September 6, 2017: Women's Issue

SEP T EMB ER 6, 2017 O U T FR O N T M AGA ZINE .CO M FREE

Chronic Queens

Legendary Lesbians

COCKTAIL QUEEN:

Blush & Blu’s Jody Bouffard

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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 06, 2017 VOL41 NO17

10 CHRONIC QUEENS THE QUEER WOMEN WHO SHATTER THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY 14

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CAPITOL QUEENS THE WOMEN FIGHTING FOR OUR EQUALITY 16 COLORADO CONTINUES HISTORY OF FIGHTING FOR ITS WOMEN 20 CHOREO QUEENS THE WOMEN OF TEASE STUDIO SHATTER THE STIGMA OF POLE DANCING

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34 COCKTAIL QUEENS BREAKING BAR STANDARDS AT BLUSH & BLU 42 LEGENDARY LESBIANS: REMEMBERING OUR QUEER POP CULTURE PREDECESSORS

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LEGAL DIRECTORY

THE LOWDOWN ON WORKPLACE PROTECTIONS Anyone can experience employment discrimination. It can happen at many different points in the process of getting and keeping a job. Here are five areas of concern for people who are LGBTQ or HIV positive, as well as some basic information about what you would need to know to protect your rights.

HIRING AND PROMOTION Ideally, employers would hire and promote the person with the best qualifications for a job, but that’s not always the case. It’s easier to prove a claim of discrimination when someone has made sexually explicit remarks or has demonstrated discriminatory traits or behaviors. Such cases can be very difficult and complex.

HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT Workplace discrimination can create a hostile work environment — overt harassment, the threat of violence, or even blackmail still happen in the workplace

today. Some employers, especially larger ones, have HR departments that should be able to handle the issue, but you may also want to seek legal counsel to protect your rights.

harassment policies that explain how to make a complaint. If yours does, it’s your obligation to follow that process. If you cannot reconcile the situation, you may want to seek legal advice.

WRONGFUL TERMINATION One of the most common types of employment discrimination is wrongful termination. Generally, employers may not need to present compelling reasons for the termination. However, if discrimination is suspected, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will investigate the claims.

GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION Gender stereotypes, health insurance, and restroom access policies are common areas that transgender and gendernonconforming employees frequently face. Discrimination because one is gender nonconforming has been held by the Supreme Court to be sex discrimination and the EEOC and federal courts recognize that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act also prohibits discrimination of transgender employees.

If an employer is not open to discussions regarding these and similar matter, it might be necessary to seek assistance from the EEOC or an attorney who has experience in transrelated legal matters.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT Sexual harassment laws apply equally to individuals of the same or different sexes. If you’re the victim of sexual harassment at work, you have specific options available to you, as well as certain obligations. First, you should ask the harasser to stop, then alert your HR Department if you have one. Most companies have sexual

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Letter from the Digital Content Manager:

STAY WOKE, STAY WOMANLY

By Addison Herron-Wheeler

W

hen I was in college and minoring in gender studies, I remarked at all the new, interesting things I was learning. It seemed that the basic fight for women’s equality, at least in the U.S., was coming to a close, ushering in an era of new rights to be sought.

I imagined working in media, fighting for trans rights, advancing the “queer agenda,” pushing for cannabis legalization — all things I am doing now. But I didn’t think there would be any need to push for basic women’s rights, rights that were granted a long time ago, like access to birth control, the right to choose when it comes to pregnancy, or the right not to be infantilized and slut-shamed by men.

Unfortunately, my not-long-ago college dream world is not the world I’m living in in 2017.

While the move to advance human rights continues, this current administration is attempting to take a giant step back. As soon as Trump was elected, it became clear that he didn’t care to uphold our current protections. He moved to take away birth control and abortion access and openly said demeaning and rude things specifically about women.

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As a cisgender, white woman, albeit a queer one, I assumed that my fight would be over. I should be using my privilege to help others succeed and fight for the rights of those not as privileged as myself.

But that’s not where we are.

I find myself walking down the streets in fear because of the heated political climate.

I worry about my access to healthcare. I bought plastic knuckles for my keychain because the outside world feels so tense.

People are watching A Handmaid’s Tale and saying it reminds them of real life, not even fully realizing the irony.

It is so important for women today to band together, now more than ever, not only women from marginalized groups, but also straight women, cisgender women, white women. It may sound like a cliche, but our very basic protections are at stake. We are all fighting to have our voices heard and recognized, and a victory for one is a victory for all. This is a time for anyone who identifies as woman, and anyone who cares about the rights of those people, to stand up and fight, not lay down and get discouraged.

May we all find the strength to stay strong against injustice.

Stay woke, and stay womanly.

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CHRONIC

QUEENS The Queer Women Who Shatter the Cannabis Industry

By Addison Herron-Wheeler

J

acqueline Renae McGrane wasn’t always the self-assured, tattooed trans woman proudly donning a polka dot blouse and miniskirt. For the first 25 years of her life, McGrane kept the blouse and miniskirt in the closet and left the makeup on the shelf. Passing as a cis man for her life’s first quarter, she didn’t transition until she was already a business owner and prominent member of the cannabis industry. In many other fields, this would be a problem. Not in the world of legal weed.

“I actually transitioned on the job almost five years ago, and I encountered the most amazing, accepting people in this industry,” she told OUT FRONT. “Being able to run my own business and transition is something I think a lot of trans people don’t get the opportunity to do, so I am very grateful for this industry

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and the people in it. I’ve always been supported; I’ve never been misgendered.”

It’s not surprising on the surface that this liberal industry is accepting of LGBTQ people. You don’t have to dig too deep into Colorado’s cannabis industry to find female participation, either.

But the image of women in weed that is often presented to the world is that of the cis, white, straight woman from an affluent background who likes wine and a joint with dinner. This is not to belittle the contributions made by these women; in fact, it is a testament to female-identifying people everywhere that many cannabis warriors are fulltime moms and business owners, or find time outside of an unrelated profession to fight the good fight.

There are women in cannabis, however,

Jacqueline McGrane, owner of Cannabinoid Consulting

lords and criminals, and being denied their medicine.

It’s no surprise that there are queer women in the industry, fighting for what is rightfully theirs. They may be seen less often than their straight, cis counterparts, but they are making just as big of an impact.

Transitions and Extractions McGrane, owner of Cannabinoid Consulting, is one of these trail-blazers.

She is known for her quality extractions and feels welcome in the world of Colorado cannabis. Standing well over six feet in heels, a mini skirt, and a blouse and sporting numerous tattoos and a contagious smile, McGrane exudes positivity, happy to be herself and doing what she loves — and not having to choose between the two.

However, despite her good attitude and her positive experiences so far, McGrane still occasionally has to work with people who feel uncomfortable in her presence, something she grins and bares.

who aren’t being recognized, women of color, women with disabilities, women from lower socioeconomic spheres, and queer women.

