2012-12-01 Outlook Columbus

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outl k The holiday Issue

dec 2012 • vol 17 issue 7

inside: Meet EO’s Elyzabeth Holford restoring the black church Dr Randy Sharma & Project: zero the episcopal church top ten gay Stories of 2012 New Year’s eve roundup Catco’s story of my life Gay cirque du soleil trippin’ out to cleveland interview: Kylie Minogue & Mikey Rox’s Gay Gift Guide

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Here’s to hoping 2013 is a hell of a lot better than 2012!

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holidays are political I’m angry to the edge of tears every Pride, when the happiness and celebration - and hour after hour after great! another hour! of parade entrants - are followed by the jackasses with signs telling us we’re all doomed.

stand with us - we sometimes close our minds to people of faith and the message they share.

As Dwayne writes in The Other Side, we’re raised in churches that make us feel ashamed and damaged. We hear politicians brandish religion Who died and appointed them God? Haven’t they like a weapon and try to pit our friends and famiever read the back of a Lesbian Avengers t-shirt: lies against us.

“Too Pretty to Burn in Hell”?

We see those damned signs at Pride.

After reading the stories and columns in this month’s outlook, I’ll no longer give those signLet’s not think of those people as God’s spokescarrying haters top billing in my mind as the face men anymore. They don’t deserve the honor. of religion in America.

——— Instead, I’l think about people like the Right Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, bishop of the Episcopal I hope you enjoy this issue of outlook. It’s my Church’s Diocese of Southern Ohio, who helped first as editor-in-chief. push his national church leadership in July to recognize same-sex relationships. Writer Tom I come to outlook - and to Live Local! Columbus, Muzyka tells us in a story on Page 22 that St. our quarterly guide to home-grown businesses James Episcopal Church in Clintonville has been from The Columbus Dispatch, where I worked for blessing the relationships of its gay and lesbian nearly nine years as a reporter who covered members for more than a year. local government and politics. I’ve been a journalist for 25 years, and I’ve covered everything I’ll think about the Illuminati ensemble of the from high school football as a reporter in smallColumbus Gay Men’s Chorus, which describes it- town Wisconsin to President Clinton’s impeachself as a bridge between the GLBT and religious ment as a correspondent in Washington, D.C. communities. With regular Sunday performances at Central Ohio church services, Illuminati says it I’m happy to be working now for our community, “works to demonstrate that we all have a place for our agenda and for our publication. Since within God’s family.”

1996, outlook has been a voice and a mirror for the LGBT community in Columbus and across I’ll also think about Pastor Michael Heard, who Central Ohio. We have big plans for an even betstarted The Goodlife Church in Columbus almost ter future. a year ago as a ministry of unconditional love and acceptance, particularly for gay black men We invite you to be more than a reader. Come and women who have felt rejected by the join us at our monthly networking events churches in which they were raised. He was in- (www.networkcolumbus.com) or one of our Outterviewed by D.A. Steward, whose monthly collook Nights Out at theater and sporting events (in umn, The Other Side, appears on Page 16. the magazine’s monthly calendar and at www.outlookcolumbus.com). Share your ideas The message that people of faith are on our side for coverage. Advertise your business. Make is the one I should have been getting at Pride all sure we know about your events. Write for us, or these years from the dozens of churches that be one of our Celebrity Guest Bloggers (see Page welcome and invite us - and whose members 41). walk the parade route with a much more loving collection of signs.

Talk to me at 614.268.8525, ext. 7 or at bvitale@outlookmedia.com. Like us and follow us It’s the lesson I should have learned from my on Facebook at Outlook Columbus Magazine and late Uncle Sam, who attended Mass every morn- Outlook Media, and look for me on Twitter ing and loved his children - two gay, one straight @Bob_Vitale.

- dearly and unconditionally. It’s what I should learn from my friend Charlie, who loves everyone because of, not in spite of, her deep religious Stay in touch. faith.

Bob Vitale As gay people - or as the open-minded allies who Editor-in-Chief

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the happy holidays issue: vol 17 • #7 | here’s what’s wrapped in swaddling in this edition:

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OWNER & PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes

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you are here

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snapshot

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snapshot

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equality now

SALES DIRECTOR Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com

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small pond

NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863

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complete the circuit

ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month.

