O&AN | December 2015

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12.15

LETTER

from the

This month, O&AN honors our readers’ picks for Nashville’s GayFaves. These selections reflect some of the very best of Nashville, in the eyes of its LGBT community, even if many of favorites didn’t quite make the cut this year.

We are especially proud to be able to add a Wedding Services category this year. Yes, these services have been provided for years in the area to couples who have had commitment ceremonies and other services, but in less than a year they have come into wide-spread enough use for readers to be more familiar with the many LGBT-friendly options Nashville has to offer.

Likewise, we have covered some of the significant celebrations and community events this month, from TEP’s Olympus to the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The former reminds us how far we’ve come, while the latter reminds us how far we have to go. But both are in a true sense celebrations of living life as who we are, with all the benefits and dangers inherent in that, and both are reminders of the true value of family (both literally and metaphorically) and community.

News that a community member was organizing a special Thanksgiving celebration for those who have been alienated from family— who in many cases reject them because of their sexuality—highlights all of these points. Long past the end of the struggle for rights, should it ever come, the war for social acceptance will continue. Being who you are still has a hefty price tag economically and in terms of physical and emotional wellbeing for many of our fellow

EDITOR

LGBTQ people.

But we can’t change everyone, at least not right away, and being who we are also allows us to free ourselves, if we allow ourselves to, from toxic situations, and to live into the best version of ourselves. It allows us to surround ourselves with the kind of people who can affirm us and lift us up.

It allows us to create the families that we wish we had, or should have had—or for those of us with fabulous families, to graft new branches onto that family tree and help heal wounds where we can.

But that Thanksgiving celebration is more than a human interest story to make us feel better about the world and the sometimes $#!tty hands it may have dealt us. It’s a reminder that physically, many people have nowhere to go for the holidays, and that many of us who are doing just fine have materially have no one to go to for the holidays (perhaps its only our insecurities that might keep us from reaching out to friends and new-family, but that’s a real barrier nonetheless).

As we move into celebrating the holidays, let’s all try to be aware of those around us, to reach out and build bridges with people, and try to connect the pieces of our broken community. You may not be in need of more “family” but you never know whom else is in dire need of just that until you make the offer sincerely open.

There’s an old way of subtly communicate to someone that another person is LGBT—they “are family”—and this year would be a good time to start making that more than just a saying.

-James Grady

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TENNESSEE EQUALITY PROJECT HONORS WYNN AND RUBENFELD

OLYMPUS CELEBRATES GAINS IN 2015, ANTICIPATES 2016’S STRUGGLES JAMES GRADY

Last month, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) held its fourth annual Olympus gala on November 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Parthenon in Nashville. The event was, as always, an opportunity to take stock of the year’s work, honor LGBT rights champions Brenda Wynn and Abby Rubenfeld, and look forward to next year. This year’s benefit also added an auction component, featuring everything from handmade leather goods to celebrity memorabilia.

As Davidson County Clerk, Brenda Wynn was among the first of Tennessee’s county clerks to begin providing marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the June 26 Supreme Court decision striking down Tennessee’s ban on same-sex marriage. Wynn worked with equality advocates prior to the ruling to provide an orderly transition to marriage equality in the Nashville area.

In accepting her award, Wynn thanked voters, and joked that those who didn’t vote before might get the opportunity to vote for her next time. “I

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want you guys to know that I struggled as a kid growing up in public housing, and so I am well aware of how being discriminated against can make you feel. I do want you all to know, though, that we do everything we can within the bounds of the law. And there may be a time when I can’t do something. But if I can do something, please know I’m going to do it, and I’m going to do it as genuinely as we can.”

Attorney Abby Rubenfeld has a long history as a champion for Tennessee’s LGBT community, having led many legal challenges against discriminatory state laws, including Tennessee’s sodomy law, the Legislature’s nullification of Metro Nashville’s contractor nondiscrimination ordinance, and most recently a successful challenge to the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

“It was the thrill and honor of a lifetime to work on this case,” Rubenfeld said as she accepted her award. “Like many of you, I never thought I’d see marriage equality in my lifetime. I truly never thought that would happen. And

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DECEMBER 2015

not only did it happen but that I got to play a role in it is just so thrilling. It’s such an honor…. I’m really excited that Tennessee got to lead the way in something positive for a change….”

“I just want to say that none of this would have happened or been possible,” Rubenfeld concluded, “without all of us working together because it’s all about all of us who helped change minds around the country so that this could happen so quickly.”

Chris Sanders, TEP’s executive director, brought the assembled crowd’s attention to the TEP’s continuing work, including its active campaign to kill the anti-trans bathroom bill targeting Tennessee school children. “I know it’s a party, and I want you to have a party,” Sanders said, but he invited the attendees to commit to making a call that night to leave a message with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bud Hulsey, so that he would know how the LGBT and ally community feels about the bill.

“Let’s fight that bill,” Sanders said, “and run him off that bill, until he

doesn’t want to sponsor anything this year!”

In addition to the inevitable antitrans legislation LGBT rights groups will be fighting, Sanders also drew attention to state legislators’ likely attempts to thwart marriage equality. “We won in the courts,” Sanders said. “It’s clear as a bell to everyone, except to a group of people who meet every January just a few miles from here. They’re going to run a bill to challenge the Supreme Court on the marriage ruling and they think they can nullify it. We need you all to work hard so that bill doesn’t pass, because we don’t want them interrupting marriage equality.”

“We know they can’t win longterm,” he said, “but we don’t want a bill like that because our youth don’t need our state’s top leadership downgrading them in the media every day. So let’s dig in and defeat those bills. This party is to celebrate this year but it’s also to five us the strength to go into the next one!”

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MOURNING OUR LOSSES AND GALVANIZING OUR COMMUNITIES

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE 2015 JAMES GRADY

The first Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was held in 1998, organized by transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith.

That first event was a vigil in honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed that year. The event became an international annual memorial commemorating the transgender people lost to violence during the year. Nashville held its first TDOR observance in 2002.

The week leading up to the TDOR, November 14-20, 2015, has been marked by activists as Transgender Awareness Week, and more and more events are being organized annually to help bring light to the issues and conditions faced by transgender and gender non-conforming people.

This year’s event, many groups participated in or helped organize TDOR, including TVals/TMen, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC), PFLAG Nashville, the Program for LGBTI Health at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt University Divinity School’s Carpenter Program, Planned Parenthood of Middle and East

Tennessee, the Vanderbilt University Office of LGBTQ Life, the Tennessee Transgender Journey Project (TNTJ), and others.

Marisa Richmond of the TTPC said, at the Nashville event, that “Since the last Day of Remembrance, when we gathered in this very space in November of 2014, the United States has lost twenty-two more people, and we will be remembering each and every one of them tonight.” Brazil, Richmond said, lost fifty-six people in the same period. Worldwide, “these individuals come from all age groups, ranging from 66-year-old Casey Haggard … to Michael Lucas de Almeida Reginald of Brazil, who was only thirteen years old when they were beaten and stabbed to death….”

Richmond also reminded the audience that in Tennessee the community faces significant obstacles in the fight to change the conditions that lead to violence. “Just this spring along, members of the Tennessee House of Representatives stood on the floor making jokes over the idea of ‘stomping a mud hole in a transgender woman.’” Later Richmond would speak to the current steps

people could take to actively support the community, such as opposing the bathrooms bill likely to be introduced by Bud Hulsey in the General Assembly next session.

LaSaia Wade of the TNTJ spoke rousingly of the particular difficulties facing trans women of color, and called for increasing attention to their plight. Pride Board member Sean Arroyo addressed the need for solidarity within the community and for building bridges with allies of all stripes.

During the open mike period, local drag entertainer Veronika Electronika spoke of her connection to the trans community, and in particular the way she has been impacted by hearing the story of Christian Paige, who was killed twenty years ago and has since laid in an unmark grave at Nashville’s Woodlawn Cemetery. Veronika announced that she would be spearheading an effort to raise money for a gravestone to honor Christian’s memory.

This year TDOR events were held across the state of Tennessee. While tdor.info only lists events in Nashville, Knoxville, and Cordova, the TTPC announced, on November 17, 2015, that additional events would be held in at least Chattanooga, Johnson City, and Gray.

