Mar. 18, 2015 :: Spring Fashion Forward

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THIS ISSUE

> CONTENTS March 18, 2015

6 From the Inbox 16 Lágrimas por las Flores Justice for Jessie 16 Spring Fashion Forward 20 Wearable Tech 24 Oh, Ricky: You’re So Fine 26 Not Looking Too Inclusive,

Russell Tovey 30 Calendar

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32. Futuro Beach

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36 Taken 38 Local Travel: Still in Bloom 46 Marketplace

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49 Bar Tab 50 Tracks Reimagined 58 BackWords

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our talent stands out from the crowd.

Serving the LGBT Community of the Rocky Mountains since 1976 3535 Walnut Street, Denver, Colorado 80205 Phone: 303-477-4000 • Fax: 303-325-2642 Web: OutFrontOnline.com Facebook: facebook.com/OutFrontColorado Twitter: @OutFrontCO • Instagram: /OutFrontColorado Out Front is published by Q Publishing, Ltd., a Colorado corporation and is a member of: Denver Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and Denver Drama Critics Circle.

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From the Inbox

“I would like to thank Out Front for not demonizing Jessica Hernandez after her murder by the Denver Police Department. I saw a letter to the editor in the [March 4] issue where someone was screaming about Jessie having stolen a car before hitting a policeman with it.

I wonder why anyone (but especially the gays in this city) would be so quick to trust police accounts of what happened. Police lie all the time! And why does someone being less than perfect mean they should die an unjust death? I’m disgusted at my peers over this. I hope an investigation reveals what we’ve suspected all along: that gunning people down seems far too easy for the police in this town, and that ‘we the people’ will make every excuse to stick our heads in the sand when they do.”

!

Update

On Friday, March HB15 1175, banning LGBT conversion therapy for minors passed the House on a voice vote. Final House vote is scheduled to be recorded on Monday, March 9th. It will then head to a Senate committee hearing in the next couple of weeks.

– Out Front contributor Marc Coulter (See Marc’s piece — We’ll Take the Bill — in our March 4 issue for the backstory.)

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Police Homicide An autopsy report reveals that Jessie Hernandez’s death at the hands of Denver police was a homicide Kyle Harris January 26: Jessica Hernandez sat in a car in a Park Hill alley, making out with her girlfriend and chatting with her friends. Cellphone footage from that night shows her laughing. Night turned to morning. Festivities continued. Nobody suspected it would be Hernandez’s final hours.

A neighbor, disturbed by the kids, called the police. Officers arrived. They looked up the car’s license plate and discovered it was reported stolen.

Hernandez sat at the wheel. Officers approached the vehicle.

The police have released mixed stories about what happened next. According to Fox Channel 31, the Denver Police Department initially said that no officers were injured after Hernandez allegedly rammed them in a getaway attempt, but then amended that statement, saying later that one officer suffered a broken leg. Now, the police department will not confirm whether or not an officer was injured at all.

To the horror of her friends, at least one of the officers, maybe both, opened fire, shot and killed Hernandez, dragged her body from the car, dropped her corpse on the ground, handcuffed her lifeless arms, and searched her, according to witnesses.

Now the coroner’s office has released the autopsy report. Chief Medical Examiner James Caruso calls her death a homicide.

Hernandez suffered four bullet wounds. One bullet shot left to right through her chest, left lung, heart, and right lung. Another shot through her left chest, hit her liver and left lung, and exited out her right chest. Two wounds — one to her pelvis, the other to her thigh — were likely caused by one bullet. Apparently, at least three bullets were shot from the right side of the car.

“Jessie was clinging to her life after being suffering [sic] four gunshot wounds, including one through the heart,” a statement from the family reads. “She was then dragged out of the car, dropped on the ground, and handcuffed. The abrasions to her face confirm this inhumane treatment.”

The Denver Police Department first stated the officers were shooting in self-defense.

From aerial photographs it appears as though the front and rear windshield of the car remained intact. If one or both officers were shooting from the side of the car, it’s unlikely they were in imminent danger, says Qusair Mohamedbhai, the Hernandez family’s attorney.

“The left-to-right wound path and trajectory of all the bullets that struck Jessica Hernandez undermine the version put forth by the Denver Police Department. The autopsy report revealed that one or both of the officers were at the side of the car when Jessica was shot and killed. This brings into question whether the officers were in threat of imminent harm when Jessica was killed.

Speculation at vigils held in her honor included talk that the car was her mother’s. Her attorney responded to requests for that info: “I cannot answer [that]. We do not have any verified information about the vehicle.” Concerning the officers’ actions: “Law enforcement are trained that police cars are like alligators and that the heads and the tails are the parts that can hurt you. So you stay away from those,” Mohamedbhai says. “Excessive Force case law reveals that officers may not create their own exigent circumstances. This means that their poor police tactics may not be the reason why officers ultimately have to use force.”

Denver Police Chief Robert White declined to comment on the case citing that the investigation is ongoing.

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The fight for marriage equality has absolutely been a personal mission for McHugh.

Born in rural Idaho, he came to Colorado a few years ago from New York, where he earned his law degree from the New York University School of Law. McHugh also holds an undergraduate degree, with honors, in English and classical studies from the University of Idaho.

Outside of the courtroom, McHugh and his husband Rob Barber enjoy living in Broomfield, Colorado with their baby girl, Emma. On the weekends, when they are not working on or around their home, they enjoy taking their dogs hiking in Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountains.

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A Dange ous

Thing

In the wake of the police shooting of Jessica Hernandez, one community organizer talks about why she won’t call the police Kyle Harris

Mimi Madrid Puga, a community organizer with the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, has been working with a coalition of activists responding to the death of Jessica “Jessie” Hernandez, a 17-year-old gunned down by the Denver Police in a Park Hill alley on Jan. 26.

“Calling the police is a dangerous thing,” she says.

“That morning, Jessie didn’t even get to say her name before she got shot through the lungs and through the heart.”

Like many, Madrid Puga sees her own story reflected in Hernandez’s. “I share some of the experiences Jessie had. As a young person, 10 years ago, I was doing a lot of the same things she was doing: growing up in Denver, Colorado; sometimes running away from home; sometimes taking my mom’s car. My mom didn’t call the police to get help because she knew I’d be in more danger.”

Like Hernandez, Madrid Puga grew up in a predominantly latino community with many undocumented immigrants. Her community members lived in fear that the government would split their families apart.

“I grew up in a culture where police or anyone in uniform [embodies] a sense of mistrust. They’re the ones who carry the guns — we carry nothing. They’re frightening and absolutely racist and homophobic through every interaction. The reason why it’s dangerous 10 | March 18, 2015

to call police — especially in our community — [is that] we know police officers are often perpetrators of violence to trans and gender-nonconforming folks.”

In the aftermath of Hernandez’s death, her community’s fear of police has become terror.

“We know now that police will kill us — point blank kill us — without asking questions. They’ll even do it with cameras on. We know the system [they] operate from is a corrupt system of violence. [It] encourages that violence and lets police officers know they can kill people on the street. We know police will kill us on sight without asking any questions, without caring if we have families, without caring about our dreams and aspirations. We have to watch our backs because we’re moving targets.”

