O&AN | MAY 2019

Ron Sanford

Coming Soon: A New Place to Celebrate

GILDA WABBIT BRINGING OPERA TO PLAY DANCE BAR + O&AN HIRES NEW SALES & MARKETING CONSULTANT MAY 2019 / VOLUME 18 / ISSUE 05 FIRST ISSUE FREE - ADD’L COPIES 50¢ EACH

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Stir it up.

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STAFF Publisher: Jerry Jones jjones@outandaboutnashville.com

05.19

Managing Editor: James Grady

CONTENTS

jgrady@outandaboutnashville.com

Advertising Design: Donna Huff dhuff@outandaboutnashville.com

Sales & Marketing: Will Shutes

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will@outandaboutnashville.com

Design, Layout and Production: Design2Pro Distribution: George Webster gwebster@outandaboutnashville.com

CONTRIBUTORS

O&AN HIRES NEW SALES & MARKETING CONSULTANT

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GILDA WABBIT’S BIG GAY OPERA SHOW

Writers: Emily Benedict, Julie Chase, James Grady, Josh Robbins, Jason Shawhan

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Photographers: Myl Pac, Anthony Travis

STARFISH

Cover: Ron Sanford, photos by Myl Pac National Advertising Representative:

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Diversitas Media 3000 North Sheridan Road, Unit 15F | Chicago, Illinois | 60657 (312) 600-8823 ext. 712

COMING SOON: A NEW PLACE TO CELEBRATE

OPPORTUNITIES

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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.

PARNASSUS TO HOST SIGNING FOR TENNESSEE TRANS AUTHOR

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SPECTRUM BRINGS TOGETHER NASHVILLE IN HARMONY & INTERSECTION

LEGAL

Out & About Nashville strives to be a credible community news organization by engaging and educating our readers. All

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content of Out & About Nashville is copyrighted 2017 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

IT’S WARMING UP! LET’S TALK ABOUT CURB APPEAL

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

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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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O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

MAY 2019

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO IN 2019

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O&AN HIRES NEW SALES & MARKETING CONSULTANT William Shutes Joins the Team STAFF

Will Shutes has been named the new Sales and Marketing Consultant for Out & About Nashville. A resident of Bellevue, Will moved to Nashville in December from Western Pennsylvania. He holds a M.A. in English Literature from John Carroll University in Cleveland and comes from a background in higher education and personnel management.

Will also writes arts and culture reviews for O&AN. He’s a longtime lover of classical music and theatre and is learning more every day about Nashville. He loves hiking at Radnor Lake, catching concerts at the Ryman, the Nashville Symphony, visiting art galleries, and meeting new artists waiting for their big breaks.

Will loves to cook, so you might earn an invite to dinner if you play your cards right (or negotiate a good contract). And he’s also more than willing to share random and strange facts about himself.

IT IS MORE THAN JUST A HOUSE.

If you’d like to contact Will about advertising, he can be reached at will@outandaboutnashville.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 05.16

THURSDAY

Brewing Up Business

Network and the opportunity to meet and hear from all the candidates running for Metro offices for the August 1st election.

06.20 THURSDAY

PRIDE Brewing Up Business

Receive a FREE $200 gift card of your choice at closing.

SHEILA D. BARNARD REALTOR®

m (615) 424-6924 o (615) 385-9010 barnard@realtracs.com

SheilaBarnard.RealtyAssociation.com 1305 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, TN 37217

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O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

MAY 2019

Our annual PRIDE month event. We are partnering with other minority chambers and Metro Business Development Office to throw the proudest and biggest business networking event.

06.22- SATURDAY – SUNDAY 06.23

PRIDE

Look for us and play our member scavenger hunt game to win incredible prizes.

FIND OUT ALL DETAILS AND REGISTER AT

NASHVILLELGBTCHAMBER.ORG

www.bartdurham.com | 615-242-9000

404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1712 Nashville, TN 37219

YOU DESERVE TO BE PAID FOR WHAT YOU’VE GONE THROUGH.

