AFRICA
MAGAZ I N E Issue 31, WINTER 2017
CAPE
TOWN
CRUISING ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
ALL THE PICTURES OF
TOM OF FINLAND REMEMBERED 9 772304 85 900 4
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TALENTED, FLAMBOYANT & FABULOUS ...
SOMIZI MHLONGO R25.00 incl. VAT
Car Rental Because every minute counts.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES
1 EDITORS COMMENT: 3 TRAVEL: Cruising for a good time 6 INTERVIEW: M(x)BLOUSE: Gender non-conforming rapper 8 THE BUZZ: News, snippets & gossip 10 ICON: Touko Laaksonen - Homoerotic art made him a legend 13 TOM OF FINLAND the movie 14 DATING APPS: Matthew van der Westhuizen looks at dating apps 15 INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA 20 INTERVIEW: The talented and fabulous Somizi Mhlongo 26 A FLAG, A SLUT & A CONTINUUM: by Jo Glanville 27 ONE VOICE: Outreach Africa launches One Voice 28 STOP BULLYING 29 RECONCEPTUALISING VIOLENCE 28 HEALTH: Winter soups for great abs
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FASHION
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16 - 19 Latest winter trends on the catwalk
SCENE OUT 22, 23, 24, 25 Who’s been spotted out and about on the party scene...
REVIEWS 34 OUT TO LUNCH: Betty Blue’s Bistro 35 MUSIC MOVES: Harry Styles 36 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 39 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 40 OUT ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen
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FROM THE EDITOR
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s Winter settles in, the South African gay community tends to cuddle in the warmth of their homes, hibernating till Spring creeps over the threshold again. To make sure that you’re kept warm this winter we feature a selection of sweaters and coats that were featured by local designers on the catwalk at SA Menswear Week. We also have delicious, healthy soups to incorporate in to your fitness regime that will ensure that those abs are ready for the warmer weather when it arrives. Our Scene OUT pages are filled with pictures from Cape Town Pride this year - so check them out and see if you were caught on film. On a more serious side, this issue deals with the problem of bullying and homophobia, particularly in our schools, where young LGBTI’s are living a life of hell as they struggle with their own sexual identity issues. We also feature an exclusive interview with local gender non-conforming rapper M(x)Blouse who has just dropped his debut EP. This very talented musician is set to become a household name on the continent and is a role model for others who experience gender issues. The cover feature is an interview with the fabulous and talented Somizi Mhlongo - one of the biggest names in South African entertainment. Congratulations to South Africa’s AleXander Steyn who was placed 4th in the recent Mr Gay World competition held in Madrid in May. Enjoy the read - till next time... Tommy Patterson - Editor Cover: Somizi Mhlongo MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 ISSN 2304-859X Published by: Patterson Publications P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Tel/Fax: 021 555 1279 E-mail: outmagafrica@telkomsa.net outlet@telkomsa.net
Advertising Sales: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358
Contributors: Daniel Dercksen Tinashe Venge, Stefanie Jason, Liberty Banks Additional Photography: SDR Photography, Roger Paulson
Printed by ABC Press, Cape Town
Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.
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TRAVEL
CRUISING FOR A GOOD TIME ...
Gay cruising is like a gay pride on a ship. We can strongly recommend to just try one. Like us, we’re sure you will be addicted to the phenomenon and will sail again and again we did!!
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here once gay-friendly cruises were few and far between, today, gay and lesbian cruises are standard on most cruise lines, organised, promoted and hosted by the cruise line and their staff. The cruise industry has come a long way, not merely acknowledging but embracing their gay and lesbian passengers. It’s really no surprise, given there is data suggesting that the percentage of gay and lesbian travellers who take cruises is the same as -- or even slightly higher than -- the percentage of heterosexual travellers who cruise. So, along with this increasing openness of cruise lines is the fact that the options for gay and lesbian cruisers have never been better. So when shopping for a cruise, you’ll find that
there are a number of exclusive all-gay and all-lesbian charters hosted by companies such as Atlantis Events, RSVP Vacations, Brand g Vacations, Cunard and others. Cunard, the operator of the luxury Queen Mary 2 with 2,600 passengers and Queen Victoria (2,014 passengers), is a line that dates back to 1840, embracing the “Golden Era” of cruising. Every cruise includes afternoon tea served by white-gloved stewards. Breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as a midnight feast are and lavish meals. Dressing for dinner is required, however, there is a restaurant where black-tie is not needed – but there isn’t something hot about men in tuxedo’s - no? Among Mag 3
Cunard’s most popular offerings are its iconic transatlantic crossings aboard the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York or visa versa. More sedate and chic, Cunard has been a supporter of the Human Rights Campaign and has a long history of partnering with LGBT travel agencies for full charters and group bookings. Others major operators are, Azamara Club Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Seabourn Cruise Line, often referred to as the cream of the crop in the luxury cruise segment. Atlantis is the biggest brand. They organise about 8 large gay cruises every year in
more international so you can expect to meet a few fellow South Africans. Apart from these European and American cruises Atlantis has cruises in other parts of the world such as, Asia, Sydney, South America and even sometimes to Alaska. But believe it or not, it’s not all about the partying, there is the sightseeing aspect, so guys sometimes actually go to bed early to do a tour in the morning! - on that note it important to book your onshore tour early to avoid the list filling up and ending up being disappointed. Generally, the ships have a mixed crowd of thousands on board, both in ages and in type of men as well as nationalities. Ranging from average guys to muscle
Don’t forget too that most ships offer late or even all-night cabin service that’s usually free. So, binge away! (There’s also a great gym on board so you can burn off the calories later.) Still you should not skip dinner, these sumptuous occasions are served in the massive restaurants and are an ideal time to get to know new people. Unlike traditional cruises, the Atlantis cruises do not have a dress code for dinner and no fixed table settings. It’s all very informal. So you don’t have to be afraid to be stuck with fixed company you do not like, wearing that uncomfortable, albeit sexy, tux. After dinner, there are many opportunities to entertain yourself. The Casino,
various parts of the world. Atlantis mostly operate with the A class ships from Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line. The number of passengers ranges from 1500 up to 6000 and all Atlantis cruises have their now-famous large parties on deck, with party themes, and many passengers often make an effort on their outfits. The Caribbean cruises depart from Fort Lauderdale or Miami and sail usually in their late winter and early spring. These are the real party cruises, with 1 or 2 big parties on deck every night. The crowd is relatively young and mostly American. Not all Caribbean islands are that interesting, so staying on board on some of the land days can be fun and relaxing. The annual Mexico cruise in October usually departs from Los Angeles and sails to Puerta Vallarta. It is similar to the Caribbean cruise but attracts a more American West Coast crowd. In summer (June/July) there are usually 1 or 2 Mediterranean cruises in Europe. The crowd on these cruises tends to be Mag 4
Mary’s, guys in their twenties as well as older guys and they’re from every corner of the globe.
movies at the cinema, gay performers at the many bars and Broadway style productions in the theatre....
Women are less common passengers, but all cruises always have a (small) group on board.
And of course, that cute boy in the cabin next to you... or perhaps the cute cabin boy!!!
ENTERTAINMENT ON BOARD
Atlantis Event cruises are the biggest floating gay parties in the world. On every cruise, international top DJ’s are flown in to hit the decks for one of the many parties on board.
During the day, you either go on shore to visit the city where the ship is docked, or you stay on board. Tours are not compulsory, the choice is yours. Often, many of the guys will hit the Sun Deck on top of the ship to relax at the pool, taking-in the eye candy whilst sipping cocktails and of course enjoying that other type of cruising. It’s a bit like a sailing beach! As food and drinks are available almost 24/7, ít’s hard to keep that just acquired six pack you’ve trained for. Most ships also offer at least one alternate dining option, such as a casual buffet that you can eat at almost any hour of the day.
THE PARTIES
These parties are all themed, and although (again) there’s no dress code, you will be surprised how many spectacular costumes are packed and brought on to the ship. It’s a good idea though to read through the cruise itinerary for special events and parties like the “White Party,” “Mardi Gras Party,” or “Undersea Party”, and pack items corresponding to these themes. You may think it seems silly, but pretty much everyone dresses up whether it’s a simple strand of pearls or an elaborate costume. You may feel left out if you’re not participating - So dress up and be part of the fun! So dress up and be part of the fun!
The “Dog Tag Tea Dance” is the (in)famous afternoon tea dance - army style. The dog tag you wear makes it clear whether you’re available for “some fun” or not. Or get your sexiest outfit for the “White Party” or “Mardi Gras” parties, which start around 11 pm on deck where thousands of guys patsy deep into the night, on the middle of the ocean. And if you did not have enough dances and drinks when the party on deck stops, you just hit the ships club for the early morning after parties. There are so many different parties in one week, you will be exhausted needing a well-earned holiday once you get off ... the ship
Gay Pride in Rome
FITNESS
Most modern cruise ships have wellequipped and spacious gyms with all the latest cardio equipment and plenty of dumbbells and barbells. Many even offer Pilates, spinning, and aerobic classes. On a gay cruise, the gym is usually very crowded at the beginning of the trip and gets less so as the week progresses. Dedicated fitness enthusiasts should go early in the morning before that late-morning - to be seen - crowd appears. Beware lifting weights during heavy seas as they can be very difficult to control.
HOOKING UP
If getting laid is important, you shouldn’t need much help on an all-gay cruise. But here are a few tips. Many of these ships are big, and you can go for days without seeing anyone. If you’re interested in someone, seize the moment! The pool decks tend to attract more of the younger, party crowd, and things also tend to get friskier after dark. Now we don’t want to seem prudish here, but more than a modicum of discretion is appropriate here. Have consideration for your fellow passengers and the crew. If you’re worried it’ll get too frisky onboard, don’t be. The atmosphere on these trips can be sexually charged, but rarely overtly sexual. Are there are always quieter places to enjoy less carnal pleasures So do a little research and choose the cruise that will suit you and have the holiday of a lifetime - you never know who you might meet!!