Denver Chief of Police Robert C. White responded to Madrid Puga’s comments: “I’m sitting here reading this, and obviously I’m not in a position to get into the particulars of Jessica’s case because there is an ongoing formal investigation. But I kind of want you to know this, and you should feel free to quote this: Regardless of anyone’s station in life — and I don’t care race, sex, gender, whether you wear your pants up or wear them down, whether you’ve been a victim of a crime or whether you’re committing a crime­— we should treat everybody with dignity and respect, regardless of their station in life.”

When asked if the Denver Police Department has been holding up these standards of respect, White responded: “You know, what I’m telling you is that I have zero tolerance when it’s not held up. I’m also going to tell you — if you’re asking if every police officer does everything they’re supposed to do — the answer is absolutely not.

That’s why we continue to fire officers and discipline them when they do the wrong thing.”

The united community combating police violence comes from a variety of backgrounds, Madrid Puga says. People have crossed barriers between races, cultures, sexualities, gender identities, and ages to organize a better way to serve and protect our streets.

“We need alternatives to police and have transformative justice and healing justice in our own communities,” Madrid Puga says. “When there is a young person who is out with her friends all night, that should not be seen as a crime punishable by death. Instead, there should be enough investment in community to ask: ‘What is happening? What do you need?’

“For us, what feels like a breath of hope, what feels like a breath of actual esperanza — yeah, hope — is that while our queer brothers and sisters are being assassinated and taken out from this world and from this realm, their spirits will live on through us, through our breath as queer people of color. Our aspiration should be to arrive at an elder age. We are powerful and resilient people.”

First Friday 13th Anniversary Dede Frain and Babes Around Denver celebrated the 13th Anniversary of First Friday at Tracks Nightclub on March 6th. After 13 years, the largest monthly women’s party in the United States is still going strong. Attendees enjoyed the musical stylings of DJS Shannon Stone, Tatiana, Markie, and Blaque Gurl as well as fire dancing and aerial entertainment from Fractal Tribe.

Photo by Charles Broshous

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Lágrimas por las Flores

Justice for Jessie David Duffield

I

t’s a mild Thursday night, days before a big snow. The new moon passes, a time someone will later note, for the “letting go” of things. As a gay, white male I cannot speak to the experience of a queer, latina youth. I speak a little Spanish, but I feel like an outsider.

The space is just outside the Antioch Church on 26th Ave. A tree adorned with pictures and artwork about Jessie Hernandez, now 20 days dead, stands center. Presente.org, Colorado Anti-Violence Program, youth, family, and friends of Jessie gather. They begin a ceremony honoring the cardinal points: spirits of the father, mother, sisters, brothers, Mother Earth.

“I call out the names of the trans women of color who have been killed this year,” says a very tall, powerful young man. He calls out five. “Call out the names of people lost,” he says.

“Don’t forget we are all connected,” says a young ceremony guide. “We have deep roots.” She goes on to ask us to walk around the block with candles to the place where Jessie died. “Every footstep you honor is prayer for a fallen one.” Someone from CAVP speaks, and she points out that there have been no indictments of DPD officers in all deaths at police hands for a generation.

“We don’t trust the DPD,” she says. “We call for a federal investigation into their actions and the death of Jessie Hernandez. Leave-with-pay is not punishment enough.”

I get a candle, following behind a march.

Around the block, down the alley, silently, 12 | March 18, 2015

families watch shadowed in their homes. The sun sets.

We pause at a hidden place in the middle of an alley, where Jessie was killed. Her silhouetted picture and smile frames the flowers, candles, and crucifixes. Is it a place of murder, an accident? It is a place of mourning. A 17-yearold has died.

People speak, I commune with my thoughts.

Spanish prose comes and goes in my mind. Lágrimas por las flores, tears for flowers.

“Justicia solamente (only justice), is what we want,” a woman says in Spanish. In the early morning, she says she saw the police and the dead girl, as did her three children.

“Only God has the right to take life.” Jessie’s young friend speaks, her cousin, and chokes on her words, only saying: “Justice. What happened wasn’t fair.” Another friend speaks, noting Jessie’s smile. “What the police are doing to us is wrong,” it’s echoed. “They are destroying us.”

We have a moment of silence before the speakers.

“Imagine,” says a young ceremony guide. “Imagine ancestors and people here speaking through you.” I imagine the last moments of Jessie’s life. I feel an odd, dark abyss, like a trapped soul lost, terrified, alone, afraid, and wandering. Is this how Jessie felt? After the speakers, I still feel outside ... ignorant but angry and no longer uncertain.

I want to write out the murderous indignation in my fingers, to avenge, to right an injustice. My inner voice returns. My way is not the path to justice it says. Tell only a story of experiences. I leave, having spoken not a word.

I’ve heard a lot about Jessie since her death.

I’ve heard she was a criminal and car thief. Was it an accident, or police brutality? I’ve spoken with people who think she’s not transgender, but a lesbian, who call the actions around her name politicization, money, and fame-making. I’ve heard of activists spilling red paint upon police memorials, and of police showing restraint and walking a fine line. I have found myself marginalizing Jessie and her story in these thoughts. I now embrace it.

Is this a story about a queer/transgender person of color being killed, police brutality, scapegoating, or community action? Is it police policy to draw a gun upon a stolen car and a scared teenager trying to get away? Is it a car hitting and breaking the leg of an officer in an escape attempt, and police firing multiple bullets to kill the driver? We can marginalize a person in the story by playing upon criminality, and perhaps skew reality by overplaying messages.

Justice for Jessie means keeping her in focus, not just the last moments of her life. Lágrimas por las flores means that seeds of compassion must grow from the tears of her death. Let go of that which does not serve you, for our ignorance of Jessie damns us all. Indeed, if we participate in the criminalization of Jessie Hernandez, or we ignore cries for justice, our community is culpable in a lie to kill her twice. If we rehumanize her instead, our vigilance is not simply tested but justified.

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I

Like A Rock

Amidst the Freedom Caucus’ ballyhoo, Congresswoman Diana DeGette leads a Sisyphean struggle for equal rights Kyle Harris 14 | March 18, 2015

n 2013, Tea Party-inspired lawmakers shut down the federal government for 16 days. This year, the so-called Freedom Caucus (formerly the Tea Party) played chicken with the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. Most recently, a band of 47 Republicans undermined the president’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. They wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to let him know that any deal Iran signs with Obama is at risk of being chucked when he leaves office.

Yes, most Dems hate the Freedom Caucus. So do many Republicans who accuse the minority of tearing the GOP apart. Even Iran’s Foreign Minister Dr. Javad Zarif mocked the recent letter to Khamenei.

Zarif called it a “propaganda ploy” and schooled the lawmakers on the finer points of international and U.S. constitutional law.

This band of self-professed libertarians has been making 1st District Councilwoman Diana DeGette’s job serving as vice chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus in the House of Representatives hard.

“In the last election, the electorate thought that if they had Republicans in control of Congress and the Democrats in control of the White House, there would be more compromise, but of course, what happened was the Republicans took control of Congress and immediately started fighting among themselves,” she says.

The infighting and gridlock has made passing equal rights legislation difficult.

Remember Sisyphus, that ill-fated king in Greek mythology doomed to spend eternity rolling a boulder up a mountain only to have it crash back down? From the outside, that’s what fighting for equal rights in Congress looks like.

“More and more of the public agree with marriage equality. They agree with ENDA [Employment NonDiscrimination Act]. They agree with all of the issues all of us have fought so hard for,” Degette says.

But the public’s perspective does not seem to soften the hardline conservatives that still fight against equality.