Featuring Guest Diana DeGarmo

GILDA WABBIT’S

Big Gay Opera Show 8

O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

MAY 2019

JAMES GRADY

Gilda Wabbit is probably a name familiar to readers who have been to PLAY Louisville recently, and soon Nashville audiences will have the opportunity to see the amazingly talented singing queen on stage in Nashville. The Louisville Playmate is bringing her Big Gay Opera Show to PLAY Nashville, where she’ll be joined by guest singer Diana DeGarmo!

Gilda Wabbit has dazzled audiences in shows as diverse as Sasha Velour’s ‘Nightgowns,’ Bronx Opera’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and her previous one woman show Open Season.

Now that she’s ready to share her Big Gay Opera Show with wider audiences, we thought our readers might like to get to know Gilda Wabbit a little better before seeing her at PLAY!

GRADY: So, lets start at the beginning!

How did you get into opera?

GILDA WABBIT: I was in high school, I was auditioning for the musical and was called back for the lead in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. I was feeling big in my britches, thinking “I’m a sophomore, and I’m going to get this lead.” But it went to this freshman, and I got angry about it and said, “Fine. I’m going to go into voice lessons and acting lessons and get my stuff together so that next year I can get the lead role.”

So I started taking voice lessons from this lovely man named Eric Brown, who was in the area, he was getting his masters at the University of Kentucky. He said, “I know that are really into musical theater, but I think that you have the voice for opera.”

I was very resistant; I thought I hated opera. I mean, I was a teenager. But I was bringing in all the musicals I loved, and he point to people like Kristin Chenoweth, Allie MacDonald, and Barbara Cook—all these people who have the background and voices that are capable of operatic music... And I was like, ‘Oh! This is the kind of music I’m attracted to.” I just didn’t realize it.

Finally, I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to do this!’ And I ended up going to the University of Kentucky, following in his footsteps, and studied classical music...

GRADY: How did how did that become a talent you would bring into a drag show?

GILDA WABBIT: I moved to New York about five years ago, and I was pursuing opera professionally. I was working full time as a restaurant manager. And I was also singing full time.

In New York, when you’re an opera singer and you’re not at the Metropolitan Opera, you’re not really getting paid a livable wage...

So I was working full time, investing in things like voice lessons and coaching, investing in my headshots, going to audi-

tions, and not making any money. And I thought this is terrible.

I went to a bar called Barracuda and saw a drag queen named Sutton Lee Seymour: she was doing an all-live singing Broadway show. And I went up to her afterwards and asked, “Is this your job? You get to sing, you get to the lead, and you get to pick whatever music you want?’

And she said, “Absolutely. I do this full time.” So I stopped auditioning for operas, wholesale... I had a few roles I had to complete, but I started getting in drag… The very first thing I ever sang in drag was from Sondheim’s Company. It was such a thrill, and I was like, “Oh, this is it. This is where I need to go.”

And opera has this whole history of gender bending, and women playing men and men playing women and characters crossdressing to trick their enemies and things like that. So drag really lends itself to opera, and it just made sense to me to bring my background in classical music into this cool, interesting, transgressive art form.

GRADY: I often hear from drag queens that they got interested in drag, and then brought these other talents into their shows, but you actually started to pursue drag in order to be able to do what you wanted to do professionally.

GILDA WABBIT: Absolutely, absolutely. I wasn’t making any money even though I was singing in all of these … so I decided I was going to make my own sort of career up as it goes. Going to bars and being like, ‘Hi, hello, folks. I’m going to lipsync Brittany Spears, but afterwards, I’m going to sing you some Puccini. And you’re already going to be in your seat with some drinks and you can’t escape!’

GRADY: So how did you develop your relationship with PLAY Louisville?

GILDA WABBIT: So my husband moved back to Kentucky for a job when I was still in New York his contract got extended … so I came back to Kentucky. I didn’t know how I was going to make this work as a career. I walked in on a Wednesday … [for] open stage ... and someone comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, are you here to audition? … Tonight is an audition!”

I had no idea, but I had six numbers prepared, I had six different outfits. I bring all kinds of my best things. So I got on stage, I performed my little heart out.

One of the owners was like, “Listen, you’re fabulous... We’d love you to let you perform on Wednesdays regularly as part of the amateur cast. But also, if you’re interested, we’d like to have you audition for the weekend cast, as well.

GRADY: When did you start developing Big Gay Opera Show?

