

The summer is a great time to prepare for the upcoming school year. As a teacher, I spend my “time off” preparing or improving lessons for the upcoming fall. As parents, the summer gives us a chance to prepare and improve our children’s success in their school environment. This summer, our general meetings will help our students prepare for the fall.

When my son was entering high school, my husband and I met with the principal and counselors. We wanted to make sure they understood how we expected them to treat our transgender son. The school leadership assured us that our boy was welcome and would be safe there. We also learned that the school had a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club which would give him a chance to be part of a community at school.

Our experience was a good one.

Sometimes, though, families need help opening doors for their children

within the school. Our guest speaker this month on Sunday, June 13, is from the ACLU. The ACLU of Texas is there to give guidance, and even accompany parents to meetings with the school principal. We will learn about school safety and the rights our children have at school.

PFLAG Houston’s July meeting focuses on GSAs in schools, how they benefit our students and how our children can start a gender and sexuality club in their middle or high schools if there isn’t one already there.

Our general meeting begins at 2 p.m. After our guest speaks, we break into small support groups.

Small groups are the heart of PFLAG. It’s a time where you can meet other parents and allies and LGBTQ folk.

We share our stories and experiences, voice our concerns and triumphs.

The meeting, along with small groups will be held via Zoom, the online meeting platform. The meeting is open to everyone, but you must get an email invitation and password to attend. To get that invitation, email helplinePFLAGhouston@gmail.com and one will be sent out to you. You may also request a meeting link on our website, PFLAGHouston.org. Having a different link each week helps

keep outside shenanigans at bay and keeps our warm circle of love safe.

Our weekly support groups are still being held online, as well. Until the danger of COVID-19 has passed, we will meet safely through Zoom online meetings each Sunday at 2 p.m. Meeting announcements are sent out to our emailing list. Let us know if you would like to be added to our mailing list.

PFLAG Houston is committed to supporting families and educating the public about LGBT 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

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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 helplinePFLAGhouston@gmail.com or call the PFLAG Helpline at 713-467-3524.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 21

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PAGE 22 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

IN MY (JUDGMENTAL) OPINION

Mannerless millennials e BY R AN DALL J OBE

f the 72.1 million Millennials O living in the United States, I am fervently looking for any two, any day in the workforce who extend what for the generations before was considered “common courtesy.” Seriously, you sullen-faced, non-communicative, emoji-crazy, semi slackers, would it kill you to take a little pride in your minimum-waged job sacking groceries at Whole Foods or refolding clothes at the Gap and make the decision to greet a customer with actual words of greeting! If you say “Please” and “Thank you” you get bonus credit!

Of course, adding insult to injury, you frequently commit the ultimate crime against the consumer. After being met by your initial silence, you force said consumer to throw out a sharp “Thank you,” to which you deal a condescending “No problem.”

“No problem?”

OK, you socially inept, entitled

Millennial (n) mil-len-ee- uhl: a person born in the 1980s or 1990s, especially in the U.S. v Facebook.com & t Twitter Find us on P

little turd, to even consider that there was a “problem,” and you in your infinite powers of forgiveness have decided to absolve me somewhere between throwing cage-free eggs in a bag while forgetting to remove the security tag from my sweater purchase sets my hair on fire!

“No problem” is the appropriate response as you move your laptop from the second table you’ve commandeered to set up your virtual office in Starbucks when someone asks to sit.

Now, as the Millennials age out, we’re awarded with Gen-Xers, right on their heels. Though they seemingly have stronger social conscious, like concern for the planet, feeding the hungry and protesting in the streets (hello ’50s, ’60s and ’70s) I pray that the adage that some traits “skip a generation” applies.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see lack of manners fall to the wayside along with male pattern baldness and promiscuity.