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Art direction and styling: Bee Diamondhead Photography: Aart Verrips Make-up: Orli Meiri
Gender non-conforming rapper M(x)Blouse drops debut EP and visuals
M(x)BLOUSE
INTERVIEW
Joburg-based non-binary Rapper talks about his debut EP .... Words: Stefanie Jason
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I want to create music that matters, and music that speaks to being an outsider – something I’ve always felt I am in many ways,” says Joburgbased M(x)Blouse. Born in Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal, and raised partly in eSikhawini township, Richards Bay, M(x) Blouse speaks of suppressing, since adolescence, an innate desire to create music. “Growing up, I’ve always wanted to be a rapper but I’ve never felt quite comfortable in that space because it’s overtly masculine. And I’m quite obviously not. Never have been. I’m non-binary and I’m a rapper, for one, and that in itself immediately makes me a kind of outsider as far as hip-hop is concerned. “I never felt like there was space there for me as someone who is neither cis or hetero. That’s one of the main reasons why, at almost 30, it’s taken me so long to decide ‘fuck it’.” After holding back on their musical expression for decades, recent years have seen the artist come out of their shell with a series of performances, and last year hitting the booth with various South African producers. Today the emcee drops their anticipated EP, titled Believe in Bloom. To celebrate the release, M(x)Blouse shared the first listen and look with 10and5, and talked to us about the new album. How would you describe your sound? I have no idea, to be quite honest, but I do know what it is I am aiming for. I have a very eclectic taste in music, and I find myself trying to fuse as much of the influences I get from what I listen to as possible. I’ve been getting into a lot of electronic music lately, and I am very keen to incorporate that into my sound, but also having been hugely influenced by 90s hip hop, I want that to come through quite clearly, which I hope it does. Why the title ‘Believe the Bloom’? The journey to getting off my ass and actually making music has been one filled with a lot of personal insecurities, but I’ve also faced a lot of rejection. I think maybe “mockery” is a strong word, but I don’t know how else to put into words the feeling of being “dissed”, so to speak. There are people who’ve laughed in my face when I said I can rap. With some people
I’ve tried to work with, we’ve just never been able to make the time, and others said they wouldn’t want to work with someone who is openly gay. So, I kind of got to a place where I felt like no one actually believes I can do this. I’m equating this journey to planting a seed that no one believes would grow, but now I’m here saying, here’s the harvest. Believe it! (I must mention though, that the title literally came to me during the [EP photo]shoot with Bee Diamondhead and Aart Verrips. I kept insisting to Bee that whatever concept she comes up with, I want to wear that flower belt I saw in Rich Mnisi’s show. When I wore it, and the images were so beautiful, that’s when the penny dropped.) You’ve been writing rhymes since high school, right? I’ve been writing poetry and rhymes ever since I can recall. Sometimes they come to me while I’m in a bus going home, or in a Uber going to the jol. Could you please share the story behind your moniker ‘MxBlouse’? My professional background is journalism, and fashion writing specifically. There was a time in my life when I was only buying and wearing women’s blouses. A friend of mine started calling me “Blouse” and it stuck! Before I knew it I was Sandiblouse, and I actually quite like the nickname, so I stuck with it. For my stage persona, I used Mr Blouse for a long time, until recently when I decided it’s important for me to represent my nonbinary community, by reinforcing the fact that, hey, I am queer, and non-binary and I’m a rapper. We exist. Acknowledge us. Was the EP a collaborative project? With Joni, he makes beats and sends them to me, and every single time, the words just come pouring out of me. It’s like magic, I don’t even know how to explain it. I started working with him after being rejected by a few people, actually, and I was very lucky that he believed in what I was doing. Thor, I just love, and I had no idea how to ask him to work with me, so I was very lucky that he suggested it (hahaha). With that track in particular, he and Alex laid down the foundation of the track, I started rapping and Thor kept adding layers. I had to work on the hook a few times. He had to drill it out of me. It was frustrating and incredibly rewarding to be
pushed to get out of the “I don’t know how to do hooks” mindset. I’m glad he did it. The word ‘Bloom’ evokes adjectives like “summery”, “floral” et cetera. So I was quite surprised to hear a boom bap-ish, synthedout and deliciously dark EP that you’ve debuted. Was this contrast intentional? Once I decided on the title, I also grappled with this idea, but I decided it was a great contrast that, in a way, reflects my journey. It hasn’t been easy. It’s been very dark at times, but the promise of a good harvest is keeping me going. Rap has come a long way since hyper-masculine rappers were the face of it. Yet the scene – like many other industries – is still rampant with trans/homophobia, misogyny/ misogynoir et cetera. How do you think your visual and verbal/vocal representation affects hip hop? I hope it at least sparks a conversation, or at least changes perceptions. I know how I present might turn some people off, but with music, one always hopes that’s what prevails at the end of the day. I would like for people to engage with the music without me having to change who I am, but I would also like for queer people to rid themselves of the stereotypes that exist within our own community. When you say you are non-binary, even some LGBTQIA folk look at you like you are crazy, so if how I present, in some sort of way contributes to a better understanding of the complexities and nuances of gender and sexuality, I’d be very happy with that. This is something I address in the opening lines of Only Words Are Perfect, and in the second verse of I Got Game. In your opinion how inclusive do you think the hip hop industry is, especially in South Africa? I don’t think it is at all. It’s been great seeing female eMCees breaking into the mainstream in the last two to three years, but I think we still have a long way to go. I’ve got to S/O the likes of Dope Saint Jude, and it’s unfortunate that we’ve not seen a rapper who is not cisgendered and male taking awards, or really dominating the scene. I refuse to believe that, that is from a lack of talent or trying. Reprinted with permission: Between 10andfive.com Mag 7
THE BUZZ AVERAGE PENIS SIZE HAS INCREASED Last year a survey conducted by Kings College London found that the average man’s penis length was 5.16 inches. Now, just one year later, the average size of 18-34 year olds’ penis has grown to 6.1 inches, nearly a full inch longer. However, some speculate the discrepancy might have something to do with the way the two studies were carried out.
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ccording to a study average penis size has dramatically increased, Instinct Magazine recently reported.
Perhaps you can measure time in inches...or cm’s if that’s your preference. In just one year, the average penis size has increased considerably, according to a new study.
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According to reports, last year’s participants were measured by professionals, whereas this year, men were asked to volunteer the size of their manhood in an online survey.
This week, horrifying news continues to emerge from the southern Russian republic. It has been revealed that Chechyna has opened up concentration camps for homosexuals, where, according to reports, gay men are being tortured with electric shocks, and beaten to death. One of the camps is reportedly at the former military headquarters in the town of Argun. Svetlana Zakharova, from the Russian LGBT Network, said: ‘Gay people have been detained and rounded up and we are working to evacuate people from the camps and some have now left the region. ‘Those who have escaped said they are detained in the same room and people are kept altogether, around 30 or 40. They are tortured with electric currents and heavily beaten, sometimes to death.’ One of those who escaped told Novoya Gazeta that prisoners were beaten to force them to reveal other members of the gay community. Mag 8
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icky Martin is living la vida loca, as he takes off Tom Cruise in Risky Business for his Lip Sync Battle number!
The 45-year-old entertainer performed Bob Seger‘s Old Time Rock & Roll, which is the song Tom famously sang in his underwear and shirt for Risky Business. Filling his tighty-whities Ricky gave the audience an eyeful as he strutted his stuff... youtube it and take a look as Ricky shows us that he still has the moves, the grooves an the shape...
Perhaps the participants were exaggerating? Or is may be there’s something in the water? but with luck there is actually something true about the study.
OUTRAGEOUS!!!! ast week, at least 100 gay men had been rounded up in Chechnya, and three of those men had been killed.
GREAT PACKAGE
Another prisoner who fled said that before being incarcerated in one of the camps, he had been forced to pay bribes to Chechen police of thousands of rubles every month in order to survive. Now the regime had taken another step against gays by creating these camps, the survivor said. Alexander Artemyev, from Amnesty International in Russia, told MailOnline: ‘We can only call on the Russian authorities to investigate the allegations. Homosexuals in Chechyna are treated very harshly and prosecuted daily and they are afraid to talk about it. ‘They either have to hide or leave the republic. We are keeping in touch with the LGBT network that helps people in Russia to find shelter. The problem is people there cannot talk about it as it puts their lives and those they speak to, in danger. This is the main issue we are facing in Russia and the main challenge.’ Although his regime denies the accusations, President Razman Kadyrov, an essential ally to Vladimir Putin, is believed to be responsible for what some have described as an LGBT “purge.” WHERE IS THE WORLD OUTRAGE???
DID SOME SAY ENCORE?
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t’s 11 years since Will & Grace wrapped, and stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes who lit up our screens for years are due back in a revival of the series. The 12-episode series is expected to pick up the characters’ stories a decade after the 2006 finale. Debra Messing says the return of Will & Grace feels “very, very right” given today’s political climate. Messing, who played Grace Adler on the hit show that ran for eight seasons, said she “never imagined” the show would return, but added that she believes the country needs Will, Grace, Jack and Karen more than ever. Adding that the show’s revival is a “perfect marriage” with today’s culture and politics. ... And no one has aged a day! We can’t wait... “Just Jack!”
