2012-01-01 outlook columbus by Outlook Media, Inc

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outlook GLTBicentennial Issue

jan 2012 • vol 16 issue 8

inside: snapshot Who’s WHo ‘Move or Die Fag’ Threats Enchanted Encounters Mayor Michael Coleman Mickey Weems & Traitors New Column: The Other Side Bicentennial hoopla Actor Denis O’Hare trippin’ out to cleveland & Local Celeb Beth

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jan 2012

How much for that intern in the window?

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you are here

snapshot

6 hey! 8

q-munity: local

q-munity: national

equality now

14 small pond

OWNERS AND PUBLISHERS Michael Daniels & Christopher Hayes HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Bsmt Ste Q Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookmedia.com SUBSCRIPTIONS & DISTRIBUTION Call 614.268.8525 BUSINESS DIRECTOR Michael Daniels: mdaniels@outlookmedia.com ADVERTISING ACCOUNT REPS Mary Malone mmalone@outlookmedia.com Dena Glassco dglassco@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863

16 open kimono 18 complete the circuit

ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month. Art in by the 20th. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes hayes@outlookmedia.com

the other side

super mario world

marcus morsels

calendar

Turning 200 is Political

about town

Happy Gregorian New Year, everyone, and welcome to 2012. CE or AD – your perspective. What’s on tap? Oh, just a few things.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Robert Trautman, Chris Hayes, Andrew Williams, Erin McCalla

You may also have noticed that we’re movin’ on up, to the north side… of the Greystone building, that is. Yes, we’re giving up our back-ofthe-hall-southside digs and taking over damned near the entire northern side of the complex. Where Möd Mõd was. We’ll be producing our magazines from the center of the building back, and our retail store – SUITE Q – will be open in the front, starting around Feb 1. Think Yankee Trader meets An Open Book meets a Soho loft apartment, run by the cool queer kids. Everything in it will be for sale. Including the staff. Cash, check, MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and some forms of barter and trade accepted. Inquire within.

not that kind of girl

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Robert Trautman

insight out

feature: bicentennial

feature: events

feature: franklinton

Look for us to repeat Brothers In Blood, Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus, and for new events such as a GLBT small business expo, an agricultural art show, a Bayard Rustin tribute, and maybe even a Big Gay Skydive. We’re like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get, but you know we’re gonna be sweet. And fattening. And ooze between your teeth.

40 feature: who’s who

Our City is celebrating its 200th birthday with pomp, circumstance, and swagger. We’re tooting our own horn, and celebrating ourselves both inside and outside of the City. The GLBT community will be a big part of the festivities – I mean really, do you think Cbus would throw a party and NOT have us do the decorating? Please. There’s lots of other stuff on the horizon as well. There’s this little thing called a Presidential Election year … President, US Senate, US House, Ohio House and Senate, and a ton of local races. Every US and Ohio House seat has been redrawn … you know, little stuff like democratic representation. Register to vote - Now at vote.franklincountyohio.gov. We launched, as Commissioner Marilyn Brown said, the galaxy’s first GLBT-focused Who’s Who book in December to smashing reviews. We packed over 350 people into Shadowbox Live and celebrated the contributions of our community to the greater Columbus community. We laughed, we cried, we celebrated. We drank – thanks, Möet/Chandon! The night after the Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus launch, we hosted Dominique from America’s Next Top Model and the cast of Mamma Mia! at Level for our best ever holidayshindigstravaganza. As we type this, we’re still sweating out the martinis from that night, and neither of us can find our underwear. Don’t ask. If you missed it, shame on you – be there outlookcolumbus.com

EDITORIAL Erin McCalla / emccalla@outlookmedia.com

next year.

Stop by and see us. Tell us what you like, what you hate, what you want more of, and what we can ditch. We want to know what you want. Then we’ll drink, pretend it’s our idea, and implement it. At least until Dec 21, and then it’s all up to Kukulcan, Chac, Yumil Kaxob, Ixtab, and their friends. We’re pretty sure they’re readers, so we’re not worried. We’re big in Xibalbá. Michael & Chris

feature: creative

deep inside hollywood & creative class interview

tripping out

local celeb & astro forecast

NEXT MONTH

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Regina Sewell, Romeo San Vicente, Jack Fertig, Dan Savage, Mickey Weems, Michael Daniels, Chris Hayes, Abbey Miller, Mario Pinardi, Mackenzie Worrall, Marcus Morris, Lauren Strand, Orie Givens, Jayra Harris, Mette Bach, D.A. Steward, Ed Mullen, Erin McCalla, Leslie Robinson, Chris Azzopardi, Sarah Greene

INTERNS Orie Givens, Lauren Strand, Jayra Harris, Michael Straughter, Andrew Williams, Payton Fugate-Laus, Andrew Williams, Shelby Kretz, Tay Glover CYBERSPACE http://www.outlookcolumbus.com http://www.outlookmedia.com http://www.networkcolumbus.com http://twitter.com/outlookcolumbus http://facebook.com/outlookcolumbus outlook columbus is published and distributed by Outlook Media, Inc. the first day of each month throughout Ohio. outlook columbus is a free publication provided solely for the use of our readers. Any person who willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than 5 copies of any issue outlook columbus with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading it shall be considered guilty of the crime of theft. Violators will be prosecuted. The views expressed in outlook columbus are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or personal, business, or professional practices of Outlook Media, Inc. or its staff, ownership, or management. outlook columbus does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented. Outlook Media, Inc. does not investigate or accept responsibility for claims made in any advertisement. Outlook Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for claims arising in connection with products and services advertised herein, nor for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. All material is copyrighted © 2012 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

True Blood We hope you Googled “Xibalba.”

jan 2012

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STEPH & JESS WEDDING DECEMBER 02, 2011

WHOS WHO UNVEILING DECEMBER 14, 2011

Land, Sea or Cake... All Sharks Should DIE!

I just love to sell books hundreds of books

Preach, Brother Todd, Preach Inclusion!

WHOS WHO UNVEILING DECEMBER 14, 2011

Rappin’ All Up in a Gay Way

Honorees, Dignitaries and Smiles

Lovely Ladies Celebrating Diversity and Achievement

The Inaugural Cover and Coverboys

OUTLOOK HOLIDAY PARTY DECEMBER 15, 2011

Jackie, you’re one lucky bitch ... yum

Michael wore the dress, Dominique was in slacks

Oh Mamma Mia! We raised $1500 for Huck House... I’m Happy!

Beth, there’s a real possum in her panties!

SANDRA BERNHARD DECEMBER 16, 2011

Travis once again earning his honorary gay status

Does it always smell like this in here?

Yay for the Newlyweds!

WHOS WHO UNVEILING DECEMBER 14, 2011

DIVA, DIVA, DIVA or ‘Roseanne Who?’

jan 2012

Chris and Sandra Sittin’ in a Tree ...

Check out the outlook facebook page for more photos!

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After spending the holidays with your crazy family, you deserve a massage.

jan 2012

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Congratulations and Great Job

sources to level the playing field. This would be so refreshing to see as opposed to typical recognition that is objectification, fetishistic, erotic and exotic, which does nothing more than dehumanize and degrade people of color.

To the Publishers: First guys let me say CONGRATULATIONS on the wonderful unveiling event that was done last night. I was so touched and moved that I could share the evening with one of my family members. My sister was most impressed with the entire evening. Secondly, I was able to pick up a copy of the December issue last night and upon getting home I was able to read the issue. Let me say this issue was a great one! There were several articles that I want to mention that I was so pleased to read that provided a non-mainstream perspective: 1) Disparities are Political - truth speakers are not always popular; however, they are very much needed. If I did not thank the two of you personally for your courage and commitment to our community then let me do it now. THANK YOU!! 2) NAACP and Advocates to Address HIV’s Prevalence in Communities of Color - as you both know the HIV infection rate among black gay men is alarming. If my memory serves me correctly almost one in every two black gay men is HIV+. I was pleased to see the NAACP stepping up and that it was covered in Outlook. 3) Open Kimono - the plight of the homeless, and in particular our homeless youth, is at an all time high and is being considered an epidemic. More has to be done and we have to tell these stories!! 4) Complete the Circuit - Mickey Weems does it again! I was thrilled that he explained and validated how Leather sex is ethical and in some instanced can be healing for those involved. I am in total agreement with him as a Leather man that our understanding of torture and what its purpose is and because of that we will not stand for torture being a standard operating procedure. 5) The Feature stories by Shelby Kretz and Tay Glover, touched my soul on so many levels! Poverty and restrictive boxes are not strangers to the LGBT community and it is so long overdue that we recognize this and to focus more of our efforts and resources on helping to lift up those that don’t have access to opportunity and resources (When I say “those,” I mean all people. The old system of binary thinking has to be done away with). 6) The third feature story, wow what can I say about how Orie’s article touched my heart, my mind and my soul! Here too the plight of LGBT minorities is so long overdue recognition by the mainstream in order to help bring about the necessary political will and re-

jan 2012

I could go on; however, I believe this message is getting to be rather long. As I said before, this issue was a great one! Please keep up the good work on sharing perspectives other than the mainstream. I will close with a quote from Mark D. Jordan article “Telling Truths in Church: Scandal, Flesh and Christian Speech.” “Truth telling is not simple. It is not like the Norman Rockwell painting in which a ruggedly handsome white man speaks to the town meeting at his white clapboard church, while other white men, wearing ties listen in admiration. Truth telling isn’t like that. Truth’s speakers don’t often radiate handsome honesty. They are disconcerting and diverse rather than comfortably familiar.” Sincerely and most humbly, Aaron Riley Columbus, OH

President Obama, Don’t Turn Your Back on Women Open Letter to the President: When healthcare reform was first proposed, you promised the American people that under your administration we wouldn’t lose the healthcare coverage we already had if we were happy with it. You said that we would get the healthcare coverage we wanted and needed. You promised that you would make decisions based on science and medically accurate information. When the Institute of Medicine recommended that family planning be added to the list of essential preventive services, women and men around the country were delighted. So were doctors and public health advocates who recognize the importance of allowing women and men to plan their families. Family planning can be expensive, and providing it at no cost to people makes sense. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been lobbying hard, calling for you to include an expansive refusal clause that will ensure that millions of women and men are denied no-cost family planning coverage. Mr. President, • Providing no-cost family planning is good public health policy and an important advance under the Affordable Care Act. But if you grant the refusal clause

the Catholic bishops want, you will be supporting discrimination against millions of Americans, both Catholic and non-Catholic, simply because of where they work or go to school. • The majority of American Catholics support affordable access to contraception for all women and men, especially during these tough economic times. Catholics themselves use contraception: 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women have used the family planning the bishops want you to exclude from healthcare coverage. • Two-thirds of Catholics, 65 percent believe that clinics and hospitals that take taxpayer money should not be allowed to refuse to provide procedures or medications based on religious beliefs. A similar number, 63 percent, also believe that health insurance, whether private or government-run, should cover contraception. • A strong majority (78 percent) of Catholic women prefer that their hospital offers emergency contraception for rape victims, while more than half (55 percent) want their hospital to provide it in broader circumstances. • Expanding refusal clauses to allow some institutions and universities to refuse to provide coverage for contraception is not what you promised in healthcare reform. Giving in to the bishops’ demands will mean preventive healthcare will cost more - not less - for millions of healthcare and social service employees, teachers and university students and their families. • American taxpayers’ dollars should be used for the common good and to enable people to exercise their conscience-based healthcare decisions. If you side with the Catholic bishops, it will be harder and more expensive for millions of American women to get family planning. You will also be rejecting the advice from medical experts that recommended its inclusion on the list of recommended preventive healthcare services for women. The US bishops have completely failed to convince Catholics in the pews not to use effective family planning methods, so now they want you to impose their agenda on Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Mr. President, you have a choice - listen to the people who elected you or the Catholic bishops. If you want to do what’s right by American Catholics, don’t make this deal with the bishops. Listen to the majority of the 68 million Catholics who want contraceptive coverage for everyone, not the 271 active bishops in the United States who don’t. Jon O’Brien President of Catholics for Choice

Do you have something to say? Email us at editor@outlookmedia.com

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WP is a great place to get away from the locals, well excpet for Derek, Kyle, Stephen, Chris...and their motley crews.

jan 2012

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MOVE OR DIE FAG by Erin McCalla Dave Koch and Chris Myers have lived in Little Turtle condominiums for 15 years. The Westerville subdivision is host to houses, condos and apartments right off Rt. 161. Their division, Chippewill, has Native American themed streets and their home is tucked away on a wooded lot with a beautiful view of a pond. On the morning of December 2nd, they were awakened at 6:30a by a call from neighbor Aaron Greene. “Get down here now,” Greene advised. Koch and Myers hurried downstairs and were met with an anonymous hate-filled message. “Move or die fag” was scrawled in yellow spray paint on the front of their condo with an accompanying “die fag” on their fence. “If the intent was shock, it worked,” said Koch. “Chris was much stronger than I that morning.” The couple will celebrate their 25th anniversary is on January 3rd, and has never had a problem before. “Everyone knows us as Dave and Chris, the couple who walks their dogs three times a day,” said Myers. “I’m 52 years old, and this is the first time I was called a ‘fag.’” The timing could have been coincidental, but Koch and Myers believe the threat was a consequence for investigating alleged fraud within the Chipppewill condominium association board. The couple was vandalized hours

jan 2012

after participating in an extremely heated public meeting on the night of December 1 where the president of the board made flippant remarks about safety in the Chippewill community. Koch believes the act doesn’t have much to do with them being a gay couple, as much as his aggressive investigation, “Whoever spray painted our home couldn’t find anything else to bash us about, so they went after our sexuality. Obviously someone has something to hide.” The morning the graffiti was discovered, Myers and Koch’s neighbors came streaming to their door, many crying, all outraged at the hate emblazoned on the couple’s home. “They were gay, straight, white, black, Asian, all crying in our arms saying, ‘sorry.’ We had to console them!” laughed Myers. “It really brought all of our neighbors together. But, we should be stringing Christmas lights, but we’re putting up security cameras up instead. How messed up is that?” Although the threat scares them, they have no plans to move, and Dave is not stopping his pursuit for a meeting with the president of the board. “If someone is really going to kill me, they probably aren’t going to give me a warning in spray paint on the front of my house.” “The outpouring we received was overwhelming. We discovered how much we are loved,” said Myers. The police and the FBI are investigating the case, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission has been notified.

SEXUALITY AND SPIRITUALITY Summit on 16th United Methodist Church is hosting a month-long series in January exploring the intersections of Sexuality and Spirituality. During the month, this theme will be woven into worship, music, small group conversations, seminars and movement classes seeking to provide a wide-variety of opportunities for learning, conversation and growth. In a culture saturated with images of sexuality, we are often afraid to talk about sex… especially in the church. Historically, conversations in the church have been more about guilt and shame. We want to change the nature of the conversation by exploring sexuality as a good and beautiful gift from God and seeking to understand how embracing our sexuality in a more holistic way is a part of what it means to be spiritual. Sunday mornings at 10:30 - during each of the five Sundays of January - the preaching, music and liturgy will explore such themes as our created physical bodies, romantic and intimate love, body image, and the need for wholeness. On Sunday, January 15th, the service will focus on Healing – specifically for those who have been victims of sexual violence, who have been excluded or oppressed because of their sexual orientation, or whose experiences with sexuality have left them wounded.

“Love thy neighbor.” Why is that so hard?

Music will range from the Beatles to Mozart to Gospel and be led weekly by the Summit Choir. Special musical guests will include 7th House Moon (http://www.7thhousemoon.com) and Ben and Joann Nagel who will bring the sounds of Crystal Bowls to the service of healing, among others. A variety of guest speakers will be involved, including Certified Nurse Midwife, Emily Neiman from Women’s Contemporary Health Care (http://www.wchcare.com) and Rita Carnavale, from Spirit Moves Illuminated (http://www.spiritmovesilluminated.com) . Thursdays at 7:30p (January 12, 19 & 26) – Community Seminars – Designed to challenge and provoke thoughtful conversation, topics will include such things as transgender issues, sex trafficking, theology and sexual ethics and much more. Speakers and collaborators will include Lisa Cravens-Brown, Department of Psychology, OSU (http://www.osu.edu), Aaron Riley of New Leaf Columbus (http://www.newleafcolumbus.ning.com) and Sile Singleton of Summit United Methodist Church, just to name a few.

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MARRIAGE OBSOLETE? LET’S FIND OUT ON FEB 12 When the Pew Research Center announced last month that a record low number of adults in the United States - barely half are married, we had to smile. We know plenty of people who would absolutely love to be married. And they are married, in every way, except for that minor detail of having their relationships publicly, legally recognized. For us, the timing of the report was ironic. Here we are, in the middle of planning a “Freedom to Love, Freedom to Marry” celebration this February, hoping to honor the lifelong commitments made by both samesex and straight couples, and we hear on NPR all about the sad state of marriage today. What struck us, though, was the Pew finding that nearly 40 percent of Americans say they believe that marriage is becoming obsolete. This simply doesn’t ring true to us. All you need to do is talk with same-sex couples who travel hundreds or thousands of miles from home to legally tie the knot. Almost all recall their ceremony - whether it was in a crowded room at a Washington DC courthouse or at sunset on a Provincetown, beach - in heartwarming, sometimes sacred language. Sometimes they laugh; sometimes tears of happiness well up. But

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almost all depict the trip home after the ceremony in more somber terms, describing the hollow feeling they experienced as they reached the Ohio border, knowing the lifetime commitment they had made to each other just didn’t matter here in the Buckeye state, their home. It seems to us that ever since the passage of the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions in Ohio in 2004, the discussion of marriage equality in Ohio has dropped to a whisper. But we are sure that the lack of public discourse about marriage equality in Ohio is not a sign that this issue is no longer a matter of concern among samesex marriage supporters. In fact, as recently as 2010, members of faith communities, in partnership with Equality Ohio, staffed phone banks in support of same-sex marriage efforts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maryland. This issue does matter, and many people are willing to keep fighting the good fight, win or lose. And in central Ohio, at least, much of that support stems from a wide variety of faith communities. Since 2004, many area congregations have offered moral support to same-sex couples as they travel out of state to become lawfully married and even provide non-legallybinding commitment ceremonies at home. While such support is commendable (even indispensible), is it enough? Is it enough

for the couples who wish to make a public, legal lifetime commitment to each other? And furthermore, is it enough for these congregations, as well as the friends and family of these couples, who have often been deprived of participating in the public witness of these unions? Isn’t it time we brought the issue of marriage equality back to the front burner? The First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Columbus, a longstanding champion of marriage equality, believes it is time to kick-start the discussion around marriage equality in central Ohio. That is why we are sponsoring “Freedom to Love, Freedom to Marry,” an interfaith rededication and solidarity celebration on Feb 12, 2012. On this day, we invite people from different faith communities - and from no faith community - who share the conviction that that God’s love and grace are for all people, not just those who conform to a 1950s mindset of marriage. This celebration will allow any couple who have made a lifetime commitment to each other, either publicly or privately, with benefit of legal standing or not, whether straight or same-sex, to publicly reaffirm and rededicate the vows that bind them together in a loving relationship. Individuals are also invited and welcome to participate to demonstrate their support and solidarity.

Feb 12 works especially well if that is your actual anniversary.