GILDA WABBIT: Right before I left New York, I started working on it. I had already done a couple of more standard cabaret shows … and I was thinking about what I could do to separate myself from other performers.

I thought, ‘Okay, let me take opera, and bring it down to the level where a layman and totally get it and totally have a good time. But also, is there a way that I can do that while still making it entertaining for someone who knows a lot about the classical music world?”

So I started developing that with a little team, and we put it on at The Duplex, which is a historic venue in New York City.

I was very nervous. When we got there two hours before the show, only 22 tickets had sold, which is barely enough not cancel the show... [But then] I come down and the audience is full. We had sold out the evening. In New York, people don’t want to plan ahead, and didn’t by their tickets in advance. But they all came to door. We turned a lot of people away because there were no seats left and it was very exciting…

When I moved to Kentucky, I was like let me try to bring it down here, and PLAY was super receptive... So now I get to have that happen!

GRADY: Have you performed at PLAY Nashville before?

GILDA WABBIT: No, I haven’t! So bringing my show down on May 10, 2019, will be the first time. In Nashville we get to have Diana DeGarmo, which is going to be a fabulous time!

I’ll also be performing at PLAY during the regular shows that weekend. The Big Gay Opera Show is Friday, and then I’m doing the evening shows Friday and Saturday, as well as the brunch show Saturday morning.

GRADY: So what would you tell potential audiences that would inspire somebody to come out and see your show?

GILDA WABBIT: If you are the kind of person who looks at opera and thinks “I absolutely hate this, it is not going to be the key for me,” definitely come out, because I’m putting it on its head... I like to say that I’m like an angry cat who knocks it off its pedestal...

I’m trying to bring this art form that we think of as really elitist and bring it back to earth...

Tackling everything from Mozart and Puccini to Elvis and Old Spice commercials, Gilda Wabbit takes audiences on a journey through important operas and the pop culture they inspired, drawing parallels that give modern audiences a glimpse into why classical music remains so important today.

Be sure to head out to see her, along with Diana DeGarmo, live at PLAY Nashville on May 10, 2019.

@OUTANDABOUTNASH

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TRIBE & PLAY

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SHELF SPECIAL THE

●

Starfish is in the midst of a limited theatrical release right now thanks to the lovable freaks at Yellow Veil Pictures, and will be available through most VoD services this month via The Orchard, who also put out the Norwegian lesbian SciFi epic Thelma two years back. Every cent the film makes for the writer/director is being given to cancer research.

SHELF

After the death of her dearest friend, Grace, Aubrey (Virginia Gardner) has found herself back in the Colorado mountains, in a space that she remembers on a cellular level but that simply doesn’t feel like home anymore. And after a post-funeral fraught night of sleep, she awakens to a near-deserted world, where everything around her bears the signs of an invasion by unspeakable horrors from some unseen place. Intermittent radio transmissions help to keep hope alive, but it’s in reconstructing the path her late friend left for her (via a mixtape-based scavenger hunt of the soul) that Aubrey may find a way to set the balance of the universe right.

This isn’t your typical horror movie. It’s not even your typical horror-movie-as-extended-grief-metaphor (à la The Babadook), though it would certainly succeed under those terms. This is a movie where the strength of women’s friendships is such to break down the boundaries of time and space. This is also a movie where heterosexual entanglements are either obstacles or problems to be solved, so I’m already inclined to love it. But it does far more.

Gardner is a magnet for empathy, much like she was in last year’s Halloween reboot (she played Vicky, the babysitter nobody wanted to see get killed). She’s in nearly every scene of the film and cements herself as one of the greatest actresses working in genre cinema today.

The way we relate to our friends’ pets isn’t something that most films will delve into, and here we see Aubrey dealing with a strong-willed, just this side of petulant turtle named Bellini (which is either named for the drink or for Kids In The Hall co-writer Paul Bellini, and I’m fine with either or both of those explanations) and a pair of unnamed jellyfish. The turtle has personality, and actually delivers an impressive performance for such a tiny reptile. The jellyfish are so alien to our frame of reference that they simply exist, indicative of the vast gulf between all kinds of organisms.

As in all cinema, a good monster can make up for many sins.

