GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking GENVOYA. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
What are the other possible side effects of GENVOYA?
Serious side effects of GENVOYA may also include: • Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking GENVOYA. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION • Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your What is the most important information I should healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests know about GENVOYA? to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse GENVOYA may cause serious side effects: kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), GENVOYA. which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms • Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, provider may do tests to check your bones. stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. that bother you or don’t go away. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA? your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice), dark “tea-colored” urine, light• All your health problems. Be sure to tell your colored bowel movements (stools), loss of appetite healthcare provider if you have or have had any for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis pain. virus infection. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis • All the medicines you take, including prescription or serious liver problems if you are female, very and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for supplements. Other medicines may affect how a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and GENVOYA works. Keep a list of all your medicines serious liver problems have led to death. Call your and show it to your healthcare provider and healthcare provider right away if you have any pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to symptoms of these conditions. take GENVOYA with all of your other medicines. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. • If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If before or after you take GENVOYA. you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is GENVOYA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant to your healthcare provider, as they will need to while taking GENVOYA. monitor your health. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to Who should not take GENVOYA? breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be Do not take GENVOYA if you take: passed to the baby in breast milk. • Certain prescription medicines for other You are encouraged to report negative side conditions. It is important to ask your healthcare effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. provider or pharmacist about medicines that should Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call not be taken with GENVOYA. Do not start a new 1-800-FDA-1088. medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Please see Important Facts about GENVOYA • The herbal supplement St. John’s wort. including important warnings on the • Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection. following page.
Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you, and visit GENVOYA.com to learn more.
WHAT IS GENVOYAÂŽ? GENVOYA is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older. It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment and 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. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. GENVOYA combines 4 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with food. GENVOYA is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines.
SHOW YOUR
POWER
Take care of what matters most—you. GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment.
IMPORTANT FACTS
(jen-VOY-uh)
This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GENVOYA
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF GENVOYA
Genvoya® may cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice), dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored bowel movements (stools), loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach pain. • Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking GENVOYA. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time.
GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About GENVOYA” section. • Changes in body fat. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems. The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with GENVOYA.
ABOUT GENVOYA
• GENVOYA is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in
people 12 years of age and older who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. GENVOYA can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL of virus in their blood), and have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months and have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements. • GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do NOT take GENVOYA if you: • Take a medicine that contains: alfuzosin (Uroxatral®), carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), lovastatin (Advicor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®), methylergonovine (Ergotrate®, Methergine®), midazolam (when taken by mouth), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®), pimozide (Orap®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), sildenafil when used for lung problems (Revatio®), simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®), or triazolam (Halcion®). • Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.
BEFORE TAKING GENVOYA Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. HOW TO TAKE GENVOYA
• GENVOYA is a complete one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine. • Take GENVOYA with food. GET MORE INFORMATION
• This is only a brief summary of important information about
GENVOYA. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. • Go to GENVOYA.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit GENVOYA.com for program information.
GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Version date: November 2015 © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0029 03/16
CONTENTS
APRIL 06, 2016 | VOL 23.42 Four LGBT couples look back on their big day.
THE NEXUS
P.15
13 Gay D.D. 14 The Week in Photos 15 What’s Next | BOOKS: Ocean Vuong 16 What’s Next | STAGE: Daddy Issues
FEATURES 17 Brief Encounter: Wedding Planner Emily Lester
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETER BIENKOWSKI (Ocean Vuong)
21 - LOVE & MARRIAGE
NEXT STEPS P.21
30 Fitness: Sun’s Out, Guns’ Out 31 Travel: Four Honeymoons To Take 32 Dining: Sweet Tooth
NEXT WEEK 35 Calendar of Events
43 SHOT IN THE DARK P.31
THIS WEEK ON NEXTMAGAZINE.COM + More party pics and event coverage
ON THE COVER: Kit Williamson and John Halbach Photo by: Cathy Baron
P.32 APRIL 06, 2016 5
PUBLISHER Kevin Hopper ART DIRECTOR Leo Winter ASSOCIATE EDITORS Alexander Kacala, Mitchell Kuga DIRECTOR OF SALES Chris Rivera ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Don Robinder, Kenyon Clemons, Roberto Buckley, Silvio Carvana
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media: 212-242-6863, rivendellmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jon Ali, Ed Cosman, Lawrence Ferber, Cody Gohl, Michael Lambert, Justin Lockwood, Robert Maril, Roytel Montero, Kevin O’Malley, Dan Welden, Matthew Wexler, Jameer Baptiste
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Gabe Ayala, Ames Bex, Jeff Eason, Steven Trumon Gray, Christopher Logan, Gustavo Monroy, Edwin Pabon, Mateus Porto, Phil Shaw, Dennis Dean
A PUBLICLY-TRADED LGBTQ COMPANY STOCK SYMBOL: MMPW corporate
PETER JACKSON
President, COO & Group Executive Publisher Kevin Hopper Vice President l Operations
Maura “Mumball” Lane VP l Sales & Marketing
Dennis Dean Vice President l Creative
Richard Hack Vice President l Content
Michael Turner President l Digital Media Ventures
Jeff Sterling Vice President l Finance
Keith Chamlee Corporate Circulation Director
Tim Hart Chief Financial Officer
C. Lawrence Rutstein Chairman of the Board
ROBERT “BOBBY” BLAIR Founder & CEO
NEXTMAGAZINE.COM FACEBOOK.COM/NEXTMAGAZINENY TWITTER.COM/ NEXTMAGAZINENY INSTAGRAM.COM/NEXTMAGAZINENY Next Magazine (henceforth “Next”) reserves the right to publish images without providing credit. Next does not guarantee that credit will be provided for any materials. The appearance of subjects and contributors in photographs or editorial matter in Next is not to be construed as indicative of the sexual orientation or personal practices of any individual. No implication with respect thereto is intended, and none should be inferred. NEXT MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS, INC © 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHONE: 212-627-0165
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6 APRIL 06, 2016
THE
GAY D.D. · WEEK IN PHOTOS · WHAT’S NEXT VISIT THE NEXUS ON NEXTMAGAZINE.COM FOR YOUR DAILY DOSE OF GAY GOSSIP, PARTY PHOTOS, AND MORE.