We envision an event that will have deep meaning on a personal level for the people involved as well as for the congregations and other community organizations that take part. The celebration will demonstrate gay and straight solidarity for the right to marry. We will raise our voices in public witness of our support for the people of Ohio and other states to take the bold and necessary steps to legalize same-sex marriage. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us at First UU, 93 W. Weisheimer Road, at 4p on Sunday, Feb. 12. If you would like to become involved in planning the event or just want to help us spread the word, see our Facebook event (search for “First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Gay Straight Alliance”) or contact us at 614.313.7158 (Bob) or 614.594.3230 (Ray) or UUGSAevent@gmail.com. Bob Rice and Ray Nandyal are members of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus and are active in the church’s Gay Straight Alliance and Justice Action Ministry. Other sponsors of the “Freedom to Love, Freedom to Marry” event currently include Equality Ohio, Stonewall Columbus, Buckeye Region Antiviolence Organization (BRAVO) and ACT OUT Delaware. Others interested in sponsoring the event may contact Rice or Nandyal (see above).

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jan 2012

Have you figured out all the bells and whistles on the new phone you got for Christmas?

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11 IMPORTANT TRANSGENDER TRENDS FROM 2011 ACCORDING TO ACCLAIMED TRANSGENDER SURGEON, DR. SHERMAN LEIS Dr. Sherman Leis, founder of The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, one of the leading resources for transgender surgery and medical support in the United States, views 2011 as a year when rights and opportunities for transgender men and women truly gained momentum. “Judging by Chaz Bono’s participation in Dancing With The Stars, dare we say that transgender people are becoming mainstream?” he observed, “but seriously, transgender rights and acceptance still have a long way to go.” Yet, noting some of the progress that’s being made, Dr. Leis has identified eleven important trends that bode well for the transgender community as we begin the new year. 1) The frank, open discussion about transgender children, especially in the media (The Transgender Child: A Parent’s Difficult Choice, on the Oprah Network OWN), moves the conversation in a new direction. Instead of the average person thinking that gender dysphoria is the province of fetishists, it forces them to think of it being part of the human condition, which it really is. 2) Greater acceptance in the media. Kudos to the producers of the TV show, Dancing With The Stars for their courage to feature trans man, Chaz Bono on their hit prime time show. Kudos to conventional American viewers, as well, for watching the show, giving it high ratings, and for cheering Bono on through a number of rounds. 3) The civil rights movement for transgender people is gaining ground as is evidenced by Massachusetts becoming the latest State passing broad civil rights protection for transgender people under the law. In addition, New York State, in its legalizing of same sex marriage, legalized marriage for both transgender and nontransgender same sex couples. 4) Health insurance coverage of transgender surgery, from gender reassignment to facial feminization, is growing in availability across the United States as more companies identify genderdysphoria as a medical condition, worth of recognition and treatment. 5) A growing number of businesses are recognizing that transgender people are human resources, too. More and more hiring policies are being rewritten to accept and accommodate transgender people in the work force.

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6) Films about transgender people, like Becoming Chaz Bono” are becoming economically viable projects, gaining wider distribution in the movies and on television, and a mainstream audience. Dr. Sherman Leis, and segments of his lecture at a major transgender conference, was featured in Chaz Bono’s film. 7) The media and writers are becoming more sensitive to using the appropriate pronoun when referring to a transgender man or woman - perhaps a small matter to non-transgender people, but very important in humanizing transgender people and giving them respect. 8) We are continuing to see the growth trend in the number of female-to-male (FTM) transitions, moving toward having an equal number of trans men and trans women in the population, as a recent study predicted. 9) More seniors are having transgender surgery. As society becomes more accepting, more seniors are making the commitment to realize their lifelong dream. (See clip on the “World’s Oldest Transgender”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge9Y6HHU6 5U) 10) New medical innovations, such as micro surgery, the harmonic scalpel, radio-wave surgery, improved flap techniques, and new biomedical materials like acellular dermal matrix products, will continue to make transgender surgery safer, with more realistic and functional results. 11) The U.S. is becoming a world center for transgender surgery as more trans patients from around the world are coming here for surgery. Although Asia and Europe still perform more trans surgeries overall, the growth trend is in favor of the United States.

only he’s taken that fight and that same sense of fundamental fairness to battles over equality, affordable housing, and fishing in New Bedford. Barney is who he is, no matter the issue. His voice will be deeply missed in the Congress and in our delegation, but true to his word he’ll be taking his perspective to a new arena where his impact will continue to be felt just as deeply.” HRC TO MITT ROMNEY: NO SECOND-CLASS MARRIAGES Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney told the Boston Herald that he would support a three tiered system of marriage where straight couples are afforded favored status, gay and lesbian couples already married may remain so, but no further gay or lesbian couples may marry. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement in response: “All Americans should be offended by Mitt Romney’s harebrained scheme to create further inequality in our laws. Loving and committed gay and lesbian couples simply want to join in the institution of marriage in order to protect themselves and their children. Instead of making it easier for families, Mitt Romney’s new plan complicates an already difficult landscape. Given that he has previously expressed support for the Federal Marriage Amendment which would permanently exclude gay and lesbian couples from marriage, this new statement represents yet another position on the issue. Mitt Romney sure has traveled a long and winding road since the 1994 campaign when he pledged to do more for gays and lesbians than Senator Ted Kennedy.” NEWT GINGRICH SIGNS NOM’S ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE PLEDGE

KERRY ON REP BARNEY FRANK’S ANNOUNCEMENT

Gingrich Supports McCarthy Style Commission to Silence Equality Supporters

Senator John Kerry released a statement following Congressman Barney Frank’s announcement that he will not seek reelection in 2012:

GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich signed the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) anti-gay “Marriage Pledge” earlier today. The pledge calls on candidates to vigorously support the Defense of Marriage Act, push for a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman, repeal marriage equality in the nation’s capital, appoint anti-equality judges, and form a McCarthy-like commission to look into alleged incidents of harassment against NOM supporters. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement regarding Gingrich’s signature:

“No one’s ever doubted for a minute what Barney Frank thinks or where he stands, and if you weren’t sure, trust me, he’d tell you. That’s the special quality that has made Barney not just beloved and quotable, but unbelievably effective as an advocate and a legislator. He’s brave, he’s bold, and he’s ridiculously smart. People have marveled for years about what a quick and witty debater Barney can be, but many overlooked his secret: he has a core. He’s the same advocate I met in the 1970s stumping for Father Drinan,

When searching for this photo, we found Barney Frank and other portly politicians on “chubarama.com.”

“Newt Gingrich’s signature to the NOM Marriage Pledge is just the latest indicator of how beholden the GOP presidential candidates are to anti-gay groups. The tenets of the NOM pledge are rooted in hatred against LGBT Americans – by signing it, Gingrich and his fellow candidates are distancing themselves from mainstream opinion and taking an astonishingly extremist stance. We know that more than 50 percent of Americans support marriage equality, 77 percent of voters favor anti-discrimination laws, and a resounding number of people of faith believe their religion calls on them to support LGBT equality. His support for the NOM Marriage Pledge firmly puts Newt Gingrich on the wrong side of history.” In addition to Gingrich, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney also have signed NOM’s pledge. Gingrich lent his support to the Family Leader’s marriage vow. In a letter to the anti-gay organization, Gingrich vowed to support DOMA and a federal marriage amendment. That marriage vow calls homosexuality a choice and a threat to public health. ALLOUT.ORG APPLAUDS UNHCR AND SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT FOR LEADERSHIP ON HISTORIC UN REPORT DOCUMENTING LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS WORLDWIDE AllOut.org and African Human Rights Activists Declare: “Equality Under the Law is a Universal Human Right” The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) today released the firstever U.N. report documenting discriminatory laws, practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The report gives a sweeping panorama of the status of LGBT rights around the world, and includes an ambitious set of recommendations for U.N. member states to implement. “Today the United Nations has sent a powerful message to member states around the world, echoing what Hillary Clinton said last week: Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights,” said AllOut.org co-founder Andre Banks. “This groundbreaking report adds major momentum to the work that LGBT equality advocates are doing worldwide. We applaud the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the South African government in particular, for their courage and commitment to this historic civil and human rights struggle.”

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Now Is Our Time by Ed Mullen Happy New Year! A lot happened in Ohio and around the country in 2011 socially, legislatively and politically for the LGBT community. And there is no doubt 2012 will be a very interesting year. 2011 was a year to absorb many changes for Equality Ohio and the community we serve. The economic crisis meant that we had to do more with less. Like all non-profits, our funding has decreased in recent years, and we have had to prioritize more and unfortunately say no more. We are certainly optimistic about the future of the organization and the progress of our proequality agenda. But we need to be aggressive and creative to navigate the new financial terrain we find ourselves on, and we need financial support from a broader spectrum of the community and our allies if we are to thrive. The Ohio state government also changed in ways that impact our legislative agenda. The leadership in the House changed from one that was affirmatively behind our agenda to one that is not yet supportive. This does not mean that our pro-equality bills won’t move forward in the House, but rather that we need to spend more time on education and advocacy to persuade more conservative members of the House that equality is not a partisan issue. We have shifted our rhetoric and arguments to appeal to those currently in power - talking about the jobs benefit of our non-discrimination law, for example - and focused much of our efforts on broadening the support for our issues on both sides of the aisle. Happily, the first out member of the LGBT community joined the State legislature this year. Nickie Antonio of Lakewood was elected to the House, and she has taken the lead on many issues of importance to the LGBT community, such as safe schools and non-discrimination.

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We also have a new Governor. Governor Kasich re-instituted the Executive Order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for state employees, but he did not include “gender identity” in the Executive Order, as Governor Strickland had. During the campaign, the Governor also indicated that he would sign the Equal Housing and Employment Act if it came to his desk. However, the Governor has not yet been a public advocate for this and other pro-equality legislation. In 2012, Equality Ohio will continue to educate and advocate with respect to non-discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and to make our schools safe for all students. The Equal Housing and Employment Act was introduced in the House and Senate in September. The bill has been referred to committee in both houses, and it has received sponsor testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We have been working with our Local Action Teams around the state to increase the number of supportive legislators, mostly in areas surrounding the larger urban areas (where most legislators are already supportive). We expect the bill to move forward in both the House and the Senate early next year. Several individual bills, that we refer to collectively as the Safe Schools Act, were also introduced in the House and Senate. These bills have moved farther to date than the EHEA, with several getting full testimony, and we expect them to move quickly early next year. Equality Ohio is working with a broad coalition of groups, including the Ohio Suicide Prevention Network and the University of Toledo Law School Safe Schools Project, as well as State Representative Nickie Antonio, to advance these bills. These bills would address the fact that LGBT

students face pervasive bullying and harassment by adding gender identity and sexual orientation (as well as other categories like race and disability) specifically to the anti-bullying law and policies; it will include provisions for severe and pervasive cyber-bullying that impacts the educational environment; and, it will improve the training of administrators and teachers. In addition to the statewide activity, there were a number of advances on the local level. Athens, East Cleveland and Cleveland all passed pro-equality ordinances. Cuyahoga County considered domestic partner benefits for county workers, but postponed the vote until next March, while the City of Springfield has also delayed a final vote on a local non-discrimination ordinance. We will work with local activists to move both of these bills forward in 2012, and we are looking for other potential cities to pass pro-equality legislation. On the electoral side, Equality Ohio and our Campaign Fund endorsed and supported Chris Seelbach, who was the first out member of the LGBT community to be elected to the Cincinnati City Council. We were also involved with several city council races in Bowling Green, where several candidates were running on a platform to overturn the non-discrimination law enacted there and then later defended from repeal at the polls. In 2012, there are at least four openly LGBT candidates for Ohio State Representative Nickie Antonio, who is running for reelection; Tim Brown, a Republican Wood County Commissioner; Steve Newsome from the Cincinnati area; and James Helmink in the Lake County area. In addition, Sandra Kurt is running for Summit County Council (to retain the at-large seat she was appointed to) and Phil Montgomery is running for Akron City Council.

That is the worst O-H-I-O I’ve ever seen.

Of course, Ohio will be an important state in the Presidential race, and Senator Sherrod Brown’s reelection race will be closely watched nationally. Senator Brown’s opponent is not yet determined, but he has been a strong advocate over the years for the LGBT community and this is a race that will be closely watched by LGBT advocates. The end of each year is a time to look both backward and forward. Looking back, I am very pleased with the work we have done this year under difficult circumstances, and I thank all of you who have contributed your time, energy and money to our collective efforts. Yet, Ohio remains one of the lowest ranked states on our statewide equality index - there is NOT ONE statewide law protecting the LGBT community, and marriage discrimination remains enshrined in the Ohio Constitution. Looking forward, I am cautiously optimistic. I truly believe that we are in the midst of a seismic shift in the public support for LGBT rights. Passing marriage equality in New York seems like it was a tipping point. But, that does not mean it is time to sit back and relax. No, it means that now is the time to push harder than ever - to make sure another 15-year old gay high school student is not attacked by a classmate, to make sure that another restaurant manager is not fired because he is a “gay drama queen,” to make sure that another transgender woman is not beaten while waiting for a train and called anti-gay and anti-trans epithets and to make sure that another child does not lose contact with one of her mothers because Ohio’s laws do not fully recognize our families. We have a long road ahead to achieve full equality and inclusion in Ohio. But now is our time. Welcome, 2012.

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LOW (od

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Every time I see a Bonsai tree, I think of Karate Kid Part III.

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An Enchanting New Business: Enchanted Elements by Abbey Marie Miller

dustry.

In Debe Wenig and Cynthia Hartline’s business, you can’t think about the money.

“It used to be a reader would have a corner in a shop to bring in business, and would only pay the shop a small percentage of what they made. The Even so, the ladies’ business has been readers were secondary. All the sudden so successful, they are not only making the shops were charging 40 or 50 perthe rent - they’re making their own cent. They were gouging our readers,” rules. Harline said. Enchanted Elements, the soon-to-be divination-destination for the Midwest isn’t just surviving, it is thriving, proving that when the going gets tough, the tough get creative.

“There is so much we wanted to do, we wanted to centralize ourselves. Finally I just said, ‘Why don’t we get our own space?’” Wenig said. “If you are going to follow your calling, why not set your own parameters?”

“I really thought we’d be struggling, but the support has been amazing,” The pair decided to run their business Wenig said. “I guess we are really differently. meant to be doing what we are doing.” We wanted to flip the business model Divination is defined as the art or prac- and put the primary focus back on the tice that seeks to foresee or foretell fu- readers, with the shop aspect secondture events or discover hidden ary,” Hartline said. “I didn’t want my knowledge usually by the interpretation money to be separate from my art.” of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers. Wenig, is a practicing palmist With people struggling to make ends and Hartline is a practicing Tarot meet, it would seem that participating reader. in the mantic arts wouldn’t be at the top of most people’s list. According to Both Hartline and Wenig are mantic Wenig and Hartline, the business is acarts heavy-weights, and both are tually thriving during these uncertain highly respected in their fields. The two economic times. were practicing their specialties separately, but found they were stronger to- “When everything seems to be going gether. south, people look outside of the box. People are looking for answers else“We do readings as partners now, we where because the conventional ways found we were could be even more ac- aren’t working,” Wenig said. curate doing it simultaneously,” said Hartline. “When we read together, “On the west coast, companies use sometimes we are so spot on - we sur- tarot readings for their business foreprise ourselves!” casting,” Hartline said. “People are really hungry for what we are offering.” While practicing together, both Hartline and Wenig were seeing some disturb- In addition to Tarot and palm readings, ing patterns within the divination inEnchanted Elements wanted to involve

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healing practices in their space. They noticed problems within healing arts industry as well.

for so many things, the energy behind Wenig identifies as lesbian, she serves this is really wild. We are so excited.” as Vice President of Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio and is also the As for now, both women are trying to “We were seeing that massage therapy Board Secretary for BRAVO (Buckeye keep up with public demand. students, and others practicing the Region Anti-Violence Organization). mantic arts, were unable to build “We are in awe of how fast everything clientele because they didn’t have a Even with their positive outlook and is happening,” said Hartline. “But it space, and they couldn’t get a space success, there are some obstacles the just goes to show, if you follow your because they couldn’t afford overhead pair has had to overcome. bliss, the money will come.” with no clientele. So we decided we would have a space where people “Divination has a bad rap. People Classes are currently being formed at could come in and pay as they go,” don’t understand the practical aspects Enchanted Elements, located at 415 E. Wenig said. “It’s like integrated medi- of it,” Harline said. Broad St. cine, but integrated divination.” “A lot of people are apprehensive be- “We are right next to a funeral home Enchanted Elements now offers mas- cause they are afraid of ‘bad news’ or and across from a church,” Hartline sage therapy, metaphysical hypnosis, that we are going to recruit them into said. “One of friends said we are right various divination classes and harbors the metaphysical or something,” between life and death. Some how, conversation about all things metaWenig said. “We aren’t out to recruit - that sort of fits.” physical. we aren’t trying to change peoples’ beliefs. We just want to be a house of Upcoming events: Hartline and Wenig believe the tough peace and empower people. It’s a really Date Title Subject/Facilitator Admission economy in conjunction with their plu- positive experience.” Jan 03 Prosperity Career, Money, Securalist outlook is responsible to their unrity, free precedented success. In addition to preconceived notions, Jan 04 Palmistry Basics w/Debe, class both Hartline and Wenig realized there fee “We are pluralists. We don’t just toler- were financial aspects to keep in mind Jan 10 Tarot Meetup, W/Ee, free ate, we celebrate. We want to work with while practicing their respective arts. Jan 11 Palmistry - Major Lines w/Debe the mind as well as the heart. We don’t class fee set ourselves up to be competitive, we “We do recognize there are needs, we Jan 12 Hypnosis - Past Life Regression like to play nice with others,” Harline have to make sure we can keep the w/ Eric Nutter, MHT class fee said. lights on. We have to have a model Jan 17 Body and Mind EFT, Self-Image, that allows up to support ourselves, Lose It, free “We are more powerful as a blended but doesn’t focus on money. It can’t be Jan 18 Tarot Introduction w/ Cynthia, group of people,” Wenig said. “That is about the money in this business. In- class fee why we call it Enchanted Elements, be- tegrity is non-negotiable.” Jan 19 Spinning Thread (drop spindle) cause we have so much going on.” w/Heather Killen, class fee In the future, Hartline and Wenig hope Jan 24 Body as Earth Herbs, free When they say they are pluralists, they that Enchanted Elements will fill a void Jan 25 EFT w/Ee, class fee mean it. Both Wenig and Hartline rep- in the Midwest. Jan 28 Spiritual Hypnosis w/Andrieh resent many social groups. Vitimus, class fee “We want to be a Midwest resource Jan 31 Body and Spirit Meditation, Hartline is an ordained minister, organ- center. In California (where Wenig is Grounding, Shielding, free izer of Pagan Pride, moderator of the from) there are schools that people Yahoo group Mantic Cafe, coordinator with spiritual gifts can go and study; Enchanted Elements is located at 415 E. Broad of Columbus Tarot Meetup and Ohio there is nothing like that here,” Wenig St. and can be reached at 614.437.2642 or Witches Meetup. said. “This is just the jumping off point info@enchantedelements.com.

Debe and Cynthia are far more credible than Professor Trelawny at Hogwarts.

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Sometimes, my inner leader is busy taking a nap.

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Presiding Over the Big 2-0-0 Mayor Michael Coleman on our City’s Bicentennial by Michael Daniels By the time you’re reading this column, it’s 2012 – our City’s bicentennial year. Get out your party hat, your kazoo and your poppers. It’s time to Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present and Envision the Future.

MD: How are the bicentennial events being organized and who’s paying for them? MMC: We have an organization called 200Columbus that is spearheading the bicentennial celebrations effort, and we are raising money to help fund it.

I snuck in some questions to Hizzoner in between the hustle and bustle of the holidays - he was at the White House, I was at Family Dollar, I think. Or maybe it was the eggnog aisle at Kroger. I don’t recall. Anyhow, here’s the skinny.

