O&AN | January 2016

A RUR AL LGBT HUB LIKE NO OTHER

OUTANDABOUT NASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 1

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O&AN EXPANDS DISTRIBUTION HERMITAGE, MT. JULIET, LEBANON AND MURFREESBORO ADDED Out & About Nashville, (O&AN) Tennessee’s only monthly LGBT publication, has added several new cities to its distribution list, boosting circulation by several thousand.

Kroger stores in Murfreesboro, Smyrna, LaVergne, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon and Hermitage now carry the publication.

DistribuTech, which handles the free publication racks for Kroger, is managing the process for O&AN. “We are excited to be able to expand distribution to these great areas and make it even easier for our readers to find a copy,” said Jerry Jones, president and publisher of O&AN. “Since 2007 we’ve offered O&AN in select Kroger stores and our readers have repeatedly told us they love the convenience of being able to pick up a copy when they do their regular grocery shopping.”

Some twenty-nine Kroger stores now carry O&AN, which is also distributed at more than 130 other locations throughout the greater Nashville area.

“The expanded distribution allows even greater opportunity for our advertisers,” said Eric Ginsberg, O&AN director of marketing, sales and events. “Print and online distribution now reach more than 50,000 readers in Middle Tennessee.”

For a partial list of other distribution points, visit outandaboutnashville.com/ archives.

FAX 615-246-2787 PHONE 615-596-6210

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STAFF

Publisher : Jerry Jones jjones@outandaboutnashville.com

Managing Print Editor : James Grady jgrady@outandaboutnashville.com

Managing Digital Editor: Joseph Brant jbrant@outandaboutnashville.com

Director of Sales, Marketing, and Events : Eric Ginsberg eginsberg@outandaboutnashville.com

Account Executive : Michael Price mprice@outandaboutnashville.com

Advertising Design : Donna Huff dhuff@outandaboutnashville.com

Layout & Production : Mike Moore mmoore@outandaboutnashville.com

Webmaster : Ryan Huber rhuber@outandaboutnashville.com

Distribution : George Webster gwebster@outandaboutnashville.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Writers: James Grady, Blake Jennings, Cindy Pearson, Amy Sulam, Brian Sullivan, Paige Turner, Bobbi Williams Photographers: Steve Becker, James Grady, Julius Greene, Joan Marcus Cover Photograph: Steve Becker Cartoonist: Damon Xanthopoulos National Advertising Representative: Rivendell Media 1248 Route 22 West Mountainside, NJ 07092 212-242-6863

OPPORTUNITIES

Out & About Nashville welcomes volunteer writers, photographers and videographers throughout the year. If you’re interested in contributing to our publication, send an email to editor@outandaboutnashville.com with a resume, contact information and samples of your work if available. Our volunteer staff is unpaid, but contributors do receive credit for their work in our print publication and online. Those seeking an internship in journalism or mass communications are strongly encouraged to apply.

LEGAL Out & About Nashville strives to be a credible community news organization by engaging and educating our readers. All content of Out & About Nashville is copyrighted 2016 by Out & About Nashville, Inc. and is protected by federal copyright law and shall not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. All photography is licensed stock imagery or has been supplied unless otherwise credited to a photographer and may not be reproduced without permission. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representations does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of the person or persons.

Out & About Nashville accepts unsolicited material but cannot take responsibility for its return. The editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit submissions. All rights revert to authors upon publication. The editorial positions of Out & About Nashville are expressed in editorials and in the editor’s notes as determined by the editor. Other opinions are those of writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Out & About Nashville or its staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged but may be edited for clarity and length. There is no guarantee that letters will be published.

Out & About Nashville only accepts adult advertising within set guidelines and on a case-by-case basis.

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HER HRC PRESENTS ‘WOMEN ROCK!’

A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND EMPOWERMENT AT 3RD & LINDSLEY JAMES GRADY

Her HRC is an initiative of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) that seeks to engage women in the mission of the organization through a nationwide programming drive. The organization’s stated goal is for the program to “gather women to both celebrate and build a greater sense of community while learning about the importance of engaging in the LGBT civil rights movement. This program expands and diversifies HRC’s membership through events hosted across the country towards the beginning of each calendar year.”

According to HRC Nashville Chair of Pride and Membership Outreach Blake Brockway, “Her HRC originated in Nashville in 2007 and has quickly spread throughout the country as a national program. The event kinda tapered off in after a couple of strong years but had a rebirth in 2014 as a yearly concert series featuring local and national singer-songwriters.”

This year, events will be held in conjunction with this program across the country, with programs including everything from “live performances to comedy to film screenings to everything in between” and local programs are tailored to local markets. Thus it comes as little surprise that HRC Nashville’s program would be a concert!

This years program features some of Music City’s, and Tennessee’s, most amazingly talented female singersongwriters, including Garrison Starr, Meghan Linsey, Jamie Floyd, Maggie Rose, Sinclair, Steff Mahan, and Kimberly Quinn.

Starr, a Memphis “native” from suburb Hernando, Mississippi, has developed a respected name in music, since her 1997 hit album Eighteen Over Me. With over ten albums and EPs released, it’s clear that she’s worked steadily ever since. He recent EP, The Forgotten Street, received a rave review in Curve Magazine: “[‘Halfway Whole’] is so stunning that everything that follows has to struggle out of its shadow, but the other four cuts step up to meet the challenge.”

Linsey is an amazing and well-known local talent. The New Orleans native began developing a career in her mid-teens, when she was already opening shows for the likes of Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. While studying music at Belmont in Nashville, she continued to perform until she found

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wider fame as a contestant on the 2015 season of The Voice.

Jamie Floyd is another young artist who came to Nashville for Belmont.

Floyd has been actively writing songs and performing since her pre-teens, and when she found herself unable to afford to continue at Belmont, she dove headfirst into a music scene already well known to her.

Having written songs recorded by artists from Ronnie Dunn and Brian McKnight to Kelly Pickler, Floyd is currently working on an EP of her own work entitled Sunshine and Rainbows.

Given that this year’s event, like so many others, celebrates the accomplishments of last year and gathers support for the coming fight to secure LGBT rights, Floyd views events like this as very important. With Tennessee and so many other states facing efforts to obstruct LGBT rights, she said, “I believe the last thing we should be doing as a community is standing in opposition to love. In a world so full of hatred and darkness, my personal mission is to celebrate and empower any and all people who have found love with each other. I feel like I am doing that by supporting HRC and being a part of this incredible night of music!”

Steff Mahan is a Nashville-based artist with five albums to her credit in a style described as an “Americana mix of rock, roots, folk and country.” Mahan is an extraordinarily busy performer, playing around 200 dates a year, but she is especially excited for the Her Nashville event. “What I love about this event,” she said, “is that it empowers women. It makes us one for a common good. Oh, plus it’s kick ass fun!”

“We are so excited this year to have so many amazing artists,” said Brockway.

“We have a wide variety of genres represented, including country, pop, indie rock and soul. We couldn’t be more thrilled about the support of the community for this program—VIP tickets sold out in one week and hopefully the remaining general admission tickets will sell out as well, as in previous years.”

For information and to purchase tickets, visit HRC.org/herhrcnashville.

Tickets will be $15 in advance or $18 at door, and all tickets include an annual membership to HRC. The event will be held at 3rd & Lindsley on January 22, 2016: the doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show starts at 7:00 p.m.

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

Steff Mahan

Kimberly Quinn

Sinclair

Jamie Floyd

COMFORT FOOD FOR THE NEW YEAR THE ‘OTHER WHITE MEAT’ CINDY PEARSON

Happy New Year! As we start out 2016, most of us have enjoyed more than our fair share of turkey and all the fixins throughout Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. I’d like to share one of my favorite “other white meat” recipes.

I am originally from North Carolina, and we are serious about our barbecue. The following is my spin on Eastern North Carolina barbecue.

1 (5-7 lb) pork shoulder Dry rub: 3 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon dry mustard 3 tablespoons coarse salt 2 tablespoons hickory smoked salt/pepper 2 tablespoons instant espresso 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cindy Pearson

Mix up rub and roll the shoulder on all sides with the rub. Leave excess rub in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add 1 bottle of your favorite beer to the bottom of the pan, and roast the shoulder in the oven at 300 degrees for 6 hours.

The meat should fall off the bone.

Once the pork has rested for 10 mins, pull the pork off with 2 forks. Use your favorite bbq sauce (I make a vinegar based peach habanero sauce) and mix the sauce with your pulled pork.