PAPA
DON’T
PREACH
Daddy Issues makes comedic farce out of the pressure to please your parents
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT LEVIN
PG.16
8 APRIL 06, 2016
New Odefsey is now available Actual Size (15.4 mm x 7.3 mm)
One small pill contains rilpivirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF).
Ask your healthcare provider if ODEFSEY is right for you. To learn more visit ODEFSEY.com
Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the adjacent pages.
Brief Summary of Patient Information about ODEFSEY ODEFSEY (oh-DEF-see) (emtricitabine, rilpivirine and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY. There may be new information about ODEFSEY. This information is only a summary and does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY can cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take ODEFSEY or similar medicines. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: – feel very weak or tired – have unusual (not normal) muscle pain – have trouble breathing – have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting – feel cold, especially in your arms and legs – feel dizzy or lightheaded – have a fast or irregular heartbeat • Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take ODEFSEY. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large and you may develop fat in your liver. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems: – your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) – dark “tea-colored” urine – light-colored bowel movements (stools) – loss of appetite – nausea – pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time.
• Worsening of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and take ODEFSEY, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking ODEFSEY. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. – Do not run out of ODEFSEY. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your ODEFSEY is all gone. – Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking to your healthcare provider. – If you stop taking ODEFSEY, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking ODEFSEY. What is ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY is a prescription medicine that is used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older: • who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past and have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL, or • to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have a viral load that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment. It is not known if ODEFSEY is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age or who weigh less than 77 lb (35 kg). When used to treat HIV-1 infection, ODEFSEY may help: • Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load”. • Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help fight off other infections. Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections). ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must keep taking HIV-1 medicines to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do not share or re-use needles, injection equipment, or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them. Do not have sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.
Who should not take ODEFSEY?
Do not take ODEFSEY if you also take a medicine that contains: • carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro ®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR ®, Teril®) • dexamethasone (Ozurdex®, Maxidex®, Decadron®, BaycadronTM) • dexlansoprazole (Dexilant®) • esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo ®) • lansoprazole (Prevacid®) • omeprazole (Prilosec®, Zegerid®) • oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®) • pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®) • phenobarbital (Luminal®) • phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125 ®, Phenytek®) • rabeprazole (Aciphex®) • rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®) • rifapentine (Priftin®) • the herb St. John’s wort or a product that contains St. John’s wort What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ODEFSEY?
Before taking ODEFSEY, tell your healthcare provider if you:
• have liver problems including hepatitis B or C virus infection • have kidney and bone problems • have had depression or suicidal thoughts • have any other medical conditions • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ODEFSEY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking ODEFSEY. Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1 medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take ODEFSEY. – You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. – At least one of the medicines in ODEFSEY can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in ODEFSEY can pass into your breast milk. – Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may interact with ODEFSEY. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with ODEFSEY. • Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take ODEFSEY with other medicines. How should I take ODEFSEY? • Take ODEFSEY exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. ODEFSEY is taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection. • Take ODEFSEY 1 time each day with a meal. • Do not change your dose or stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking ODEFSEY. • Do not miss a dose of ODEFSEY. • If you take too much ODEFSEY, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. • When your ODEFSEY supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to ODEFSEY and become harder to treat. What are the possible side effects of ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY?” • Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Skin rash is a common side effect of ODEFSEY. Rash can be serious. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get a rash. In some cases, rash and allergic reaction may need to be treated in a hospital. If you get a rash with any of the following symptoms, stop taking ODEFSEY and call your healthcare provider right away: fever; skin blisters; mouth sores; redness or swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis); swelling of the face, lips, mouth or throat; trouble breathing or swallowing; pain on the right side of the stomach (abdominal) area; dark “tea-colored” urine.
(Patient Information is continued on the next page.)
Brief Summary of Patient Information about ODEFSEY (Continued from previous page.) Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY.
What are the possible side effects of ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including: • Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feel sad or hopeless; feel anxious or restless; have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself. • Change in liver enzymes. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus infection or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems during treatment with ODEFSEY. Liver problems can also happen during treatment with ODEFSEY in people without a history of liver disease. Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with ODEFSEY. • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known. • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking ODEFSEY. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking ODEFSEY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take ODEFSEY. Bone problems may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones.
The most common side effects of rilpivirine, one of the medicines in ODEFSEY, are depression, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and headache. The most common side effect of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, two of the medicines in ODEFSEY, is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. • These are not all the possible side effects of ODEFSEY. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about ODEFSEY. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about ODEFSEY that is written for health professionals. For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.ODEFSEY.com. Keep ODEFSEY and all medicines out of reach of children. Issued: March 2016
ODEFSEY, the ODEFSEY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and GSI are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. ODEC0009 03/16
COMMENT OF THE WEEK:
PHOTO CREDITS: CHAD BATKA (Rosie O’Donnell)
“Cynthia, her name was, and she came once to visit my aunt in New York on holiday,” Gloria Vanderbilt, 91, said. “We had this sort of lesbian relationship, and it felt so great.”
Did RuPaul go gay for play with Steve Grand after resolving his mommy issues on Broadway? GAY FOR PLAY This brand-new game show is done the Logo way. Host RuPaul and an endless parade of celebrity guests—Kelly Osbourne, Ross Mathews, Michelle Visage—will help contestants answer pop culture trivia. It’s like Hollywood Squares-meets-Match Game, but somehow even gayer! (Monday, April 11, Logo) START YOUR ENGINES Speaking of RuPaul, it’s time to get your shit together and rev up those engines. ’RuPaul’s Drag Race’ announced that casting for season nine has begun. Go to rpdrcasting.com to get all the details. DON’T LOOK Steve Grand and Eli Lieb have joined forces for the emotive new duet “Look Away,” a big moody breakup ballad that sees both singers on top form. The video, released last week, is a simple affair, showcasing the pair’s vocals and giving a few behind-the-scenes looks at the recording process. Of course,
this also means that Lieb is apparently back on the market. YOU CAN PRINT THAT Rosie O’Donnell is done with marriage. The former ‘View’ host was uncharacteristically quiet after signing a divorce deal with her second wife, Michelle Rounds, on Thursday. “She’s never getting married again, you can print that,” O’Donnell said about herself after court. Other than those few works, she declined to comment on a multi-page settlement agreement approved by Justice Lori Sattler in Manhattan Supreme Court last week. NOTHING LEFT UNSAID Not many mothers and sons get to resolve their issues in a fancy HBO doc—nor would they want to—but that’s exactly what Anderson Cooper and his 92-year-old mother Gloria Vanderbilt do here. The sleek documentary went down a storm at Sundance earlier this year, and now it’s your chance to see it. (Saturday, April 9, HBO)
BASICALLY INTO YOU Now that gay performers have made inroads both on the charts and in the mainstream, is it finally time for our first androgynous musical superstar? Glee survivor Alex Newell may be that performer. As rigid gender roles relax, and those that follow them (in age, not on Snapchat or Twitter), Newell could just catch a limousine ride straight to the top of the charts. His new video for catchy “Basically Over You (B.O.Y.),” from his Power EP, throws 50 shades of shade to an ex-lover who’s just not worth Alex’s time. BACK ON BROADWAY “An Act of God,” the comedy that had a successful limited run on Broadway last year with Jim Parsons, will be back in New York this May, with Sean Hayes filling the shoes of the Almighty. Hayes will travel with the production back to Broadway after starring in it in L.A. and San Francisco, where the show is now playing. The last time Hayes was on Broadway was in 2010 for the revival of “Promises, Promises.” APRIL 06, 2016 13
THEWEEKINPHOTOS
PHOTO BY WILSONMODELS
BIG EARS The Skivvies featuring super hunk Nick Adams at 54 Below Easter weekend.