For more information on the effort to fund a gravestone for Christian Paige, visit facebook.com/RememberChristianPaige.

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LGBT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HOSTS TASTE FUNDRAISER On November 8th, the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce held its annual TASTE fundraiser at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, featuring over twenty different food, wine, and distillery vendors. Proceeds benefit the Chamber’s work advancing common business interests, economic growth, and equality in the workplace for its LGBT members, businesses, and allies by providing educational, networking, and community building opportunities.

This year, a panel of ‘celebrity’ judges awarded vendors in a number of categories: Best Spirit: Short Mountain Distillery Best Wine: ONEHOPE Wine Best Cocktail: Short Mountain Distillery Best Presentation: The Chef & I Booth Décor: Savor the Flavor Best Dessert: Jeni’s Ice-cream Best Appetizer: Rae’s Cuisine Best Entrée: Sinema Additionally, each patron received a bag of M&M’s with their admission to the event, which they used to vote for their favorite dishes and drinks. This year’s People’s Choice Award was presented to perennial favorite, The Chef & I.

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Table of Contents 12

LIPSTICK LOUNGE

14

NIGHTLIFE

17

DINING

20

LOOK GOOD/ FEEL GOOD

22

PLACES

25

COMMUNITY

27

PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS SERVICES

31

WEDDING SERVICES

32

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Lipstick The Ladies of Lipstick Take Three GayFaves experience in the bar world,” Christa explained. “It was just something they wanted to do. They were a Pentecostal preacher’s daughters! When I was growing up, my grandparents had a bar, and my dad ran it and a sporting goods shop next door. From the time I was fifteen, I was waiting tables, and when I went off to college I bartended. It’s what I’ve always done. I’ve been in the restaurant business for twenty-six years, so a LONG time!”

It’s that experience, plus an enthusiasm for work behind the bar, that Christa feels she brings to the partnership.

“I’d never run my own thing before, and I’d turned down a lot of manager’s jobs.

I just enjoyed doing my thing behind the bar, and I still bartend two or three times a week.”

Each contributes something unique and valuable to the place. “Jonda is the entertainment,” Christa added. “She can sing: you know she sang backup for Ronnie Milsap and Dolly Parton, so she was a professional singer. I don’t sing!

So she’s great at entertaining the people and the karaoke. I don’t get up there—that would be bad for business!”

Photo: Kat Robinson

The Neighborhood Girl Bar

JAMES GRADY

This year, the ladies of Lipstick Lounge were big winners in our 2015 GayFaves reader polls this year, taking Best Overall Bar in the Nightlife section, Best Caterer in the Weddings section, and Best LGBT Owned Business in professional services. Lipstick Lounge is always a strong contender in these areas, so we sat down with co-owners Jonda Valentine and Christa Suppan, and caterer Cindy Pearson, to talk about Lipstick Lounge’s past, present and future.

Background

“Originally,” according to Christa, “Lipstick was started by Jonda and her twin sister Ronda, and their partners.

About three months in things went

14

downhill, because bars are hard to run and cost a lot of money. I was working here—I’d been bartending a long time— and Jonda came to me and asked me if I knew anybody with some money. I said, ‘I got a little money, what do you want to do?’ She’s like, ‘We need to do this.’”

A restructuring of the partnership made room for Christa. “Then it was Jonda, Ronda, and I,” Christa said. “We bought Ronda out around I guess 2006 or 2007, so it’s been Jonda and I for a long time. I mean, the story’s a lot better than that but there’s a lot I’m not telling,” she added, teasing.

The initial stumbles aren’t surprising, given Jonda and Ronda’s background.

“Jonda and Ronda didn’t have a lot of

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DECEMBER 2015

Lipstick Lounge was originally conceived of as a neighborhood lesbian bar, but that concept quickly evolved into a LGBT-friendly, neighborhood lounge. “It was nice to have a place where you could come in and be yourself. I mean you had your gay boy-bars, but if that’s not you, you didn’t really have anywhere,” Christa said. “Lipstick filled that need.”

In 2002-03, East Nashville was not the obvious site for an LGBT-owned and operated bar. “Back then,” Christa recalled, “East Nashville was pretty sketchy. I had my ADT alarm thing that I wore around my neck for security purposes.” She was also flipping homes in the area at the time. “A lot of times when you’re doing construction you just leave your stuff on site so you don’t have to haul it around. Here you didn’t leave anything out. I didn’t leave a handsaw lying around—I locked it up in the car!”

Despite the neighborhood, however, Jonda and Christa say it was far easier to

get people to come from elsewhere than it was to get the locals to join them. “You know,” Jonda said, “we had people come from everywhere else, but we didn’t have neighborhood people.”

Christa nodded and added, “There were a lot of Franklin and Brentwood people, surprisingly enough.”

Immediately both broke out laughing and said, simultaneously, “The Stepford Wives!”

“We called them that to their faces,” Christa assured me. “We’d be like, ‘Hey, Stepford wives!’ After about two years they were all divorced and gay!”

Jonda laughed and said, “Them, we met some of their husbands and we told them, ‘If I was you, I wouldn’t be bringing my wife in here!’ and they’d say, ‘No, it’s okay!’ And two years later, no it wasn’t okay, they lost their wives. One was so girly girl, and she came back with a shaved head!”

But how do you build a neighborhood bar in a neighborhood that’s not ready for you? “The people here weren’t real hip on it,” Christa said. “They weren’t very happy to have us here, so we had to try to break that barrier and show them that we’re not just here for us. Yes, we opened up because we wanted to have a place for us to be who we are, but at the same time we wanted people to come in and have fun with us.” That wasn’t an easy sell.

“We wanted it to be in a neighborhood, so you could have the neighborhood people,” Christa said.

But things shifted slowly over the years.

As the neighborhood changed, Lipstick became more integrated into it. “When we opened up, Margot had just opened, Edgefield was open, and Bongo Java was open, and that was about it. It took a while and it was a slow roll, but once Five Points developed things changed around here pretty quickly.”

Christa also believes that “the brunch has helped with that, breaking down the barriers. Some people come in after all these years and try the food, and say ‘You guys have really good food!’”

A Place for Everyone

Lipstick has “really become the kind of bar everybody can come to now,” Jonda

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Photo: Kat Robinson

said. And the clientele seems to agree.

“Sometimes, on the weekend,” Christa added, “I come in and there are more straight people here than gay people.” But it’s a different situation now than when the ‘Stepford wives’ were coming in to ‘get their feet wet’ before coming out. These are people who are simply comfortable in the environment.

“I came in last Friday night,” Jonda said, laughing, “and I wanted to go back outside and see if I was in the right place.

I was like, ‘$#!t, I don’t know anyone in here!’ Usually I know a few because I know everyone, but I didn’t recognize anybody til it got late!”

The lack of homogeneity in the crowd is exactly the kind of vibe the lounge’s owners have tried to build. “We wanted it to be a melting pot,” Jonda said.

“You go to a lot of bars,” Christa said, “and they’re full of one time of person.

The bar that you go to is a bar full of you.

If you’re a white male, there’s a bunch of white men in that bar. You look around here, it’s amazing to see all the different people, the black, white, Asian, and the LGBT and straight people—we have everything.”

“You are on our turf though!” Jonda interjected. “We are lesbians, so you know you gotta play nice.”

“But we expect that respectful behavior from everybody,” Christa added.

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“When we first opened we had people come to us, because of where we were, and offer us kickbacks to do gambling here, or let them sell drugs. It was big money, but we said no and had it set up so that people knew it wasn’t okay here.

Because, you know, that just wasn’t the kind of place we wanted. This is the kind of place we wanted.”

Propaganda

This year has brought a lot of new energy to Lipstick. Catering is part of that.

“We’re really excited about the catering,” Christa said. “Cindy’s been doing a great job.” But as of October 5, 2015, another new venture has been operating out of Lipstick Lounge. “We started the East Side Propaganda: that’s Jonda and myself and Lee Patterson doing that.”

East Side Propaganda (www. eastsidepropaganda.com) is a company specializing in custom print goods, especially cloths and totes. They’re also doing gift packages featuring some of the catering products and their t-shirt line.

