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MEET NASHVILLE PRIDE’S PRESIDENT
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STAFF
Publisher : Jerry Jones jjones@outandaboutnashville.com
EN VOGUE HEADLINES PRIDE
Managing Print Editor : James Grady
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Managing Digital Editor: Joseph Brant jbrant@outandaboutnashville.com
Director of Sales, Marketing, and Events : Eric Ginsberg
GINGER MINJ BRINGS IT
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Sales Representative : John Mays johnmays@outandaboutnashville.com
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EZA DOES IT HER WAY
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DAYA’S DEBUT NASH PRIDE
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CONTRIBUTORS
Writers: Joseph Brant, Eric Ginsberg, James Grady, Eric Patton, Terry Seeley, Paige Turner
19 PARSON JAMES’ SERMON
Photographers: Koury Angelo, Noah Bility, James Grady, Mikaela Hamilton, Michael Herman, JayBee, Troy Jensen, Sarah Kimble, Misti Layne National Advertising Representative:
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LETTER FROM THE MAYOR
/////////////////////////////////// June 25, 2016 Greetings, Twenty-eight years ago, the first organized Pride parade took place in Nashville at Dragon Park which is just down the street from my home in Belmont-Hillsboro. It was a much different time for the gay and lesbian movement, when just over a hundred individuals marched with the goal of seeking basic human rights, dignity, and respect from the government they paid taxes to and the society of which they belonged. So much positive progress has taken place since those early days of the Pride movement. Last summer, I had the honor and privilege of presiding over the first legally recognized equal marriage in Nashville - and I’ve presided over dozens more since that time. Yes, challenges still exist: such as politicians who have yet to fully understand the value - both morally, spiritually, and economonically - of equality and inclusion. But twenty-eight years ago the idea of equal marriage rights throughout the United States seemed unattainable, and I hope in years to come we will look back and see some more politicians’ efforts to enshrine discrimination into our laws as a last gasp effort of a dying movement against a fully equal society. As thousands take to the streets and gather for the Pride festival at Public Square Park, I look forward to showing how proud I am of my colleagues, friends, and family who are open, honest, and proud of who they are and who they love. Happy Pride Nashville! Kind regards,
Megan Barry Mayor 6
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OVERSEEING NASHVILLE PRIDE’S GROWING PAINS AN INTERVIEW WITH PRIDE PRESIDENT JOEY LESLIE ///////////////////// JAMES GRADY Nashville Pride’s current president, Joey Leslie, is well known in Nashville’s LGBT community. He has served his community in a number of capacities, including by serving on the Pride Board as Secretary, PR & Marketing Director, and President-Elect. Formerly managing editor and creative director of O&AN and brand manager at the Nashville Scene, Leslie now works as part of the marketing team at Bridgestone Americas. Leslie has been involved in the leadership of Nashville Pride for six years. “I was invited to get involved with Pride by then board members Jenn Garrett and Jeremy Davis back in 2010 shortly after I left O&AN,” he said. “I had been involved with Pride on the periphery for a couple of years, working on O&AN’s Pride Guide and having a vendor booth at Riverfront Park.” There were a number of draws, to getting involved, he said. “I saw it as a great opportunity to serve the community while also getting extra experience flexing my creative muscles through Pride’s marketing initiatives. After my two-year term as Secretary, I was named Pride’s Marketing Director and after that President-Elect and now President.” During the time Leslie has served on the board of Nashville Pride, the festival has undergone massive growth—and this year
has seen a dramatic increase in interest over the last year. “One of our biggest challenges this year—and it’s a good one to have—is growing pains. As the festival continues to grow we’re constantly evaluating how we can elevate the experience for attendees year over year, while keeping our budget tight and saving up for a rainy day fund. I thank our Festival Director Jack Davis every single day in my mind.” This year, for instance, the festival is trying to maximize the availability of space for more vendors, while keeping costs in check. “We sold out of vendor booth space months ago and have a waiting list. Of course we want to provide a spot for as many vendors as we can, so we’ve got to consider expanding the festival’s footprint, which costs more. And we want to up the ante on entertainment, which costs more! It can be overwhelming, but really these are all good problems to have.”
Leslie promised, “People will notice that we’ve raised the bar when they come out this year. I’m thankful every day for the fantastic people I serve with on Pride’s board, and the legacy left by the dedicated board members who helped pave the way before us, as well as for the hundreds of volunteers who gladly step up to help us orchestrate the Festival each year. When you’ve got an amazing team like that, these are wonderful problems to solve.”
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BEHIND THE SCENES WITH JACK DAVIS
NASHVILLE PRIDE’S ‘MAN WITH THE PLAN’ //////////// JAMES GRADY Events like Nashville Pride are huge undertakings, and when such events are planned and implemented by volunteers this multiplies the potential for difficulties almost infinitely. And as board membership and leadership changes, there is the risk of the loss of institutional memory (“how did we do this three years ago?”). So the success of these events depends on impeccable planning, and for the last few years Jack Davis has been the “man with the plan.” While many people are familiar with Davis’ involvement with Nashville Pride, his business has grown tremendously in recent years. He now manages between 20-25 large festivals, including the Sevier Park Festival, Tomato Art Fest, and Music City Winterfest. That’s up from six to eight per year three years ago. Before Davis had built up his event management business, he worked on Nashville Pride as a volunteer. “Essentially,” Davis said, “I was invited to attend a meeting about seven years ago, because they were looking for some new volunteers interested in helping Nashville Pride grow. I had background in handling big events, from my work at Vanderbilt and managing a large arena.” These made skills made Davis a natural fit for Pride, and during his time volunteering with Pride made him indispensable. Literally. “Along the way, my own personal company grew. As I was leaving the board after four years of service,” Davis said,” including serving as President, the board asked me to come back in a hired capacity to keep the festival running smoothly.”
Davis and his company manage many aspects of Pride, making them look far easier than they are in reality. For instance, Davis said, “Part of our contract is to manage the process of securing entertainment, which is significantly more difficult that people might imagine! We typically go through 80-100 offers to get it down to our top few acts. As our festival has grown, so too has interest on the part of acts and agents by agents, but it all depends on schedule, timing, and of course money.” While Davis oversees the process of securing entertainers, he doesn’t just pick them. “I will say that our board meetings at Pride are always open,” he explained, “and a lot of the acts we seek out are drawn from people’s suggestions at meetings, or through messages, emails, and Facebook. We do track all of that and pay attention to it. We also pay attention to diversity and try to hit as many demographics as possible Unlike a typical festival that has a more select audience, we are trying to get something for everyone!” As Pride President Joey Leslie pointed out, growth has been a major issue over recent years—a good issue for a festival to have, but bringing challenges. “The first year that I was involved with Nashville Pride, 2009, was the first year that the festival was moved downtown, and since that time it has almost doubled in size in terms of sponsors, in revenue, and vendors. We’ve seen ginormous growth in attendance alone.” “The biggest change I’ve seen,” Davis said, “is that Nashville Pride has grown to be a major regional event that people travel for. It always was friendly and welcoming, but we’re seeing an increase in attendees from
greater distances and in the number allies and people interested in celebrating diversity who come.” Davis is confident Nashville Pride 2016 will be one for the books. “I will say that this year’s festival will by far shatter every Nashville Pride record that stands. We had 114 vendors last year: this year we have 211, with 64 on a waiting list! We will look at expanding the festival’s footprint significantly in 2017 based on interest this year. We’re seeing a lot of national interest, with outlets like The Advocate and travel blogs like Orbitz planning coverage!” Davis said the meteoric rise in interest in Nashville Pride has definitely coincided with the rise of Nashville’s own star. “It does coincide with Nashville’s explosion,” he said, “and there’s a lot of corporate interest in Nashville right—that’s helped us nearly double our sponsorship income!” And all of this interest and growth will, no doubt, translate into one of the best Nashville Pride celebrations in recent memory!