Art in by the 20th.

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insightout

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Vitale / bvitale@outlookmedia.com

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the other side

ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / hayes@outlookmedia.com

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super mario world

MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / emccalla@outlookmedia.com

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feature: project zero

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feature: episcopal church

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out & about calendar

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feature: top ten gay stories

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feature: gay gift guide

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Robert Trautman

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INTERNS Alisa Caton, Aleyna Hamilton, Jayra Harris, Andrew Keller, Emma Reichert, Ayana Wilson

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feature: new years eve creative class: Story of My Life creative class: Cirque du Soleil

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creative class

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deep inside hollywood

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eat it!

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fashion forward

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local celeb bloggers

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trippin’ out: cleveland

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savage love

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interview: Kylie Mingue

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Have yourself a merry Christmas and one hell of a New Year!

HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Bsmt Ste G Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chris Azzopardi, Alisa Caton, Jayra Harris, Chris Hayes, Aaron Leventhal, Erin McCalla, Marcus Morris, Tom Musyka, Mario Pinardi, Mikey Rox, Romeo San Vicente, Dan Savage, Regina Sewell, Christa Sidman, Robby Stephens, D.A. Steward, Bob Vitale, Mickey Weems, Ayana Wilson, Terence Womble CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Beth Brickweg, Chris Hayes, Beth Ervin Leventhal, Erin McCalla, Robby Stephens, Robert Trautman, Andrew Williams

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 of 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.

NEXT MONTH:

the resolutions issue dec 2012

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Blood, Booze, Boos, Brrs and One Big YIPPEEE! photos by Chris Hayes and Beth Brickweg This past month was packed with events to keep your social calendar full. Outlook and the Red Cross teamed up again to protest the ban on MSM blood with their Brothers in Blood 2 blood drive, which raised awareness of the FDA restriction and 40+ pints of blood. Highball Halloween took over the south entrance to the Short North bigger and better than ever. Camp Sunrise held its annual fundraiser, Moonlight and Martinis, at Creekside in Gahanna with a packed house. Equality Ohio hosted an election night party at the Democratic headquarters hotel, the new convention center Hilton. A huge night for the Democrats and gays across the country, with major victories in almost every category, including marriage equality and marijuana use.

And of course kicking off the holiday season, Outlook Nights Out at Irving Berlin’s White Christmas with a cast party at Level, followed by dancing at Wall Street’s annual blow out, Heaven and Hell! Man, are we exhausted.

Brothers In Blood 2 @ Gateway Film Center 10-25-2012

Moonlight & Martinis @ Creekside 11-09-2012

Highball Halloween @ Short North 10-27-2012

White Christmas Cast Party @ Level 11-21-2012 Equality Ohio Election NIght Party @ The Hilton 11-06-2012

Heaven & Hell @ Wall St 11-21-2012

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Don’t forget to tag yourself in our photos on Facebook! Like us at www.facebook.com/outlookcolumbus.

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Start the new year out with knowledge. Know your status. Get tested today.

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Happy Holidays!

Drag Race put on a great show for the 17th Annual Pep Rally hosted by Nina West at Union Cafe. A great time was had by all, and there was no better way to wrap up the weekend than with some hot eye candy and great music on Sunday night with DJ Venus at Exile.

What - or who - is on your calendar?

For Oprah it was her “favorite things,” but for me the holidays are about my favorite people.

While our calendars fill up with family, friends and work gatherings, make sure to take a deep breath and remember your favorite people.

Congratulations to Hellin Bedd, newly crowned Miss Ohio National Pride!

I was looking over my Facebook calendar and counted 12 parties that I’m attending. I can only imagine that everyone’s calendars are filling up quickly as well. So this month, I wanted to show off a few of my favorite people in Columbus at a holiday party at the home of my friends Ryan, Charlie and Chris.

I can’t help trim your calendar down, but I can let you know a few December highlights on mine!