Take same-sex marriage legislation. Yes, samesex couples can get married in most states, but not because of Congress, the LGBT Equality Caucus, or DeGette’s good intentions. Indeed, Congress still has the anti-equality Defense of Marriage Act on the books. Marriage rights have been secured in federal courts.

“While we don’t think any legislation is going to pass immediately, if the Supreme Court rules the way we hope they will, we’re going to start seeing marriage equality all around the country, and that will lead to more and more LGBT rights,” she says.

With a gridlocked Congress, what can the Equality Caucus actually do? “Congressman [David] Cicilline is working on a bill — a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill. He’s trying to look at everything — employment, education, federal funding, public accommodation, a sort of a broader look at equality,” DeGette says. She will be one of the bill’s original co-signers.

“

So often, people say there is no difference [between the parties]. Look at me right now in Congress trying to pass anti-discrimination legislation. Everybody admits it’s not going to pass with this group we’ve got in charge. People need to look very closely at that when they look at candidates.

”

Will the bill pass? Probably not.

“Right now we’re drafting this big piece of legislation to try and send the message that we still need equality throughout society,” DeGette says.

In addition to drafting unlikely legislation, the LGBT Equality Caucus is serving as a watchdog to ensure that restrictions to equal rights are not passed. “We’re ever vigilant to make sure we don’t get bad legislation.”

DeGette hopes that in the upcoming election, the power will shift back to the Democrats. “The LGBT community has got to realize that as the 2016 election approaches, we’re having to make some real fundamental choices here.

“Obviously, I don’t know who the Republican nominee is going to be, but I can guarantee you they’re not going to be as open to equal rights as Hillary Clinton or another Democratic nominee. When people vote, they need to look at those issues.

Those issues are fundamental and important issues.

“So often, people say there is no difference [between the parties]. Look at me right now in Congress trying to pass anti-discrimination legislation. Everybody admits it’s not going to pass with this group we’ve got in charge. People need to look very closely at that when they look at candidates.”

As for DeGette, she will be supporting her party’s frontrunner Hillary Clinton, whose husband, Bill Clinton, signed the Defense of Marriage Act into effect 19 years ago.

Outfrontonline .com | 15

Fash Spring

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ion

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We were practically in shorts last week, which means (for once) Denver might actually get to rock some new springinspired duds on time this year. As such, we combed through some Spring 2015 fashion imagery to bring you a few looks we think contemporary Denverites will find fresh, upbeat, and (best of all) not from winter.

Photos by Nata Sha / Anton Oparin Shutterstock.com

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Wearable Tech Stefanie Cochrane

Voltaic Systems introduces commuter bags powered by the sun to keep all your tech charged. It may take forever to find your phone in almost any bag, but at least this one keeps you at 100 percent.

Moon Berlin uses itty bitty LED lights to help your clothing and accessories shine. Is it cool to wear a pocket square everyday? With these guys, the answer is a definite yes.

French fashion house Ying Gao will literally make sure all eyes are on you. Their dresses blend eye-tracking technology with photoluminescent thread to spark up anytime someone takes a gander. SCIENCE! (Ying Gao dress shown at top of page.)

CuteCircuit — the future of fashion! The wildly fabulous Katy Perry wore a custom dress by the brand to the Met Ball. The gown was made with more than 3000 colored lights (wut?) to transform her into a human rainbow.

Hexoskin’s biometrics line is a hot commodity for any athlete. Their clothing syncs up to a customizable app so you can keep track of your body’s activity, ECG, breathing rate/volume, and sleep patterns on the go. It might just be cool enough to get us lazies off the couch.

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Dior and I Gary M. Kramer

O

penly gay documentarian Frédéric Tcheng’s new film Dior and I, opening May 1 in Denver, observes creative director Raf Simons preparing his first haute couture show for the House of Dior. Tcheng seamlessly weaves together the eight intense weeks of Simons and his staff preparing their show, intercutting these observational moments with archival footage of Christian Dior to give a sense of the fashion house’s history as its future is unfolding. We spoke with Tcheng about making the film, to give Out Front fashionistas a preview.

How do you identify with Christian Dior?

“His creative struggles mirrored mine. He was a late bloomer [who] worked for other people for a long time — several designers before he started his own line when he was 40. He had several careers, and he came from somewhat of an architectural background. I started as an engineer and got my degree in civil engineering. He was

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reserved, and that’s something I share with him. When I Heads up ! The read Dior’s autobiography, he seemed totally genuine in the full inter v iew way he expressed himself. I liked his simplicity. He doesn’t will run in the seem self-conscious about how he comes across. I liked the April 15 issue. humanity of Christian Dior and how he talked about his collaborators. You get a vivid sense of him and his team from his book. That’s why I decided to use it in the film, and after I met Raf it became obvious — there were so many parallels that the process had not changed in 50 years. It was a way of juxtaposing the past and the present. The two could cohabit and create something new. The voice of Christian Dior became a big part of it as I was researching and as I was shooting. It became very clear as a voiceover. In editing, we started building the film around that.”

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You’re So Fine A single tweet changed Ricky Martin’s life, and then it changed the world Chris Azzopardi When the internationally famed Puerto Rican heartthrob came out in 2010, declaring himself on Twitter “a fortunate homosexual man” who’s “very blessed to be who I am,” Martin, 43, stepped out of the closet and into himself. Reflecting the free life he’s currently basking in are the raw sounds and personal soliloquies on the singer’s 10th studio album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (To Whomever Wants to Listen).

In conversation, Martin is noticeably laid-back, sincere, and personal as he opens up about how his six-year relationship with Carlos Gonzalez Abella inspired his latest music (“I love being in love”), what he’s really trying to convey with all his shirtless selfies, and the “powerful” coming out stories the LGBT community shares with him. And whether he’s ruminating on his two sons or anticipating shaking his bon-bon with more male dancers onstage, his smile radiates through the phone. This is a newer, happier Ricky Martin, and yes: We’re listening.

24 | March 18, 2015

On behalf of the gay community, thank you for all you do. The world is a better place because of your shirtless selfies. *laughs* Oh, man, thank you very much. I laugh so much at the reaction of the people; it’s so funny.

I get a kick out of it too. Are you more comfortable without clothes? Or do you feel it’s just your responsibility as a celebrated sex symbol?

I just want to let people know how normal my life is, and I try to do it with a simple picture — that’s what Instagram is about. So the other day I was laying in the sun and I was like, “Hey everyone, I’m here. I’m in a good place.” You know, I’m a little obsessed with social media, to be honest. That’s the first thing I do in the morning.

I check out my Twitter, my HeyHey account, Facebook, and Instagram. I read what people have to say and what they need from me as an artist. It’s fun, man.

You’ve always been a sex symbol, but how does it feel being a sex symbol for a community of gay men who know you’re playing on their team? Is it different when there’s that mutual attraction?

Listen, for me, it’s about liberty and it’s about being you — or me, in this case — and living life with transparency and just being. It’s so amazing to know that you have nothing to hide, man. What you see is what you get. And this is me. I don’t wear a mask to go on stage, and the support I’ve received from my community since I came out has been amazing. It’s one of those things that [makes] you say, “Oh my god, why didn’t I do this before?” But then again, Chris, you know how it goes: Everybody accepts who they are at their own time. When I sent that tweet a few years ago ... it was the most amazing day of my life after the birth of my kids. And it is what it is. Now my life is simple and honest and transparent, and this is me. And that’s what social media’s about: being yourself.