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NASHVILLE PRIDE 2016 ENTERTAINMENT OVERVIEW The impressive 2016 Nashville Pride Festival lineup includes many fan favorites, as well as some up-and-coming acts. Many of them are featured elsewhere in this edition: En Vogue (pp. 12-13), EZA (p. 16), Daya (p. 19), Parson James (p. 20), The Last Year (p. 23), and Daphne Willis (p. 24). Here we will take a brief look at the other acts that had been announced at the time of printing. Bonnie McKee is an American singersongwriter. Her most well-known work includes songs recorded by her friend Katy Perry. McKee co-wrote “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F),” which appear in Perry’s Teenage Dream album, as well as Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me,” Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” and Perry’s “Part of Me.” McKee has also recorded music of her own in recent years, most notably the single “American Girl” and her EP Bombastic. Shawn Hook is a Canadian musician whose music has been featured on a variety of television programs, from Kyle XY to The Hills. While he released one album, Both Sides under the name Shawn Hlookoff, his official debut album as Shawn Hook was Cosmonaut
and the Girl, and in 2015 he released his most recent album, Analog Love. His most wellknown works include “Million Ways” and “Sound of Your Heart,” which was used in promotion of Season 20 of The Bachelor. The Paisley Fields, a Brooklyn-based, queer alternative-country band, is helmed by lead singer James Wilson, whose music has been inspired by people like Dolly Parton and Gram Parsons. While they are a five-person band, Wilson and bandmate Anna Volpe have been traveled with the Gay Ole Opry tour, representing their act. Pittsburgh City Paper writes, “While The Paisley Fields have a good bit in common with contemporary country — rich production, songs with pop bones and
twangy accents — the band probably won’t be touring with Toby Keith anytime soon. They’re a refreshing change from country radio.” Drag queens Raja, who won Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Obsinity round out the entertainment lineup. Raja is one of the more beloved winners of the show that has popularized the art of drag for more mainstream audiences. As Sutan Amrull, Raja is also a well-known and sought-after make-up artist. He served as make-up artist for America’s Next Top Model from Season 3 to Season 12, and his clients include Adam Lambert, Pamela Anderson, and Iggy Azalea. Obsinity is a local fan favorite, most well known for a spot-on Reba McEntire impersonation.
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EN VOGUE /////////////////////
FUNKY DIVAS HEADLINE PRIDE
ERIC PATTON Headlining Nashville Pride this year is 90’s super girl group En Vogue. Formed in Oakland, California, the group has been together now for 27 years. Since the group’s formation in 1989, they’ve sold over 30 million records, won numerous awards, and been Grammy nominated seven times. The members of the group, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, and Rhona Bennett, have gone through some tough times, but they have stuck together and continue to make their own brand of “Funky Diva” music. Terry Ellis, a native of Houston, Texas is an original member of the group. She spoke with us at O&AN one recent, rainy day. She promised to bring some sunshine, and she did just that. When I asked her about being an original member of En Vogue, you could hear some hesitation in Ellis’ voice. She’s been part of a group that started with four members but that, through the years, has lost a couple of members and added another (Rhona). They’ve weathered lawsuits, changing dynamics in an industry that is hard to navigate, and genuinely hard times. But Ellis says “it hasn’t been easy, but it hasn’t been hard.” “Ya know, especially with it being the original four, ya know of course that’s not going to be comfortable for Cyndi and I, the two of us who decided to keep moving forward” Ellis said. “But our driving passion has been our love for the music, and being able to have the opportunity to do what we love to do. That’s what’s been keeping us going.” Even with a sincere love for the music, being in a group that’s been around for 27 years has to be a challenge. When asked how they keep their sound fresh, Ellis spoke about her musical gumbo. “It’s still a lot of fun for us. The creative part is still so much fun for us. And the music!” she said with excitement. “Being able to get in the studio to record something new and fresh based on where we are in our lives and conversations that we’ve had, or encounters that we’ve had, all that stuff goes into our music. Even our love for different musical genres, all of that goes into the mix, into the gumbo if you will, we get in and create. That’s what keeps it fresh.” 12
O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .C O M
“our driving passion has been our love for the music, and being able to have the opportunity to do what we love to do. That’s what’s been keeping us going.” Of course, my favorite En Vogue song has to be Free Your Mind, and I know I’m not alone. The empowerment of the song is phenomenal. It calls for more acceptance of race and to let people just be people. It’s a classic hit of the 80’s, and one of the groups most successful hits. It was written by the producers of En Vogue, Foster and McElroy. Ellis was quick to let me know that the group had input too and was excited to JUNE 2016
PRIDE
tell the story behind the song. “Most of our songs have been message driven. We feel like, with this platform that we’ve been given, we want to have something to say,” Ellis explained. “That was one of the issues. Being African American, each one of us have had those experiences. So when we decided to do that song, our producers had the idea of doing something like that. So we all sat in the studio one
or for worse. Some artists, even though they support the cause, are sometimes hesitant to perform at Pride festivals. Some are worried they might offend their fans if they support gay rights too openly. So it’s a very bold statement to headline a Pride festival. When I asked why En Vogue played Pride when it may have been an easier decision to not, Ellis’ support for the gay community showed through. “We’ve been doing Pride since the beginning of our career,” she said. “We have a huge, huge gay pride following. For us, it was another reason why we wrote the song ‘Free Your Mind.’ That’s what it’s all about, it’s about non-judgement. It’s about allowing people to live their lives and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. And ya know… Celebrating life and appreciating one another! That’s what it’s all about for us. So it’s never even been a question for us… Never! So it’s about pride and celebrating
that pride, for us, ya know?” Ellis and her group will be taking the Nissan Main Stage at Nashville Pride Festival and will surely be celebrating— and be celebrated. Their songs of courage and acceptance, as well as their songs of downright funky fun, will be exciting to experience live for fans!
Photos: Troy Jensen
day and we all talked about our personal experiences. And so we all conglomerated and put it all together in a song. But those were real experiences that we’re singing about in that song.” The Funky Divas just dropped a new single called “Déjà Vu” and are working on a brand new album. Ellis was very excited about the new work. “We are currently in the studio right now, finishing a few more songs for our forthcoming album. It’s called Electric Café. The first single, we wanted to roll out for our fans who have been supporting us for so dog-gone long. That song in particular is about the intimate experience of meeting someone and feeling like you’ve known them before, you’ve been there before. Ya know? It’s just something that stays with ya, you can’t let it go. Like ‘God, I know this person’ or ‘I feel like I’ve had this experience before.’ That’s pretty much where it comes from.” “And the track itself, before we wrote the lyrics, just sort of spoke to us in that way. It’s one of those laid back kind of breezy kind of tracks. I like to call it our grown and sexy track,” she added, with suggestive laughter, “ya know, kinda saucy.” Playing Pride is a big deal—for better
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JUNE 2016
PRIDE
GINGER MINJ BRINGS IT TO NASHVILLE
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE BATTLE OF THE SEASONS
Photo: Misti Layne
ERIC GINSBERG There are many different types of selfexpression, from painting, drawing, and writing down to our individual fashion choices. In the LGBTQ community, selfexpression through fashion and other modes of appearance altering has been raised to an art form. The most celebrated and recognized form, which always excites and draws ever-larger number of fans, is the art of female impersonation: DRAG! For the first time in history, RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of the Seasons Extravaganza Tour will be coming to Nashville. The Battle of the Seasons tour, now in its third consecutive year of growth, again hosted by series judge Michelle Visage, includes an allstar cast of past winners, finalist and fan favorites from each season of Drag Race. On Monday, June 27, Queens like Jinkx Monsoon, Ivy Winters, and Sharon Needles will be flooding the stage of Marathon Music Works, with an outstanding show destined to delight and mesmerize fans of the show, and the art. In advance of the show, O&AN got the opportunity to hear from one of the queens coming to Nashville with the tour: The LOUD, the ABRASIVE … Ginger Minj!