That being said, there has always been a connection between the LGBTQ community and the world of cannabis users and supporters. Both groups experienced unparalleled hatred based on nothing substantial, and both are finally getting their respect and due — although the current administration seems to be seeking to change that on both fronts.

When queer people were facing conversion therapy, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and AIDS-based prejudice, cannabis enthusiasts were being convicted with felonies for medicating, being painted as drug

“The only time I’ve felt negativity is when dealing with older male investors,” she admitted. “For example, two days ago, I was standing in front of an older investor and owner, a man, and another man, and he spent the entire conversation staring at the other man even though it was about my consulting work. But in terms of the younger crew, it has been a lot more accepting.”

Despite this, McGrane continues to be herself and do her work. She specializes in custom design of extraction and purification systems for those who want to produce concentrates from cannabis flower. Since concentrates are rapidly becoming the most popular way to imbibe cannabis, due to their potency and the fact that vaping and dabbing concentrates is healthier than smoking, McGrane is doing good business both in Colorado and out of state.

McGrane attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, and then MIT, to become a biologist with a focus in organic chemistry. She got involved

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in the cannabis industry because she knew there was a market for someone with scientific training. She already ran cannabis-infused-product facilities, so going into consulting was a natural step for her. Since making that change, she has experienced a lot of success.

“I made more money in the last year and a half than I ever did in my whole life, and I’m doing exactly what I want to do,” she said.

McGrane lives in a generous house on some land outside of Boulder with her wife, a proud trans woman who often works in the cannabis industry as an electrician, and plans to use the profits from her expanding business to start a family.

They are also active members of the kink community and often supply thier pony play group with props and desired items, since most members of the group haven’t enjoyed as much success as they have.

McGrane makes it a point to share the wealth by donating to a Russian charity that helps sneak queer men out of Chechnya, and by giving concentrates for free or selling them at a low price to those who need them medically.

Unfortunately, although the cannabis industry is welcoming to McGrane, the rest of the world is not always.

“I feel so much acceptance from this industry but not so much acceptance from regular people I see on the street,” she admitted. “Just last night, me and my wife were sexually harassed by a drunk woman who grabbed us and called us anti-female, he-she bigots. I’ve had people throw stuff at me from their cars and take pictures of me and laugh, especially in the CU area — frat boys will laugh at you.

“There are tons of people out there who think trans people are delusional child molesters; I’ve been told that I promote misogyny and maternalism by females.”

She doesn’t allow these incidents to shatter her spirit.

industry she is in to be affirming of her identity, although she’s had to fight for the rights she has.

“Personally, being a gay woman, I’m used to the government regulating whom I can and can’t love and my body in general,” she explained. “I feel like I’m fighting for the same rights for cannabis, something I want to fight for. Something worth fighting for — for sure. Because of stoner culture, you do run into some tone deaf ‘allies,’ but considering the generally liberal nature of the industry, it’s must more of an annoyance than anything else.”

While Denver is lucky in its embrace of queer and cannabis culture, May feels that more could be done to ensure the spread of cannabis education and queer acceptance.

She also thinks that the industry could be more inclusive of people other than white males who want to get ahead in the industry.

“I definitely think because of the fact that it’s a new industry you do have a leg up, but of course anyone that has the chance to afford good schooling and stuff like that, they are usually gonna have a larger leg up, and that’s straight white men,” she explained. “But because the industry is so new, and because we are more accepting than other industries, you can see that many women and people of color have been able to get their foot in the door. It’s nice to see women and people of color in powerful positions.”

Women have been making a huge impact on the cannabis industry since its inception, that much is clear. There are also women behind the scenes and the face of the cannabis industry, who are putting the wheels of industry in motion.

While McGrane and May enjoy success and acceptance as queer women in the cannabis industry, their success is built on shaky ground — ground that is still threatened by a resurgence of the drug war and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. Regardless, they carry on, thrive in work, and are unapologetically themselves.

The Thin Green Line Kait May, another queer pioneer of dabbing and vaping, is killing it in the cannabis industry and reveling in every minute of it.

May works as an executive assistant for Green Line Partners, a business strategy firm that “strives to elevate the public perception of the cannabis industry through responsible and respectful business practices.” One of their primary clients right now is Dipstick Vape, makers of the Dipper, a device that allows onthe-go vaping and also acts as an accessory for dabbing.

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Kait May, executive assistant at Green Line Partners

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The Women Fighting for Our Equality

CAPITOL QUEENS

By Louisa Silverman

W

hen I met Representative Leslie Herod at the state Capitol, she led me through a doomed room.

Every day to get to her office, Herod must first walk past paintings of old white men, spiraling several layers up the walls, staring down at her.

“It’s great to come in here and not be the first or only LGBT person; it’s great to come in here and not be the first or only African American person,” she said, talking about all the people who have crossed unspoken (and sometimes spoken) lines to work in that building.

Herod is the first out, LGBTQ, African American person to hold elected office in Colorado.

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Even though she’s shattering the glass ceiling for queer people of color in Colorado, she’s not blind to all the work and sacrifice the people before her laid down. In fact, her face lit up with excitement as she lead me down the hallway where photos of recent Colorado House of Representatives hang.

She took her time fondly pointing out the people who have impacted her: Mark Ferrandino, the first out LGBTQ Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, Terrance Carroll, the first African American Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, and many others. She then led me into another room where she pointed out three women standing amongst a very homogenous House in a black-and-white photo.

Their faces look tired — whether that’s the faded paper or the struggle to be taken seriously was hard to tell.

“Can you imagine what it must have been like to be one of them?”

Herod’s passion for politics began while she attended UC Boulder. As she walked around the majority-white campus, she felt lost looking for other people of color. Eventually, she found a group of students comprised of people of many different races, nationalities, and sexual orientations that became a sort of campus family for her. But it troubled her to see the lack of representation of minority groups in the governing body.

She knew the importance of having a student government that mirrored her diverse friend group.

So she organized her friends to run on a ticket with her, and they won (by a lot). That was only Herod’s first victory. Now, she has a seat at the Capitol representing Colorado’s 8th District.

“It’s important to have political representation from people with many different experiences because it changes the perspectives and the conversations,” Laura “Pinky” Reinsch said.

As the Political Director of One Colorado, the state’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization, Pinky’s job is to organize people’s voices. She facilitates communication between LGBTQ people and their political representatives because she doesn’t want the concerns of our community to go unheard.

So she travels through Colorado and talks to the queers that make our state that much more colorful. Pinky listens to stories and helps spread those words to the ears that have the power to make a difference, whether that be a teacher, the state legislature, or the media.

It’s not just about changing the laws; it’s also about changing the culture.

Pinky has held Tell Your Story trainings for trans people and their families, in which she emphasizes relatability.

Experience has taught her that language encourages empathy and familiarity, and she cautions against intellectualizing or using alienating terminology, leaning instead towards phrases that elicit feelings everyone has experienced, such as “being who I know I am on the inside.”