“We’re actually doing very well, so far,” Christa said. “Our t-shirt line … there’s a lot of gay in there and it’ hilarious!

We are doing Christmas packages with some of Cindy’s chex mix and fudge— we’re doing that in tins. We’ve also done a lot of kids stuff and onesies. We’re doing a ton of kids aprons for Christmas!”

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DECEMBER 2015

Catering

Cindy Pearson is a major new player in the Lipstick team, since Lipstick catering was launched in June. “I was a chef and caterer back in Raleigh, North Carolina,” Pearson said, “when my children were young. That was twentyfive years ago!”

“My cooking was inspired by my mother,” Pearson said. “When I found myself divorced with two small children and had to find a job. I had always cooked and had a flair for it—I didn’t realize how big a flair it was going to be at the time—so I just went to a restaurant one day and asked them to hire me. They said, ‘Yeah, you can work on the line.’ Two months later I was kitchen manager and two months later I was transferred to run a new location. That set the tone for my career in kitchens.”

Pearson then spent seventeen years in corporate food sales, which brought Pearson to Nashville, but when her company laid off half its sales force, she said, “I took time to figure out what I wanted to do, and that was to go back into the business. That’s what I really enjoyed.”

“I knew Jonda and Christa from being a patron,” Pearson explained, “and I came up with an idea: I felt there was more to Lipstick Lounge than everybody saw, and

I’m like I really think we can make a go of catering. So I approached them and said, ‘What do you think about going in and doing this?’ and they were gung-ho.”

“It took us a couple of months to kinda work the kinks out and lay it out,” Pearson said. “We did a launch party and had people in to eat the food and just made a nice tasting menu for people, and then we started accepting catering jobs.”

Pearson’s catering menu is unrelated to the bar’s cuisine, Pearson said.

“Lipstick serves more of a Tex-Mex menu … it’s very nice bar food, with a really nice brunch on the weekend. Tex-Mex is great but it’s not what I cater, unless that’s what a client asks for…. I trained under an Italian chef, so I have a huge Italian background, and that is my go-to if I have the opportunity.”

Rather than a set menu, however, Pearson laid out an example. “I offer a standard menu of just some suggestions,” Pearson said, “but I’d rather create a menu with you. That’s what I prefer to do.”

The result better suits the individuality of her clients and also speaks to the creativity she craved in returning to a catering, rather than a restaurant, kitchen.

Reflecting on her success in restaurants, she said, “At almost fifty, I want to do it again, but I didn’t want to go back to the restaurant side, I want to do the catering side because I can be more creative.”

Generally, Pearson accepts catering jobs of seventy-five or less. “I can handle jobs of over a hundred,” she explained, “I just have to call in extra help.”

“Business has been good so far,” Pearson said. “Of course it’s never busy enough! We have to continue to get the word out. That was very apparent when we did [the LGBT Chamber’s] Taste event and so many people were like, ‘We had no idea!’ Taste gave us a major plug: I’m more than pleased with the compliments we got, it was really a nice event and gave us good exposure. And of course winning Best Caterer in O&AN is really awesome to help get the word out.”

Perhaps Pearson summed it up best regarding Lipstick Lounge as a whole: “People need to know that this place that’s here isn’t just a bar: there’s a lot going on here! There’s a lot of things we can do that people should be taking advantage of!”

And she wants you to know that she wants your business. “I mean, in my opinion,” Pearson said, “we should be catering every gay wedding in this town, and that’s where I want to see this business move!”

Nightlife

Photo: Julius Greene

Nashville’s night life is as diverse this up-and-coming city’s growing populace.

Nashville was once known mostly for its neon-signed honky tonks, but the city has so much more to offer, from downtown dance clubs to the hip bars of East Nashville. Nashville’s LGBT nightlife is equally diverse: on Church Street alone one can finds watering holes as diverse as Tribe, Play, Canvas, and Blue Gene’s, while Stirrup and Traxx anchor a minigayborhood, and Lipstick Lounge and Mad Donna’s are staples of East Nashville.

Nashville has also progressed to the point where the “LGBT scene” isn’t confined to LGBT establishments.

Establishments like Three Crow Bar and

Beyond the Edge welcome a significant LGBT clientele, while venues as diverse as Ibiza Night Club and The Stone Fox hold themed events appealing to LGBT patrons.

My, how far we have come!

Bartender – Timmy Harkum - Stirrup)

This year was one for the books! One bar, Stirrup, which is far outside the Church Street gayborhood (being located out near the Fairgrounds), was the home to ALL three finalists for GayFaves Best Bartender!

This year’s winner, Timmy Harkum, also happens to be the owner of Stirrup.

Harkum has been slinging drinks for Nashville’s LGBT community for over

fifteen years. After the restaurant chain he worked for went out of business, Harkum began working at Illusions on Donelson Pike. “It was only gonna be temporary, but that was fifteen years ago. I guess I am still looking for a real job!”

Harkum is rightfully proud of his bar’s non-pretentious atmosphere and diverse clientele, which ranges from guys in suits on their way home from work to the t-shirt-and-jeans crowd. And slowly but surely he’s cooking up a new surprise for LGBT Nashville, as he’s recently started work developing a property just across the street into a new venue! Look for more information in the coming months.

Place to Dance – Play Dance Bar

Play Dance Bar is simply THE place to dance, according to the LGBT community, as they again top the charts in this category by a wide margin. Surely there are a number of reasons for this—including a great bar staff, top notch entertainers, and a group of DJs capable of keeping bodies moving until 2:45 a.m. even on a work or school night. Yes, school night: there aren’t many 18-and-up dance bars left, and that’s a big draw for the local college crowd, including a ton of straight people. With its special guests (like Pearl & Sharon Needles), and its popular party nights (like paint and foam parties, as well as its Student Bodies competition), Play Dance Bar will remain an anchor for LGBT nightlife in Nashville for years to come. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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Disk Jockey – Deejay Phil

He takes it again! We’ve said it before, but it seems this master of mixing who can spin no wrong in the eyes of Nashville!

This veteran has twenty-six years of deejaying under his belt. “My first major deejaying gig was in the early 90’s at 176 Underground down on 2nd Avenue,” he said. “I deejayed two popular 80’s nights and a 70’s disco night. My second major gig was spinning at The Chute. After that I decided I was done with deejaying, until David Taylor called me and asked me to work at Tribe. When Play opened, Todd Roman asked me to join the team and I spun there opening night. I worked at Tower Records for seventeen years, and when they closed, the Tribe/Play team was kind enough to make me fulltime and I started deejaying the drag shows. So, a part-time hobby eventually became a full-time career!”

“My sets always have a lot of classic music,” Deejay Phil said, “because I think that strikes an emotional chord with people. Currently, I am delighted that the trend of 80’s and 90’s house music is becoming popular again. It’s timeless, feel-good music that everyone can dance to. However, I also like it when the crowd steers me too. You have to really listen and not be afraid to play something you might not like. It keeps a good deejay on their toes and therefore, makes them good at their job.”

Drag Queen – Kitty Kincaid

Miss Kitty Kincaid took top honors in this heavily-contested category. Some of you may not know of Kitty’s work, but those who do know her clearly love her! For the last eight years, she has been

the hostess of Nashville’s Gospel Night drag show, currently held at Play Dance Bar on the first Sunday of the month at 8 p.m.

Kitty has been dragging it up for a long time, but she hasn’t always been so keen to perform on stage, she said. “I went dressed in drag at Halloween years ago, and I was dared to enter a pageant after that, about two weeks later. I lost by one point, and I was kind of bitten by the drag bug. But I didn’t like performing at the time, I just enjoyed going out but a few years later I tried it again.”

Gospel was a passion for Kitty long before drag. “I’ve always been a lover of gospel. I performed it as a piano player in my teens and twenties—on the road actually—and when I found out they had a gospel show at the Chute, I went to check it out. Someone who had seen me on the road recognized me, and he told the show director about me. He asked me to perform, but I was afraid I would fail, so I went to Atlanta where no one knew me! I ended up on cast there. It was a couple of years later that I came back to Nashville to join the cast here. and got on their cast. After a couple of years, I came back to do it in Nashville.”

The rest is history.