From the desk of Hellin Bedd: Please join Hellin Bedd, your newly crowned Miss Ohio National Pride for her third annual Bedd Family Birthday Extravaganza on Dec. 1 at Cavan Irish Pub. Also featuring Hellin’s daughters, Alli Katt and Rose Bedd. Show time, 10:30p. An extravaganza surely not to be missed!

Hellin Bedd will be subbing for her good Jane sister, Helena Troy, hosting the Cotton Panties On Dec. 1, the Short North Holiday Hop replaces Club show at Level Dining Lounge on Dec. 20. the traditional Gallery Hop with newly spiced-up This show will feature Miss Level, Paige Pasdécor of coordinated lighting, stronger use of the sion; Miss Wall Street, Britney Blaire; Miss Paramount USofA, Tabbi Katt; and Miss Ohio arches and bigger/better sales. A Night at the Bluestone: a Queen Tribute is a must attend, as National Pride, Hellin Bedd. Show time is 10p. proceeds benefit Project: Zero Ohio founded by Dr. Randy Sharma, local entertainer Nina West On Dec. 21, Hellin will be co-hosting the show at MJ’s in Dayton with the legendary Ashley West, and Candle Lab owner Steven Weaver. show time 11p.

Make sure to keep your eye on all the fun events going on at Exile. My favorite Cbus bear, Joe L., Every Monday, Hellin Bedd brings you some of tells me that on Dec. 7, Backtrax will be hosted the hottest male dancers in town at Club 20, where there’s never a cover, but always a show!

by Lady Justice and will showcase awesome Show begins at 8p(ish). local DJ Matt Sphar.

You’ll have to forgive me, but I wouldn’t be a true Social Tsar without giving myself a little shout out. While many of you will be with coworkers for Xmas gatherings, I’ll be celebrating my birthday in a fabulous fashion at Union Café the weekend of the 14th. Stop by for a cocktail! You can also find Nina & Virginia’s Holiday Special running at Axis Nightclub the nights of Dec. 8, 14, 15 and 16, and returning by popular demand, Mary Ann Brandt and cast will return to Wall Street Nightclub for the annual Mary Ann Brandt Christmas Show on Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16.

I would like to wish all of our readers a very happy holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Hellin Bedd and Mary Nolan are your hosts every Sunday at Cavan Irish Pub for Bingo and Strippers. Come early for a chance to win fabulous prizes during our Bingo games beginning at 9p, then stick around for the hottest male strippers beginning at 11p.

Come to Wall Street Nightclub every Wednesday night for the Dick & Jane Show, featuring the fabulous talents of your “Janes”: Hellin Bedd, Diamond Hunter, Britney Blaire, Helena Troy, Paige Passion, Cassandra Terrace and Mary Nolan, along with some of the hottest “Dicks” in the city. Show time 10:30p, then stick around with the Dicks as DJ Michele Cheney rocks the dance floor for Boys Night Out, one of Columbus’ oldest weekly traditions.

What is Your New Year’s Resolution?

What’s up, Cassandra Terrace?

Can you believe 2013 is almost here? If you don’t have your new year’s resolutions, it’s time to choose. But let’s relive that four-day weekend we all look forward to, action-packed with Thanksgiving, shopping, local events and, of course, OSU vs. Michigan football!

We wrapped up November with a tight little bow when OSU conquered our rival up north and completed the season undefeated. Wall Street Nightclub returned with its annual Heaven and Hell event on Thanksgiving Eve, and Axis Nightclub kicked off the premier of Jungle, its first Thanksgiving Eve event to start the long weekend. On Friday, LaTrice Royale of Ru Paul’s

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Cassandra Terrace made a great premier as the headliner to her own show Game Over in November at Wall Street Nightclub. The video game-themed show incorporated great costumes, fun choreography and a great cast including Drew Terrace, Augusta Wind, Cherry Poppins, Kitty Madison, Nikole Trader, Stella Boheme, Veronica Skyy and Vivian Von Brokenhymen. Before the show, I spent some time with the owner of Wall Street Nightclub, Scot Hafler, and he shared that Wall Street likes to host a wide range of entertainers and welcomes new talent. I definitely think Cassandra is someone to keep our eye on. I expect great things from her future shows.

