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CONTENTS June 21, 2017 vol41 no12

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32

48

Beginnings of the Gay Rodeo in Colorado - 16 History of the Gay Rodeo - 20 History of Homoerotic Cowboy Imagery - 24 Tank Girl, The Male Gaze, and Co-opted Art - 28 Kody Kay Finds A Home at the Colorado Gay Rodeo - 30 Cowboy and Black: A Western Identity - 34 The Work of the Incredible Niki Smith - 36 Remembering Those Who Came Before Us, One Letter At a Time - 38 Holy Homo Sub-text! A Gay Boy’s Dream of the Dynamic Duo - 41 Maurice Returns - 46

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Serving the LGBT Community of the Rocky Mountains since 1976 Phone 303-477-4000 Fax 303-325-2642 Web OutFrontOnline.com Facebook /OutFrontColorado Twitter @OutFrontCO Instagram /OutFrontColorado FOUNDER Phil Price 1954-1993 ADMINISTRATION info@outfrontonline.com Jerry Cunningham Publisher J.C. McDonald Vice President MaGGIE Phillips Operations Manager Jeff Jackson Swaim Chief Strategist EDITORIAL editorial@outfrontonline.com Ryan Howe Editor Addison Herron-Wheeler Digital Content Manager Brent heinze Senior Columnist Sarah Farbman Copy Editor Contributing Writers Brett Longhi, David-Elijah Nahmod, Joseph Soto, Mike Yost, Yvonne Wright, Rick Kitzman

Stargazer.

Satellite Builder.

Roadrunner.

Magens Orman B.S. Aerospace Systems Design ‘14

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OUT FRONT’s print publication is available semi-monthly, free of charge, one copy per person. Additional copies of OUT FRONT may be purchased for $3.95 each, payable in advance at OUT FRONT offices located at 3535 Walnut Street, Denver CO, 80205. OUT FRONT is delivered only to authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of OUT FRONT, take more than one copy of OUT FRONT. Any person who takes more than one copy may be held liable for theft, including but not limited to civil damages and or criminal prosecution.

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Reproduction of editorial, photographic or advertising content without written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Advertisers are responsible for securing rights to any copyrighted material within their advertisements. Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and reserves the right to reject any advertising. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising is not to be considered an indication of the sexual orientation or HIV status of such person or organization.

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OUT FRONT is published by Q Publishing, Ltd., a Colorado corporation and is a member of: NEPA, Denver Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and Denver Drama Critics Circle.

Magens Orman was inspired by the strong female characters in the science fiction shows she loved as a child.

Then, when she built and sent a research balloon to the edge of space for a class project at MSU Denver, she launched her future.

Today, she is an engineering technician building satellites with Sierra Nevada Corporation, she is – and she credits MSU Denver for helping her reach for the stars.

At MSU Denver, we’ve been transforming lives and empowering our students to find their personal road to success for more than 50 years.

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In Case You Missed It Addison Herron-Wheeler Trump Fails to Mention Pride Month Not surprisingly, Trump failed to mention Pride Month in any of his proclamations so far.

Of course, Pride month has become so famous and well-known that it is hardly just something the LGBTQ community is aware of. Giant Pride celebrations and a huge social media presence have made Pride a household word. Obama was happy to recognize Pride last year with a statement. Not Trump.

And it’s not that he’s forgotten to issue proclamations at all. According to New on Next, he has already declared June to be National Carribean-American Heritage Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, National Homeownership Month, Great Outdoors Month, and National Ocean Month.

Of course, and it’s totally possible that Trump could still make mention of Pride. However, the fact that Trump has already made so many enemies when it comes to the LGBTQ community, and the way he acknowledged almost every other celebration that takes place in June, aren’t looking like great signs.

On the flip side, Obama held a “NOT the White House Pride Party” on June 10, which brought former administration officials and LGBTQ groups together to celebrate the holiday and give Pride an unofficial national recognition.

“Tremendous progress has been achieved, but the journey is far from over,” said Nancy Pelosi in her own statement on Pride, criticizing the current administration for their lack of mention. “LGBT Americans face an assault on their rights from the White House and House Republicans, who are gutting HIV prevention and treatment initiatives, dismantling protections for transgender children in public schools, and conspiring to render LGBT Americans invisible in the census.”

Kampung Pelangi has even become known as “Rainbow Village.” The town spent $22,000 repainting and converting 232 buildings into colorful symbols of Pride.

So far, in addition to spreading a message of love and acceptance, this is prompting a rise of tourism in impoverished areas. People are flocking to these towns to do photo shoots or take selfies, and local economies are getting a boost. This could inspire even more towns to follow suite, leading to a larger message of LGBTQ positivity.

All of this is to fight recent persecutions in Indonesia. Some areas have adopted Shariah Law, and there was a raid on a gay spa just last month. New on Next also reports that in West Java the police force has declared that homosexuality is a “disease of the body and soul” and developed a special task force to identify and persecute LGBTQ individuals.

In the midst of all this tragedy and horror, these rainbow cities offer hope and a sense of belonging and strength to those living in fear.

Transgender Teen Granted Right to Use Men’s Room On May 30, a federal appeals court granted bathroom use rights to a transgender teen in Wisconsin who challenged his school’s bathroom policy.

New on Next reported that a panel of three judges representing the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a ruling that will stop Kenosha Unified School District in Wisconsin from forcing Ash Whitaker to use the woman’s rest room.

Whitaker originally filed a suit last July, and the ruling was granted previously by the district court.

The decision was upheld because the judges felt that a discriminatory bathroom policy violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

This is a big deal because it implies that other trans individuals could use this protection to ensure that they are granted basic rights to use the restroom or facility they feel comfortable in.

Indonesia is still one of the places with the worst LGBTQ persecution, but in honor of Pride, some poorer villages are being painted rainbow as a show of support.

“A policy that requires an individual to use a bathroom that does not conform with his or her gender identity punishes that individual for his or her gender non-conformance, which in turn violates Title IX,” Judge Ann Claire Williams wrote in her statement. “The School District argues that since it treats all boys and girls the same, it does not violate the Equal Protection Clause. This is untrue. Rather, the School District treats transgender students like Ash, who fail to conform to the sex-based stereotypes associated with their assigned sex at birth, differently.”

According to New on Next, impoverished cities like Kampung Wara-warni and Kampung Tridi started the trend of painting all the buildings in the town in rainbow colors.

This landmark ruling is a giant leap forward in the right direction for trans rights, as well as an exciting victory for Whitaker.

This is the latest in a long line of slights and insults from the Trump administration.

Indonesia Paints Town Red to Fight Persecution

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Joe Biden Officiates Gay Wedding This past weekend, Joe Biden officiated a wedding between a gay staff member of the Democratic National Committee and his partner.

According to New on Next, Biden, famous for being the loving and supportive VP to Obama, has now performed two LGBTQ marriages. With some experience under his belt, he was the perfect pick to perform the wedding between Finance Chair of the DNC Henry Muñoz and his partner, Kyle Ferari.

Muñoz’s friend, actor Melanie Griffith, posted on Instagram about the wedding and included a heart-felt caption.

Biden’s first same-sex wedding was last year when he married Brian Mosteller and Joe Mahshie, two White House staffers.

“Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn’t be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.

Biden, who already has a reputation as an ally and advocate, is doing his part to stand up for what is right and spread a little love.

Memorial for LGBTQ Manchester Victim May 28 was the day that mourners came together to celebrate the life of Martyn Hett, an LGBTQ man who lost is life in the Ariana Grande concert bombing.

Hett was 29 and a small-time celebrity who had appeared on several British TV shows. He loved singing and performing, and was a huge fan of Mariah Carey, who posted on Instagram to mourn the loss.

The memorial, which was a vigil, took place in Stockport, Hett’s home town. It drew hundreds of people who wanted to pay tribute to this loss. His mother, Figan Hett, eulogized her son as the crowd listened.

“A party in the park just for him; he’d be so impressed, ” she stated. “And he deserves us all to be here, because he touched so many lives in so many ways. It’s due to all this love and kindness that I’m never going down the route of hate or anger at those responsible for what happened. No one can ever take Martyn out of our lives.”