The ladies have obviously been infatuated with you since the beginning of your career, since the beginning of your career with Menudo.

But when did you first realize that LGBT fans enjoyed you as well?

It’s always been there. Before I came out, the love was there and I was very thankful. When I got to work directly with the community once I came out, it went to another level and it’s felt amazing, but once again, just being able to talk to the media about who we are and what we want and what we need, it’s just so powerful.

The equality slogan translates so easily in any language.

How much of the music on this album was inspired by your own personal love life, particularly your time with ex-partner Carlos Gonzalez Abella?

After six years of being in a very steady relationship with him, yes, we have a lot of stories and we have a lot of moments of love and lots of light and yes, he is part of this album. It’s not about what I’ve lived [through] this year that we broke up or even the last five years. It’s decades of allowing myself to really go back and remember specific relationships that really [affected] me in many ways. And it became music. It’s never too late.

You’ll be touring all year across the world.

I’m addicted!

Do you still perform She Bangs?

If people ask for it, I will perform it. I would become the character in the video and I would perform it.

You’ve always been flanked by female dancers.

Now that you’re out and proud, does that mean that more male dancers get in on the mix?

Hey, let’s be fair: It’s about equality, you know? And when I walk onstage I present different scenarios of life and, yes, I do have more one-on-one dancing with male dancers, but when you’re at a party, you just dance. It doesn’t matter who’s next to you, you grab a guy’s or a girl’s hand and you just go for it. And that’s what my show is about. It’s about freedom. And it’s about being comfortable in your own skin.

Now that you’re back on the market, what’s dating like for someone as widely known as Ricky Martin? *laughs* To be honest, I love being in a relationship, Chris. I love waking up in the morning and, if you’re not with your boyfriend, [sending] that first message or text “Hey baby, how ya doing? I hope you’re fine. I just woke up. I’m doing this and this and this today.”

I loooove that. I really do. And I love picking up my phone and waiting for that reply from that text — it’s great. But at the same time, right now, I’m enjoying

“

Listen, for me, it’s about liberty and it’s about being you — or me, in this case — and living life with transparency and just being. It’s so amazing to know that you have nothing to hide, man.

”

being single. I’m enjoying this process. I’m not saying that I don’t want to be in a relationship — I would be lying to you. I love being in love.

You strike me as a hopeless romantic.

I am, I am, I am! You’re damn right about that.

How often have men used a pickup line on you that references your bon-bon?

Ohh, man. If someone goes there I’d be like, “Dude, you gotta start again. I’ll give you another chance because of your pretty face.” *laughs* Have you taught [your kids] the famous Ricky hip swivel yet?

Oh, it’s in their blood, buddy. There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s there. *laughs* Outfrontonline .com | 25

Not Too Inclusive, Russell Tovey

“

Photo: poptower.com

Pieter Tolsma

R

ussell Tovey, an openly gay British actor who is part of the cast of HBO’s Looking, recently mentioned in an interview that he was pleased that his father had not let him attend dramatic arts schools because the experience would’ve allowed him to express effeminate — and possibly flamboyant — tendencies without fear of not being accepted.

Tovey’s comments struck a nerve with me and while I accept his right to speak his mind, I reserve my right to call him out for the things he says. Tovey, perhaps without thinking, waded into a somewhat contentious and timeless discussion about masculinity standards.

The struggle pits those who can “pass” as heterosexual against those who are incapable or unwilling to perform. Those who can pass are considered normal (or unremarkable) and have historically been accepted, or at very least glossed past. Those who are unable to pass get noticed and experience the consequences, which have historically been negative, if not deadly.

Things have improved contemporarily, right?

Absolutely. Drag shows, Ru Paul, and Nina Flowers have all made a space for gender performance and flexibility. A greater focus on trans* rights is starting the discussion about gender performance and its value. We’ve come a long way toward understanding that gender identity is a spectrum and that gender itself is malleable, with men and women transitioning to where they belong. This progress was groundbreaking, hard won, and paid for by the blood, sweat, and tears of 26 | March 18, 2015

those who live in these liminal or in-between spaces.

The entire community has reaped the benefits of this dedicated minority’s labor.

I struggled to identify what about Tovey’s comments frustrated me. He is totally cool with being gay and happy to share that, and to me that seems like significant progress — especially compared to how it was in the past. The difference relates to his perspective on how the gay community is, versus how he perceives it should be. In the end, I believe it boils down to his mindset that effeminate, flamboyant gays are somehow less worthy or a detriment to society at large. The impression of his words is that despite greater social acceptance of femininity in men, these gay men are still second-class citizens.

Do we have different requirements of butch versus fem guys? It’s a tough question, but one that’s worth asking. I believe society has different expectations for effeminate gay men than it does for butch gay guys.

Butch gays are largely unable to be picked out (that would be the point) and thus have no expectations beyond the norm. Effeminate gay men are easily picked out and are subject to different expectations.

The flamboyant gay men we see on television and in movies are usually sassy and over the top. If flamboyant gay men were always camp, that would be one thing, but the expectation that these men must perform is the issue. Tovey mentions that his father wouldn’t allow him to attend dramatic arts schooling. The connection is so potent that Tovey suggests even attending dramatic

Russell Tovey is embracing the norms, looks, and attitudes of a heteronormative male. Unfortunately, he’s showing off the ugly parts, too.

”

arts school would taint him and change him from a masculine, butch gay young man into a “prancing, effeminate” gay man. He was thankful that his father didn’t allow him to undergo this irreversible, irresistible change for he believes it would be to his detriment. With this, Tovey, possibly unknowingly, picked up one of the oldest and most offensive tools of heteronormative, masculinist society: sexism. Femininity is once again written off as being a defective state, one associated with weakness and shame.

In the end, the issue comes down to sexism. As the LGBT world finds greater acceptance domestically, we become subject to more of the pressures of the mainstream, where sexism is pervasive. Tovey is embracing the norms, looks, and attitudes of a heteronormative male and, unfortunately, he seems to be showing off some of the ugly parts, too. I am all about greater acceptance and integration, but that means we as LGBT have to be ready for some new pressures.

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Friday, March 20, 2015 – 7:30 PM Saturday, March 21, 2015 – 2:00 PM Saturday, March 21, 2015 – 7:30 PM Central Presbyterian Church, Denver Outfrontonline .com | 27

Let’s Talk Cock (The play, you dirty things!)

Jerry Cunningham

O

n West Colfax at Teller street, you’ll find a shiny and modern example of Denver’s community theater. Upon walking into their art-filled, contemporary space we perused their three-alcove art gallery displaying works from local artists. That alone is worth a visit, but on this Friday night, we were there to experience COCK. No, it’s not what you think. Well, it kind of is what you think, but probably not in the way you’re thinking it. (Well, ok maybe it is … or at least we hope!)

The Edge Theater, located at 1560 Teller Street, is currently showing the award-winning and regional premier of Mike Bartlett’s play COCK — an up-close and candid look at one man’s sexual identity crisis and the crippling effect of societal pressures that are only complicated by the difficulties that arise when one realizes life has choices.

In this edgy, love-triangle production, the audience sits around a corrugated-aluminum and chain-link fence arena, much like what your mind’s eye would expect an illegal cockfighting ring would look like. The set, designed

by Christopher Waller prepares spectators for a match of snarky wit and emotional tug o’ war.