You never know where Robby will end up next, so always be prepared for your photo op!

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Be proud and walk with a big stick, or at least a jazzy wand.

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Back to Ohio: Elyzabeth Holford returns to lead Equality Ohio

by Bob Vitale

States, in London, Amsterdam, Switzerland and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There were 30 people in the Elyzabeth Holford has a busy day ahead and wants room when Holford interviewed for the job, Feeney to talk early. Is 8a OK? said, and she more than held her own.

I make sure I get up a half-hour early so I don’t call her with the octave-lower morning voice. She, on the other hand, is wide-awake and chipper - and she says she’s answering her phone from the West Coast. It’s 5a in the time zone where Holford is talking from, and she sounds like she already has crossed two-thirds of the items off her to-do list for the day.

The session lasted an hour and 20 minutes. Interviewers got in just seven questions.

Holford’s experience in different parts of the state was one of the things that got her the job, Feeney said. In addition to her law degree from Dayton, she earned a master’s degree in education from OSU.

organizations.

“We’re all looking forward to meeting with Elyzabeth and working with her,” he said. “I think ... someone from the outside is likely to reach the conclusion that marriage equality has momentum.”

What’s changed in Ohio since she moved away 25 years ago?

Holford acknowledged a change in attitudes - here and across the country - toward marriage equality.

“What hasn’t changed would be a better quesEquality Ohio was formed in 2005, shortly after the tion,” Holford said. vote by more than 60 percent of the state’s elecHolford combines energy and attention to detail, vitorate to ban lesbian and gay couples from getting sion and expertise. She started her career as a Back then, politicians rarely were eager to sit down married or obtaining any legal recognition of their staff attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Serv- with people from the LGBT community, she said. relationships. A Washington Post poll in October “I can’t wait to get back to Ohio,” she says. ices in New Philadelphia after graduation from the She said she’s impressed with the real conversafound that 52 percent of Ohioans think gay and University of Dayton’s law school in 1980. She has tions that seem to be taking place today. She’s lesbian couples should have the right to marry, She has plenty of new tasks waiting for her here. worked for a law firm in Lancaster, as managing happy to see an LGBT community that has grown while 37 percent think they should not.

The newly hired executive director of Equality Ohio - attorney for the Ohio Department of Taxation and and thrived - and has been embraced and courted an attorney, educator and corporate-turnaround as a consulting attorney here in Columbus. in many circles - in the years she was away.

“It’s about relationships. It’s about recognition. It’s specialist during a 32-year career in both the pubabout fairness. Ohioans are fair people,” she said. lic and private sectors - will have to call on all She left the state in 1987 for a teaching job at Vir- “There just seems to be such inclusiveness,” she “Ohio’s poised. It doesn’t mean I’m a Pollyana.” those skills as she settles into a job she started ginia Tech, and she rose to become director of said. “I thought, ‘This is not the Columbus I reNov. 26. equal employment opportunity. In that job, she ran member.’”

But fighting for marriage equality includes a stratthe office charged with ensuring a diverse workegy for the best timing, Holford said.

Holford will steer the statewide GLBT civil-rights force and inclusive campus climate.

Holford will take over Equality Ohio’s end of a degroup at a time when Ohioans seem to be coming bate over whether marriage-equality proponents And she added that Equality Ohio’s agenda doesn’t around on the issue of marriage equality. She takes For the last decade, she has worked in academia should seek a 2013 vote to overturn the state’s stop with marriage. The group will focus on ensurover Equality Ohio in the midst of a debate within and the corporate world, restructuring programs anti-marriage amendment. Proponents, led by ing nondiscrimination in housing, employment and the community about whether 2013 is the best and supervising senior management, managing Columbus political consultant Ian James, are col- public accommodations. It will seek to ensure time to ask voters to repeal the anti-marriage capital campaigns and providing strategic leader- lecting signatures for a statewide referendum. adoption and inheritance rights for all couples. It amendment they added to the state constitution in ship. She has been a corporate turnaround conEquality Ohio has questioned the timing and orwill work for safe schools and safe communities by 2004. And she’ll become the face of the organiza- sultant, based in Tucson, since 2009. ganization of the effort. addressing bullying and hate crimes. tion as it works to overcome the embarrassing nationwide publicity over disorderly conduct and “I just thought it was time to put my skill set to “We’ll look to her to lead that dialogue,” said “It will be wonderful to win,” Holford said. “At the menacing charges filed against its last executive work for something that mattered to me,” said Hol- Feeney, who added that Holford already has spoken same time, if I get married I don’t want to wake up director during Columbus’ Pride celebration in ford, who is a lesbian. with representatives of James’ Freedom to Marry the next day and get fired and kicked out of my June.