RuPaul’s Drag Race has blown the drag world wide open and put it under a microscope for all to see. While many of us enjoy the creativity and connection we make with the queens, Ginger pointed out that it’s not always a bed of roses being in the limelight of drag Queen Fame. “Along with the overwhelming positivity,” Ginger said, “there’s negativity because you put something out there into the world and it’s obviously going to be judged. I think that Drag Race, while it has opened up a lot of people’s eyes to appreciate it, it’s also given other people on the opposing side more reason to hate us. For every 10 wonderful messages I get on social media, I’ll get 5 or 6 terrible messages about how we’re all going to hell and an abomination.” When we spoke, Ginger was just a day away from starting her leg of the Battle of the Seasons tour, and she had an audible excitement in her voice that can’t be expressed on pen and paper. “I love to travel,” she said. “I love to meet new people and I love to entertain. Anytime I can combine all three of those elements is a successful day for me!” Personal encounters with fans during her trips are a huge fringe benefit for Ginger.
“I walked into Top Shop in London,” she recalled, “to get my nose pierced and this 300-pound man covered in tattoos drops to his knees and started crying because he was such a fan and [said] I saved his sister’s life because she connected to me on an emotional level.” Drag queens like Ginger have found that they help many people by having the courage to get out there and express themselves with no filter. The Battle of the Seasons show in Nashville will not, of course, be Ginger’s first visit to Nashville. “Even before Drag Race I did a lot of traveling with drag and Nashville is one of the places that has booked me on a consistent basis. I’ve been at Play Nashville a lot and I always love it” Minj says. “I’m a good ole southern boy at heart. Anytime that I can go where there’s good barbecue and good southern accents, I am happy to be there.” Even though the show and its cast are clearly supportive of equality for all, it’s still coming to Tennessee. When asked about legislation targeting LGBT people in Tennessee, Ginger, referencing the trans bathroom bill that almost passed in Tennessee, said, “My roommate and best friend who I’ve had for years is transgender. Her name is Nikki. Walking down the street you wouldn’t know that she was not born a woman. It bothers me because I see what she goes through and I see how it hurts her. I’m definitely an advocate for trying to change that small minded thinking and definitely trying to get out there and ask ‘Do you really want someone like Nikki using the mens room?’. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I don’t see how it would make anybody more comfortable.” But, about Battle of the Seasons show, Ginger wants people to know, “They are gonna get their money’s worth. They are going to get what they expect, but there’s also a lot they probably aren’t going to expect: from all of us, not just from me.” Given her love of travel and connecting with fans, I would say Ginger—and all of the girls—are in line for a great couple of months. I know Nashville can’t wait to see them! If you haven’t already purchased your tickets and are interested in seeing Ginger Minj in Battle of the Season’s Tour the Monday after Pride, stop by the Out & About Nashville booth at both Nashville Pride and Knoxville Pride and register to win a pair of tickets to the show. For more information, or to find out how to buy tickets, visit rupaulbots.com. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H
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DARING TO PLAY OUTSIDE OF THE BOX BELMONT GRAD EZA DOES IT HER WAY////////////////
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And of course Connor Franta, who has a huge following with teens in the LGBT community, included my music in his Volume Three of his Common Culture compilation. I’ve had some television and film placements!” When it comes Pride, EZA couldn’t be more pleased to have been asked, but she confessed. “I’d actually heard about [the Nashville Pride Festival] only this last year!” Indeed, while she has had friends who were LGBT, her familiarity with the community is relatively new. “One of my very good friends is gay and happily in a relationship and I adore the two of them, but one of the pivotal moments in my life came from living with a family that has a transgender child. They had an apartment upstairs that they rented out: I lived with them my senior year and the summer afterwards, as I was transitioning into ‘adult life’.” “I’m so thankful for the year-anda-half I spent with them,” she said. “I’m a Christian, and I always hated to hear how closed off so many are. I personally felt blessed to have been placed with this family, to see the love this family showed their child.” “I’d never really heard of a transgender child so young, and it was such a learning curve for me learning how to interact,” she said, expressing worry she had about
Photos: Mikaela Hamilton
JAMES GRADY EZA is described as “the brooding, sultry project of 22-year-old Ellery Bonham” a Nashville-based, electro-pop artist. Her 2014 EP Means of Escape earned high praise, and introduced the world to her break-through song, “High & Low”. The EP would go on to garner nearly two million streams on Spotify alone in its first year. In 2015, EZA released two new singles, “Headlights” and “We Keep the Lights Out”, and there is a lot of buzz surrounding her new project for which she’s currently crowdfunding. EZA may be young, but like so many up-and-coming young musicians, she’s been at it for a while. “I have done music my whole life,” she said. “I started on stage doing community theatre when I was four and continued through high school.” EZA was nearly a teen when she began studying the classics, from Italian operas to early-age Jazz pieces, however. “I began voice lessons when I was twelve,” she said, “and continued through college. I did all kinds of things to get comfortable on stage…. When I was 15 and did the American Idol tryouts, which made me decide I needed to learn more about the industry I was about to walk into, if that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to have a ton of people on my team making all my decisions for me.” This lead her to move from Rhode Island to Nashville to attend Belmont University and focus entertainment industry management. While studying the business of music, though, EZA remained focused on the music. “I released Means of Escape before my senior year, and after that was out for a year, I released a single, ‘Headlights.’ More recently I released ‘We Keep the Lights Out,” as well as a cover….” This experience confirmed her career path. “One of the first things that really let me know that what I was doing was resonating with people was getting over a million streams. That’s when I really thought to myself, ‘This is something I can build on…’” “Entertainment Weekly premiered one of my songs,” she said, reflecting on some highlights of her career. “I was on Nashville Lifestyles’ ‘Artists to Watch’ list.
unintentionally saying or doing the wrong thing. “But the answer was so clear and easy for me –just love on that child! It’s such an incredible season in my life, this introduction to the life of a transgender child! It was through this family that EZA first learned about the Nashville Pride Festival. “They popped into my head when I was asked to perform—I’m especially excited to play because of that family, to be an advocate. I texted the parents immediately, and I’m so excited!” “I’ve been on a journey with music— my main goal since I was little has been to make music—and I love to sing, but I have a hard time loving to sing if I don’t feel a connection with the music. I never did show choir or that stuff because I couldn’t connect with the music. Some of my favorite music growing up was by really badass women doing their own thing. Women can make awesome music, you just have to dare to step outside of the box people want to put you in….” EZA will definitely keep stepping outside the box as she works on new music and releasing her new EP Dead Reckoning, about which you can learn more at pledgemusic.com/projects/eza.