Filipino John Fernandez Raspado wins Mr. Gay World 2017
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n October 2016, John Raspado won the Mr. Gay World Philippines pageant and now in May this year, representing the Philippines he grabbed the title Mr. Gay World. More than 40 gay men from around the world competed this year for the title. Candido Arteaga (Spain), Raf Van Puymbroeck (Belgium), Marco Tornese (Switzerland), Alexander Steyn (South Africa) were the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th runners-up. An excited John thanked the Mr. Gay World Pageant Organisers most especially Wilbert Tolentino. He made special mention to his roommates Mr. Belgium and Mr. Venezuela and called out Filipino supporters in Spain. The thirty-five-year-old is an entrepreneur who does online marketing. He loves to cook calling himself a food enthusiast. John loves keeping in shape and regularly goes to the gym, he’s is keen on adventure sports. This 6-foot hottie loves the outdoors and is a selfproclaimed adrenaline junkie. Mr Spain - Candido Arteaga
Mr Gay World - Mr Philippines - John Raspado
Mr South Africa AleXander Steyn
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ICON
Touko Laaksonen 1920 – 1991
HOMOEROTIC ART MADE HIM A LEGEND Growing up gay in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s one could not escape the influence of Touko Laaksonen’s homoerotic drawings of uber sexy and uber masculine men - his iconic artwork was an integral part of gay culture worldwide ... Touko “Tom of Finland” Laaksonen was 58 when he met his protégé Durk Dehner Mag 10
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ouko Laaksonen was born and raised by a middle-class family in Kaarina, a town in southwestern Finland, near the city of Turku. Both of his parents were schoolteachers at the grammar school that served Kaarina. At the age of 19, he moved to Helsinki to study advertising. In his spare time he also started drawing erotic images for his own pleasure, based on images of male labourers he had seen from an early age. The country became embroiled in the “Winter War” with the USSR, and then became formally involved in World War II, and he was conscripted in February 1940 into the Finnish Army and served as an anti-aircraft officer, holding the rank of second lieutenant. He later attributed his fetishistic interest in uniformed men to encounters with men in army uniform, especially soldiers of the German Wehrmacht serving in Finland at that time. “In my drawings I have no political statements to make, no ideology. I am thinking only about the picture itself. The whole Nazi philosophy, the racism and all that, is hateful to me, but of course I drew them anyway—they had the sexiest uniforms!” After the war, in 1945, he returned to studies. Laaksonen’s early artwork compared to later works is considered more romantic and softer with “gentle-featured shapes and forms.” The men featured were middle class, as opposed to the sailors, bikers, lumberjacks, construction workers, and other members of stereotypically hyper-masculine working class groups that feature in his later work. Another key difference is the lack of dramatic compositions, self-assertive poses, muscular bodies and “detached exotic settings” that his later work embodied. In 1956 Laaksonen submitted drawings to the influential American magazine Physique Pictorial, which premiered the images in the 1957 Spring issue under the pseudonym Tom, as it resembled his given name Touko. In the Winter issue later that year, editor Bob Mizer coined the credit Tom of Finland. Pulled from the Finnish mythology of lumberjacks representing strong masculinity, Laaksonen emphasized and privileged “homoerotic potentiality [...] relocating it in a gay context”, a strategy repeated throughout his career. The post-World War II era saw the rise of the biker culture as rejecting “the organisation and normalisation of life after the war, with its conformist, settled lifestyle.” Biker subculture was both marginal and oppositional and provided postwar gay men
with a stylised masculinity that included rebelliousness and danger. This was in contrast to the then-prevailing stereotypes of gay man as an effeminate “sissy”, as seen in vaudeville and films going back to the earliest years of the industry. Laaksonen’s drawings of bikers and leathermen capitalised on the leather and denim outfits which differentiated those men from mainstream culture and suggested they were untamed, physical and self-empowered. His drawing’s primary market was gay men, but because of the conservative and homophobic social culture of the era, - gay pornography was illegal - and the publications were typically presented as dedicated to physical fitness and health. By the end of the 1960s the market for beefcake magazines collapsed, but with the decriminalisation of male nudity, gay pornography became more mainstream in gay cultures, and Laaksonen’s work along with it. Laaksonen was able to publish his more overtly homoerotic work and it changed the context with “new possibilities and conventions for displaying frontal male nudity in magazines and movies.” Laaksonen reacted by publishing more explicit drawings and stylised his figures’ fantastical aspects with exaggerated physical aspects, particularly their genitals and muscles. In the late 1960s he developed Kake, a character appearing in an ongoing series of comics, which debuted in 1968. By 1973, he was publishing erotic comic books and making inroads to the mainstream art world with exhibitions. In 1973 he gave up his full-time job at the Helsinki office of McCann-Erickson, an international advertising firm. “Since then I’ve lived in jeans and lived on my drawings,” is how he described the lifestyle transition which occurred during this period. By the mid-1970 he was also emphasizing a photorealism style making aspects of the drawings appear more photographic. Many of his drawings are based on photographs, but none are exact reproductions of them. The photographic inspiration is used, on the one hand, to create lifelike, almost moving images, with convincing and active postures and gestures while Laaksonen exaggerates physical features and presents his ideal of masculine beauty and sexual allure, combining realism with fantasy. In Daddy and the Muscle Academy – The Art, Life, and Times of Tom of Finland examples of photographs and the drawings based upon them are shown side by side. Although he considered the photographs to be merely reference tools for his drawings, contemporary art students have seen
them as complete works of art that stand on their own. In 1979, Laaksonen with businessman and friend Durk Dehner co-founded the Tom of Finland Company, and in 1984 established the Tom of Finland Foundation dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting homoerotic artwork. Although Laaksonen was quite successful at this point, with his biography on the best-seller list, and Benedikt Taschen, the world’s largest art book publisher reprinting and expanding a monograph of his works, he was most proud of the Foundation. The scope of the organisation expanded to erotic works of all types, sponsored contests, exhibits, and started the groundwork for a museum of erotic art. During his lifetime and beyond, Laaksonen’s work has drawn both admiration and disdain from different quarters of the artistic community. Laaksonen developed a friendship with gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whose work depicting sadomasochism and fetish iconography was also subject to controversy. A controversial theme in his drawings was the erotic treatment of men in Nazi uniforms. They form a small part of his overall work, but the typically flattering visual treatment of these characters has led some viewers to infer sympathy or affinity for Nazism, and they have been omitted from most recent anthologies of his work. Later in his career Laaksonen disavowed this work and was at pains to dissociate himself and his work from fascist or racist ideologies. He also depicted a significant number of black men in his drawings, with no overt racial or political message in the context in which they appear; although whilst they bear some commonality with racist caricatures of the “hypersexual” black male, these traits are shared by Laaksonen’s white characters as well. There is considerable argument over whether his depiction of “supermen” (male characters with huge sexual organs and muscles) is facile and distasteful, or whether there is a deeper complexity in the work which plays with and subverts those stereotypes. For example, some critics have noted instances of apparent tenderness between traditionally tough, masculine characters, or playful smiles in sado-masochistic scenes. In either case, there remains a large constituency who admire the work on a purely utilitarian basis, as described by Rob Meijer, owner of a leathershop and art gallery in Amsterdam, “These works are not conversation pieces, they’re masturbation pieces.” Mag 11
In 1991, Filmitakomo and Yleisradio produced a documentary film, Daddy and the Muscle Academy: The Life and Art of Tom of Finland, directed by Ilppo Pohjola. By the late 1980s, Laaksonen was well known in the gay world, but his “pneumatically muscled, meticulously rendered monsterdonged icons of masculinity” received mainstream attention when the film – which includes hundreds of images of his work along with interviews – was released theatrically in Finland, won a Finnish Jussi Award in its category in 1992 and was shown at film festivals worldwide. While praising the artwork’s quality one critic noted the film’s lauding of Laaksonen as a gay pride icon while ignoring his work’s “resemblance to both S & M pornography and Fascist art” which she tied to Laaksonen’s early sexual experiences with German soldiers during World War II. In September 2014 the Finnish postal service, Itella Posti, published a set of three first class stamps featuring drawings by Laaksonen and in association with the stamps’ release exhibited some of his correspondence at the Finnish Postal Museum. Two of the stamps include portions of an illustration of a nude man sitting between the legs of another man dressed as a police officer; the other depicts nude buttocks with a man’s face included between the thighs. The stamp set exceeded Posti’s expectations, with pre-orders from 178 countries, making it the best-selling stamp set in the service’s history. Now 2017 has seen the release of the movie Tom Of Finland which is currently enjoying huge success on the film festival circuit. In 1988, Laaksonen was diagnosed with Emphysema. The disease and medication caused his hands to tremble, leading him to switch mediums from pencil to pastels. He died in 1991 due to an emphysema-induced stroke, but his iconic drawings live on … as does his influence on the gay sadomasochistic and leather men sub-cultures worldwide.
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TOM OF FINLAND ... THE MOVIE
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om of Finland is a 2017 Finnish biographical drama film, directed by Dome Karukoski and written by Aleksi Bardy. It stars Pekka Strang as Touko Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, the internationally recognised and famous Finnish homoerotic artist.
Tom of Finland premiered January 27, 2017, at Gothenburg Film Festival and February 24, 2017, in Finnish cinemas. For those readers who grew up with the bulbous, gorgeous gay erotica of the onetime underground icon Tom of Finland which crossed over from the locked drawer to the coffee table, the movie will delight and once again renew that old line of discourse - Is it art or is it porn? Dome Karukoski’s straightforwardly titled biopic Tom of Finland makes pleasingly short work of that tedious question: It’s both, of course. It was a crowd-pleasing choice of curtain-raiser at this year’s Gothenberg Film Festival — where it also landed a FIPRESCI award and will be featuring at the world-renowned Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Tom of Finland should easily rack up further fest bookings and an international spread of distribution deals. So watch this space, perhaps local gay festivals will get the movie for local fans of the iconic Tom.
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LET’S CHAT ON AN APP
The 21st Century version of a Gay Club Words: Matthew van der Westhuizen
I
t is amazing how one simple gay dating or hook up app on your phone can break down an individual even though it encourages the behaviour that they develop. Before apps individuals who were once seen as average would rise to a status of popularity within the scene before being labelled as promiscuous for being with one too many guys. The same can be said for those guys who lurk and are well known of dating / hook up apps. The interesting concept about dating / hook up apps is that they are more likely to leave one feeling unfilled as opposed to satisfied. The reasons for this may vary but the most common one is that the expectations of a gay man on dating or hook up apps may be a little too high. Whether it is for the intellectual and emotional stimulation or, more commonly, for the sexual gratification, there is something about a dating / hook up apps that just doesn’t seem satisfy the average gay man. Of course, if you are the type of guy who’s just looking for one orgasm after the next with a variety of partners without any emotional attachment or the fear of being labelled, then a dating or hook up app will be the right place for you. Another downside to dating / hook up apps is that they force gay men to
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perceive themselves in a certain way. If you don’t look a certain way, don’t expect to obtain many dates or hook ups. This message is what most of these apps scream out at the average gay man. What we see are profiles of guys with well chiselled bodies, perfect hair and teeth and a perfect match in personality for us. This, however, makes us wonder why they are on a dating / hook up apps if they could have any man that they wanted? The answers are usually simple but do not come to mind immediately: 1. They could be low life scum cheating on their partners who, they know (or hope), will not be on any of these apps (these guys usually have a blank profile picture and only send one on request). 2. They are “in the closet” / bi-curious / married etc. 3. They have been given an infamous reputation or label on the gay scene and therefore, need to find other ways to communicate with gay guys and specifically target gay guys who are not “scene queens.” We should not be comparing ourselves to these sorts of individuals as they are far and few in between, who were once the
crème de la crème of the scene but didn’t realise that their 15 minutes was coming to an end. Then on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those guys who have never been part of the gay scene and do not wish to. Dating / hook up apps give them the opportunity to communicate and hook up with other gay guys without the need to go to clubs and bars. These are often the shy quiet types who fall victim to gay culture via social media and dating / hook up apps such as Grindr, Gaydar, Scruff, Manhunt etc. They usually start off as friendly guys but end up no better off than the former “scene queens” who came to the end of their reign within the gay community. There are always reasons as to why gay men find themselves downloading a bunch of dating / hook up apps. Maybe they have broken up with their partner and they are looking for new adventures. Perhaps they have been single for too long and are hoping that through all the nitty gritty, there might be a precious jewel of a man waiting for them. Maybe they are just curious. Whatever the reasons, gay dating and/or hook up apps will reign notoriously supreme within the gay community and are here to stay.