Ohio group. Said Holford: “When someone says, house.”

She began relocating to Ohio with a drive east from ‘How are we going to do this,’ the first thing out of Bob Vitale can be reached at bvitale@outlookmedia.com. FolPaul Feeney, chairman of the Equality Ohio board, Arizona the week after Thanksgiving. She was to my mouth is, ‘Together.’” low him on Twitter @Bob_Vitale. said Holford stood out among 37 applicants for the start working out of Equality Ohio’s Columbus ofjob, and not just because of a resume that infice the first week of December.

James called Holford “a fresh set of eyes” that he cludes experience in Ohio, across the United hopes will help break the impasse between the two

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“She was very much a presence in the room,” he said.

A new year brings a new era to Equality Ohio. Join us in welcoming Elyzabeth to Columbus!

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Isn’t Jerry just the cutest? I hope I meet him under the mistletoe.

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A real gem: Jeweler Steward Gibboney IV Tells Stories in Diamonds and Gold

by Christa Sidman As a boy, Steward Gibboney IV had a passion for dismantling things to see how they were made.

He was fascinated by mechanics and objects that told a story.

Today, he’s a gemologist and owner of the Columbus Diamond Exchange. With artistry and skill, he uses precious metals and gemstones to tell the life stories of his customers.

Gibboney’s own story began in the shop labs of Southwestern City Schools, where his father taught automotive technology. Gibboney would hang out, watching the teachers prepare their classrooms and test their machines. That’s where he met Eugene Hall, a master clockmaker, and fell in love with the mechanics of time.

At age 14, Gibboney became the youngest member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Watchmaker Leon Beard took the boy under his wing.

“I wanted to know everything, right now,” Gibboney laughed. “Like a kid in a candy store. But Leon was very patient with me.”

The study of watches triggered an interest in jewelry and gemstones. In 1993, Gibboney graduated from the Gemological Institute of America in California.

Gems hold deep meaning for him. “I’m a diver,” he said, “and looking into a stone is like looking down into the ocean. External beauty is just part of the story. Each stone has internal characteristics that give it its own personality.”

As a jewelry designer, Gibboney excels at bringing

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that personality out. He has a special affinity for rubies and sapphires and the malleable luster of white gold. He likes making pieces people can wear every day and enjoy for a lifetime.

After graduating from Otterbein University, Gibboney decided to take the plunge and open his own jewelry store. But first, he needed the right name. That’s when he learned about the original Columbus Diamond Exchange. Founded in 1929, it was a Columbus institution until it closed in the 1980s.

Gibboney liked the idea of reviving an old tradition. But in the beginning, it wasn’t very glamorous. With no credit, he had a hard time getting a loan. He found an 800-square-foot space in a Grove City strip mall for $700 a month, but he almost didn’t get that. Fortunately, the landlord was willing to take a chance. He opened his doors in 1999.

The old Diamond Exchange had been part of Columbus culture that people still remember.

“I’ve actually had people come in to do business with me who did business with the former owners,” Gibboney said. From the beginning, the young jeweler had a reputation to uphold. And he eagerly rose to the challenge.

Gibboney is a family jeweler in the most literal sense of the word. For him, it isn’t just about selling jewelry or even creating it.

“What I value most about my job is the relationships I form with my customers,” he said. A person might come in looking for a romantic birthday gift. Then, it’s time to choose an engagement ring. Wedding bands follow, and maybe something to mark a special anniversary. A daughter’s first pair of pierced earrings. A niece’s confirma-

tion gift. As time passes, the jeweler becomes part of the family’s life story.