Prior to the show, director Robert Kramer described his use of tight space to create battling intimacy between the characters and moments of deliberate distance to convey compassionate avoidance — a pantomime-less, choreographed mating ritual of sorts. (Something only an innovative and gutsy director could pull off effectively, which Kramer does.)

28 | March 18, 2015

The main character, John, grippingly played by Michael Bouchard, is a bewildered gay man whose world is thrown into the boxing ring where he becomes the consolation prize. The opponents, characters only known to us as M and W, are the prizefighters, refereed in the final bout by character F. The first two extended and flashback scenes tell the story of John’s prizefighting relationships, with round one focusing on John and M, a scornful yet doting soul played by Brian Landis Folkins. It’s in round two that we come to understand how the “other woman,” W, lands in John’s life — and he in her bed.

W, played by the instantly likeable Rachel Bouchard, seems an innocent bystander with man-hands (you’ll have to see the show) who fancifully walks into M’s lioness den for the “final bout.” Here, we meet M’s biased patriarch and referee, F, played by the deviously prudent Chris Kendall.

Bartlett strips back the layers of life’s dramas, exposing the raw emotions we all can relate to or will come to experience when navigating relationships and he does it entirely through language. Cock is a straight (or not-so-straight) play known for its strong characters and well-crafted dialogue.

If, after seeing COCK, you leave the theater doing a mental double-take, thinking twice about what you just experienced, I believe Bartlett, his directors, and the actors who play his characters would feel they’ve accomplished what they set out to do.

When: Now through April 5 Where: Edge Theatre (1560 Teller St in Lakewood) TheEdgeTheater.com

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Outfrontonline .com | 29

outfront CALENDAR Anytime!

Puzzah

March 21 • 2pm Denver Gay Men’s Chorus • Central Presbyterian Church

In this high-energy show celebrating the music of the Fab Four, you’ll experience a fresh take on some of the most famous and loved Beatles songs of all time. Imagine, Hey Jude, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and more will take on new meaning with unforgettable arrangements performed by DGMC just for you. The concert includes a live five-piece band and splashes of color and movement as only these men can do!

Get your crew together and do something different with Denver’s own, Puzzah. Their interactive puzzles offer 60 minutes of heart-pounding adventure in high-tech puzzle rooms. Choose the game Tick Tock and prepare to save the world from nukes, or play The Steal, where you and friends plan an elaborate heist without getting caught. Up to you, but remember (in Liam Neeson’s voice), you have one hour. Puzzah.com

March 21, 2pm–5pm Green Labs Cannabis/Hash and Craft Beer Thu March 19th • 5:30–7:30 Business After Hours • 891 14th Street

Out Front Magazine, in partnership with Crave and the Denver Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting a Business After Hours networking event. Please join the gang for the unveiling of the 2015 Wedding And Business Directory.

The event is open to the public.

Summer is right around the corner and you know what that means: BBQs and lazy porch days! (About damn time.) Get to know the best ways to relax with our friends at Green Labs. They’ll help you pair the right strain with the right brew to find your jam. You’ll also get a chance to sample some great local beers.

GreenLabsDenver.com for tickets.

March 26 TV On the Radio Now thru March 28 Victor/Victoria

Let the Lafayette Theatre Company whisk you away to Paris in this classic gender-bending musical. Follow an out-of-luck singer and her encounters with gangsters, tuxedos, and rosé as she makes her way to glory and, ultimately, love. Tickets available at TCLStage.org

The Ogden These guys are straight outta Brooklyn and not afraid to show it. Much like their home turf, this band is eclectic and soulful, with a little dash of crazy.

Their atmospheric melodies and powerhouse vocals will take your night to a next-level fun time.

March 27 and 28 Saturdays Stoney Saturday

Tour 16th Street Mall every Saturday now thru April 4 to check out the greenest side of Denver. You’ll explore the marijuana biz by visiting dispensaries and networking with fellow connoisseurs and growers, all while getting your hands on some free bud samples! Still waiting for the day Costco does this … EventBrite.com

30 | March 18, 2015

William Hill’s The Raven

Boettcher Concert Hall This world premiere event is a powerful and vivid homage to Edgar Allen Poe’s famous bird, er, poem.

Featuring the Colorado Symphony Chorus and music by Stravinsky, William Hill, and Eric Ewazen, this show is sure to move you. Tickets available at ColoradoSymphony.com

April 9 @ 7pm XBar’s Booze and Brushes

March 27, 7pm - 9 Puff, Pass, and Paint

Central Presbyterian Church Enjoy an evening of relaxed creativity in a space designed to inspire and enlighten. All art supplies are included with ticket purchase, but make sure to BYOW. The class is guided by a fellow artist, but feel free to get weird with it!

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Nothin’ like a nice drinkypoo to get those creative juices flowing! Enjoy a night out at XBar, combining your love of crafting with a fun social setting. Cost includes all art supplies: canvas, paint, brushes, etc. Take home the next Picasso or Frankenstein’s Monster when the night is done. Tix available at XBarDenver.com

March 28 Tweedy • Ellie Caulkins Opera House

March 31 of Montreal • Bluebird Theater I wanna be your love, I wanna make you cry and sweep you off your feet. I wanna hurt your pride, I wanna slap your face, I wanna paint your nails Oh, baby. of Montreal has been pushing musical boundaries for nearly two decades, mixing genres across the board into a fantastical cosmic sound. Dancing potential should be outta this world.

April 7, 6pm–8pm Cooking Class with Chef Carrie Shores

Denver Work Options’ mission is to inspire and empower women on their path to self-sufficiency through employment. Fight the good fight by taking part in one of their monthly cooking classes, led by a top Denver chef. Eat, learn, give — all proceeds go directly to furthering this great cause. Check out WorkOptions.org

April 9 @ noon Jessica Williams

The Daily Show correspondent and Girls star will be guest speaking on the CU Denver campus, sharing stories of her rise in comedy. Jess will give personal insight into issues that are so artfully and irreverently touched on by The Daily Show. She’s hilarious, intelligent, and her crazycool hair might make you want to hate her, except for the fact that she’s your newest friend crush. Free and open to the public.

& READ

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has been rocking for, well, ever, and now adds this special side project to an already stellar resume. He pairs with son Spencer on drums to bring Denver a poppy, jazz-infused musical feast. Tickets available at DenverCenter.org

April 2 Rock and Read

Syntax Physic Opera Local (super-chill) band Teacup Gorilla is collaborating with SpringGun Press and local artists and musicians to present a new multimedia novel that focuses on the genderqueer experience. The novel is Riding SideSaddle* by Eric M Suzanne and it’s an open-source creation on note cards. Sounds pretty rad, actually.

Outfrontonline .com | 31

Futuro Beach Gary M. Kramer

32 | March 18, 2015

K

arim Aïnouz’s superb new film, Futuro Beach, is a stunning drama about a hunky Brazilian lifeguard, Donato (Wagner Moura) who bonds — both emotionally and in the naked, physical sense — with Konrad (Clemens Schick), who is grieving over the loss of a drowned friend. After Donato visits Konrad in Germany, their relationship deepens and changes. Things change even more when Ayrton (Jesuita Barboso), Donato’s younger brother, takes over the narrative in the film’s third act. Aïnouz’s deliberately elliptical style of storytelling captures the ebb and flow of its characters’ erotic and emotional currents, which makes the film hypnotic so mesmerizing.

adventure-novel narrative and create chapters, like in a book, so there is a lot of drama.