JUNE 2016
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TEEN MUSICIAN NAMED ‘COMPASSION’//////////////// JAMES GRADY Daya—Hindi for ‘Compassion’—is a young musician best known for her breakout single, “Hide Away,” which has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify and has been certified as a platinum hit, having been played for a radio audience of more than 50 million worldwide. Her debut EP DAYA features her single “Sit Still, Look Pretty.” The song, which has begun climbing the iTunes Pop Chart, has already garnered 10 million streams on Spotify. Did we mention she’s only seventeen? Also known as Grace Tandon, Daya’s short career is an inspiring one for those with musical aspirations. She’s come a long way in a short time. She is currently nominated for The Freshest (Best New Artist) at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards and will be performing, which is her first awards show performance. Earlier this year, this prodigy went on tour with Jack & Jack and has also had a string of headlining dates, including Webster Hall in New York City and a sold out show at the Stage AE in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Basically, I’ve been singing since I was ten years old,” she said. We should note that was nearly seven years ago. Musically, she names a couple of powerful female vocalists as influences on her own style. “Early on, I’d say Amy Winehouse, I love her jazzy sound, and I also love Adele for the rawness and power behind her voice. Those were definitely my two big influences…” She’s grateful for the success she’s enjoyed in the last year. “I’ve always loved making music,” she said, “and its always been my dream to get to the next level. This year I’ve had the opportunity to do so, and it’s definitely been the best year of my life. I’ve been doing a bunch of shows and after we wrote ‘Hide Away’—we put it out about a year ago—it just started taking off on the radio. My EP is out and I’m working on a full-length album, so it’s just crazy how much has changed in a year.” Daya has met her share of famous people through her music, but she couldn’t help but fangirl about one in
particular. “Meeting Troye Sivan was one of the better moments, because I just love his music and his messages, and he’s a really cool person. So that was definitely an awesome experience, to meet him!” She credits the success of “Hide Away,” and thus her career, to the song’s message. “The relatability of the message of the song, I think, is a big part of what made it take off like that,” she explained. “A lot of people have talked to me about how much the lyrics of that song speak to them. Celebrities have reached out and supported me on it as well, so it’s a combination of things.” “A lot of my LGBT fans have done covers of my songs too,” she added, as we discussed Pride later. “One gay couple posted a cover of ‘Hide Away’ online which was really cute. A ton of people have reached out to talk about how my music has helped them get through things and how positive it is …there have been countless people who’ve reached out to let me know how they relate to the music, which is the best thing for me to hear, as an artist.” This summer is a busy one for Daya. She’ll be finishing up high school on the road. “I’ll actually be graduating with my class in June,” she said. “I actually only needed one more credit to graduate, so it all worked out so I could take that online and still travel. Its super flexible for my schedule.” Meanwhile, she added, “I have an album in the works that I just finished co-writing in LA and I have some shows, a lot of festivals, so a lot coming up this summer that I’m really stoked for.” That includes Pride festivals, of course! “I performed at Phoenix Pride earlier this year,” she said. “That was so wild, definitely
Photo: Noah Bility
DAYA’S MESSAGE OF EMPOWERMENT
one of my more energetic shows. It was such a great experience overall and I can’t wait to perform more Pride shows in the future. It’s just a fun place to be.” More than that, she feels like supporting Pride is an obligation. “I also feel that these festivals send important message to the community, and it’s important for me to be able to be there and show my support for people being who they are.” Sending a message is important to her as an artist and songwriter. “I think it’s really important to stand behind what you’re saying—I want to be the most uplifting person I can be, and through songwriting I can do that.” One of the message she’s most concerned with is “female empowerment, and encouraging people—not just females but everyone— to go after what they want to do and what they believe in, and not let people stand in their way. I think that’s a really important message for people, but especially young girls, to hear.”
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CONFLICTED POP GOSPEL JAMES GRADY Out gay musical artist Parson James, now based in Brooklyn, New York, has a story. And that story begins in conservative, rural South Carolina. He calls his music “conflicted pop gospel,” and one you know his past it just clicks. Born Ashton Parson in a town called Cheraw, Parson James faced more than his fair share of struggles. His teen mother was thrown out of her house when her pregnancy was discovered, because the father of the child was an African American basketball player. But James’ mother prevailed through adversity, raising her son with the help of his paternal great-grandmother, while working three jobs. For a while James’ father was around, but in the end she had to kick him out for drug abuse and stealing from her. “My dad was out of the picture after that,” James said. “When my dad left, he was in a very bad place.” One of his few vivid memories of his father was having to call the police on the man. “I knew how to call 911 when my dad was in the house and pretend I was speaking to my grandmother so he wouldn’t know I was calling for help.” James knew he was gay from an early age, but also knew better than to come out too early. “I grew up in rural South Carolina–a very difficult place to be out. My town was about 5,000 people,” he explained, “super religious, super rooted in its Baptist belief: anything that’s kind of different than the way they were raised was kind of banished!” Latent homophobia wasn’t the only societal ill James had to face. “Racism was a problem as well—and my family was interracial, so acceptance was hard to come by on both sides.” While church was the source of many of his troubles, its music was a fascination and a comfort. “I have been singing as long as I can remember,” James said. “I never shut up. My first glimpses of music were in church, gospel and Baptist hymns. Church was an amazing place musically: some of the voices you hear there are ridiculously good.” It’s little surprise though that, “Growing 20
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up, I didn’t connect with the message, but the passion and energy gave me a glimpse of what I wanted to do,” he explained. “At 10 I started to do talent shows, chorus and choirs. By 15 I was convinced I should be the next American idol. I tried multiple times and never made the first audition.” Eventually, James said, “I got to a place where I was going nuts, and I knew that, even at a young age, I had to get out of there. So I moved to New York when I was 17. I got here, and there were so many people here… Quickly I came out of the closet: I went to my first gay bar and started seeing gay and lesbian relationships. I met the first trans person I had ever known. I spent a few years here learning about myself as a person, since I spent so much time in the closet growing up.” Working up the nerve to tell his mother that he was gay wasn’t easy, despite him knowing she would accept him. “My mom was really great,” James said. “She would never judge me, she’s been super supportive.” When he first came out to her, he asked if she had guessed. She told him that she’d never questioned his sexuality, but that at some level she might have known. “Maybe I did,” she told him, “but when you’ve had the experience of being judged by your own parents, that’s a feeling that you would never want to put on anyone else.” How did he work up the courage to leave home and run off to New York in pursuit of music? “I was a bit delusional about my career,” James said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘This is just going to happen!’ Moving to New York at 17 was just the thing I was supposed to do. I signed up for a college I’d never heard of, but I never went to class. I went to open mikes and made relationships: I got connected to others, and eventually music industry.” “I just kept myself completely busy and JUNE 2016
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Photo: Koury Angelo
PARSON JAMES’ MUSICAL SERMON
never lo oke d up,” he explained. “When I did look up I had fallen into the hands of a really good manager. I found I needed to be more honest with my music, and once I did, labels got more interested and it allowed me to deliver my own personal message.” James’ debut single from his EP The Temple reflects on this. The community had turned its back on his mother: “She was shut out by everyone. So on ‘Sinner Like You’ I’m asking, ‘What are we going to do?’ and recognizing the hypocrisy of the people in the community. The lady who drove me to school had a drug addiction. The preacher was caught sleeping with his wife’s sister. And somehow my being gay trumps that?” James’ music received a huge boost, ironically, from American Idol. In its final season, Keith Urban suggested to contestant Trent Harmon that he should perform “Waiting Game”, also on The Temple, on the shows finale. “Starbucks had been playing the full EP,” James explained, “and [Urban] heard it there and talked about it on the show!” This rocketed the song to iTunes’ Top 10 that week, and James hasn’t looked back. This year, James is playing Pride festivals in Nashville, New Jersey and New York, and he said, “I’ve never been to Nashville, so I’m excited to see some Southern queens. In South Carolina there wasn’t even a bar or club within three hours, so it’ll be a new experience. I’m excited!”
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@therealjanisian JUNE 2016
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THE LAST YEAR ///////////////////////////////////////////
In advance of Nashville Pride 2016, Barr was kind enough to answer a few questions for O&AN!