Drag King – Leo O’Rion

This year’s favorite drag king, Leo O’Rion, has quickly become a fan favorite at Play Dance Bar, where he got his start. “Seeing shows at Play and being encouraged by fellow drag kings, I performed for my first time ever on the Ladies’ Night cast audition night almost three years ago.”

Play was a very nourishing environment for the young performer.

While learning how to perform, a big influence was fellow Play drag king, Eazy Love,” O’Rion said. “I have been tremendously helped by my family at Play—the cast of kings, the Glam Squad, and the Playmates.”

O’Rion’s dance style is hiphop.

“I can be seen performing Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, and Michael Jackson,” he said. “In the future, I see myself performing more of my new favorite artist, MAX.”

Happy Hour – Tribe

For another year, Tribe has taken this category! With deals as generous as $5.00 top shelf drinks from 5–8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, $7.00 Coors Light pitchers and $5.00 Long Islands during Show Tunes on Sundays, and a famous Wednesday special featuring $2 Smirnoff, $3 Smirnoff Flavors, and $4 well drinks, Tribe has won over Nashville’s LGBT patrons looking for a place to enjoy drinks with friends at a great value. Tribe remains the place to go when you need a brief vacation from the stress of life.

Overall Bar – Lipstick Lounge

After two years of barely tailing Tribe for Best Overall Bar, Lipstick Lounge, one of East Nashville’s favorite neighborhood establishments (featured on page 14), has unseated the former champ. Boasting a homey atmosphere, an established bar staff, nightly karaoke, and theme nights including Trivia Tuesdays and Cards Against Humanity Wednesdays, Lipstick has something to offer almost everyone.

Non­Gay Bar – Beyond The Edge

Beyond the Edge is a popular locally owned sports themed bar in the Five Points area of East Nashville. Beyond the edge features a whopping 125 beers— twenty-five of which are on tap—and carries all the major sports channels on twenty-five HD TVs. For those in need of more first-person entertainment, the bar has darts, Golden Tee, and Buzztime trivia. The bar’s daily two-for-one drink specials and popular wings are perennial draws as well, with at least one reviewer saying that they serve, “The best bar food in 5 Points”!

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DECEMBER 2015

Best Bartender – Stirrup’s Other Contenders Brody Warner

“I originally started bartending to pay for college,” Warner said. “I’ve been doing it on and off for 17 years.” He says the Stirrup’s clients love the bar because, “It’s a home away from home. I want everyone to feel comfortable and welcomed. It’s not always an easy job but if it happens we all have a great time.”

Asked whether he has favorite customers, Warner said coyly, “Anyone with a good attitude is my kind of customer.

As far as favorites, you can’t ask someone that works for tips to pick a favorite! I do however have a Top 5 list and they know who they are!” When it comes to drinks though, he is happy to name his favorites!

“My favorite drink to make would have to be single liquor shots! Gets the job done!

Personally I’m a Jack and coke, or a beer and a shot, kind of guy. I like my drinks like I like my men: No nonsense!”

Asked whether there is anything else he’d like to do, if he wasn’t a bartender, he joked, “If I had to choose another line of work mortuary would be the top of my list.

The clientele is quiet and nobody plays any Prince songs at funerals. No offense to Prince but I think he has sponsored happy hour for the last two years.”

Benji Brown

Benji Brown may be one of the worst cooks in America—no, that’s not shade, that’s a certified fact—but he is one of the most popular LGBT bartenders in Nashville! Seriously, Brown competed on Worst Cooks in America and was notably poor in his performance. He says to this day his favorite thing to cook is Jello shots,

and that “McDonalds pretty much cooks my meals for me!”

Brown got his start at Applebee’s, which does nothing to help his reputation in the kitchen, but, “Years later, I still bartend because it’s great money, I love meeting new people, and I enjoy being able to wear whatever I want to wear to work!”

As a bartender he can enjoy the easy way out, just popping open a can of beer for a customer, Brown also likes “mixing up a drink called a ‘Walk the Plank.’ It’s a fruity cocktail that has a splash of Bacardi 151... So it will make your clothes fall right off!” For himself, he enjoys a simple Makers on the rocks or “a shot (or 10) of Jägermeister. That always makes me feel super manly.”

As for his customers, he enjoys, “Anyone with a good attitude who is actually old enough to get a drink! Being 21 is very important! I really enjoy meeting anyone from out of town. I always appreciate hearing about other bars and events in different cities around the country. I personally don’t have a favorite customer... Typically if you are fun, spend a good amount of money and tip fairly, you will be my favorite customer for that brief moment in time. Gotta love everyone!”

He says the funniest thing that has ever happened to him at Stirrup involved fellow competitor Brody Warner. “A few years ago, when I met Brody for the first time, he told myself and my boyfriend Andy that he got paid to strip out on our patio on Friday and Saturday nights. He may have been a little drunk... I’m unsure, however, he claims that never happened.

Now he is one of my best friends, but sadly I never did come to see him strip on the patio.”

@O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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Dining Statisticians say that over eighty people are moving to Nashville every day, and it seems like at least one new restaurant joins them!

As Nashville’s profile continues to rise, so does its reputation for having a diverse and refined culinary scene. From celebrity chefs to local favorites, sometimes one and the same, Nashville’s LGBT community had a wide range of options to choose from, but overall we showed ourselves to be nothing if not loyal to our perennial favorites.

Best Overall Restaurant & Best First Date – Suzy Wong’s House of Yum

Suzy Wong’s House of Yum is always a favorite with our readers, having won most recently in Best Overall Restaurant in 2013 and Best First Date in 2014! With its prime location on Church Street—I mean, you don’t have to go outside to get to LGBT Nashville’s favorite happy hour (Tribe)—Suzy has an automatic leg up on the competition!

With its creative menu of Asian fusion dishes designed by local star chef Arnold Myint, who is also behind PM and Boulevard, Suzy Wong (Myint’s drag alter ego) serves up a lot more than convenience.

Signature appetizers such as Asian Wonton Nachos are renowned, but Myint is constantly updating his menu with such goodies as Chicken Naan Pizza. And Suzy’s sushi is a delight, if a little pricey: but that’s just one more reason to go on Tuesday, when Sushi is half price!

Vegetarian – The Wild Cow

Local Chef – Sarah O’Neill

This year, Sarah O’Neill barely edged out Margot McCormick for Best Local Chef—a big accomplishment given Margot’s reputation. O’Neill is a chef at Batter’d and Fried, one of East Nashville’s best places for seafood, having previously worked at Watanabe. She has also worked at The Silly Goose and participated in Dinner Lab.

Fine Dining – Margot McCormick

Margot McCormack retains her crown as the purveyor of Nashville’s Best Fine Dining. Margot, whose restaurant has been a fixture of East Nashville fine dining for twenty years now, has been featured on the cover of O&AN and has received accolades from all of Nashville’s major print outlets.

Margot manages to keep us on our toes, with new dishes like “Calico Bay Scallops with Red Pepper Sauce, Roasted Shallots & Pistachio Gremolata” and “Grilled Quail, with Polenta, Collard Greens & Benton’s Bacon.” For the patron with a taste for something both refined and exciting, Margot’s daily menu change is required reading!

Pizza – Five Points Pizza

We Americans love our pizza (though they may duel over exactly the ‘right’ way of making it), and Nashvillians are no

exception. And for a FOURTH year in a row, Five Points Pizza is LGBT Nashville’s pizzeria of choice. So if you haven’t already, you should give it a try. Even if you’re a sucker for Chicago-style—there still isn’t a place to get a truly authentic Chicago pie down here—you’ll have to admit that Five Points Pizza is the best at what it does serve!

Brunch – Mad Donna’s

Mad Donna’s remains our readers’ favorite brunch, and it manages that in the midst of a glut of brunches in that neighborhood. From Lipstick Lounge to the Vine, East Nashville seems to have an insatiable appetite for this most LGBT of invented meal times.

Mad Donna’s infuses their own vodkas, including a fiery habanero blend that is sure to have patrons of brunch’s “Bloody Mary Bar” reaching for a glass of water. But no doubt with a smile on their faces.

Coffee – Frothy Monkey

more than its coffee though. As one patron wrote, “The place has a real cosy feel, in addition to its hipness. The coffee was great, but I was really pleasantly surprised that their food was also very good. They serve some really nice combinations in perfectly sized portions.”