This film has a great one. Several, in fact. Ranging from man-sized ravening maws with an array of pseudopodia to giant, dinosaursized polypedes. They serve dual purposes as reminders of the

SPECIAL

JASON SHAWHAN

THE

STARFISH

constant threat Aubrey is under as well as how far off the axis of normality the world has shifted.

Haunting, sad, and uplifting, Starfish is a creative and mindbending exploration of love, grief, and friendship from writer/ director A.T. White (of the band Ghostlight and the arts collective We Are Tessellate). It also makes for a great double feature with Other People, the 2016 feature debut from Chris Kelly, co-creator of The Other Two (a/k/a the best new show of 2019). Though be warned that you’re in for three hours and change of a heavy journey if you decide to take that double feature journey. It’s certainly worth it.

Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Brandon Teeftaller, APN specializing in brief therapy & medication management crisis and evening appointments available all patients welcome including adolescents and adults most insurance accepted including Medicare 1720 West End Avenue Suite 240 Nashville, Tennessee 37203 615 | 320.1155

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Ron Sanford and friends are quietly building a new place to have a good time by the river. It’s big, really big...

Coming Soon:

A New Place to Celebrate 12

O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

MAY 2019

It was February in the middle of a cold spell, and I had just managed to slip on the world’s smallest patch of ice landing squarely upon my tailbone before we chatted. It smarted. That’s when I found out that my subject was residing in a far warmer place these days (No, not THAT place...) It was in the low eighties with a light breeze coming off the ocean as Nashville’s legendary event artist Ron Sanford described to me the view from his current location.

Palm trees and pure gorgeousness, per Ron. A threebedroom condominium on a beach with not an ice patch in sight; an appropriate place for a former “Mister Gay World” to reside as he planned his latest creation. “Ron Sanford Productions” has become the go-to name for event planning in both the straight and LGBTQ+ communities for some time now. At one time, they had to be “split” into two separate entities so straight Nashville could engage the services of an openly LGBTQ+ artist.

Ron chuckled as he told me that story. It is all one united company today, per the man with his toes in the surf. We have come too far to go back to those days. The gentleman on the other side of the phone was ready to spring his latest upcoming creation and I had called him to find out more.

Ron Sanford came out as an openly gay male back in 1981 shortly before taking the stage at The Cabaret, one in a list of Nashville’s gone but never forgotten LGBTQ+ establishments, performing in “male entertainment” as he put it. A spell in Knoxville led to a long stay in Atlanta before moving back to Nashville in 1995.

“I owned clubs in Atlanta for years and was big in the whole club scene, moving back to Nashville to become the general manager at The Connection,” Ron explained. “The Connection” was my era, a hazy image of being carded by the gentleman was forming in my mind - he was pretty cute. He went on to open production companies in Nashville while working diligently for the LGBTQ+ community, serving as co-Chair for the 2000 Nashville Pride Festival.

“It was a different world then,” he continued. “There was no such thing as Obamacare, making it hard to open a business without the threat of lack of health insurance constantly hanging over your head. Back in the day, you really could not be as out in the real world. As an event planner, there were many customers who just could not know if you were gay or anything like that otherwise they might have been forced to not give you any business.”

The news he had to share was that the owners of a building in the next growth area of downtown Nashville have tapped Ron and his company to manage, market and run a new event center called ‘The River’s Edge’ off Davidson Street.

He asked if I was familiar with the neighborhood. “Way too familiar,” was my response to a mutual chuckle. That chunk of Nashville was home to an underground, mostly-male LGBTQ+ scene when I was growing up (the women had their own patch near the dam). This sounded like our community was about to come back home.

Ron told me that they plan to open up as a forty-thousand square foot event complex that could become whatever was needed. “Think of it as a type of Marathon Music Centre or Mercy Lounge atmosphere,” he explained. “The walls are all white and we will have plenty of lighting to be able to change the colors to whatever we need at the push of a button.”

And that’s just the first phase of expansion, according to Ron. The second phase will see the opening of a double ballroom event space, with a dedicated restaurant and lounge open seven days a week.

Ron was excited as he described all this to me. He told me that he had recently worked for a great event planning company that had done similar things, but was ready to pursue a project such as this on his own. “I’m just not a corporate person at heart,” explained the man living on a beach.