BRINGING ALT-ROCK TO NASHVILLE PRIDE
Do you have ties to the LGBT community? Of course! Don’t we all in some way? We have relatives, close friends, and fans in the community. We love them and we’re happy to support them in any way we can! Is this your first pride festival? Are there many on your tour? We played a rainy Toronto at Toronto Pride 2015. We also rode with our friends in the Charlotte Pride parade that same year. Nashville will be our second pride festival show! How was the band formed? Three of us in the band (Scott Ensign, BJ Kerwin, Niki Barr) have been playing in a band together for several years. After disbanding from our previous band, Scott and Niki started writing music for a new project that would become The Last Year. Scott Griffith [guitar] joined soon after the release of our first EP. We all knew each other from the Baltimore music scene. Musically, who are your influences? Everything from The Beatles to The Police, The Cars and Depeche Mode to Nine Inch Nails, Garbage, and The Dandy Warhols (we just saw them live, so they’re fresh on our minds!). Tell us about the new album. We recorded the drums at Hudson St Sound in Annapolis, but everything else was done in our studio in Baltimore. Recording the record in this way meant we could take our time with it and get the sonic quality just right. We’re really happy with this record and excited to start touring behind it! Is there anything you’d like to say to our readers? Please join us at Nashville Pride. It’s going to be a wild time. I’m sure of it! Photos: Sarah Kimble
JOSEPH BRANT One of the many exciting new acts gracing the stages of Nashville’s 2016 Pride Festival is The Last Year, an alternative rock band from Baltimore. The band approaches its music-making process under many and diverse musical influences, from the hookheavy hits of The Cars to the hypnotic sounds of acts like The Cure and Portishead. The band’s retro influences, however, are cast with a completely modern style and sensibility, to magical effect. Front-girl Niki Barr had a successful career of her own, beginning at the age of fifteen, releasing two EPs, Go and The Other Side of Me, as well as a full-length record, Lush with producer Jim Ebert. Lush included songs co-written with Butch Walker, Wizardz of Oz, Matthew Gerrard, and Stephen Lironi. Barr went on to found the Niki Barr Band, which included current bandmates Scott Ensign and BJ Kirwin. The Last Year, founded in June 2013, consists of Barr on vocals and Ensign playing bass and synth, accompanied by drummer Kerwin and guitarist Scott Griffith. By October 2013, the Baltimore-based group was earning local accolades, and now they have toured over 30 countries on three continents! The Last Year, in partnership with Shanachie Entertainment, released its debut EP in 2015. Lead single “Sugar” got airtime on radio stations across the nation, and NPR Music included the band in their Austin 100. The band has also built a national following by supporting acts like Neon Hitch. With a track record like that, The Last Year may be a relatively new act, but it’s definitely no stranger to the stage. Guided by Barr’s coy, yet powerful melodies and unique body language, blended with the band’s array of synth growls, driving rhythms and swirling guitar sounds, their show is a spectacle and will be a must-see at Pride this year! Static Automatic, The Last Year’s first full-length record, is available exclusively on their Static Automatic Spring Tour, kicking off in DC on March 29th, 2016. The single “Rush” from that album may be the closest thing to an alternative/pop crossover the band has produced to date, with its colorful sounds reminiscent of St. Lucia, MS MR, and Chvrches.
Have you been to Nashville before? Yes! We played The Basement about a year ago and can’t wait to get back to Nashville!
For more information about The Last Year, visit www.thelastyear.net, and check them out on social media on Twitter @ the_last_year and Instagram @thelastyear! Videos of their music can be found at youtube.com/tlyofficial. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H
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SOMETHING NEW FOR THE LOCALS
WILLIS TO DEBUT NEW MUSICAL AT NASHVILLE PRIDE JOSEPH BRANT Daphne Willis is always on tour. “I continually go,” she said. “I’m always either touring or working in Nashville so, it’s kind of like, I’ll go out for a week or so regionally and then come back and then be home for a week and then I go out for another week.” Home is right here in Nashville. You’ve likely seen Daphne perform her distinct brand of pop at The Basement, The Basement East, Mercy Lounge, The High Watt. “I play Nashville usually every six weeks or so,” she said. But during the month of June, the only place you’ll find Daphne locally is at Nashville Pride. This
is her second hometown pride: “I do the Back Lot Bash in Chicago,” Willis said. “I’m from Chicago originally.” She’s excited to get to perform music from her latest EP, Get It, as well as to debut new material. “I’m working with a new producer, Justin Que,” she said, “and he and I are going to do some new material we’ve been working on. We’re going to take my live show in a different direction and perform some of the newer stuff, which is exciting. It’s more dancy and a lot more hip hop.” If you’re unfamiliar with Willis’ sound, it’s an eclectic blend. “I’ve been influenced by a lot of jazz and
Motown growing up. Stevie Wonder. Ella Fitzgerald,” she said. “And then contemporary, so Pink would be a good comparison. I’m like a beachy, bluesy Pink.” So if you’ve never seen Willis perform, Nashville Pride is the perfect opportunity to discover her, and if you’re a long-time fan, it’s a good time to rediscover your passion for her music.
DAPHNE’S TOP 3 NASHVILLE PLACES Koi Sushi & Thai. “I probably eat there like three or four times a week. I love seafood but it’s just very clean and when I’m with a bunch of people, everyone can get what they want because they have Thai food too.” The Post East. “It’s a bad-ass coffee shop. It also has really great juices and smoothies.” The East Side YMCA. “Because I like to get my sweat on.”
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NASHVILLE PRIDE’S MARTINIS AND JAZZ 2016
LONGSTANDING FUNDRAISER CONTINUES TO PLEASE //////////////// On May 4, 2016, Nashville Pride hosted its annual “Martinis and Jazz” fundraiser at The Pavilion East on Fatherland Street. The event, featuring delicious appetizers, signtature martinis, and a silent auction, is Pride’s longest-running fundraising event. This year, Music City Swings provided the musical entertainment for the enthusiastic crowd.
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Photos: James Grady
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JUNE 2016
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NISSAN STANDS BEHIND LGBT PRIDE ALL YEAR LONG
MAJOR SPONSORSHIPS UNDERSCORE COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY ////////////////// TERRY SEELEY For three years in a row, Nissan has earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which is a national report that evaluates LGBT related policies and practices. These include domestic-partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, non-discrimination workplace practices, and public engagement with the LGBT community. Nissan hasn’t always earned a perfect score, though, but through its commitment to diversity became one of the fastest risers in the history of the index when it climbed to its perfect score in 2013. Nissan hasn’t rested on its laurels, but has continued to improve its relationship to the LGBT community. Last year, Nissan even revised its charitable contribution policy and no longer makes donations to, “Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, veteran status, physical challenge, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.” The Gay Straight Alliance at Nissan (GSAN), an employee group, is a major factor in the corporation’s high score. This group that started in 2012 with seven members has now grown to number over 140 members. Greg Cason, the president of GSAN, says it’s all about a positive work environment and teaching employees to bring their whole selves to work. Cason, himself, felt comfortable coming out because of Nissan’s positive environment. “Nissan’s LGBT outreach efforts are
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mainly focused on grassroots campaigns such as the sponsorships of local Pride festivals, Human Rights Campaign events and activities with the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce.” Cason said. “GSAN members worked with Nissan’s sales operations teams to develop a way to track sales, and we have seen a measurable return on investment on these events. In 2015, Nissan took its support to the national level through a sponsorship with North America Gay Athletic Alliance (NAGAA) and the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), and leveraged the partnership in our first LGBT-themed ad campaign.” Nissan partnered with NAGAA in August at the alliance’s 39th Annual Gay Softball World Series. More than 185 teams from 43 cities across the United States and Canada competed in Columbus, Ohio, for nine days. They also were a part of Nissan’s ad campaign for the 2016 Maxima. More vehicles were showcased at the sports complex as well as during the opening and closing ceremonies. The National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association’s (NLGJA) 25th anniversary convention in San Francisco was also sponsored by Nissan. NLGJA brought student journalists from across the country for a week of mentoring, training, and professional development in September 2015. These students worked with a team of journalists from across media platforms, working on their resumes, interviewing with recruiters and journalists, and getting
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a feel for what it’s like to work in a media newsroom. Here locally in Middle Tennessee, Greg Cason co-chairs the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce. For two years he has been a part of quarterly calls to discuss the best practices to support the LGBT community. Cason also co-chaired the LGBT+ College Conference held at MTSU, of which Nissan was also a big sponsor. The three-day event in April explored how key facets of identity—gender, race, culture, ethnicity, age, social class, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression—play a significant role in how we experience the world. Students, professionals, practitioners, and leaders spoke on how access and opportunity combine to influence education, commerce, community, government, and each other. Cason says he hopes the conference led students to bring those ideas back to campus to continue the conversation. Nissan is also excited to be sponsoring Nashville Pride and its representatives look forward to speaking with patrons during the event. It’s no wonder with all Nissan has done in the past year that they not only remain one of the major U.S. businesses to earn the perfect 100 ranking but also have earned a designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality. Greg Cason says, “I am proud to be working here at Nissan, a company that stands behind their practices.