Not likely, but one can dream.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. e

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 23

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PAGE 26 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

Almodovar and Penelope Cruz reteam for ‘Parallel Mothers’ e By Romeo San Vicente

W

ITH HIS IMPECCABLY

glamorous short film “The Human Voice” (starring the equally impeccable Tilda Swinton) finally streaming on HBO Max, Academy Award winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar is teaming up with one of his longtime muses, Penelope Cruz, for his next film, “Parallel Mothers.” It’s another exploration of motherhood from the queer man who brought the world “All About My Mother,” this one about women who give birth on the same day and what happens after that. Shooting right now, headliner Cruz is joined by longtime Almodovar collaborators like Rossy de Palma and Julieta Serrano (both were in “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”) as well as Israel Elejalde and transgender actor Daniela Santiago from the sensational Spanish miniseries “Veneno.” We’ve heard that Almodovar also has his eyes on Anya Taylor-Joy and wants to add her to the cast, but there’s no word on what she thinks of this.

We’ll just live in excited anticipation until Sony Pictures Classics brings the finished product to big screens.

‘Deadpool 3’ going bi?

T

HEY’RE MAKING “DEADPOOL 3,”

which, really, comes as no surprise, because if Marvel knows anything it’s how to keep you craving more Marvel.

But this time out might surprise non-queer audiences. According to sources close to the project, lead Ryan Reynolds wants Deadpool’s sexuality to unfold and has apparently made explicit requests to make the anti-hero bisexual. Now, according to comic book canon, this is already approximately in the ballpark of how Deadpool’s sexuality works — as early as 2013 the wildly irreverent superhuman was described as pansexual. And we’re (potentially) thrilled that any lead Marvel character would get a chance to step outside the boundaries of strict heterosexuality when so far all we’ve gotten is the beginnings of a samesex relationship (in “Deadpool 2”) between the supporting characters Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio. But we’d be even more thrilled if we knew some queer writers were on board, people who know how to make the subject come alive in an authentic way and won’t treat the subject as just another wacky Deadpool throwaway gag. Here’s hoping.

‘Heartstopper’ gives gay teens a romance of their own

I

F YOU WERE A FAN OF “LOVE,

Victor,” get ready for “Heartstopper.”

Based on a series of YA graphic novels

by Alice Oseman, the upcoming Netflix series explores high school life for two gay boys who start as friends and grow to become more.

Newcomer Joe Locke has been cast alongside Kit Connor (“Rocketman,” “His Dark Materials”) as the two boys: one quiet and gentle, one more open and high-strung. Though they have a supportive community helping them accept their queerness, they still must navigate school, friends and their own reluctance to upset a good friendship with the risks of romance. The series is currently filming in the UK throughout the summer, and will involve eight 30-minute episodes that will eventually drop on Netflix. When that drop takes place is anyone’s guess, so in the meantime go get those graphic novels!

Tig Notaro is now a cartoon

S

HE WROTE AND STARRED IN THE

sitcom “One Mississippi.” She’s about to be streaming in Zack Snyder’s Netflix film “Army of the Dead.” She visited “Star Trek: Discovery.” She’s also co-directing a feature film “Am I

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OK?” that will star Dakota Johnson.

But before all that Tig Notaro was a stand-up comic, and now she’s aiming for history there, too, by becoming the first comedian to have a fully animated hour of stand-up. The as-yet-untitled special will air on HBO this summer, with Ellen DeGeneres serving as a producer. We can’t think of a better person to jump start this potential trend, because Notaro’s lowkey demeanor seems like the perfect starting point to animate an even more Tig Notaro deadpan Photo KathClick. version of her stage presence. As much as we plan to be finally outside this summer, we’ll make an exception for an indoor hour of Tig. e Romeo San Vicente is lining up pool party invitations and waterproofing his vaccination card.

Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 27

CROSSWORD QUEERIES

Comparing Tongues Across 1 Sound like a spinning top 5 Taye, the “Black Clark Gable” 10 Obscene fourletter word 14 Frequent online claim Gay

15

16 Field of study 17 Starting from 18 Cutter of leaves of grass 19 Pink lady liquors 20 London’s nation, with “the” 21 Start of a quip about the tongue of 20-Across out (abate)

24

53 Turtleneck alternative

13 Cheech Marin

54 End of the quip

movie locale

57 Source of the quip

22 Unlock, in verse

59 Cold war defense assn.

23 TÈa of “Fun with

60 “Bear” that’s not a bear

Dick and Jane” 25 “

to a threesome?