Pinky’s work uses the experiences of people from the community to strengthen the push for LGBTQ equality from people like Herod. She sets up opportunities for community members to contact legislators, sign petitions, and testify when

bills are in committee. Pinky recognizes, though, that it can be difficult and scary to talk about personal experiences. It takes a lot of bravery, for example, to testify as a survivor of conversion therapy in front of a legislative committee and talk about how the experience impacted one’s health and self-worth. “I get really emotional,” she said.

That’s why allies are so important. Pinky is encouraged by her community of people who are passionate about these issues. She is bridging the gaps that still exist within our community, both on a personal and legislative level. Luckily, she’s not alone in this.

Herod agreed that productive communication is often about understanding where someone is coming from and meeting them in the middle because “We’re all a part of this ecosystem.”

Legislating requires compromise and empathy, and Herod found that cultivating sincere relationships with people who don’t share her political views has helped engender cooperation and respect when dealing with controversial issues.

In fact, she makes it a point to sit next to a republican in every committee meeting. Herod tries to keep an open mind, even when a confused older man, disoriented by her fem appearance, asked her, “So you’re gay, huh?”

“I think even saying the word ‘gay’ is something he doesn’t do. And the fact that he did that and he acknowledged it, it was his own way of taking a step out.”

But for both Herod and Pinky, their work is about more than just talking to people. They both fight to show the impact of the law on people’s lives. The laws that are passed through the Capitol have serious consequences for the LGBTQ community that need to be considered. When it comes to policy-making, Herod doesn’t let her fellow legislators off the hook. For her, intersectionality is key.

She makes sure that they’ve considered the impact their bills would have on the LGBTQ community, people of color, and people in the low-income bracket — even when they don’t seem directly related at first glance. For example, part of the conversation surrounding sex assault needs to account for safe places for LGBTQ people who have been assaulted.

In her search for allies, Herod met a very impactful group of people through an organization called the LGBT Victory Fund, a national organization that trains and promotes openly LGBTQ people for government positions. Through them, she now has a support network that she can turn to whenever she needs.

“We lean on each other a lot,” she said. Herod emphasized the importance of having safe spaces and people you can trust within your political community.

Herod pointed out that it’s not common for a black lesbian to be elected into office in Colorado. She is vocal and honest about who she is, and she encourages others to be the same way.

In the face of adversity, she calls for speaking up, being authentic, and showing self-pride. In that, she and Pinky agree and stress the importance of not being restricted to a box designated by society. They also stressed that we need more people outside of that box to have a seat at the Capitol.

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COLORADO CONTINUES HISTORY OF FIGHTING FOR ITS WOMEN

By Yvonne Wright

T

his month, women across the country will celebrate the 97th anniversary of receiving the right to vote.

While it’s an important date in women’s history, here in Colorado, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

By the time the country got around to ratifying the vote nationwide, women in Colorado had already been voting for 27 years. Colorado became the first state to elect women to its legislature one year after becoming the first state to grant women the right to vote through a popular election.

This leadership continues today.

“In Colorado, women are better represented in our general assembly than in nearly all other states,” said Louise Myrland, Vice President of Programs for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. Colorado ranks third in the nation for women’s representation, with women holding 39 percent of state House and Senate seats.

At the same time, women’s rights activists across the country warn that the nation is on a precipice.

President Trump ran on a platform that threatened women’s reproductive rights on several fronts.

One day after his inauguration, women staged the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

They were not just protesting what Trump promised politically, but also statements he had made that many women found offensive, like bragging about grabbing women’s genitals or walking into the dressing rooms at beauty pageants his company helped fund.

Long-time women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem told the crowd gathered in the nation’s capital, “This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy like I have never seen in my very long life. It is wide in age. It is deep in diversity.”

Coming from a woman who attended the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.-led March on Washington and who

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herself would later organize migrant and women right’s rallies across the nation, that is significant.

the minimum wage workforce and underrepresented in high earning fields,” said Myrland.

Now, seven months into the administration, the president is working to make good on his promises.

Those high earning fields are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Right now, women in this country fill about one-quarter of all STEM jobs.

Many high schools and colleges are pushing to get women into those careers.

He appointed a Supreme Court justice who has voted against requiring insurance companies to pay for birth control. If abortion rights are challenged, based on some of his earlier rulings, he is expected to vote against them.

Trump is also pushing for legislation to ban late-term abortions, slash maternity leave, and cut funding for Planned Parenthood and other clinics that offer abortion.

He has also signed executive orders that cut funds to world-wide family-planning organizations.

Some women’s activists, like conservative-leaning author and philosopher Christina Hoff Sommers, do not necessarily see the president’s actions regarding abortion as threatening women’s rights.

“Americans are pretty evenly divided on [abortion].

With women, half want a liberal policy and half are prolife,” Sommers told the Conservative Women’s Network.

Sommers believes there are other, less controversial issues that women can agree on. Sommers herself believes in a woman’s right to choose, and also opposes government funding for abortion.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is urgently working against cuts to contraceptives. The group’s website reported that 99 percent of all women and 98 percent of Catholic women use contraceptives at some point during their childbearing years.

NOW’s work is in response to 100 lawsuits working their way through the nation’s court systems that the organization says threaten women’s rights. NOW calls them “The Dirty 100”, lawsuits that primarily try to stop requiring insurance companies to pay for contraception.

While Colorado would be impacted by any federal ruling, this year, the state legislature voted to maintain funding for contraception programs that Myrland said “have had tremendous success in reducing unintended pregnancy by improving access to long-active, reversible contraception.”

Other state legislative successes include laws to combat pregnancy discrimination, expand a pilot program to support welfare mothers in getting jobs without losing supportive benefits, and the defeat of a bill in the Colorado Senate that would have eliminated access to safe and legal abortion. Lawmakers also voted to extend income tax credits for child care and passed a law that allows employees to compare wages, which is especially important to help close the pay gap between men and women.

“Women earn, on average, 80 cents on the dollar compared to men, and the gender wage gap is even wider for women of color... In Colorado, women are more likely than men to live in poverty. Women are also overrepresented in 1 8 \\ S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 7

Currently, women make up about half of the majors in science, math, and statistics, but are hovering around 20 percent for degrees in engineering and computer science, according to National Center for Education statistics.

In Colorado, women with lower incomes can be hit particularly hard.

“Colorado consistently ranks among the least affordable states for child care and only has capacity to serve 23 percent of children in licensed child care providers,” said Myrland. She also pointed out that women of color and women in rural areas face greater economic challenges.

Equal pay for equal work and getting women into high paying careers top the agenda of many women’s rights groups nationwide.

Staying true to Colorado’s progressive past on women’s rights issues, the state is narrowing in on these topics, even while these issues are becoming more divided along party lines nationwide.