MD: What are some of the highlights going to be? MMC: There will a birthday party Feb. 10, which is four days prior to the actual anniversary, and we will have bicentennial events throughout the year.

Michael Daniels: Why is it so important to celebrate our City’s bicentennial birthday in such a big way? Mayor Michae Coleman: We’ve become known around the country as one of the best cities in America, and we need to be proud of that. The bicentennial is an opportunity to study our history, show pride in how far we have come and, most importantly, use it as a launching pad for the future.

MD: What’s the thing you personally are looking most forward to? MMC: Coming together as a community and showing some swagger.

MD: Is the celebration for us, or to show us off to the rest of the world? MMC: Both. We are using our bicentennial as a marketing tool to tell the rest of the country and the rest of the world about the great things we have going on here. That gives us an opportunity to bring in more tourism, which means more jobs and new residents.

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MD: What do you want people to be saying about Columbus 200 years from now? MMC: Years from now, I hope we’re not looking back at 2012, but rather looking forward with the energy and momentum that we helped create in our bicentennial year. I, for one, am hoping that on the City’s actual birthday, we get Mayor Coleman jumping out of a big-ass cake in front of City Hall. Not sure that’ll happen, but lots of amazing stuff will. To keep up with it all, visit 200 Columbus at www.200columbus.com for all the event details, volunteer opportunities, sponsorships, and special bicentennial activities.

Wet t-shirt contest anyone?

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Start a campaign at your workplace today!

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Hate My President? Find Another Country by Mickey Weems I know reasonable conservatives exist in the LGBT community, but I cannot find them, perhaps because irrational ones who hate Obama drown them out, 5 to 1. Not just dislike Obama. Not just disagree with Obama. Hate. Loathe. Wish him dead. See absolutely no value in the man, his administration, his presidency. I’d love an honest discussion whether Obama has done enough, whether his actions are good for the country or good for his chances for re-election, whether his relationship with big banks is appropriate, or if his strategies are sound to begin with. What cannot be left out in this debate, however, is this fact: Obama’s Congressional opponents in the Republican Party have consistently blocked any progress that bears the stamp of the Obama Administration, just so the nation would be worse off and decrease his chances of reelection. They then blame him for their knavery. That is the strategy of treason. I’m done with giving the benefit of the doubt to haters willing to sink their own country. Dislike of the man does not excuse unreasonable spite, neither is it permissible to sabotage the common good. Tell me otherwise, and I will be the most intolerant person in the world. The Ugly Truth of Self-Hatred Obama haters in the LGBT community are worse than their Straight counterparts. They betray their own kind as well as their nation. I recently got into a dreadful conversation with a woman who assumed that I hate Occupy Wall Street, possibly be-

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cause I was like her: White, Gay and middle-aged. When I told her I supported OWS as the only real hope for our democracy that I’ve seen in years, she asked if I voted for Obama. My affirmative answer set her off. I refuted claim after claim of talking points. When it came to LGBT rights, she was absolutely unwilling to concede that Obama has stood up for us in any way, neither would she acknowledge that his opponents have used his support for LGBT rights as a reason to hate him even more. It was clear to me that she was willing to sell out her own people. And unfortunately, I told her so. Other similarly disastrous conversations have been with Gay men who hate our President. They are willing to declare common cause with openly homophobic politicians, and then claim that the Gay community persecutes them. I let them talk long enough, and the root cause of their martyrdom appeared in scary rainbow highlights: these men were deathly afraid of appearing too queer. One was upset because people might think he was a Democrat and a limpwristed fairy. When I called him out on his Obama-hate and adoration of Fox News, he told me to go back to “raves and X.” I took this as a sure sign he did not dance, which infuriated him. He then recommended I put on a dress, carry a sign decorated with a feather boa and occupy somebody’s front yard. Zing! In his mind, any Gay male supporter of our President (repeat after me: our President) is a limp-wristed fairy in a feather boa and a dress, a favorite stereotype of Straight homophobes and apparently his own personal nightmare. Rather than actually address the issues, he projected his own unresolved internalized homophobia onto me. My response to him: I will duly report his words in this arti-

cle. And for the record, I would proudly wear a dress and wave a boa-trimmed sign in support of the Transpeople people he so despises. In some ways I feel sorry for the poor guy. But the only way I know to shake him out of his identity crisis is refusal to tolerate his hatred of the President, our community or himself. Phony Patriotism and Staying Civil (for the most part) The Republican candidate for president running against Obama will most likely be proudly homophobic, vowing to defend marriage from us, reinstitute the military ban and reverse the awesome international initiatives against homophobia that Clinton announced in the name of the Obama Administration. Romney, Bachmann, Gingrich and Perry have made it crystal clear they would pander to hatred of us, hand-in-hand with hatred of Obama. In the Land of the Free, it doesn’t get more un-American than that. It’s even worse when the homobamaphobe is wearing a flag pin. The original name of this article was, “Hate My President? Fuck You, Traitor.” It felt good as a working title, and it actually struck me as funny since it parodied the style of rightwing hate radio. But eventually the shock value wore off. I also reminded myself that I have relatives who are dear to me that have been bitten by the Fox. If I wouldn’t say, “Fuck You, Traitor” to my own kinfolk, then it’s inappropriate for me to use it with family. But the words would flow easily off my tongue in a heated one-on-one exchange with Romney, Bachmann, Gingrich or Perry. They know damn well what they are doing. Fucking traitors.

Obama has appointed more openly gay officials than any other U.S. president.

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I bet you never thought youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d see Divine and MLK on the same page.

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It’s Time We Start to Diversify the Message by D.A. Steward When I think of the bicentennial celebrations laid out for Columbus this year, the festivities aren’t what immediately capture my attention. I think of this as period of reflection. How far has this city come and how far it still needs to go. In December’s issue, Orie Givens wrote about the invisibility faced by LGBT people of color and how LGBT racial minorities are often left out of the mainstream LGBT conversation. As a black, gay, male writer growing up, and now living in this city I often think of all the stories that aren’t being told, especially among the LGBT people of color population. As Givens mentioned, we’ve seen some success with shows like Noah’s Arc. But when I think back on the last few years and the LGBT stories that gripped the nation (i.e. Prop 8, Constance McMillen, gay bullying and the It Gets Better Project, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell), I mostly remember seeing white-washed coverage by the mainstream media. Columbus is doubly guilty of this oversight. The Short North is an amazing, nationally recognized area that prominently features the LGBT community, but it’s also probably one of the least racially diverse areas of the city. And the number of times I’ve seen an openly gay person of color featured on a local news station, be it television, radio or newspaper, can be counted on my two hands. Givens did a great job of detailing the issues faced by LGBT minorities and the disparities that exist within both the multicultural and LGBT community. Now that the conversation has been started, it’s time to hash out a solution. It’s time we started featuring other sides of the story. Right now, Traxx Columbus, a Friday night-only dance club at the Outland building in The Brewery District, is the only club in the city that

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caters to the social and advocacy needs of the black gay community. (None that I know of exist for the gay Latino or Asian communities). New Leaf Columbus is the only local organization with a long and successful history of supporting gay people of color through education, activism and advocacy. There are many things that could be done to improve this invisibility and disparity that exists for gay people of color here in Columbus. The festivities surrounding Pride need to include events that service EVERYONE in our community. A racially diverse gay club needs to be open daily in the Short North. And we need concerted efforts by organizations like Stonewall Columbus to partner with LGBT of color organizations. This would just be the beginning. Using Facebook, I conducted a small, unscientific survey amongst some members of the LGBT of color community here in Columbus. I posed just one question: What do you think Columbus needs to make it a more welcoming place for gay people of color? The response was overwhelming. Here is just a small snap shot of what people had to say: “We need a greater, less-fetishized presence on High Street. SOME presence in the night life/drag community, better outreach and mostly some real, legitimate basic-level social gatherings.” “WE, the gay peeps of color, need to be PRESENT. As I ask this, I am looking in the mirror: ‘Why would anyone include us if we don’t make ourselves present in the conversations?’ It is virtually impossible to change anything from withOUT; change comes from withIN organizations.” “Mainstream LGBT organizations and media should strive to be much more inclusive in the language that they use, with the understanding that not everyone adheres to terms such as ‘queer,’ ‘LGBT,’ etc.”

what needed to be focused on going forward. “Everyone has the right to be identified as they see fit. With that said, maybe we need to examine why terms like “queer” or ‘LGBT’ are not adhered to, and find out what terms are more appropriate. With this [the media] needs your help.” “We need to go beyond Stonewall, Equality Ohio and HRC to United Way funded agencies, ADAMH funded agencies, for-profit boards like Nationwide, Limited Brands and political offices like City Council, County Commissioner, State Representative/Senator and so on.” “I guess my concern is making sure that [we address] the broad scope of diverse communities in the LGBT of Color Community. There’s such a broad scope in the African American community and if you expand beyond that, there’s Latino, South Asian, Asian, etc. I think those are all communities that also need to be addressed or given opportunities to be at the table.” Though the current situation seems bleak, there is hope. A group of local activists have recently started the Columbus Black Gay Men’s Coalition and the AIDS Resource Center Ohio has recently received a substantial grant from the CDC to open the Greater Columbus Mpowerment Center, an organization that will work to specifically fight HIV/AIDS in the young black gay male community. There is actually a history of progress being made on this issue in Columbus. In January 2008 New Leaf, Equality Ohio and HRC partnered to present “Community Conservations: Outreach & Community Building for Columbus’ LGBT Communities of Color” at United Way. The event was created in response to an LGBT Needs Assessment Survey that was conducted by United Way, Columbus AIDS Task Force (now AIDS Resource Center Ohio) and Stonewall, which received little to now response from gay people of color. A second conservation was organized in April 2010 to “check in” and discus

Find me at Traxx. I’m the Asian one.

Aaron Riley, founder and director of New Leaf, graciously did some digging and sent me the minutes from these two meetings. Many of the responses above were included in the discussion (language barriers, media representation, mobilization, etc.) and there was even talk of starting LGBT of color sports groups, film festivals and youth mentoring programs. “As a result of the first and second community conversation, there are a number of grass roots efforts that have been started,” Riley said. “Perhaps it is time to host another Community Conversation to make folks aware of what has been accomplished since 2010 and what is needed to continue building these efforts.” Outlook is currently taking a stand as an ally, and will be starting a new column called “From the Other Side” that will fill this space every month with stories that feature gay people of color and organizations that support them from around the city and the country. Please send submissions or any story ideas to myself (dwayneasteward@gmail.com) or outlook Editor Erin McCalla (emccalla@outlookmedia.com). Sociologists use the textbook term “the Other” to refer to racial minorities or anyone that falls outside of the dominating white, straight male demographic. Much like the word “queer,” it’s time we take this phrase back and make it something positive. It’s time to make the Other, the norm. The LGBT community is forever evolving. We may no longer be fighting for the right to serve openly in the military, or to the keep the police from arresting us simply for being in a gay bar, but there are still the deeper roots of inequity that prevail and need to be tended. And Columbus is one of the largest gay Meccas in the country. Why can’t we be the city that leads this movement? We have the tools, now we just need to get to work.

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The Palace is a fitting place for the reigning Queen of Mean.

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Muscles wrapped in spandex leaves nothing to the imagination. We like it that way.

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Underwear Activism by Mario Pinardi Lately, the only physical movement that I have been involved with includes a toilet and my BFF, Cottonelle. I feel that I have become one of those gays that participates in a movement with the least energy possible or if it involves my computer, then I am there. And, if I am being an activist via my computer, I do this in my underpants and with a cocktail. And, by the way, for a fatty, I have some nice underpants. What movements have made an impact in the GLBTQ community? What kind of activism took place to make this happen? When I moved here, I noticed activism fell into two categories: 1) check writers and 2) the physical activist. Either folks wrote a check and attended galas or folks marched the streets and lobbied at the Statehouse. At that time there was no happy medium, but now there is the trend of cyber activism, which is where I feel I belong. Cyber activists were often labeled by the physical activist as a lazy, cowardly, “basement dwellers,” asocial and physically unkempt. These characteristics do not describe a cyber activist at all, they describe an obsessive gamer - both have completely different uses for computers, plus obsessive gamers wear incontinence pants so they will not be interrupted by a bowel or bladder movement. While I sometimes consider myself lazy and physically unkempt, I use the In-

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ternet as a tool for information and for disseminating information en mass. Like me, cyber activists are researchers and probers, and refuse to take “no” for a final answer. I like to use social media to provide different points of view, and not for hate and bullying. Let us examine some of the movements that were all started by a few clicks: It Gets Better Campaign: Dan Savage started with one video that he posted in response to a teen suicide. He started a movement that created hundreds of videos and a book that sent positive messages to those struggling with being gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender. NoH8-Adam Bouska took a few photos of celebrities with “No H8” on their cheeks and posted them to Facebook in response to Proposition 8 in California. This led to Adam starting a movement where folks came out to Pride festivals all over the U.S. to have their picture taken by Adam and his staff. “NoH8” became a brand opposing those haters of the gay community. Flashmobbing – This trend became fervent in 2011 because of social media. There are numerous Twitter feeds and Facebook pages devoted to organizing flashmobs. This international movement came out of the need to have fun with such despair in the world. We are all better for it, too.

Mainstreaming Drag – The Internet and social media became a forum for drag queens & kings to express themselves through words and through video – this allowed those who never experienced drag to see what a drag performance entails and how drag is an art form in itself. Also, our drag sisters & brothers found a home on Facebook for their various business ventures. Drag is no longer a gay bar only experience because of social media. Awareness of Our Enemies – Opposing those who hate us has become easier with the Internet. In an instant, we now can gain an understanding on what drives our enemies to be so hateful, and we now can see their hypocritical actions, too. Their subversive lives are now public, from exposing their cocks on Twitter to secret pictures posted on Facebook of their gay houseboys. Now, I know I missed many other Internetbased movements, besides “two girls and a cup,” and I know there is much more activism online that most people do not know about. Cyber activists have created websites devoted to causes and online petition signing to endorse their causes. The Internet is no longer a place for just shopping and porn - it has become an online lobbying and political movement. I have personally participated in cyber activism, in fact, my lazy ass relishes

I’m sure there is room for me in that bed somewhere.

it! I mean watching butt sex on my Mac while signing a petition online is a typical weekday night for me. And, with our city’s bicentennial coming up, what kind of cyber movement can I start here? Since there are too many serious movements going on out there in Internetland, let’s create some activism for the celebration of gayness! I want to start a video site for people to come out of the closet with “jazz hands,” I want to build a photo site of all of my butch moments (yes, I do have them), I want to start a petition to ban stinky queers from our bars (cologne does not mask everything and ass eating causes bad breath), and I want to start a movement of removing bad trends from our city (gays, get rid of the fucking trucker hats). Who wants in on this? In 2012, think about what movements you are going to join and be active the best way you can. Whether it is writing a check or pounding the pavement or clicking on your computer screen, activism is needed for awareness and change. Who knew that a few celebrity photos would show the world how not to hate? Remember to never let yourself be a victim and to always be a survivor. Want to see my underwear du jour? Turn your cam on; my knickers are hot!

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Commencement by Marcus Morris I just graduated with my BFA. I’m exhausted and excited that I am finished with this part of my life. “Onward, upward” is my new motto. I’m trying to look forward, and I don’t know if reflection is necessarily the smartest thing, but I can’t help but think about the difference between myself as an incoming freshman, and the person I am today. It’s been a crazy ride. In the late summer of 2006, I lived in a shithole apartment in Olde Towne East. I loved this apartment. I still have a great sense of nostalgia when I think of this place. It had high ceilings and beautiful hardwood floors. (“I need high ceilings!”) My railroad kitchen was wide enough to open my oven door. It always smelled of gasoline, and the only heat source in the entire place was a huge stove heater in the living room. The hallway outside my door was black and reeked of burnt wood. The previous tenant, an alcoholic, had set fire to the hallway when he put a cigarette out in a can of paint thinner. I thought it was incredibly chic. I didn’t have furniture in the place for months outside of a bed. I had a giant rack for my clothes since there were no closets in the apartment. The living room had nearly 20 stacks of old issues of Vogue. I imagined that Holly Golightly would have lived there. I was without closets in this apartment, but I had my own that I lived in. I lived in this apartment with my girlfriend. I really loved her, but I knew I was gay. The night before I started classes, I broke up with her. I knew that I wanted a clean slate. I also knew that I was not being fair by being closeted. We lived together for another two months, and for a while we didn’t speak. Our breakup was inelegant and clumsy. I

jan 2012

was not very good at saying how I felt. After some time, we are now friends, and I think the world of her and her boyfriend. After she moved out, I was still terrified of my sexuality, but I managed to go out once - to Axis. It was kind of amusing to see this whole world, but I was still in closet-mode, so I just drank. A lot. I managed to survive the first semester still quite closeted. I was out to nobody. The next semester I met a boy and came out. In school, I became more in command of myself as an artist, and I started to become more comfortable with what it meant to be gay. I was meeting boys, bartending and doing a lot of partying. By the end of my first year of school, I was on my way. I thought. The beginning of my second year coincided with a fantastic fling with an Australian. Everyone should begin their sophomore year of college by having a fuckfest. I also met one of my best friends, Joe, a brilliant animator. The rest of the semester was spent bitching about how much I actually disliked school. I was making terrible art, barhopping and making lots of bad choices. By the end of the semester I was spent, so I dropped out of college. When I wasn’t in school, I managed to do nothing. I was bartending, and I was being social. I shared an apartment with one of my dearest friends and my other roommate managed to make our lives a living hell. It was a manic year, and when I think about the time I wasted not being in a classroom, I am not proud. I wanted my life to be easier, and I thought school was what was getting in my way, not myself. No regrets though. Making a bad choice is a learning experience. I made a lot of them.

By November of 2008, I had enough of the mess I had started, so I began to try to climb out of it all. I started writing for outlook, and re-applied back to school. The looming student loans scared the shit out of me. My grades were fantastic, so I was re-admitted without much difficulty. At Thanksgiving, I spent time with my family, and I came back to Columbus to bartend the day after. It was nice to get back to work knowing that I had things to look forward to. That night, we were quite busy at work, and this guy gave me his phone number. He wrote everything else in Italian, which I thought was clever, and way better than the usual solicitations to fuck from patrons. So, I sent him a text. The next thing I knew, we were saying vows in front of a bartender/minister. Although, he was a minister, the “God” thing did not enter the equation. Thank God. Of course, it being my life, my new husband was moving to Australia for grad school, which sure made for interesting conversation to my friends and family. I was now married. When he left, I had started school, and was extremely busy. A few weeks later, I was silently crippled with the anxiety of what had just happened. I was afraid to let people know that I was afraid and I had worries, so I put up a front. I was so insecure about whether or not he’d sleep with other people, or whether I would fuck up and sleep with someone on a drunken night. I was such a basket case, but I knew that if it happened, I’d have to live with it. So, I decided to be faithful, and I hoped he would during those 10 months. The distance was difficult, but I sometimes thought of it as romantic. Sometimes I cursed it. Especially when I met a gor-

geous dancer with a perfect ass. Long distance relationships are tough. In the end, I realized that relationships are not just about being physical, so I wrote a lot of letters, Skype-d a lot and tried to silence the beast within. When he returned in December 2009, I left CCAD again, and we headed to South Africa. He wanted to investigate a PhD program, and I wanted to see the world. I spent six months in Cape Town living and breathing it all in. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The best thing about it all was the education I got outside of my school. I went to beaches, vineyards and hung out with so many people from different countries. This experience equaled anything I ever had in a classroom. You cannot teach this, and voraciously, I ate it up. Living in Cape Town was unparalleled to anything I had ever known. I grew up in Zanesville, so you get the picture? Of course, I had to come back, and armed with my African experience, I set about being the best I could. Luckily, his family supplied us with a place to live in Worthington while I spent the last year studying, making photographs and eating Jeni’s ice cream. I’ve done a pretty decent job of being a student. The last year has been all about my education. Happily, I graduated Cum Laude. Another goal was to be someone who I’d respect. Sometimes I succeeded, and sometimes I failed miserably. But, isn’t that life? When I started school, I had no clue what I really wanted. I had a fuzzy idea. A few years, a lot of headaches, a lot of men, and a lot of education later, I’m marching toward clarity.