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he international day against homophobia was celebrated on the 17 May ....
Homophobia is alive and thriving all over the world. We see it in places like Chechnya where homosexual men are being held in concentration camps, in a number of countries, particularly those that are subject to Sharia Law, homosexuality is punnishable by death. In Indonesia gay men are being arrested for contravening the country’s draconian laws. In South Korea, gay soldiers are being subjected to a witch hunt to expose them, under South Korean law a soldier who commits “sodomy” or “other disgraceful conduct” can face up to two years in prison. Homophobic attacks continue to take place here in South Africa where most recently Nonki Smous, an openly proud lesbian, was brutally murdered in the township of Maokeng near Kroonstad. In this day and age when one would like to think that the world is becoming more accepting of the LGBT community we find the most horrific things happening to gay people. Punishments in some instances are quite frankly Medieval people are being thrown off rooftops to their deaths, others are being publicly flogged or worse. Intolerance on any level, be it in schools, in the work place or in places where it is legislated by governments is unacceptable and we need to fight against it and lobby our Governments to fight for us and the rights of homosexuals everywhere. Homophobia, tragically is practiced by our own community as highlighted by British actor, Jimmy Carr when he explained in an interview that “I think camp people on the gay social scene can be persona non-grata. I feel sometimes that it’s seen as if we let the side down. I would love to be soldier or a rugby player. As soon as they come out, it’s: how brave they are. But people have to remember that there are camp boys and butch lesbians going to school and the playground might as well be a battleground for the amount of shit they’re getting and the bullying. And it’s getting worse now that we have cyber-bullies. I don’t want to be this camp, I’m not putting this on. I don’t have a wife and kids. I’d love to click my fingers and be Bradley Cooper. Other communities pull together and I don’t think we do that. I think with the rise of religious extremism, we’ve got genuine enemies. Camp men aren’t the enemy here....” When asked what he thinks is the biggest challenge facing the LGBT community in 2017. he replied “The rise of religious extremism - the more rights we get the more religious extremists flex their muscles and kick up a fuss. And with a growing number of faith schools refusing to teach their pupils about homosexuality, we have a huge ticking bomb of ignorance just waiting to explode.” He
SOME OF THE REPORTED HOMOPHOBIC ATTACKS & MURDERS IN SOUTH AFRICA Moses Rakoma, kidnapped, raped and tortured. Thapelo Makutle, murdered Phumeza Nkolonzi, shot in front of her family Andritha Morifi, murdered Neil Daniels, shot dead Sanna Supa, shot dead Vuyisa Dayisi, murdered Zoliswa Nkonyana, murdered Madoe Mafubedu, raped and murdered Thokozane Qwabe, stoned and murdered Eudy Simelane, raped, stabbed and murdered Khanysiwa Hani, stabbed to death Sibongile Mphelo – raped and mutilated Millicent Gaika – raped and strangled – Gugulethu 2010 Noxolo Nogwaza – raped, stoned and murdered - Kwa Thema, Joburg 2011 Sizakele Sigasa & Salome Masooa – raped, shot & murdered – Soweto 2007 Nokuthula Ncube – raped – Soweto Duduzile Zozo – raped & murdered – Thokoza, Joburg 2013 Girly “S’gelane” Nkosi – raped & murdered – Kwa Thema, Joburg 2009 Zandile Mpanza – house burned & stripped – 2007 Nwabisa Ngcukana – raped – Joburg 2008 Ncumisa Mzamelo – murdered – KZN Dec 2010 Motshidisi Pascalina – murdered – Vaal Jan 2016 David Olyne – murdered – Ceres March 2014 Disepo Gift Maau – murdered – Ventersdorp 2014 Phoebe Titus – murdered – Wolseley Dec 2015 Noluvo Swelindawo – murdered – Kayalitsha Dec 2016 Gino Jonkers – murdered – June 2016 Lesley Makousa – strangled to death – Potchefstroom 2016 Cousin of Gift – raped at gunpoint – Ventersdorp Sept 2016 Hate crime lesban activist beaten to death with cricket bats – Pretoria Jan 2017 Nonki Smous – burnt & murdered – Klerksdorp April 2017 Enrico “Tamara” van der Merwe – murdered – Western Cape April 2017 Bobby Motlatla – Murdered – University of the North west, Potchefstroom March 2017 Same Love Support Group
added, “There are people out there who really do hate us and don’t want us around.” So the bottom line is that homophobic attacks, be they physical, in the media or in religious circles, are on the rise and we need to pull together and stand up as a community against this scourge. - the silence is deafening! Mag 15
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SOMIZI MHLONGO TALENTED, FLAMBOYANT AND FABULOUS ...
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Words: Tinashe Venge
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omizi Mhlongo is one of the biggest names in South African entertainment, and for good reason too. He’s about as talented as he is flamboyant and fabulous and always looks the part no matter where he is
In 2015, the famed choreographer who is a judge on SA Idols was in the headlines for a very different reason. Somizi opened up about life in South Africa as a gay man, in what is one of his most emotional interviews ever.
Many people may not know that Somizi has a daughter as well. He also spoke about being an openly gay father in modern society “When I fathered a child I already knew I was not a straight guy. I did everything, knowing very well I was gay. I could have been bisexual, but definitely not straight.” Somizi broke viewers’ hearts when he revealed that he has struggled to get roles as a straight character, ever since he came out as a gay man.
Somizi spoke on Vuzu Amp and revealed that when he was younger, his fears nearly got the better of him, but his parents were constantly supportive and encouraging.
“The minute I came out and expressed my sexuality, I was put in a box. I no longer got cast for straight roles and that is the reason I refuse to play gay roles even to this day.”
“When I was personally confused, and scared, not of society, but as I was still finding out how to handle some of the intricate situations I would be in, my family supported me as I prepared myself for what was to come. Trust me, your parents know from day one, they know from your behaviour what your sexual preference is.”
He ended the interview by campaigning for gay men and women around South Africa who are struggling to get jobs because of their sexuality.
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hampioning gay rights is close to his heart, and was demonstrated earlier this year he stormed out of church when the pastor bashed gays in his sermon
The Idols judge and radio presenter slammed a pastor who referred to homosexuality as a “sin”. Somgaga, as he is popularly known, stormed out of a church service at Grace Bible Church in Soweto, after a guest pastor from Uganda criticised homosexuality, saying to viewers “he could not take it anymore” adding that churches, especially the Grace Bible Church, where he had been a member for 32 years, to “spell it out loud if gays were not welcomed”. “They must say it if being gay was a sin and that gays were not allowed. Because I go to church to speak to my God, whom I believe accepts me for who I am. The God who created the way that I am loves me.” Somizi declared he was gay and proud of it. “I’m a gay man and this is who I am. I will remain gay for the rest of my life.” Adding, “The sermon was about how the soul is important and I don’t know how he jumped from that to homosexuality. When he started to talk about how even male dogs do not practise it, I just walked out because I was offended.”
First published by All4Women.com
Whilst the other congregants were cheering the pastor on, Somizi commented, “I don’t understand why people behave as if they have never seen gays or do not have brothers who are gay. I know I am not the only gay. I don’t care what the Bible says, I know the relationship I have with God.” Grace Bible Church has since said everyone was welcome in their church, including homosexuals. With regard to Gay Pride, Somizi stated that it should be a celebration of gay life and a remembrance of gay people who were mistreated by society. “Pride is about who I am and we must celebrate who we are. When we march on the streets we should think of all the people who have suffered and were raped and murdered for their sexuality. We must think of all gays and lesbians who died of HIV and Aids-related illnesses and could not get help because they were gay. Let’s fight to end the discrimination because some gay people want to donate blood but cannot because of the stigma attached to homosexuality. Some have even lost their jobs because of their sexual preference.” Sentiments shared by us all … Somizi is flamboyant and out-spoken, admired and loved, he promotes gay issues, intent on educating fellow South African’s about the hardships of living in this country as a gay person – we at OUT Africa Magazine applaud him. Mag 21
SCENE OUT
PRIDE WEEK - CAPE TOWN
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SEEN AT PINK LOERIES
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A FAG, A SLUT AND A CONTINUUM Words: Jo Glanville
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y ultimate bestie, Gawie, has a bitchy internet connection at home and very kindly drags himself to a coffee shop so he can Skype with me about sex. Hilarity ensues. Due to his public environment, he is often miming so as not to offend anyone’s delicate ears with the mention of anal sex. His tentativeness to speak freely about a pretty normal component of his life is a fitting indicator to the premise of this article; societal and internal homophobia and how it might affect the sex lives of men who have sex with men (MSM). While there are many ways for homophobia to flourish, Gawie and I trace some of our experiences to the exposure to certain religious practices. These had a strong emphasis on sex as a matter of procreation. The ‘peen’ moves rhythmically in the ‘vageen’ until the miraculous juice of “mankind” rockets into the amorphous lady cave and, an amount of time later, a baby is born. This centring of procreation, as opposed to pleasure, intimacy and fun, becomes the pivot of why and how sex exists. Our particular brands of religion then tied a moral superiority to this heterosexual intercourse between a biological man and woman, leaving every strain of sex excluded by it on a periphery of deviation and dysfunction. It is this outer circle
of assumed gang bangs, slutbags (Gawie’s favourite self-description) and pedophiles (…”but Deborah, if the gays have sex with each other what will stop them having sex with children?!”…) that Gawie and I negotiate, during a pretty awkward Skype call, the concept of internalised homophobia and, in my case internalised misogyny, and how it affects our sex lives. These social assumptions around “good” sex (morally certified, procreational and heterosexual) and “bad” sex (basically all the fun stuff) manifested both as external experiences and internal tensions for both of us. A quick gambol through various LGBTQI blogs and forums indicate similar experiences. The horribly familiar stories of MSM being assaulted for their “bad” orientation and the more painful stories of MSM bullying their sexual partners as they negotiate what can be assumed to be their now internalised homophobia are commonplace. What Gawie and I discuss (through hushed tones and muffled laughter) is the social description of our bodies, sex and pleasure only through a lens of “badness” and the ongoing internal negotiation of how bad we might actually be. On the continuum of “bad” sex how many dicks can we suck before I am a slut and Gawie is a fag? When do we stop being good kids experi-
menting and become bad kids who have made a choice? And how do we enjoy sex if we’re to believe the sex, which is often loving, tender and intimate, is somehow inherently immoral? It appears we all have our versions of the continuum of “good” and “bad” sex tied to our internalised phobias. At some point on the continuum even being seen near a man known to have sex with other men is too threatening. Gawie regales a glorious tale of literally being shoved BACK INTO THE CLOSET, after fooling around with someone, when a knock sounded on their door. He also tells me how he felt physically ill the first time he put a dick in his mouth; a feeling he now attributes to his own psychological tensions around his desires. Gawie is one of the luckier ones though. While he has struggled with the tension of internalised homophobia, he found a way to step off of the continuum and now knows that whatever sex he is having is “good” because it’s good for him. I ask him his secrets, so I can share it with our readers. He tells me that he is stronger than the narrow homophobic definitions of intimacy, love and sex. That he learnt to love and accept himself. I tell him that his sentiments are inspiring but would be a terrible way to end an article. *Jo would like to thank Gawie for his ongoing willingness to participate in ridiculous conversations about sex.