For the first time in several years, The Women’s Lobby of Colorado’s Annual Legislative Scorecard included two republicans with 100 percent scores on voting for women’s rights legislation.

According to the report, bi-partisan agreement resulted in the passage of bills to provide sexual assault and domestic violence survivors important rights. Since democrats control the House and republicans control the Senate in Colorado, nothing gets passed without ultimately having bipartisan support.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the anniversary of women getting the right to vote, Colorado women continue to lead the way.

While U.S. Census figures show slightly more men living in Colorado than women, nearly 52 percent of all voters in last year’s election were women. And data from the Secretary of State’s office shows that as of August, 2017, women made up nearly 52 percent of active, registered voters.

What are women voting for? Myrland said her group has an idea.

“When we asked about priorities for advancing women’s economic security and gaps in resources, we heard that women need better opportunities to pursue education at every level... For educational attainment to translate into employment and better earnings, women also need to be able to access affordable, high quality child care and earn equitable, livable wages.”

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CHOREO QUEENS The Women of Tease Studeo Shake the Stigma of Pole Dancing

By Ryan Howe

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A

few years ago, Ashlee Lanouette was working as a nurse in a neurology clinic, helping people heal and comfort their minds. But as she navigated her way through life in scrubs, she wasn’t giving those same comforts to herself.

It wasn’t until the doctors in her department gave a (somewhat creepy) gift to the nurses that she started healing herself. The gift that changed her life was pole dancing classes.

“Neurologists are kind of sick,” Lanouette said.

While most of the women laughed it off, Lanouette and two of her coworkers seized the opportunity and signed up for three different classes, starting with a lap dancing class. Although the class asked for everyone to show up 10 minutes early, Lanouette and her friends showed up much earlier to shake off their nerves.

Basing their knowledge of lap and pole dancing on movies and pop culture, the nurses were expecting to see an army of size two, 6’2”, blonde women. As they waited for the class to start, they watched the tail end of the advanced pole dancing class as the women freestyled on the poles.

“It was the first time that I looked at pole in a completely different way,” she said. “These women were all different body shapes and they were doing things that I couldn’t even imagine doing.

And all of these people were so beautiful, more beautiful than what I had in my head. They were flexible and strong, and they all looked really, really happy.”

Lanouette fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere and beauty of Tease Studio, a local adult dance and fitness studio that does a lot more than just pole dancing classes. After giggling through her first class, she walked back to her car with an overwhelmingly confident stride and a new trick.

“The instructor taught us how to do a headstand on someone’s lap during the dance,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to go back.”

And she didn’t.

Since taking her first class at Tease Studio, Lanouette became a regular client, an instructor, and as of March 2015, the owner of one of Denver’s best adult fitness studios. This is no easy feat, considering the stigma surrounding erotic dance and the people that do it.

Lanouette is breaking that stigma. Since taking over the studio, she’s opened its doors to anyone willing to come and have a good time. She’s removed all but two women’s-only classes, invited in male instructors, and made it known that “being sexy, confident, and healthy is genderless.”

On Fridays, the studio opens its doors to anyone wanting to work on their moves by hosting open studio time. Behind the black curtains separating a cluttered reception desk from the spotless studio space is a group of people all working on different tricks on the eight poles that line the northern and southern walls of Tease Studio.

Leah Ray snagged the first pole on the northern side and started practicing her lifts. Sporting a black sports bra and underwear, she ascended towards the ceiling using her brute strength and determination. As she reached the middle of the pole, she flipped her body upside down and spread her legs into the air, using only her arms to hold her weight. The room stopped to watch

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and yell words of encouragement. When she began to struggle, Lanouette stepped in and helped support her weight as she perfected the lines that her muscular legs struggled to form.

It’s a camaraderie that Ray hadn’t experienced before coming to Tease Studio, and she has no plans to leave it anytime soon.

“I’ve always been that fitness junkie who conditions and trains,” Ray said. “I’ve never been pushed this hard by any other workout. Honestly, though, the welcoming and encouraging environment is what kept me coming back. I fell in love with the sport and the people that surround me.”

Like Lanouette and her crew of nurses, Ray had an image in her head of what pole dancing was and the women who did it. But then Ray watched a video of one of the best pole dancers in the world.

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In the video, a woman holds her entire weight as she walks in a vertical line through the air... three times.

Witnessing the strength and beauty of this move, Ray decided to hit Tease Studio and push herself to do that same move.

“I’m still working on that move, and I’m not even sure what I’ll do once I complete it,” Ray said. “Since day one, this studio has changed my mind on what it means to be a pole dancer. I’m in the best shape of my life, and I feel so empowered and sexy.”

Although her mind has been changed, a lot of people still view pole dancing and erotic dance as something that should be hidden or utilized only in strip clubs where patrons look at the dancers in sexual and

often times condescending ways. But for those that strip away their clothes and use strength and physics to spin around the pole, it’s more that that. It’s an art.

In the US, pole dancing acts were common in circuses and sideshows during the 1920s, but it’s generally accepted that the apparatus didn’t make it into actual strip clubs until 1968, when a woman named Belle Jangles took to the pole at the Mugwump Strip Club in Oregon. By the 1980s it was a fixture in striptease routines, and soon there were pole dancing competitions popping up all over the world.

In the last few years, thanks in large part to videos circulating social media, the stigma surrounding erotic dance has dwindled.

Dancers are showing the world how beautiful and powerful it is to work the pole, one viral video at a time.

One of those people was Patty Yaconis’ mother.

Yaconis was in her 50s when her mom encouraged her to go take pole dancing lessons, and, naturally, she was hesitant. It wasn’t something that she had ever done, and she had a handful of reservations before biting the bullet and signing up for a class.

“I was really shy at first, but the more I came, the more I fell in love with it,” she said. “Now I’m an instructor.”

Yaconis’ shyness was nowhere to be found during the studio’s free time. She worked her way around the pole in black, lacy lingerie, which made the colors of her hip tattoo pop. Feet above the ground, she contorted her body in extended, elegant poses while sporting red platform stiletto.

Again, as Yaconis climbed the pole, her studio mates stopped to cheer her on.

“There’s no competitive vibe here,” Brooklyn transplant Ashley Monroe said. “I came from one of the most competitive places in the world, and it is so refreshing and beautiful to be in a place where I’m not always looking over my shoulder at what everyone else is doing.”

Monroe is one of Tease Studio’s sexiest instructors as the resident classic burlesque dancer. She wasn’t a client before she started teaching, but Lanouette saw her talent and dedication. Now, she teaches multiple classes a week, all focused on the art of body language and stripping away the clothes that hide our bodies.

“It’s all about making mistakes and fixing them during the routine,” she said. “It’s really what we do in everyday life — or what we should do. If you make a mistake, make sure it doesn’t stop you from doing what you love. That’s what [Lanouette] is spreading, and honestly a lot of us in here are better people because of it.”