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SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT HOME IN EAST NASHVILLE
DENTIST SUZIE STOLARZ’S HOUSE HUNTERS ADVENTURE ////////////////// JAMES GRADY It’s a well-known fact that Nashville’s housing market has been booming for a number of years, as more and more people decide to call our fair city home. Late last year, HGTV’s popular real estate reality show House Hunters did an episode featuring Nashville titled, “Tough Going in Hot Nashville Market,” and it featured dentist Suzie Stolarz and her wife Kelly in their search for the “perfect” home. Suzie and Kelly aren’t exactly newcomers to Nashville, but when they were featured on the show they were relatively new returnees. “I first moved here in 2005,” Suzie said, “and pretty much took a year off, I left everything up north—several dental practices. I needed a fresh started, moved here and said, ‘I’m done with dentistry.’ I’d been a dentist for twenty-one years, and kind of got burned out on it….” Though she wasn’t looking to make it big in the industry, Suzie’s experience here
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will be familiar to many young artists who come here for the music and have trouble finding … anything. “I couldn’t find a job doing anything! Literally anything!” Suzie said. “I applied at Starbucks, at a drywall position I found in the paper…. Starbucks didn’t even interview me, so I was kind of desperate. I found an ad for the Humane Society washing dogs in the kennel, no experience….” This is where things took a turn for Suzie, but probably not the one you’d expect. “Some friends drove me to apply. I walked in with a plain resume that didn’t mention my education and the clipping, and the lady asked if I had experience in a dog kennel. She said she was sorry, but they needed experience: I pointed to the ad that said, ‘No experience necessary.’ She said that was incorrect…. I walked out and my friends said, ‘Oh my God, Suzie is a dog washer,’ and I had to tell them, ‘I didn’t get the job!’”
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“They said, ‘I think this is the universe telling you that you should still be a dentist,’” Suzie said, laughing. “So I got back into it for a while and then met Kelly, who’s now my wife. In 2011 or so we decided to go back to Chicago to be closer to family.” It was while in Chicago that they first applied to be on House Hunters. “Kelly had been on TV before so she’s comfortable doing that,” Suzie explained. “We watched House Hunters all the time, and she said, ‘I’m going to apply.’ I thought ‘I don’t ever want to be on television!’ But I knew our chances of getting on the show were slimto-none, so I encouraged her to apply. Of course, we didn’t get picked.” “Then an opportunity for her position brought us back here in 2014,” Suzie said, “and we decided all things considered, where we were in our lives, we actually missed the lifestyle here…. Now, back in Nashville, we were renting a house and our landlord decided not renew our lease.”
So in 2015, Kelly decided to apply to House Hunters again. This time, the couple got a phone interview. “So, they asked us a bunch of whacky questions,” Suzie said, “and I was just my goofy self and she was herself.” After a subsequent Skype interview, they were told that about 750 people apply each season, but that “they really liked us and thought we were funny!” “When they called and said, ‘Hey, we really want to do the show with you guys,’ I panicked!” Suzie said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I getting myself into?’ It was basically five days of filming, and I actually had the time of my life. The first couple of hours was odd, because we had makeup, camera, lights, and microphones. I was out of my comfort zone, and they told me just to forget everything that was around and just loosen up!” After she was able to let go of all that, Suzie said, “It was so incredibly fun that, when it was over, even the producer cried! We all cried because we got to be so close. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for sure, and for sure! I’d never want to be a television star because it’s a lot of work!” In the end, the couple also found a home they love, even if it wasn’t a “perfect”
fit for everything they were looking for. “Basically we had a day to make a decision,” Suzie explained, “because everything we looked at had an offer on it immediately! We were renting in 12 South, which we loved, but we were priced out of there and there really wasn’t anywhere else we wanted to live besides East Nashville….” In that tight market, perfect is sometime a fluid concept. “There were certain things we wanted that we didn’t get—all kinds of things! I wanted a garage—we didn’t get that. We didn’t want an attached house— we did get an attached house! But, all things considered, the space is wonderful, and we love our home, so it worked out perfectly in the end!” It turns out that it worked very perfectly, since Suzie has recently purchased a dental practice in Murfreesboro. “When a buddy of mine sold his practice in Murfreesboro,” Stolarz said. “I’ve been at Blackman Grove Dental almost seven months now!” That might not seem perfect at all— Murfreesboro to East Nashville commute and all—but Stolarz only practices on Monday and Tuesday, and her East Nashville haven helps her keep some distance— literally and figuratively—from work.
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¡FIESTA! A CELEBRATION OF EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & UNITY
NASHVILLE IN HARMONY HIGHLIGHTS TRANS INCLUSION ////////////////// JAMES GRADY When Nashville in Harmony (NiH) was planning its Pride-month show, “¡Fiesta! A Celebration Of Equality, Diversity, & Unity,” scheduled for Sunday, June 26, 2016, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Polk Theater, Tennessee’s antitrans bathroom bill was near the top of the list of legislative concerns. In a mailing, NiH—Tennessee’s first and only musical arts organization specifically created for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, and their straight allies—sent an email announcing that, “At our Pride show, ‘¡Fiesta! A Celebration Of Equality, Diversity, & Unity,’ we are raising our voices to show our total respect and support for our trans friends and to celebrate the complete and beautiful spectrum of gender identity and diversity. Come hear us debut our brand new original anthem, ‘Whatever Gender,’ that we created specifically to
declare our solidarity with the transgender community.” NiH’s artistic director, Don Schlosser, spoke passionately, about why the organization chose to place trans inclusion front and center this year: From my perspective, the reason we are focusing on support for the trans community—and other expressions of gender fluidity and gender identity— is the confluence of three streams of considerations: First, the brightest spotlight in the struggle for LGBT equality has long been on gay and lesbian issues and specifically on the fight for marriage equality. We all recognize that being gay or lesbian today is not the stigma it once was; in fact, the LGBT index has become a measure of a progressive and healthy community. And now that we have marriage equality, we need to shift our focus to other muchneeded equality.
Second, trans is a huge hot-button topic in media. The current controversy over “bathroom bills” across the country is evidence that the spotlight has shifted to focus on discrimination and prejudice against those who are gender nonconforming. NiH is making a conscious decision to raise our voices in support. Third, as Nashville in Harmony continues to grow, we are attracting a more diverse demographic, and a younger demographic. More and more we are finding that our original selfdescription as a chorus for gay and lesbian people and their allies doesn’t describe the full spectrum of the community. We need to recognize and embrace the diversity of our own membership and then adjust the conversation so ensure that our mission to use music to build community and create social change remains relevant and compelling.