“Martyn taught me many things over the years, too many to mention,” Hett’s partner, Russell Hayward, said when it was his turn to address the mourners. “Never say no do the things you want to do, be fearless, and be the person you’re meant to be. The pain I felt when I found out the news this week completely tore my heart out, but I will not let that pain tear away any of our precious memories we’ve shared.

I feel robbed of my future but I feel so grateful for my past.”

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Local Designers Baldrick Benjamin Make America Gay Again

Ryan Howe Back in October, Denver couple Baldrick and Benjamin launched a clothing line with one goal in mind — to Make America Gay Again.

“We had this idea to put more queer clothing out in the universe,” Baldrick said. “It’s something that we both have a passion for; we just had to find a way to make our clothes stand out in a sea of designers. And we had to decide on how we wanted to spread the word.”

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It didn’t take long for the duo to land on one of the best platforms of advertising: Instagram. Yes, it’s a social media platform, but used in the right way — and with the right men — a small company can build quite the following. In the eight months since they posted their first Instagram post, a vintage photo of two beefcakes sporting crop tops, their following has skyrocketed to nearly 35,000 followers.

In the early months of their launch, they posted multiple shirts, tank tops, and sweaters reading “PUP,” “REALNESS,” and “BUTCH.” Their clothes were splattered with iconic gay imagery and some legendary quotes. Then, in January, they posted a photo of a white crop top with the words “CAKE BOSS” boldly stretched across the chest.

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“It’s amazing to see so many people express interest in what we do,” Benjamin said. “We make these clothes so that queer people of all shapes and sizes will wear these, feel sexy, feel fun, while making a statement. We’re here and we’re proud of who we are.”

From there, the clothing line exploded, thanks in large part to the array of muscled-up dudes proudly wearing the tops and not much else.

Recently, the couple started stocking a few Denver shops, Needz and Pleasures, with their gear. As they work tirelessly to meet customer’s needs, the duo wouldn’t change a thing.

Originally, the clothes were only sold online. They targeted audiences across the world who were still in their summer months.

It gave them time to receive feedback and to see what was selling and what wasn’t.

“Things have really picked up, and we are working long hours to make sure we stay on top of the game,” Baldrick said. “It’s unreal to see all the love and support we’ve received. It’s a reminder of how special our community is, and it keeps a fire lit under our asses.”

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Check out everything Baldrick and Benjamin have to offer on their Instagram, @BaldrickBenjamin, or their website BaldrickBenjamin.com. Photographer: Diedre Ritz Models: Jesse Sheets, Topher LaFluer, Paul Ugarte Shirrmeister

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Jesse, 36 — Denver

Jesse’s choice to be on PrEP means he has taken the steps to protect himself on and off the stage. PrEP is a once-a-day pill for HIV prevention. Learn about financial options, where to find PrEP and hear more stories at ProudToBePrEPPED.com.

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Colorado Health Network Presents th 30th Anniversary

Walk For Life & 5K Run

Cheesman Park

The Bellco Theatre and the Colorado Convention Center both have upcoming shows & events that will entertain and inform you.

Denver, Colorado

Sat. Aug, 19, 2017 10:00AM-3:00PM

www.aidswalkcolorado.org Benefiting programs and services provided by Colorado Health Network and Partner Agencies.

6/24 7/13 7/14 7/24 7/31 8/4 9/6 9/9

King Crimson Dave Chappelle

Dan TDM Retro Futura #FOLLOWME Dancing With The Stars: Live!

Mary J Blige Howie Mandel

6/30-7/2 Denver Comic Con 7/8-7/9 Colorado State Fittness Expo Mecum Auctions 7/20

For tickets and details, visit: eventsatccc.com

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Beginnings of the Gay Rodeo in

Colorado John King is the founder of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association. In preparation for Denver’s annual CGRA event, he handwrote a letter to OUT FRONT detailing the motivation behind the organization. These are his words.

John King Soon after Charlie’s opened in June of 1981, customers started talking about this apparent oxymoron called the Reno Gay Rodeo. The potential connection between Charlie’s and gay rodeo prompted Wayne Jakino and a small Colorado contingent to travel to Reno in August to see what this event was all about.

They were blown away by the sight of gay men and women competing in the events, the thousands of spectators, and the camaraderie that enveloped the entire weekend.

Colorado’s group returned to Denver, determined to generate an impressive presentation at the 1982 rodeo in Reno. In September of 1982, the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association was formed. They focused on signing up more than 200 members, electing a royalty team that raised over $5,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and encouraging more than 30 contestants to enter the rodeo. It is estimated that more than 300 CGRA supporters went to the 1982 Reno Gay rodeo wearing matching tee shirts that prominently displayed the Colorado flag.

But with our success also came disillusionment. Miss Reno Gay Rodeo was awarded to someone who didn’t raise any money for charity and the All-Around Cowboy was awarded to the rodeo director’s friend with no regard for who won the most events. From this disappointment, CGRA hardened their resolve to write uniform gay rodeo rules and hold their own gay rodeo in June of 1983.

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In mid-June of 1983, CGRA held the first gay rodeo outside of Reno at the Clear Creek Rodeo Arena in Aurora, Colorado.

This proved to be a much larger undertaking than expected.

It took months of careful compromise to develop our uniform rodeo rules, and we finally obtained a rodeo grounds by the end of March. In mid-June of 1983, CGRA held the first gay rodeo outside of Reno at the Clear Creek Rodeo Arena in Aurora, Colorado. We only had 42 contestants and attendance was less than expected, but spirits were high, as we actually cleared $1,000 in net profits, which was promptly donated to charity. This seemed to impress much of our local Colorado gay and lesbian community, and with their acceptance the rest is history.

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The LGBTQ Community Fights Back Against the Tobacco Industry Pride is our celebration. And as a community, we’ve got a lot to celebrate.

life, my pain, my struggle -- without even trying to be present with me.”

Our big wins over the past few years have included marriage equality, increased transgender visibility, and allies who stand up and fight on our behalf.

Whether you are a smoker, non-smoker, or an occasional social smoker, we invite you to get the facts about smoking in the LGBTQ community, and then help give voice to this issue.

Yet our march for equality and justice goes on – long after the Pride celebrations end.

Because at the end of the day, it’s our strength as a community that pushes us forward both on tough social issues like equality and tough personal ones, like tobacco addiction.

But will our lungs get us there?

Perhaps not. The data paint a grim picture.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual Coloradans are TWICE as likely to smoke compared to their straight peers. While the smoking rate for all Coloradans has decreased by nearly five percent from 2004 to 2014, the rate of smoking in our community remains the same.

Just look at all we have accomplished when we come together and fight! If you’re ready to keep fighting, here’s what you can do: •

Not a smoker? Talk to your friends who are. You don’t need to lecture them. Just offer the facts and let them know you’ll support them when they’re ready to quit. And let them know that there are free resources available for them when they’re ready through the Colorado QuitLine.

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Stop smoking socially. You might think it’s no big deal to bum a cig when you’re out, but the fact is that it puts you on the path to addiction. And it’s a whole lot easier to stop now than when you become addicted.

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Learn how to quit. Maybe you’re not ready to quit and that’s OK. But when you are, there are free resources to support you. The Colorado Quitline (1.800.QUIT. NOW) offers one-on-one counseling and other free quit resources, including nicotine replacement therapy.

Straight people are quitting. Why aren’t we?

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, the tobacco industry has pretended to be our friends for years – sponsoring our events and handing out giveaways and coupons in our bars – all while calling us “scum” behind our backs.

And no, we’re not making that up. Big Tobacco had an internal marketing strategy that referred to LGBTQ people as scum.

(We found out when the tobacco industry had to release all of its internal documents about targeting the LGBTQ population with their deadly products.)

Yet the insults directed at us by Big Tobacco pale in comparison to the challenges that so many of us continue to deal with in our daily lives: discrimination, harassment, and exclusion. It’s no surprise that one in three LGBTQ adults in Colorado seek out a cigarette to relieve the stress.

But it’s killing us – literally. Smoking-related disease claims the lives of 30,000 LGBTQ people every year.