In North Carolina we prefer coleslaw on our sandwich. I used a blue cheese coleslaw to infuse a little sweet robust creaminess with the spicy bbq sauce.

I hope you enjoy the new year with this recipe, and bon appetit!

Cindy Pearson is the chef at Lipstick Lounge Catering, and the winner of Out & About Nashville’s 2015 Best Caterer. For more information about catering, visit www.facebook. com/lipstickcaters, or call 919-6219777. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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A B S T R A C T S • L A N D S C A P E S • C O M M I S S I O N E D P O RT R A I T S

NASHVILLE LGBT CHAMBER THROWS ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY NEWLY ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS ANNOUNCED BRIAN SULLIVAN

Photos: Courtesy of Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce via Facebook

The Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce held its annual holiday party and December meeting recently in the heart of downtown, and the group is already anticipating a prosperous 2016.

The event was hosted by national law firm Waller, Lansden, Dortch, & Davis inside the beautiful Nashville City Center, providing a phenomenal view. TASTE Award-winning Savor the Flavor catered the event, and attendees were asked to bring lightly worn or new business clothes for a professional clothing drive. The clothes were donated to local transgender support groups T-Vals and T-Men. Executive Director Lisa Howe highlighted the mission of the Chamber and the importance of businesses representing themselves as friendly to the LGBT community but also of LGBT owned businesses to identify as such. She said the Chamber has received numerous requests from federal agencies wanting to know things like whether members of the Chamber, or LGBT businesses more broadly, had engaged in applying for business loans, and if so whether they had been accepted or rejected.

The numbers remain unclear, even to the government, so Howe told the leaders present, “It’s imperative that people in our community who are able stand out and self-identify do so. We need them in order to further our mission and to be that voice.”

The 2016 Board’s members are: Joe Woolley, President Ron Snitker, Vice President Cathy Werthan, Treasurer Taylor Wirth, Secretary Joey Amato Greg Cason Donna Drehmann Deb Grant Clayton Klutts Joyce McDaniel Sara McManigal David McMurry Bob Rehley Brad Pinson Chris Robinette Dustin Turner “I am excited to work with the new Executive Board and new Board members in 2016,” says Howe. “I applaud the Board Search Committee for their commitment to increasing the diversity of our Board of Directors. It is a seamless transition for me since many of our new Board members have been working with the LGBT Chamber for a year or more as a committee member, volunteer, or representative of the LGBT Chamber.”

The Chamber is also continuing to bring on new businesses as it moves into 2016, including Addiction Campuses, Doubletree

by Hilton Nashville Downtown, Belcourt Theatre, TapSnap1071, and viaONEHOPE.

NEW 2016 BOARD MEMBERS David McMurry—David brings successful experience in sales, management, property management, customer experience, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to a leadership position with the MadisonRivergate Chamber of Commerce, David is active in Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Nashville, and Relay for Life.

Bob Rehley—Bob is the owner of AlphaGraphics Music City, a print and marketing communications company based in East Nashville.

Prior to opening AG in 2013, Bob was a senior financial officer at Gibson Guitar, EnPro Industries, and Metaldyne. He held management positions at Cummins, Upjohn, and UNISYS. Joey Amato—Joey began his career in New York City as part of the marketing team for Sony Music. His passion for art and music has led him to begin multiple enterprises around the industry, including the quarterly UNITE Magazine and Agency33.

UNITE began in Nashville and has grown to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Richmond. Agency33 clients include Peter Max, Mick Fleetwood, and Jane Seymour.

Deborah Grant—Deb brings human resources experience from across the country from Vermont to the Pacific Northwest with a stop in between in Wisconsin. Currently, she advises on employment and labor relations at Vanderbilt University. As Executive Director of Human Resources at the university, Deborah and her team just worked through the separation of the university from the medical center.

Donna Drehmann—Donna is a customer experience leader across multiple industries including insurance and telecommunications.

She is certified in Net Promoter Score methodology which she uses to help businesses develop customer experience strategies and reduce the number of customer complaints.

She owns her own business, Listen, Learn, Live, LLC. Donna is an active Board member with the Belcourt Theatre, NAWBO, and CABLE. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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JANUARY 2016

BEWARE, CHILDREN MAY BE FLUNG

Matilda: The Musical

and about harnessing intelligence and courage to combat seemingly impossible odds. And according to cast-member Jaquez Lee Simms, who plays a flamboyant ball-room dancer named Rudolpho in the play, these are invaluable lessons for today’s world.

“Matilda teaches you how to be a bold and forthcoming individual,” said Simms. “It’s about education and awareness. As a world dealing with constant threats of terrorist attacks, generational apathy, and emotional impulsiveness, we’ve come to a point where we need to think more with our brains than with our emotions. And Matilda teaches us how to do that.”

Typical of anything related to Roald Dahl, Matilda is as malevolent a musical as it is sweet, coated with a litany of grim scenes other plays centered on child leads wouldn’t dare to show.

Children are verbally assaulted, a poor girl is flung by her pig tails off the stage, and then there’s that horrifying, rottentoothed principal, Mrs. Trunchbull, whose hobbies include child flinging and fashioning creative insults, such as “stand up you little spitball.”

But no one ever said being a kid was easy, and according to Simms, Matilda’s scariness might actually be helpful for younger kids in the long term. “Fear is a feeling that we all have, and it’s something that we will all eventually have to deal with,” said Simms. “But Matilda teaches us how to deal with that fear, and that if you harness that fear in just the right way, you can take it and turn it into an incredible opportunity.

Reality is scary, and I think it’s important for kids to learn that at an early age.”

Still it wouldn’t be unwise for parents to take caution when deciding whether or not Matilda is too much for their younger children.

Performances of Matilda: The Musical will be held from January 26th to the 31st at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Andrew Jackson Hall. Tickets begin at $80. Further information about Matilda, including ticket prices and times, can be viewed at TPAC’s website or on Matildathemusical.com.

Photos: Joan Marcus

BLAKE JENNINGS

If there’s one lesson to take away from Roald Dahl’s Matilda, it’s that you should never underestimate a five-year-old with a taste for Dostoevsky. Similarly, it’d be best not to judge Matilda: The Musical as mere Broadway fare for juniors. What might at first glance look like a kidsonly outing, and a real drag for parents, turns out to be one of the decade’s most revered and culturally relevant musicals.

Based upon Roald Dahl’s classic tale of a prodigious and plucky whiz kid, Matilda: The Musical has been wowing critics since its London inception in 2011. In 2013, Time magazine deemed it “The best musical since The Lion King” and famed New York Times critic Ben Brantley called it “the most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain.” Seeing that this play hails from the same roots as musicals like Les Miserables and theatre masters like Andrew Lloyd Weber, this hardly comes across as weak praise.

Now after four years, Matilda will be making its first trek to TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall, and for one week only audiences will finally be able to fully appreciate what makes Matilda such a special experience.

Matilda tells the tale of Matilda Wormwood, a brilliant but mischievous six-year-old who’s stuck with a vain, TV-guzzling family that refuses to understand her love for learning. They have trouble even recognizing she’s a girl!

Matilda’s life is made even more intolerable when she begins attending the prison-like school Crunchem Hall, ran by the hunch-backed tyrant Mrs. Trunchbull, who has a rather inscrutable hatred of little children. Her motto: ‘Children are maggots.’ To survive this academic inferno, Matilda must use her ingenious wits and forthcoming bravery to overcome a society of constant oppression and cynicism.

With its manic energy, deftly crafted songs, and colorful, labyrinthine sets, Matilda offers a charm and complexity that would make Annie hang her head in shame. But what one might not expect from Matilda is its subversive relevance.

It’s a tale about overcoming adversity,

COMES TO TPAC

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

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‘TIS THE SEASON FOR...FAMILY FEUDING TRIBE EVENT CELEBRATES STAR WARS RELEASE JAMES GRADY

We all know that the holidays are a special time of year—especially since the big Hollywood studios realized that, after fifteen minutes with our extended families, we are all looking to lose ourselves in a dark theatre with epic movies!

This year, without question, the newest installment of the Star Wars saga will be the movie to save more relationships than any other. The folks over at Tribe decided to celebrate this new release, quite fittingly, by hosting a Family Feud-style event, bringing together community organizations for a little light-hearted competition mostly centered around Star Wars trivia and wild speculation (surveys), as well as a lot of beer.