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A member of NiH, Devan Pope, also spoke to O&AN about what NiH has meant to them as a trans person:
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What has NiH meant to you in your journey? For me, joining NiH was all about finding my voice again, both as a singer and a person navigating the realities of being trans in the south. During my transition, my voice changed significantly and it took a while to get used to it. From the audition day, NiH gave me a supportive and non-judgmental space to settle into my new vocal range and finally experience what it’s like to sing BASS! Having the opportunity to sing with the bass section was, for me, one of those special moments that I think is unique to the trans experience. There are just those things that many of us in the trans community have fantasized about being able to do if our bodies matched up with our genders, or if we were just recognized for the gender we know ourselves to be. For me, singing bass was one of those things and it was magnificent to be able to finally realize that dream surrounded by community that I know was so happy for me in that experience! How does NiH fit into the community you’ve made for yourself? NiH gave me the space and group of people where I could truly be myself—out and proud, when, at the time, I felt the need to remain “stealth” about my trans status in most other circles. NiH gave me the chance to talk about the experiences I had surrounding my transition before I was ready to be out in other areas of my life. Nashville in Harmony also served as a crucial place for me to find mentors and adults that were supportive. As a fairly young trans person, I came to the organization after a rough year of losing most of my family support system due to coming out. NiH helped to fill that gap for me by providing loving and caring individuals of many ages that I knew I could ask for help and emotional support through difficult times. Why do you think important—for trans and gendernonconforming people—that NiH is focus its annual Pride program on these groups, especially this year? Given the recent political rhetoric and extreme fear-based policies making their way through the southern states, I think focusing on trans and gender-nonconforming people is one the most important topics for a group like Nashville in Harmony. There is so much misinformation that people are fed through their TVs and social media, it is up to groups like Nashville in Harmony to take a stand for what they know to be true. Focusing on gender allows NiH to educate audiences about the challenges and fears that face this community. Each additional choir member, NiH fan or audience member that hears this message becomes just one more advocate for an inclusive and understanding society.
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HONORING A WARRIOR FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY TTPC’S MARISSA RICHMOND RECOGNIZED LOCALLY, NATIONALLY //////////////// JAMES GRADY The past few legislative sessions, and the increasing interest in transgender issues in the media, have made Marissa Richmond a more familiar figure in the news cycle, and on the political scene. When a new bill targeting transgender citizens’ rights is filed, or a legislator makes a transphobic comment, or President Obama announces new guidelines, Richmond is one of the go-to spokespersons for the community. But Marissa Richmond has been one of the leading figures in transgender rights for almost twenty-five years. Back in 1992, she returned from Washington D.C., where she had worked with the Transgender Education Association (TGEA) and was a co-founder of Crossroads, a transgender support group. Shortly after arriving back in Nashville, Richmond helped found TVals, a non-political, educational, and social support group for transgender people in Middle Tennessee. Since then, Richmond has been tireless in working to make our region a safer space for transgender citizens, not only through support groups but through political activism. Most notably, Richmond has served as an officer of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC), and is currently the organization’s lobbyist. This year, Richmond and the TTPC had a difficult fight in the legislature. “This year may have been the toughest in the history of TTPC,” Richmond said. “We entered the legislative session focused on stopping the Bathroom Harassment and School Voucher bills. Both were extremely tough battles, but we were part of broad coalitions in both areas.” Overall, the outcome of those fights was favorable. “Of course, we also found ourselves fighting back against the Counseling Discrimination bill, which, sad to say, was passed and signed into Iaw, and against the defunding of the UTK Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which was based, in part, on their recommendation to use gender neutral pronouns when asked by a student, staff member, or faculty. That bill remains unresolved. Unfortunately,” 38
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Richmond added, “our desire to repeal the ban on gender changes on birth certificates was forced to languish because of all those negative battles.” In the aftermath of these battles, however, came some good news. Richmond became the first transgender person in Tennessee to be appointed to a local government board or commission, when Nashville Mayor Megan Barry tapped to serve on the Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission (the nomination has to be approved by the Metro Council after this issue will have gone to print). Richmond was honored by the nomination. “This nomination by Mayor Barry comes at a special time with all of the attacks on the humanity and dignity of trans people in Tennessee and across this nation,” Richmond said. “This shows how far we have progressed, at least in Nashville, that we can now have seats at the table where major policy decisions are
JUNE 2016
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made and implemented. It is especially important for young trans people, who were the targets of the Bathroom Harassment bill, to know that they can aspire to community leadership.” At the national level, Richmond is being honored with the Julie Johnson Founders Award by the National Center for Transgender Equality’s (NCTE) 13th Annual Celebration. The award, Richmond said, “is named for a benefactor of NCTE. Julie was a retired businesswoman from Chicago. I had the honor of serving on the Board of the International Foundation for Gender Education over 10 years ago, so it is a special honor to be receiving this award named for her. I also served on the Board of NCTE for 6 years, so it is a special thrill to be recognized by my former colleagues there.” In a year of hard-fought battles, we congratulate one of our local heroes as she receives these well-deserved honors!
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JUNE 2016
PRIDE
FROM MEMPHIS TO TRI-CITIES
TENNESSEE SHOWS IT’S LGBT PRIDE //////////////////// JAMES GRADY It isn’t always easy to show one’s LGBT pride in Tennessee, or to be proud of being a Tennessean as an LGBT person, but despite it all the community and its allies have persisted in doing so over the years. We’ve all sort of decided that we aren’t going to let the haters take that away from us completely, and so, despite it all—despite the Susan Lynns and the Stacey Campfields, the David Fowlers and the Family Action Councils— LGBT Pride has taken root and grown in this state. The big cities—Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis—each host LGBT Pride festivals that speak to the distinctive culture of the city. Memphis’ 13th Annual Mid-South Pride Festival will again take place in the heart of downtown Memphis. Mid-South Pride has been held annually since 2003 and features more than 100 vendor and informational booths, great food, and of course, the Pride Parade rolling down Historic Beale Street. This year, the festival will be held on Saturday, September 24, beginning at 10 a.m. Knoxville PrideFest 2016 will be held in the World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, June 18, 2016 from 12:00 pm–8:00 pm. The Pride Parade is at 11am. Knoxville Pridefest touts itself as an open celebration of music, entertainment and speakers focused on promoting equality and Inclusion of all people. This year’s entertainment lineup in Knoxville promises fun for all, with performances from artists as varied as the Knoxville Opera to Pop Rox! and Chely Wright. RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Coco Montrese and Derrick Barry will, no doubt, slay. But Pride is no longer confined to the state’s bigger cities. A number of smaller cities and even towns have begun hosting festivals, either one off or regularly. Chattanooga’s Tennessee Valley Pride is one of the largest of these, and it is probably the last of Tennessee’s Pride festivals of the year. The event is an intimate, hometown celebration of a strong and growing LGBT and allies community in the region. TVP has boasted the support of community organizations from PFLAG and Chattanooga CARES to Jewish Congregation Bnai Zion
and UTC’s Wesley Fellowship. Held near the Tennessee River and the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga’s early fall Pride is a beautiful event held in comfortable temperatures. Two of the newest celebrations bring Pride to even smaller communities where tensions can run higher. Upper Cumberland was held on Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Cookeville. The festival, first conceived of by R.G. Cravens and Beth Thompson, was founded in 2011 at a Tennessee Equality Project meeting in Crossville, Tennessee, and the first Upper Cumberland Pride was held in 2012. This year’s festival was again held in the Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavilion and hosted over thirty vendors. Tri-Cities has one of the newest festivals in Tennessee, having just hosted its second annual Pride Spring Music Festival, also on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at the Willow Tree Coffehouse and Music Room in downtown Johnson City. This event featured local musical acts Chameleon Red, My New Favorites, Us If, Love Unit, Soul Sauce, & Comet Conductors. The goal of events like this one is more akin to much earlier Pride festivals—local solidarity, enjoying being free together for a moment from having to be afraid because of who we are, and building hope for a better tomorrow in our small towns and rural enclaves. Some people look forward to a time when “we don’t need Pride anymore,” but I disagree. Well, I look forward to a time when LGBT people everywhere no longer need such events to feel like they aren’t alone in their world, but I hope when that time comes Pride doesn’t disappear. I hope that the LGBT citizens of any small town will continue to get together to celebrate their diversity and put faces on difference. I think Pride is good for humanity.