She might not know it, but Lanouette is helping people. She’s teaching them to love their bodies, forget the gender norms, live a healthier lifestyle, feel sexy, and do a headstand on someone’s lap — she’s taught that move to hundreds of people since her first class.

“I’m not saying if I’ve done that move outside the studio, but I really hope my clients feel sexy enough to,” Lanouette said with a slight smile.

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What is TRUVADA for PrEP? TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. ® Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin.

While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. ® You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. ® If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. ® To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: ® Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. ® Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

® Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. ® Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ® If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: ® Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection.

TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: ® Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. ® Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: ® Kidney problems, including kidney failure.

Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. ® Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ® Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

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I’m passionate, not impulsive.

I know who I am. And I make choices that fit my life.

TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices. ® TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you. ® Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? ® All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. ® If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA.

® If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. ® All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. ® If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose.

These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Learn more at truvada.com

O U T F R O N T O8/23/17 N L I N11:07 E . C AM OM

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IMPORTANT FACTS

(tru-VAH-dah)

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected.

Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices.

Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1.

• You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

• See the “How to Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. w

TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection.

TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1.

• To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status.

• Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1.

• Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices.

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• Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP" section.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

• Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

• Bone problems.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight.

These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.

• Have any other medical conditions.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.

• Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.

• Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection.

• Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design,TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0180 08/17

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LIFE IS HER

CABARET An Interview with Bridget Everett

By Gregg Shapiro

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fixture on the alt-cabaret circuit for years, Bridget Everett is the definition of a force to be reckoned with. Possessing a voice that rattles walls and windows, Everett is a dynamic singer, whether she’s performing solo or with her band the Tender Moments.

A year ago, you could have caught this powerhouse on the stage of New York bar Joe’s Pub, doing something wild like licking whipped cream off her legs.

It’s no surprise that her demanding performance would translate so perfectly onto the silver screen.

Currently, Everett can be seen giving an outstanding dramatic performance as Barb, mother to the titular Patti in the movie Patti Cake$ (Fox Searchlight), written and directed by Geremy Jasper, and Alethea Jones’ film Fun Mom Dinner (Momentum Pictures).

In Patti Cake$, she makes her presence in the film known as she steals her debut scene, in which she orders not one, but three jagerbombs before declaring, “To family, right? Blood is thicker than Jäger.”

For those familiar with Bridget, it’s fitting. For those who aren’t, you’ll have a new obsession by the end of the film.

I spoke with Bridget in August 2017, shortly before the film opened in theaters.

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Bridget, if you don’t mind, I’d like to begin by talking about your August 2017 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which went viral. Can you say something about the experience?

It was my first time doing a network, late-night talk show, so I was kind of just, like, wacked out the entire time I was on there. I was so nervous. I’ve met Questlove [of The Roots] previously, and my friend Seth is a warm-up guy [for the studio audience].

My friend Nadia was there, and she knew Jimmy, so it felt like not a big deal, even though I knew it was a big deal. They asked me if I would sing. Since I knew that was coming, that allowed me to not be so nervous.

Your performance as Barb in Patti Cake$ is unforgettable.

Was getting to sing in the movie one of the appealing aspects of playing that character?

Yes. I think also it made it appealing to them to cast me. They wanted somebody who could sing and sing that style. It’s certainly a calming thing for me. I know I’m a good singer. That’s my asset.

I was doing a dramatic role, which I’d never done before. I was like, worst comes to worst, they could just use the parts where I sing... and hopefully that’ll be good.

Geremy is such a wonderful director, and he did such a great job of making us feel comfortable that, even though it was something completely foreign to me, I felt confident that I could do it.

Barb is the kind of mother who would want people to think that she and her daughter Patti are sisters. How do you feel about mothers like that?

I think it’s weird... My mother was 38 when she had me, so there was no sisterhood thing. I certainly see people who do it, and it works for them. But for me and my family and my mom, there was a clear distinction between mother and daughter.

I always think, “You’re the mother. There have to be some boundaries and rules.”

Barb has a vomiting scene in the movie. As acting challenges go, how would you rate that?

It wasn’t fun, I’ll tell you that.

I’ve thrown up so few times in my life that it’s always like you’re losing control. For some reason, it’s very emotional for me to throw up. Sitting over a toilet like that, I’ve been there, and there’s something that’s the-end-of-the-Earth about it, and I don’t like it.

Would you agree that “blood is thicker than Jager” as Barb says to Patti?

No. I love my family. They’re cool. But I definitely have a chosen family in New York that’s just as important to me.

Patti has this supportive best friend Jheri, aka Hareesh. Do you have a best friend like that?

I do! I have a lot of people like that. But my friend drag king and comedian Murray Hill reminds me so much of Jheri: a positive force in my life. Murray is literally my high command. He’s always texting me words of encouragement: “This is the day!

You’ve got this! You live for this!”

We do that for each other. I treasure my relationship with Murray.

The vintage Cadillac that Patti drives has the vanity plate PATTIWGN. If you had a vanity plate, what would it read?

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It’s interesting, I think, with this movie in particular. Patti loves hip-hop and rap music. It’s something that many people love.

I love hip-hop music, too. I think it dominates the culture and people want to be a part of things they see and adore.

Your performance in Patti Cake$ is generating Oscar buzz.

Maybe from you and my mom, but that’s probably it.

What would it mean to you to be nominated for an Academy Award?

The movie comments on the things people do to support their art on the way to being famous, including taking cater-waitering jobs and playing live gigs in gentlemen’s club. In what ways have you had to pay your dues?

I waited tables for 25 years. I also sang in a gentlemen’s club.

Paper routes, all kinds of shit. Anything that would keep me going.

Cultural appropriation is big buzz phrase these days, and in the movie, Patti is accused of that by a famous rapper. Do you have any thoughts on that?

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That would be a dream on a dream on a dream. I just do things because I love doing them. I’m just lucky to cash a check that comes from doing something I love.

You’ve made your name performing on the New York cabaret circuit, and that has also earned you a considerable following in the LGBTQ community. What does it mean to you to have been so warmly embraced by that community?

It means everything to me.

My friends have always largely been gay, queer, or trans. That’s who showed up at my shows early on. Those are the people who have supported me and lifted me up and challenged me to be better. I feel honored that that audience has accepted me.

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CODI CODAY PAVES the Way for Bi+ Acceptance

By Addison Herron-Wheeler

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omen are already often victims of violence and sexual assault, simply for being female

This is a problem for all women, but according to the Human Rights Campaign (http://www.hrc.org/resources/ sexual-assault-and-the-lgbt-community), 46 percent of bisexual women have been raped, compared to 17 percent of heterosexual women and 13 percent of lesbians. Add to that the fact that bi+ women often feel underrepresented in the LGBTQ community, and you’re left with anger, resentment, and nowhere to turn.

Not in Denver. As one of very few bi+-oriented organizations in the nation, and the only one in Colorado, PAVES, the Polysexual Alliance for Visibility, Education, and Support, is giving bi+ people a place turn.