“Nothing frustrates me more than people who would capitalize on my pain,” said April Johnson of Denver. “For me it’s about fighting back against those that would seek to profit on my

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We hope you’ll get involved. Many in our community have already shared their struggle and worked with us to spread the word about smoking’s devastating toll on LGBTQ people. If you want to tell your story, share it at EnoughWithThePuff.com.

The official Pride festivities may be over, but the fight – for equality and for the health of our community – continues.

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History of the Gay Rodeo Addison Herron-Wheeler The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo is a staple event in the Denver area, not just because of its iconic status as a fun LGBTQ outing, but also because it creates an inclusive experience for Westerners and ranchers who identify outside of the straight community.

Part of the International Gay Rodeo Association, Colorado’s branch has been running strong for 35 years. The drive to hold gay rodeos was essentially born out of two necessities: the AIDS crisis and the need for inclusion in the rodeo world.

The first Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo was in 1983, at the height of the AIDS hysteria. At the time, LGBTQ people weren’t getting the help they needed in terms of charitable assistance for medical expenses and care, even if they weren’t HIV positive. The first rodeos donated proceeds to charities — this is still the case today.

Terry Bartlett, Denver, June 2-3, 1984. Photo by Bill Morris

Another reason that the gay rodeo was necessary was because there were LGBTQ individuals who worked on ranches and wanted to be taken seriously in the rodeo scene. However, at that time in Middle America, it was not safe to be out and proud in that sector. People still feared physical injury or death, not just persecution and prejudice, for being openly queer. Gay rodeos created a space where people could be themselves and also compete seriously on the rodeo circuit.

While the Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo and other events in the IGRA are not quite as competitive or extreme as some professional rodeo events, they still involve real ranch-hand skill. Since they are considered amateur rodeos, anyone of any gender can compete together in the same events. This helps to erase gender lines and make things inclusive for those who are non-binary or trans. It also means that women can compete in some of the events typically reserved for men at professional rodeos, like bull riding. The rodeos also feature some entertainment-only events that anyone can participate in, such as goat dressing, which is just putting a pair of tightywhities on a goat. These non-competitor events help to make everyone in the community feel involved.

Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, July 3-5, 1992. Photo by Bill Morris

The idea of gay rodeos was initially borrowed from another state, but Colorado did it better, leading to a long tradition of rodeo events.

Inspired by the first gay rodeo in Reno, Nevada, which was fun but not very successful in terms of organization, money, or fair play during contests, John King, founder of Charlie’s, Denver’s Western-themed gay bar, and a few others decided to start their own gay rodeo in Colorado. King had been hearing whispers at his bar about an “oxymoron” called the gay rodeo.

He decided the Nevada rodeo was worth checking out in person, and the rest was history.

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Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, July 20, 1997. Photo by Bill Morris

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Since 1992

Denver Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Promote. Advance. Connect.

100% of the proceeds from Denver PrideFest supports the programs and services of The GLBT Community Center of Colorado.

To learn more about The Center, visit

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“We use a sport that is derived from small towns and basically rural America to collect people that have a similar value system and want to get together and to enjoy each other’s’ company, and in the long run, we develop an enthusiastic party,” King said.

“There is an unspoken comradeship that develops when people come in from a small town and attempt to navigate an established gay community in a big town, in a larger market area, and that is because many things that we take for granted growing up in a small town are not necessarily true, but when we get together in one place we don’t have to worry about that. There are some value systems that we know, so it gives us a head start as far as getting to know each other, becoming comfortable, and having a great weekend.”

Gay rodeos that are an official part of the International Gay Rodeo Association take place all across the U.S., in places like California, Florida, New Mexico, and Illinois. Canada has hosted rodeos in the past, making the association truly international, and Mexico and Canada are both showing some interest in starting up new rodeos. There is also international interest in the rodeos. They bring in LGBTQ folks from across the world with a passion for ranch work and entertainment.

Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, July 20, 1997. Photo by Bill Morris

Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, 2003. Photo by Bill Morris

The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo has something that sets it apart. “This year is going to be very special for CGRA because we are the only Gay Rodeo Association to hold 35 consecutive rodeos,” explained Carolyn Herbert, Vice President of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association Board of Directors.

“That makes us pretty amazing, and we have a great group of people that have been supporting us for all of those years.

People from all walks of life that were there in the beginning or have just joined us over the last year, they are the ones that keep us going.”

Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, 2011. Photo by Bill Morris

Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, July 2007. Photo by Bill Morris

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Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo, Denver, 2011. Photo by Bill Morris

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History of

Homoerotic Cowboy Imagery Addison Herron-Wheeler

What exactly is it that makes the concept of cowboys so tantalizing? Why are they now an icon for gay men? Where exactly did queerness and cowboys converge?

These are questions I started asking myself recently when I was tasked with tracking down gay rodeo cowboys for interview.

As a longtime punk fan, I was familiar with the iconic T-shirt from Vivian Westwood’s shop, SEX, featuring two cowboys with genitalia almost touching. And of course, I know the film Brokeback Mountain.

Living here in Denver, with the culture of the Western-themed gay bar Charlie’s, the Colorado Gay Rodeo, a historic gay culture, and rich Western culture, it is clear that the trope of the gay cowboy is still alive and well. But where did it all come from, and why have we chosen this particular symbol to embody masculine queerness?

According to GLBTQ Archive, social historians believe that male-on-male relationships were pretty common in work communities, which also explains the allure of the strapping pair of male sailors or the reason bear culture fetishizes the lumberjack look. While there isn’t direct evidence of sexual behavior, photographs and memoirs do tell us that men in these communities slept together at night, groomed each other, ate together, and bathed together. They even held stag dances where men took other men as their dates.

Cowboys in Westerns are often depicted as loners and heroes, too cool and aloof to settle down with a woman. Any significant relationships they do have are with other men; they often become extremely close to their sidekicks or partners, leading to a Batman-Robin bond between two swaggering dudes.

Some Westerns even have overt homosexual themes.

GLBTQ Archive lists many films, books, and TV shows with either implications of or straight-up male attraction; clearly these instances aren’t one-offs. In the world of Spaghetti Westerns, American West movies created by Italian directors, homoeroticism was in no short supply. Often, the filmmakers were gay or were influenced by the underground movement of gay men in Italy, and shirtless, oily men; tales of male bonding; and covert sexuality were the themes of many Italian Western films.

All of this latent sexuality is, of course, indicative of the fact that the male-on-male encounters common in cowboy culture were doing a lot more than just satiating lonely men stranded miles away from women. They were awakening in them a latent desire, whether they were attracted to men only or realized they had an affinity for both genders. And this carried over into contemporary culture. It seemed that many closeted men could relate to the cowboys.

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In 2006, the short story by Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain, was turned into a major blockbuster film, featuring the nowdeceased Heath Ledger. His relationship in the movie with Jake Gyllenhaal is intense, secret, and full of passion. The fact that the two are allowed to explore their love on their camping trips together for work, but then aren’t allowed to share that love in the real world, is especially heartbreaking.

The film examines the idea that while the trope of two male cowboys getting it on may be hot, two men denying their love for each other because of circumstance and prejudice is a tragedy.

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iconic designs of the punk movement. Mick Farren used a pair of cowboys with a strong male bond and a propensity for sex and drugs, one of whom is bisexual in the story, as the heroes of his epic, punk-influenced sci-fi series DNA Cowboys. The acceptance of gay cowboys in counterculture seems to be a middle finger to the system, infusing homosexuality and nonstatus-quo behavior into an area that was originally seen as more traditional.

W A -H

Since its infusion into pop culture, the concept of gay cowboys has made its way into all kinds of unlikely places, including punk rock. Vivian Westwood’s famous 1970s store, SEX, was a place that influenced the fashion behind the music. One of her most famous T-shirt designs features two naked-fromthe-waste-down cowboys with genitalia almost touching.

The shirt caused a lot of controversy and became one of the

Today, gay cowboys are a happy symbol of sexuality and living as one’s truest self.

The men of Charlie’s and the Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo are proof that this is an important part of Western life.

Whether it is the silly sexuality of strippers in cowboy hats or serious rodeo competitors being able to openly declare their queerness while simultaneously taking home accolades and working on ranches, queer cowboys and cowgirls are welcome in Denver and an important part of Western life.