This event, a reprisal of a crowd favorite event usually held during Pride week, was hosted as always by the Princess, and featured the Nashville Grizzlies and the Stone Lions (Nashville women’s rugby team), the Music City Sisters, and the Street Theatre Company.

The winner of these four teams, the Grizzlies, went head-to-head with a gaggle of pink-clad queens and emerged victorious.

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NASHVILLE MARKS 28TH WORLD AIDS DAY SISTERS’ EVENT DRAWS SIZEABLE CROWD JAMES GRADY

World AIDS Day—the first ever global health day event—has been held annually on December 1st since 1988 on the 1st December. Each year it marks an opportunity for people around the globe to unite in the fight against HIV, to support people living with HIV, and to commemorate people who have died.

World AIDS Day serves as an important reminder that, while the global pandemic may be increasingly under control and that HIV may be well on its way to becoming a chronic, rather than fatal, condition in the developed world, a great deal of work remains to be done.

It is estimated that around 35 million people around the globe currently have HIV (a number roughly equal to those who have already died in the pandemic), and many countries now have laws protecting those with HIV from discrimination and abuse. Billions of dollars are spent annually working towards treatments of and cures for the infection, as well as funding prevention.

Nevertheless, new infection rates remain high, especially in regions like the South. Memphis, Tennessee, has one of the highest rates of new infections in the Unites States according to the CDC. The South accounts for a disproportionate number of new infections and, far more troublingly, for undiagnosed and untreated cases of HIV. The state of HIV in the South can be explained, to a great deal, by continuing ignorance about HIV, how it’s transmitted, and who is at risk. While we pride ourselves in moving knowledge forward,

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a recent study showed that 16% of Americans believe you can contract HIV from kissing, up 10% from a decade ago! Those infected with HIV may also be unaware of the many resources available for them in the community, through organizations like CARES and local health departments.

Social stigma about HIV also exacerbates the pandemic, since it prevents people from being tested. Simply put, the burden of what an HIV diagnosis means socially intimidates many people who are at risk so much that they would rather not know they have contracted the virus. This can, in turn, place their sexual partners and others at greater risk for new infection.

Organizations like Nashville CARES, the Mr. Friendly Campaign, and the Music City Sisters— among many others—have been working to increase knowledge about HIV and our community resources, and to combat stigma in our community.

This year for World AIDS Day in Nashville, CARES collected goods for “CARES packages” for its clients, as well as hosting a large free testing event on MTSU’s campus. The Music City Sisters organized a candle-light vigil at OutCentral for the greater Nashville community to come together and share thoughts and feelings about how HIV has impacted our community, as well as to support those with HIV and to remember those we have lost.

The event began with a reception in OutCentral, followed by a public gathering on the sidewalk, featuring live music, and a march down church to the I-40 overpass.

JANUARY 2016

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Photos: James Grady and Brett Kling

HRC’S 2015 MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX RATES 408 CITIES TENNESSEE, SOUTHEASTERN CITIES FARE POORLY JAMES GRADY

Many people are familiar with the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a ranking the nation’s largest employers on their commitment to equality for LGBT employees and consumers that HRC has released for the last fourteen years.

Less well known is the organization’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI), which ranks a growing number of the nation’s cities on their treatment of LGBT citizens.

According to the HRC, the “MEI rates cities based on 41 criteria that fall into five broad categories: 1) Non-discrimination laws, 2) Municipal employment policies, including transgender-inclusive insurance coverage and non-discrimination requirements for contractors, 3) Inclusiveness of city services, 4) Law enforcement, including hate crimes reporting, and 5) Municipal leadership on matters of equality.”

Forty-seven cities scored a perfect score this year, and at least one city in each region achieved the top score. In the Southeast, only Atlanta, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky garnered perfect 100s. This number has quadrupled since the MEI was initiated in 2012.

But even 100s can be deceptive, because a 100 does not guarantee a city “All-Star” status, because cities in states

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that have progressive laws may get score boosts from policies they aren’t responsible for. To be a MEI All-Star, a city must “score above 85 without relying on good state law (non-discrimination)” for their score. Not surprisingly, both Louisville and Atlanta made the cut, since both earned their 100s despite being in regressive states.

The Tennessee results are underwhelming, but consider this: every city in Tennessee received 12 points for simply reporting 2013 hate crime statistics to the FBI. Now while there is no requirement that they do so, this reporting takes almost no work for or commitment to the LGBT populace. If a department decided not to report and you take those 12 points away, Tennessee’s scores are even more miserable.

On the other hand, the state of Tennessee not only lacks non-discrimination laws, costing every city an automatic 12 points, but also prevents local governments from passing protections not granted by the state, which means that every city in Tennessee will start 30 points down.This year, six Tennessee cities were ranked, and her is how they did, from lowest to highest scoring: 12—MURFREESBORO: The city of Murfreesboro scored least of all the Tennessee cities scored this year, earning 0 points for local non-discrimination

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JANUARY 2016

ordinances, for protections for city workers, for municipal services to LGBT people, and for its relationship with the LGBT community. Indeed, it scored its only points for reporting statistics on hate crimes.

17—CLARKSVILLE: Clarksville scored 0 points for local non-discrimination ordinances, for protections for city workers, and only five point for municipal services (it has a human rights commission, but it is unclear to what extent that group considers LGBT issues).

31—KNOXVILLE: One of the state’s largest cities, Knoxville nonetheless scores on the low end even for Tennessee. It scored 0 points for local non-discrimination ordinances, though it did score 12 points for protections for city workers on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender.

35—CHATTANOOGA: Chattanooga scored 0 for local non-discrimination ordinances and for municipal services to LGBT citizenry, but earned points for having policies protecting city workers on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender.

56—MEMPHIS: Tennessee’s largest city, Memphis scored second-highest on the MEI, despite scoring 0 for local nondiscrimination ordinances. In addition to protections for city workers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender, Memphis scored points for having an LGBT liaison

in the mayor’s office and in the police department and for having an enumerated anti-bullying policy in schools, among other things. It also received a bonus of four points for being “pro-equality despite restrictive state law.”

66-NASHVILLE: Even Nashville scored only 66, though we might expect it to score higher next year. Nashville scores high marks for offering protections for city workers and contractors against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender, though it got 0 points for transgender-inclusive healthcare.

While Nashville did well in municipal services, earning points for its human rights commission and for school bullying policies, as well as bonuses for services to LGBT youth, LGBT homeless, and HIV/AIDS services, Mayor Barry could boost the city’s score by bringing on an LGBT liaison for her office, as well as by pushing for transgender healthcare coverage for city workers.

Controversially, while the city’s relationship to the LGBT community earned it an 8/8, Nashville was not awarded the bonus for being “pro-equality despite restrictive state law”, while Memphis only earned 3/8 and did receive the bonus. Perhaps Nashville should ask for a recount?

In places like Tennessee, HRC President Chad Griffin’s comments are particularly accurate. “While this has been an historic year for equality,” he said, “we are constantly reminded of just how far we still have to go.

In too many communities, LGBT Americans continue to face barriers to equality, overt discrimination, and even violence. We believe those challenges make full equality and strong legal protections all the more important, and today’s report makes clear that hundreds of local communities throughout all 50 states wholeheartedly agree.”

Nashville, at least, has good reason to hope that its score will steadily improve to the state maximum, however, as the results of the study indicate that having LGBT elected officials make a city much more likely to implement policies protecting the LGBT community. Now, Nashville has two out LGBT metro counselpersons, and a mayor who is the daughter of a gay man and who is personally committed to the welfare of all citizens. So the city may yet be able to enter the “All-Stars.”

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DISTILLING THE SPIRIT OF

JAMES GRADY

Nestled on the border of Cannon County, Short Mountain could seem like a world away from Nashville, particular for members of the LGBT community who are accustomed to thinking of the rural South as a place to be avoided. For those in the know, however, Short Mountain and its surroundings have long received LGBT people, particularly those on the margins. But chances are, unless you’ve seen the name on a bottle of moonshine, you haven’t heard of or don’t know much about the place.

Short Mountain Sanctuary, a collective providing queer safe space, has been the center of a thriving counterculture LGBT community in rural Cannon and Dekalb Counties since its founding in 1980/81. It’s annual Spring and Fall gatherings attract visitors, who run the gamut from city dwellers seeking a spiritual or communal experience in the woods to radical fae from other communities, from around the world.

Many who are drawn to the area by encounters with likeminded individuals live in the surrounding communities, and have, over the years, become part of the towns and villages around the mountain.