“The mission of PAVES is to, through outreach and awareness campaigns, ensure that polysexual/bisexual+ individuals know they are not forgotten and are never alone,” explained Codi Coday, the group’s president.

“I would say the biggest problem influencing bisexual women is their hypersexualization and objectification simply for their sexual orientation. This attitude leads to bi women experiencing higher rates of sexual assault, domestic violence, PTSD, and injury, and not having supportive spaces free from sexual advances. PAVES is addressing this problem through education for the community and by creating supportive spaces that are free from these sexual advances.”

The group offers a variety of support for the bi+ community, including socials and outings an online community, and resources for those who don’t feel like they can turn to other queer spaces for support.

Coday makes sure that bi+ people from all walks of life have a place where they feel accepted, and as a result, she has helped many bi+ women. Tired of feeling either harassed and sexualized or unwanted and ignored, bi+ women turn to PAVES and similar organizations to find a safe space.

“Sometimes when I go to spaces as a pansexual individual I am not welcome,” explained Hannah Kratin, a cis woman who identifies as pansexual and found support within the PAVES community. “I was angrily posting about it on Facebook and someone said, ‘you should go to this group,’ and I started going and found a home and group of friends.”

All of this support is welcomed by the bi+ community, a group used to being underserved. Coday admits that despite the fact that bi+ people make up such a big part of the queer

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community, they are often neglected and even denied basic recognition and respect by their peers.

Much the way bi+ women often face prejudice in the straight community and deal with labels such as slut and cheater, they face a similar problem in the queer community.

“Bi+ people are so underserved because there is a big problem with biphobia in the LGBTQ community that is supposed to support us,” explained Coday. “There are so many harmful misconceptions bisexuals deal with, including that we don’t even exist, that we don’t deserve a place in the LGBTQ community, that we are greedy, indecisive, or that all bisexuals are cheaters. Unfortunately, these attitudes exist in the leadership of LGBTQ organizations too, so they don’t fight for us, and bisexuals don’t get the support they need.”

The prejudice is a real threat, and for bi+ individuals who may pass as straight in their daily lives, it is hard to share the same feeling of community that gay men and lesbians get to rally around. PAVES provides that connection for those who may not have it otherwise.

“I don’t have a lot of bi or pan friends in my life, so being in PAVES I’ve created bonds with people who know what I’m going through, and it really helps because I feel more comfortable in my identity,” Kratin told OUT FRONT. It is fitting that PAVES is run by a woman, someone who understands constantly living with oppression and being aware of threats. Coday realizes first hand what bi+ people, especially those who identify as female, face.

“As a bisexual woman, I know what it is like to go through hypersexualization, sexual assault, and domestic violence, and feel alone without support just because of my sexual orientation,” she told OUT FRONT. “My story is one I hear all the time from bisexual women, and that’s why it is so important to PAVES to change the status quo.”

Those issues might be doubled in the bi+ community, but thanks to PAVES and efforts like theirs, a positive shift is starting to occur in LGBTQ consciousness. If Coday and her group have anything to say about it, bi+ marginalization among Colorado queers and bi+ fear from female community members will be things of the past.

2018 COLORADO FF CALENDAR DEBUT Photos by Charles Broshous The 2018 Colorado Firefighter Calendar Debut Party was held in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on August 26. A capacity crowd came out to socialize, support a charitable cause and see which Colorado firefighters made it into the coveted calendar. Net proceeds from the sale of calendars and special events directly benefit the Children’s Hospital Colorado Burn Center and other centers across the state.

Visit www.squirt.org to hook up today OUTFRONTONLINE.COM

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By Ryan Howe

COCKTAIL QUEENS Breaking Bar Standards at Blush & Blu

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n any given Friday night, the Colfax strip is packed with people navigating their way in and out of the bars and food joints that make up the street’s vibrant nightlife. As partiers make their way along the strip, they’ll eventually start running into people carrying pink boxes of Voodoo Doughnuts and start smelling the sweet concoctions as they near one of Denver’s most notable stops for tourists.

Once they hit the 1500 block of East Colfax, they’re greeted with an overwhelming longing for donuts, and, more importantly, some of Denver’s most accepting queer people.

They aren’t gathered at Voodoo, but at the bakery’s more colorful neighbor Blush & Blu. Spilling out of patio doors surrounded by a perfect rainbow paint job, which covers the entire face of Blush & Blu, is an assortment of people of all shapes, colors, sizes, and genders.

Some look like they’ve stepped out of a club kid fantasy, while others are sporting a more casual look. Despite what they are wearing, they are greeted at the door by a woman covered in tattoos and plastered with a smile. She waves patrons in, telling them to get a drink and that the “party is in here.”

The woman acting as gatekeeper to the rainbow palace is Jody Bouffard, the only lesbian in Denver who owns a queer bar. More specifically, she owns Blush & Blu and has kept it

alive through her own blood, sweat, and tears — and that’s not just a cliché.

“I’ve gotten three splinters already today and I’m only halfway done,” Bouffard said as she hammered together pieces of light grey flooring over the existing faded, wood floors covered in bar stool indentions. “But I own a queer bar and I’ve got to do a lot of this myself. I don’t mind, because I love this place.

It’s home to a lot of people, myself included.”

Bouffard is currently in the process of remodeling the bar, with the help of some friends. Together they’ve made the flow more efficient, removed the gender-specific colors of blue and pink and replaced them with a dark, neutral color, begun a queer icon mural, and re-floored the bar. It’s the second time the bar has undergone a massive transformation.

When Bouffard set her eyes on Colfax, she purchased a small hallway of a bar in cash, noting that the best way to do business is to “owe nobody anything.” She first opened it as a coffee shop in 2005, and was forced to wait nine months to get her liquor license.

“I’ll never forget that day because it was 4/20,” she said. “On April 20, 2006, I opened up the smallest little gay bar on Colfax and called it Blush.”

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to be known as a queer bar that will accept you no matter what... unless you are an asshole.”

“Yeah, we have a zero asshole policy here,” SJ Paye chimed in as she dug an exacto knife into the new flooring. “We make sure that no matter who walks through that door, they’ve got a friend. It’s something that’s missing in a lot of queer bars these days.”

Paye is Bouffard’s partner in business and an essential player in the bar’s remodel. She cuts through the flooring like she’s done it everyday of her life and keeps her focus on finishing as much of the floor as she can. But when she speaks up, she packs a powerful punch.

Paye, who has worked in queer bars for decades, has seen the drastic changes that come with more accepting times. But she also notes that, while things are better on the surface, there are still a lot of queer people who don’t feel safe outside of our community spaces. For her, queer bars have always been about support, love, and family. She treats Blush & Blu no differently.

“When you walk through that door and sit down across from a bartender, or sit next to a stranger, you’re not leaving here without a friend or at least a good night,” Paye said. “It truly is a special place.”