Patio – 3 Crow

Last year’s GayFave Best Non-Gay Bar retains the title of Best Patio this year.

Our readers find this bar’s porch an almost irresistible draw, and it is particularly beautiful as the leaves change on the little shade trees surrounding it. It’s a prime Sunday stop for the Nashville Grizzlies, and pretty much everyone else. The vibe is so laid back and fun, it’s the perfect place for nice weather casual drinks with friends. And it’s at the back of the building, so if someone drives another car through the front wall, you won’t even spill your drink.

With multiple locations, you can enjoy a hot Frothy Monkey all around Nashville!

They’ve got a drink menu that will make any warm beverage enthusiast happy, with coffees on tap and rotating seasonal beverages.

Frothy Monkey patrons appreciate it for

Photo: Brett Warren

The Wild Cow is a popular and wellreviewed restaurant in East Nashville, featuring a creative menu of vegetarian and vegan fare. Looking over their menu is a bit like looking at a high-end bar menu, from its Buffalo Tempeh Strips to its high gravity beers and ciders.

Cody Hawkins gave The Wild Cow highest praise, when writing, “I’m not a vegetarian. In fact, I love a seared, juicy ribeye whenever I get the chance. However, the Wild Cow has amazing food that makes you welcome the cow apocalypse knowing that all of their delicious food doesn’t come from an animal. Personally, I’m hooked and I’m glad I went out on a limb to give it a try.”

So even meat-atarians agree it’s a place you should try!

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Look Good Feel Good Who doesn’t want to look and feel their best? Everyone, of course, but some segments of the LGBT community are known to raise this pursuit to an art form.

Whether it’s the hottest outfit just off the runways of Milan, or a carefully constructed outfit obtained via Herculean thrift store adventures, we’ve shown we have the will to construct our look carefully. And just check our gym membership records! Here’s where Nashville’s LGBT community goes to shape, alter, and cover their bodies, and to find a little furry happiness.

Place to Shop for New Clothes – H&M

Last year, Opry Mills won this category in no small measure due to the arrival of Nashville’s first H&M store.

Since then, H&M has opened another location in Cool Springs, and the LGBT shopping community couldn’t be more pleased. They’ve shown their appreciation by overwhelmingly choosing H&M as Nashville’s Best Place to Shop for New Clothes. And what would we expect— Nashvillians slept in their cars to be ready to get in line when the new location opened in May.

Place to Shop for Used Clothes – Goodwill

Like game hunting, thrift shopping isn’t for everyone, but for the intrepid deal-seeker, buying used (not vintage, thrifty) clothing offers the thrill of the hunt combined with the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t pay dozens of times more than cost for what you’ll be wearing. Even better is the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that, if you do your job really well, no one else will realize that your $500 suit only cost $19.99 at your local Goodwill.

Unless you utilize the Goodwill rewards

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punch-card, in which case it might have been free! Plus, when you shop at Goodwill, you know that you’re funding training and employment opportunities for people who have trouble finding work.

Tattoo Shop – Black 13

With last year’s winner, Lone Wolf, relocating to Cool Springs, who could fill the void in Nashville? Turns out that Black 13 filled the bill. Located in Historic Cummins Station, Black 13 is an amazing tattoo parlor with a classic ambiance and elegant design. This is surely your destination for professional tattooing in a beautiful and clean environment.

According to their website, the most sought-after tattooers in this eight-artist shop can have a month’s long waiting list— some are so booked they aren’t currently taking new appointments at all—so if you want it done, you might need to be prepared to wait! But by all accounts it’s worth it. As one customer wrote, it’s “the most professional, talented and friendly tattoo parlor out there. I’ll never get a tattoo anywhere else! I drive two hours, one way, to get there and it’s worth every second!”

Gym – Planet Fitness

This year Planet Fitness bested the YMCA handily, after last year’s tie!

Pet Services – The Dog Spot

The Dog Spot, which has also been named “Best of” by the Nashville Scene (2012–14), offers professional dog grooming, daycare, and boarding services.

With three locations—East Nashville, West Nashville, and Mount Juliet—there’s a good chance they’re relatively convenient.

And for you overprotective parents out there, their facilities are fully equipped with webcams so you can look in on your pooch when you can’t be home with them!

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Hairstylist – Derrick Lachney, Fresh Salon

This year’s GayFaves Best Hairstylist, Derrick Lachney, a seasoned stylist working at Fresh Salon on Demonbreun. Derrick has worked with celebrities including Kelly Pickler, Kacey Musgraves, and Hillary Scott.

“Fifteen years this month I’ve been doing hair,” he said. “I went pretty much straight from high school to doing hair.

I started doing it here in Nashville, and though I moved to D.C. for a while most of my career has been here.”

For the four years since he moved back from D.C., Derrick has worked solely at Fresh Salon. In fact it was that opportunity that brought him back: “I moved back from D.C. when my girlfriend was opening it to work there

for her.”

Derrick is a cheerleader for his salon’s products and services. “We use Davines and Kevin Murphy products, both of which are great quality—I’ve worked with Davines longer than any other product. In fact I used to be an educator for their product line.”

Coloring is Derrick’s specialty.

“Hair color is about 80% of my business,” he said. “It was all I did in D.C. I won Nashville Lifestyles’ Best Colorist this year too!” Then he joked that, “Living in the South I made my name doing highlights and making blonds. Down here, that’s one thing that just never goes out. I joke that I built my house on highlights.”

Liz J. of Chicago, Illinois wrote about Derrick that “he is a genius with the foils. I was a client of his when he was in D.C., and I have traveled all the way to Nashville just to have him work his magic on my hair.... Well, actually, I used to live there so I was visiting friends. Regardless, it was a wonderful treat to also get to see Derrick! He was the best in D.C., and I am certain he is the best in Nashville. My next trip down to Nashville will be planned around my hair, and I will be sure and book an appointment with Derrick. He truly is the best colorist I’ve ever worked with!”

Derrick loves his job: “I really enjoy being with and working with different people every day. Some of my clients have been with me over ten years and building that relationship is one of my favorite things. I try to keep my personal life off the table—my clients know the basics—and just try to leave that time open for them to talk.”

2016 is going to be a Hot Mess!!! go to HotMesssports.com for More info!!!

Congratulations to Derrick Lachney for being voted Gay Faves Best Hair Stylist

2015

1508 demonbreun street / freshsalon.net / 615.739.5614 @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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DECEMBER 2015

Places

Our community lives and works in Nashville: where are our favorite places to go relax, see a show, catch a movie, or find a good book? Well, we wanted to know and you told us! And it turns out that our favorite place to take our visitors … is our own back yard.

Live Music Venue – Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium—revamped as a premier performance hall after reopening in 1994, and subsequently declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001—may be known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” but it has become so much more. While it plays host to “Opry at the Ryman” this diverse venue will also host acts as varied as Amy Grant and Vince Gill on the one hand and 2Cellos on the other.

Hotel – Hotel Indigo

Set in Printer’s Alley, Hotel Indigo is a hip, modern hotel housed in a former bank building. The chain is well-known for tailoring it’s hotels to local themes, so of course Nashville’s features a printerthemed lobby and a speakeasy inspired lounge. And located as it is less than a mile from the Country Music Hall of Fame and other downtown attractions, Hotel Indigo perfectly combines atmosphere with utility.

Place to Take Visitors – Five Points

Last year our readers felt like the old standards of Broadway were the best places to take guests in music city. This year they took a different approach and chose Five Points in East Nashville. This neighborhood is home to so many of our winners this year, from the restaurants of Sarah O’Neill and Margot McCormick to Mad Donna’s and Lipstick Lounge, so it’s natural that it would be where we’d want to take our friends to eat, play, and shop.

There are so many points of interest here, but the Idea Hatchery stands out.

This interesting complex of local small businesses—including famous vintage shops Hello Boys and Good Buy Girls, as well as East Side Story (a bookstore featuring ONLY Tennessee authors) and many others—is a uniquely Nashville experience.