PHOTO BY WILSONMODELS
PHOTO BY WILSONMODELS
PHOTO BY WILSONMODELS
BOW DOWN David Barton with Amanda Lepore at the fashionable opening of his latest cutting-edge gym TMPL on March 22.
PRETTY, PRETTY PRINCESS The cast of Distorted Diznee at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on March 25. 14 APRIL 06, 2016
BAD BUNNY Seth Fornea and John pose for a snap at Psycho Clan’s Full Bunny Contact at The Clemente on March 25.
WHAT’SNEXT BOOKS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PETER BIENKOWSKI
A DROP IN THE OCEAN Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds explores the poet’s personal mythology
T
he poet Ocean Vuong, born Vinh Quoc, was given his name shortly after immigrating to the United States when he was two. His mother named him after the Pacific to symbolize the in-between state of touching two continents without belonging wholly to either. “She’s the first poet,” Vuong says with a laugh. True to his name, a spirit of duality courses through Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Vuong’s debut full-length book out April 5 on Cooper Canyon Press. The collection of poems traces the intersections between Buddhist philosophy, Vuong’s queerness, and his experiences as an immigrant raised by a single mother. Though rooted in heavy topics, his work resists any neat or obvious conclusions. “In our culture, especially now during the election cycle, we are obsessed with certainty,” says Vuong, who’s 27. “I think human life—particularly for people of color, transient people, queer people—is a lot more in flux. Certainty is the death of possibility, is the death of exploration. So being an outsider, I found energy and creative power in uncertainty, in a myriad existence. My approach to art is that it could be this and that.” Woven through landscapes of urbanity (Vuong lives in Astoria), pop culture, and violence both historical and
personal, Vuong illuminates the dark edges of queerness. Take a passage from “Notebook Fragments”: “I met a man, not you. In his room the Bibles shook on the shelf / from candlelight. His scrotum a bruised fruit. I kissed it / lightly, the way one might kiss a grenade / before hurling it into the night’s mouth.” Vuong dedicates Night Sky With Exit Wounds, in both Vietnamese and English, “for my mother [&father].” Ironically, his mother will probably never read his work. “They come from an illiterate line of rice farmers in Vietnam and so if I didn’t come to America, I might still be a rice farmer,” says Vuong, the recipient of a 2016 Whiting Award. As a result Vuong himself didn’t learn to speak English fluently until he was 9. “I’m telling my family stories but my family cannot read it,” he says. Vuong is preparing himself, somewhat reluctantly, for a series of readings pegged to the book. He suffers from stage fright, but has cultivated a trick to push through the nervousness. “I sort of hide in my poem,” he says. The tactic hasn’t always worked. “One time, it was so awkward, I made the mistake of looking up when I said the word ‘cum shot’ and I looked directly into this elderly woman’s face and she looked completely horrified,” he says. “It was a total fail. It was the worst time to look up.” – Mitchell Kuga APRIL 06, 2016 15
WHAT’SNEXT Daddy Issues makes comedic farce out of the pressure to please your parents
I STAGE
DON’T
PREACH
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROBERT LEVIN
16 APRIL 06, 2016
PAPA
n the opening scene of Daddy Issues, Donald Moscowitz gets an impromptu visit from his overbearing father, who prods him about his life decisions. He also asks a couple of pressing questions about the flamboyance of his Hell’s Kitchen apartment: “Couldn’t you have painted the walls a more masculine color?” “What is wrong with cantaloupe?” “Don’t you think cantaloupe is kind of fruity?” “It’s a farce,” says David Goldyn, the play’s director and producer, which opens Off-Broadway at the Davenport Theater April 7. “It’s The Birdcage meets Neil Simon.” Yuval David stars as Donald, an openly gay actor in the early ’80s. His parents don’t approve of his spotty profession, his dirty neighborhood, or his fruity walls—but that would all be okay if he gave them a grandchild. Desperate for their approval, Donald fumbles through a little fib about having a child with his college girlfriend from the Musical Theater Club ten years ago. His father is ecstatic. By night, Donald receives a visit from his mother and grandmother, joyous about the news. The playwright Marshall Goldberg was inspired by a similar experience with his parents, who pressured him to have children despite his sexuality. “They were relentless. Finally to get them off my back and shut them up once and for all. I told them I had a kid.” he says. He kept up the act for 45 minutes before telling them the truth. “They never asked me to have a kid again.” Donald’s story isn’t so simple. Once the fabled seed gets planted, Donald hires a precocious 10-year-old named Johnny Walker to play his son. Meanwhile, Donald’s best friends, Henrietta, a quirky stage actress, and Levi, a drag queen, compete for the role of the boy’s mother. When the family arrives, Daddy Issues becomes a play within a play, providing Donald with the biggest acting performance of his life. Sam Given, who plays both Levi and Levi’s drag persona, Ophelia Crotch, looked to one of cinema’s greats for his two roles. “In preparing for Levi, I studied the best drag queen of our time—Faye Dunaway,” jokes Given, who’s cultivated his own drag alter ego in the form of cabaret chanteuse Millie Grams. “Her take on Joan Crawford is the most iconic drag performance I can think of.” At its heart, the snappy comedy is about forging an identity beyond your family’s expectations. “We’re all trained to believe our parents are gods until we grow up and realize ‘Oh my god. They’re flawed,” says Goldyn. “And you have to rise above their expectations and create your own life—and your own family.” – Mitchell Kuga
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF STAK PHOTOGRAPHY
LIGHTS, CAMERA, I DO Emily Lester explains what it really takes to plan a wedding BY MITCHELL KUGA
D