Down the Road”

63 James VI, e.g.

29 St. of the

64 Kind of circle

Cathedral of Hope

65 Greek queen

30 Tijuana tanner

of heaven

32 Play for a sucker

66 “My bad”

33 Feminizing tail

67 Where to find

34 Ready for anything

Lincoln’s head

35 Land of

68 Judy Garland,

Damascus (abbr.)

for example

37 Ike’s opponent

Down

38 Toto’s home

1 “The Double

26 Operates like

Man” author

a chickenhawk

2 How a butch

27 Canvas site

might speak

28 Make heady

3 Parting words

30 State of Frida’s

4 WNBA callers

homeland

5 Balk

31 Wall St. group

6 Sheehan’s words

32 Vidal’s “The

after hole

of Comfort”

On

62 Caesar’s invitation

7 Sportscaster Curt

36 More of the quip

8 Sharon of

40 Library device

“Queer as Folk”

41 Soprano Gluck

9 “The Talk”

44 David, on “Six

cohost Gilbert

Feet Under”

10 Larry of “Dallas”

48 Trojan hero

11 Melodic, to Bernstein

50 “And there you are!”

12 More tight-assed

state (abbr.)

39 Brought up 42 Copland, for example 43 Neither male nor female 44 Just the same 45 Grace land?

46 Site of three rings 47 Puts out 48 Queen bee’s locale 49 Phallic fish 52 “Howl” author Ginsberg 55 Ditch school for the day 56 Fine-tune 58 Old fruit drink 61 Sothern of old TV

51 It comes in a roll

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GUIDE TO THE CLUBS

HOUSTON n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN Barcode Houston

n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN

n NW HOUSTON

817 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 526-2625 • facebook.com/barcode77006 Shows | Neighborhood Bar | CD/Trans

Moon Tower Inn

La Granja Disco & Cantina

3004 Canal St, 77003 (832) 969-1934 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Hot Dogs | Beer Gardens

5505 Pinemont Dr., Houston (713) 518-6753 • lagranjadisco.com Latin dance club

Buddy’s

Neil’s Bahr

Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon

2409 Grant St Ste A, Houston (281) 310-1050 Cocktails | Beer | Karaoke |Pool | DJ’s

2006 Walker St, 77003 (281) 352-7456 • NeilsBahr.com Premier Nerd | Gamer

Crocker Bar

Tout Suite

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

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

Papi’s Houston 570 Waugh Dr, Latin gay club (713) 524-3359 | Dancing Drag Game shows all week long!

Rebar Houston

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 HEIGHTS / WASHINGTON CORRIDOR Pearl Lounge 4216 Washington, Houston 832-740-4933 • pearlhouston.com Neighborhood Art Bar | Live Music | Women

n HOUSTON - NORTH SIDE Ranch Hill Saloon

202 Tuam Street, Houston (346) 227-8613 facebook.com/rebarhouston/

24704 Interstate 45, Spring (281) 298-9035 • ranchhill.com Country | Cowgirl | Neighborhood Bar

The Ripcord

The Room Bar

715 Fairview St, Houston (713) 521-2792 • facebook.com/ripcordhouston Leather | Uniform | Fetish | Men

4915 FM 2920 Rd, Spring (281) 907-6866 • roombarspring.com Neighborhood Bar | Shows | Dance | Mixed

11410 Hempstead Highway Houston, TX 77092 (713) 677-0828 • neonbootsclub.com

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

G A LV E S T O N 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 27

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Wednesday June 2, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 31

FP NEW AD Megaflix

A PRIVATE MEN'S CLUB

HOUSTON

GOOD. CLEAN. FUN.

2205 Fannin Street, Houston, TX. 77002 (713) 659-4998 Theclubs.com

Always open Steam Sauna Whirlpool lockers Huge Outdoor pool & patio Private dressing rooms Guest Memberships Available 18+ ONLY

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PAGE 32 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 2, 2021

Thinking about quitting smoking?

MD Anderson Cancer Center wants to help. We are offering a free, virtual smoking study to help you quit or reduce your tobacco usage – from the comfort and safety of your home.

Study participants must: • Be 18 or older • Have a working phone number • Be interested in quitting smoking

Participants may receive nicotine patches, guidance on quitting and compensation up to $450.

Call 713-792-2265 or visit smokefreestudy.com to complete our online questionnaire to learn more.

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