Jo Glanville is a contributing writer for Anova Health Institute. These are her views, which may or may not reflect those of Anova and affiliates. If you’d like to write for us please send an email to info@anovahealth.co.za Mag 26
OUTREACH AFRICA LAUNCHES NEW PUBLICATION
E C I O V E ON RN CAPE
MUNITY IN THE WESTE
E LGBTI COM THE FREE VOICE OF TH
OUTReach Africa has had a bumper 12 months with multiple events that have supported various LGBTIQA communities and projects all over Cape Town. It has been our great privilege to work hand-in-hand with the community to create these spaces for LGBTIQA to be who they are in safe spaces. Some of the major projects that have happened over the previous year were: Glitterfest, Cape Town
SOMIZI MHLONGO “OUT” in Africa
ONE VOICE TO LAUNCH IN AUGUST CAPE TOWN PRIDE O’s Record number of NG gest big a’s ric Af for t turn ou ion rat Pride celeb
FREE
Issue 1 , 2017
Pride 2017 including Mr and Miss Cape Town Pride and Kasi Pre Pride Chill, cash donations to Pride Shelter Trust, food supplies to an AIDS orphanage and the upcoming, the launch of the ONE VOICE initiative. OUTReach Africa will be producing a fabulous publication called ONE VOICE which will be an educational and informational magazine aimed specifically at the less fortunate community and communities that are in crisis. It will contain; inspirational stories from local LGBTIQA community members, information on local NPO’s and NGO’s that help in the LGBTIQA community and events and workshops that will be happening in the community.
Stop Bullying is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to raising awareness of bullying in schools and finding ways to curb this type of abuse. The Durban-based organisation has an anti-bullying grassroots campaign in the Zululand area.
Stop Bullying is setup to continuously address the problem which also happens at the work place, socially and sexually. We already have many celebrities like Sureshnie Rider, Uvekha Rangappa, Felix Hlope, Cannon SA, Angel Campey, Andile Mxakaza, Emanuel Pietersen etc... supporting the campaign with many more joining as we expand nationally Since Rural & Disadvantaged areas cannot access our website, we took the decision to distribute newspapers to maximise our efforts in areas that need such a grass roots Campaign.” To this end they have completed the first edition of the StopBullying newspaper supplement (once every 2 months for a year) which was distributed to schools in KZN (Zululand areas). They are looking for businesses to support this campaign and advertise in the supplement. Bullying is rife in schools around South Africa, according to statistics from a survey undertaken in 2013. The survey interviewed 2 064 pupils aged between 13 and 21 and 1 015 family members aged between 18 and 34. These statistics reveal a culture of bullying that permeates South African schools “It is an indictment of our education system that two out of three learners are worried about being bullied at school.” According to the survey, an astonishing high number of students attend school fearful of being bullied. Almost 68% of pupils polled were worried about being physically assaulted or threatened with a weapon at school. With the rise of social media, 16% of learners polled reported instances of online bullying on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. “We welcome the support of local celebrities, businesses and organisations that are willing to assist us in any way whatsoever to help us ensure that this Stop Bullying Campaign is successful.” For more information on how you can help stop bullying, please visit www. stopbullying.co.za we are also on instagram ... www.instagram/stopbullying.co.za Mag 28
RECONCEPTUALISING VIOLENCE: Homophobia in Our Schools Words: Milka Ramirez, Ph.D.
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n February 12, 2008, Lawrence “Larry” King was shot in the head by a classmate while attending a computer class in Oxnard, California. The next day, Lawrence died at the age of 15. Newsweek (Setoodah, 2008) described the shooting as “the most prominent gay-bias crime since the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard,” bringing national attention to issues of gun violence, as well as gender expression and sexual identity among youth in schools. It was Lawrence King’s death that gave birth to work that I do today. It is as if Lawrence whispered in my ear and said, “Remember me, for I am not dead. I am the undead.” Unfortunately, the death of Lawrence King is not an isolated incident. Various studies contend that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) youth in our schools navigate an often hostile and violent school climate. Yet, the host environment of the school setting is where the everyday stressors, complex family problems, and complex community problems are laid to rest, right at the doorstep of school social workers. As LGBTQ youth are a segment of school social workers’ clientele, these social workers are in a unique position to address violence directed at them. To do so, social workers must understand the plethora of challenges that LGBTQ youth face in school settings and the powerful effect of homophobia in the lives of sexual minorities.
Homophobia The term homophobia is rooted in Wainright Churchill’s 1967 study of attitudes toward homosexuals. It was used to describe a pervasive cultural fear of erotic or sexual contact between members of the same sex. Conversely, heterosexism is viewed as the insidious manifestation of heterosexual privilege. Although there is not a uniform meaning for the terms homophobia and heterosexism, homophobia has typically been used to describe negative individual anti-gay attitudes and behaviours, whereas heterosexism usually refers to societal level ideologies and patterns of institutionalized oppression of non-heterosexual people. Heterosexism is described as a belief system that values heterosexuality as superior to and more natural than homosexuality. Additionally, people who may not be considered homophobic may manifest heterosexism. When LGBTQ individuals are targeted as victims of violence, discriminated against, denied access to legal protection, or denied services, the person(s) behind these acts do so out of homophobic attitudes that serve to maintain heterosexual privilege. These concepts are important to understand, as they work in tandem and have historically been oppressive and discriminatory forces that, if left unchallenged, result in negative consequences for LGBTQ populations. For instance, Kosciw et al. (2001) (USA) found that:
Nearly 85% of LGBT student respondents heard “gay” used in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”) frequently or often at school, and 91% reported that they felt distressed because of this language. 71% heard other homophobic remarks (e.g., “dyke” or “faggot”) frequently or often. More than 50% of students reported hearing homophobic remarks from their teachers or other school staff. 63% stated that they felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation, and nearly 44% because of their gender expression. 38% had been physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved) in the previous year because of their sexual orientation, and 27% because of their gender expression. 18% had been physically assaulted (e.g., punched, kicked, injured with a weapon) in the previous year because of their sexual orientation, and 12% because of their gender expression. More than 50% of students were victims of cyber bullying (or harassment by text messages). 60% of students who had been harassed or assaulted in school did not report the incident to school staff, most often believing little to no action would be taken or that the situation could become worse, if reported. 36% of the students who did report an incident said that school staff did nothing in response. Not surprisingly, students who experience higher levels of victimisation based on their sexual orientation or gender expression tend to have higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem. When we think of violence, most of us think of physical and verbal violence, as described above. However, I invite you to view violence from another perspective—one that interrogates unseen or indirect forms of violence.
Unseen Violence as a Form of Indirect Violence It is important to understand that overt violence is deeply rooted in unseen and indirect violence. When thinking about violence directed at LGBTQ youth, I would like you to consider this perspective. I believe that understanding this perspective will help our profession think of ways to intervene at a systemic level, bringing about organisational change that focuses on institutional change. Thus, I ask that you reconceptualise violence, and examine “visible” violence from a viewpoint that interrogates submerged or “unseen” violence. To do so, I draw on VanSoest and Bryant’s (1995) conceptual framework, Mag 29
contending that insidious forces embedded in [South Africa’s] structural-cultural foundations give rise to institutional levels of violence, which in turn manifest seen violence, such as hate crimes. They contend that “violence is more deeply embedded in our culture than this society wants to believe; it is the foundation of many revered ideals and institutions”. McPhail (2000) contends that hate is woven into the very fabric of our society. She asserts that our history is rooted in war and violence and that violence is culturally entrenched in our everyday lives. When examining society’s prejudicial attitudes and beliefs toward sexual minority populations and their communities, McPhail frames negative attitudes and beliefs about LGBTQ populations within the context of historical hate and violence against sexual minorities. She contends that hate crimes, sodomy laws, and gender violence are clear examples of hate and violence directed at sexual minority populations. Furthermore, she argues that a historical and contemporary example of oppression and discrimination against sexual minorities is deeply rooted in societal structures that perpetuate negative attitudes and beliefs toward sexual minorities.
Structural-Cultural Violence Now, how does this relate to my call for reconceptualising violence in relation to homophobia in our schools? An example may be in order. Following VanSoest and Bryant’s framework of reconceptualising violence, let us examine the ideological worldview of patriarchy and heterosexuality in [South African] society. I would argue that in [South Africa], hegemonic structures are embedded within the very fabric of its existence, so much so, that it is, by and large, passively accepted as a dominant structural-cultural worldview. I would also argue that patriarchy and heterosexism is so deeply embedded in our culture that it has become a collective way of thinking, in which violence against LGBTQ individuals is deeply rooted, giving rise to institutional levels of violence against sexual minority populations.
minorities need to be controlled and that LGBTQ individuals are the “other.” As a result, what we see is violence perpetrated on sexual minorities. Thus, seen violence does not occur in a vacuum. It is embedded in structural-cultural worldviews that give rise to institutional levels of violence that inflict control and marginalisation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer youth in our schools. It is prevalent in the lack of policies and laws that fail to protect sexual minorities, popular culture’s negative and limited depictions of LGBTQ individuals in the media, and “othering” LGBTQ individuals, ultimately supporting seen violence and acts of homophobia in our schools.