When I started to make this film, it was my wish to take risks like the characters take risks. Sometimes contemporary narratives tell you everything. I thought you should fill in the blanks so you have to answer the question: Why does he do that? I had to build an ellipsis because cinema can’t answer that. Predictability is the most unsexy thing in the world. I wanted to do something with range. The construction was to avoid predictability, and keep surprise. The adventure narrative was important — you don’t know where you are being taken. It’s thrilling.

Out Front spoke with Aïnouz via Skype about his film.

What can you say about the elements in the film — earth and water — that reflect and represent the characters?

I thought of Donato as a lonely character who is in his element in the water; he is floating alone. But for him, the sea is also a frontier, a border. With Konrad, it is speed and danger; he is earth. Konrad is always at the edge.

What prompted you to tell this story?

I wanted to talk about sexual diaspora, and how it triggers other things. Donato decides to leave everything behind. I come from a generation where lots of friends left where they came from to be who they really were. I wanted to show the consequences of that, to depict this impulse of reinvention, especially when it’s more of an existential feeling.

Why did you take the approach you did to the story, where viewers are forced to fill in the blanks?

Donato is a [lifeguard] who’s sitting in his tower, waiting for something to happen. And 98 percent of the time, nothing happens. He’s constantly watching the horizon and wondering what’s behind it. I flirt with the

What can you say about the bodies of men in the film — naked, exercising, f*cking, etc.? You film them very artfully.

I wanted to show how we relate to one another in a physical way. The physical experience as a primary experience, not psychological affection. Many relationships are so physical, they’re not about talking. The affection is displayed physically. It was important to go very extreme.

I wanted to do a hyper-masculine movie after my earlier films, Madame Sata and Suely in the Sky (aka Love for Sale). Here, I wanted to enter a different space — one of physical strength and bodies. How do you portray masculinity and masculine sensibility in contemporary cinema? There were female characters in the film, but I cut them out in editing. How do we get that masculine sensation? I wanted it to be hypnotic. The film presents a family of men with shifting roles. I don’t know who is playing what role, but there was an affection between those men.

How did you work with the actors on their roles?

Clements comes from the art world and he has done theater, but has made only a few films. Wagner has been a successful actor in Brazil, and Jesuita was very fresh, very young. I chose them because of those things — their energy and their faces. We spent 10–14 days rehearsing, but not doing scene rehearsals. We used the action of the scenes — not the dialogue — so they could recognize the space. It was like a dance rehearsal, not a theater rehearsal; they came to know the physical triggers, and not the psychological ones. The actors therefore could find the intimacy when we started shooting. There were not many lines of dialogue. The actors remember their lines because they remembered the situation of the scene, the intimacy.

Futuro Beach opens Friday, March 27, exclusively at the Sie FilmCenter.

DenverFilm.org Outfrontonline .com | 33

Jhola (Nepal) A century ago women were required to sacrifice themselves when their husbands died. Selected as the Nepali entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for this years Academy Awards.

Losing Ground A 1982 comedy-drama about a Black American female intellectual and her philandering husband.

Love At First Fight A French man encounters a woman who presents a formidable physical challenge.

Shorts Playing House Photo by SuzanneHeintz.com

The Mask You Live In

Women+Film = We’re There Steven Cruz

The Denver Film Society presents its 5th Women+Film Festival: VOICES 2015 from March 17 to 22 at the Sie FilmCenter on East Colfax Avenue. This year’s lineup reflects a leap in curation for all areas and features several special events for filmmakers and buffs.

Inspired by the theme of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated globally every March, VOICES showcases high profile, women-centric documentaries, feature films, short subjects, workshops, and symposiums.

The Program Opening Night March 17 • The Mask You Live In Newsom’s 2011 film, Miss Representation, explored the limits women face in media. Her new documentary addresses the flipside of this cultural deficit: the maze of identity issues for boys and young men. What are the far-reaching implications in society of the phrase: “Be a man!” and how does it affect all of us? In person: Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom Closing Night March 22 • The Keeping Room Brit Marling stars in this Civil War drama in which a woman, her sister, and a slave woman are united against the threat posed by rogue Union soldiers.

Documentaries The Amina Profile Syrian revolutionary blogger Amina Arraf and her lesbian romance with Sandra Bagaria capture international attention.

Berni’s Journey A successful bank executive leaves her male-oppressed job to pursue a dream of filmmaking. In-person: Bernadette “Berni” Slowey How I Got Over Fifteen once-homeless women craft a play to be performed one-night-only at The Kennedy Center.

In person: Director Nicole Boxer 34 | March 18, 2015

Madame Presidenta: Why Not U.S.?

Why have so many other countries elected a female president before United States has? In person: Director Heather Arnet Out In The Night Seven young women violently defended themselves from an anti-gay attack in New York City’s Greenwich Village and became known as the “Gang of Lesbian Killers.”

She Makes Comics Female creators, fans, retailers, and scholars tell their stories of involvement in the comics industry since 1950.

Skype Interview: Director Marisa Stotter Soul Of A Banquet Director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) profiles Cecilia Chang, who introduced America to authentic Chinese food and went on to change the course of cuisine in America.

Urban Rez This RMPBS documentary explores the controversial, lasting legacy of the 1952–1973 Voluntary Relocation Program that encouraged American Indians to leave their homelands and relocate to urban areas.

In person: Producer/writer/editor Lisa Olken

Narrative Girlhood (France) After meeting a group of free-spirited girls, Marienne changes her name and style to join a girl-gang. In-person: Melinda Barlow Ph.D., Associate Professor of Film Studies, CU Boulder

Shorts Program: Who Am I? A 90-minute program of short films by and about women in a diversity of situations real and fictional.

VOICES

Salon Series, Presented by Fidelity Investments Voices Salon Series I Filmmaker Focus: Producing Women A program of the Denver Film Society that provides support to local filmmakers.

VOICES Salon Series II Women and Government More than 50 women have run for the President of the United States, but many foreign nations have elected women leaders. An in-depth exploration.

VOICES Salon Series III The Revolution Won’t be Televised Web series are the new calling card in Hollywood. The Internet has created a democratization of content, allowing easier accessibility for women to find their audience.

Workshops

For full information on these events, visit DenverFilm.org.

Young Filmmakers Workshop For women 12–18 years old.

The MacSpa Mobile Moviemaking Workshop Learn how to shoot and edit iOS Movies using iPad or iPhone.

The Keeping Room Muna Otaru, Hailee Stansfield, Brit Marling

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36 | March 18, 2015

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Outfrontonline .com | 37

Local Travel: Still in Bloom As spring awakens in Colorado, locals are gearing up for a fresh selection of springtime activities Carly Holbrook Picnic on the Mountain in Aspen

Boulder Farmers’ Market Grab a basket and head to the Boulder Farmers’ Market for some fresh, Coloradogrown goods. Every Saturday starting April 4 and every Wednesday starting May 6, local farmers, cheese makers, bakers, winemakers, and flowergrowers will fill the Boulder Farmers’ Market. End the day with a picnic alongside the creek or in Central Park.

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Enjoy a picnic while marveling at the breathtaking views of Aspen’s scenic mountains. All four ski areas — Aspen Mountain, Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass — have spots with cabins and picnic tables. Grab some friends and enjoy a day of spring skiing while munching on tasty treats in the Colorado sunshine.