I wish I would have gone with Marcus to South Africa, so I could live out my dream of swimming with sharks.

outlookcolumbus.com

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outlookcolumbus.com

Congratulations to Wall Street on 25 years of great times!

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29 11:00 AM Margarita Monday … Karaoke @ Club Diversity 1:00 PM Happy Hour @ Tremont 4:00 PM Bitchy Mondays @ Club D 5:00 PM Happy Hour @ Blazers 9:00 PM Service Industry Night @ Level 10:00 PM Karaoke @ AWOL

… Karaoke @ Club Diversity 1:00 PM Happy Hour @ Tremont 2:00 PM Stoli Mondays 4:00 PM Bitchy Mondays @ Club D 5:00 PM Happy Hour @ Blazers 9:00 PM Service Industry Night @ Level 10:00 PM Karaoke @ AWOL

12:00 AM Restaurant Week Columbus … Karaoke @ Club Diversity 1:00 PM Happy Hour @ Tremont 4:00 PM Bitchy Mondays @ Club D 4:15 PM Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cel! ebration 5:00 PM Happy Hour @ Blazers 9:00 PM Service Industry Night @ Level 10:00 PM Karaoke @ AWOL

10:30 AM Moving toward Wholeness Integrating Spirituality and Sexuality 11:00 AM Illusions Cabaret Brunch 11:00 AM Broadway Brunch @ Level 2:00 PM RENT 7:00 PM Karaoke @ Club Diversity 8:00 PM Sunday Night Players @ Wall St 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

11:00 AM Broadway Brunch @ Level 2:00 PM RENT 7:00 PM Karaoke @ Club Diversity 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

11:00 AM Broadway Brunch @ Level … Roller SK80s The Decade Strikes Back Episode V 7:00 PM Karaoke @ Club Diversity 8:00 PM Latin Dance Night @ Wall St 8:00 PM Gri"n House 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

11:00 AM All Day Happy Hour … Karaoke @ Club Diversity 1:00 PM Happy Hour @ Tremont 4:00 PM Bitchy Mondays @ Club D 5:00 PM Happy Hour @ Blazers 9:00 PM Service Industry Night @ Level 10:00 PM Karaoke @ AWOL

9:00 AM BNI Group One-to-Ones @ Panera Bread (Bethel) 11:00 AM Broadway Brunch @ Level 2:00 PM CityMusic Sunday Series: Jazz Arts Group Quartet with Dave Powers 7:00 PM Karaoke @ Club Diversity 8:00 PM Latin Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

Chris Hayes' Birthday

… Karaoke @ Club Diversity 12:00 PM OSU Women's Basketball v Iowa 1:00 PM Happy Hour @ Tremont 4:00 PM Bitchy Mondays @ Club D 5:00 PM Happy Hour @ Blazers 9:00 PM Service Industry Night @ Level 10:00 PM Karaoke @ AWOL

New Year's Day (observed)

Monday

US Holidays

12:00 AM International Do-Nothing Day 11:00 AM Broadway Brunch @ Level … First Night Columbus … New Year's Leather Ball 2 7:00 PM Karaoke @ Club Diversity 8:00 PM Latin Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

New Year's Day

Sunday

Special Events

Networking

Ohio Festivals

Bars-Clubs

Festività pagane

January 2012

9:00 AM SRJNG Tuesday Tune Up @ Espresso Yourself Cafe 4:00 PM Karaoke @ Trafik 4:00 PM Technicolor Movie Night @ Club D 5:00 PM Get Crocked at Wyandotte 8:00 PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Level 8:00 PM Cheap Date Night @ Slam! mers 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

9:00 AM SRJNG Tuesday Tune Up @ Espresso Yourself Cafe … Stoli Mondays 4:00 PM Karaoke @ Trafik 4:00 PM Technicolor Movie Night @ Club D 7:30 PM Pauly Shore 8:00 PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Level 8:00 PM Cheap Date Night @ Slam! mers 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

… Restaurant Week Columbus 9:00 AM SRJNG Tuesday Tune Up @ Espresso Yourself Cafe 4:00 PM Karaoke @ Trafik 4:00 PM Exile Tuesdays 4:00 PM Technicolor Movie Night @ Club D 8:00 PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Level 8:00 PM Cheap Date Night @ Slam! mers 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

… All Day Happy Hour 9:00 AM SRJNG Tuesday Tune Up @ Espresso Yourself Cafe 4:00 PM Karaoke @ Trafik 4:00 PM Technicolor Movie Night @ Club D 8:00 PM Shrek: The Musical 8:00 PM Cheap Date Night @ Slam! mers 8:00 PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Level 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

9:00 AM SRJNG Tuesday Tune Up @ Espresso Yourself Cafe 4:00 PM Karaoke @ Trafik 4:00 PM Technicolor Movie Night @ Club D 7:00 PM Whiskey Social 8:00 PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Level 8:00 PM Cheap Date Night @ Slam! mers 10:00 PM Strippers @ Exile

Tuesday 4

1 12:00 PM CMC Lunch Forums @ Ath! letic Club of Columbus 4:00 PM LevelTini Night @ Level 5:00 PM Prime Timers "Boys Night Out" @ Club D 9:30 PM Karaoke Bingo @ Exile 10:00 PM Boy Night @ Wall St

12:00 PM CMC Lunch Forums @ Ath! letic Club of Columbus 4:00 PM LevelTini Night @ Level 5:00 PM Prime Timers "Boys Night Out" @ Club D 7:00 PM Open Mic 9:30 PM Karaoke Bingo @ Exile 10:00 PM Boy Night @ Wall St

… Restaurant Week Columbus 12:00 PM CMC Lunch Forums @ Ath! letic Club of Columbus 4:00 PM LevelTini Night @ Level 5:00 PM Prime Timers "Boys Night Out" @ Club D 9:30 PM Karaoke Bingo @ Exile 10:00 PM Boy Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM Boys Night Out

12:00 PM CMC Lunch Forums @ Ath! letic Club of Columbus 4:00 PM LevelTini Night @ Level 5:00 PM Prime Timers "Boys Night Out" @ Club D 6:00 PM Network Columbus 9:30 PM Karaoke Bingo @ Exile 10:00 PM Boy Night @ Wall St

12:00 PM CMC Lunch Forums @ Ath! letic Club of Columbus 4:00 PM LevelTini Night @ Level 5:00 PM Wyandotte Winery Hump Day Happy Hour 5:00 PM Prime Timers "Boys Night Out" @ Club D 9:30 PM Karaoke Bingo @ Exile 10:00 PM Boy Night @ Wall St

Wednesday 5

4:00 PM $3 3 Olives Night @ Level 4:00 PM 3 Wise Men @ Exile 8:00 PM CW & HipHop @ Wall St 9:00 PM Tom Crumley at the Piano @ Club D 10:00 PM Trafik Jam @ Trafik

26 4:00 PM 3 Wise Men @ Exile 4:00 PM $3 3 Olives Night @ Level 8:00 PM Harlem Gospel Choir 8:00 PM CW & HipHop @ Wall St 9:00 PM Tom Crumley at the Piano @ Club D 10:00 PM Trafik Jam @ Trafik

… Restaurant Week Columbus … Boys Night Out 4:00 PM $3 3 Olives Night @ Level 4:00 PM 3 Wise Men @ Exile 8:00 PM Mariano Pensotti: El Pasado es un animal grotesco 8:00 PM CW & HipHop @ Wall St 9:00 PM Tom Crumley at the Piano @ Club D 10:00 PM Trafik Jam @ Trafik

Groundhog Day

9 10

3 8

Friday

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4:00 PM Get Your Mojo @ Level 7:00 PM First Friday @ Wall St 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM Traxx: Columbus @ Out! lands 10:00 PM College Nite @ Wall St

4:00 PM Get Your Mojo @ Level 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM College Nite @ Wall St 10:00 PM Traxx: Columbus @ Out! lands

20 … Restaurant Week Columbus 4:00 PM Get Your Mojo @ Level 7:00 PM Columbus Dance Theatre: Ten Cents a Dance 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM College Nite @ Wall St 10:00 PM Traxx: Columbus @ Out! lands

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S 4

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8:30 PM Best Ass Contest @ Exile 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM Lesbian Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM DJ Jeremy James @ Level

28 8:00 PM Hit The Road Jack: The Music of Ray Charles 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM Lesbian Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM DJ Jeremy James @ Level

21 … Restaurant Week Columbus 9:00 PM My Best Friend’s Party: Le Boom 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM DJ Jeremy James @ Level 10:00 PM Lesbian Dance Night @ Wall St

14 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM Lesbian Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM DJ Jeremy James @ Level 11:00 PM Roller SK80s The Decade Strikes Back Episode V

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12 13 14 15 16 17 18

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7:00 PM Wale 8:30 PM Best Ass Contest @ Exile 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM Lesbian Dance Night @ Wall St 10:00 PM DJ Jeremy James @ Level

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10:00 AM Currents: Latifa Echakhch 4:00 PM Get Your Mojo @ Level 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM College Nite @ Wall St 10:00 PM Traxx: Columbus @ Out! lands

Magi-fest

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4:00 PM Get Your Mojo @ Level 7:00 PM First Friday @ Wall St 8:00 PM Mozart & Brahms 9:30 PM Live Music @ Club D 10:00 PM College Nite @ Wall St 10:00 PM Traxx: Columbus @ Out! lands

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4:00 PM 3 Wise Men @ Exile 4:00 PM $3 3 Olives Night @ Level 7:30 PM Columbus Children’s Theatre: Goldilocks and The Three Bears 8:00 PM CW & HipHop @ Wall St 9:00 PM Tom Crumley at the Piano @ Club D 10:00 PM Trafik Jam @ Trafik 10:00 PM Drag Special @ Level

Imbolc

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4:00 PM 3 Wise Men @ Exile 4:00 PM $3 3 Olives Night @ Level 7:30 PM Shadowbox Live: Between the Sheets 8:00 PM CW & HipHop @ Wall St 9:00 PM Tom Crumley at the Piano @ Club D 10:00 PM Trafik Jam @ Trafik

Thursday

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 AN OGRE-IFFIC BROADWAY SPECTACULAR Shrek: The Musical @ The Ohio Theater, 39 E State St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com: The animated feature about a lovably homely Ogre, a rambunctious donkey and a princess with a secret comes to life on the stage. Nothing beats watching Donkey make an ass of himself in person. Runs until January 15. 8p-10p; $38.10-91.65.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 CUFFING SEASON??? Get Crocked at Wyandotte @ Wyandotte Winery, 4640 Wyandotte Dr, 614.476.3624, www.wyandottewinery.com: Forget a significant other, you can get warmed up with a bowl of homemade soup, stew or chili with bread and a glass of wine. It may not feel the same, but since it tastes so damn good it counts. Bringing friends? Reservations are required for groups of 4 or larger. 5p-7p; $10.

MONDAY, JANUARY 30 ON THE ROCKS WITH SALT Margarita Monday @ La Fogata Grill, 790 N High St, 614.294.7656, www.lafogata.net: Relieve some of that stress from your first day back to work with a 1.99 margarita. Want a little more sabor (flavor)? It’ll cost ya a bit extra, but so worth it! And if you’re feeling spicy, get some food too. Or, enjoy the complimentary chips and salsa. Anything to soak up that tequila. 11a-11p.

LIFE IS A CABARET, OLD CHUM Illusions Cabaret Brunch @ Wallstreet Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: OMG! Bette, Dolly Barbra and Cher all at one event! Well, not exactly, but the stylings of female illusionists Monica Moore, Paige Passion and Ted Brightwell will have you convinced. WBNS 10TV anchor Andrea Cambern hosts this fabulous brunch affair. 11a-4p; $25 for reserved seating.

but these seats fill up fast. Times we say cowboy hats? Now where so many venues where this is apvary; $15-35. did I put those spurs? 7:30p; propriate. Thurs-Sat, varied times; $26.75-$50.25. $10-170. TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 Cheap Drinks Make a Good Night SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 Exile Tuesdays @ Exile, 893 N 4th BOHEMIA, BOHEMIA! YOU GOT THE RIGHT ONE, BABY Rent @ Shadowbox Live, 503 S Hit The Road Jack: The Music of St, 614.299.0069, Front St Ste 260, 614.416.7625, Ray Charles @ The Lincoln Thewww.exilebar.com: Enjoy $3.50 www.shadowboxlive.org: Back by atre, 769 E Long St, www.lincolBacardi drinks and $1.50 PBR popular demand, the rock-musical ntheatrecolumbus.com: Ray pounders at one of the beary best about the lives of twenty-someCharles’ music lives on through his gay bars in town. Not to mention thing New Yorkers struggling with protégées, bringing the best of jazz free darts from 7-9 and male dancers after 10. Just make sure to life, love and death is returning to to Columbus. Featuring worldmake it to work on Wednesday. 4p- the Shadowbox stage. This season renowned jazz artists and Columof love lasts until April 1st. 2p and bus natives Sarah Morrow and 2:30a; free. 7p; $30. Roger Hines. 8p; $32-44.55. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 MONDAY, JANUARY 23 SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 JUST LIKE BEING IN A CANDY STORE Boys Night Out @ Wallstreet Night- Stolichnaya, ‘nuff said GET YOUR PRAISE ON club, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, Stoli Mondays @ Cavan’s Irish Moving toward Wholeness - Intewww.wallstreetnightclub.com: Pub, 1409 S High St, grating Spirituality and Sexuality What hot piece will you pick up 614.443.4224, www.cavanirish@ Summit on 16th, 82 E 16th Ave, tonight? How about the guest bar- pub.com: $3 Stoli drinks all day will 614.291.3324, tender, one of the hot go-go cure the winter Monday blahs. They www.summitumc.org: This series dancers or VJ Michele? Well you’ve may also cause Tuesday morning of church services exploring the regot time to decide, they’ll be there hangovers. If you happen upon a lationship between sexuality and all night along with $2 blue ball sexy stranger, no worries, the walk spirituality culminates in this celeshots, $3 well and $4 Smirnoff of shame only counts on the week- bratory service. Each Sunday in drinks. 10p; free. 18+ ends. 2p-2:30a; free. January has it’s own event, so if you are looking for an inclusive church home, check it out. 10:30p; free.

something to do each day this month

about town SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 INTERNATIONAL DO-NOTHING DAY LOOKIN’ AT, LOOKIN’ AT, LOOKIN’ AT ME ART AND FEMINISM New Year’s Day @ All Around The Wale @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 Currents: Latifa Echakhch @ World: 2012 is here, and hopefully N High St, 614.294.1659, Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E you partied accordingly. We recom- www.ticketmaster.com: Wale’s tal- Broad St, 614.221.6801, mend doing something completely ent and use of language will have www.columbusmuseum.org: “Latunproductive today, like nothing, to your mind working overtime. His ifa” means gentle & kind in Arabic, help bring in the New Year (and re- swag, musicality and that hair, but Echakhch’s work is more politiduce your headache). Sponsored by oooh weee! Wale could get it! Get cal and critical in nature. She take-out vendors and movie thethere early because the line will brings her installation to CMA for a atres everywhere. Free (excluding form fast. I’ll be right at the front. limited engagement. The bold colcosts for Bloody Mary’s and bad 7p; $25. ors and bold statements will movie rentals). amaze you. 10a-5p; $10, free on SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 Sun. MONDAY, JANUARY 2 SMOOTH GROOVES NEW YEAR HOOPS CityMusic Sunday Series: Jazz Arts SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 OSU Women’s Basketball v Iowa @ Group Quartet with Dave Powers @ BEST OF THE 80S Value City Arena at the Jerome Via Vecchia, 485 S. Front St, Roller SK80s The Decade Strikes Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror 614.223.3039, www.CityMusicBack Episode V @ Skate Zone 71, Drive, 614.292.2624, www.schotColumbus.org: EMMY award win4900 Evanswood Dr, tensteincenter.com: Google “LGBT ning composer and performer Dave 614.846.5627, events in Columbus” and get a Powers teams up with the Jazz Arts www.skatezone71.com: How 80s suggestion for Women’s basketball. Group Quartet, which features four can you get? Break out your leg Cliché? Maybe, but we’ll run with it. of the best regional professional warmers, Members Only jackets, 12p; free for students with valid Jazz musicians. Time to get loose and Day-glo fingerless gloves. I exBuckID, $12-14 for general public. and groove! 2p; $10-25. pect to see plenty of Madonna and Michael Jackson look-alikes. 21+ MONDAY, JANUARY 9 B.Y.O. 11p; $10, includes skate Case of the Mondays rental. All Day Happy Hour @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.1342, www.levelcolumbus.com: It’s Monday, why not commiserate while enjoying happy hour prices all day long? Sounds like a good time to us. And who doesn’t like a good time? 11p-2a; free. TUESDAY, JANUARY 3 Saddle Up The Whiskey Social @ Kobo, 2590 N High St, www.kobolive.com: After signing the Outlook tab from our Holiday Hoopla, we know the staff can down some whiskey. (Cough, Erin, cough.) This regular event at Kobo features country sounds and $2 whiskey shots. 7p; $5. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 CAME HERE SOBER BUT... Wyandotte Winery Hump Day Happy Hour! @ Wyandotte Winery, 4640 Wyandotte Drive, 614.476.3624, www.wyandottewinery.com: You’ve made it this far, but if you need a little help getting through the rest of the week socialize your stress away with $1 off wine by the glass and complementary hors d’oeuvres. 5p-7p; free.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY My Best Friend’s Party: Le Boom @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856, www.skullys.org: Get your bass fix and celebrate the one-year anniversary of one of CBus’ best electronic nights. Lineup includes Toronto-based act AutoErotique, Attak & Carma & ROEVY. The more flashing lights you wear, the cooler you are. 9p; $7.