Spiritual Place – Cross Point Church

This year, Cross Point Church beat out regular favorites Holy Trinity and Covenant of the Cross. This was cause for some measure of surprise because, though we were assured that LGBT congregants feel welcomed there, Cross Point has consistently refused to allow LGBT people to serve in leadership roles. When reached for comment, one of the church’s ministry staff did say that the church does not have a policy forbidding LGBT leaders, that she knows of, but that each person would be considered on a case-by-case basis. So far that has not yielded any affirmations of LGBT ministry.

Bookstore McKay Used Books

– Tennessee’s first McKay’s location opened in Knoxville in 1985, and then arrived in Nashville in 2007. Now it’s hard to imagine how we ever lived without it! From its bargain basement prices on everything from CDs and DVDs to comic books and great literature, it is a paradise of personal entertainment shopping.

Movie Theatre – Belcourt

The Belcourt is a throwback to another era. It even features honest-togoodness stages. This Nashville institution brings the best independent films to Nashville, while serving up classic movies (and cocktails from the bar) in various genres and hosting cultural events, such as Nashville’s Jewish Film Festival.

Recent news is that the Belcourt is in for major renovations that will change the face of this institution forever. It’s supposed to retain key elements of the old structures, but sketches of the plans do look frighteningly modern. What will we think of when it’s all said and done? I guess that’s a different year!

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Community

Nashville has a diverse and active LGBT community. It seems like there is always something going on, with organizations often double-booking activities and forcing us to choose! Honestly, if you tried to take advantage of half the opportunities, you’d have time for nothing else! So we have to prioritize, selecting the organizations (TEP, HRC, CARES, Music City Sisters, etc.) and activities (Grizzlies, HotMess, Nashville in Harmony, etc.) we deem most worthy of our efforts and energies. This year, our readers have selected a diverse and powerful slate of community representatives that remind us how much we have to be proud of.

Community Organization & Non-Profit – Nashville CARES

Nashville CARES dominated two categories with strong contenders, and it truly is one of Middle Tennessee’s most important organizations, not only for the LGBT community but for every community touched by HIV/AIDS. The organization has, for nearly three decades, pursued an audacious mission, “to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Middle Tennessee.

We work to achieve this through education, advocacy and support for those at risk for

or living with HIV.” In the last year alone, CARES has served thousands of people in Middle Tennessee, including offering testing services, support and mental health care, as well as food and bill assistance.

That’s a lot of lives touched.

Community Event – Pride

Nashville Pride was transformed into an epic celebration this year, beginning as it did on the day the Supreme Court announce the decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. By the time Pride began that night, the weddings had already started, and it was time to let the good times roll.

So far Nashville seems to be enjoying the new venue at Public square park, where the symbolism of celebrating in the public sphere was even more meaningful this year!

We have no doubt that we can continue to look forward to bigger and better things!

LGBT Sports Team – HotMess Kickball League

HotMess Kickball League graced the cover of O&AN in the June 2014, and our readers clearly can’t get enough of them!

But with well over 200 members playing last season, they have plenty of voters!

Since Derrick Lachney founded HotMess, it has grown from a kickball

league into a year-round sports league, featuring dodgeball and volleyball. “This summer we started volleyball,” Lachney said. Now the only month we don’t have something going on is December. In January, we are going back to the Sin City Shootout—we have two teams going to play kickball—and when we get back dodgeball starts almost immediately. In July we went to D.C. for the Stonewall Kickball tournament, so we’re traveling a little more as well.”

Lachney, who was awarded a Rising Star Award by Nashville Pride for his work with HotMess, says that his goal now is not to expand the league to other cities or add more sports, but to focus on growing the seasons he already has.

Local Politician – Mayor Megan Barry

THANKFULLY Nashville and Davidson County are bright blue beacon in a sea of red, and thus LGBT favored candidate Megan Barry handily defeated conservative Republican David Fox, to become Nashville’s first woman mayor.

There are many reasons to love Mayor Barry—from her support for nondiscrimination to her readiness to wait all day at the clerk’s office to marry LGBT

couples on the first day of marriage equality, remaining long after the cameras were gone. But what would we expect from such a kind person … who also happens to be the daughter of a gay man!

LGBT Musician – Cheley Tackett

Cheley Tackett is a talented lesbian musician, who was featured prominently in the November 2015 issue of O&AN. Most notable among her impressive work is one that has been requested at a number of LGBT weddings this year: That song is ‘Right Side of History,’ which Answers. com has described as a ‘call to arms for all to join the fight for gay rights.’ This year, the appeal of a song like that needs no explanation!

LGBT Artist/Actor – Casey Promise Thompson

Casey Thompson, also known as Casey Promise, is one of Nashville’s fastest rising stars in the visual arts and is on her way to becoming a well-known name in the national art circles. And what’s not to like: besides her visually stunning work, Promise, a resident of East Nashville likes to play her music loud and drink whiskey, while being creative. How Nashville!

@O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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DECEMBER 2015

Professional & Business Services As LGBT visibility continues to rise, our voices are heard in more and more realms.

But discrimination against LGBT people is still legal in this state, and we can be denied service with little warning. So we celebrate our favorite providers of business and professional services, people we know we can trust during tough, or important, times.

It’s great to know that our community has people and institutions it can turn to when necessary.

Lawyer – Abby Rubenfeld

Abby Rubenfeld is an icon in the LGBT civil rights movement. Rubenfeld has fought tirelessly to tear down the barriers faced by LGBT people. She led the drive to overturn Tennessee’s sodomy laws, years before she became famous as one of the lead attorneys in one of the cases that would end same-sex marriage discrimination in America. So, our readers rightfully salute her efforts, naming her our favorite lawyer for a third year in a row!

Dentist – East Side Smiles

You know, they say image is everything, and one of the first things people notice about a person is her or his smile. And for the third year in a row, East Side Smiles has been chosen by our readers

as the place they trust the most with their smiles.

A recent Yelp review had rave reviews for the office: “Dr. Hadley is awesome….

The technology they use is extremely up to date and this is so refreshing. Not to mention the finished product is more than AMAZING. The front office is warm and welcoming and will work with you any way they can to ensure you are happy. Overall, my experience was wonderful!”

Health Services – Vanderbilt University Medical Center

If Nashville weren’t Music City, chances are good it would be Hospital City, and of the many fine choices available, Vanderbilt is certainly one of the best known and most respected.

Vet – Murphy Road Animal Hospital

There are no pet owners quite like LGBT pet owners, and when it comes to pet care, we are a choosy lot. This year, Murphy Road Animal Hospital unseated Value Vet to take the top pet doc of choice among our readers! One customer’s review said, “I will never go to another vet again— the entire staff is fantastic, and they are incredibly customer-centric. Appointments

are easy to schedule, everything runs on time, they take plenty of time to help you understand your choices…”

Real Estate Agent – Blake Samples, Keller Williams Realty

An Alabama native and graduate of the University of Alabama, Samples moved to Nashville for work after graduating and fell in love with Nashville’s “big city, small town feel.” He lives in East Nashville, and is well known around town, and our readers obviously trust him to handle some of the biggest transactions they’ll ever make, which is high praise.

Bank – Regions

Regions Bank is a major financial institution that employs tens of thousands of people. Why is it the favored bank of Nashville’s LGBT community? The quality of service, no doubt. But Regions is also committed to “its mission of making

life better for our customers, communities and shareholders by creating shared value.”

One of those values is a thought-out commitment to diversity.

Pharmacy – Nashville Pharmacy Services

NPS Pharmacy is a unique independent pharmacy that has been serving the Southeast since 2001, when it was founded by Kevin Hartman. Hartman felt that there was an unmet need for a pharmacy that could offer things that the large chain pharmacies could not, things that could help improve the health and lives of the customers that it would serve.

Nashville Pharmacy Services has also been an active supporter of the Nashville LGBT community, acting as a corporate sponsor for many events.

LGBT-Owned Business – Lipstick Lounge

The Lipstick Lounge again takes top honors in this category. As you can see in our feature on page 14 & 16, it is an LGBT-owned business that truly engages that sometimes-forgotten community spirit of openness and welcome for all people, LGBT or otherwise. As they say on their website, “Come as you are, no matter what you are. You’re part of the human family, and this is your home.”