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Photos: Michael Herman & James Grady
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JUNE 2016
PRIDE
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For a full list of events visit KNOXVILLEPRIDEFEST.ORG
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Photos: Michael Herman & James Grady
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JUNE 2016
PRIDE
BORN OF PRIDE, SHOW TUNES CELEBRATES TEN YEARS
TRIBE TO HOST ‘BIRTHDAY PARTY’ FOR ICONIC EVENT /////////////////////////////////////// STAFF Sunday, June 4, 2006, was the second day of Nashville Pride celebrations that year, back when it used to be held at Centennial Park. It was the usual, fun-filled weekend, drawing large crowds. Little noticed at the time, down on Church Street, a new theme night was being born at Tribe. It was the very first night of Show Tunes! Show Tunes was inspired by trips Keith Blaydes and David Taylor, then owners of Tribe, used to take to Chicago. There they would visit a bar called Side Tracks. One of the most popular nights at that bar was show tunes night. They both determined then to bring this event to Nashville. A small crowd of approximately twenty patrons were there for that first night—not a bad group considering LGBT Nashville was worn out by a weekend of Pride. The event night grew slowly at first. DJ Ken and popular bartender Loy Carney called it “the best kept secret in Nashville.” A decade later, Show Tunes night boasts large crowds that pack the bar and has made Tribe THE fun place to be on Sunday afternoons from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Gena Sal-sy says, “I get to sing, and sometimes dance, along to my favorite musicals with the rest of the bar. I have also met some wonderfully fun people who enjoy doing the same! If you love show tunes and you haven’t experienced it, you are missing out!” Show Tunes nights at Tribe features videos from Broadway shows, TV shows, and movies. Some of these revive the greats from the distant past, bringing stars like Ethel Merman and Judy Garland into the 21st century LGBT bar! Of course, Show Tunes doesn’t neglect the popular stars of the day, such as Lady Gaga and Jeremy Jordan. Customers may request their favorite numbers, and these requests are honored as often as possible. But even without a request, musical lovers are sure to hear favorites like “Springtime for Hitler” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” without having to ask. Everyone is encouraged to sing out to all the show tunes that are played. There are even a few “props” available to perform with while you sing. Or you can make up your own.
Throughout the year, Sundays at Tribe often feature special themes, for holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Easter, St Patrick’s, and others, often adding costumes, games, and contests to the fun. You will even get see your favorite bartenders dressed in character—sometimes undressed in character. They take an active part in the night’s most popular event, the napkin toss! You need to see it to truly understand. Jeremy Webb (who began attending back in the early years) says, “Show tunes Sunday. Where you go for the fun, energetic atmosphere and always end up staying for the napkin toss.” Over the years, Tribe and Show Tunes has partnered with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, The Rep, The Street Theatre Company and Circle Players. These partnerships have raised awareness and money for causes like Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and Nashville CARES (TPAC). They have also helped promote local groups and their various shows through live performances. On Sunday, June 5, Tribe will be celebrating the tenth year of Show Tunes, and what a wonderful way to kick of Pride month? Music, with rousing singalongs, and famous drink specials are just the beginning.
Tribe will be hosting a birthday celebration for its iconic event, and everyone is invited. There will be balloons, snacks, birthday cake, a game or two, plus gifts. But at this birthday party, the gifts will be for the attendees! What a way to thank Nashville for ten years of musical fun!
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A KIKI WITH RAQUEL REDD PAIGE TURNER This year, our Drag Bingo sister Raquel Redd is rocking the Nissan Main Stage at Nashville Pride! It’s not Drag Bingo at Mad Donna’s, but it’s not a bad gig, either! So come catch up with what’s been going on with Raquel (she’s got a new web series!), as we sit back and get untucked! So, you’re a big part of the Nashville Pride Festival this year?! What can we expect from you, hosting the Main Stage event? This year I’m being lowered onto the Nissan Main Stage from a helicopter. Just kidding! Patrons can expect to have FUN! We’ve got a lot of Pride events going on leading up to the day of Pride, so locals and visitors alike will have so much to choose from, not to mention an all-star musical line-up! How did you land this gig? One night after a gig, I put a pair of my used eyelashes under my pillow and the gig fairy rewarded me. That and I sucked a lot of dick over at … well, you know how it goes. What does Pride to you? It’s giving yourself the much deserved permission to be your authentic self. So often we condition and/or alter ourselves for the reason of others when we’d ALL be a lot happier if we were all authentic with ourselves and with each other. Pride is for everyone! What is your fondest Pride memory? When I first walked in LA Pride, the showering of love from the other queens and the whole community. They were so supportive and wanted pictures with us holding babies and giving us fan letters. Overwhelming but a great memory! What do you think will be the highlight of Nashville Pride? My cheek and brow bone. Honestly though, I’m excited for all the live music! Did you see the line-up?!?! gagging Tell us about your new web series and where our readers can watch it? “Raquel Knows Nashville” is the brainchild of Zack Lankford and myself. Zach is a film major and has used me as the subject of a documentary and a few other projects that can be found online. He called me one day 50
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with an idea to go out in the streets and shove a camera and microphone in people’s faces. AND THEY LOVE IT! New episodes are released every other Friday on the YouTube channel, “Raquel Knows Nashville,” or you can visit raquelknowsnashville.com. What is your goal with “Raquel Knows Nashville”? Really to have fun with the people in Nashville. And doing it in drag helps broaden the scope of the drag scene in Nashville by showing there’s more to drag here than just a fierce 11pm lip sync.
What are your other big plans for the year? I’ve really been focusing on Tuesday Nights at Mad Donna’s. It’s like Nashville’s best kept secret that I want the whole world to know about! We have so much fun there and everyone is already buzzing about “LIVE GAME SHOW NIGHT” starting in June. Each month we’ll feature a new, interactive game show experience!
What can we look forward to the most? Rumor has it your working on releasing All the weight I’m losing because I’ve new music this year? stopped eating solid food, and Trump being Honestly speaking, I’ve been sitting on a elected POTUS! few songs. One I’ve recorded, but I’m not extremely happy with the outcome, so I need to go and Campground in a tweak it and should release it next month.
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What can you tell us about your acting endeavors? This year I’m starring in Veronica Lynn’s “Love’s Tangle,” a dramatic stage production about love and hate colliding. The show deals with some hot button social issues like transitioning, being on the “down low,” and interracial couples. It’s touring this year, so visit www.lovestangle. com for the schedule. JUNE 2016
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JUNE 2016
PRIDE
2016 BINGHAM CUP MAKES NASHVILLE PROUD
Photos: James Grady
Just a few days before our Pride Issue hits the stands, Nashville will have hosted the 2016 Bingham Cup, International Gay Rugby’s premier tournament. After months, truthfully years, of planning, teams from all over the world, from Sweden to Sydney, will have descended on Nashville for revelry and raucus gameplay. Nashville always rolls out all the stops for its guests and puts its best face forward. By bringing LGBT guests to Nashville from around the world, the Bingham Cup was an opportunity to show the world, and the state of Tennessee, that bigoted laws and and backwards morals are not what we are about. So, International Gay Rugby, thank you for coming to Nashville to show your pride, and for giving Nashville another way to show its pride and to give Tennessee a lesson in true hospitality.
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GRIZZLIES BACHELOR AUCTION
Photos: JayBee
A major international gay sporting event isn’t cheap to host, and this year the Grizzlies have had to work to make sure all the bills got paid. From working with the city to hitting up local LGBT donors for cash, they went through all the traditional routes to raising funds, but in the end they also ... did things, man. Things like getting dragged up and shaking it on the stage at Play for patrons’ dollars and bringing back their ever-popular “Bachelor Auction,” pairing Grizzlies with a very nice “date packages” for sale to the highest bidder!
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PRIDE
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