A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY Rascal Flatts @ Nationwide Arena, corner of Nationwide and Neil, 614.246.2000, www.NationwideArena.com: Country superstars Rascal Flatts are coming to Columbus with Sara Evans in tow. Can

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 NOW YOU SEE IT… MAGI-FEST @ Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, 50 N 3rd St, 800.831.4004, www.magifest.org: The oldest and largest magic convention in the world has something for everyone from the full-time professional to the novice. Performances range from juggling to ventriloquism to comedy. The dress code is open. so I’m wearing a cape. Let’s face it; there are only

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15 THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 TUESDAY, JANUARY 24 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GINGER TAKE MY PICTURE, HOLLYWOOD THE WEASEL IS BACK Chris Hayes’ Birthday @ all Colum- Mariano Pensotti: El Pasado es un Pauly Shore @ Funny Bone, 145 bus bars: Buy your favorite maga- animal grotesco (The Past is a Easton Town Center, 614.471.5653, zine editor-in-chief a shot of Patrón Grotesque animal) @ Wexner Cen- www.funnybonecentral.com: Some to help him celebrate another suc- ter for the Arts, 1871 N High St, think he’s obnoxious, some think cessful trip around the sun! 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: he’s adorable, I just think he’s sexy. Ever wonder what being a peeping Must be his boyish charm. 7:30p; FLYING UPSIDE DOWN tom feels like? Argentine play$25. Griffin House @ The Basement, wright and director Pensotti gives 391 Neil Ave, 614.461.LIVE(5483), you the chance to find out as they WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 www.promowestlive.com: bring snapshots to life showing WHITNEY’S IN THE BUILDING Springfield-native Griffin House what happens when people think Open Mic @ Wooodland’s Tavern, brings his smooth voice and guitar no one is watching. Thurs-Sat 8p, 1200 W 3rd Avenue, 614.299.4987, sounds from his latest album. His Sun 2p; $10-18. www.woodlandstavern.com: Warm mellow style and personal, poetic up those vocal cords and show us lyrics will take the chill off of any FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 your talent! No Vita, not that talnight. I wonder if he remembers our PLEASURE WITH PAYNE ent...keep that in the bedroom. editor Erin from their Miami Ohio Columbus Dance Theatre: Ten Open mic hosted by Molly Winters. days?8p; $12-15. Cents a Dance @ Lincoln Theatre, 7p; free 769 E Long St, 614-849-0227, www.coldancetheatre.org: Kathryn THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 Payne will tease and tantalize with LIFT EVERY VOICE her classic cabaret filled with fish- Harlem Gospel Choir @ The Southnets, sass and song. Enjoy dinner, ern Theatre, 21 E Main St, silent auction and a cash bar along 614.340.1896, www.capa.com: with the show. 7p-10:30p; $50. Known worldwide for their powerful voices and foot-stomping melodies, the Harlem Gospel Choir is bringing their mix of traditional and contemporary gospel, jazz and blues selections to CBus. All are welcome, but wearing a big fancy hat never hurts anyone. 8p-10p; $25.50-30. THURSDAY, JANUARY 5 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 MONDAY, JANUARY 16 I SLEEP NAKED KNOW THY NEIGHBOR THE MARCH ON COLUMBUS Shadowbox Live: Between the Network Columbus @ Camelot Cel- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CelebraSheets @ Shadowbox Live, 503 S. lars, 958 N High St, 614.441.8860, tion @ Veterans Memorial and City Front St, 614-416-7625, www.networkcolumbus.com: Jamie Hall, www.crc.columbus.gov: After www.shadowboxlive.org: Whatever Green and Brian Cheek of Experia 5pm fellowship, join us in recrekinky shit you do at home, I’m sure ence Columbus share the vision ating and remembering a bit of you’ll still learn a thing or two at and events for the city’s 2012 Bihistory in a march from Veterans this sexy rock’n’roll show. Show centennial celebration with emMemorial to City Hall, symbolizing runs through March 3. Performphasis on GLBT outreach and the voting rights march that took ances Thursdays 7:30p, Friday and inclusion. 6p; free. place across the Edmond Pettus Saturday 7:30p and 10:30p; $20Bridge in Selma, Alabama. After30. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 wards, there are several performTOO HOT? TOO COLD? JUST RIGHT ances by the Martin Luther King’s FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 Columbus Children’s Theatre: Children’s Choir. 4:15p-7:15p; free. A CLASSICAL NIGHT Goldilocks and The Three Bears @ Mozart & Brahms @ The Ohio The- Park Street Theatre, 512 N Park St, I’LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE ater, 39 E State St, 614.469.0939, 614.224.6672, www. colschildren- Restaurant Week Columbus @ Varwww.capa.com: A night of classical stheatre.org: Skip the babysitter ious restaurants in Columbus, music of Brahms and Mozart will and travel back in time with the www.restaurantweekcolumbus.co be a treat for anyone who loves the whole family, as Goldilocks and m: You know your date has earned strings. The featured performer, Baby Bear flashback to the infamore than the drive thru. Mix it up Yossif Ivanov, will be a treat for mous chair breaking. Runs through this time and try some great new anyone who loves a hot violinist. January 22. Thu-Fri 7:30p, Sat 3p (or old) places at a great price. Only two nights for this show, so and 7:30p, Sun 3p; $10-21. Check the website for participating get your tix! 8p; $30.75-78 restaurants, menu items, service times and pricing. Reservations encouraged, you’ve got till the 21st

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Our Younger Selves by Mette Bach

lum asked.

whole weekend together but because he lived in Seattle and I was convinced I didn’t want to be in a long distance relationship, I cut him off as soon as the weekend ended.”

Years ago, curled up in her arms, a girlfriend of mine asked me a question that I couldn’t answer. Or, wouldn’t.

“It’s not that I didn’t learn anything. I just might have been better off without those lessons.”

She asked, “If you could go back in time with what you know now, what would you tell your younger self?”

“I have at least a couple of people where I wonder if what I learned makes up for how it all went down,” I said. “But I can’t help but think about something Stuart said when I was in the depths of despair over a heartbreak. He told me that no matter how much I was suffering, I should just soak it up because it’s perfect. The tragedy of love is perfect.”

“And maybe that was the best connection I’ve ever had with anyone. And I can’t help but wonder if I put those walls up myself and prevented anything from happening. And now it’s more than a decade later and I don’t even know where he is anymore.”

Ken said, “One time after I broke up with someone Stuart told me that everyone has one, maybe two, people in a lifetime that they can really connect with. I was like ‘well, I guess since I’ve already been in love twice, I’m done.”

“I get that,” I said, “there are a few people where I wonder if I should have tried harder, where the timing was off and I was fine with it at the time but when I look back and think about how precious love is, I wonder if I pushed them away out of some kind of self preservation bullshit.”

We watched, like puppy dogs, with melting hearts.

I said, “Don’t use so much hair product.” She told me to be more serious, that she really wanted to know. I wasn’t ready for that kind of intimacy. She was too curious, too soon. The truth was that I didn’t feel wise enough to answer the question seriously. The few years that followed my coming out, which happened in my late twenties, were confusing. It was ‘Puberty: The Sequel.’ I was an idiot, ruled by hormones and self-image issues. I didn’t want to answer her question because I felt clueless. I wasn’t someone to take advice from. But the question got me thinking and I never did get around to answering it. What would I tell my younger self? Recently, I posed this question to Kaylum and Ken over Ken’s homemade pulled pork pie. As we sat scattered around Kaylum’s apartment with our plates resting on our laps, I was filled with a sense of comfort and inner tranquility and I was finally ready to admit that I have learned a thing or two. I’ve amassed a sliver of wisdom in that I know what I like and what feels right for me. My friends have been a big part of my learning process.

“Oh, he didn’t mean it like that,” I said, defending Stuart who is something like a Greek Chorus to us. Actually, he’s more like Michael Stipe - we can count on him to tell us things we don’t necessarily understand but we know there’s wisdom behind what he says.

We both looked at him, surprised if not completely shocked. “Well, when I was younger, I was so ready to dismiss anything and everyone that wasn’t completely perfect. Now I’m older and I know that perfect doesn’t really exist.”

“What would you tell your younger self if you could?”

Ken and I watched Kaylum who looked like he wasn’t telling the whole story.

“There are at least four people I’d warn myself against dating,” Ken said immediately.

“Okay, so back in 1998 I had this really amazing connection and I can’t help but wonder if maybe it could have been… I dunno… something.”

“Really?” I asked. He nodded his head vigorously. “What happened?”

“So you don’t think you learned anything from dating them?” Kayoutlookcolumbus.com

“Oh, Doug,” I said, the way I do every time Ken brings him up. “I really liked Doug.” “You and me both,” Ken said.

“I think I’d go the other direction,” Kaylum said. “I think I’d tell my younger self not to give up so quickly.”

So I asked them:

“I can come up with that list pretty quickly. There might be more than four. Limiting it to four could be hard.”

Ken nodded. “Yep. That’s the story of me and Doug.”

“We cruised each other and it was just supposed to be this quick hook up thing but we had the most amazing giggly sex - giggly in a good way, like we just got each other - and then we spent the

Before long, we changed the subject. As a group, our conversations tend more toward politics than matters of the heart. Talking about revolutions in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen seems more relevant somehow. Drawing parallels with the young people there and their struggles for freedom seems like a far more worthwhile subject than trying to understand love and love lost. It’s probably easier to solve all the problems in the world than understand the needs of the human heart. In the end, I think I know my answer. I’d tell myself to savor every moment and really take in everything that happens with eyes wide open. You never know what moments you’ll look back on with regret and which ones will fill your heart with longing and nostalgia. It’s not about how much you risk or don’t risk. It’s not about how many great dates you had or how many awful ones. It’s not even about learning something from everyone you’ve shared a connection with. It’s something way more inexplicable, more precious and dear.

Somedays I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and smack younger me right in the kisser.

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Live Like You Mean It* Woke up, got out of bed, Dragged a comb across my head, Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, And looking up I noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat, Made the bus in seconds flat, Found my way upstairs and had a smoke, And somebody spoke and I went into a dream. - John Lennon and Paul McCartney - “A Day in the Life” Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. - John Lennon It’s January. 2011 has come and gone. Maybe you celebrated the coming of the New Year or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you made a list of resolutions or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you watched the ball drop on Time’s Square or maybe you didn’t. It doesn’t matter. The New Year has begun despite your efforts to embrace or avoid it. This means that last year and all the years that preceded it are over. It’s time to let go of yesterday’s successes and failures and tune into where you are now. If you live your life numbed out and disconnected like the character in the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life,” or so busy making other plans, you are losing out on the possibility to live, to really experience your life, today.

jan 2012

The tragedy is that even though what most of us want more than anything is the experience of being totally alive, most of us don’t have a clue about how to do this. Instead we plod through meaningless or only half lived lives and escape with food, drugs, alcohol, shopping, sex, TV or a thousand other distractions. We are afraid to risk looking at the stories and feelings from the past that keep us stuck. Most of us have gotten so good at avoiding these stories and feelings that we don’t even know who we are or what we want. You can start this process by asking yourself, “Who am I?” Take a moment to breathe into the question and drop down into a place beneath all the superficial details. Don’t worry about the answer. It will come when you’re ready. The exercise described below will help you scrape away the labels that other people have imposed on you and find who you are at the core of your being. Maybe you were the high school reject or maybe you were part of the popular crowd. Maybe you spent your high school years pleading with God to not make you gay or maybe you dated every guy you could find to prove that you weren’t a lesbian. The truth is that unless you are still in high school, this no longer matters. You also have to dig beneath all the roles (e.g. computer programmer, accountant, activist, Mom, son) that you play. You have to accept that your eyesight isn’t what it was, that you might be a little

more cynical or wary than you used to be, that your body has changed and that your abs and glutes are different. Second, ask yourself “What do I want?” It’s easy to focus on things like a fab new car, six pack abs, a hot sexy honey, great sex, a new job, winning the lottery or a vacay in the Bahamas. If this is what you come up with, I want to challenge you to go deeper. What would the new car, the six-pack abs, or the winning lottery ticket, give you? More importantly, what is your life’s dream? Take these questions seriously. You’re worth it. Carve out at least five or ten minutes to sit with these questions every day for two weeks. When you do this practice, find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. Turn off your cell phone; put it in a different room. It’s hard to get present when texts are coming in. Get comfortable and set a timer so that you don’t have to worry about the time. And begin by taking a few deep breaths and notice how that feels in your body. Then ask the questions, “Who am I?” “What do I want?” Repeat these questions silently in your head a few times and then let the answers flow as you continue to breathe. Don’t worry about writing them down, you can do that later if you’d like. After a couple of minutes, let go of the questions and the answers and bring your awareness to your breath. When you catch yourself hanging on to

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

thoughts, let them go and drift your awareness back to your breath. Continue this process of breathing, drifting away and drifting back until your timer goes off or your ten minutes are up. In the meantime, outside this practice, let go of the questions entirely. Let your subconscious mind do the work for you and give yourself permission to do those things that bring you happiness. Give yourself time to watch the sunset. Rather than rushing off to work, take a few moments to cuddle with your partner. When you eat a piece of chocolate, savor it. Take time to play with your pets or your kids. When you do the dishes, notice what the warm water feels like as it washes over your hands. Rather than tuning out to yet another episode of The Golden Girls or Burn Notice, tune into the feelings you would otherwise be avoiding and let yourself feel them. If you need a hug, ask for one. If you’re sad, let yourself cry. If you’re happy, let the joy bubble up from the depths of your belly. Dance as if no one is watching. Sing to the radio. Let 2012 be the year that you live like you mean it and experience what it feels like to be truly alive. To ask Regina a question, propose a column topic, read about her approach to counseling, or check out her books and other writing, go to: www.ReginaSewell.com . Her most recent publication, “Sliding Away” can be found in Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in Our 40s, edited by Molly Rosen.

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Fun history fact: The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus

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It’s The Bicentennial, Charlie Brown! by Mackenzie Worrall The last couple years have been pretty exciting for Columbus. Remember when Zombieland revolved around trying to get to the charred remains of our city? Finally, a popular piece of fiction seen by millions that uses Columbus instead of Cleveland! Sure, Cleveland used to be the fifth biggest city in the US (almost a hundred years ago), and it still has a kick-ass museum and well-financed arts scene. However, Columbus has the groundswell of an astounding indie arts movement. We’re succeeding and redefining what makes a city great. At a Columbus2020! talk (which I’ve so far heard twice, and I keep going back), we were instructed as an audience to stop saying ‘Ohio’. What does that mean? Well when you introduce yourself to someone and they ask where you live, simply say ‘Columbus’. We are ALL guilty of saying, ‘Columbus, OH’. As opposed to what? Columbus, Georgia? When has anyone ever confused the two? Do people say ‘Chicago, Illinois’ or ‘San Francisco, California’? Hell, no one even says ‘Minneapolis, Minnesota’ – it’s just ‘Minneapolis’. We can’t say our city’s name without the state. Nothing against Ohio, but Columbus is ubiquitous enough on its own now. As proven by this year’s NewNowNext Awards. I would hesitate to call the NNN a ‘coveted’ award, but that’s mostly because it’s only been around for four years, they’re thrown by bastion of reliable news LOGO, and they include the award category “Because You’re Hot.” In spite of all that, the categories become a little more factual each year, and LOGO is now a basic cable channel for us gays (and lesbians, but mostly gays). Like Columbus, it’s starting to become a big deal.

jan 2012

Most importantly, people voted for Columbus to win. It wasn’t just a couple travel writers who loved us (though I’m sure the city hosting a gaggle of gay travel writers this year got us the nom), and it wasn’t just the local gays who voted (though I’m sure that having more LGBTs per capita than Chicago didn’t hurt either). What made us the top travel destination in the world for 2011 was, unsurprisingly, all the travel people do to get here. 200,000 people at Pride. Some large smattering of people for Halloween Highball. 50,000 for the NAGAAA World Series - which was not just the largest gay sporting event ever held in Ohio, but simply the largest sporting event. Don’t forget all those hot pieces of ass that you, our lovely readers, brought home with you to Arch City. No seriously. That helps. Keep up the good work. Our competition included Baku, Azerbaijan; Cartagena, Colombia; Florianopolis, Brazil; Istanbul, Turkey; and St. Petersburg, Russia. Granted, I’ve only heard of a few of those before. But the ones I do know bring fierce competition. Like, take your weave and earrings out fierce. The award (or maybe just the national recognition, I’ll settle for that) comes at an opportune time. 2012 is Columbus’ bicentennial. Well, Valentine’s Day to be exact. This year, instead of taking a date to your apartment for wine and pizza, take them on a tour of the Statehouse, and then find a quiet bathroom stall - maybe Kasich will already be in there? Just kidding! Everyone knows he watches us like the Eye of Sauron from atop the Riffe Center, not the Statehouse. For the bicentennial, Mayor Coleman increased the annual budget of Experience Columbus,

and specifically listed the LGBT community as a travel target. To learn more about how we court the gays who may not have even heard of us, or of our award, I talked to Brian Cheek at Experience Columbus. If you’re just joining us halfway through this article, or have been living under a rock, Columbus is throwing some parties next year. 200Columbus is an organization leading this city-wide effort. “Our goal is simply to inspire everyone with greater pride and engagement in the city’s progress,” Brian says, “which will serve as a foundation for national and global recognition of Columbus as a premier place to live, work and visit.” Outside of being a resident of Columbus, this does affect you as an LGBTQ person. Because 200Columbus doesn’t just celebrate the city, it celebrates the people who live here – all of us. We are a huge part of an already diverse and open metropolis. It is the goal of the Mayor, and the goal of everyone here, to celebrate that rich cultural quilt that’s made our city amazing. So what does that mean? How will the budget raise help to court gay travel? “Should the City, County and businesses invest more into the Destination Columbus plan, parts of which are launching during 200Columbus, groups like Experience Columbus will be able to do more to tell our city’s story nationally and internationally.” This means Baku, Florianopolis, and the rest will be hearing from us. “This is something that has never happened in a broad, aggressive and collaborative way in Columbus’ past, and we need to quit being so humble,” Brian says, echoing what Columbus2020! has to say. “The marketing is framed around the fact that Columbus is a great city,

with an impressive creative class and a welcoming attitude. The LGBT community’s stories are central to that reality. We believe Columbus has been ignored too long and we want our story to be heard. This isn’t just key to lifting our sense of pride and unity, but it also is important to long-term economic development” 2012’s list of fabulously gay visitors so far includes the International Gay Bowling Organization, the Miss Gay America Pageant, the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs, and Prime Timers International. And there will be more, if Brian assures me. “We are also meeting with individuals involved with the Gay Games being held in Cleveland in 2014 in hopes to attract attendees from that event to also visit Columbus. Columbus is earning national credit as a top LGBT destination and we are not going to stop working to grow this market.” There’s something for everyone to get excited about next year! Before long, Columbus will be just as iconically gay as New York, San Francisco or Ibiza. Every push brings us more international recognition for what we already are. Columbus was recently nominated for “Best Settle Down City” in the “Best of GayCities 2011” competition. And don’t take that as a snub to the party scene, but as acknowledgement that we have far more to offer in addition to that! Voting is open until January 4th. So if you’re a loyal outlook fan and picked up your issue early, there’s still time! Get online and support the growth of Columbus. Mackenzie Worrall changes his bio every month, but doubts that anyone has caught on yet. This month’s fun fact: He’s bringing back ‘Arch City’ as the official nickname for Columbus.

We think Mackenzie Worrall is one of the reasons to come visit Columbus. Sorry, you can’t have him Cartagena.

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I mean, “Youth at the Booth” is fun to say. Yooouth at the Booooth. See?

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I think I recognize that mohawk...