PHOTO CREDIT: MYL PAC

JULIE CHASE @NOTNINAHAGEN

@OUTANDABOUTNASH

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TENNESSEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER present

SEPT 10-15, 2019

OCT 15-20, 2019

NOV 5-10, 2019 THE LINCOLN CENTER THEATER PRODUCTION

FEB 4-9, 2020 JIMMY BUFFE T T’S

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He spotted the property and approached the owners a few years back with an offer to rent some space and re-start his old production company inside. It did not come to fruition at first, but both sides kept trying. Two years ago Ron and the owners came together again when each side realized that they had a hidden gem on their hands in a downtown neighborhood that was next in line to boom.

“And we said to each other ‘let’s just play with this... the idea,” Ron related. “Finally, we pushed the button on it, deciding to go ahead with the project last August and it’s been a ride!” Ron said laughing. The idea of opening at the beginning of the year had to be pushed forward into the near future due to Nashville’s growth, Ron explained. The Codes department is swamped and many new projects are having to await their turn in the inspection line.

The facility will be open to all of Nashville, said Ron. But do not worry...Mr. Sanford does remember his roots and promises to always keep the Nashville LGBTQ+ community in mind as the project goes forward.

“When this is all done, we are going to supply the city with a great event space and a great party place,” Ron said. “I come from the party era, and trust me, I know how to help throw a party...from disco to rave, ballroom to square dancing...you will be in the right hands.”

I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Stay tuned.

specials Photo by Francesco Scavullo

MAY 26-31, 2020

JUNE 9-14, 2020

learn more about the

2019-20 season

TPAC.ORG/Broadway 615-782-6560

Groups of 10-15 or more call 615-782-4060 Some shows contain mature content.

TPAC.org is the official online source for buying tickets to TPAC events.

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O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

MAY 2019

Be Nashville.

Learn more at flynashville.com

Parnassus to Host Signing for Tennessee Trans Author Meredith Russo’s New Book, Birthday, Featured A stunning, heart-wrenching slice-of-life romance, Birthday is the story of one trans teen’s long journey to coming out, and a universal story of first love, and first heartache.

Russo herself started living as her true self in late 2013 and has never looked back. Both her novels—If I Was Your Girl and Birthday—were partially inspired by her experiences as a trans woman. Like some of her characters, Meredith is a gigantic nerd who spends a lot of her time obsessing over video games and Star Wars.

To learn more Russo, and to hear excerpts from Birthday, head out to Parnassus on Friday, May 31, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. Copies of Russo’s books will be available for purchase at the event.

PHOTO: ANTHONY TRAVIS

STAFF

On Friday, May 31, 2019, Parnassus Bookstore will be hosting an event featuring author Meredith Russo. Russo, who is transgender, was born, raised, and lives in Tennessee, where she writes young adult (YA) fiction. Russo will be reading from her newest release, Birthday, and signing books at 6:30 p.m.

Russo’s debut novel, If I Was Your Girl, was the winner of the ALA Stonewall Book Award and was a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Her new novel, Birthday, gives readers a glimpse into the lives of two very different kids once a year on their shared special day.

The premise of the book is simple: In a forgotten Tennessee town where football reigns supreme and no one ever leaves, two babies are born in the same hospital, on the same day, during a freak blizzard: Morgan and Eric. From that moment, their lives are intertwined. They grow up doing everything together, from sleepovers to football practices to shared birthday celebrations.

But on their shared thirteenth birthday, Morgan’s frustration that no one aroundESS15_EN_HalfPageH_August.indd her, not even Eric, sees her for who she truly is 1 bubbles over. Over the next six years, their relationship reshapes itself as they grow up and grow apart, share as many secrets as stony silences, and, ultimately, discover how much fate has in store for them.

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O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H V I L L E .CO M

FAMILY, COSMETIC AND SEDATION DENTISTRY IN EAST NASHVILLE

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@OUTANDABOUTNASH

1 5 Y E A R S O F LG B T N E W S

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SPECTRUM BRINGS TOGETHER NASHVILLE IN HARMONY & INTERSECTION

Show Features World Premiere of TJ Cole’s ‘Those Moments’

STAFF

Intersection, Nashville’s professional contemporary instrumental ensemble, and Nashville in Harmony, a 120-voice mixed citywide chorus of LGBT people and their allies, have announced the program and further details for Spectrum. The event will take place on May 18 and 19 at OZ Arts Nashville.