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Tank Girl, The Male Gaze, and Co-opted Art Addison Herron-Wheeler

Growing far past their origins of Superman and American wholesomeness, comics are a place for storytelling, heroes, entertainment, and justice. But female comic heroes are still overwhelmed by their male counterparts and, when they do appear, often still embody gender stereotypes and serve mostly as sex symbols. Cat Woman, Wonder Woman, and She-Ra, while badass and sexy, are definitely kept firmly in their place as sidekicks or beautiful, tragic heroines.

Enter Tank Girl: a swaggering, swashbuckling heroine who isn’t here for anyone’s sexual amusement. Tank Girl was created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, British comic artists who debuted the character in 1988. The story of Tank Girl is a loosely-based science fiction and dystopian future story that takes place in Australia. Rebecca Buck, AKA Tank Girl, drives and lives in a tank, shaves the side of her head, dates a mutant kangaroo, and is constantly on the run from the law because of her sexual appetite and love for booze.

The stories of Tank Girl employ tropes like metafiction, streamof-consciousness, surrealism, and collage. They also tend to be very psychedelic. Thus, it is hard to determine a set narrative or lineage within the stories. What does stand out is the series’ place in the canon of punk rock literature and experimental fiction and the artists’ drive and desire to produce a female character completely on her own terms.

A glance at Tank Girl reveals a punk, devil-may-care woman in torn-up shorts and a tank top. Her actions in the comic and her outward appearance point to the idea that she lives completely on her own terms, sleeping with whomever of whatever gender or species, drinking what she wants, living free. But the truth is, Tank Girl is a fictional character created by two male comic book artists.

Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin were two college buddies creating comic art for fun and playing in punk bands. Her character was inspired by a song Martin wrote in college called “Rocket Girl,” an ode to a classmate he had a crush on.

Although Tank Girl is a badass who apparently answers to no one, she still answers to the two men who dreamed her up, orchestrated her every move, and made her into a counterculture sex symbol.

Is all this a bad thing? Not necessarily. There is certainly some strength in being sexy and a sex symbol, especially 2 8 \\ J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

Rebecca Buck, AKA Tank Girl, drives and lives in a tank, shaves the side of her head, dates a mutant kangaroo, and is constantly on the run from the law because of her sexual appetite and love for booze. in a counter-culture movement. And of course, Tank Girl is meant to be sex positive and would probably proudly claim the label herself. But the fact remains that straight men made this comic, not women who wanted to celebrate sexy and also elevate their own status as a second-class gender.

Eventually, Hewlett and Martin lost control of their creation and watched as Tank Girl went in a totally different direction.

But it wasn’t because the plucky, spunky, character picked herself up off the pages and escaped the ever-present male gaze.

It was because the creators sold the movie rights, mistakenly thinking the worst that could happen would be a so-good-it’sbad, low-budget sci-fi thriller.

“We thought it would be ironic, there would be some humor in it and everyone would appreciate it anyway,” Martin told archive.is in an interview about the comic. “However, unfortunately they tried to make it cool. They argued over what was cool and what wasn’t cool. When you go to Hollywood and you see a bunch of fat businessmen sitting in offices arguing what’s cool, you just think, ‘No, mate. Whatever you are going to come up with you’re wrong.’ The struggle just ripped the heart out of the film and it ended up not looking like anything really.”

More men were now sitting around discussing how Tank Girl would behave, and this time they were much more out of touch than the original creators. The end result was an incoherent, disjointed feature film.

So is Tank Girl a hero? Yes, very much so. Her stories are crass, funny, and relatable, and she has inspired millions of readers. But is Tank Girl a product of the male gaze, corporate consumerism, and the powers that be? Of course. It will take even more comics and comic writers to pave the way for completely feminist heroines and heroes. Luckily, in today’s age, and based on the stacked line-up of LGBTQ-positive and boundary-pushing guests at Denver Comic Con, we will be getting more woke comics and stereotype-destroying stories every day.

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Finds A Home Colorado Gay Rodeo Yvonne Wright The same year Kimberley Kay was waving to the crowds as Ms. Colorado Gay Association, she was wrestling 500 pound steers to the ground with her bare hands. This duality is a big part of who Kimberley was — and who Kody Kay is.

Kody is the name Kimberley took when he transitioned five years ago. While transitioning has made his life easier in many ways, he says it’s actually been a challenge at the rodeo.

As a feminine woman, he said, “I appealed to everybody across the board. I could fit in anywhere as Kimberley.” But, as a transgender man, “I got more support from straight people than I did from gay people in the community.”

Kay moved to Colorado in 1989 and was elected Ms. Gay Pride 1990. Those fundraising activities led to the gay rodeo in 2004.

“I competed in chute dogging, which is the high school version of steer wrestling,” he said. It’s not easy. Participants begin in the chute with a 400-500 pound steer. When the chute opens, the cowboy or cowgirl runs to a line 10 feet from the chute, then has 60 seconds to get the steer on the ground with all four legs up. And there’s no rope involved. “It’s your hands and your body. At the time I was a 120 pound woman!” he exclaimed.

Rodeo Association (IGRA), Kay continues to announce events at a couple rodeos and even represents Arkansas as a delegate at the annual convention.

The IGRA is comprised of more than 20 associations.

It all began here in Colorado, where the first convention was held in 1982. Since then, IGRA’s website reports “over two million dollars . . . has been raised and distributed [to those] who care for and seek cures for those with the HIV disease, as well as other emerging GBLT health and social welfare needs.”

Kay has spent years helping to raise some of those funds with his gay rodeo work, all the while struggling with the opposing sides of himself that now seem to be in harmony. It’s this duality that has helped and hurt his efforts to become who he really is. First, to identify as part of the LGBTQ community, then to be accepted as a man.

While living as a woman, Kay said he started having relationships with girls at the age of 14.

In the years since his transition, he’s put on 25 pounds. But even now, especially at 55 years of age, it’s no easy task. While participating in the Arizona Gay Rodeo earlier this year, the steer jumped him and broke one of his ribs.

“I was having sex with these women, but didn’t know I was gay… I didn’t even know that term,” he said. It wasn’t until his sister took him to a gay bar in his junior year of college that he said he finally understood. “I had no reference. It was like, ‘oh well, this is actually normal… there’s this whole world; it’s not just me.’” But even then, he felt out of place. He just didn’t fit.

“I think I’m done. It takes too long to heal from any little, bitty injury anymore,” he said. He may not be competing anymore, but he isn’t leaving the sport. As part of the International Gay

While going through counseling as part of his transition, he said he realized looking back that most of his girlfriends were straight before they met him and straight after they broke

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up. “There was something about me. They weren’t lesbians, didn’t want to be with a woman, but they wanted to be with me,” he said. It began to make sense around 2000. Again, he knew he was different, but at the time he didn’t even know the word “transgender.” That’s when he said that “the trans thing crossed my radar,” and he started to think, “Oh my gosh, maybe I’m trans. Maybe that’s why I’ve always hated being called a lesbian. I’m not a lesbian; I just date women.”

That year, Kay cut his waist-length hair short and made his first attempt to transition.

Backlash from friends and associates led to him growing his hair back and shelving his plans. The dualities in his life would once again play a role. Kay, who now owns his own heating and air conditioning company, has worked in the male dominated field for more than 20 years — most of that time as Kimberley. It might seem like a man would be more accepted. But Kay says that was not the case when he tried to transition again in 2007.

“When I had long hair and I was a girl, everything was fine. But when I looked butch people would look at me funny. So, again, I grew my hair back out and went about my business.”

In 2012 his mother was diagnosed with cancer. At the same time, Kay experienced a midlife crisis.

“I couldn’t figure out what I needed to feel satisfied. Finally when my mom got cancer and me and my little sister were gonna shave our heads [in solidarity] I said ‘I have to do this for myself, screw everybody else.’” Kay shaved his head at a fundraiser at the Oklahoma rodeo. From that moment on, he’s lived as Kody.

“It’s early never too and i too l live y ate to be t’s never h o reali ur true seappy and miss ze how m lf. I didn in ’ u was a g of mys ch I was t elf un ble to t il I be Kody myself,” said.