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Enjoy the Bicentennial All Year Enjoy the Bicentennial all year Hey kids, the bicentennial is an excellent time to get out and explore all our great city has to offer. Here is a current listing of things to do all next year. Mark your calendars now and then get ready to explore. Up to date info can be found on Experience Columbus’s website: http://www.experiencecolumbus.com. Exhibit: Monet to Matisse: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Sirak Collection 9-23-2011 thru 5-13-2012 Columbus Museum of Art Exhibit: Columbus Views 9-30-2011 thru 5-27-2012 Columbus Museum of Art Exhibit: Caravaggio: Behold the Man! 11-9-2011 thru 2-5-2012 Columbus Museum of Art Concourse Gallery Exhibit 12-20-2011 thru 1-27-2012 Concourse Gallery

1-23-2012 thru 4-27-2012 Reading Room Gallery, The Ohio State University Exhibit: 100 Years of Art: Celebrating Columbus’ Legacy 1-26-2012 thru 4-15-2012 Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery Race: Are We So Different? 1-28-2012 thru 5-6-2012 COSI The Women’s Sports Report presented by Key Bank 2-1-2012 The River Club at Confluence Park BalletMet, Jazz Arts Group and WOSU present Jazz Moves Columbus 2-2-2012 thru 2-12-2012 Capitol Theatre, Riffe Center 200Columbus The Bicentennial Birthday - a Celebration of the Centuries 2-10-2012 Battelle Grand, Greater Columbus Convention Center

Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey vs. Washington Capitals 12-31-2011 Nationwide Arena

200Columbus Days 2-11-2012 thru 2-15-2012 Throughout Central Ohio

First Night Columbus 12-31-2011 Throughout Downtown

200Columbus Family Weekend 2-11-2012 thru 2-12-2012 COSI

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra: Celebrate! A New Year’s Eve Performance 12-31-2011 Southern Theatre

2012 Bicentennial Artists’ inFormal 2-11-2012 Cultural Arts Center

Exhibit: Good Design in Hard Times 1-10-2012 thru 2-4-2012 OSU Urban Arts Space

The Ruby Elzy Story 2-11-2012 Lincoln Theatre

Exhibit: Global Textile Trades 1-11-2012 thru 2-11-2012 Gladys Keller Snowden Galleries

New Albany Symphony: Portraits of a Columbus Bicentennial 2-12-2012 Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts

Exhibit: Cityscapes Yesteryear 1-12-2012 thru 3-10-2012 The King Arts Complex

Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey vs. St. Louis Blues 2-14-2012 Nationwide Arena

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast 1-16-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center

WOSU Presents Columbus Neighborhoods: Franklinton/Downtown Premiere 2-14-2012 Ohio Theatre

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 1-16-2012 Veterans Memorial and City Hall

Exhibit: OhioCentric 2-18-2012 thru 3-24-2012 OSU Urban Arts Space

MLK Day Open House 1-16-2012 The King Arts Complex

Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: Home and Country 2-24-2012 thru 2-26-2012 Lincoln Theatre

Restaurant Week Columbus 1-16-2012 thru 1-21-2012 Throughout Columbus

Central Ohio Home & Garden Show 2-25-2012 thru 3-4-2012 Ohio Expo Center

Columbus Cartoonists: A Bicentennial Celebration

State of the City 2-29-2012

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Ohio Theatre Arnold Sports Festival 3-1-2012 thru 3-4-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center, Veterans Memorial, The LC, Nationwide Arena, Arena Grand Movie Theatre, Chiller Ice Rinks and The Ohio State University OHSAA Wrestling State Championship 3-1-2012 thru 3-3-2012 Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Weightlifting 3-2-2012 thru 3-4-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center Jazz Arts Group: Beyond the Blackberry Patch 3-2-2012 thru 3-3-2012 Lincoln Theatre Columbus Bicentennial Celebration 3-8-2012 Grandview Heights Public Library St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 3-10-2012 Throughout Dublin Columbus International Auto Show 3-15-2012 thru 3-18-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center OHSAA Girls Basketball State Championship 3-15-2012 thru 3-17-2012 Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Second- and ThirdRound Games 3-16-2012 thru 3-18-2012 Nationwide Arena St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Irish Family Reunion 3-17-2012 Veterans Memorial OHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship 3-22-2012 thru 3-24-2012 Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center Aladdin Temple Shrine Circus 3-29-2012 thru 4-1-2012 Ohio Expo Center Columbus Clippers Baseball vs. Louisville Bats 4-5-2012 thru 4-8-2012 Huntington Park

Vox in Full Swing 4-20-2012 thru 4-21-2012 Columbus Performing Arts Center

Metropolitan Library Stop and Smell the Roses 6-9-2012 Park of Roses

African American Heritage Festival 4-21-2012 thru 4-28-2012 Throughout The Ohio State University campus

Wendy’s International Triathlon and Duathlon 6-10-2012 Alum Creek State Park

Earth Day 2012: Root Down 4-21-2012 Columbus Commons

Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival 6-15-2012 thru 6-17-2012 Creekside Park & Plaza

Downtown Digital Arts Festival 4-24-2012 thru 4-26-2012 CEWD Building, Columbus State Community College

Pride Festival 6-15-2012 thru 6-16-2012 Goodale Park

OhioDance Festival and Conference 4-27-2012 thru 4-29-2012 BalletMet Performance Space Capital City Half Marathon 5-5-2012 Starts at the Scioto Mile and ends at Columbus Commons

Relay Around Columbus 6-16-2012 thru 6-17-2012 Throughout Columbus Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: Cher and Cher Alike 6-22-2012 thru 6-23-2012 Lincoln Theatre ComFest 6-22-2012 thru 6-24-2012 Goodale Park

Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion Grand Opening 5-5-2012 Columbus Commons

Juneteenth Celebration 6-22-2012 thru 6-24-2012 Franklin Park

Ohioana Book Festival: Celebrating Ohio’s Authors 5-12-2012 Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center

German Village Haus und Garten Tour 6-24-2012 German Village

20th Komen Columbus Race for the Cure 5-19-2012 Throughout Downtown 25th Anniversary Gala 5-19-2012 The King Arts Complex Village Valuables 5-19-2012 Throughout German Village Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: Illuminati Concert 5-20-2012 St John’s Episcopal Church Big Ten Baseball Tournament 5-21-2012 thru 5-27-2012 Huntington Park Asian Festival 5-26-2012 thru 5-27-2012 Franklin Park The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance (an Official PGA TOUR event) 5-28-2012 thru 6-3-2012 Muirfield Village Golf Club

2012 High School Juried Exhibition 6-26-2012 thru 7-28-2012 OSU Urban Arts Space 2012 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships 6-28-2012 thru 7-7-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center Red, White & Boom! 7-3-2012 Downtown riverfront Doo Dah Parade 7-4-2012 Along High Street in the Short North Arts District Ohio Homecoming 7-5-2012 thru 7-8-2012 Various sites North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival 7-13-2012 thru 7-15-2012 North Market Franklin County Fair 7-14-2012 thru 7-21-2012 Franklin County Fairgrounds

Equine Affaire 4-12-2012 thru 4-15-2012 Ohio Expo Center

Columbus Arts Festival 6-1-2012 thru 6-3-2012 Downtown riverfront

Jazz & Rib Fest 7-20-2012 thru 7-22-2012 Arena District/North Bank Park

BalletMet: DanceTech 4-20-2012 thru 4-28-2012 Capitol Theatre, Riffe Center

Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Summer Reading Club 6-2-2012 thru 8-4-2012 All branches of Columbus

Ohio State Fair 7-25-2012 thru 8-5-2012 Ohio Expo Center

Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus:

We should probably cover these in “About Town,” shouldn’t we?

Pickerington Violet Festival 7-25-2012 thru 7-28-2012 Victory Park Dublin Irish Festival 8-3-2012 thru 8-5-2012 Coffman Park King Lincoln District Heritage Festival 8-3-2012 thru 8-4-2012 Lincoln Theatre Pelotonia 8-10-2012 thru 8-12-2012 Throughout Columbus 10TV Health & Fitness Expo 8-11-2012 thru 8-12-2012 Greater Columbus Convention Center Festival Latino 8-11-2012 thru 8-12-2012 Genoa Park Taste of the Future 8-21-2012 Columbus State Community College Downtown Campus Greek Festival 8-31-2012 thru 9-2-2012 Greek Orthodox Cathedral

I.D.E.A 9-28-2012 thru 10-8-2012 Held at various sites around Columbus U-NITE 9-28-2012 Along the downtown riverfront Via Columbus 9-28-2012 thru 9-30-2012 Along the downtown riverfront All American Quarter Horse Congress 10-5-2012 thru 10-28-2012 Ohio Expo Center Columbus Italian Festival 10-5-2012 thru 10-7-2012 Italian Village Experience Columbus Days 10-5-2012 thru 10-8-2012 Throughout Central Ohio Ohio State University Football Homecoming Game vs. Nebraska 10-6-2012 Ohio Stadium

Ohio State University Football vs. Miami (Ohio) 9-1-2012 Ohio Stadium

Evolution Theatre Bicentennial Playwrights Festival 10-8-2012 thru 10-14-2012 Columbus Performing Arts Center - Van Fleet Theatre

Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival 9-3-2012 Northam Park

Ohio State University Football vs. Purdue 10-20-2012 Ohio Stadium

Exhibit: The Columbus Fashion Story 9-5-2012 thru 12-8-2012 Gladys Keller Snowden Galleries

Columbus Marathon 10-21-2012 Starts and ends in downtown Columbus and travels through 26 miles of Columbus, including Bexley, German Village, Upper Arlington, Grandview and Victorian Village

Best of Fall Home Show 9-7-2012 thru 9-9-2012 Ohio Expo Center Columbus GospelFest 9-8-2012 Genoa Park, Along Washington Blvd.

Exhibit: Elijah Pierce 11-2-2012 thru 2-17-2013 Columbus Museum of Art

Clintonville Tour of Homes 9-9-2012 Throughout Old Beechwold

57th Columbus International Festival 11-3-2012 thru 11-4-2012 Veterans Memorial

The Pointless Pursuit: A Quirky, Action Packed Urban Adventure! 9-9-2012 Throughout Columbus

Dine Originals Week 11-12-2012 thru 11-18-2012 Dine Originals restaurants around Columbus

Country Living Fair 9-14-2012 thru 9-16-2012 Ohio History Center/Ohio Village Short North Tour of Homes & Gardens 9-15-2012 thru 9-16-2012 Short North Arts District Columbus Food & Wine Affair Grand Tasting 9-21-2012 Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Ohio Statehouse Holiday Festival and Open House 11-28-2012 Ohio Statehouse Winterfair 11-30-2012 thru 12-2-2012 Ohio Expo Center Short North Holiday Hop 12-1-2012 Short North Arts District First Night Columbus 12-31-2012 Throughout Downtown

jan 2012

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It Takes a Village by Jayra Harris “It is here in Franklinton where our city developed the characteristics and the values that we maintain even to this day. Franklinton is the birthplace of our leadership, our first neighborhood. Franklinton is the birthplace of our perseverance. Franklinton is the birthplace of our ingenuity.” - Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Spring 2011 State of The City Address Franklinton, located west of the Scioto River, began as a small neighborhood because of land surveyor Lucas Sullivant and wife Sarah. With the building of Franklinton, the Sullivants welcomed all who were able to relocate to this new neighborhood. Many people looking to start over in an open environment, or seeking refuge from ongoing violence came to Frankinton. No one was turned away, and all were accepted, including Arthur Boke Jr., the abandoned child of a slave who was left at the Sullivant’s doorstep in 1803. Sarah took Arthur in and raised him as her own child, making Boke the first black resident of Franklinton. The accepting nature of Franklinton inspired Alfred Tibor, sculptor and Holocaust survivor, to create the statue “The Celebration of Life,” which stands near Veterans Memorial. Erected in 2004 the sculpture shows Sarah Sullivant lifting Arthur Boke Jr. in the air, her arms stretched towards the sky. There are two plaques featured on the statue. The plaque on the front reads, “The Celebration of Life.” The other plaque found on the side reads, “I am a survivor of the Holocaust, the worst genocide in history. Hatred is destruction. I gained freedom when I came to the United States of America. I donated this work to tell coming generations; ‘Freedom, hope and respect, celebrate life.’ - Alfred Tibor - Sculptor.” The acceptance and new thinking that “The Celebration of Life” represents reminds us of how our great city began. Tibor’s work can be found around the world, inspiring other neighborhoods, cities and countries. The uplifting and celebratory nature of his work is driven by the life he has endured. Prior to emigrating to the U.S. in 1957, Tibor had yet

jan 2012

to experience unquestioning acceptance. Born Jewish in 1920s Hungary, he faced discrimination in every aspect of life. In high school he was refused formal training as a gymnast due to his Jewish heritage. Full of perseverance, Tibor taught himself and qualified for the Hungarian team for the 1936 Summer Olympics, but was removed from the team after his religion was discovered. As an adult, Tibor managed to survive years of slave labor, then prison camp; once freed he worked as a government exhibition designer. After the Hungarian Revolution fearing a return of the racism he endured for so many years, Tibor fled to the U.S. with his wife and children, and worked as a commercial artist in Miami for 16 years before moving to Columbus to pursue sculpture full time. Tibor has created numerous works of art, which can be found in private collections museums, and the large outdoor statues can be found in Ohio, and around the globe. The innovation Franklinton was known for in 1792 will be hopefully what they are known for again soon. Despite the continued growth of Columbus, Franklinton, often referred to as “the bottoms,” has seen massive flood damage, devastating declines in business presence, lack of building upkeep with a continuous rise in crime and poverty. As a teenager growing up in Columbus, I lived right off of West Broad. Even though the bottoms were just a 7-minute walk down the hill, I was banned from going. My best friend lived off Dakota, a street smack dab in the middle of the bottoms. I begged, pleaded and fought to be able to go to her house; finally my mom gave in and let me walk there all by myself. I’ll never forget that walk. Down the hill I went, past the freeway past White Castle, reading the signs, hoping Dakota would come quick. The farther I walked, the more trash I found strewn next to the side walks. The more crumbling stairs I passed, the more furniture I saw sitting on porches. I turned down Dakota, looking for my friend’s house when a woman with uncombed hair and terrible teeth, wearing a midriff shirt, and a short skirt said, “Hello.” I smiled in return and I moved my little legs as fast as I

could to reach my destination. When I told her about the ladies I had met, she confirmed my mother’s worst fears: prostitutes working the corner in the middle of the day. That was the first and last time my mom allowed me to walk through the bottoms. Even as a child, the socioeconomic disparity between the bottoms and other parts of the city was obvious. With the help of Mayor B. Coleman and other community leaders who never stopped believing in Franklinton’s potential, the area will be receiving a needed face-lift. Coleman announced renovation plans in his State of The City address in the spring of 2011. As we start the New Year and celebrate our bicentennial, we can celebrate the rejuvenation of Ohio’s first neighborhood. “The Celebration of Life” stands as a constant reminder that people, neighborhoods, towns and cities will prosper when they are supporting respecting and including. The Short North was once like Franklinton, a previously great neighborhood with empty homes, failed businesses and damaged buildings. The GLBT community was a large contributor to the revitalization of the Short North by opening businesses, reviving and starting new traditions to make it a shining star in Columbus once again. The rebuilding of the Short North shows how communities can succeed when people come together as welcoming and accepting partners. The GLBT community has shown such a commitment to investing in Ohio communities and helping those areas to become prosperous and strong once again. Some may attempt to label the coming changes as gentrification with the relocation of Riverside Bradley residents, demolition of current buildings and housing improvements. However, all evidence points to the contrary, from the live-work housing plans, to housing vouchers and the low income tax credit program, the rehabilitation of Franklinton will be used to improve the lives of people in the area while attracting new residents with artistic interests looking for affordable housing. A member of the Mayor Coleman’s office describes the

This statue reminds me of the opening scenes of Lion King...

Mayor’s vision for Franklinton as a neighborhood improvement, not an attempt to become a high-end neighborhood. Franklinton may be rebuilt with the spirit of the Short North, but will remain an affordable area in which lower income families can remain residents. Currently, there is no specific GLBT leadership or collective involvement in the redevelopment of Franklinton, but the question of Franklinton becoming a gay neighborhood was raised in a 2007 October issue of Outlook Weekly in the article, “Is Franklinton the Next Gay Ghetto?” written by Brent Wilder. Wilder poses the question, “Could Franklinton be the next old-school part of the city to benefit from gays as urban pioneers?” The GLBT community could play a huge part in transforming Franklinton. An old neighborhood made anew, Franklinton will serve as Columbus’ new creative sector. This sector will include artists, designers, performers, media, architects, engineers, marketers and those in the advertising industry. The amount of acceptance and inclusion found in creative communities is overwhelming; the common bond is their work. Ethnicity and sexual orientation tends to matter less, making it the perfect environment for GLBT members to get more involved. There is strength in diversity, and the Franklinton Arts District recognizes this and is embracing any interested party. With the commitment from the Franklinton Arts District, Franklinton Development Association, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Urban Smart Growth Company, Franklinton could regain a lot of what it has lost; the unquestioning acceptance that Sarah, a white woman, had for Arthur an abandoned black child. Tibor, a Jewish emigrant, recognized this as a unique and inspirational act especially for its time. With the celebration of our 200th year, I’m excited to celebrate the new life that will be coming to Franklinton. Its time that Franklinton can once again be a part of town where its residents are proud to live and where their kids are safe to walk to their best friend’s house.

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Of coure we’ll “Bless the Badge.” We love a man in uniform!

jan 2012

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Creative Ways to Celebrate our City’s 200th! by Lauren Strand Calling all songbirds! Looking for a way to exercise your “creative muscle?” 200Columbus, the organization leading the efforts for a citywide celebration of Columbus’ 200th birthday, is currently seeking entries from musicians of all ages, genres and skill level, who can capture the spirit of Columbus in a song. Celebrate Columbus in Song will accept online submissions until January 31, 2012. To be considered, songs must be original, use Columbus as an inspiration, and be family friendly (for complete details and rules visit www.200columbus.com/song). After all songs are submitted, the entries will be pared down to the top 30-40 contenders. Then, you play another part – in voting! Starting on February 14, 2012, visit the same website and vote for your favorite songs. The ten songs with the highest votes will be included on the 200Columbus CD, which will be available late spring. Here’s the best part: Each band/composer with a song selected for the CD will receive $500 and the opportunity to professionally record at the WCBE-FM or Jazz Academy studios. Selected winners will also have performance opportunities at several Columbus events and festivals during 200Columbus as well.

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What better way to become even more engaged with our community and inspire others? Need more information or ready to submit? Visit www.200columbus.com/song. For those of us who are less musically inclined but would still like to engage in the celebration of Columbus’ birthday creatively, 200Columbus has us covered. Another fabulous creative event occurring in Columbus is Columbus Public Art 2012. Beginning in January 2012, temporary public art pieces will be displayed in public spaces in a 360-acre area of downtown surrounding the statehouse and along the riverfront. Look for the pieces in public plazas, building sides, streets and alleys and elsewhere. 200Columbus hopes to inspire dialogue about the past, present and future of Columbus by highlighting the physical and philosophical measurement of time. Projects include traditional works, such as murals and sculptures, as well as unconventional pieces, such as interventions, sounds works and site-specific performances. Downtown Columbus will be transformed into an open-air gallery where innovative art will commemorate our city’s history and encourage viewers to see the city and their place within it in a whole new light. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the projects that will appear throughout the city:

• Beginning at 12:01am January 1, 2012 an original composition will be created and played each month at Trinity Episcopal Church throughout the year. • 24 plein-air paintings on buildings downtown depicting Columbus throughout the seasons. • A work on the Scioto River in conjunction with the International EcoSummit. • Teen and elder programming that will offer opportunities for direct engagement with the arts that will be offered in partnership with Transit Arts. • A light installation in time with human breath on the east side of Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to correspond with the city’s birthday in February 2012. The Columbus Public Art 2012 initiative is a unique partnership between educational and cultural institutions, the City of Columbus, and businesses dedicated to the vibrant cultural and commercial heart of Columbus. The project will involve local, national and international artists in a project that will engage the community, promote tourism and economic development, and help the arts to become integral to downtown. 200Columbus believes that the project will underscore Columbus’ reputation of being a smart and open city both nationally and internationally, so be sure to enjoy the creative works that we’ll have access to throughout the year. Need more information? http://200columbus.com/initiatives/arts-and-culture/columbus-public-art-2012/ has you covered.

“Sing us a song, you’re the piano man...” Wait, that little ditty was already written. Back to the drawing board.