The thriving LGBT presence centered on Short Mountain has often gone unacknowledged, though, and for many this is a welcome fact.

Last year, however, that anonymity was broken as a feature in the New York Times by Alex Halberstadt entitled “Out of the Woods” shined a bright light on that unconventional world

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FROM LOS ANGELES TO WOODBURY, TENNESSEE

For some, that light brought unwelcome attention to a world intentionally lost to the surrounding culture. On the other hand, awareness draws new blood and new life to communities like Short Mountain and nearby Woodbury. An excellent case-inpoint is Billy Kaufman, founder of Short Mountain Distillery. When Kaufman decided to call it quits on the Los Angeles rat race, it was his knowledge of the strong LGBT presence around Short Mountain that initially drew him to the area.

“I came out here fifteen years ago,” Kaufman recalled. “I wanted a farm, but I had no idea about farming, I had no idea about Tennessee, really, except I had a bunch of friends here because of the Sanctuary. I knew gay people in this area who are into farming. I looked around—I didn’t want to be the only gay person living out in the country. I wanted a community.”

What he found exceeded his expectations: he found something more than an LGBT community. “You know there is just nothing else like it on the planet. I bought a big farm and very quickly realized it’s not really a gay community here: it’s just a community of people,” he said. “There’s farmers, there’s workers who commute, there are families that have been here a hundred years—all sorts of people, all just trying to get along and having to work together for it.”

While he found in the community something he was seeking, farming just didn’t pay off. “I found myself farming

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

with these old farmers who weren’t really making any money farming—there’s not any real money to be made in farming out here,” he explained. “Once you pay off your equipment and your losses, you might break even. Some people make business around here in the nursery business, but farming is like a dying art.”

DISCOVERING MOONSHINE

So how did Kaufman make his way to moonshine? Those old farmers enlightened him. “I learned quickly that these old guys were making moonshine for money on the side,” he explained.

“And that got me thinking—I’d give some to people from the city and they loved it. I didn’t think of it as being illegal back then, I was just sharing country moonshine I got from these old guys. But people were excited—they didn’t know anyone still made it or how to get it on their own.”

Indeed, Kaufman’s farm has its own storied history with moonshine dating to long before Kaufman was born. Pointing to a photo hanging over the shop counter in the distillery, Kaufman said, “This guy, Cooper Melton, was the owner of this farm during Prohibition, and he was a moonshiner. Tennessee went into Prohibition before the rest of the country, and given Tennessee’s huge tradition of distilling, a lot of locals became moonshiners. When the rest of the country went into Prohibition, Tennessee became a moonshining center.”

Long after Prohibition ended nationally, some locals continued to make illegal moonshine. This makes sense

for Kaufman, who explained, “When I moved here this was a dry county, and in the country a lot of people just still bought illegal moonshine. You have to remember that Prohibition effectively ended in Cannon County in stages: when we were allowed to sell moonshine at the distillery and when we got the license to serve alcohol by the glass in the Stillhouse Restaurant at the distillery.”

ENDING PROHIBITION IN CANNON COUNTY

Kaufman was considering taking up illegal moonshining himself around the time he met Christian Grantham.

Grantham and other friends cautioned Kaufman that this would be a terrible idea, as he could lose his 400-acre farm if he were arrested. Even though Tennessee had recently legalized moonshining and other distilling statewide, it was still banned in Cannon County, which was completely dry.

“I told him he was going to lose his farm if he did that,” Grantham recalled.

“So [Kaufman] asked me, ‘How do we do it legally?’ And I knew enough—because I had followed the changes in the state law—to know that he needed to run a county referendum. He saw that I could help him, and asked me to assist.”

What had impressed Kaufman about the men he was learning from struck Grantham as well. “[Kaufman] introduced me to three moonshiners who blew my mind. They had never left the county.

These were craftspeople, the descendants of people who were driven west by the

whiskey tax as early as the American revolution and who fled into the hills to make their whiskey with the government out of the picture. And here they were, generations later, still doing it. This is the story of America!”

Collecting signatures invited a lot of conversations, which were eye-opening, especially for Grantham, who was a newcomer to Cannon County even by comparison with Kaufman. “As we were collecting signatures,” he recalled, “every person who signed it would say things like, ‘My aunt used to make medicine out of it, my uncle used to make it, my grandfather….’ I was blown away. I had no clue—I had no idea so many people had a connection. Their pride in that art was hidden: it was something they were ashamed of but they saw this as an opportunity to get out from underneath that shame and to shine. It passed in every single precinct.”

With the law changed, Kaufman could proceed with construction of the distillery and begin production of his Short Mountain Shine. Grantham helped Kaufman with his business plan. And just as Kaufman was driven to preserve the tradition of Cannon County moonshine, he was equally wed to his own family business tradition.

“My grandfather started Samsonite Corporation,” Kaufman explained. “He had a marble that they would give out, and around the marble it would say, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ They would do union negotiations based on that, they would negotiate with new trade partners based on that—it would really tell them what they stood for as a business. It allowed that company to be very diverse, and to grow, and for people to treat each other very respectfully.”

Kaufman and his brothers, who are his partners, decided to adopt the same business motto, so it appears on the back of every coin featured on each bottle of Short Mountain Moonshine, along with the three stars of Tennessee. “When kids come in with their family, we pop the coins off of a bottle and give it to them,” Kaufman said. “We put coins on all our bottles, and we change the design often so people can collect them. We have gone through about nine designs so far.”

what moonshine is all about.”

“The first thing we came out with is called Short Mountain Shine—and it’s the local, Cannon County recipe for moonshine,” Kaufman explained.

“It’s 105 proof. We had three different moonshiners we talked to and they all made this recipe: almost every moonshiner in Cannon County has made this recipe for generations. It’s a sugar shine, and it’s got a very expensive grain bill because of the cane sugar.”

Kaufman rapidly diversified his offering. “Short Mountain Shine is a high proof spirit that you would treat like vodka or tequila,” Kaufman said, “but what I found was that most people want to drink

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Kaufman’s vision was more than just to begin making moonshine. “When I started the distillery—we are the number six distillery in Tennessee—it was a very fresh, very new concept,” Kaufman said.

“I decided we were going to make really highbrow moonshine and show the world @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

stuff right from the bottle, so the second thing we came out with was the Apple Pie—it’s not a really high proof spirit, it’s only 40 proof.”

“This is the historic cocktail that people would make if they had a moonshiner in their family. It was a way of making the moonshine go farther and making it easier to drink. It’s a value-added thing you could do to the moonshine by making it a cocktail. So even moonshiners knew flavors sold!” Kaufman said, jokingly referring to the endless flavor combinations offered in today’s spirits market.

Moonshiners are nothing if not practical. “Not everyone knows how to drink the straight shine,” Kaufman said.

“Give a bottle to that person and they’ll taste it and put it on the shelf where it’ll sit for a hundred years. But mix it with something and they’ll finish the bottle and come back for more. Apple juice or cider was accessible, relatively inexpensive and made a really good cocktail.”

Next came Prohibition Tea. “This one is a sweet peach tea, made by cold-brewing Lipton tea in the moonshine for three days and then sweetening it with sugar and a little peach. This one is a little stronger—60 proof—and is great with lemon, lemonade, Sprite, anything citrusy.”

Shiner’s Select is moonshiners shine.

“People would tell us, ‘Your shine’s really good but it doesn’t taste like the shine they used to make here because it’s too smooth,’” Kaufman said. “So we were like, ‘We actually make the shine exactly like they used to make it, we just blend it in.’ So they said, ‘Well, let’s try not blending it in, because it has a completely different flavor. So let’s make it on the old pot still and separate it.’”

Shiner’s Select is the result. “It tastes exactly like a high quality illegal moonshine from Cannon County would have tasted like,” Kaufman said. “Illegal moonshine has a reputation for being harsher: so this has more flavor but is not as smooth as the Short Mountain Shine, which is slightly higher proof!”

Charred Shine is a product available for purchase only at the distillery.

According to Kaufman, an early batch of Short Mountain Shine came out tasting a little different that the rest. Rather than risk their product’s flavor profile, they barreled and aged that batch in charred oak barrels.

“Bourbon lovers and whiskey lovers will enjoy this,” Kaufman promised. “We aged this for a little over two-and-a-half years.

It’s smoother than any bourbon or whiskey: it’s not as complex a flavor but the finish is very smooth, and that’s moonshine.”

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all these other distilleries. I don’t want to be in that business.”