LGBT­-Owned New Business – Homegrown Taproom

Homegrown Taproom & Marketplace is a neighborhood craft beer taproom and local food market in Donelson. It serves as an outlet for local products, in particular craft beer. The concept, products, and people of Homegrown are community driven and a true demonstration of the word homegrown. We look forward to hearing more from and about this new LGBTowned venture! @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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Wedding Services

We have added the Wedding Services category to our survey for the first time.

Something tells us we don’t have to explain that one to you! After years of missing out on all the LGBT marriage revenue, local service providers can now reap the rewards of a more open and just society. And of course we all already have our favorites!

Wedding Venue – Belmont Mansion

Belmont Mansion bills itself as “one of the most elegant and affordable Nashville wedding venues.” Something tells us that affordable is a relative term (as in I hope you have a rich relative)! Belmont Mansion offers the prospective couple the chance to get hitched in “one of the most stately and opulent homes in the antebellum south,” and they tout their many on-hand amenities as the extras that make them a “great value.”

Wedding Coordinator – Brandon Rich

Brandon Rich offers wedding officiating, wedding coordinating/event planning and event venue management services, as well as consulting and publicity services for churches or business owners in the event industry or for other types of ventures.

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Caterer – Cindy Pearson, Lipstick Lounge

Cindy Pearson may be relatively new to the Nashville catering scene, but she aims to take it by storm. Read more about her, and why she should be catering every LGBT wedding in Nashville, on page 14 & 16!

Wedding Florist – Phillipe Chadwick

Phillipe Chadwick is a wedding florist of exceptional caliber, having worked as a horticulturist at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens where his design acumen helped shape the direction of the gardens. His resume includes The Antiques and Garden Show, the TPAC gala, and Chukkers for Charity. Occasionally, he hosts Volunteer Gardener on NPT. If there is one issue with his work, it’s that his flower designs could prove to steal the show…. Trust us, it’s worth the risk!

Wedding Photographer – Myl Pac

Myl Pac is one of the best known LGBT photographers in Nashville. He has appeared as a special guest on Out & About Today, and volunteers his services to LGBT events, such as TEP’s Olympus. Our readers appreciate both the quality of his work,

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DECEMBER 2015

which is exemplary, and his commitment to the community, and they have shown it by voting him our first Best Wedding Photographer.

Wedding Cake – Nashville Sweets

Our readers chose Nashville Sweets as their favorite place to get a wedding cake.

Founders Brittany Pulley and Danielle Worley “believe every sweet can be art and should be beautiful, delicious and made with a whole lot of passion, care and laughter. Their creations reflect the style and personalities of their clients. Creative challenges and new projects are always welcome!”

Rehearsal Dinner – Germantown Café

Germantown Café boasts of a “reputation not based on any gimmicks, but rather pure quality in dining, service, and ambience.” The reviews agree, and then some. Given its upscale atmosphere and New American cuisine, it’s easy to see why most of our readers agreed that this is THE place to host a simply elegant, inspired rehearsal dinner. But if you want to stop by just for dinner, you should know they require reservations for the evening meal.

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HRC NASHVILLE FEDERAL CLUB HOSTS JIM OBERGEFELL

ADVOCATES CELEBRATE A HERO, LOOK FORWARD TO WORK AHEAD JAMES GRADY

illness and loss of his beloved partner—and whose world was profoundly changed in the process. His “accidental” involvement would, of course, end up changing the world at large and impact the lives of LGBT Americans everywhere.

While a major point of the event to celebrate this major victory with one of its heroes, perhaps more importantly it allowed HRC to introduce its NFC members to the immense work remaining for advocates.

Of particular interest is the HRC’s work on behalf of the Equality Act, which would protect LGBT Americans from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

“Marriage equality is not the end,” said Humble, “it is only the beginning.

The Equality Act is an important for us all, especially the transgender community.

We all must also work to end violence and discrimination that our transgender and gender nonconforming people face at epidemic levels. We’re all one community of LGBT, and we must continue to work together!”

Photos: Myl Pac Photography, Courtesy of HRC Nashville

Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that brought marriage equality to the United States as a whole, visited Nashville on November 10, 2015, for an HRC Nashville Federal Club (NFC) event.

The event served as yet another celebration of marriage equality, and one of the fight’s most well-known heroes, and as the NFC’s holiday party.

The evening was sponsored by Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, England. It is the world’s largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine, and has been a major supporter of HRC’s work worldwide.

According to Jeffery Humble, co-chair of NFC, Nashville’s party, which celebrated the work of the HRC and looks forward to what remains to be done, will be the first of a series of such parties supported by Diageo.

Obergefell presented himself humbly, as he tends to do, as an accidental activist who became involved in the equality movement by chance—through the sad

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

DECEMBER 2015

35

TTPC HOLDS ANNUAL DINNER

SENATOR SARAH KYLE OF MEMPHIS TO SPONSOR BIRTH CERTIFICATE LEGISLATION JAMES GRADY

This year, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) held its annual dinner on Friday, November 13, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville. The keynote speaker at the annual fundraiser was State Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis).

Kyle was the sponsor of the Tennessee Non Discrimination Act earlier this year, and has agreed to reintroduce the Birth Certificate Fairness Act in 2016.

While the TTPC’s lobbyist, Marisa Richmond, highlighted progress in trans rights in Tennessee, she noted, “The

36

Tennessee General Assembly has been a problem, that’s no secret. Our legislation has not yet passed, though we continue to propose legislation. As we just saw on Tuesday, trans youth in our state are under attack… [Bud Hulsey] has suggested he wants to criminalize the use of school facilities by transgender youth in this state. We fought successful against the bathroom bill in 2012, but it’s going to be back in 2016. And the work of the TTPC and your support for our work is going to help us defeat that again!”

Kyle, who has pledged to introduce

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DECEMBER 2015

legislation allowing trans people in Tennessee to get the gender on their birth certificates changed, told the assembled activists and supporters, that the TTPC is “allowing me to do something that my family has always done, and that’s fight for equality....

Now it’s my turn to fight for equal rights. It’s a drive that’s with me every day.”

Briefly addressing the history of women’s rights, Kyle pledged that “the fight for gender equality still goes on today. Some progress yes, but there is a lot more yet to come…. The key to moving society forward is never give up and never lose hope.”

“There is no doubt that being transgender in today’s society is unreasonably hard, but there is hope that one day this will not be the case,” she said. “Thanks to organizations like yours, and more Americans that are

joining your efforts, we have become more familiar with what the term means, that it covers a very extensive range of individuals, and that don’t identify with the gender on their birth certificates. And that is why I’ve decided to sponsor a bill for the upcoming session that provides for birth certificate to be changed to reflect gender.”

Besides being a matter of social justice, Kyle said, the move, which is unlikely to pass but which she pledges to continue to promote, would bring the state in line with the rest of the states, and federal law. “Currently Tennessee is the only state that completely bans such changes, and since that ban entered the books in 1977 no one looks at us and says, ‘We want to follow you!’ And that includes every state that borders ours, all of which allow at least some to change their birth certificates.”

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LGBT NASHVILLE GOES ALL OUT FOR

HALLOWEEN This year, Halloween fell on Saturday, which means that this most revered of LGBT holidays could stretch out over an entire weekend. For two-and-a-half nights, the community donned cinematic-grade costumes and airbrushed abs and presented themselves for display at all of Nashville’s LGBT haunts, participating in events from the Music City Sisters’ “Bitches Ball” to costume contests at most of the LGBT bars in the city. Even a quick glance at how our community turned out this year will help anyone understand why Halloween is truly

Photos: Kazu Hishida & James Grady

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DECEMBER 2015

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I guess I need to put it like this. Everyone is different in how they do things and how they look at things. And that is ok.

I look at things like this: don’t get in the drama because you will only hurt yourself, be true to yourself, and don’t lose who you are. Everyone else thinks you need to be something or someone you’re not. It’s not been easy, but I am grateful for it everything I have gotten to do so far.

A KIKI WITH PAIGE TURNER | @PaigeTurner01

This month’s edition of Untucked, we had a great kiki with the amazing Christina Rae. She has been all over the Nashville scene for years, starting back at Cabaret 2 with some of the greatest performers in Nashville’s drag history.

She is a high energy gal with good ole southern flair and charm. So sit back and enjoy as we get to know this incredible staple of our drag community.