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We follow the “See something, say something” rule.

jan 2012

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A Night To Remember: Inaugural Publication of Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus Makes History by Orie Givens Making history is nothing new to the GLBT community. Our fight to be recognized as equal has been the source of literature for longer than many of us can remember. In 2011, we made a different type of history with the release of the first Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus. Instead of focusing on the ills within our community, the social problems, or the fight for marriage rights, this book focuses on the individuals that make up the Columbus GLBT community. Our community. It tells our story in words and pictures, and gives faces to the initials that label us. Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus was a joint effort from Outlook Media and Who’s Who Publications, the publishers of Who’s Who in Black Columbus and Who’s Who in Latino Columbus, as well as a host of other publications across the country highlighting community leaders of color in major cities across the United States. This book is the first of its kind in the world featuring GLBT people specifically, and it should be no surprise that Columbus is the pioneer. “I think that it is an honor that [the Columbus] community is the first community that is doing it. And I think that it is a testament to the work that people have been doing for 10, 20, 30 years to make our community welcome in the city of Columbus first, and then accepted and then a part of the fabric of the community,” remarked Ed Mullen, Executive Director of Equality Ohio and Who’s Who honoree. Submissions to the book were voluntary and free, in order to encourage as much participation as possible. It is a reflection of a small, but proud group of individuals who dared to be first.

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Another honoree, Columbus attorney Scot Dewhirst, thought that the book allowed the community more visibility into its own membership, connecting people who may not have known each other before. “One of the things that we often find is that we don’t even know each other. And this [book] is a way for us to get to know each other better and what kinds of things we have done in the community,” said Dewhirst. Linda Flickinger, Executive Administrator with the Ohio Supercomputer Center, shared the same sentiment as Dewhirst. “For our community it brings us together. It helps us see who all the people are in our community…and how we are impacting Central Ohio,” stated Flickinger. And, she feels that the book shows how similar GLBT people are to the community at large. “We’re just like everyone else…we’re not that different. Now, we have our own unique place in society and we are already incorporated into every aspect of the community. We are leaders in so many ways,” Flickinger added. The book featured over 150 local GLBT personalities from different walks of life, comprising different racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic backgrounds. Some are prominent figures in GLBT politics and society, while others are everyday people in our community. It is this diversity that is the book’s strength - sending the simple, yet powerful message that “We Are Here.” Publishers from Outlook Columbus and Who’s Who revealed the 216-page publication during a fabulous event at Shadowbox Cabaret. The un-

veiling ceremony was filled with remarks from some of Columbus’ public and private leaders, some of which had a major hand in the development of the publication. The Master of Ceremonies was Michael Daniels, co-publisher and Business Manager of Outlook Media, and many community members came to the stage to talk about the importance of the publication for our community. Many of the people in attendance were honorees, but others came just to share in what the event represented. “This is a symbiosis of community for me,” explained Troy Harris, who attended the event to represent United Way. In fact, this project is a symbiosis of the efforts of many people, community groups and corporate sponsors who joined together to help mark this point in history for the GLBT Columbus community. Representatives from Nationwide, The Ohio State University, Abercrombie & Fitch, Donato’s Pizza and other major organizations pledged resources and sponsorship to help bring this book to light. Speakers during the event included Todd Corely, Executive Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Abercrombie and Fitch; Tom Grote, CFO of ButylFuel; Mary Jo Hudson, former city councilwoman and attorney; and Joyce Beatty, Senior Vice President for Outreach and Engagement at The Ohio State University. “At the University, whether it’s a student, whether it’s a faculty member, whether it’s an administrator, we believe in equal rights. We are grounded in those principles that are forefathers gave us. We have an obligation for all of us to understand: we are in this together, and we must be together,” stated Beatty. According to Corley, the publication of Who’s

Look at those proud outlook papas up there.

Who in GLBT Columbus is right in line with diversity issues that are important to Abercrombie, and participation in this project was a “no brainer.” “This has been sitting on the shelf as a concept for a very long time. It hasn’t always been the right time to do it, for many different reasons,” explained Corley. A by-product of the release of Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus, like other Who’s Who publications is the 1000 books for 1000 kids campaign. This initiative sets out to bring books like Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus to the children who will benefit from their message of community and pride. The goal is to place a copy of this book into local schools, GSAs, libraries and other locations so that kids can access them, and see GLBT role models from the community. That message hit hard with Outlook Columbus copublisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Hayes, who cited the campaign as a major motivation for working with Who’s Who on the book. “Growing up I never had any good books or role models. When I went to the library, trying to figure out if I was gay or not, the only thing I could look up were that we were a mental illness,” stated Hayes. Hayes grew up in Findlay, Ohio, where there was no visibility of GLBT youth growing up. Getting this book into communities like Findlay where kids can see positive GLBT individuals is a hallmark of the campaign. Outlook Media and Who’s Who Publications are very proud to make history with the inaugural edition of Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus. To participate in the 1000 Books for 1000 Kids campaign, or to purchase your own copy of the hottest coffee table book this season, visit the website at http://whoswhoinglbtbooks.com. outlookcolumbus.com

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Rumor has it progressive talk radio is coming back to Columbus. Viva Radio Outlook!

jan 2012

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HOT NEW TV PILOT TREND: LESBIAN(ISH) SITCOMS Now that it’s been properly established that both Sue Sylvester and Coach Bieste are manhungry heterosexuals, where is a comedy-loving lesbian to turn for representation? Well, for starters, there’s Sara Rue, who already plays a lesbian on Rules of Engagement and plans to enter I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry territory for a sitcom pilot called Poseurs. The premise: two straight Manhattan women pretend to be lesbians in order to keep a co-op that doesn’t allow roommates. You know how these things happen when you live in a big sophisticated city like New York, right? And the lez-com trend kickstarted by the still-in-development lesbian couple project called I Hate That I Love You just added another contender to the mix with Swordfighting, the latest pilot from gay producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. That one’s about two friendly married couples whose relationships turn upside down when the wives fall in love with each other. Nobody’s been cast yet, but at least it’s a novel premise with actual lesbian characters. Sorry Poseurs, but your game is already tired. IS A MAJOR NETWORK READY FOR SARAH SILVERMAN? Did you ever watch The Sarah Silverman Pro-

The Gospel of Good Design: OSU Urban Arts Space By Sarah Greene Good Design in Hard Times, a new exhibition opening on January 10th at the OSU Urban Arts Space, explores the post-recession ingenuity and community spirit that is changing the face of Columbus. The exhibition allows visitors to engage directly with full-scale models, mock-ups and photomontages depicting four creative community projects, each with the intention to constructively serve North Columbus neighborhoods with purposeful design. “We want to utilize our design skill to help the community,” said Tim Lai and Eliza Ho, the creative minds behind the exhibition. “We strongly believe that design can make a difference.” Designers and architects by trade, Lai and Ho are both natives of Hong Kong who have lived and worked in Columbus for the past 10 years. They recently established the non-profit organization ALTernative to promote design education and raise awareness of Columbus architecture.

jan 2012

gram? That thing was so gay it wound up on Logo after Comedy Central couldn’t afford to produce it anymore. In addition to its rotating cast of guests - God, ghosts and cartoon dinosaurs - it also routinely featured a gay stoner bear couple, a drag queen host of a cookiethemed reality competition show and a lesbian cop that Sarah fell for accidentally in one episode. In other words, not the sort of thing you ever see on Two and a Half Men. So what’s up with NBC giving Silverman the green light for a new primetime sitcom pilot? It’s happening, but that’s all anyone will say right now beyond the loose premise, which is that it will be based on Silverman’s own life. Just trust that it will shake up the status quo if and when it hits your DVR, and that it will be hilarious. It’s almost as if she’s genetically incapable of anything else. ADAM SHANKMAN WANTS TO MAKE THE NUTCRACKER DANCE AGAIN After the excruciating debacle that was last year’s theatrical bomb, The Nutcracker in 3D, a torturous family film that featured hip-hopbased songs sourced from Tchaikovsky’s ballet score and that came and went without making much money or endearing anyone its source material, you’d think that nobody would want to touch it as a movie property for a while. But you’d think wrong. Adam Shankman (Hairspray and the upcoming Rock of Ages) believes that

The duo proposed their idea to Urban Arts Space in 2010 for an exhibition highlighting the importance of innovative design in community revitalization. “It was very bleak [in 2010]. A lot of people were being laid off,” Lai recalled. As the exhibition came to fruition this year, the two noticed something different than they had originally expected: a newfound entrepreneurial spirit has left a visible mark on urban development in Columbus. “People [now] value design more,” Ho said of popular attitudes toward design, architecture and city planning. Lai added that design concepts seem to extend from a new sentiment of self-reliance from both creative and business standpoints. For example, Lai and Ho noticed the popularity of food trucks grow in response to urban residents’ demand for quick, low-cost meals. With the trend came the predicament: how do you sensibly shelter loyal food truck patrons from Ohio’s harsh winter weather? “We want to create design that is relevant to the people who use it,” Ho said.

he’s the man to send The Nutcracker to rehab. His vision involves returning to the book by E.T.A. Hoffman and turning it all into an Alice in Wonderland-style event film for the 2013 holiday season, a family adventure vehicle that, for all we know at this point, will still involve 3D. And there’s no mention - yet - of dancing, which is kind of strange considering Shankman’s career as a choreographer. Everybody’s probably scared of that B-word. More on this one as it develops… TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE WILL BE EXTREMELY WEIRD It’s one of the Cartoon Network’s few live-action programs and it’s also, hands down, the most bizarre show on television. It’s called Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! and it defies description. But imagine an American Little Britain with no budget, a debilitating head injury and the most scatological humor in television history and you’ll be halfway there. Among its jarring cable-access-esque qualities are some of the weirdest drag characters ever, most notably star Eric Wareheim’s recurring role as an obese woman involved in a masochistic sexual relationship with her boss, played by Tim Heidecker. Will they appear in next spring’s feature

length freakout Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie? It’s anyone’s guess, but the 2012 release - in which Tim and Eric are given a billion dollars to make a movie, naturally - will feature the talents of Awesome Show regulars John C. Reilly (who once found himself shooting an episode segment in Los Angeles leather bar The Eagle) and Zach Galifianakis (who regularly plays a gay-ish children’s drama coach). In other words there’ll be no shortage of sexual anarchy to unsettle just about anyone not already on their wavelength. Finally, gay weirdoes, the un-romcom you’ve been waiting for. Romeo San Vicente is accustomed to hearing “Great Job!”

Good Design In Hard Times is concerned with many aspects of evolving urban life in Columbus, not just mobile dining. A mural of trees on an abandoned building on Hudson St. in Old North Columbus invites residents to imagine: “What if…?”, calling attention to the forgotten building as well as its potential. Lai and Ho also propose the creation of a “playscape” under the Indianola Bridge over Glen Echo Ravine in Clintonville, hoping to make a neglected community landmark more inviting to young families.

ative” to its diverse communities.

Community coalescence plays an integral role in much of the post-recession urban development examined in the exhibition, although Lai and Ho insist Columbus’s unique identity is characterized largely by its inherent fluidity. Lai points out that artists and innovators do not create with the goal to perpetuate a specific image.

“The Clintonville gateway project aims to explore how community signage can help enhance and strengthen Clintonville’s identity as a distinctive neighborhood in the city of Columbus,” Ho explained. “This project hopes to stimulate thinking and generate discussions among community members . . . about what they aspire to become as a neighborhood.”

“We don’t really think about what we’re doing as representing the identity of Columbus,” Lai said, adding, “I don’t really think you can do that.” He suggested that attempting to define Columbus as a city - specifically to wrangle it’s varied facets behind one singular front -would be “counter cre-

In turn, the Clintonville gateway, the fourth project featured in Good Design in Hard Times, considers the role of neighborhood definition and character in facilitating urban development.

Elsewhere in Columbus, the vision of an artistic hub in Franklinton and the ongoing revitalization of downtown Columbus demonstrate how each neighborhood poses unique problems that call for site-specific solutions. Ultimately, Good Design in Hard Times,

I wouldn’t want to step to Sarah Silverman... I bet she fights dirty.

through its thoughtful proposals, expresses appreciation for the spirit of Columbus. “I’m very proud of Columbus,” Lai said, calling it “one of the best-kept secrets.” If nothing else, Lai and Ho hope visitors will see each proposal as a challenge to the idea that economic hardship has rendered the Midwest a helplessly unimaginative region. “It’s possible to be creative in the Midwest,” they said, addressing the conservative and agro-industrial clichés popularly associated with the region. “And [hard times] create a very encouraging environment to try new things.” Good Design in Hard Times is on view through February 4th at the OSU Urban Arts Space in the historic Lazarus Building at 50 W. Town St, downtown Columbus. Join the exhibitors at a free public reception on Saturday, January 28th from 6p-8p. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday 11a-6p, with extended hours on Thursday evenings until 8p. All exhibitions and programs are free and open to all. For more information, visit uas.osu.edu.

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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to see where the rest of that leg leads...

jan 2012

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Denis the Menace

Getting down to earth with one of the scariest men on television

By Chris Azzopardi Meeting Denis O’Hare should be scary as hell. But today, in the back of homo-hotspot Saint Felix in West Hollywood on his day off, O’Hare doesn’t project the eeriness he does as a horny True Blood vamp and mysteriously deformed man who just suffocated a potential homebuyer on American Horror Story.

jan 2012

mons, a threesome hopeful for a new start. But what’s up with the neighbors, including Jessica Lange’s crazy super-mom Constance? And who’s this Larry guy and why is this house so important to him?

So far during the debut season of the smash FX show, O’Hare, who plays Larry Harvey, has dosed a house in gasoline, killed the-man-of-the-house’s mistress and fought fervently for a home that’s become a tough sell - and not just because the economy is sucking.

O’Hare leans back after taking a sip of his cranberry/orange/seltzer water concoction - his “incredibly demanding diva drink” - and tells us. “I don’t think he’s evil. He’s acting out of a particular desire for something. For me, all characters have a justification for their behavior; they always think that what they’re doing is necessary for a reason. Even Phantom of the Opera has a real reason: He was in love with someone, he was scarred, he wants love and revenge.”

“Murder House,” as it’s called, is a freaky L.A. residence with a dark past and a new family: the Har-

O’Hare, at this very moment, just wants some food. He orders a smorgasbord of nibblers that he eats in

Which do you like better: American Horror Story or True Blood? Tough call.

between talk of Ryan Murphy’s AHS, the upcoming season of True Blood and the new foster child he’s caring for with husband Hugo Redwood, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Holding his phone up, O’Hare flips through photos of his family, looking for the one of the kid flashing his happy-as-can-be grin. Like O’Hare’s partner, the actor’s nearly-1-year-old baby’s black, and when he comes upon one pic - of the boy atop O’Hare’s lap and a friend’s child, who’s white, sitting on Redwood - he finally breaks into a maniacal smirk. “We’re the right wing’s worst nightmare,” O’Hare says. “Wrong colored baby on the wrong person’s lap - oh my god!” And you thought Larry was scary.

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Before getting the call from Ryan Murphy desperately wanting O’Hare to take on Larry, the actor was already doing creepy on True Blood as the ancient former vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington. Premiering this summer, season five sees the return of the Master of Nutcases, as the 2,800year-old bloodsucker makes a return to the set after skipping out on the last go-’round. What’s to become of him after rising from the cement he was buried under? “Nothing I can share,” O’Hare says, noting a recent lunch he had with out True Blood mastermind Alan Ball, the creator of Six Feet Under. “We talked about what’s going to happen and I was definitely surprised. It’s good stuff. It’s always good stuff. With him, and with Ryan (Murphy), they don’t go to obvious places. They go where you wouldn’t expect them to go.” And so does O’Hare. The actor, who’s actually so down-to-earth and non-creepy that he offers to share his food during our hour-long chat, is good at playing bad. He was relentless at getting Sandra Bullock kicked out of the country in rom-com The Proposal, and played way against type in Milk as Sen. John Briggs, who proposes a California ballot initiative to outlaw gay and lesbian teachers. Recently, O’Hare had a blinkand-you’ll-miss-it scene in the Hoover biopic J. Edgar, a chance to work again with Clint Eastwood (O’Hare starred alongside Angelina Jolie in Changeling as, what do you know, a psych ward bad guy). O’Hare, who turns 50 in January, got his start where most actors do: on the stage. Growing up in Michigan, he was in choir and, in 1974, landed a chorus part in a community theater production of Show Boat. Then it was Broadway, where he played in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins in 2004, scored a Tony Award for his performance in Take Me Out and was part of the outlookcolumbus.com

revival of Sweet Charity. In January, O’Hare heads back to New York - and back to the stage. He’ll be doing An Iliad offBroadway through March, when he returns to L.A. for True Blood. The best part of being back in N.Y.? Seeing the family. He married Redwood, an interior designer, over the summer, and the two have been caring for their foster child since April. “I could’ve gone to my grave without having kids, but I came around to liking the idea,” O’Hare admits, noting he warmed up to the thought after seven years of talks with Redwood. “As a gay man, I find my biggest stumbling block was my own homophobia, my own sense of feeling that gay people shouldn’t have kids. I felt pressure from society that we’re not supposed to have kids” - not to mention, he says, that once you do, it’s like wearing a gay yamaka - “and I was also shy about being a spokesperson for gay adoption.” And now he’s the gushing father who’s looking for just the right pic to show off the kid’s smile. His foster child laughs a lot, but how could he not? “I speak to him in bad French,” O’Hare says, “and he dies.”

tin Landau. And how do other people react? “People are a little shocked at first, but they’re gonna get the fuck over it and pretty soon it’ll be normal - because it should be normal!” Part of it, however, is that O’Hare doesn’t want everything about him to be “gay.” Especially not his acting. “For me, an actor is an actor. Years ago someone said to me, ‘How do you feel about being a gay actor?’ I said, ‘I’m not a gay actor. I’m an actor. I’m Irish. I’m an atheist. And a bridge player. I ride my bike. Oh, and I’m gay.’” He fits right in on the set of American Horror Story, one of the gay-friendliest projects he’s ever worked on. No surprise there: This is a Ryan Murphy production, after all. “I’ve met more female lesbian gaffers on Ryan’s show than I’ve ever met anywhere else in my life!” O’Hare says. Because Murphy’s schedule is nuts, with Glee now in its third season, he doesn’t come around the AHS set often. But when he does, “he’s a great spirit” - no pun intended - “on the set. He’s the kind of guy who believes in a world of possibilities. He makes things happen.” “Crazy” is what O’Hare calls the set, shot in the Paramount lot in L.A. right behind the infamous Hollywood Cemetery (as if the show wasn’t creepy enough).

O’Hare’s encounters with gay couples and their kids helped him shake off his internalized homophobia, something he says is difficult to diagnose in ourselves, and he finally accepted the idea of having his own with Redwood. “It’s been normalized for me,” he says, deliberating. “But it’s like being married.”

“We never really know what we’re doing until the day before,” he says. “Everyone’s cool with it. The scenes, even when they’re intense, are fun.”

“It’s so hard to say the word ‘husband’ at first. I say ‘partner,’ and then suddenly realize if I say ‘husband,’ it might be aggressively political but then it’s like, what the fuck? What else am I gonna say? He’s my husband. We are legally married.”

When O’Hare was sent the script directly from Murphy back in March, just a few weeks before shooting, he was immediately intrigued. The show takes cues from many of his favorite horror classics and the legendary names behind them: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi and Mar-

Who else is excited for Russell Edgington’s return to True Blood? We knew concrete wouldn’t hold him.