Nashville in Harmony and Intersection have commissioned a new 20-minute work, titled “Those Moments,” by composer TJ Cole for chorus and instrumental ensemble that explores the concept of the gender spectrum. TJ Cole has been commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony, among others.

Intersection and Nashville in Harmony have worked with additional community partners to engage the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the planning and implementation of this project that incorporates the stories of Nashville in Harmony singers into the new work.

“During my visit to Nashville last fall, I was able to meet with members of Nashville in Harmony and record some of them speaking about the broad topic of gender,” says Cole. “Through working on this project, I have reflected on how powerful memories can

be. They’re not only impactful on a personal level, but the sharing of memories can allow us to gain more perspective, insight, understanding of each other, and connection to others.”

Intersection will also present Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Mania and Liza Lim’s Voodoo Child. Salonen and Lim’s works will showcase virtuosic talents from cellist Michael Samis and vocalist Rebekah Alexander. “Salonen’s piece is a rhythmic, vibrant roller coaster while Lim’s piece demonstrates passionate poetry through the discovery of new instrumental and vocal colors that extend the sonic universe,” says Kelly Corcoran, Artistic Director of Intersection.

Nashville in Harmony will present additional works throughout the evening including Christopher Tin’s Sogno Di Volare and Annie Lenox’s 1000 Beautiful Things, among others.

“Building on the theme of self-expression, Nashville in Harmony will perform music that is both powerful and aspirational, with lyrics by Leonardo da Vinci (Sogno Di Volare), Emma Lazarus (Until All of Us Are Free), and Annie Lennox (1000 Beautiful Things), featuring an exciting palette of musical styles including both heroic video game music as well as sixties jazz,” says Don Schlosser, Conductor of Nashville in Harmony.

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IT’S WARMING UP! Let’s Talk About Curb Appeal

EMILY BENEDICT

One of the most important factors when selling a home is the first impression a buyer gets. With spring here, it is a great time to make that home pop. It’s an optimistic time, looking forward to the great things to do over the upcoming summer. Whether selling or not, adding color to your front yard provides wow factor.

Whenever you spend money on your house, set a budget. Decide what you are trying to achieve, research the project, and know what you are comfortable spending.

If you break the bank, then you won’t have the money you may need to work on other projects that will also improve the value of your home. Even if you’re not selling, though, sprucing up the yard is one thing you can do to make you proud every time you arrive.

Hiring a landscaper sounds expensive, and it can be. However, you can save money and achieve the look you want through a simple consultation with one.

If you have the budget, outsourcing the entire yardscape may be the best solution for you. A good landscaper can help you build a plan based on what you would like to see. Find images on the web that inspire you, so you can articulate your wants to the professional. They can put things together in a way that pulls the pieces together into a masterpiece.

If you have foliage around your home already, walk around to see how it’s growing. When a tree is planted too close to the home, it can allow pests to access your roof. The last thing you want

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is a raccoon in your attic—yes, it happens.

Keep the branches trimmed so they don’t hang over your rooftop. Even better, make sure you don’t put big plants and trees very close to your home. Beware of vines, especially those growing on a side of your home you cannot see: they can grow into your home.

You should also trim down any tall bushes that block the front façade of your home. Landscape should highlight your home, making it look better to everyone, including future buyers, not block its view.

Flower beds with short and medium height flora work well nearest to the house.

A good mix of texture, plant type, and color is the goal. The best time to plant bulb perennials is in the fall, so what can you do in the spring? Add color! Annuals, such as pansies, geraniums, dahlias, cosmos, and black eyed susans, are great choices, and some of these come in a variety of colors.

I like herbs such as thyme, basil, rosemary, and lavender near the entrance to our home. These plants provide a good aroma as buyers approach the front door, giving a positive vibe right away. Lilyturf (liriope), hostas, and plantain lilies are great for lining your driveway and sidewalks.