Instead, Short Mountain Distillery will be sticking to its roots, expanding its lines in ways which honor the tradition and craft of moonshining.

distillery will be releasing a 100% organic, corn-based product as well. “That is an authentic way to make moonshine because there was time when sugar was not readily available during depression and during war, and they would make moonshine with just corn.” The product is charcoal filtered, giving it a smokiness reminiscent of Tennessee whiskey.

A CROWDED MARKET

Kaufman’s moonshine is made to an exacting standard according to a historically verified recipe and process, and when he makes a flavor he uses natural ingredients and infuses the flavors in-house. This sets him apart from his competitors in terms of quality, but it has also put him at a disadvantage in a market that doesn’t fully appreciate the value of quality moonshine.

Kaufman compared the challenge of trying to market his high-end, carefully quality-controlled product to that of a baker who is “coming out with something that looks like a Twinkie that’s actually a fine pastry. This pastry is excellent and it’s worth ten dollars a serving, but everyone looks at it and says, ‘But it looks like a Twinkie, and I can get a Twinkie for a dollar!’ So when people compare my product to those cheap jars, I have to say, ‘No, no, no—think again!’ So that’s my challenge.”

Compounding the issue, shortly after he opened his distillery, the market was flooded by cheaper competition.

“Thirty distilleries came in right after us,” Kaufman said. “They all came out with ‘moonshine’, and their take on moonshine is that it’s cheap. So all of a sudden I was trying to create this celebration of this really great recipe, but I got steamrolled by cheap moonshine. So here I am now trying to go into a restaurant and sell my product, they say, ‘Well, moonshine has a bad reputation.’ It has a reputation as not being good alcohol. But this is a great spirit, and what’s happened is that all these things in jars—they’re cheap and they’re going for the hillbilly look, but it’s not real moonshine.”

What constitutes “real moonshine” is exactly the problem though. “The government doesn’t regulate—if I’m going to make bourbon or whiskey I have to follow regulations in order to label it as that,” Kaufman explained. There are no such regulations for moonshine. “So the goal for them is to use the cheapest thing you can and make the perception be that it’s not supposed to taste good, or if you flavor it it’ll taste good. You fill the jars with cherries, add flavoring syrup. That’s why there are twenty different flavors from

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“I KNEW GAY PEOPLE IN THIS AREA WHO ARE INTO FARMING. I LOOKED AROUND...I DIDN’T WANT TO BE THE ONLY GAY PERSON LIVING OUT IN THE COUNTRY. I WANTED A COMMUNITY.”

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

Since it’s opening, Short Mountain Distillery has enjoyed a steady flow of visitors, and Kaufman hopes to increase those numbers, both to promote his brand and his community. “The goal is to bring people to Cannon County to enjoy this last bastion,” Kaufman said. “It’s a rural oasis in my eyes, and there’s a lot of culture here that’s still here. We’re just preserving it and sharing it. The Stillhouse Restaurant is very nice. It’s an elegant day trip for people. We want people to come here and experience very welcoming rural experience: meet a moonshiner, drink some moonshine, eat a well-made home cooked meal, enjoy the country, and take a tour.”

The distillery welcomes guests, as well as hosts events. “We’ve hosted weddings, graduation parties, and people come here to take photos … we don’t charge people for that. The restaurant is a great space for office meetings, and even church groups will come out now. We’ve held concerts here—if musicians want a venue, this is a good outdoor venue. Car and motorcycle clubs meet here because there’s plenty of room to line the vehicles up, and it gives them a nice long drive to go on.”

The distillery even hosts an annual haunted woods, which combined this year with a similar event hosted by the local volunteer fire department. “We’ll keep adding new things but it’s slow. I’ve been here for fifteen years and we’ve been open for five, and look how long it took the fire department to partner up with us. This distillery is just starting to feel like part of the neighborhood, which in the country takes a long time. People’s memories are really long and they want to get to know you: It’s all about building community.”

“We have a diverse community. I sort of see Short Mountain as a microcosm for our country because you have all sorts of different people living here,” Kaufman said. “I think that we’re a model of what is positive in diversity. People are just trying to make things work, so people work together and if things bother them, they don’t make a big deal. I’ve never had an unkind thing said to me in Cannon County.”

Kaufman hopes that the community will continue to grow and strengthen, developing as even more diverse newcomers are attracted by the unique

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opportunities of what he called a rural oasis. “I see Cannon County in the next ten or twenty years really changing…. I hope we’ll see more artistic people come here, young people who want to get into farming, who want that sort of experience, homesteaders, craftsmen, people who have families.” And Kaufman is willing to do his part to help develop the ideal of community that attracted him to his oasis in the first place.

For more information about Short Mountain Distillery, events and tours, visit shortmountaindistillery.com. Tours are generally offered, and the Stillhouse Restaurant is usually open, Thursdays through Sundays. The distillery and restaurant will be closed during the month of January, but tours will still be offered on Saturdays.

Hot Apple Pie Toddy

The temperatures are finally dropping.

Here is a great winter cocktail featuring Short Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine that will keep you and your guests warm this winter!

2 quarts apple cider 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 10 cinnamon sticks 1 orange 2 tsp whole cloves Short Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine To start, press cloves all over the surface of the orange, like a pincushion.

Cut the orange into quarters.

In your crock pot, drop in the brown sugar, pour in the apple cider, and stir. Drop in the orange slices and cinnamon sticks, and set your crockpot to warm. Cover the cider until hot.

Heating takes about 2-3 hours. Once hot, keep covered and warming to keep the cocktail at the perfect temperature.

Any guests to your home will enjoy the warm inviting aroma that will greet them as they arrive.

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OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

You can enjoy this winter creation on its own, or with a full 1.5oz shot of Short Mountain Apple Pie moonshine in each 6oz mug for a strong yet delicious Hot Apple Pie Toddy.

Enjoy!

RJ Wells Mixologist, Stillhouse Restaurant

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GEORGE OESER EXPLORES ADDICTIONS, DESTINATIONS, AND VIOLATIONS LOCAL ARTIST PREMIERES DIGITALIZED ART AT OUTCENTRAL BLAKE JENNINGS

As part of OutCentral’s monthly program devoted to visual artists, photographer and artist George Oeser will premiere his new exhibit, “Addictions, Destinations, and Violations,” at the beginning of next January. Exploring dark themes of addiction, false memories, and the minimalist Dutch stylings of De Stijl, the show will feature two galleries of photography (titled “Addictions” and “Destinations”) and one comprised solely of digital art (“Violations”).

Born and raised in Nashville, Oeser has had a life-long love for abstract art and photography. In high school he toyed with archaic cameras, and taught himself the fundamentals of still photography, whilst utilizing unconventional, artistic processes. When he relocated to Europe in his youth, a passion for modern art and architecture was rekindled, as well as a desire to dive deeper into digital manipulation.

What came out of this submerging was a focus less directed toward artistic perfection, and more toward creating works fueled with emotional impact. His style is bold, colorful, but often blunt in its execution. One image from his first exhibit, Addictions, shows a smart phone flanked by syringes against a stark, asphalt background. The message is immediate, maybe even a little hamfisted, but effective in its assertion that we are an age not only of distraction, but also of unseen addictive tendencies.

Alcohol, cigarettes, heroin—these substances are what we talk about when we talk about addiction. But for some an addiction might be sugar, an IPhone, an all too engrossing video game, or indulging in endless amounts of exercise.

All of us in some form or another are addicts. To Oeser, the difference depends solely on social acceptability. All of the images in Addictions signify that we should not only be aware of addiction’s ubiquity, but that any form of pleasure is capable of dominating our lives.

Oeser’s art resides in digitally warped realities. In his second series, Destinations, shots of cozy travel locales are modified into hazy, dreamlike landscapes, recalling in an Instagramlike fashion the allusive and deceptive nature of memory. Memories after all are like stories, past events manipulated with dramatic liberties to make things

26

more interesting. In one picture Oeser darkens and pinks a picture of a Berlin tower to make it feel more ambient and emotive. In another, London’s famous Ferris wheel is turned into a frigid, yet oddly peaceful, wall of shadowed blues.

“No one wants their memories or stories to be dull and pedestrian,” writes Oeser on his website. “Since the photos are no longer 100% accurate representations of what I have seen and where I have been, they stop representing just my memories, even my false memories. They are now available for producing false memories for everyone. If you have been to any of the places in my images they may very well change how you remember these places. It may even be possible that they will change how someone sees these places when they arrive at them for the first time. They may instill future false memories, only time will tell.”