What Can Be Done Jane Addams, the foremother of social work, rooted the profession in social justice and human rights, calling upon social work to act to readdress inequities that oppress disenfranchised and marginalised populations. Recently, scholars have speculated that Jane Addams may have been a lesbian. Thus, if she were alive today, I suspect that she would call for social work to champion the rights of LGBTQ populations. We must become supportive educators and advocates for comprehensive anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies that are inclusive of LGBTQ youth.
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We must question our worldview and ask how our worldview supports violence against LGBTQ communities, women, children, and communities of color (and so on). Only then can we collectively begin to unpack what Patricia Collins refers to as the interlocking levels of oppression, and rise to the challenge put forth by Cathy Cohen, who calls for us to resist colluding with the enemy.
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We must challenge these worldviews in our classrooms, workplaces, homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
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We must act to adopt the belief that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so eloquently spoke of when he stated that an “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We must move beyond the role of bystanders and become up standers.
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We must insist on human rights for this population and take responsibility for becoming adequately trained to meet the unique needs of LGBTQ youth, so we may harness their strengths and resiliency to overcome adversity.
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We must build alliances in our schools, workplaces, homes, communities, places of worship, and political structures.
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We must carry the torch of Jane Addams forward, remembering her words: “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.”
Institutional Levels of Violence For instance, religious institutions in Western society are rooted in Judeo-Christian belief systems, and these systems are fundamentally structured on the notion that marriage is the union between a man and woman (for the purposes of procreation). Thus, sexuality that falls outside of this definition has traditionally been viewed as dangerous, needing to be controlled and obliterated. Judeo-Christian belief systems are embedded in the very policies implemented in Western society (which in turn govern sexuality and sexual expression). This is seen in our policies and laws that have historically limited, prohibited, sanctioned, and controlled who may enter the institution of marriage and who may legally adopt children. One need only pay attention to the rhetoric in American and Western society surrounding same-sex marriage and same-sex parenting to understand the impact of cultural and institutional violence on sexual minority populations, even in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision and that of western governments to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage.
Individual Violence You may say: fine, but what does this have to do with Reconceptualising Violence: Homophobia in Our Schools? Well, I would argue, as VanSoest and Bryant (1995) do, that structural-cultural world views of patriarchy and heterosexism give rise to institutional levels of violence that subjugate LGBTQ individuals, thus perpetuating the belief that sexual Mag 30
My hope is that teachers, those in authority as well as the general population will find a way to incorporate the rights of LGBTQ individuals in their lives, advocate for LGBTQ individuals in schools, workplaces, homes, communities, and places of worship, so that another death like that of Lawrence King does not happen again. Never again! I hope you hear the voice of Lawrence whispering in your ear, “Remember me, for I am not dead. I am the undead.” Copyright 2017 White Hat Communications.
JUNE diary Friday 2nd Leather Night - Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 9th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Thursday 15th Youth Day Party: Free entrance for teenagers · Friday 16th Long Schlong Night - Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 23th Fetish Night - Indulge your fantasies · Friday 30th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund JULY diary Friday 7th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Sunday 9th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 14th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 21st Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 28th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund AUGUST diary Friday 4th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Monday 7th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Tuesday 8th Women's Day Party: Cum take it like a man · Friday 11th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 18th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 25th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund Also, Mondays: Daddies & Toy Boys – R50 entrance between 6 & 9 for under 20s and over 50s Mag 38 Thursdays: Student Night. R50 entrance with student card. We've got enough heaters to make you sweat all winter long
HEALTH
So with warm up against the winter chill and make healthy soup a part of your abs diet Easy Chicken and Rice Soup This delicious recipe for a lunchtime (or anytime) soup couldn’t be easier. It’s just one of the mouth-watering, belly-flattening soups
WARM WINTER SOUPS THE WAY TO GREAT ABS Soup does everything a comfort food is supposed to do, cures colds, warms the heart, soothes the soul ... but did you know it could also get you abs?
What You’ll Need Serves: 4 ½ rotisserie chicken 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ cup finely diced onion ½ cup finely diced celery ½ cup finely diced carrot 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 tsp kosher salt 1 cup cooked brown rice ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (your choice) How to Make It Step 1 Remove the skin from the chicken. Pick the meat, both white and dark, from the carcass and shred. Reserve half the meat for a future meal. Step 2 Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4-quart pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Step 3 Add the chicken broth, vegetable broth, and salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes more. Step 4 Add the chicken, rice, and fresh herbs and simmer for 5 minutes more. Serve hot. Nutrition: 225 calories, 10 g fat, 18 g carbs, 3g fiber, 15 g protein
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White Bean and Kale Soup
Creamy Broccoli Fennel Soup
In this recipe we’re loving the fact that it is low in fat and high in flavour. Kale and white beans makes this dreamy soup, an excellent choice for cold winter nights.
Vegetable favourites broccoli and fennel combine in this perfectly creamy combination. The addition of the cashews add a lovely nutty note that comes as quite a surprise.
What You’ll Need Serves: 6 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 8 large garlic cloves, minced 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 4-6 cups chopped raw kale 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium vegetable broth 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, rinsed and drained 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped 1 Tsp dried oregano 1 Tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper Optional: Fresh shredded Parmesan (1 Tbsp per serving of soup) How to Make It: Step 1 Chop all your veggies. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Step 2 Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Step 3 Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper + black pepper). Simmer 5 minutes. Step 4 In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. You can also just mashed the beans in the broth with a potato masher (I did this and it worked great). Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer at least 15 minutes. Step 5 Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with parmesan cheese (optional). Nutrition: 236 calories, 4.1 g fat (1.4 g saturated fat), 571 mg sodium, 36.7 g carbs, 13.8 g fiber, 6.1 g sugar, 13.9 g protein (calculated with cannellini beans, 1 Tbsp optional fresh parmesan)
What You’ll Need Serves: 4 1 small – medium head of broccoli 2 medium heads of fennel 2 – 3 cloves of garlic 5 kale leaves, ribs removed 2 tablespoons olive oil few heavy pinches sea salt few heavy pinches ground black pepper 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for an hour 3 cups filtered water 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice chopped fennel leaves to garnish lemon zest to garnish How to Make It: Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees + line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Step 2 Wash and cut the broccoli and fennel into medium sized florets/ slices. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheet, with the cloves of garlic {leave the skin on} and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes. flip the veggies and toss the kale leaves on top. Roast for about another 5 – 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cloves of garlic cool a bit and then pop them out of their skins. Step 3 Combine the raw cashews, filtered water, lemon juice and another heavy pinch of sea salt and black pepper in your blender. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the roasted broccoli, fennel, garlic and kale and blend until smooth again. Step 4 To serve top with a dash of olive oil, chopped fennel leaves, lemon zest + black pepper. Nutrition: 306 calories, 19.4 g fat (3.4g saturated fat), 123 mg sodium, 29.6 g carbs, 6.9 g fiber, 2.2 g sugar, 9.3 g protein Mag 33
OUT TO LUNCH Celia Rabie
BETTY BLUE’S BISTRO HERMANUS
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n a recent visit to the picturesque seaside village of Hermanus we treated ourselves to a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast at the award-winning Betty Blue’s Bistro - and what a treat it was!!
the Green Juice - Popeye a mix of Apple, Cucumber, Spinach, Mint and Lemon hangover gone!
Betty Blue’s Bistro is situated at 126 Main Road, Hermanus. The first impression on walking in is the fresh and bright decor and welcoming smiles from the friendly staff. No sooner were we seated when the owner, Celia Rabie breezed in welcoming us with her bubbly personality and hands-on approach making us feel welcome and wanted - so different to some places where you feel they are doing you a favour by letting you in. The menu has a great selection of awesome, creative breakfasts you wont get anywhere else. There is an array of breakfast choices with options such as Red Breakfast, Yellow Breakfast, Green Breakfast and Brown Breakfast among the options, it was really difficult to decide what we wanted because everything sounded so delicious.
Rise & Shine Breakfast
We rounded off the meal with coffee, cappucino’s and a latte and left feeling that it had been worth every cent and vowed to return on the next visit to this beautiful spot.
Bacon Dippers Breakfast
We started with fruit juice blends such as Yellow juice - Morning Sunrise, a blend of Orange, Carrot, Apple and Ginger - an awesome way to kick-start the day. There’s the Red Juice - Beetiful, a combination of Beetroot, Carrot, Orange and Mint or
Morning Sunrise Juice
Eggs Benedict
Mag 34
For the main meal, I opted for the Rise & Shine - bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomato and greens all wrapped in a delicious pancake. The Eggs Benedict were a favourite, and the verdict of delicous was unanimous. Others in the party chose the Brown Breakfast - Big Brown Mushrooms stuffed with Goats Cheese, Nuts, Poached Eggs and Red Pepper Pesto - how good does that sound!
MUSIC MOVES Harry Styles’ debut, self titled, solo album is poised to be one of the towering commercial achievements of 2017, and despite having one of the most recognisable faces in pop music, the album’s cover instead shows the former One Direction heartthrob submerged in a pink pool of water. This brilliant debut solo album is already No. 1 on iTunes. MEET ME IN THE HALLWAY This sets the intentions clear from the get-go. Here Styles sounds more like ‘70s folk icon Nick Drake than a boy band graduate. It’s a tender, retro ballad where producer Jeff Bhasker weaves his trademark sonic magic. There’s twisted guitar plucking that almost sound out of tune before everything turns a bit psychedelic. A lovely, intimate introduction to Harry 2.0 — complete with some curious opiate references designed to put the internet into a spin. SIGN OF THE TIMES You already know this one. The video didn’t quite live up to the excitement of hearing what direction he was taking. Ten points for taking such a major musical risk and getting actual choruses and melodies back on the radio. CAROLINA Ok now it’s a party, not a pity party. This has a low-key, laid-back stonerfunk vibe and if he hadn’t come from the biggest boy band in the world there’d be indie lovers frothing over this. There’s lots of ‘la la las’, cowbell and a real West Coast LA feel, and the song ends with a warm bath of strings and riffs. TWO GHOSTS This is the one people are claiming is about Taylor Swift — the CSI Haylor digital detectives pointing to Harry singing about red lips, blue eyes and shirts. Taylor’s always taken a You’re So Vain approach to her song subjects and Harry is taking being a gentlemen about not explaining the people he wrote his solo songs about. The fact it’s basically a country song could be more ammunition if you need it. This is his Eagles moment, ‘70s AM Nashville twangpop. Good work. SWEET CREATURE You probably know this one too. The one that sounds a bit like a dyslexic version of the Beatles’ Blackbird. If you’re going
to take musical inspiration from a song, that’s a pretty good start. ONLY ANGEL Harry Styles looks like a young Mick Jagger. Now he officially sounds like early Mick. After a moody intro, this is all rock swagger. The Stonesy chorus is a cracker, complete with opportunities for Mickstyle handclapping and a very Stonesstyle soulful finishing note. KIWI More rock. It seems to be the tale of a chain-smoking, liquor-drinking lady throwing Billie Jean style paternity threats around. They’re aiming for Iggy Pop/Ramones style ragged punked-up rock romp but it sounds more like a Robbie Williams album track you’d probably skip. EVER SINCE NEW YORK More Taylor Swift conspiracy theories. The album version sounds better than the TV version. Again, more flashes to the harmonies of the Eagles — he’s no stranger to having a bunch of dudes singing with him, this time they’re relatively anonymous. But when you’ve come from a band who rush-recorded songs strategically-designed to be radio hits it must be nice to take a slight left turn.