espite what reality television might lead you to believe, planning a wedding takes more than screaming. “People are not going to respond to a panicky yelling person,” says Emily Lester, who founded her company, EM Event Management, in 2003. “That’s just not going to happen.” Which is not to say the job isn’t painstakingly stressful. With a background in theater, Lester approaches weddings like a stage manager, casting the best light on each partner through ceremonies both gay and straight. We spoke to the one-woman operation about her approach to planning the biggest day of people’s lives. Tell me about your company EM Event Management. It’s a small boutique company. I was actually one of the first people to advertise on EnGAYged Weddings [a wedding directory for LGBT couples]. I used to be in the theater and music world for twenty years, so I have a lot of friends who are gay and were getting married. Some of the first weddings I did were [gay] couples who had been together for twenty, thirty years. And it’s awesome—it was about time. I also do a lot of straight weddings. I enjoy and seem to do a lot of different cultures. I did a Vietnamese-Japanese wedding the other month, a Scottish-Chinese wedding, a White-Indian wedding. Why do you think that is? Do you market yourself that way? I guess I do. I just want real people weddings. And people ask, “Why don’t you charge more?” and I say “I just want real people. I just want nice people.” I’m sorry but sometimes the more you charge, the less nice they are. I’m not a Martha Stewart kind of person. I can pretend that I am, but I’m a
one-woman show and I have staff that I can hire if needed. But many times you don’t need all these minions running around. Do you approach the job with a certain philosophy? I relax and try to blend into the scenery as much as possible. No headset just a smile on my face if anyone has any questions. I feel like what I do is a hostess. I quote my mother who is an accredited flower show judge in Georgia—I had that kind of upbringing growing up—she said a good hostess is like a swan gliding beautifully upon the water, but paddling like hell underneath. So nobody sees it. You’re smiling and everything is happening beautifully but nobody knows that the DJ is an hour-and-a-half late and I’m about to explode. Since going into business have you noticed any shifts or trends in how LGBT people have approached weddings? Not really. Lately I’ve seen a desire to have a smaller more intimate wedding with just really great friends and family, but I’ve also seen this trend in straight weddings. Also, now APRIL 06, 2016 17
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
that marriage equality has passed for several years in New York City, there is less flag waving during a ceremony or reception. Now it’s just a wedding like everyone should be able to have. These weddings are the norm.
What about changes in the industry itself? I’ve had to talk to vendors about changing their contracts because it can’t say “bride’s name/groom’s name” anymore. You need to change that. Because I had someone say, “Uh—I guess I’m the bride.”
Is there an aspect to the job that most people would be surprised to learn? The psychologist-guidance counselor portion of the job. Many times, with family situations, it’s encouragement and mediation—though nothing is as dramatic as it is on television. It can be prevented. Just encouraging people and reminding them that this is supposed to be a really happy time in your life and not stressful. We laugh a lot. You’re supposed to be having fun—and if it’s not fun, we really need to take a step back and take a breath. I’m not just running around saying do this quicker, better, faster; those TV shows really are not right. 18 APRIL 06, 2016
How has your background in theater influenced your approach to wedding planning? I call what I do wedding stage management. I was an actress and singer, but I also studied stage management, because you need to know all the aspects. I did [theater director] Tina Landau’s wedding. She told me, “Because you said wedding stage management I understood what you meant.” Because it is—it’s the music cueing, and the costume, and the hair, and the timing. All those things go together. It needs to be seamless and it needs to happen all at once. – Mitchell Kuga
www.emnyc.com
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PINKPHOTOGRAPHY
Do you have a memory from a wedding that sticks out as being particularly resonant? I had two lovely ladies from North Carolina who came to New York with 35 to 40 of their friends. We had to discuss things like “I don’t want anyone to take photographs or to put pictures on Facebook” because one of them was a doctor and feared that she would lose her partnership in that firm. Also they went to this church in North Carolina so they had to be secretive about it. We all cried about that. It was just so sad. Unfortunately, that’s a really big memory for me.
What about a common misconception that couples have about getting married? I stress to my clients that the ceremony is the whole reason for the party. To have a meaningful ceremony and not a fill in the blank kind of person doing the ceremony will make the biggest difference in terms of your party. A personal ceremony makes for a better all-around event.
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LOVE
&
MARRIAGE INSPIRING 4 WEDDINGS BY MITCHELL KUGA & ALEXANDER KACALA
First comes love, then comes marriage. The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality. This is true for all persons, whatever their sexual orientation. No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. - Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges.
T
oday, we are in the middle of a golden age of LGBT weddings. From a kooky spooky themed haunt to lost rings in the laundry, these four pairs of love birds take us through their big day. Whether you are newly single or newly engaged, may you find inspiration from their words, and weddings. APRIL 06, 2016 21
JOHN HALBACH &KIT WILLIAMSON How long have you been with your partner? 9 years As a child, did you ever fantasize about getting married? JH: Getting married was never really important to me until I met and fell in love with Kit. It was our relationship that made me finally want to tie the knot. KW: I actually talked about this in my vows. Growing up, I never thought marriage was in the cards for me. And not just because it wasn’t legal in Mississippi. I was a lonely kid, and I assumed I would always be lonely. My life changed forever the day I met John. Was there a moment during your relationship when you realized your partner was “the one”? JH: From the beginning I always thought we’d be together, but after we moved across the country together a second time, I definitely felt like we’d gone to the next level.