I was 50,” he said. At the same time, he’s quick to mention, it’s only one aspect of himself. “Being transgender is not my defining factor. It’s just part of who I am, like being right-handed,” he said.

As for Kimberley, there’s a kind of ultimate duality there, too.

After his transition, he married a woman named Kimberly who took his last name. Kimberly Kay lives on as a woman – with one small difference. His wife’s name isn’t spelled with the extra “e.” After struggling most of his life, at 55, Kody Kay has found his place, who he is, and who he is meant to be.

In an attempt to help others, Kay transitioned very publically.

He recorded and uploaded his first reveal to YouTube following top surgery. So far, nearly 110,000 people have viewed the video and watched as he saw his new chest for the first time.

“I wanted to reach young people, or even older people who thought they were too old. You’re not too old. I did it when

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This Is How It Always Is

Explores the Transgender Family Dynamic Terri Schlichenmeyer

You must not tell.

You cannot breathe a word to anyone who doesn’t already know.

That Which Cannot Be Spoken must remain buried, put away, frozen, lips sealed, or in the closet.

You cannot tell because, as in the new novel This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, secrets change everything.

second thought. Claude was simply Claude, until he asked his parents to call him Poppy.

In the beginning was Roosevelt, known to his loved ones as Roo. Not long after he was born, Ben entered the family. Then the twins, Orion and Rigel, arrived and so Rosie Walsh, still hoping for a girl baby, did everything the Talmud recommended she do next. Months later, she and her husband, Penn, welcomed…

Claude.

And that was fine, too, especially when the family moved to another state and it was easier to keep quiet – until it wasn’t.

When Poppy started growing up, the world became a vicious place, and secret-keeping couldn’t last forever.

And that was okay. Another boy in their raucous, rowdy family of boys was fine and Rosie and Penn loved them all. They were happy in their big, rambling, open farmhouse just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. Rosie loved her job. Penn worked on his novel. And Claude dreamed of being a girl.

It started when, as do most parents, Rosie told Claude that he could “be anything” he wanted to be someday. Claude was three years old and loved dress-up; it didn’t seem odd to let him wear dresses at home. But soon, home wasn’t enough and Claude tantrumed until he was allowed to wear dresses to preschool, though he was told that he’d have to use the nurse’s station bathroom and his teacher was “not happy.”

Still, Rosie and Penn were willing to do what it took to make Claude feel secure. With his dresses and pink, he was a confident child; without, he was sullen and sad. None of his classmates minded his clothing. His brothers never gave it a 3 2 \\ J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

And so, here’s the thing: once you’ve started reading This Is How It Always Is, you might as well just clear your schedule.

Cancel all appointments. You won’t want to do anything but read, so just give in. Blame it on the book.

Part of the appeal, I think, is in the way that author Laurie Frankel writes: there are no airs, no try-to-impress-you words, nothing uppity.

Her characters are normal people with everyday lives, trying to maintain that normalcy and Frankel writes like they might talk: with down-to-earth matter-of-factness and a fast dash of humor that winds its way through a serious topic. And on that topic, you’ve perhaps heard it before (or something similar) but not in a voice like this, and not quite as enjoyable.

One more thing: be sure to read Frankel’s after-notes, which brings her novel full-circle and will make you smile. But don’t peek; instead, start This Is How It Always Is from the beginning and savor it properly. It’ll make you want to tell everyone.

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Cowboy and Black: A Western Identity Joseph Soto

“I gloried in the danger, and the wild and free life of the plains, the new country I was continually traversing, and the many new scenes and incidents continually arising in the life of a rough rider.” -Nat Love Let me save someone from having to write the email about me being a snowflake for painting history to feed my own cultural needs. Cowboys who are also Black, despite attempts to whitewash history, are as old and connected to cowboy culture as any other group. They’re the badasses that inquisitive Black students wanted to learn more about, the protagonists in a more factual and more inclusive understanding of the American West at a time when cowboys like them helped build and defend communities.

is because of the deeply entrenched racism he and his career faced in the early 1900s.

This magazine could be read in any corner of the planet, but being that it is a Denver-based outlet, I would be remiss if I did not give some space in this article to Bill Pickett, the namesake of the Bill Pickett Invitational, which has roots in this city dating back more than 30 years. One reason you may not have heard more about this cowboy, who could have been one of the most famous and accomplished cowboys of his time,

Now known as steer wrestling, the practice he innovated of biting the lip of steers to control their direction has gone out of fashion, but steer wrestling as we now know it would not exist without Bill Pickett. In 1972, he became the first Black person inducted into the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.

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Native American as well as Black, this trailblazer was noticed by the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, which had popularized rodeo and made a personality out of Will Rogers. This was not some act of charity, however, as Bill Pickett was a capable, smart, special attraction for the production, who introduced bulldogging as an exciting yet dangerous spectacle to the world of rodeo.

In a February article from Smithsonian Magazine, William

Loren Katz, a scholar of African American history who has written 40 books about different aspects of that vast subject, was cited saying, “Right after the Civil War, being a cowboy was one of the few jobs open to men of color who wanted to not serve as elevator operators or delivery boys or other similar occupations.”

Black cowboys grew into prominence not out of the romanticized “rugged individualism” that benefitted white cowboys and settlers, but out of the need for labor that had once been readily available and free due to a large population of enslaved people.

It was tough work herding cattle without today’s technological conventions, and freed Black men found rare social and economic opportunities within this community.

Nat Love, another famous cowboy who was Black, spoke to the place of Black men in cowboy culture at the time, despite the racism all around them.

He said, “A braver, truer set of men never lived than these wild sons of the plains whose home was in the saddle and their couch, mother earth, with the sky for a covering. They were always ready to share their blanket and their last ration with a less fortunate fellow companion and always assisted each other in the many trying situations that were continually coming up in a cowboy’s life.”

Progressing technology, new transportation methods, and worsening oppression of Native Americans and Latinos diminished the need for cowboys as laborers on ranches, according to the Smithsonian. Of course, as would be expected

for the time, this disproportionately impacted cowboys who were Black.

However, that does not mean that that community went away.

In fact, that community survived and thrived. To this day, cowboy culture within the African American community is vibrant, but it is not without the legacy of racism that these brave cowboys and generations after them have faced.

Vincent Jacobs, a former rodeo rider, recalled to the BBC, “There would be separate rodeos for blacks and whites. It was hard, real hard — they would only let me perform after all the white people had been led out of the arena.”

Cleveland Walters, another cowboy, said that being a cowboy was hard work and painfully recounted, “I hate to think of the racism I went through. When it was branding time, they’d put 20 cows in the pen and I was the one who had to catch them and hold them down. The brander was white — so in other words all the hard, dirty work was done by the black cowboys.”

To this day, young cowboys of color from organizations ranging from the Cowboys of Color Rodeo to the Northeastern Trail Riders Association commemorate this history with memorial rides and rodeos that celebrate and highlight Black culture, cowboy culture, and the intersection of the two.

Black men absolutely shaped what it meant to be a cowboy, but this article doesn’t include many of the Black female cowboys, gay Black cowboys, Native American and Black cowboys, and others with different intersectional identities who gave of themselves to be cowboys and tend to the vast expanse of Western land.

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e s o h T g n , i s r U e b e r m e o f m e e B R e e m m i a T C a o t h A W r e t t e L e On

David-Elijah Nahmod

For Pride Month, we’re taking a look back on a few of those who came before us and made their way into the hearts of Americans. These brave individuals didn’t let the spotlight outshine their life and love.

During times when LGBTQ equality was little more than wishful thinking, when LGBTQ people could be thrown in jail for being honest about who they were, these courageous individuals stood up loudly and proudly and refused to hide in the shadows. Some paid a terrible price for their honesty, but all helped paved the way for the rights we enjoy now.

For our purposes, we’ve chosen one person for each letter of the LGBT acronym, though there are certainly many others worthy of consideration.

Dorothy Arzner (1897-1979) At a time when “ladies” deferred to men and “knew their place,” Dorothy Arzner walked to the beat of her own drum. Originally a medical student, Arzner decided to pursue work as a film director after a visit to a movie studio when she was a young woman. She began her career as a stenographer at Paramount Pictures in 1919, quickly getting promoted to scriptwriter and film editor. Her first assignment as an editor was on the classic romantic drama Blood and Sand (1922), which starred Rudolf Valentino, the screen’s most popular heartthrob during the 1920s.