WOMAN This song about a jealous guy and sounds like the type of song Elton John was writing during the Bennie and the Jets era. All wonky, bar-room piano and again more re-positioning Harry as ‘70s singer/ songwriter rather than modern pop icon. More Haylor intel — he sings “promises are broken like a stitch is” — another link to the accident that plays out in Out Of the Woods? FROM THE DINING TABLE Ending as we began, in intimate mode. Very intimate, considering the lyrics. His hushed vocals sound like he’s whispering into your ear, which was probably the idea. It also balances out the player aspect to the lyric “Woke up the girl who looked just like you, I almost said your name.” Has another Beatle-y string flourish thrown in for good measure and Harry notes “maybe one day you’ll call me and say you’re sorry too.” Gauntlet thrown down. Like George Michael, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake before him, Harry’s rewriting the blueprint for life after a boy band. This is the best pop album he’s been involved with since 1989. News.co.au Mag 35
OUT ON DVD
LET’S WATCH DVD’S WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN For the latest DVDs and Blu-Rays, visit www.writingstudio.co.za
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f there’s one series you have to add to your collection, it’s the American remake of the British series Shameless, Paul Abbott’s semi-autobiographical shocker. It features the most riveting and heart-breaking gay couple since Queer as Folk, with stunning performances from Cameron Monaghan as the bipolar Ian Gallagher, who has an intense relationship with his violent and supposedly homophobic neighbour Mickey Milkovich (Noel Fisher). In one heated sexual encounter between the lustful young lovers, the super homophobic father catches them and after he beats them senseless, instructs a Russian prostitute to “sex the gay” out of Mickey, with a broken and hurt Ian watching his lover being raped. Shameless will shock you senseless and you will love to hate the disgusting but lovable characters, and sometimes goes way too far as it shatters morality and offers captivating viewing and profound insight into the human condition. There are 7 seasons to delight in, with season 8 currently in production.
Shameless
Another series worth watching is American Crime, particularly the 2nd where the captains of a private school’s championship basketball team are accused of sexually assaulting a classmate and posting photographs of the incident online. It features outstanding performances from Connor Jessup as Taylor Blaine, the sexual assault accuser, and Joey Pollari as Eric Tanner, the gay basketball player accused of sexual assault by Taylor. In the tender ‘cowboy romance Big Eden Henry Hart (Arye Gross) is a young gay artist living in New York City returns home to the small town of Big Eden, Montana, where he hopes to strike up a romance with his high-school best friend for whom he still has feelings, but falls in love with a quiet Native American (Eric Schweig), who owns the local general store and has a crush on him. It won awards from several gay and lesbian film festivals, and was nominated for best limited release film at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2002. Holding the Man is a sensational Australian film adapted from gay activist Timothy Conigrave’s 1995 memoir of the same name. It tells the unforgettable and tragic story of Tim’s life during the AIDS crisis in Melbourne during the 80s, and centrally of his relationship with his husband and love of fifteen years, John Caleo. The Guardian Australia praised Stott and Corr for their “memorable performances, both tender and strong, and it is their chemistry audiences will recall most vividly”.
American Crime
Holding Man
Swedish filmmaker Casper Andreas’ Going Down in LALA Land is based on the novel by Andy Zeffer, and offers a riveting and uncensored look at Hollywood. The super sexy Matthew Ludwinski is great as a young man who ventures into the porn trade to make a name for himself. It is a story that reflects our celebrity-obsessed culture and is a revealing look at some people’s desire to be loved, adored, and adulated at any cost. Another film that offers a glimpse into the gay porn scene is King Cobra, is biographical crime-drama film about the life and early career of Brent Corrigan. It was directed by Justin Kelly and centers on the 2007 murder of gay porn producer Bryan Kocis (named “Stephen” in the film and played by Christian Slater) by two aspiring producers (James Franco Mag 36
Going Down In La La Land
as Joe and Keegan Allen as Harlow) who wanted to buy out Corrigan’s performing contract. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan (Garrett Clayton), a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer is molded into a star by Stephen, a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home. But as Brent’s rise and demands for more money put him at odds with his boss, he also attracts the attention of a rival producer and his unstable lover.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a French coming-of-age erotic romantic drama revolves around Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a French teenager who discovers desire and freedom when she forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student (Léa Seydoux) she met in a lesbian bar. Writer-director Tom Kalin ‘s riveting independent film Swoon is an account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, focusing on the homosexuality of the killers than other movies based on the case. It deals with Nathan Leopold Jr. (Craig Chester) and Richard Loeb (Daniel Schlachet), who share a dangerous sexual bond and an amoral outlook on life. They spend afternoons breaking into storefronts and engaging in petty crimes, until the calculating Nathan ups the ante by kidnapping, and murdering, a young boy. When the body is found, all evidence leads to Nathan and Richard, whose strange relationship makes the case one of the most talkedabout trials of the 1920s. Along with the films of Todd Haynes, Gregg Araki and others, Swoon was identified as part of the New Queer Cinema. Victim is a 1961 British suspense film directed by Basil Dearden, starring Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms. It was the first English language film to use the word “homosexual”. On its release in the United Kingdom it proved highly controversial to the British Board of Film Censors, and in the U.S. it was refused a seal of approval from the American Motion Picture Production Code. Set in the early 1960s London, barrister Melville Farr (Dirk Bogarde) is on the path to success. With his practice winning cases and a loving marriage to his wife (Sylvia Sims), Farr’s career and personal life are nearly idyllic. However, when blackmailers link Farr to a young gay man (Peter McEnery), everything Farr has worked for is threatened. As it turns out, Farr is a closeted homosexual -- which is problematic, due to Britain’s anti-sodomy laws. But instead of giving in, Farr decides to fight. Black Tar Road is a gritty, dark, love story between two women, Heather and Charlie, who meet at a desolate truck stop. Charlie McElroy (Amber Lee) is a drug mule, who mules drugs for an operation that is run out of an interstate truck stop. After Charlie hangs around town where she meets Heather Plath, (Noelle Messier) a hardened truck stop prostitute who’s spent her life in the rural landscape. Few films are more despairing and yet, curiously, so hopeful as this one, which argues that even at the very end of the road, at the final extremity, we can find some solace in the offer and acceptance of love. Bruce LaBruce and Rick Castro’s satirical black sex comedy Hustler White is a provocative 1996 film about gay hustlers and their customers on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. It stars Tony Ward and LaBruce in an addition to the Queer Cinema canon, which is also an homage to classic Hollywood cinema. Also appearing in the film are Vaginal Davis, Glen Meadmore and Graham David Smith. In a plot reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard, Hustler White transposes the action from the silver screen’s old movie backlots to contemporary male prostitution and the porn industry. The film, which like all of LaBruce’s work is sexually explicit, includes a controversial amputee sex scene. Co-director Rick Castro cast real male hustlers and his former models, including Tony Ward.
Swoon
Victim
Black Tar Road
Hustler White Mag 37
OUT ON FILM DANIEL DERCKSEN TAKES A LOOK AT THE BEST MOVIES TO WATCH OUT FOR OVER THE NEXT QUARTER
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newfound identity in Spider-Man: Homecoming (7/7); The Odyssey (14/7) explores thirty years in the life of researcher, scientist, and inventor Capt. Jacques-Yves Cousteau (Lambert Wilson); in the epic western thriller Brimstone (28/7) Dakota Fanning plays a woman who is hunted by a diabolical zealot and her twisted nemesis (Guy Pearce); Zoe Saldana stars as “High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone in the controversial new biopic Nina (28/7); and in Viceroy’s House (28/7) Lord Mountbatten gets caught up in a romance in the servants quarters.
veryone is raving about the National Theatre’s sensational production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, directed by Marianne Elliott with Andrew Garfield, Susan Brown, Nathan Lane, James McArdle. If you want to experience this epic stage production live on the big screen, it will be showing exclusively at Nouveau cinemas for limited screenings. This epic 9-hour marathon is screened in two parts - Part I (19 August) and Part II (2 Sept) - so book your seats soonest to secure seats. Set in 1985, it revolves around six desperate New Yorkers whose lives intersect. At its core, it has the fantastical story of Prior Walter, a gay man living with AIDS who is visited by an angel. The film explores a wide variety of themes, including Reagan era politics, the spreading AIDS epidemic, and a rapidly changing social and political climate.
JUNE In Terence Malick’s Song To Song (26/5) Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal; Johnny Depp returns as down-on-hisluck Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (26/5); Nicholas Cage plays a modernday Don Quixote who receives a vision from God telling him to capture Osama bin Laden in Army Of One (2/6); Gal Gadot battles evil as Wonder Woman (2/6) ; Zac Efron teams up with David Hasselhoff in Baywatch (2/6); Tom Cruise headlines a spectacular, all-new cinematic version of The Mummy (9/6) ; Scarlett Johansson stars in Rough Night (16/6), where a male stripper gets accidentally killed when a college reunion gets out of hand; and Transformers: The Last Knight (23/6) redefines what it means to be a hero.