Gay and lesbian couples are a vital part of the mix. As a gay business owner, Gibboney takes special satisfaction in helping them find what they need.

There are private rooms where customers can look at ring settings or work with him to create their own custom designs.

There are whimsical touches, too, including a vintage player piano (it works!) and a saltwater tank that houses live coral and a fish named Hot Lips.

“One morning, a man came in to buy an engagement ring for his partner, bringing a friend along for moral support,” he said. “As I opened the door and greeted them, the friend, who’d been wearing several rainbow bracelets, worked them loose and stuffed them into his pocket. Both men seemed a bit intimidated.

Gibboney is a small-business owner and an artisan, so he wears lots of hats. When he’s not meeting with customers or creating and selling jewelry, he’s changing light bulbs and cleaning out the fish tank.

“‘I want to propose to my boyfriend tonight,’ said the groom-to-be, ‘so I don’t have time to get anything sized. And I don’t have much money to spend.’

But after hours, his life unfolds. He spends quality time with friends and with Robert, his beloved partner. He serves as chairman of the Columbus Historic Resources Commission, which promotes the conservation of historic sites and structures throughout the city.

“‘No worries,’ I said. ‘We have rings from $50 all the way up to $60,000. What is your boyfriend’s style?’ I found a simple tungsten carbide band he was thrilled with. And as we talked, I saw the man’s friend quietly slide his rainbow bracelets back on.”

When you walk into a jewelry store, you have certain preconceived notions about who you should be and how much of a budget you should have. At the Columbus Diamond Exchange, you can leave those notions at the door. They won’t be there when you leave.

The Columbus Diamond Exchange has come a long way in the past 13 years. Today, it’s housed in a Neoclassical Revival bank building in the heart of Downtown. The store is elegant but inviting, with sumptuous red velvet couches and several antique clocks that Gibboney has restored.

Remember fellas, diamonds are a drag queen’s best friend. Yeah... that’s the lyric.

He rides his Harley in the security detail during the Pride Parade each year, and he volunteers with Stonewall whenever he can.

The holidays are drawing near, full of color and light and sparkle. People who want to make someone’s eyes shine will stop by the Columbus Diamond Exchange and share their stories with Gibboney, and he’ll find them a jewel that will inspire happy memories for many years to come.

And to paraphrase Casablanca, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Visit the Columbus Diamond Exchange at 22 W Gay St, Downtown, or call 614.228.2002. They’re on the web at columbusdiamondexchange.com. Small Pond features GLBT small-business owners in Central Ohio. Know of someone who should be featured here? Email Managing Editor Erin McCalla at emccalla@outlookmedia.com.

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How often do you think they mess up when they hand number those bottles? And then do they drink the mistakes?

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AIDS Lies: The Top 3

by Mickey Weems To commemorate Worlds AIDS Day on Dec. 1, everyone needs to help end some of the ignorance about AIDS and HIV. Falsehoods about AIDS and HIV transmission go from the weird (Africans got AIDS because they had sex with monkeys) to wishful thinking (beet roots, garlic and lemon juice can cure it). I’ve also heard outright lies, such as an HIV-positive doctor telling twinks he invited to his house for an orgy not to worry because people can’t get AIDS when they’re on ecstasy.

But the worst lies are not restricted to some wealthy guy’s party room. Some untruths are spread over entire populations. Here are the three biggest whoppers on my list.

Lie #3. AIDS is caused by men having sex with men.

Let’s start with the basics. AIDS is caused by a virus, not an act.

The Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) can be transmitted through exchange of body fluids. The virus in the fluid is placed within an organic environment, such as a wound or orifice so it has access to the blood stream. It doesn’t matter whether the people involved in transmission are male or female, or whether the introduction of the virus is by an inanimate object, such as a needle, or a human body part.

Men have sex with each other in different ways, including genital-to-genital contact, masturbation and oral sex. It is theoretically possible for HIV

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to be transmitted in these situations, or by vaginal penetration by a penis.

But chances are much greater in fluids exchanged during one particular act, done both man-on-man and man-on-woman: anal sex.