De Stijl (pronounced ‘duh style’) is a style that seeks beauty in reduction.

Originating in the early 20th century, it used only the purest forms of shape and color to create a strict language of primary hues and vertical lines. De Stijl was, in other words, a movement for people who loved following rules.

The pieces in Violation¸ Oeser’s collection of digital art, likewise pay due respect to the abiding of rules, but they also acknowledge the importance of breaking them. The Piet Mondrian influence in these pictures is more than obvious, but Mondrian never would have incorporated photos of Abe Lincoln into his small little boxes. He had a hard enough time mixing two colors together.

Described by Oeser as “part tribute and part insult” these works at times breach the lines between puritanical and punk, referencing two worlds that couldn’t be more opposite. “These pieces bend and break and violate the rules of De Stijl,” writes Oeser. ”They offer a somewhat different perspective on the world than De Stijl intended, but they still fit into the mold that was created back in 1917.”

Addictions, Destinations, and Violations will fuse three distinct ideas into one eclectic showcase, threaded only

by Oeser’s interest in artistic creation and technology. Like much of modern art, the works here muse, not only on the subject, but on the process of creating

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

JANUARY 2016

itself, commenting at the same time on technology’s role as a perception shifter and a memory distorter. Oeser’s style is simply a contemplative reflection on what we do with our I-phones every day.

What are we really doing when we alter pictures on our Instagram accounts?

Altering our images or altering our minds?

A reception for Addictions, Destinations, and Violations will be held Saturday, January 9th, from 6–9 p.m. at OutCentral. The exhibit will remain on display throughout January 2016.

I CAN’T MAKE YOU LOVE ME

CHRIS BURKE TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM JAMES GRADY

Chris Burke is one of the many talented musicians trying to make their way in Nashville’s music scene, but his music and his story are anything but your typical Nashville tales of country music failure or fame. Of course, being an out gay man who described his style in a previous interview as “smooth pop/soul with an edge—eclectic electro-soul,” how could it be typical?

Burke came out when he was quite young. “So, I came out to my friends when I was sixteen and to my family when I was 17,” he said. “It was around 1991–92 when that happened, so it was a totally different time in the world.” It was in fact a hard time to come out, but Burke seems to have had an easier time of it than many. “I had a truly amazing coming out process, and I will always consider myself blessed with the acceptance of all of my family and friends.”

In 2003 Burke garnered national attention from his appearance on The Today Show’s special program, “Today Show Superstars”. Burke told blog Let the Beat Hit You!, “I was surprised by Katie Couric and a news crew in the grocery store cheese department at 8:30 a.m. and was on a plane that night and on the show the next morning. They shipped me back and forth a couple times … so it was quite a whirlwind… Hearing stewardesses on the airplane whisper about who I was, and then having a woman yell over a very crowded La Guardia airport “You were robbed!!” when I had been cut from the show are probably some of my most fun memories…. And, it certainly lit a fire inside me that has never gone out.”

As a burgeoning musician, challenges would await Burke. “When I was really starting to try to pull it together and figure out who I was as an artist, it wasn’t like it is now with regard to gay people and being gay in the public eye. I was warned by an older lesbian friend and manager not to be ‘out’ as an artist so I wasn’t stuck and labeled as a ‘gay artist.’ So, I never proclaimed to be straight, but I never proclaimed myself a gay artist either.”

This led to some missed opportunities for the young gay musician. “As a result, I turned down many offers to perform at Pride events and other ‘gay’ shows,” Burke explained. “As the times have changed, however, I see that I could have embraced it more as I began this path to

becoming the artist I am now, instead of trying to find ways to make everyone else more comfortable with my gay-ness! I have never fought against it, though, and have always felt a part of a larger gay community.”

Feeling a part of that community has at times been more difficult. Besides the missed opportunities in his career that might have opened up the gay community, “And, honestly, when I moved to Nashville from Atlanta in 2005, the gay community at the time felt a little disjointed and scattered. Gay people had been battered and bruised simply because of who they were, and finding a feeling of community was much more difficult then.”

“As times have changed, however, so has the gay community and of course things are so different now. Pride has finally become the celebration it should be and people are so much more comfortable being exactly who they are and being proud of their differences instead of scared by them. So, yes, I do think I missed out on being a ‘role model’ in the public eye as a gay artist [in the early 2000s], but again, I was more concerned about making people comfortable and fitting into the larger world as opposed to the gay community.”

Burke does however pride himself on having “never once denied being gay.” And he did, even when he wasn’t proclaiming himself a “gay musician,” engage the community. “I was very much able to offer my services and engage the LGBT community in other ways. There is a group in Atlanta called Chris Kids that houses and takes care of gay kids from around the country that have either been kicked out or driven out because they came out as gay. I was able to offer my voice and face and time to many of their projects while I was there in Atlanta and for many years after.” The moment of fame he enjoyed in 2003, he added, helped him “shed more light on the amazing things that Chris Kids was doing for gay kids.”

Since moving to Nashville, Reid has released a number of albums and singles, including Chris Burke (2007), Everything (2010), “Roller Coaster Ride,” and Soul Music (2014). Single “Roller Coaster Ride” featured prominently in a popular LGBT indie film. “I had a song of mine called “Roller Coaster Ride” included

in the soundtrack for a very cool LGBTthemed movie called Birthday Cake. The movie made huge waves in the LGBT movie festival circuit.”

Burke is inaugurating 2016 by releasing his new album, I Can’t Make You Love Me – The Mike Reid Songbook, in January. “I began working with my producer, Bobby King, a couple years ago while playing in a wedding band and putting together my last album Soul Music, which he produced,” Burke said.

“The first song we recorded, which ultimately got us excited about working together on both of these albums, was a song that Bonnie Raitt recorded on her Nick of Time album called “Too Soon to Tell.” The writer of that song is a Nashville guy named Mike Reid, whose best known and biggest hit was another song sung by Bonnie Raitt, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” King and his wife, Ellen Britton, happened to be long-time friends with Reid, and they shared Burke’s version of “Too Soon to Tell” with him. “He LOVED it!” Burke said. “I still have an email he sent to Bobby about how much

he loved our version!”

“So,” Burke explained, “we decided that his music and style fit well with the mixture of Bobby’s soulful production and my voice. Bobby and I decided to record Mike’s songbook, which included tracks made famous by Wynonna Judd, Ronnie Milsap, and Leroy Parnelle, among others.

Because we were able to work so closely with Mike, he also gave us a few gems that hadn’t ever been recorded by another artist. We also recorded ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ which is the title track and first single of the album…. It’s soulful and smooth, and it’s a perfect introduction to our twelve-song take on the Mike Reid songbook!”

Burke’s version of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is already available on iTunes for download, and the full album will release early January. There will also be a CD release party and show on Wednesday, January 27 at 6 p.m. at Douglas Corner in Nashville.

For more on Burke and his music, visit chrisburkemusic.com and check out his YouTube channel, YouTube. com/ChrisBurkeMusic. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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THURSDAYS AT IBIZA ARE ‘RICO’

POPULAR BRENTIOCH LATIN CLUB PROMOTES LGBT NIGHT JAMES GRADY

off. “There are gay people,” he said, “American, Latino, and others, who wanted me to give them a night.”

Moncayo decided to give it a try.

“Back in the 1990s, me and my brothers used to go downtown and sometimes we’d go to this gay club. The music was all house and techno—we loved that place because of the music and the respect among the customers,” he said. “Thursday was already a slow night at Ibiza, and I still love house and techno music, and since there were people asking … I’m a person who gets along with everyone—race, religion, or sexuality don’t matter, so I wanted to give it a try.”

A coworker at Vanderbilt also helped influence Moncayo’s perspective on the LGBT community in the past, he said. “I worked with a guy at Vanderbilt named Jason who really helped me have good feelings for the gay community.

Interesting person, we were always learning from each other. I like the fact that because of who they are gay people understand what it’s like to be different and have to make your own way. Talking

with my coworker Jason made me think it was a good idea to have a gay night here, for people are just living their lives with a lot of respect, which I like.”

Adding an LGBT night is a huge step for any straight club, but especially for one of Nashville’s popular Latino businesses. As O&AN’s January 2015 cover profiled, LGBT immigrants and others in the Latino community often feel as if they are walking between two worlds that don’t mix.

Moncayo says things are changing, though, and that he’s observed his LGBT clientele coming out and being accepted by his straight patrons. He feels like it’s time to open up and give LGBT people and their allies - especially those of South Nashville - a place to unwind and have fun, with less stress.