Arzner rose up the ranks quickly in this male dominated industry. In 1927 she made her directorial debut with Fashions For Women, which was a commercial success. Money talks in Hollywood, and in 1929 Arzner called the shots on The Wild Party, the first sound film to star Clara Bow, who was then Paramount’s top female star.

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The enormity of Arzner’s accomplishment cannot be underestimated. During the 1920s and ‘30s, women did not direct films. Yet Arzner did, even as she maintained romantic relationships with a number of actresses.

There was no one else like Dorothy Arzner in the Hollywood of the 1920s and ‘30s.

By the time she retired from filmmaking in 1943, Arzner had directed some of the biggest names in the business, including Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, and a pre-I Love Lucy Lucille Ball. She directed 21 feature films during her career.

From 1939 until her death 40 years later, Arzner lived quietly with dancer/ choreographer Marion Morgan. Arzner’s life and career remain a topic of study among film scholars.

Quentin Crisp (1908-1999) From 1931 onward, Quentin Crisp lived an openly gay life in London. He wore colorful, flowing scarves, painted his nails, and colored his hair. At the time, he was one of the only out gay

man in all of the United Kingdom — Crisp preferred the word homosexual.

For decades, he endured beatings and police harassment. He was famously and falsely arrested for prostitution as he waited for a bus. Crisp addressed the court with his elegant wit and beat the charges.

For thirty years, Crisp worked in the only profession that accepted him: as a nude model in an art school. In 1966, he published his unexpectedly successful memoir: The Naked Civil Servant. In late middle age, Crisp became a literary celebrity. He gave numerous television interviews and became an in-demand public speaker. He talked about his life, how being “an effeminate homosexual for all the world to see” was never a choice, and offered his views on pop culture and British society’s sometimes stuffy social norms.

When The Naked Civil Servant was adapted as a Thames TV movie in 1975 (it aired on PBS in the USA), Crisp became an international celebrity. He took his speaking engagements around the world. What was then called the Gay Rights movement was picking up steam, and Crisp served as a living link to what gay life had been like two generations prior.

Crisp moved to New York City at age 72, where he spent the rest of his life. He had a listed phone number, cheerfully announcing that he would meet anyone who was willing to buy him dinner. Many took him up on his offer, eager to enjoy a private audience with this elder statesman of the gay community. Crisp wrote many more books: film criticism, memoirs, and his observations on society. He acted in movies and on stage, sometimes in male roles, sometimes in female roles.

His Victorian formality became one of his trademarks.

He addressed everyone by their last names and referred to himself as “The stateliest homo in all of England.”

Quentin Crisp today is one of the LGBTQ community’s most colorful and memorable figures. His brilliant wit and his incomparable courage should not be forgotten.

Alla Nazimova (1879-1945) Often known to the public by the single name Nazimova, she was a celebrated stage actress and was a powerful Hollywood figure during the early 1920s. A producer for a number of the films in which she starred, Nazimova’s Sunset Boulevard mansion, known as the Garden of Alla, became notorious for her wild parties, which were rumored to include orgies. Openly bisexual, Nazimova flaunted her many

affairs with men and women alike.

In 1923 Nazimova produced and starred in a film based on gay, 19th century writer Oscar Wilde’s Salomé. The film’s screenplay was written by Natacha Rambova, who was then married to silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino.

Both Rambova and Valentino are believed to have had affairs with Nazimova.

Hollywood lore states that Salomé was cast entirely with gay or bisexual actors, though this has never been verified. Salomé was a box office failure and ruined Nazimova’s Hollywood career. She returned to the theater, though she did make a few film appearances during the 1940s.

Dorothy Arzner is believed to have been one of her lovers.

In 1977, Nazimova was portrayed by actress Leslie Caron in director Ken Russell’s film Valentino.

Billy Tipton (1914-1989) Imagine, if you will, an elegant, smoke-filled nightclub during the 1940s. A jazz band performs as tough guys and sassy broads play their wicked games of seduction.

No, you’re not on the Hollywood set of a film noir movie.

You’re at the Elks Club in Longview, Washington, where the Billy Tipton Trio held court each night. Billy sat at the piano.

Billy Tipton was born in Oklahoma City in 1914. His given name at birth was Dorothy Lucille Tipton. From age 26 until his death at age 74, Tipton lived as a man — no one in his professional life knew that he’d been assigned female at birth. He chose the name Billy because it was his father’s nickname.

In 1957, while performing in Santa Barbara, California, the Billy Tipton Trio was offered a recording contract from Tops Records. The band released two albums of jazz/pop standards, both of which were well received. Tipton then moved to Spokane, Washington, where the Trio was the house band at Allen’s Tin Pan Alley. He held this position until his retirement.

Throughout his life, Tipton maintained relationships with a number of women — these were always presented to the world as heterosexual relationships.

Though Tipton never married, he adopted three children with one of his girlfriends.

His children didn’t find out that their dad wasn’t biologically male until Tipton died of a hemorrhaging peptic ulcer in 1989.

Billy Tipton was 74 years old.

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Holy Homo Sub-text!

A Gay Boy’s Dream of the Dynamic Duo Rick Kitzman In the ‘50s, my childhood farm-town Ft. Lupton produced little excitement except for one event: a monthly pilgrimage to Deason’s Drugstore, mecca of comic book imagination. I reverently approached the wire rack to make a dime purchase of thrilling devotion: The Adventures of Batman and Robin!

If I still had them today, I could retire. At the time, I would not have traded my treasure for a ton of Bazooka Bubble Gum. The Dynamic Duo represented a relationship I dreamed of: mentor and mentee, artistic and intellectual, nurturing and courageous, dangerous and fun. Bruce was the handsome, masculine, moody nihilist, Dick the cutie-patootie, chipper pixie. They had no superpowers, which I always thought were unfair advantages, but they possessed cool vehicles: the Bat-mobile, -plane, -coptor, -bike, -boat.

I was not an orphan like Bruce and Dick. Right off the er,bat, I want to declare that I had wonderful parents. Sarah and Reuben gifted me a great childhood: loving, safe, value-filled, all the necessary comforts of home.

But like Batman and Robin, I had a secret identity. To know you are a pervert — again, an adult judgment — at such a tender age would thrust a heavy load of shame upon any child.

Though publishers

And capes! Forget the inefficiency of a uniform dragging you willy-nilly. Forget they were essentially criminal vigilantes.

Batman and Robin wrapped themselves in cloaks of noble advocacy and wore their fluttering mantles of justice with panache.

Tying a towel around my neck, I would zoom around and jump off the sofa, defending the downtrodden, defeating fiendish foes. When Mom yelled, “Richard Lee!” I knew to knock it off and continue my escapades in the yard.

When I was four years old I knew I was gay. Peeling the pentimento of memory reveals that adult declaration. What emerged was an awareness that I was different. So young, I had no context of gay language and experience. Church, society, and family ensured boys and girls like me learned that these longings and behaviors defied accepted norms.

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and creators of Batman, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, always denied a homosexual relationship between mature guardian Bruce Wayne and young ward Richard Grayson, they did not control the imaginations of young gay kids everywhere. With no positive role models around, we found our own, intended or not.

When the TV series starring Adam West and Bert Ward began in 1966, I relished every campy POW! BAM! and WHAM! so much so, that I painted those interjections on my condo’s bathroom, like a technicolor comic panel with memorabilia and posters. In the ‘90s, I added a life-size cutout of George Clooney as Batman (Clooney, by the way, told Barbara Walters in 2006 he “made Batman gay”).

In his autobiography Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, Ward suggested that a sexual interpretation could be applied to the duo’s ambiguous relationship. But I never thought of them sexually. I yearned for their companionship.

In 1989, a long-awaited film was announced with a disappointingly miscast Michael Keaton. To me, the hero should have combined the suavity of Cary Grant, the integrity of Gregory Peck, the sensuality of Marlon Brando. But no Robin?! Sherlock has his Watson, Kirk his Spock, Lucy her Ethel, Juliet her Romeo, Salt her Pepa.