Both Paye and Bouffard come from small towns in the Midwest where these bars are still a sanctuary for our brothers and sisters. They know the importance and the history these bars hold, and why they were, and continue to be, a safe place.

When it opened, the pink-painted bar was not the only “lesbian bar” in town and faced competition. But it never felt that way to Bouffard. It was during a time before social media and smartphones took over the world of dating and interaction, and before Denver was overwhelmingly supportive of queer people. A new bar just meant there was one more place for LGBTQ people to gather.

“A queer bar is more than just a bar,” Bouffard said.

“It’s a place where anyone can come and dress however they want. They can hold hands with whomever they want. They can sing and dance however they want. They can come and just be themselves. These people will always have a place at Blush & Blu.”

Now, she’s sitting on the last remaining “lesbian bar” in Denver.

“It’s a lot different now than before,” she said. “The queer bars don’t look after one another anymore because we are all competition. I think it’s sad, but it’s the reality we live in now.”

It didn’t take long for Bouffard to expand her bar, buying the building next to her once the Rent-A-Center went out of business. She used half of the huge space to expand Colfax’s smallest bar to something a bit more spacious and welcoming; the other half she offered to her friends from Portland so they could expand their doughnut shop to the Mile High City.

She painted her expansion blue and renamed the bar Blush & Blu to let the city know it wasn’t just a spot for lesbians, but for queers of all sorts. But once labeled something, it’s hard to shake that reputation. Today, if you ask anyone about Blush & Blu, it’s still considered “Denver’s Lesbian Bar.” “We love all of our customers, and, especially now, it’s important for everyone to feel welcome,” Bouffard said. “We just want

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by David-Elijah Nahmod

LEGENDARY

LESBIANS Remembering Our Queer Pop Culture Predecessors

Helen Keller (1880-1968)

H

elen Keller was born to wealth and privilege in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She had all five of her senses at birth, but an illness at 19 months, now believed to have been scarlet fever or meningitis, left her totally deaf and totally blind. In 1887, her parents brought Annie Sullivan, a visually impaired teacher who had graduated from the Perkins School For the Blind in Boston, to try to teach Helen how to read and write.

The results were beyond what anyone expected.

Sullivan taught her young student how to read Braille, how to sign, and how to speak. Helen eventually became a world-renowned author, lecturer, peace activist, and advocate for the disabled. She wrote many books, spoke at universities, and met with heads of state. Annie Sullivan remained by Keller’s side every step of the way.

According to lesbian historian Elisa Rolle, author of the three volume book series Queer Places, the women were a lesbian couple.

Annie Sullivan (1866-1936)

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While some may dispute this, there’s much evidence which suggests that they were. Sullivan had a brief, failed marriage in 1905, but other than that regrettable relationship — during which time Keller remained a part of the household — the two women lived together until Sullivan’s death in 1936. For decades they lived as though they were a couple and were seen as a single unit by all who knew them.

Is it really a stretch to suggest that they may have loved each other?

Bessie Smith

(1894-1937)

B

essie Smith was a big African American woman with a huge voice.

Known as the Empress of the Blues, she was the most popular blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, and she influenced many jazz singers. Signed by Columbia Records in 1923, she was most likely the first black artist to be wooed by a white-owned record label.

Smith, who had an overtly sexual stage persona, never hid her relationships with women.

In 1937 she was critically injured in a car accident. She died before she could reach a hospital.

Kitty Genovese

(1935-1964)

L

ate one night in 1964, Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death as she walked from her car to her apartment in Queens, New York after her shift working at a local bar. Reportedly dozens of her neighbors ignored her cries for help as she was repeatedly stabbed and bled to death only steps away from safety.

The story of Genovese’s death made headlines and today remains a symbol of urban apathy. Allegedly, some neighbors watched her lying on the ground bleeding from their windows and still did nothing. Several books and a 1975 TV movie titled Death Scream were all inspired by Genovses’s murder.

Decades after her death, it was revealed that Genovese was a lesbian.

Her partner Mary Ann Zielonko was included in Kevin Cook’s book Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime That Changed America.

The women were “roommates” to their neighbors because they couldn’t come out in 1964, but Zielonko said that they were very much in love.

They only had a year together.

Lesley Gore

(1945-2015)

L

esley Gore was another pop star who achieved fame during the 1960s. Her song “You Don’t Own Me” was a massive hit, becoming somewhat of a feminist anthem. In the song, Gore tells an unnamed boyfriend that she is free to do as she pleases, just as he is. The song made a recent comeback when Oakland rapper G Eazy sampled the tune and lyrics in his song of the same name. Gore also topped the charts with “It’s My Party” and “Judy’s Turn to Cry.” Gore came out as a lesbian in middle age. Though her career tapered off in the 1980s, she continued composing songs and made occasional appearances. In 2004 she began hosting the LGBTQ television news magazine In The Life on PBS. Gore died of lung cancer in 2015.

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Alice B. Toklas (1877-1967)

A

lesbian couple in Paris during the early part of the 20th century, both Toklas and Stein were Americans. They met in Paris around 1907, remaining together until Stein’s death in 1946. They were part of a circle of American expatriates living in the City of Light — writers, artists, and poets — that included some of the era’s most famous literary figures.

For Stein and Toklas, Paris was a place where they could live openly as a lesbian couple, which was not the case in the USA at that time.

Both women were writers, though Stein was, during her lifetime, the more celebrated of the two. Toklas was more of a background figure, serving as Stein’s secretary.

Stein’s most remembered book is The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, which was actually a memoir of Stein’s own life, written as though Toklas were telling it. Published in 1933, it was ranked by Modern Library as one of the 20 greatest English language books of the 20th century.

After Stein’s death, Toklas struggled to make a living. Stein had left her estate to Toklas, which included a vast and valuable art collection, but Stein’s family took this from Toklas. At a time when queer relationships were not legally recognized, Toklas had no recourse.

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)

Toklas made a living writing columns for newspapers and magazines.

She eventually achieved cult status for her 1954 book The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook. A mixture of memoir and recipes, the cookbook included Hashish Fudge — fruit, nuts, spices, and “Cannibus sativa.”

The year after her death, Toklas was immortalized when the comedy film I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (1968) was released. The film included a hilarious sequence in which a hippie chick (Leigh Taylor Young) makes Toklas’ pot brownies and then proceeds to get her boyfriend’s conservative, overbearing mother stoned.

The women are buried side by side in Paris.

Dusty Springfield

(1939-1999)

B

ritish born singer Dusty Springfield moved to the USA around 1964, where she became a wildly popular pop singer. Her 1969 hit Son of a Preacher Man was an envelope-pushing tale of a teenage girl who has a summer fling with the pastor’s son. The song was part of her album Dusty in Memphis, now considered by music critics to be among the greatest of all time.

Springfield, who died of breast cancer in 1999, was listed in the Equality Forum’s 31 Icons for 2015 LGBT History Month. Her relationships with women were well known within the LGBTQ community throughout her life.