Flowering trees in your yard help.

Good ones for our zone are redbuds, crepe myrtles, dogwoods, cherry trees, japanese maple, crabapple, and magnolia trees. With these in your yard, you can add spot lighting which makes a gorgeous exterior.

Not only is an attractive yard beneficial for selling your home, it also looks great to your neighbors, which can encourage them

to make improvements too. Most of us feel the need to “keep up with the Joneses,” which can make the whole neighborhood more beautiful.

If you are able to address the backyard too, this is a great time to add a spark. You may add a firepit, paved walkways, or a garden—perhaps even a pool. No matter your yardscape, a lot of color will go a long way, making your home look like the oasis a buyer wants, or a haven for you to enjoy all summer long, a great spot for a cold tea or a cocktail enjoyed with friends.

If you are selling, remember that first impressions are as important as they are for job interviews or first dates—they can make or break you, so be the best you can be.

Emily Benedict is a Realtor working with buyers, sellers, investors, and developers throughout Middle Tennessee.

HEALTH

ARTS

Dental Services East Side Smiles 7 North 10th Street Nashville, TN 37206 615-227-2400 Eastsidesmile.net

Performing Arts Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn Symphony Center One Symphony Place Nashville, TN 37201 615-687-6400 Nashvillesymphony.org

Healthcare Providers Cool Springs Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Bradley Bullock, MD 1607 Westgate Circle, Ste 200 Brentwood, TN 37027 615-376-8195 Coolspringsinternalmedicine.com Pharmacy Nashville Pharmacy Services 100 Oaks Plaza, Skyline Medical 615-371-1210 / 615-724-0066 Npspharmcay.com Optometry Look East 1011 Gallatin Avenue Nashville, TN 37206 615-928-2281 Lookeastnashville.com COUNSELING & PSYCHIATRIC HEALTH Individual & Couples Therapy Barbara Sanders, LCSW/John Waide, PhD, LCSW 2016- 21St Ave South/2323- 21st Ave South, Ste.401 Nashville, TN 37212 615-414-2553 / 615-400-5911 Dignitytherapynashville.com

Visual Arts John Cannon Studios 1108-C Woodland Street Nashville, TN 37206 615-496-1259 Johncannonart.com LEGAL SERVICES Lawyer Bart Durham Injury Law Office 404 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37219 615-338-6177 Bartdurham.com Bonding Bail U Out Bonding 404 James Robertson Pkwy Nashville, TN 37219 615-254-9555 bailuoutbonding.net SPIRITUALITY Holy Trinity Community Church 6727 Charlotte Pike Nashville, TN 37209 615-352-3838 www.htccnashville.com

REAL ESTATE Sheila Barnard, Realtor, The Realty Association 1305 Murfressboro Road Nashville, TN 37217 615-385-9010 cell 615-424-6924 Sheilabarnard.realtyassociation.com Emily Benedict, Realtor, Village Real Estate 2206 21st Ave South, Ste. 200 Nashville, TN 37212 615-585-1258 BSLNashville.com Kate Nelson, Realtor, Village Real Estate 2206 21st Ave South, Ste. 200 Nashville, TN 37212 615-383-6964 Realestatewithkate.com BARS & NIGHTCLUBS PLAY Dance Bar 1519 Church Street Nashville, TN 37203 615-322-9627 Playdancebar.com Tribe 1517 Church Street Nashville, TN 37203 615-329-2912 Tribenashville.com ORGANIZATIONS Nashville Humane Association 213 Oceola Avenue Nashville, TN 37209 615-352-1010 Nashvillehumane.org Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 330971 Nashville, TN 37203 615-507-5185 Nashvillelgbtchamber.org

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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO IN 2019 JOSH ROBBINS

A medical breakthrough is a significant step forward in theory development or research. From the bionic eye to the 3D printing of arms and legs, from gene therapy to innovative cancer treatments and more, we are living in a period of time when medical breakthroughs are more of an expectation than a surprise.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate when they happen.

Medical breakthroughs in HIV are particularly important to the LGBT community, the sub-population most affected by the HIV epidemic. In 2016, “gay and bisexual men accounted for 67% (26,844) of all HIV diagnoses and 82% of diagnoses among males aged 13 and older” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We should be paying attention to the HIV-related medical breakthroughs that are happening right now.