Looking back, what’s your favorite memory from the wedding? JH: Probably the speeches. I feel like most weddings have one really great toast that everyone talks about afterwards and we had about 20 that had everyone alternating between laughing and crying. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family. 22 APRIL 06, 2016
Would you have done anything differently? JH: I feel very lucky to be able to say I have no wedding regrets. I love how it all came together, and I’m so glad we’ve got the photos and video to remember it by. KW: I honestly can’t think of anything, except that we picked out the wrong size rings.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CATHY BARON
KW: We were immediately inseparable; I actually met all of his friends at his birthday party on our second date and came back to his apartment to have cake with his best friend and his sister. The next month, I moved to Astoria to be closer to him, and I’m really grateful he wasn’t creeped out by that. To be fair, I had to move out of the dorms anyway, but I chose Astoria because of him.
KW: Our families came over for Bloody Marys the morning after and, while we were having a conversation about how easy it is to lose your wedding ring, John came in and confessed that he couldn’t find his ring and everyone burst out laughing. We had the entire family hunting for it in the bushes, grandma digging through the trash. Thankfully we found it in the washing machine; it had slipped off while he was washing towels.
KIM KATRIN MILAN
&
TIQ MILAN
How long have you been with your partner? 2 1/2 years As a child did you ever fantasize about getting married? TM: I didn’t. I always wanted to be married but I never wanted to be a wife. I had no idea that I had another option so I buried that idea away for a long time.
Looking back what’s your favorite memory from the wedding? TM: One of my favorite memories was the moment right before we had to say our vows. We were in “Chapel #2” and it was just us in there for a few moments. I looked at her and knew that the next few moments were gonna change my life forever and I was so pumped for that change.
KKM: Not really. I grew up with a single mother. I didn’t see a lot of examples of functional, happy marriages. It was all the possibility that came from embracing myself as queer that showed me that marriage could be anything we wanted it to be. Was there a moment during your relationship when you realized your partner was “the one”? TM: During one of many text conversations she told me she wanted to have a basketball team of kids. I knew right then that she was gonna be my wife.
KKM: That moment when I realized I was actually married to him, that I chose his last name, and that we mean it for real. We are a family now.
KKM: I was working through a serious illness when I met Tiq, and I mentioned how unlovable I felt because of all the work I was doing to try to get better and he told me that he wanted all of it, all that is beautiful and all the mess—and he has followed through on that so many times. He loves me all the way through the hardest things.
APRIL 06, 2016 23
KIM ANN FOXMAN
& SILVIA PRADA
How long have you been with your partner? 8 years Describe your wedding in one sentence: KF: Our wedding was a kooky spooky Halloween-themed wedding. SP: Very different and unique. As a child did you ever fantasize about getting married? KF: No. (Laughs) I honestly never have. I guess that’s why it made sense that we stayed away from a traditional wedding. SP: Never, I used to say that I would never get married. What’s the biggest thing that changed after getting married? KF: Not much actually, besides the benefits—which are helpful. We already felt married anyway, we have been together so long. SP: Now when I refer to Kim Ann in public I say “my wife.” It feels more sexy than saying “my girlfriend.” Looking back what’s your favorite memory from the wedding? KF: I loved it all—all the costumes were so amazing. We had Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, a Black Swan, a bleeding heart, some vintage grapes, bacon, eggs, and Spam, Batman, Wayne & Garth, Teen Wolf, Robert Smith & Siouxsie Sioux all at the wedding—and many, many more. I was a pierrot, and Silvia was a widow. My favorite part was the vows by the campfire. We made everyone cry. Then we danced all night to great music.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CAMILO FUENTEALBA
SP: My favorite moment was when our priestess finished the ritual of marrying us and said: “To infinity and beyond ….Beyonce!”
24 APRIL 06, 2016
How long have you been with your partner? Going on 19 years. What’s the biggest thing that changed after getting married? MW: The perception of family. Although we had been together for 17 years, the wedding date helped secure things. We now have an “official” anniversary date and I am legally his husband. For years there was always that awkward moment when we would be introduced. Who was I? Partner? Boyfriend? Now it’s easy. I am his husband. KK: Nothing really changed for me. I loved Mike for 17 years before we got married and I couldn’t love him more now. When we are not together nothing is the same for me. Food doesn’t taste as good, movies aren’t quite as funny, the day drags on. He is my husband and best friend. Was there a moment during your relationship when you realized your partner was “the one”? MW: We met at G Lounge years ago. I am 6’7 and he is 6’4. We literally saw each other from across the room. I knew from the moment we met he was the one. To this day, we have only been apart maybe ten nights. Some people may call that co-dependent. I call it a great partnership. He is my best friend and it just works! To boot, now we own a business together and are together 24/7. Some things are just meant to be. KK: Yes, we were getting ready to go to sleep one night a few months into our relationship and we had October Project playing. All of a sudden I felt that everything just felt right, like it was where I was meant to be. Would you have done anything differently? MW: Kurt had a little bit of a health scare which expedited the process. That legal document sure does help things out when filling out hospital forms and speaking on each other’s behalf. But because of that, we didn’t get to involve as many friends and family as we would have liked.
MICHAEL
WATTS
& KURT KRETZSCHMAR
KK: I don’t think so. We have had difficult times but we have always made it through because we have always been honest with each other. There is definitely some truth in the saying, “Never go to bed angry!” Looking back what’s your favorite memory from the wedding? MW: My 70 year old neighbor walking through our door dressed up as our “flower girl.” She’s crazy and I love her! KK: I think my favorite moment was being able to have our mothers there to witness us getting married. I think it was important for them to see us and to hear us. It just felt so special to me especially after being together for 17 years. They no longer had to say Kurt’s boyfriend or partner to their friends. We were actually husbands and I think it validated our relationship even more. APRIL 06, 2016 25
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FITNESS · TRAVEL · DINING
FITNESS:
SUN’S OUT, GUNS’ OUT BY DAN WELDEN
APRIL 06, 2016 29
FITNESS
B
irds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and tank tops are plenty. It’s springtime baby and boys are out and about with their guns-a-blazing! It’s that wonderful time of year where the arms can come out of hibernation to display all the torture you put them through from the months before. Wait, you haven’t been training them all winter? You still have time until peak tank season to ensure your cannons are fully loaded for the gun show with this sleeve busting routine. Things to remember before integrating this routine into your current workout plan:
What is a superset?
• Try to keep protein intake at approximately 0.5 grams per
A superset is where you complete two exercises back to back with little or no break between exercises. You’ll often see it involving two different muscle groups or two exercises fatiguing the same muscle group in different ways.
pound of body weight per day. This is not consumed all at once, but throughout the day. I suggest a protein shake in the morning, after workout, and before bed.