Redlands Mesa Golf in Grand Junction Be captivated by the beautiful views of the Colorado National Monument and the lakes on the Grand Mesa as you spend a spring day golfing in Grand Junction. Open year-round (weather permitting) and surrounded by pink and red sandstone, The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa offers views that have a reputation for overwhelming the senses.

Colorado Paragliding in Golden Experience Colorado’s natural beauty by seeing it from above. Opening April 2, Colorado Paragliding will offer an unforgettable experience of unobstructed views of the Front Range while soaring through crisp alpine air in a tandem paraglider.

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Outfrontonline .com | 39

Baskit Underwear Fashion Show The 2015 Baskit Underwear Fashion show was held at X Bar on February 28th.  Attendees enjoyed select drink specials while watching models strutting down the catwalk in Baskit’s new 2015 spring collection. Baskit gave away free underwear to those willing to don their new drawers in the middle of the dance floor.

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March 6th through

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40 | March 18, 2015

Outfrontonline .com | 41

Cold Sweat Kelsey Lindsey

C

onfession: Sometimes I trek through inches of snow and cutting winds for the sole purpose of going to the gym. Before you roll your eyes and use this paper to check your latest trashcan free-throw game, I’ll reiterate: Sometimes I walk the .5 miles in the Colorado winter to go to the gym … and sit in the sauna. Without access to a hot tub, or even a hot shower when my plumbing’s acting up, this is the closest thing to visions of hot sand and sunrays that get me through these unrelenting winter months.

Do I feel guilty making a trip to the gym and bypassing the weights and ellipticals with sauna-focused horse blinders? Perhaps. Should I? Maybe not. There are actually health benefits to this whole trap-yourself-ina-wooden-box-and-choke-on-dry-air thing. So don’t feel guilty if you participate in the same behavior — feel accomplished. After all, it’s (sorta) science.

Sweat lodges have been around for thousands of years, and is a ritual of sorts in Finland, with 99 percent of Fins taking to the sauna at least once a week. Although saunas’ health benefits and risks aren’t universally agreed on in the medical community, it’s widely recognized as a good way to relax for those without heart issues.

For those in the “it’s not good for you” camp, saunas have been used to relieve joint pain and asthma. The heat helps increase heart rate, improving cardiovascular function. Others will tout the added release of toxins through sweat, which build up in the body from unnatural additives in food and in the air.

A typical round in the sauna can also produce the same amount of sweat as a workout, although you should be careful not to compare the two (dang!).

Rather, many professionals will recommend the sauna

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after cooling down from a workout to help increase flexibility while stretching out muscles.

After some time in the sauna — not to exceed 15– 20 min by most health professionals’ suggestions — be sure to take it easy and cool down to prevent dizziness.

Drink lots of water to make up for all that sweat loss, and (although this should be a given) do not drink alcohol or smoke marijuana before your session. Both your body and your sauna buddies will thank you for not defiling the space with Jack Daniel’s-scented body odor.

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What is Love, Anyway?

Brent Heinze

I’m ultimately fascinated with the concept of love and how it means different things to different people.

When love exists, we’re elated and look forward to more experiences that bring us closer to those wonderful feelings. When ripped from us, we feel a great loss and wonder when it will come back into our lives. Some wonder if they’ve ever actually felt love or when that magic moment will happen to them, especially in the context of a relationship. Craving these types of feelings can lead us to actively search them out. This noble quest may lead us to feel that without love, our lives aren’t complete. Because of this, many end up settling for what’s available instead of waiting for something fantastic to develop over the course of time. This feeling can also lead us to jump from one relationship to another, looking for an individual who has the potential to fulfill us. The beautiful concept of love can turn ugly quickly if it is with the wrong person or situation.

Some seem to have a consistent flow of relationships that come on strong, envelop their world, then crash to a fiery death just as quickly as they formed. Facebook posts are created soon after a series of initial dates with some vague update about how amazing life can be. The comments begin to flow about how much they’ve fallen

44 | March 18, 2015

in love and now they’re laying on the couch currently watching how cute their new guy looks while drooling on a pillow. Many times, these only go on for a few weeks or months before their wonderment magically transforms into devastation.

Sometimes relationships appear to be a beautiful exchange of passion that will seemingly never end.

Over a short amount of time, however, promises made become less likely to be fulfilled, and we’re left wondering what happened. Maybe we haven’t taken the time to get to know the other person well enough or have not adequately expressed our hopes and expectations for the relationship. Of course, actions speak much louder than words. When people don’t follow through or act in contrary ways to how they promise to behave, we’re left feeling disappointed or angry. There are also times when these situations become uncomfortable or abusive,

sometimes so subtly we don’t even recognize it.

Some use this word to describe a concept they may not completely understand or think sounds like a nice thing to say without considering the ramifications. Other times, people get “addicted” to the newness of an initial relationship or see them as a means to get what they want. Although not always a conscious decision, these situations generally end poorly for both parties.

My intention isn’t to cast a dark cloud over the topic of love in relationships. The accurate use of this word is a fantastic way to describe the emotional, physical, intellectual, social, or moral connection between people.

Our relationships exist to help give our lives meaning by creating opportunities to explore things which make us smile and motivate us to continue creating a life we love living. Don’t allow anyone to take this this beautiful word and mutate it into something hurtful and negative.

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they’re constructing. “It’ll be the largest LED wall in Denver that isn’t in the Pepsi Center,” he says. Hopefully the gorgeous display won’t steal the thunder from the Jessica Sutta’s live performance on the 21st.

Tracks

(Wait. The former Pussycat Doll?)

Reimagined Our beloved Tracks is getting some seriously sexy upgrades, and managing partner Andrew Feinstein is feeling good about the changes Berlin Sylvestre

T

he tall, suited entrepreneur greets me warmly before giving me a quick tour of the expansive RiNo nightclub, stepping over tools and speaking over the clamor of workers. This is Andrew.

“We just got started three weeks ago,” he says, reminding me that the revamp is still in its infancy. He turns a corner and demonstrates with a raised (but unfinished) platform that houses a DJ booth and scarlet, velvety appointments that appear to be the most recent of VIP redesigns. With a March 21 relaunch, you can bet there’s round-the-clock hammering and sawing going on.

50 | March 18, 2015

“We’ve expanded VIP from three areas to seven,” he says. “We’re redoing the lounge, but we won’t launch that part until April.” He points to a large entryway in a south wall. “I don’t know if you remember, but that used to be a bottleneck. We’ve opened it up.”

On reopening day, Tracks will host a private VIP party from 7:30pm–9pm. “It’s for longtime customers,” he says. When asked how he determines longtime customers, he assures that the staff will know people by their faces. “Then, after 9, we’ll open Tracks to the public.”

Perhaps most impressive is the 40x12 LED wall

Yep. The former Pussycat Doll. She’ll be at the unveiling to perform her Billboard-topping dance tracks to get the party started.

The design difference will be apparent from the moment clubgoers enter. A wall of sequenced LED screens will greet those in line and keep them company as they wait to purchase tickets. The train station-esque ticket booth, another new addition that alludes to the club’s name, serves as the purchase-point for general admission tickets.

Once inside, the aforementioned VIP area is the first noticeable change. Once situated above revelers, the DJ booth is now at an accessible level — convenient for buying your favorite vinyl vigilante a drink or making song requests. “The DJs like it,” he says. “They don’t want to be separated from the party.”