Robin did not appear until 1995’s sequel Batman Forever, directed by openly gay Joel Schumacher. Which might explain the duo’s costumes. They suggested for the hero a milieu of a leather/rubber fetish nightlife in Gotham City. I picture New York City, the shadows of a cowl and swaying cape, the Dark Knight on the prowl, cruising the greasy streets of its 4 2 \\ J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

meatpacking district. Holy Codpiece, Bat-nips and Bat-butts!

Schumacher’s innuendo would never have survived the Lavender Scare, the paranoid ‘50s witch hunt and mass firings of gay people in the U.S. government. Riding its waves, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham proclaimed in his book Seduction of the Innocent, “The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies... a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism ... pervades the adventures of the mature Batman and his young friend Robin.”

In 1954, Wertham presented his findings to the U.S. Senate, which was launching an investigation into juvenile delinquency that focused on comic books. Rather than face governmental regulation, the Comics Magazine Association of America created their own de facto censor, the Comics Code Authority (CCA). Homosexuality remained anathema until 1989.

The gay subtext may have begun with Robin’s 1940 debut cover. A lettered scroll announced that Batman “takes under his protective mantle an ally in his relentless fight against crime.” Crowded text made “an ally” appear as “takes... anally.”

Tee-hee.

Wertham’s evidence of the Dynamic Duo’s immoral relationship centered on interpreting double entendres and salacious suggestions with a dirty mind: Bruce rowing a boat on a romantically moonlit night while Dick languorously reclines (1942); pajama-clad Bruce and Dick waking in the same bed (1954); large vases of flowers filling Wayne Manor; Bruce spanking Robin; Bruce taking Robin to a wrestling club (1954); Robin reminding Batman of teeth

marks in a leather thong; Robin and Batman leaving a closet, Batman complaining of “wobbly knees;” both wearing tights; Robin standing with his genital region thrust forward; Robin constantly afraid of being replaced and jealous of Batman’s rare dates with women; pursuing women as criminals, not potential wives; Bruce gliding through his manor in a dressing gown, not a bathrobe; Batman getting married with a gangster saying he “never thought he’d fall for a girl” (1940s).

“It is like a wish-dream,” Wertham wrote, “of two homosexuals living together.”

Batman and Robin seem destined to anger homophobes. According to The Advocate, two conservative pundits criticized this year’s LEGO Batman Movie for depicting two men sharing joint custody of Dick: Bruce Wayne and Batman. Uh, they are the same person.

Holy Same-sex Paranoid Parenthood!

And those “Holy...” exclamations? In the TV series, Robin uttered more than 360. Like, “Holy Priceless Collection of Etruscan Snoods!”

In 1957, The Rainbow Batman story told of the hero wearing a different colored suit every night to protect Robin’s identity. Fifty years later, a complete rainbow six-pack of action figures sells for about 70 bucks. And released exclusively to the 2016 New York Comic Con, Funko POP! produced a limited edition of rainbow vinyl dolls in solid colors or stripes.

Maybe Wertham’s wish-dream was not off the mark. As a kid, I dreamed of living with Bruce/Batman and Dick/Robin, wishing I was as far from humdrum Ft. Lupton as sex was from my mind. Filling that fantasy? Jonny Quest under the protection of Race Bannon.

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calendar June 23

June 23

Space Race June 23 | Tracks

Manifesto June 23 | Sie FilmCenter Denver Film Society is bringing Manifesto, playing exclusively at the Sie FilmCenter beginning June 23! A chameleonic Cate Blanchett (Carol) gives a tour-de-force performance as she transcends gender, class, nationality, and profession in a series of vignettes which draw upon manifestos questioning the true nature of art, including those from Karl Marx, Yvonne Rainer, and Dogma 95. The feature film takes us through a series of evocative locations, whilst Blanchett morphs seamlessly between characters. An art film in every sense of the word, Manifesto ultimately blurs the lines of a conventional story, exploring the intention behind artistic expression, and ultimately the importance of storytelling itself.

Prepare to go on a journey where no person has gone before. Tracks is transforming the place into a space wonderland, complete with giant planets, spaceships, and cosmic lighting. So bust out your silver tights, your brightest brights, lace up them skates and get ready to roll into the final frontier. 21+ Doors open at 9 p.m. and admission is free before 10 p.m. Presale tickets are available up until the day of the event.

June 23

Fauxxxy Friday June 23 | Gladys: The Nosy Neighbor Gladys: The Nosy Neighbor is Denver’s newest queer bar, and it’s filled with drag. Located on 5th and Sante Fe, Gladys hosts regular drag events including Fauxxxy Friday with Lacey Vanderpump.

Get out and support your local queens. LAcey Vanderpump and her gaggle of gals are sure to put on a good show with games and prizes. Show starts at 10 p.m.

June 12 - July 2

Comic Con June 30 - July 2 | Colorado Convention Center Comic Con is HERE! The three-day event is a family-friendly pop culture fan extravaganza, featuring the best in pop culture entertainment. DCC is a program of the Colorado nonprofit Pop Culture Classroom, whose mission is to inspire a love of learning, to increase literacy, celebrate diversity and build community through pop culture education. For tickets visit PopCultureClassroom.org/dcc/tickets.

July 8-10

Rocky Mountain Regional Gay Rodeo

July 8-10 | Jefferson County Fairgrounds

The Rocky Mountain Regional Gay Rodeo is one of the country’s best and biggest rodeos with gay pride at its hardscrabble center, and this weekend it’s fixin’ to rope in cowboys and cowgirls – no matter whom they love – for three days of riding, dogging and barrel racing. The rodeo kicks up its heels July 8 and runs through July 10 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Both the rodeo itself and a beer bust on Saturday will raise funds for scholarships awarded by the CGRA.

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Maurice Returns: Digitally Remastered 30th Anniversary Re-release of a Gay Cinema Classic 30 years after its debut, Maurice has undergone 4k digital remastering. The splendid results open in Denver on June 30.

Steve Cruz 30 years ago, a fresh-faced, floppy-haired British newcomer ignited anglophilic passions in a film so lavishly produced and forcefully acted that one critic wrote: “It’s a woozy, unadulterated romance, an intoxicating tuxedo-ripper set against the elegant priggishness of England’s post-Edwardian gentry.” Rita Kennedy of the The Washington Post stole the words right out of my mouth... kinda.

The film was Maurice (British pronunciation “Morris”), the actor was Hugh Grant, the producer/director team was Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, and the source novel was by EM Forster. 30 years after its debut, Maurice has undergone 4k digital remastering. The splendid results open in Denver on June 30.

ThirtyYearsAgo In 1987, Merchant-Ivory Productions — Ismail and James, business partners and husbands — followed up the biggest hit of their careers, A Room With A View (1985), with Maurice.

Merchant-Ivory delivered a gay romance with all their signature attention to period detail to audiences craving more in the wake of A Room With A View.

A Room With A View introduced a smashing newcomer, 21-yearold Helena Bonham-Carter. In similar fashion, Maurice elevated 26-year-old stunner Hugh Grant from secondary roles on British TV and introduced him to U.S. audiences. Both films were critical successes. The difference came with distribution and awards: A Room With A View was nominated for eight 4 6 \\ J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

Academy Awards and captured three.

Maurice received one Oscar nomination.

Because of central gay themes and characters, many distributors balked. As a result, Maurice showed on a handful of screens and was not well publicized.

Defying Two Eras Despite societal hurdles, critics praised Maurice for its luscious interiors and costumes, solid performances, and the captivating trio of British actors at its core.

Roger Ebert wrote: “Merchant and Ivory tell this story in a film so handsome to look at and so intelligently acted that it is worth seeing just to regard the production. Scene after scene is perfectly created... The supporting cast is unusually strong.”

The stiff manners of pre-World War I, when homosexuality was taboo and illegal, served to make the gay coupling and male nudity somewhat of a shocker — both for 1912 and 1987. (In the 1980s there was no internet to serve up spoilers.)

Three Hot Brits About that lovely trio of young British males. Hugh Grant and James Wilby portray Clive and Maurice, posh undergrads at Cambridge University. Clive, in a moment of huge risk, declares his love for Maurice. Physical love stops at Clive’s fears. His primary concern is protecting name and reputation. Clive’s

worst fears are realized when a former college classmate is arrested for “gross indecency,” convicted, and utterly ruined.

characters of Maurice and Alec were probably based on a friend of the upper-middle class and his lover, a laborer.