What can you tell us about your first time in drag?

I started going to the Connection when it was open here in Nashville to watch the shows. I was so intrigued by all the great costumes and entertainers. So one night I went to The Cabaret Episode 2 for a talent night. I showed up with a pair of tie dye pants and a tank top and wanted

to go out and do a P!nk song, and I thought I was something. Santana was in the back and said nope. He sat me down, gave me some makeup and some boobs, and put a wig on my head, and said, “Ok, that’s a start.” So it began.

Who are some drag performers that inspire you?

Samantha Close, Bianca Paige, The Princess, Nichole Ellington Dupree, Deception and so many more!

How do you differ from other drag performers?

Well, I have now been given the name mama, because I guess that is really how I am. I love performing and helping others, and, when I do, my heart and soul is there. I love it and wish I could do more of it. It is a great outlet for me. But,

What is your favorite song or performance?

I do a lot of P!nk and Jessie J, because it is close to my style. I would have to say right now Jessie J’s “Flashlight” and P!nk’s “So What?” I get told I do a great P!nk, so I keep studying.

You’re known for your emotional ballad performances. Where do you draw that emotion from?

Life experience can be a great way of channeling emotions for it. Listen to the music and find some point in your life you can relate to it…. When you do that you can connect with the audience and they feel your feelings and it is something amazing happens every time.

Would you say the drag scene is more political here or in other cities?

Well as most know I don’t get into the politics, but it’s everywhere really. That is another thing so many people deal

with that I think is sad.

Do you feel the pageant world is more political than the drag community as a whole?

Yes and no…. A lot of people have their opinions about some pageants: you need to be competing for five or six years before you might possibly win, and some you may not. I can also say that, for some queens and kings, it may take a few years to even understand the pageant system and be able to put together a great winning package. So that is where it can be a hit or miss.

How does your family feel about you doing drag or even being gay?

For the most part my family is very accepting. I have a loving husband, dad, mom, and grandfather who have seen me.

If my grandmother were still here, I am sure she would come to see me, which is amazing. I wish more people had that kind of support. My grandfather is 84 years old and makes my mom bring him to Play Dance Bar to my performances on the Open Stage Nights.

Was it always that easy?

This is a hard topic. My mom was 15 and dad was 18 when I was born. My grandparents did a lot of the raising of me. I was raised on a farm in the country, which caused me to have to stay in the closet for a long time. I went through hell falling out of that closet. I have had to learn to accept myself, and living out there you don’t have an LGBT support group. I am glad so many kids have that more so now than I did.

Have you faced other hardships due to being a drag performer?

Drag is not cheap as a lot of people know. So pushing myself to become a better entertainer costs a lot financially and you push yourself mentally. It is easy to go buy a shirt and pants off the rack, but it takes thought and planning to really make drag come to life. I know, believe me I have had to do the off the rack thing in my life. Don’t think for a second people will not clock you for it.

Did drag strain your love life?

Over the years it’s been hit and miss.

Dating can be really hard when you are a drag queen. There are so many people that look at you being a drag queen as being such a negative thing as if you’re not good enough to date and won’t give you the time a day because of it. I am glad that today I have a caring and loving husband. I wish so many others could

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DECEMBER 2015

find that also.

How has your profession and lifestyle affected the holidays?

I have missed a few Thanksgivings and Christmas’s because of either shows or because of family acceptance.

Sometimes in my mind it was easier just to stay away. Some of my family now I don’t visit because of that. I have learned to accept and love myself and that is what is important.

What is it like during the holidays for drag entertainer?

It is an interesting time. Usually there are lots of parties and special events going

on. But as a show performer you do have to miss family events if they live out of town. It’s like retail: you have a job to do and you have to realize our fellow entertainers are family also.

Christina Rae performs at Play Dance Bar the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, and at Lipstick Lounge the 1st Friday of the month. She will also be an occasional guest at Mad Donna’s Drag Bingo. You can follow her on Facebook.com/christina.rae.9210 and on Twitter @christinarae84. Walker Photography does a good deal of her photos, and you can check them out on Facebook as well.

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41

THE PRESSURE TO BE HE OR SHE

Photos: Julius Greene

PART TWO

BOBBI WILLIAMS

I worked for a Fortune 100 global corporation, where a member of the local transgender club also worked. When she decided to make ‘the transition,’ she contacted Human Resources, and I’m happy to say they were extremely cooperative. At the designated time, they called a meeting of her co-workers, announced her intention, and explained to them that, beginning on June 1st, ‘he’ would be ‘she’ and the attitudes of the staff should adjust accordingly. The transition went smoothly, and once she had her surgery she was regarded as a female member of the staff.

But what happens if I go to HR and tell them I’m neither, that some days I’m George and some days I’m Bobbi and most days I’m a bit of each. Can I wear a dress to work tomorrow and a tie and jacket the day after that? Can I go home at lunch and ditch the pantyhose and heels for a pair of Levis and hiking boots? No way. (Belle Mead’s Highheel Neil got away with it, but then the wealthy can set their own standards.)

Corporate America has budged only slightly. They still subscribe to the male/

female binary system. You must be one or the other; you can change from one to the other, but the dual classification system remains intact.

When I went to work for another major corporation with a military contract, I included my other identity on the application, knowing that I would need a security clearance and not wishing to hide anything. When I was told I got the job I was surprised and delighted and asked the HR officer about it.

“You’re not hiding anything,” she said. “That’s all the FBI cares about.”

But then she smiled and said “So, who’s coming to work?”

“Pardon?” I asked.

“George or Bobbi?” she inquired.

I shrugged.

She shook her head. “The security people would have a problem if George showed up one day and Bobbi the next.”

I sighed. Considering (and sympathizing with) the women who need more time to get ready in the morning (especially since starting time was 7:00 a.m.), I chose George.

Likewise, some transgender people feel they have to choose. Many regard the crossdresser as a closet transsexual, someone who just isn’t ‘there’ yet.

The transsexual, on the other hand, has become the hero (heroine?) of the transgender movement. To declare oneself TS is the acceptable thing to do.

Anything less is poo-pooed.

I have no quarrel with my

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DECEMBER 2015

transsexual brothers and sisters who feel they must align their physicality with their psychology. And I support and encourage the changes necessary to make that transition easier. But there is an undercurrent that I find disturbing.

It’s the need to have everyone else “join the club.”

For those who have made the transition, another person making that choice adds greater validity to their own decision. It confirms the binary system.

And it confirms the correctness of their own choice.

But once the choice is made, are the post-op TS’s always satisfied?

Thousands have made the transition, but we have no reliable follow-up studies assessing the extent to which they are or are not happy with their decision.

The names and accompanying data are there, in the medical records of those who have had “the surgery,” but the medical profession is not about to support follow-up studies of the post-op TS and the HIPPA laws would certainly present a problem for researchers. But what if a significant number believe they made the wrong decision? What if they are unhappy, dissatisfied, or discontented with their new lives? That would mean that the medical profession made a tragic mistake.

Perhaps even more discouraging is that there’s no source of data for the crossdressing population. We don’t even know the numbers (the estimates range from 1% to 40% of the male population). The only source we have is from the psychological/psychiatric community, and even then it’s a skewed data set, consisting of only the ‘reported’ cases. (My own suspicion is that there

“THE SECURITY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM IF GEORGE SHOWED UP ONE DAY AND BOBBI THE NEXT.” are far more crossdressers in the closet who never seek psychological ‘help.’)

So what we’re left with is the traditional binary system that represses variance in gender expression and forces the majority of the TG population into the classic either/or conflict. Even the transgender community offers only two doors— the lady or the tiger. And so much for diversity.

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The Human Aura in Art

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This exhibition was organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. It is made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Dedalus Foundation, Inc. Additional support has been provided by the Frist Center’s Friends of Contemporary Art. Deborah Luster (American, b. 1951). LCIW81 LCIW81, from One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana (detail), 2000. Denise Howard, St. Gabriel, Louisiana, doc #357771, dob 10.7.65, pob New Orleans, sentence 3 years, 1 child. No work. Halloween, Haunted House. Gelatin silver print on aluminum, edition 18 of 25, 15 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Š Deborah Luster

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