Chances for transmission during anal sex tend to be higher for the penetrated person rather than the penetrator. But if the penetrator has any open genital/oral sores, however small, HIV can be transmitted through them.

This is why “crystal sex” - having intercourse while doing crystal meth - is such an easy pathway to seroconversion. Marathon sexual episodes of six to 12 hours increase the chance of friction sores for all partners, top and bottom.

AIDS activists and homophobes alike regularly ignore the facts. Some gay activists stress that just about any sex act can lead to transmission, so they downplay the fact that all acts are not equal.

And it’s obvious that homophobes designed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s lifetime blood-donation ban against men who have sex with men.

It’s premised on Lie #3. Any man who has had sex with another man since 1986, regardless of what was done by whom, is banned for life.

If a woman has sex with a man who has sex with men, she is asked to wait a year before donating. Why is there any difference between her and a man having sex with the same man?

That shows bias against men’s samesex orientation, not the sexual act and role most responsible.

Lie #2. Condoms help spread AIDS. A few years ago, I got into an argument with a family member about HIV prevention. Catholic officials told her that condoms increase the likelihood of seroconversion. No matter what I said, she refused to believe otherwise.

Her logic went something like this: Fear of AIDS is the only way of preventing its spread. If men think they might get sick, they are less likely to engage in risky behavior. Condoms increase risky behavior, so they contribute to the problem.

Facts, however, indicate otherwise.

Education and practicing safer sex have been shown time and again to be the best approach to lowering rates of seroconversion.

In the face of evidence contradicting her conclusion, why would she continue to argue this? The answer lies in unspoken assumptions that she holds.

Facts are not as important as dogma.

The official Catholic position is that homosexuality is an intrinsic disorder, so anything contributing to homo-sex, even if it keeps people from getting sick, is evil in the eyes of God. Condoms are already considered sinful, even for straight people since they are a form of contraception.

A friend of mine doing fieldwork on HIV transmission in Cameroon reported that nuns were telling local women that condoms cause AIDS. No telling how many women lost their lives because of this.

When engaging people of faith in meaningful discussion about AIDS, keep in mind the lies they have been fed by religious leaders. Don’t believe for a second that only Catholic authorities tell these falsehoods, though.

Plenty of Protestant and even nonChristian religious figures spread them as well.

Lie #1. Barebacking is liberation The greatest damage to gay men doesn’t come from those who hate us, but from those among us whose world revolves around their sexual desires.

We all know sex can lead to the transmission of harmful microorganisms.

The worst of these diseases is HIV. As mentioned earlier, the greatest risk of seroconversion comes from male-tomale anal sex for the receptive partner.

But too many guys don’t give a damn.

Penile irresponsibility when pounding on the back door in bareback mode is the clarion call of gay male liberation for them. And there are gay men who make bank by spreading the bareback = liberation lie.

Gay male porn sank to a new low with videos such as Dawson’s Twenty Load Weekend, a visual record of a young man who bottoms for anonymous tops, none of them wearing protection.

Porn heavies like Chi Chi LaRue argue bitterly against this kind of video. But money talks, and Dawson’s inspired the production of more bareback videos.

The arrogance of those who profit from these videos has no limits. They are as proud of their callousness as any Wall

I know that is a picture of the HIV virus, but all I see is dippin’ dots or brains.

Street derivatives pimp. Paul Morris of Treasure Island Media is one such pill.

“My work is about one thing, really. It’s about the exhilarating and transcendent wonder that is men having creative, consensual and mature sex with other men,” he said in a 2007 interview with Edge Media Network, then laid it on even thicker. “The dynamite I use is the extraordinary and vertiginous sex that I celebrate, a sex that’s powerful and beautiful beyond logic. ... Neither (the actors) nor I will lie about who we are, nor will we be ashamed of what we do.”

I have heard of friends and acquaintances who became HIV-positive because they believed the lie. Some of them carried on for years before karma snuck up and bit them. There is little censure of their stupidity because our community refuses to take a stand.

Every new case of AIDS is one more burden on our public-health system.