What is a dropset?
• Stretch before, between and after sets. This will help reduce the chance of injury and improve overall flexibility.
• Keep breaks between 60 and 90 seconds (specifically for this routine). Keeping the breaks short not only keeps your routine efficient, it helps fatigue the muscles to the point necessary to stimulate growth.
• Maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet. Aim to have five small healthy meals a day. A protein shake is not a meal either.
• If you can hit the set number of repetition with little to no struggle, you are going too light. You should be struggling around 10 to 12 repetitions and may even have to take a five second break before banging out the last few reps. Always push yourself to the max.
• Properly warm-up before starting any exercise routine. This includes stretching and doing some light curls and a few pushups before starting the routine.
Sleeve Busting Routine Superset 1 • Dumbbell Curls – Four sets of 15 repetitions • Dumbbell Hammer Curls – Four sets of 15 repetitions Superset 2 • Narrow Grip Push-ups – Four sets until failure • Reverse Grip Triceps Pull-down – Four sets of 15 repetitions Dropset 1 • Preacher Curl – Three tier drop repeat three times Dropset 2 • Cable Rope Tricep Extension–Three tier drop repeat three times Superset 3 • One Arm Cable Curl – Four sets of 15 repetitions • One Arm Pushdown – Four sets of 15 repetitions 30 APRIL 06, 2016
A dropset can have a few variations with exact definition depending on exercise, but referring to the aforementioned exercises, is when starting the exercise at approximately 75 to 85 percent of your one repetition maximum weight. After completing as many repetitions as possible you decrease the weight by approximately 20 percent. In reference to three tier drop, that just means how many 20 percent drops you should complete in one given set. N
TRAVEL
4 HONEYMOONS TO TAKE BY ALEXANDER KACALA
N
ow that you just spent lots of money on a wedding, where the hell do you honeymoon? The world really is your oyster. Take this into account – you want to pick a destination you and your mate both haven’t been to before. That’s where the fun and romance comes in. You get to explore uncharted territory together for the first time as official partners in crime. So take our advice and consider these four far off destinations for your honeymoon.
Lake Como, Italy Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. Lots of celebs have or have had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as Madonna, George Clooney, and Gianni Versace. Surrounded by beautiful villas and gardens, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a great respite during your stay. Facing directly towards the Bellagio, the five star resort sits where the two branches of the lake meet, against the rose-tinted backdrop of the Grigne mountains.
Santorini, Greece A stunningly beautiful Greek island in the south Aegean Sea, Santorini has long been celebrated as an LGBT destination. Imerovigli is a village there adjacent to the north of the island capital Fira. Mostly famous for its beautiful sunset that it is called “balcony to the Aegean,” stay at the Dreams Luxury Suites that represent a new concept of sanctuary.
Capetown, South Africa Sitges, Spain If Barcelona’s bang is too big for your buck, or if you have been there and done that - hop on the train for a 40-minute ride to Sitges. This gay resort town was once an enclave for artists like Picasso. Now, it welcomes an international gay community. Avenida Sofia Hotel is just round the corner from the gay beach. With a spa, rooftop pool and bar, its stylish rooms have contemporary decor and some offer fabulous sea views. Book early if your honeymoon happens to coincide with Pride in June.
Ready to share the adventure of a lifetime? Cape Town has lush beaches and a welcoming environment for LGBT travelers. In the heart of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront sits the One and Only Cape Town resort, South Africa’s most vibrant and urbane resort. Another destination to rest your head is the Pink Rose Guesthouse and Spa, a gay male bed and breakfast only a 30-minute drive from Cape Town. Stay in one of the four stylishly furnished apartments and enjoy your days hanging out at the “chill-out area,” where you can lounge by the clothing-optional pool, sauna, and Jacuzzi, or indulge in an extravagant massage. APRIL 06, 2016 31
DINING
BY ALEXANDER KACALA
MAGNOLIA BAKERY
EAST VILLAGE - 125 East 7th St WEST VILLAGE - 61 Grove St biggayicecream.com With a playful attitude, Big Gay Ice Cream spins a new take on old-school soft-serve by creating fun and unique ice creams, toppings, and frozen treats that appeal to a diverse clientele. Two of the more popular specialty cones are the Salty Pimp (vanilla, dulce de leche, sea salt, chocolate chips) and the Bea Arthur (vanilla, dulce de leche, crushed Nilla wafers).
WEST VILLAGE - 401 Bleecker St magnoliabakery.com From its inception in 1996, Magnolia Bakery has been cherished for its classic American baked goods, vintage decor and warm, inviting atmosphere. This down-home destination specializes in a variety of creative cupcakes that are nationally recognized as being some of the best. FOR THE CUPCAKES
FOR THE ICE CREAM
FOR THE PASTRIES
FOR THE DONUTS
DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY
DOUGHNUT PLANT
SOHO - 189 Spring St dominiqueansel.com Headed by pastry Chef Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery serves up creative and beautiful French treats. Order the Cronut速, the unique creation by Chef Ansel that many have described as a croissant-doughnut hybrid. 32 APRIL 06, 2016
LOWER EAST SIDE - 379 Grand St doughnutplant.com Rooted on Grand Street, Doughnut Plant indulges with delightful flavors such as Valrhona chocolate, Tres Leches, carrot cake, and green tea. Opt for the cake doughnuts as opposed to their yeast-risen counterparts. Decadent and heavy, go big or go home.
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CHELSEA CINEMAS 260 WEST 23rd STREET - 212-691-5519 Featuring:: Reserved Seating • Luxury Rocking Chairs • Upgraded Gourmet Treats
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A SMART, BRACING & THOUGHT-PROVOKING PRODUCTION.” “
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LIMITED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH MAY 8
Scott
A New Play Written By Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola Directed by
Andy Sandberg
ENTHRALLING! A CANDID, SEX-FILLED FIRST-RATE COMIC DRAMA.” “
Gay City News
as featured in
NEXT MAGAZINE
Thomas E. Sullivan
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Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street
StraightThePlay.com
#LivingALabel
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WEEK
WHAT TO SEE & WHERE TO BE APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 14
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RICKY REBEL
Ex-90s boy bander turned glam pop diva will perform his new single “Boys & Sometimes Girls” at Brandon Voss’s bottomless drag brunch on APRIL 10 at Señor Frogs (41st/42nd Sts), vossevents.com.