ANOTHER HIV CURE? In early March 2019, The New York Times (NYT) first reported that a second person has been cured (or, at the least, is experiencing sustained remission) of HIV. It has been nearly 12 years since the Berlin Patient, Timothy Ray Brown, received the same report of his HIV cure. Both men underwent difficult bone marrow transplants which cured their bodies of HIV. What makes this second case—known as the London Patient—as significant as the first IS the fact that researchers have attempted to replicate Brown’s success story but have largely been unsuccessful in curing other patients of HIV in the same way.

More than 10 patients have died undergoing these types of bone marrow transplants, showcasing the life-or-death nature of these difficult procedures.

While the majority of mainstream media relies on sensational reporting and claims, beneath the flashy headlines you can sense the renewed energy and hope among the research community.

In speaking with NYT, Dr. Annemarie Wensing, a virologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands says, “This will inspire people that cure is not a dream. It’s reachable.”

I could not agree more. It is completely possible that we could see a cure for HIV in our lifetimes. In the meantime, currently available medicine for those of us living with HIV can render us with an undetectable viral load—which means we aren’t capable of transmitting HIV to sexual partners. Many consider this a “functional cure” or remission of HIV.

ORGAN DONATION FROM PATIENT LIVING WITH HIV Another recent medical breakthrough is credited to researchers and surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) for performing the first organ transplant between patients living with HIV.

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Previously, transplant from someone living with HIV to another patient was illegal, and deemed highly questionable by the medical community. Much of this fear stemmed from the notion that the surgery could lead to a fatal outcome for either of the patients, based on the assumption that someone living with HIV has a weakened immune system.

But researchers at JHH conducted a study in 2017 which found—using a sample of 42,000 individuals—that the risk was generally equal, regardless of a patient being HIV-positive. Since the first changes to the laws preventing this type of procedure, surgeons have been performing organ donations only from deceased persons with HIV. The Johns Hopkins operation was the first between two HIV-positive people who were alive.

According to a press release from JHH, since the change in law allowing these procedures, there have only been 116 organs transplanted into someone living with HIV. In contrast, in the past 30 years, over 152,000 kidneys have been transplanted among those without an HIV diagnosis. Currently there are over 113,000 people on organ transplant waiting lists.

Interestingly, the woman living with HIV who donated her kidney for this landmark procedure, 35-year-old Nina Martinez, was inspired to volunteer after watching an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” about a transplant from a live, HIV-positive donor. She became serious about the procedure when her friend needed a transplant.

Although she immediately contacted researchers and endured a rigorous screening, her friend passed away before the surgery could occur. But now, she’s helped save another patient’s life.

In a recent interview during a press conference before her operation, Martinez said, “Society perceives me, and people like me, as people who bring death. And I can’t figure out any better way to show that people like me can bring life.”

The recipient of Martinez’s organ has chosen to remain anonymous, but researchers and surgeons report positive results from the transplant and expect a full and speedy recovery for both patients.

These two medical breakthroughs for HIV are worthy of celebrating. It will be exciting to see what other medical breakthroughs happen throughout the remainder of this year and beyond. In the meantime, must honor and support those working to achieve these milestones in medicine.

Josh Robbins is an award winning sexual health advocate, author of the site imstilljosh.com and spokesperson for DatingPositives.com. He was nominated for a GLAAD media award in 2017 and recently won the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association’s Excellence Award in the blogging category.

Your Nashville Symphony

Live at the Schermerhorn maY 19

may 23 to 26

CARMINA BURANA

AN EVENING WITH

Branford Marsalis Quartet

W I TH THE NASH V I L L E SYMPH O N Y

& NASHVI L L E BA L L E T

may 31 to june 3

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RICHARD

MA RX

The Final Performances with Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin

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ERSATION WIT

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A CONV MITE” POLEON DYNA JON HEDER “NA EZ “PEDRO” EFREN RAMIR IN G AN D Q& A MOVI E SC RE EN

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615.687.6400 | NashvilleSymphony.org KC & The Sunshine Band, Branford Marsalis and Napoleon Dynamite presented without orchestra.

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