“The Latino community … today they are more open minded,” Moncayo said, “and these [LGBT] guys are starting to come in on Friday and Saturday. And I can tell people like them—they get along with everyone—and I’m impressed with how much everyone likes them. It’s not like before, when they weren’t accepted.

Photo: Ibiza Nightclub via Facebook

Ibiza Nightclub in Brentioch has been open since October 2004, operating as one of, in not the, only large salsa clubs in the area. Week in and week out, it has entertained guests with “Latin music, of course,” explained owner Carlos Moncayo. “Salsa, merengue, Spanish Top 40 like Mark Anthony and Enrique Iglesias.”

The club also has a reputation for hosting renowned DJs and live acts.

“We bring DJs from other states and countries,” Moncayo added, “and we have already presented concerts from over fifty-five artists over the years.

We have had customers from as far as Cincinnati or Columbus drive down to see shows that we put on, and we have truck drivers plan their trips so their stops bring them here. People talk about our club.”

Now, after ten years in business, Ibiza is trying something new: Rico, an LGBT oriented event night to be held each Thursday. Moncayo said that he’s committing six months to building the event and hopes that it will take

Now it’s all about the human person having fun.”

He isn’t surprised, he says, that LGBT customers find a place at his establishment. “Ibiza is a melting pot every night,” he said. “You see at least ten or twelve nationalities, not just Latino and America but European and Middle Eastern, and I like that. Through the music, everyone becomes very good friends and just have a great time. It’s not that easy to put that many cultures together…. The key to becoming successful was respect and security—the key is to have a safe place for everyone.”

Moncayo hopes he can entice people who would normally drive into town to go to the club to stay in the neighborhood.

“Here they’re closer to home if they have to call a cab, parking is free and plentiful, drinks are cheaper.... It just makes sense.”

And with $2 longnecks til 11 p.m. and $4 well drinks all night, he isn’t kidding!

Keeping it in the neighborhood, building up the community, and reaching out are all very important to Moncayo, who has used Ibiza as a vehicle for charitable work for many years. “We do a lot of fundraising in the club,” he said.

He recently flew to Columbia to deliver shoes and soccer uniforms for a hundred kids. “We agreed to do that if the city agreed to participate by organizing programs to support kids’ education

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and sports.” Locally they have supported St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Futuro (YMCA program supporting Latino students), and many others.

Rico is, of course, a different kind of outreach, and it has been building slowly, Moncayo says. “We started in the first Thursday of November doing it every Thursday, and a couple of people showed up. People are going to the Facebook page—we know because we are getting likes—but so far it’s slow. But as people see it consistently, it’ll pick up!”

In order to give the new night a boost, on Thursday, December 10, 2015, Ibiza held a launch with full drag, scantily clad shot boys, and guest bartenders. Veronika Electronika is hosting, with special performances

by Paige Turner, Nicole Richards, Obsinity, and Nece Sexton! In future shows, the cast will vary, and Moncayo hopes to boost attendance by hiring special guest queens from out of town, as well as perhaps adult entertainers.

So when you get a chance, check out Rico— Nashville’s newest recurring LGBT party—and see what one of Nashville’s longest-running Latin clubs is all about. For more information, visit Club Ibiza on Facebook, and the special page for the Rico event.

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SNARKOLOGY: SEX IS WEIRD DISCLAIMER: Amy Sulam is a comic, and not everyone thinks she’s as funny as she does. We condone nothing she says, particularly not if you decide to take the following seriously. It should not be taken as such.

AMY SULAM | @Amysulam

I mean, can we all at least agree it’s little bit of an odd concept theoretically.

Granted, this is coming from a person who didn’t discover her own clitoris until around age twenty-one and that was with a vibrator, in private, on accident. I didn’t even know a clitoris was a thing until THAT moment.

We get all jazzed to smash the gross parts of our bodies together and for what? Darn sure not for procreation, and, for most of my life, not for satisfaction either. Once we add it to a relationship, things get complicated and often messy, yet we spend a good chunk of our time chasing it. There are apps designed to help us find it, and websites, social media, and the like all designed to make us want it, chase it and find it. I’m sorry, I just find it odd. This one little activity kind of rules our lives. Like we’re lab rats.

Now, I will admit, I don’t think i’m very good at this whole sex thing.

I’m a pretty awkward person in general, and when i’m naked i’m off the charts awkward. I always have this running dialog in my head during sex, questioning everything I do. “Does that actually feel good, or is that a pity moan?

Please don’t be a pity moan! How will I ever learn if you pity moan?!”

Not to mention I’m trying to cover up my body the whole time, so I’m basically naked at angles I think I look good in. I feel incredibly awkward being on top of anyone because I know they’re getting that front-camera-wasaccidently-on-chin view, I feel like my boobs are underwhelming, and I’m not super confident about my lady business.

Yes, I said lady business because I’m 12.

I get really stressed out during sex.

Not to perpetuate Jewish stereotypes, but I’m so neurotic that sex is actually stressful for me. I find it hard to let go and relax. Also, I’m very much demi- and sapio-sexual. If I don’t feel a connection, I can’t get in the mood.

Probably because I’m so self conscious.

And if you’re stupid ... No , just no. I’m a true nerd. I need you to have opinions on politics and possibly emotions about Dr. Who. All these barriers I make have made my sex life in the past, well, weird. I’m not all hyped to genital your genitals. I wonder things like, “Are the noises I’m making normal? Screw normal. Are they sexy to my partner, or do I unknowingly orgasm like a drowning swine. If so, how can I not sound that way?” So. Much. Stress.

Furthermore, I don’t understand one night stands. Probably because my sexual attraction is attached to emotion and intellect. I just don’t get it. Like, I’m gonna do the weird , super exposed genitals thing with you and never call you again? I couldn’t do that to someone else and definitely not to myself. So even if BOTH parties agreed only for one night, I still couldn’t do it.

I’m too awkward. The first time I saw a strap on, I thought, yep! I’m gonna accidentally take someone’s brain out with that. I have no stroke technique and a tool for vaginal implement is dangerous in my er um hands? Let’s go with hands.

You see I lacked sexual confidence, because I kick my own ass like we all do.

I’m not super sexually experienced, and I definitely don’t rock body confidence well. That was the case at least.

As of late, my sex life has had a bit of a shake up. It’s still weird and I still feel awkward, but slowly I’m crawling out of that. Because, well, I’m having really good sex, since coming out and starting to explore my sexuality on many levels. Many weird, awkward levels.

I’m starting to do things I hadn’t done and entertaining the idea of doing things I never thought I would. My partner told me, “I don’t think you’ve explored the depths of your sexuality,”

I always have this running dialog in my head during sex, questioning everything I do. ‘Does that actually feel good, or is that a pity moan?’

and I hate to admit but that statement was accurate. Of course at the time I was like, “Whatever! Yes, I have—I know my limits!”

I’m slowly realizing that’s not the case. But again, I’m so awkward I just imagine it going weirdly. Like, what if I break someone’s genitals? Or someone breaks mine? So many questions! So there I lived, terrified of sex and my sexuality, until I took a leap out of my comfort zone and real talk, got turned out. When you are climaxing non stop, it’s hard to stop and feel awkward.

Don’t get me wrong I feel awkward in the in-between moments, changing positions and trying not to fart and stuff, but I think that’s normal. I still feel like I look weird naked and have no bedroom “swagger.” What I needed was a takecharge type, because I’m an awful driver and terrible lover, if I’m being honest.

I just find that level of connection too base and too exposed at the same time.

Sometimes, I wish I had the confidence of a porn star to be like, “Look at these boobs and this downstairs mix up! It’s amazing!” But that’s weird.

I wish I could walk into the bedroom with the confidence I walk onto stage with (over confident, not self aware and shameless), thinking, ‘I’m awesome, I’ve practiced for this, I’ve prepped , I’m ready!’ But with sex I’m like, “What?!

Nobody said there was a pop quiz?!”

Look, we make weird faces during sex, most of us have a weird body thing we hate, and yet still there is someone out there who can’t wait to see us naked.

That’s weird. We’re weird. Sexuality is weird, and there’s no way around it. So let’s all be weirdos who embrace our own bodies, explore our sexualities and have weird sex like the self confident weirdos we are. But seriously, genitals, am I right? @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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A KIKI WITH PAIGE TURNER | @PaigeTurner01

It’s time to get untucked! This month we had a hilarious little kiki with one of the newest faces on the drag scene here in Music City. Even though this lady maybe new, she is bringing all kinds of old school flare with a new school twist. She is all about the fun, not taking it too seriously or too lightly. After all, her initials are VAG! So sit back and relax as we get to know all about Miss Vidalia Anne Gentry!