APRIL 06, 2016 35
FRIDAY APRIL 8 THE BLOSSOMING OF QUEER ENLIGHTENMENT Leslie-Lohman Prince St. Project, 127-B Prince St (Wooster St), leslielohman.org. The opening reception for this show featuring 115 works made between the Stonewall Riots and the AIDS epidemic, including Robert Mapplethorpe’s entire X-portfolio depicting men engaged in BDSM. Through June 26. 6pm–8pm; free. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOLAY Stage 48, 605 W 48th St (Eleventh/Twelfth Aves), sholayevents.com. A Bollywood birthday blowout
celebrating 15 years of queer-Desi fabulosity. Shake your hips to DJs Tikka Masala and Ashu Rai’s Bolly-dance beats, with performances by Junoon Performing Arts and Tara Ryst. 10pm; $10 before midnight/$20 general admission.
ELEVENELEVEN Open House, 244 E Houston St (Aves A/B), openhouse-nyc.com. Make a wish. Resident DJs Michael Magnan and Donkey spin with special guests at Ladyfag’s weekly downtown turn-up. Club kids and hostess Stephanie Stone and co. keep things
extra cute. 11 pm; free before midnight/$5 general admission.
HABIBI Hudson Terrace 621 W 46 St (Eleventh/Twelfth Aves), habibinyc.com. This monthly party for Middle Eastern men and their admirers celebrates 14 years strong with performances by Vivika Westwood Mugler and belly dancer Jeimmy Hertz. Resident DJ IZ spins, with two-for-one drink specials before midnight. 11pm; $15 before midnight/$20 general admission.
SATURDAY APRIL 9 8TH ANNUAL NEW YORK RAINBOW BOOK FAIR John Jay College, 524 W 59th St. (Amsterdam/ West End Aves), rainbowbookfair.org. The nation’s largest LGBT book event features queer publishers, poetry salons, panel discussions, author appearances, and readings from the likes of Roxanne Hoffman, Terence Diamond, and Divya Sood. Noon–6pm; $3 suggested donation.
LEA DELARIA New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St (Rector/Mulberry Sts), Newark, njpac.org. The Orange Is The New Black star and long-time standup flexes her singing voice. Expect material she’s performed both on and off Broadway, including cuts from her jazz career. With two shows. 6pm & 8:30pm; $50–$70.
EKAJ Tribeca Film Center, 375 Greenwich St (N Moore/Franklin Sts), dutfnyc.com. Cati Gonzalez’s film traces the love story between
two drifters, the hustler Mecca and runaway teen Ekaj, with dark pockets of New York City as their backdrop. Part of the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. 7pm; $10. MATT SMITH: BROAD SHOULDERS The Duplex, 61 Christopher St (Seventh Ave), theduplex.com. The comedian is back to talk about the fierce female influences in his life, including his mother and Judith Light from “Who’s The Boss?” He’ll also explore some of his life’s greatest struggles, like alcoholism, anxiety, and ass. 7pm; $10 advance/$15 general admission.
MR. ROCKBEAR 2016 Rockbar, 185 Christopher St (Weehawken St), rockbarnyc. com. Rockbar’s annual bear pageant is back, with categories like “Bear Wear” and “Fetish/ Kink/Jock” that allow contestants to flaunt all their furry curves. 8pm–10pm; free.
THE CARRY NATION Good Room, 98 Meserole Ave (Manhattan Ave/Lorimer St), Greenpoint, goodroombk.com. You better be carrying as Nita Aviance and Will Automagic spin with special guest Creep’s Lauren Flax. In the backroom, DJs Dandylion, Bearcat and Mister Wallace hold court. 10pm–5am; $10 advance/$15 before midnight/$20 general admission.
TRADE Undr, 637 W 50th St (Eleventh/ TwelfthAves), brianraffertyproductions. com. Get your life at Brian Rafferty’s circuit party featuring guest DJs Leo Blanco from Madrid and Montreal’s Stephan Grodin. Open bar before 11:30pm and eye candy make this an ideal stopping point for the night. 11pm–6am; $10 advance/$15 before 11 pm/$20 general admission.
SUNDAY APRIL 10 TROY AFTER HOURS Paddles, 250 W 26th St (Seventh/Eighth Aves). brianraffertyproductions.com. Brian Rafferty and Father Fantasy present the after-party of all after-parties at this club specializing in adult entertainment, featuring music by DJs Hannah and Sdot. 5am– noon; $20 presale tickets/$40 at the door.
CAROL LIPNIK Pangea, 178 2nd Ave (Eleventh/Twelfth Sts), pangeanyc.com. The downtown singer-songwriter debuts her spring residency at this intimate East Village restaurant. Dax MGMT produces this show evoking mysterious creatures under the command of Lipnik’s four-octave voice. 6pm; $15 advance/$20 general admission (with $15 food/drink minimum).
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KATHY GRIFFIN Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, 2900 Campus Rd (Ave H), Flatbush, brooklyncenter.org. No one is safe at this acclaimed comedienne’s new show, Boroughing Through. Between her run-ins with politicians, celebrities and other “questionable figures,” Griffin pulls the curtain back with her signature, take-no-prisoners commentary. 6pm; $45–$75. BATTLE HYMN Flash Factory NY, 229 W 28th St. (Seventh/Eighth Aves), battlehymn.club. Ladyfag’s brand new party takes you to church with special guest DJs Kim Ann Foxman, Justin Strauss, and Tiki Disco’s Lloydski spinning “the gospel according to the dance floor.” 9pm–3am; Free before 10pm/$10 with RSVP/$15 general admission.
MISS INDUSTRY Industry, 355 W 52nd St (Eighth/Ninth Aves), industry-bar.com. Kizha Carr presents this pageant benefitting the LGBTQ youth shelter Trinity Place. Last year’s winner Jasmine Rice will be honored, with a panel of celebrity judges including Alex Newell, Jiggly Caliente, and Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo. 11pm; $5. BRÜT Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St (White/Walker Sts), santospartyhaus.com. Jocks, rubber, leather, or just your shirtless sweaty flesh—all are welcomed at DJs Dan Darlington and Peter Napoli’s monthly rager, with special guest Morabito on deck. 11pm; $30.