AUGUST
Zac Effron looking buffed in Baywatch
LOCAL
JULY In Churchill (7/7) only the support of Churchill’s wife (Miranda Richardson), can halt the prime minister’s (Brian Cox) physical and mental collapse during the planned invasion of Normandy in 1944; thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) starts to embrace his Mag 38
Matthew McConaughey plays a vicious sorcerer in the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower (8/9); The Lost City Of Z (11/8) tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century; Below Her Mouth (11/8) is a bold, uninhibited drama that begins with a passionate weekend affair between two women; and in Atomic Blonde (25/8) Charlize Theron partners with James McAvoy to navigate their way through a deadly game of spies.
Asinamali For more information on the latest film releases, visit www. writingstudio.co.za or visit us on Facebook – Let’s Go To The Movies
Nul Is Nie Niks Nie (7/7) tells the story three teenagers who set out to make a movie which inspires those around them to live life to the fullest; The Whale Caller (21/7) is based on Zakes Mda’s acclaimed novel and tells of a kelp-hornblowing man (Sello Maake Ka-Ncube) who seems to be deeply drawn to a very particular whale in Hermanus; Rob van Vuuren steps into the shoes of Van Der Merwe (28/7), featuring a number of side-splitting incidents and hilarious situations as we witness some classic Van der Merwe jokes; Asinamali! (4/8) is based on Mbongeni Ngema’s musical inspired by events surrounding the 1983 rent boycott in Lamontville township; Krotoa (4/8) examines the life of a woman now known as the Mother of the Afrikaner Nation; Finders Keepers (18/8) is a wild comedy set in Cape Town’s underworld; and in The Recce (8/9) a young Recce (Greg Kriek) is trapped behind enemy lines and has to survive the war torn African landscape.
Cathy And The Trolley Dollies - five-star world-class entertainment Reviewed by Daniel Dercksen
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f there’s one gateway to blissful showbiz, it’s the super sumptuous and glamorous Gate 69, a cosy and intimate pleasure palace where Brendan van Rhyn‘s divine creation Cathy and the Trolley Dollies offers five-star entertainment.
When you arrive at Gate 69 and are greeted by the regal Cathy Specific, you know you are in for a night you will never forget. With the art of drag being celebrated with the Priscilla musical, reallife drag divas Cathy Specific and her trolley dollies, the delicious Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen, are wowing audiences with this not-to-be-missed sensation that offers everything you can ask of world-class entertainment and much, much more. Written by van Rhyn, Cathy and the Trolley Dollies is riproaring stand-up comedy meets musical revue, meets cabaret, a saucy satirical take on the airline industry as seen through the eyes of three 8ft aviation goddesses. BIG-HAIRED BEAUTIES This one-of-a-kind drag troupe, three Amazonian, big-haired beauties find themselves back at work after a three-month suspension. Demoted and down in the dumps, they capture our hopes, dreams, tears, fears, traumas and tantrums about flying. They take us on a behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous or (not-so-glamorous) life of a flight attendant. Secrets are shared and stories are told as we indulge in a first-class dining experience during the show. Entertainment today is largely dished up as yesterday’s left overs, but with Cathy and The Trolley Dollies we get a feast that is as fresh as daisies and colourful as a rainbow. POLISHED AND PREENED DELIGHT When Van Rhyn as Cathy Specific pours his heart out singing Dr. Longjohn, it rips through your soul like a tidal wave. Van Rhyn is blessed with a unique talent of mesmerising his audience with the iconic Cathy, a classy act that knows no equal, his biting humour is infectious, and vocally he is at the top of his game. Teamed up with Dudgeon and Jansen, it’s a match made in cabaret heaven, a polished and preened delight that amuses, astounds and leaves one breathless.
The trio’s alluring passion is genuine, without any pretence, and holds nothing back. Equally memorable is Dudgeon’s dead-pan Grin It and Bare It and Jansen’s riotous Sewe Sakke Sout, as well as unforgettable renditions of Mein Herr, You Can Drive A Person Crazy and Proud Mary. At the end of the show, you have made three new friends as these gals are women we all desperately need in real life, showing us that naughty can be nice, and that nice can be as spicy as hell. DELICIOUSLY DEVILISH GODDESSES What makes the show work effectively well is that it deals with relevant issues anyone can relate to, and gives us a unique opportunity to enter the wacky mindscape of those in the service industry who always welcome us with a smile and embrace us with motherly affection, killing us with their imperious affection. Now we know! Behind the façade of friendliness lurk deliciously devilish goddesses of camp that masterfully turn frowns upside down and rattle our cages, daring to venture where angels fear to tread. Escape into the world of Cathy and her Trolley Dollies at Gate 69 with friends, family or loved ones, a pleasure palace that also serves up delightful dishes with impeccable service, feeding our body and soul with meaningful and heartfelt entertainment. There’s only one major problem with the show, you don’t want it to end and remain seated on their flight of eternal bliss. Let’s hope that larger than life Cathy and her Dollies will keep on doing what they do best. Cathy and the Trolley Dollies runs every Wednesday and Thursday evening until the end of June. Tickets at R550 per person which includes designer mezze served on a doubletiered Lazy Susan, a separate hot soup and bread service and dessert. Go to www.gate69.co.za for more info. Mag 39
OUT ON STAGE
EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF LIVE THEATRE WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN JO’BURG
6:15pm. Visit: www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za
At the Joburg Theatre: A Passage to Bollywood (21 June – 2 July) is a vibrant stage musical with foot tapping music, colourful costumes and a gripping plot that keeps you at the edge of your seat, covering various aspects of the Indian Bollywood culture. Direct from India, it comprises of old classics as well as the latest Bollywood songs. The audience can expect to experience drama, action, romance, and dance just like a typical Bollywood Film. Tartuffe (31 May – 25 June) is one of the most famous theatrical comedies by Molière, and is directed by multi award theatre director Sylvaine Strike. Following three years of successful performances in Nigeria and Davos, Switzerland, the spectacular award-winning Kakadu- The Musical ( 7 – 18 June) is based on several pivotal events that happened in Nigeria between 1965 and 1974. It shares the story of a famous Lagos nightclub in the sixties as a backdrop for an era, which brought about wonderful music and the distinctive social life that followed the birthing of a young nation. Visit: www.joburgtheatre.com
At Gate 69: 69, For Your (Adult) Eyes Only (every Fri + Sat evening until the end of June). Narrated by the divine Miss Cathy Specific, as you’ve never seen her before, who takes you on a virtual journey of 69 steps through the sex scandals, crimes of passion, fetishes, fantasies, toys, tips and positions that have so comprehensively dominated the history of our species. This is not for the faint of heart so buckle up, it’s going to be a very, very bumpy ride! With Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon, Dominique Maher, Pasha dos Santos, JD Engelbrecht, and Benton-Steele Botes. Cathy and the Trolley Dollies (every Wed + Thurs evening until the end of June) A hilarious musical comedy and satirical take on the airline industry as seen through the eyes of three 8ft Aviation Goddesses. This one-of-a-kind drag troupe can sing, move and rattle off one-liners like nobody’s business! Men want them and women want to be them…and with legs like theirs who wouldn’t! With Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon, Rudi Jansen. Bookings At The Box Office On 021 – 035 1627 or www.gate69.co.za
For four performances only, one of South Africa’s most versatile Musical Theatre Stars – Jonathan Roxmouth – takes to the Teatro at Montecasino stage with The Musicals in Concert (30 June – 2 July), performing all your favourite Broadway hits – Joining Roxmouth are Afrikaans “Kaapse Draai” singer and recording artist, leading lady Lynelle Kenned (West Side Story) ,and popular comedian Alan Committie (Defending the Caveman, Little Shop of Horrors), accompanied by a full 45-piece orchestra! Book at Computicket. CapeCAPE Town &TOWN Joburg
& JO’BURG
The side-splitting comedy Mystery of Irma Vep is on at the Montecasino Theatre ( 5 – 30 July) and at Theatre On The Bay (2 – 19 August). On a remote manor called Mandacrest, something is amiss. Between the horrors of a marauding beast terrorising the estate and the looming presence of the recently deceased former mistress Irma Vep, matters become awkward in the extreme for the Lord Edgar and his new wife, Lady Enid. All the residents of the Mandacrest estate travel from the moors of England to the tombs of Egypt and back again, encountering along their way a host of vampires, werewolves, mummies and all manner of things. All the characters are played by Jonathan Mag 40
Ash Searle in Au Revoir Roxmouth and the inimitable Weslee Swain Lauder. Bookings at Computicket
A Beautiful Noise, starring Vernon Barnard of The Voice SA Fame, launches the new Rockwood Theatre in Pretoria (1 June – 31 July) a long awaited tribute to country, folk and acoustic rock singers who have been making waves and influencing the music industry over many decades. Bookings at www.rockwoodtheatre.co.za or call 012 368 1555
At The Fugard Theatre you can see Funny Girl, the semi-biographical musical, based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress and comedienne Fanny Brice features some of the most iconic songs in film and theatre history, including “People” and “Don’t Rain On My Parade”. Ashleigh Harvey (Death of a Colonialist, Bash) plays the title role, with Clyde Berning (The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, Strangers on a Train) as Nick Arnstein. Visit www.thefugard.com
CAPE TOWN
KZN
At the Kalk Bay Theatre: The cirquecomedy dance extravaganza Au Revoir (30 May to 17 June) will stimulate your senses with hints of burlesque, a little steampunk, sensual acrobatics, quirky dance bits, outrageous physical comedy and dynamic vocals, with Ash Searle, Vanessa Harris, Brad Searle, Liam McDermott, Nicole vd Berg and Jane deWet. Elton and Friends (20 - 24 June) features some of the greatest hits of the legendary Elton John, Billy Joel, Sting, Queen, Cat Stevens, Phil Collins, starring Liam McDermott, James Harris, Ashley Searle & Hannah Hishin. The dynamic dance duo Ash and Brad Searle returns with the hilarious Big Boys the Third (13,14,15 July). The shows begin at 8.30pm and the restaurant opens At
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the Durban City Hall for its four week Winter Symphony Season of sublime world class music from 1 until 22 June. Special features of the season include visits by two groups from the USA: the acclaimed Yale University Glee Club Choir and the DECODA Ensemble, an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, New York; and a premiere of a new work by a SA composer, Matthijs van Dijk. Book at Computicket or call the bookings office on 031 369 9438.
Tswane
Cape Town
TSWANE
For more information, visit Let’s go to the Theatre on Facebook or visit www. writingstudio.co.za
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