What inspired you to embark on the drag profession?

To be honest, about a year ago I was chasing a boy who was a drag performer and so I started going to all of his shows.

I got to see all of the drag talent in Nashville, and I really just got caught up in it. Somewhere in all that, a mix of both strangers and friends had just randomly told me that I should do drag. I reached out to Nichole Ellington Dupree about getting started, and just about the time I was really considering it, Play Dance Bar announced that they were going to start having an Open Stage Night...so I took it as a sign and took the plunge.

Who are some entertainers you would compare yourself to?

I get compared to Katya from Season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race a lot...which I take as a HUGE compliment. I don’t think our performance styles have much in common but we have some similar personality traits that I think come through on stage. I think my stage personality is a good mix of my drag parents—Nichole Ellington Dupree is mom and The Princess is dad—and I catch myself doing things that remind me of them all the time.

How would you describe your drag personality? How does it differ from your real life personality?

I often describe Vidalia as a mixed Southern Belle with a Tequila problem...haha. In that sense I don’t guess she differs too much from Jared. The biggest difference

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is how she expresses her sexuality. I have never managed to feel sexy...ever. Cute or handsome sure...but never sexy. I think I came to the stage looking for an artistic and performance outlet but stayed because I got to be someone that I never am. Even if she’s a goofy mess I still feel like I get to be sexy for once.

How does your family feel about you doing drag?

When I first told my mom, she didn’t have an entirely positive reaction...not because she didn’t like drag but because she was worried that it would put me in the way to experience more persecution or hate. She also wasn’t immediately able to realize that drag and trans are not the same thing. My dad caught me painting in the bathroom one time and was like, “Huh, well, make a lot of money!” They’ve both been to shows since then...still working on my brother!

Did you face many hardships in life being gay?

I recall a fair amount of name calling growing up but there’s no specific event that really sticks in my craw. I’m 6’2 and of a pretty sturdy build (even more so back in middle and high school) and I think that provided me a lot of safety. I’ve talked to a lot of gay guys who were of really small stature in school and they tell me that it was really horrible...I didn’t realize until recently how lucky I was to be big.

Do all of the open stage girls get along?

Are there ever any cat fights?

Everyone gets along back there. It’s not my show but I’ve performed at every one since it started last December and I take on a little bit of an ambassador role back stage, along with the help of Christina Rae, who we lovingly refer to as “Momma.” It’s a tiny dressing room, often with 13 or more girls in it. There’s no room for drama, and if I smell it, I shut it down. I think it’s a given in drag that there will be girls who just don’t get along, but when you have to

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JANUARY 2016

share a space that small you have to fake it. No cat fights allowed.

How do you feel about today’s youth?

I know that my generation is guilty of it as well, but I think that the generation of LGBT youth coming of age now is BLISSFULLY unaware of what roads have been paved for them and the sacrifices people in the gay community have made to make this world a safer place for them. One thing I would love to

see young people of all ages doing is really truly educating themselves about sexual health and sexuality.

Have you done work with any charity organizations?

I made some bad decisions last fall and I ended up doing my community service at the Nashville Humane Association. It’s a fantastic organization run by great people.

I would love to see more people adopting pets that need homes...and there are some

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AWESOME animals just waiting for a forever home at NHA. Where do you stand politically?

My political leanings are quite liberal. It can be a little overwhelming trying to make really educated decisions at the ballot box and even I feel a little defeated about the whole process at times but I still think it is very important to vote. I think it’s even more important to vote in your state and local elections and to be educated about the smaller votes on the ballot because not only does your carry more weight on those ballots, this is also your opportunity to affect change to a flawed system.

Has drag made it more difficult or easier to date?

I think it’s easy to say that drag makes dating more difficult...especially in a city like Nashville where I feel internalized homophobia runs rampant. People immediately dismiss you as “femme” (which should not be a pejorative...) just because you cross dress a couple nights a month. But... what I think I’ve actually decided is that doing drag makes it easier because those a**holes just weed themselves out for you. Bye Felicia.

You can follow Vidalia Anne Gentry on Facebook, or follow her at @vag4short on Instagram, for more information!

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33

THIS TRANSGENDER LIFE Photos: Julius Greene

SHAUN ARROYO, A PR MAN

BOBBI WILLIAMS

Being transgender and Latino has much to do with public relations, and Shaun Arroyo could tell you a lot about that. He would also want you to know how ordinary he is. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shaun lived there until he was 12, then moved to Washington Heights and went to high school and community college in the Bronx.

Shortly after he graduated from the community college, Shaun followed his sister, who had moved to Tennessee, and now spends much of his time working with and for local Nashville LGBT organizations. He’s the Chairperson of the Tennessee Vals (the local trans-support group), Secretary of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, and is on the board of Nashville PRIDE. Keeping up with those commitments, while working full-time at Vanderbilt Hospital and attending classes at Tennessee State, leaves little time for anything else, but that didn’t seem to bother him when we met for dinner.

In talking about his experiences in the LGBT and Latino community, Shaun first pointed to a study released last year by The National Council of La Raza and Social Science Research Solutions showing that “54 percent of the Hispanic population supports gay marriage, making them one percent more supportive than the overall American population” while the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) reported

that “LGBT youth who identify as Latino experience greater rejection within their own community than non-LGBT youth.” Shaun added that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made the most important point, that “gaining acceptance and understanding is still very difficult for LGBT youth and especially for young LGBT Latinos.”

To explain this, Shaun points to the traditional norms of machismo and the Latino emphasis on family which are still of central import in the Latino community.

“Most Latinos know I have an issue,” Shaun says, “but the close family ties in Latino families make it too hard to keep a secret.”

The family knows and may discuss it in private, but otherwise it’s ignored. “If you bring a partner to a family gathering or holiday celebration, a few family members will say ‘tu pareja’ (your partner) but most will just say ‘tu amiga’ (your friend).”

Shaun’s story, however, challenges any attempt to ignore it.

“I guess I was thirteen or fourteen when a boy tried to kiss me,” he explained when I asked how he became aware of his true gender. “What’s the matter?” the boy asked.

“Don’t you like boys?” (Shaun laughs at the memory of it.) “I said ‘No...I like girls’ and wondered, didn’t he like girls? Because I did. I was a boy and I liked girls so I thought, since he was a boy he liked girls too.”

Shaun was one of eight children, all with ‘Anglo-Saxon’ names—Bryan, Elaine, Edith, Michelle, Aileen, Nilda Ann, and John—reflecting his mother’s attempt at helping them to blend in. “I picked Shaun, an Anglo first name, imagining what my mother would have picked at the time,” he explained. “I recently added a Latino middle name, Pedro, that I use at work.”

One telling story about Shaun’s development is the time he auditioned for a

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community center marching band, but only after challenging the leader’s rule that band members had to be male. “I am,” he insisted, “I’m a boy. So you have to let me in the band.” And the band leader acquiesced—an early sign of Shaun’s forcefulness and his ability to win people over.

Later, he sorted things out further for himself and realized how inadequate the standard gender terminology was. “I was just me,” he said. “I don’t try to meet society’s

with Shaun.

I asked him about the impact of prejudice and discrimination as it applied to being transgender and Latino. “Being Latino is definitely more of a problem,” he said.

“The police single me out because of my Latino ‘look.’ At work I would sometimes get asked for a green card (despite the fact that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens). Or here, in Tennessee, people assume I’m Mexican.” The whole matter of the Latino

“We are a very diverse group...but we are really very ordinary.” expectations of ‘maleness’; I just meet my expectations for myself.”

Shaun encountered the usual transgender issues on his first job—wrong pronouns and wrong bathrooms. For the latter, the company had him use a separate bathroom which had a ‘Women’ sign on the door. Echoing the firm insistence he showed when confronting the band leader, he told them he wouldn’t use it unless they took down the sign. They did, and thereafter the other men in the office started using it along

identity, Shaun explains, is a sticking point.

“Non-Latinos don’t understand that there are major cultural differences between Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicans, Cubans, and others.”

“We are a very diverse group,” Shaun said, “but we are really very ordinary. We have dogs and cats.” And as the server brings our check and asks, “Will there be anything else, Sir,” Shaun smile and adds “Some of us have ferrets, too.” It doesn’t get more ordinary than that.

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