Though Andrew won’t say exactly how much Tracks is spending on the upgrades, he coyly offers: “It’s … substantial.” Andrew says the inspiration came from seeing visual displays in premiere Miami and Vegas nightclubs. “We want to bring the cutting edge of tech to Denver,” he informs. “And not just among the gay bars; I mean among any of the bars in Denver.”

Outfrontonline .com | 51

NOH8 The NOH8 campaign returned to Colorado over the weekend for an open photo shoot at the GLBT Community Center of Colorado on March 8th. Â Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign, co-founded by photographer Adam Bouska, will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for marriage equality, anti-discrimination, and anti-bullying. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Center.

Photo by Charles Broshous

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A Well-Endowed…Ego Scott McGlothlen

I

n the winter of 2007, a massive storm hit Denver and trapped most residents in their homes. Like usual, I took to online chat rooms in order to kill time. Brian and Brad, a local couple that seemed almost too hot to be real, hit me up. Brian was clearly the more rambunctious of the two. We got on camera and he loved showing off everything he had. And like he boasted, Brian certainly had a lot (if you know what I mean).

He suggested that I come over via foot. Seeing as how I lived in Cap Hill and they were in the Highlands, a long winter walk didn’t seem like a safe idea. But Brian

was bored, horny, and persistent. Thus, he suggested walking over to my place, then walk back to their house together. It would be a great way to break the ice before one wild threesome.

C*ck size never mattered much to me. In fact, I was often a “less is more” kind of guy when it came to that. But I also liked variety and it had been quite some time since I played with a tool that large. So I agreed to Brian’s opportunistic adventure and when he got to my place, we hit the road.

I learned Brian was quite the confident man. He had strong opinions on just about anything. I didn’t mind

though since I was essentially using him for his body.

Plus the weather had calmed down and made for an astonishingly beautiful walk in the empty streets. We had come across an open liquor store and decided to get a couple cans of Guinness, my favorite beer.

As we trotted along, nursing on our cold stouts, the conversation switched to religion.

“Well, of course I believe in God,” Brian said. “He gave me a hot face and a big d*ck!”

A bit blindsided by his statement, I figured it had to have been a joke. I prodded him in the hopes of finding some bad humor, but alas there wasn’t any. Brian had more than confidence — he apparently thrived on pure arrogance. My attraction to him slipped off like eggs on teflon and I no longer felt all that excited about our expedition. But by now, we had walked too far for me to safely turn back on my own. I was trapped with a man who literally considered himself “God’s Gift.”

Thankfully, his partner didn’t have such a well endowed … ego. In fact, Brad’s down-to-earth demeanor had me enamored. Still, I didn’t want to have sex with them anymore, yet I was too shy to say “no.”

In the middle of sex, Brian began complaining that I wasn’t “skilled” enough to take all he had to offer.

I wondered if I was unconsciously clenched down to prevent this obnoxious man from getting all the way in.

Either way, the sex was bad and no matter how long I stayed in my post-coital shower, I couldn’t seem to scrub myself clean of it.

Like most gay men, I’ve had my fair share of regrettable sex. But this time seemed different. I didn’t merely go against my lack of attraction. Instead, I sold out to something most of us entirely loath: A big d*ck with a big d*ck. Instead of being honest and telling him his attitude was a turn off, I caved in and gave him a halfassed version of what he wanted. Nothing seemed to be worse than being looked down upon by a narcissist.

The next morning, Brad cooked breakfast while Brian pressured me for a second attempt. Luckily I hated morning sex, making it much easier to shut him down. The roads cleared a bit and Brad drove me home while Brian jumped online to look for more sex. I felt like a tool and decided that during the next storm, I’d stay home with my cat.

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Shanna Katz

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Dear Shanna, I’ve heard you can use having lots of sex as a way of getting in your cardio or even losing weight. Is this true? If yes, what is the best way to get in a full-body workout?

- Fit Fanatic in Lakewood Dear Fit Fanatic, I get this question a lot, and it makes total sense. I mean, if you think about how much we get hot and sweaty during sex, of course we could be thinking about it as a whole new level of CrossFit for our genitals.

That being said, a lot of this is based on the type of sex you’re having … and remember, we have a pretty open-minded definition of what sex could mean. Obviously, giving your partner a loving, erotic massage is going to burn a different amount of calories and work different muscles than sex underwater in full-on scuba gear. (I honestly can’t think of way to burn more sex calories than that, but check how much oxygen you have in the tank before you try this).

What do I mean by “it depends”? Basically, the activity of sex itself (whether oral, anal, vaginal, kink play, etc.) will not innately make you lose weight (or gain weight, in case you’re concerned about that). Actually, if you’re being sexually active on a regular basis, you can definitely build muscles (including your PC muscles) and strengthen your core, as well as increase flexibility throughout your body. Sadly, if you’re hoping the mattress mambo will get you off the hook for the heading to the gym, it’s important (and perhaps sad?) to note that most personal trainers and weight loss sites don’t include having sex as time spent for cardio OR weight training. That being said, if your choice is between a full hour of sweaty, “f*ck me till I can’t take it any more!” sex and acting like a hamster in a ball on the treadmill or the elliptical … is it really even a choice?! You can also work on getting the best of both worlds: Consider combining time at the gym with knocking boots later on, or take a sexy tango class before ringing some Southern bells, and you’ll have a great time, and still get the most out of your fitness membership. That’s more bang (literally and figuratively) for your workout buck.

You can always incorporate your partners into your workouts and your workouts into our sex life as well. Consider partner stretching, or coming up with sexual Olympic games to really tie the gym and your sex time together.

Have fun getting it on, Shanna Have a question you’d like to ask Shanna (anonymously)?

Email shannakatz@gmail.com.

ShannaKatz.com 54 | March 18, 2015

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Photo by Charles Broshous

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Facebook Fates

Find your secret admirer through Out Front’s super-psychic social media edition of horoscopes. (Exclude organizations/relatives, and skip the gender you’re not into sexually and move onto the next-closest option.)

Pisces: The last person to land in your “other” inbox thinks you’d be amazing in bed, but is gonna need some evidence.

Cancer: Click your search box and type the letter T. The fifth name in the list has been crushing hard.

(Don’t act surprised, just go for it!)

Aries: The latest friend request has been agonizing over whether to add you or not. Hint: It’s good for a hookup.

Leo: Click on your inbox and count six messages down.

Don’t lie: You wanna hit it. (The feeling is mutual.)

Taurus: Count to ten and open Facebook. The first person at the top of your list also wants to top you.

Haaaa-aaaaay!

Virgo: In your friend’s list, find the first person whose profile pic is a selfie with a dog. This is someone who gets a little more excited than normal at your new pic uploads.

Gemini: The person you friended from work recently … it might get a little unprofessional, is all.

Say yes to those cocktails and see what we mean.

Libra: Scroll down your feed to find the first music video. The person who posted it has thought about you in ... intimate moments. Might want to check in on that.

Crossword

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58 | March 18, 2015

Scorpio: The second person (from the top) in your chat list hopes you’ll wise up and make the first move.

Sagittarius: The last person to like your status wants to knock boots. Repeatedly. In public. No shame.

Capricorn: In your friend’s list, find the first person whose profile pic is a mirror selfie. This is someone who’s about to lose hope that there’s a chance with you.

Aquarius: Search your comments for the recent winky-face emoticon. The person who posted it is a complete nerd, sure, but dat booty! (All yours if you’re interested.)