MONDAY APRIL 11 A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND GENDERS City Winery, 155 Varick St (Spring/ Vandam Sts), nightofathousandgenders. com. Alan Cumming hosts this benefit for the Ackerman Institute’s Gender and Family Project. The gala includes a buffet dinner and performances by violinist and vocalist Tona Brown, Fun Home’s Sydney Lucas, and Hamilton’s Javier Muñoz. 6pm; $350. POINT HONORS The New York Public Library, Fifth Ave at 42nd St, pointfoundation.
org .An annual gala to support the Point scholarship fund and celebrate leaders—like this year’s Legend Award winner Greg Louganis, the Olympic diver—in the LGBTQ community. The dinner and awards show will include celebrities like Gus Kenworthy, Laith Ashley and Julie Klausner. 6:30pm–10pm; $500. RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE VIEWING PARTY Boxers HK, 742 Ninth Ave (50th St), boxersnyc.com. Showbiz spitfire Paige Turner hosts this weekly viewing party at
this gay sports bar (lots of screens!), with two-for- one drinks from 4pm to 9pm and $6 Stoli cocktails all night. 9pm; free. THE BOB SHOW Barracuda, 275 W 22nd St (Seventh/Eighth Aves), (212) 645-8613. After tearing it up on screen on the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, catch Bob The Drag Queen in the flesh at her long-time weekly residency, with DJ Natsu pumping combustible, radio-ready pop. 11pm; free.
TUESDAY APRIL 12 DRINK N’ DRAW Phoenix, 447 E 13th St (First Ave/Ave A), phoenixbarnyc.com. Get your artistic juices, among others, flowing as your draw cosplay fetish model Castor Bollocks as he strikes semi-nude poses, with a happy hour until 8pm. Bring a board and a dry medium of your choice. 7pm–10pm; free. LEA SALONGA 54 Below, 254 W 54th St (Eighth Ave/Broadway), 54below.com. The iconic Broadway star, best known for her starring roles in Miss Saigon and voicing Disney’s Mulan and Princess Jasmine, opens a string of six shows. Expect standards, pop songs, and
big Broadway ballads. 7pm; $85–$115 (plus $25 food/beverage minimum).
BUDDIES TUESDAYS Nowhere, 322 E 14th St (btwn First/Second Aves), nowherebarnyc. com. Bears, cubs, otters, and all their furry friends come out for this casual night of drinking, pool, and tunes. Whether you’re a furry fella yourself or just looking for one, hear DJ Damian spin for an East Village crowd every Tuesday. 8pm; free. TACKY TUESDAYS Boots & Saddle, 100-A Seventh Ave (Grove/Bleecker Sts), bootsand-
saddlenyc.com. You want class? Go to Park Avenue. You want trash? Hit up the hilarious Ari Kiki’s delightfully tacky Tuesday night show at the West Village’s premiere drag bar. DJ T-Boy spins. 9pm–11pm; free. STRUT! Acme, 9 Great Jones St (Lafayette St/Broadway), acmenyc.com. It’s going up at Deryck Todd’s weekly carry featuring a bevy of downtown club creatures and a stylish mix of big names, like staple Amanda Lepore, with special performances and rotating cast of DJs. 9pm; free.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 13 NIGHT SKY WITH EXIT WOUNDS BOOK RELEASE Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St (S Portland Ave), oceanvuong.com. Ocean Vuong, the queer Vietnamese poet, releases his debut full-length collection of poems, with readings by Eduardo C. Corral, Mahogany L. Browne, and Shira Erlichman. 7:30pm; free.
TROPICAL GOTH Bossa Nova Civic Club, 1271 Myrtle Ave (Hart St), Bushwick, (718) 443-1271. A midweek turn up courtesy of a live performance by atmospheric producer
A Pleasure, with DJs Kiddo Sincere, Marcus Webb, and Deadontheinternet keeping the dance floor lit. 10pm; free. TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL Theaters vary. Check tribecafilm.com for more info. The opening of the 15th annual festival, celebrating films both big and small, includes queer cuts like the poignant documentary Memories of a Penitent Heart, Check It, about a gay and trans gang in Washington D.C., and the romp Strike a Pose, which reunites Madonna’s backup dancers from her vogueing
moment. Through April 24. Times and prices vary.
CAKES Metropolitan, 559 Lorimer St (Metropolitan Ave/Devoe St), Williamsburg, metropolitanbarny.com. Brooklyn boys shake their asses at Untitled Queen and Elizabeth James’s weekly humpday rage, with Horrorchata on DJ duty. The winner of the “Dance Off Pants Off” competition takes home $50, and all contestants win a free drink. 10pm; free.
THURSDAY APRIL 14 RES-ERECTION Evolve, 221 E 58th St (Second/Third Aves) The circuit party doesn’t have to stop at the Brotherhood of Onyx’s post Black Party event, featuring kinky go-go boys, and special guest DJs. 7pm–1am; $5. CHER AND CHER ALIKE The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W 42nd St (Ninth/ Tenth Aves), spincyclenyc.com. Your second 38 APRIL 06, 2016
to last chance to see RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Alaska 5000 and her one-man band sidekick Handsome Jerry as they pay tribute to the singular diva. Hear highlights from Cher’s discography as well as reenactments from her IMDB page. 7pm; $22 (plus $20 food/ drink minimum).
NIGHTGOWNS Bizarre, 12 Jefferson St
(Myrtle/Bushwick Aves), Bushwick, 347-9152717. Sasha Velour brings her signature blend of politically aware and emotional drag to this Bushwick bar, where she’s also exhibiting Nightrooms, a solo show of illustrated prints. With special guests Olive D’Nightlife, K.James, Miss Malice, Glace Chase, and Johnny Velour. 10:30pm; $10 suggested donation.
1.Kristen, Kevin, Lace&Lizz 2.Hayley&Chrystal 3.Emily Hall Smith&Sapphira Cristal 4.Michael&Fernando 5.Lexi&Ping
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TMPLGYMGRANDOPENING@TMPL 1.Beverly Sage&Dylan Monroe 2.Jordan&Aquaria 3.Robert Verdi&Hannah Quist 4.Amber Valentine&Valissa Yoe 5.Ryan Burke, Sussi Suss, Queen Sateen&Exquisite
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FULLBUNNYCONTACT@THECLEMENTE 1.Jason, Shane&Damian 2.Logan&Cole 3.Joey&Baxter 4.Vinny&Brian 5.Full Bunny Contact
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