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2017 CONCERT SCHEDULE FREE SHOWS

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THE LATIN CONCERT SERIES Presented by FirstBank in association with 95.7 The Party August 31 – Inspector with Izcali September 3 – Levitt Pavilion Denver Cumbia Festival featuring: Disco Movil Marakey, Chavos HV, Chavos Dun Dun, Tropical Kaoba, & Tropa Vallenata September 16 – Mexican Independence Celebration featuring: Ceci Bastida & much more!

THE COLORADO CONCERT SERIES Presented by Bonfils Blood Center in association with 93.3 Denver’s Modern Rock September 8 – Pandas & People with co–headliner Chimney Choir September 23 – Dragondeer with co–headliner Strange Americans THE LEVITT PAVILION DENVER CONCERT SERIES August 30 – Ripe with Chris Daniels & the Kings & Freddy Gowdy – Presented by 95.7 The Party September 2 – Chali 2na with Reason the Citizen and POVi – Presented by 95.7 The Party September 9 – Jonathan Tyler with the School of Rock Denver – Presented by KBCO 97.3 September 10 – Humming House with Treehouse Sanctum – Presented by KBCO 97.3 September 17 – Katastro with Mouse Powell and Forgotten Roots – Presented by KBCO 97.3 September 21– SHEL with Megan Burtt – Presented by KBCO 97.3

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BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC Levitt Pavilion Denver presents 60+ concerts a year with a diverse calendar of professional artists, from Colorado-based acts to emerging national and international musicians. The best part is that 50 of these concerts are FREE! We believe in the power of music and work to present the Levitt audiences with quality music acts. Levitt Pavilion Denver is a launchpad where you can hear tomorrow’s stars today!

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Photo and Column by Mike Yost

Dueling with Depression

THE GAP

MA KER

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B

uddhist philosophy argues the familiar aphorism that the root of all suffering is desire. So, don’t desire, and your inner suffering will come to an end...

Well, that was a short article.

But I’m still depressed. After all, how do you cease desiring? If you really think about what that means, a troubling problem seeps to the surface.

If your goal is to live a life free of suffering by not desiring, and you work really hard at achieving that goal, then don’t you desire not to desire? The desire not to desire is a desire in it of itself.

How do you stop desiring if the process itself to alleviate suffering is a desire? How do you not desire to desire to not desire? Is your brain hurting yet?

This problem is exacerbated here in the Western world — a society driven by gaps created between who I am right now, and who I should be according to others.

Buy the latest smart phone, or you’ll be ridiculed as a Luddite. Buy face moisturizer made from caviar, or your face will wrinkle up like a raisin. Buy name-brand clothes to wear at the club, or no one is going to fuck you.

Advertisers are constantly telling me that I need to desire something that I’ve never heard of before, and that fulfilling the desire is essential to a happy, complete life. Otherwise I’ll be a lonely, sex starved, raisin faced Luddite with an antiquated flip phone that can’t even download d*ck pics.

If only I made more money. If only I had partner who loved me. If only I was single and had more time to myself. If only I lived in a bigger city or a smaller town. If only that hot blond would talk to me (it must be the nonname-brand clothes I’m wearing).

The gap maker runs amok in my mind, constantly cultivating desires of all the things in life I don’t have, reminding me of what is lacking, churning up my depression like digestive juices in my chest.

But no matter how hard I work at filling those gaps, new gaps open at my feet, and I stumble forward yet again, trying to fill those new gaps — feeding yet again the underlying anxiety and depression.

In the words of the philosopher Alan Watts: “To succeed is always to fail—in the sense that the more one succeeds in anything, the greater is the need to go on succeeding. To eat is to survive to be hungry.”

There’s no escape from the gap maker, just like there’s no way to completely eliminate desire — which in itself is liberating. It’s a matter of me choosing not to fill those gaps because I realize I’m already a whole, complete person before I even try to fill them.

“All ideas of self-improvement and of becoming or getting something in the future relate solely to our abstract image of ourselves,” Watts writes.

I’m already complete, with or without a partner, with or without the latest smart phone. My wholeness isn’t contingent on filling those gaps, but on how I choose to define what it is to be whole.

And what is it to be whole? The person I am, right now, drafting this article. The person you are, right now, reading these words.

OUTFRONTONLINE.COM

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HEINZESIGHT: I don’t understand why so many people are looking for “no strings attached” sexual encounters. For me, it is extremely important to feel a strong connection with someone before we have sex, and it can take many dates for me to develop comfort with getting naked. It doesn’t make sense to me that people can just hook up without some emotional feelings towards each other. Am I just out of touch and old fashioned?

T

he best thing about how we interact with other people is that there are infinite possibilities, and very few of them are intrinsically right or wrong. It ultimately depends on the values, desires, and comfort level of the people involved.

There are many out there who would be thrilled to find someone for a romantic outing with a sweet picnic lunch or to watch a romantic comedy with while snuggling on the couch. Others get off on a butt grab, sexy wink, and a sweaty romp to get to know someone. The trick is finding those who share your wishes to develop a relationship in specific ways.

Think about what you are trying to achieve by getting naked with someone and what having sex with someone means to you. Some feel hooking up is an athletic activity that can be a fun way to release some sexual energy, while others utilize intimate encounters to build trust and emotional bonding and to feel closer to someone else. It is important to let someone know how you feel about it.

Attaching strings for sex Brent Heinze

It can be intellectually and emotionally challenging to determine when and how we want to connect sexually with someone. Not only do we have to find someone who wants to get naked with us, but we also have to work together to discuss what each person wants from the experience. Unless good conversations are happening and everyone wants similar things, exchanges can go south rapidly.

Awkwardness, confusion, frustration, and anger are normal outcomes when common ground is not shared.

Breakfast in bed may be a sweet gesture after someone spends the night, but some may feel that it sends a potential marriage proposal.

The decision about when to have sexual contact with someone is less about developing a firm set of expectations around the minimum amount of time you know someone and more about whether each of you feel comfortable and close with the other. Setting some general guidelines and expectations can be helpful in letting someone know of your intimate philosophy, but don’t let the details stop your heart and groin from getting excited.

It is important to remember that being intimate with someone can mean more than just sexual contact. A great snuggle, make out session, or holding hands can help to build feelings of closeness. Good communication is at the core of most successful relationships, but you also don’t have to put every expectation and limitation on the table immediately upon meeting someone. You can be excited about someone emotionally, intellectually, physically, and sexually.

Sometimes just letting your history unfold naturally with someone can provide exciting and unexpected pleasures.

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begins 2017 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5i PREMIUM

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COURTESY DELIVERY AVAILABLE TO ANYWHERE IN COLORADO Family Owned and Operated for Over 45 years (719) 475-1920 · 1080 Motor City Drive · Colorado Springs 5 6 \\ S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 7

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