“What I think is great about the show is that Ryan’s kind of consciously quoting from great works,” he says. “‘Don’t go in the basement’ is one of the biggest horror tropes, or ‘don’t open the door’ - they’re all horror tropes, and he’s using all of them in a really cool way. And I hear some people say, ‘Well, it’s unrealistic. Who’d stay in the house?’ That’s just a given. Let’s just let them stay in the house.” Now he’s starting to sound a lot like Larry, who’s so insistent that the Harmons stick around you wonder what the dude’s got up his sleeve. “I think Larry has a very clear overarching goal, which is redemption and release,” O’Hare says, “and that is all tied up in the house.” For O’Hare, the role requires three-and-a-half hours of makeup, transforming the actor’s face into the questionable burn victim and leaving O’Hare with half of his hearing and sight. On the first day of shooting, Murphy walked him through Larry’s limp and shriveled arm. “He’s got the vision in his head, so he had to be very clear about what we should to do,” O’Hare says, “and I like that about him - he’s a very clear director.” That helps, but with True Blood, O’Hare knew what he wanted for Russell Edgington. “I felt no need to make Russell act gay, because he is gay,” he says, adding that because the vamp’s so ancient, homosexuality didn’t even really exist then, “and I know as a gay man I don’t have to demonstrate that I’m gay. The fact that I’m sleeping with a man is the demonstration.” And that’s gay? O’Hare smiles big and non-creepy. “Not always, but for the most part.” jan 2012

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jan 2012

Why don't you go where fashion sits, puttin' on the Ritz... Carlton.

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CLE+ • Discovering the Unexpected Side of Cleveland by Michael Daniels Recently, when my husband Robbie and I had the chance to visit Cleveland on a press trip, we had expected to see a few things we hadn’t before, take in the museums that we’d previously missed and kick back a bit for the weekend. We’d been to Cleveland - or so we thought many times before, visiting friends, performing or supporting local GLBT events - but we weren’t prepared for the depth and breadth of cultural and entertainment options. We had visited, but had yet to discover, Cleveland. All that changed when Positively Cleveland (the CLE equivalent of CMH’s Experience Columbus) and the absolutely amazing Lexi Hotchkiss (our tour guide and all around bestie for the weekend) set up an itinerary that we won’t soon forget. We drove in - it’s only a couple hours, plus or minus, after all - and our first stop was the A Christmas Story house (www.achristmasstoryhouse.com). Yes, you remember, Ralphie and his cohorts, bunny suits, BB guns, leg lamps. The house is recently restored, and it doesn’t have to be Christmastime to enjoy it. It’s also interactive - so hide under the sink, put on the array of hats, go fall down and flail in the neighbor’s yard; it’s not only accepted, it’s encouraged. The gift shop and museum have everything imaginable, and it’ll take you back to the first time you saw the film. Or the last 24-hour marathon you saw of it on Christmas day. We then navigated our way to University Circle (www.universitycircle.org), the most denselypacked cultural neighborhood in America. And OK, we have to admit here - neither of us is good at out of town driving, both of us are directionally challenged, and the Cleveland freeway system was torn asunder with the GPS services not keeping up. We took the long way … and backtracked, and swore, and then lucked out … and outlookcolumbus.com

we’re convinced that in Cleveland, your two options are (a) you’re lost, or (b) you don’t know where you are. Hint: take a cab, or the bus, or the train. Or hire a guide, or a Sherpa, or a mule train. But don’t rely on your iPhone’s GPS. And so we eventually arrived at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens (www.cbgarden.org). It was cold. It was misting rain. We’d been lost for an hour. Suddenly none of that mattered. The gardens are spectacular, both interior and exterior. We spent as much time as we could outside, admiring the rose garden and the herb gardens and planning what our future planting plots would look like. Eventually, we gave in to the cold rain and went inside, only to experience an amazing array of exhibits in the CBG’s glasshouse, and a striking bonsai show in the atrium. A walk literally across the street and we were at the Cleveland Museum of Art (www.clevelandart.org). We never expected what we found it was like someone had created a satellite of New York’s Met and dropped it in Cleveland. Room after room of sculpture, artifacts and paintings. We expected to spend an hour - we spent three and only left because we were exhausted. Not to be missed: the Dali and Warhol collections, and the 5-piece series of Apollo and the Muses. Spellbinding. If you go to Cleveland for no other reason than to visit this museum, you’ve made a good choice. It’s also one of the world’s few remaining major art museums still offering FREE admission. Having now discovered that Euclid Avenue will take you from anywhere to anywhere in Cleveland, we traversed it back across town, admiring the recycling bins and green-technology buses, to our hotel - on the lake and in walking distance to the next day’s activities. A quick nap, shower, and we were in the car with Lexi and off to the most stunning Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland (www.ritzcarlton.com). There an amazing staff entertained us, including Hollie Ksiezyk (we can’t pronounce it either - call her Hollie) the

catering manager, lesbian activist, and member of the Gay Games 2014 committee (www.2014gaygamescleveland.com), along with many of her colleagues from both the Ritz and the Gay Games. We’re proud to be on board as sponsors and advocates for the Games and look forward to working with the committee to make them the most well attended Games in history. We also were treated to meeting Ritzy Rainbow Duck (friend him on Facebook), and have been carting him around awaiting the perfect photo op! From the Ritz, Lexi took us to the Fourth Street area of the City - a cross between the Short North, Downtown and the East Village - where a pedestrian plaza teemed with people of all walks of life and a vibrancy we never expected took over us. The buildings are deceivingly calm on the outside - but once inside, most of the venues offer multiple floors of multiple attractions, from bowling to billiards to comedy clubs to improv to cabaret to food and drink. To top off the night, we enjoyed Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola (www.lolabistro.com) - make reservations in advance - and don’t miss out on the seasonal and local fare. Be adventurous; tongue and beef cheek really, really are good. Absolutely knackered and absurdly full, we slept like gluttonous Tudor kings, and awoke the next morning to take in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (www.rockhall.org). The standing exhibits are fun and informative, and we were there when the Women Who Rock exhibit was on display - from Cass Elliot to Aretha Franklin (both thin and not-so-thin) to Pat Benatar to Lady Gaga and her meat dress (they taxidermied it, for real), we strolled through history. And I’ll admit, my gay card glowed bright pink and I let out a little gasp when I saw Billie Holiday’s mink stole. (Which is much better than seeing Mink Stole’s billie holiday, if you get my meaning.) We walked about two blocks in the cold and wind to Browns Stadium (www.cleveland-

“All the little chicks with the crimson lips go, ‘Cleveland Rocks!’”

browns.com), where we had club level seats to watch the Browns take on the Tennessee Titans. OK, yes, I’m a Browns fan. It’s the only masochistic thing about me, I’m pretty sure. Watching the game from the 45-yardline was exciting, and cold. The best things about the Browns this year are Scott Fujita (www.scottfujita.com) - one of my athletic heroes and one of the first NFL players to come out in support of full marriage equality back when he played for the Saints - and Colt McCoy’s butt in a jockstrap (search “Colt McCoy’s Ass” on Facebook - it has a fan page - and “Colt McCoy jockstrap” in Google images). Alas, the Browns will not be contenders again this year, but attending a game in person is a must-do at least once, and the number of GLBT fans there was an unexpected and gratifying site. Take a poncho and a jacket. And opera glasses, no one will mind. We spent our third day touring neighborhoods including Ohio City and the incomparable West Side Market (www.ocnw.org), the Tremont area (www.restoretremont.com) with its hidden hotspots, Coventry Village (www.coventryvillage.org) where all the shopkeepers promote one another and the best vintage toy store ever, Big Fun, makes its home, and the Detroit Shoreway (www.detroitshoreway.org), the City’s up and coming gayborhood. Even more than Columbus, Cleveland is a City built of neighborhoods, and to truly appreciate it, you have to take your time, tour them and take in their individual characteristics and offerings. We didn’t have nearly enough time to do everything we could have - and we’re going back. And back. And back. Until Lexi tires of us, or until we eat our way through the entire City and its up and coming culinary and cultural scene. If you see the outlookmobile on I-71, jump in behind us and join us as we continue to discover the unexpected parts of our new favorite getaway. Cleveland Rocks! For more information, visit www.positivelycleveland.com. jan 2012

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jan 2012

We’ll be listening to lots of 80s Madonna & Michael Jackson in preparation for Ashley O’Shea’s show.

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by Dan Savage I am a 25-year-old gay man. I consider myself very gay-positive and self-accepting. Although I have always accepted my homosexuality and never really felt bad about it, recently I have been going through a hard time psychologically because I’m exposing myself to very graphic homophobic online content. There are blogs, online groups, and websites that cater to gay men who like to be abused and degraded by “straight” men. These websites have content that is extremely degrading. Some people write extensively about how all gay rights should be rolled back. I am very disturbed because I am actually aroused by content that shows supposedly straight men degrading gay men. I have spent hours reading these homophobic posts and staring at graphic homophobic pictures, and I always come away feeling disturbed, insecure, and unhappy. But when I’m horny, I go right back. The worst feeling comes from knowing that a lot of those people don’t seem to recognize it as just a fantasy, but instead believe in the homophobic views they express. I was never disturbed by BDSM-type fantasies or BDSM porn, as it never seemed to be related to homophobia at all. But this type of dom/sub thing is very disturbing, as people don’t seem to be “just playing” and it is playing with a real-world violent and powerful hate ideology. Is it okay for me to just view this as another harmless fantasy or is this something I need to control or get help dealing with? Secondly, are the people who contribute, participate in, and produce such gay-bashing sexualized content just indulging in a version of acceptable BDSM/kink or is it dangerous to use a prevalent hate ideology in sex play? Not An Inferior Faggot P.S. Examples of these websites: faggot4ever.tumblr.com, outlookcolumbus.com

obeythestraightman.tumblr.com, and tribes.tribe.net/qssm. You’re not inferior, NAIF, and you’re not alone. In fact, you have lots of horny soul mates out there - think of strong feminist women with rape fantasies, think of faithful Jews with Nazi fetishes, think of empowered African Americans who get off on Master/slave role-play scenes. And think of all the gay men out there turned on by those vaguely threatening male archetypes. I mean, come on: All those cliché gay male sex symbols - truckers, skinheads, marines, cops, firemen, gangbangers - don’t exactly represent the kinds of people or professions that have historically been associated with tolerance. A person can safely explore degrading fantasies - even fantasies rooted in “hate ideology” - so long as he/she is capable of compartmentalizing this stuff. Basically, you have to build a firewall between your fantasies and your self-esteem. (And, just as importantly, between your fantasies and your politics.) Once you do that, NAIF, you’ll be able to enjoy your “straight men abusing fags” fantasies without feeling devastated immediately after you come. In fact, successfully building that firewall and then enjoying your fantasies without shame can leave you feeling stronger and more empowered for having these fantasies in the first place. Call it the sub’s paradox: A D/s sub who can enjoy his fantasies without being shredded by them is in control, not being controlled - regardless of how things might appear to a casual or misinformed observer. But it doesn’t sound like you’ve been able to build that firewall yet, NAIF, due to feelings of shame rooted in a perceived disconnect between the person you know yourself to be - a proud gay man - and the scenarios that make your dick hard. But there is no disconnect, NAIF. You don’t really hate yourself any more than the feminist with rape fantasies really wants to be raped or the Jewish guy with Nazi fantasies re-

ally believes that Germans are the master race. (Could a people who routinely wear sandals with socks be the master race? No, they could not.) It might help if you reminded yourself of that before, during, and after you rub one out - it also might help if a sex-positive counselor reminded you of that during some regular sessions over a period of months.

grading your frequent-fucker cards from fuckbuds silver to boyfriend/girlfriend gold. The latter designation gets closer to the facts on the ground: You have feelings for him, he has feelings for you (however poorly articulated), the sex is great, the relationship is exclusive. You two may not have been seeking romance, CCC, but it looks like romance found you.

You know what else might help? Finding a nice, out, proud gay man who gets off on this shit, too, NAIF, a guy who wants to explore these degradation fantasies with you in real time safely, respectfully, and consensually. Cuddling after a hot, crazy, kinky D/s sex session with the “straight” guy who five minutes ago was “degrading” you for being a “worthless faggot” and then getting dressed and going out to grab some fro-yo and chat about Glee - would go a long way toward helping you see your fantasies as something that brought intimacy, companionship, and connection into your life, instead of self-loathing and self-recrimination.

I’m a straight male in a committed live-in relationship. My girlfriend and I have sex once a week, usually on Saturday mornings. During the week, she is either too tired or too full after dinner. She often says she wants to have sex, but come 9:30 p.m., she’s ready to get in bed and watch TV until she falls asleep. She asks me on a daily basis if I’ve masturbated in her absence. If I say no, she accuses me of lying. She has demanded to smell my hands to see if she can smell lube on them. I resent feeling interrogated and guilt-tripped over this. When I do masturbate, I always clean up after myself and I’m doing it before she gets home or after she’s gone to bed. So, again, why the guilt?

But don’t start exploring your fantasies with a boyfriend until that firewall is well under construction, NAIF, okay? Three months ago, I started a fuck-buddy relationship with an old friend. As we are both not seeking a serious romance, I thought it would be a good idea. My assumption was that the relationship was “open.” But when I asked him how he’d feel about me dating another guy, he got defensive and said that if I fucked other guys, he would “never” sleep with me again. I asked him if he was sleeping with other girls, and he said no. I don’t know whether to be happy (he likes me enough to be monogamous) or freaked (at his leotarded communication style). I do have feelings for him, and the sex is progressing from good to great. Any advice would be helpful. Confused Canadian Chick I would advise you to have a convo about up-

You can spank me and pull my hair.

Browbeating Okay, Meat Beating Another Story Totally I don’t know who’s crazier, your controlling, psychotic, hand-sniffing girlfriend, BOMBAST, or you, for sticking around and putting up with this bullshit. There’s nothing wrong with having a low libido; it’s not a crime to want sex only once a week. But terrorizing a higher-libido partner about whether or not he is making ends meet by masturbating now and then - and demanding to smell his hands! - is borderline abusive behavior. DTMFA, BOMBAST, and be so kind as to pass this bit of advice on to your soon-to-be exgirlfriend: If you want a companion animal you can castrate, lady, get a dog. Not a boyfriend, not a husband. A dog. Find the Savage Lovecast (my weekly podcast) every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage. mail@savagelove.net, @fakedansavage on Twitter

jan 2012

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by Jack Fertig

h t e B

Deal with it, Scorpio! by Chris Hayes

Despite an aversion to peppermint, this month’s local celebrity is as sweet as can be. Beth Brickweg was a born just across the river from Cincinnati in a wondrous place known as Kentucky. Always an urbanite, the transition to our Capital City at the age of 10 was easy. After graduating from Bishop Watterson High School (Go Eagles!), Beth longed for the hills she never was raised in and made her way to Ohio University (Go Bobcats!) to study Political Science and booze. After earning a degree in both, Brickweg put her schooling into practice by becoming a nanny in Indianapolis. Her tenure in childcare was two fold, as her proprietor was well-healed in the art of politics, guiding and giving young Beth enough exposure to realize it was not a field she cared to vest herself in. Upon her return to Columbus, Beth tinkered in a handful of professions including preschool teacher (Miss B I need to use the bathroom!), video store clerk (Um, can you not put these videos on any account my wife can see?), Mattel Product Rep (No ma’am, these are not made with lead paint…) and last and not least - because she’s still doing it - property manager (It’s ok if my rent’s late, right?). If you’ve lived in or around the Short North, odds are you’ve rented from Beth. Leasing agent for Greystone Court Apartments (coincidentally where our offices reside), and their other properties for the past seven years, Beth has more than likely taken money from you at some point. Yep, our celeb is that Beth. If you were a good tenant, you

jan 2012

loved her… if you knocked over a fountain, you didn’t. When not making sure your stay at one of their properties is the best experience ever, Beth spends her free time renovating her house, dancing, drinking, doing yoga, gardening, reading, cruising boys with me, spending time with her family, heading to an Indigo Girls or Ryan Adam’s concert, fighting for gay rights and being a Crew fanatic. If you are at all a regular in the soccer community, you probably recognize this Nordecke resident. A season ticket holder since before the league began, Beth loves watching the football and can be found cheering the Crew on with her friends of La Turbina Amarilla (the loud group with the drums in the corner). Besides having a good header, Beth is also known for her crafting skills. A wedding invitation maker to the stars, Beth uses her talents to help local charities raise money, often volunteering to teach complimentary classes or donate her wares. Charities she’s supported include Juvenile Diabetes, St Michael’s Fest, Italian Fest, the Mid Ohio Food Bank and the Outlook Fund. And rumor has it, this paper queen might be debuting a signature line of stationary at our new shop, Suite Q, which opens next month. Our celeb is also a huge cheerleader for our fair city, and is always eager to talk about how much she loves the revitalization downtown, Franklin Park, the zoo, MLS Soccer, the unique happenings and offerings and the pride Columbus residents take in this town. Show Miss B some of that prideful kinship next time you see her out by buying her a Stella or a Captain and Coke. And if you’re a single, straight man, give her your number, too.

The Sun conjoining Pluto in Capricorn heightens awareness of authority and bureaucratic structures that hem us in, as well as the revolutionary urge to smash them. Impulsive acts of rebellion are disastrous. Revolutions need careful planning. CAPRICORN (December 21 – January 19): Your work and money situation may feel uncertain, but focus your imagination to develop a practical plan. You really can do anything if you calm your mind, relax and stay alert. Your competence and hard work are seen and appreciated. AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): Discussing plans with friends will help bring out your genius for community organizing. You need that feedback to rein your ideals into the real world, but once you’ve got that worked out you’re brilliant! PISCES (February 19 – March 19): Having profound personal insights can be liberating. Sharing them with others may not be such a great idea. Choose your confidants carefully! Even if inspiration propels your career, you probably don’t want colleagues, much less bosses, knowing how you were inspired. ARIES (March 20 – April 19): Sudden outbursts that leave you wondering who you really are reveal hidden depths and secret strengths. When in doubt, open up to some of your more insightful friends. Working too hard can upset the apple cart. Pace yourself to be effective with your colleagues. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Sassy, daring boldness is a bit atypical for Taureans, but work whatever such energy you have to get ahead. You may reveal more of yourself than you had intended, but that should work in your favor, too. GEMINI (May 21- June 20): Any long simmering or “politely” neglected domestic problems

are sure to boil over. To head off resentments, open up to your partner first about personal fears and anxieties and see how that feeds the other issues. CANCER (June 21- July 22): Holidays put stress on relationships. This decade is especially tough for that, and the next few years will be worse. Talk about your shared commitment and goals. Learn from rough spots in the present to be ready when they recur in the future. LEO (July 23 – August 22): Being nice with some people can be a challenge, but honing your teamwork skills will make it worthwhile. The real trick now is to balance that with the creative impulses that require your very individual initiative. VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Enjoying your work is good. Working at enjoyment might miss the point. Working toward an accomplishment can slide into an obsession. If something that’s supposed to be fun isn’t any more it’s time to step back and think about it. LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): When the going gets tough, the tough get creative. A domestic spat shows serious problems you hadn’t suspected, but the solution is within reach. It’s not easy, but with a small sacrifice on both sides you can fix it together. SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): Your wildest, most revolutionary ideas may well be on the right track, but you need to discuss them with an expert who shares your ideals and your commitment. If your partner feels wounded or neglected swallow your pride, apologize, and deal with it! SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 20): What would your perfect job look like? You will soon have the opportunity to improve your work situation. For now, nurture the ideal. Limiting realities will focus that into constructive steps soon enough.

Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977 teaches at the International Academy of Astrology www.astrocollege.com. He can be reached for personal or business consultations at www.starjack.com,

The Greystone Court Apartment Building is located at 815 N High St. Stop by and say “hi” sometime.

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Networking is never better or more important than in 2012. Please join us for some exciting new projects and expansions.

jan 2012

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