Rupert Graves portrays Alec Scudder, third in the trio. As the under-gamekeeper at Clive’s family estate, Alec is free from Clive’s concerns. There is little to stop him from pursuing his passions. Once he sets his sites on Maurice, the obstacles are few. Maurice, frustrated by Clive’s caution, does not protest.

Completed in 1913, Forster did not seek to publish Maurice during his lifetime. He wrote on a manuscript: “Publishable, but worth it?” Book-stockists probably would not allow it in their shops and his writing career might be destroyed.

In an interview for the hit British TV import Sherlock, Rupert Graves, who plays Detective-Inspector Lestrade, reminisces about his role as Alec Scudder and previous role as Freddy Honeychurch in A Room With A View. He had nude scenes in both films and later learned that he landed the roles partly because most other candidates flatly refused to strip.

Page To Screen To give historical context, the fictional Crawleys of Downton Abbey received news that the male heirs to their estate perished aboard the Titanic.

That TV saga kicks off in 1912.

The same year, author EM Forster wrote Maurice. Maurice was contemporary. The lives, laws, college atmosphere, city and country settings were “now” for the author.

Many writers put forth that the book was Forster’s ode to his own homosexuality, although the

Homosexuality was not decriminalized in England until 1968.

The book was finally published in 1971, one year after the author’s death. Forster published five novels in his lifetime, every one has been adapted to screen: Where Angels Fear To Tread, A Room With A View, Howard’s End, A Passage To India.

The Merchant-Ivory film adaptation of Maurice was written and directed by James Ivory. The team worked with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala on a bulk of their projects, but not this one.

Merchant-Ivory was founded in 1961.

Ismail Merchant died in 2005 and Jhabvala in 2013. James Ivory, at 88-years-old wrote the screenplay for Call Me By Your Name, adapted from the novel by André Aciman, due to be released this year.

The digitally-remastered 30th Anniversary re-release of Maurice opens June 30th and plays for one week. Visit LandmarkTheatres. com/Denver for information and showtimes.

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Quee Agen r

How RuPaul’s Drag Race Pushes the on National Television

nda

Ryan Howe

It began in March. The queen of all queens, RuPaul, teased millions of queers around the world with a new batch of drag contestants that would be taking over our television sets, hitting us with high drama, and winning over our hearts in the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“Drastic Times call for Drag-Tastic Measures” the tagline read.

And it wasn’t wrong. In the past year, the queer community has been hit hard with both social and political heartbreak.

First, we all remember the Pulse Nightclub massacre that sent shockwaves into the community and made us realize that we are still misunderstood, targeted, and murdered just because of our sexuality or gender identity. Then, in November, our nation elected two men into the White House who absolutely do not have our back.

For the first time in a while, our community was unified on one thing — fear.

In the nine seasons of the queer cult classic RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’ve seen our share of queer issues. In earlier seasons, when social issues shined through the drama, it beefed up the reality 4 8 \\ J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 7

competition with topics that affected us. It was powerful, but it only reached queers and our closest allies.

In season one, Ongina openly discussed her HIV during a challenge that pushed the queens to shoot a commercial for Mac’s Viva Glam makeup. She was one of the first reality TV stars to come out as HIV-positive. She won that challenge.

Trinity K. Bonet also came out as HIV-positive in season five.

In season three, Alexis Mateo touched on the effects of the now repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which barred queer people from openly discussing their sexuality in the military, during a video challenge that will be shown to U.S. military members serving overseas. She snatched the challenge win with her uplifting, hilarious video.

In season five, Monica Beverly Hillz became the first contestant

to openly discuss her transness when she came out as a transgender woman. She was an early out in the season but made a lasting impact. A number of the contestants have since come out as trans, including Carmen Carrera, Kenya Michaels, Jiggly Caliente, Gia Gunn, Stacy Lane Matthews, Sonique, and Peppermint.

The most recent season, which snagged a time slot on VH1, has catapulted the cult show into the mainstream. This is a blessing.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 introduced a new format. For the first time,the show has strayed away from the normal drama-filled seasons and incorporated a new social issue into nearly every episode.

Season 9 has addressed body image, HIV status and history, the Pulse Nightclub massacre, transgender issues, bullying, and family acceptance to a mainstream audience, some of whom have no knowledge of the issues our community faces. And it’s doing it in style.

The first episode raked in nearly one million viewers, and the numbers every week have failed to fall under 500,000 viewers. It continually ranks in the top 10 shows on Friday nights, falling behind sports games

and Real Time with Bill Maher.

For the first time in a long time, we have a completely queer cast telling hundreds of thousands of viewers the issues our community faces. It’s giving the viewers real characters they can relate to and admire and then hitting them in the face with a queer agenda.

Based off the interactions on Facebook and Twitter, a lot of these viewers are queer people, a lot of the viewers are heterosexual women, and a lot are our youth.

RuPaul is literally educating the children. He’s showing them why they need to stand up and fight f o r their brothers and sisters. He’s showing them that “gay people get to choose their families.” He’s showing them that there is still a lot of work to be done, and it is up to them to change it.

My friends told me I’m reading into it too much. After all, it is reality television. And it’s drag.

They could be right. But I doubt it.

I think we should be thanking RuPaul and his talented team for giving us exactly what we need right now. And drag queens do have a history of starting revolutions.

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HEINZESIGHT: Being Profiled Brent Heinze

I have a difficult time writing online dating profiles. It is a struggle for me to figure out what I want to say and the best ways to express it. I’ve spent time looking at how other people present themselves, but it leaves me wondering what I need to include in mine to make it effective in attracting the right kind of guy. What suggestions do you have to make this process more successful?

Climax at Vinyl Photos by Charles Broshous

It’s great that you are doing some research and evaluation into what you like or dislike about other people’s profiles. There is a wealth of information that can be gained during this exploration.

It is also important to maintain a critical eye to ensure that the language used in your profile accurately portrays you and works in your favor to get what and whom you desire. Think about what personal image you feel is important to convey to others.

Consider

the picture you want to paint of yourself and what your desired outcomes are.

Depending on your goals, you may want to emphasize the list of exotic places you want to visit or focus on the erotic places you would like to be touched. This assessment activity is an important part of constructing your “social networking resume.” Just like in business, there are times when you may want to tailor your presentation differently depending on your audience and the type of position you're looking for. Having a strong basic format is extremely important, and so is the ability to add, subtract, or modify language as necessary. Also feel free to change it over time as new experiences and insights are gained.

Prioritize those things that you want people to know about you.

Don’t worry about giving a complete biography. Finding the right length is important: too little information doesn’t let others know much about you, but too much detail can make people think you’re cocky or will dominate a conversation. Choose easily digestible bits of your life experiences, hobbies, and hopes for the future. It's more about enticing someone to learn more about you sometime in the future than providing a full-course meal about your life.

Showing diversity is also important. Unless you only have one or two aspects of yourself that you're truly proud of, you may want to let somebody know you're more than a nice set of abs, a guy who drives a nice car, or someone who enjoys a hearty game of Pokemon.

When selecting images for your online profile, similar types of considerations are important. What you hope to gain is important to evaluate and your pictures should be in alignment with what is stated in your profile. Have fun and feel free to post whatever you want, but realize that your images are another important component of your overall profile. Be thoughtful of what you are putting out and who you may be turning off or turning on.

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The rooftop was rocking during Climax at Club Vinyl on June 11th. The Sunday soiree featured games, cocktails, gogos, and the musical stylings of DJ Blaque Gurl. Climax is held every Sunday throughout the summer.

Fire Rescue Dogs Photos by Charles Broshous

OUT FRONT went behind the scenes during a photo shoot for the 2018 Fire Rescue Dogs Calendar on June 9th at the West Metro Fire Training Facility in Lakewood. Local firefighters and a dozen adorable puppies flexed their muscles and flashed their pearly whites to help raise money for Lifeline Puppy Rescue in Brighton. The calendar’s debut party is on August 10th at the Grizzly Rose.

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