Keep listening to graveyard profiteers like Paul Morris, my idiot gay brothers, and the government will step in to regulate our sex lives in the name of public safety.

It is unethical to rent films, gay or straight, in which actors are put at risk, films that in turn inspire others to throw good sense to the winds.

And please, don’t let anyone spread Lie #1 unchallenged.

Mickey Weems writes Complete the Circuit every month for Outlook. You can follow him online at www.mickeyweems.com and at www.qualiafolk.com, a site dedicated to LGBT scholarship.

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Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea... joy to you and me.

dec 2012

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Dancing Toward the Light What if the end of the world as we know it wasn’t such a bad thing?

by Regina Sewell Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

- REM Dec. 21, 2012, is fast approaching, and with it, the end date of a 5,125-year-long cycle on the Mayan calendar. According to many prognosticators, this date marks the end of the world as we know it.

The less optimistic predict that a cataclysmic disaster will devastate the Earth and wipe us out. E.C. Krupp, director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, summarized this genre of predictions in Sky and Telescope magazine: “The ancient Maya of Mexico and Guatemala kept a calendar that is about to roll up the red carpet of time, swing the solar system into transcendental alignment with the heart of the Milky Way and turn Earth into a bowling pin for a rogue planet heading down our alley for a strike.”

The more optimistic visionaries predict the date will usher in the beginning of a new era marked

14 dec 2012

by a global positive spiritual transformation.

Most, if not all scientists consider all of these predictions to be a bunch of hooey.

Even if Dec. 21 doesn’t mark the end of the world, it’s the winter solstice in the Western Hemisphere. It marks the end of the old solar year and the birth of a new year.

In ancient times, yuletide rites acknowledged the depth of the darkness and celebrated the return of light. They harvested pines and firs, which they held to be sacred trees, and decorated them with things resembling fruits, nuts and berries. The trees were thought to signify a life force that carried the hope of renewal because they stayed green while other plants seemed lifeless.

They decorated the trees to inspire the return of summer’s bounty. Early people also hung wreaths and mistletoe. The wreaths symbolized the wheel of the year and the completion of another cycle.

They were traditionally made of evergreens, ivy and holly. Like evergreens, holly signified a mysterious life force because it bore berries in the middle of winter. Druids considered mistletoe sacred because unlike other plants, it never touched the earth. And, like holly, mistletoe bore fruit in the winter.

A kiss under the mistletoe signified love and the promise of marriage. Early on, Christians incor-

porated many of these ancient rites into their own tradition but dropped the meaning early people held for them and the reverence early people held for nature.

Fast forward a thousand years and most of us have no idea why Christmas trees and wreaths bring us joy or why mistletoe is considered a great way to liven up a party.

Unlike our ancestors, we’ve got electricity and gas-powered engines. We never have to sit in the dark or miss the latest episode of Glee or Rizzoli & Isles, and we can get fresh produce all year at the nearest grocery store. The winter solstice doesn’t stir the same kind of fear in our hearts as it did for our ancestors who were dependent on the sun for things like heat, light and fresh green beans.

In the process, we’ve lost our sense of awe about nature and have become disconnected from our deepest, most basic needs.

Those long, long, long dark nights gave our ancestors time to rest and contemplate their lives.

And although restrictive social conventions made dramatic change difficult, they were at least able to take stock, count their blessings for what they had and make peace with what they couldn’t change.

The tradeoff we have made for electricity and kiwis in December is that few of us feel like we have the luxury of time to rest and contemplate.

Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies...

Shorter days do not mean less work. They just mean that we drive or ride the bus to or from work in the dark.

And rather than cutting back on our social obligations, the impinging darkness correlates with a host of parties and gatherings from Halloween to New Year’s.

And then there are the gifts. Gifts to think about, purchase and figure out how to pay for.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We can use the lengthening darkness to look into our hearts and explore our dreams, wishes and regrets. We can slow down and remind ourselves of the things in life we are grateful for and tune into our life dreams. We can identify the patterns and relationships we have that no longer serve us and begin to let them go.

We can find reverence in the ordinary aspects of our world, be it the wonder of the night sky, the beauty of our gardens, the miracle of our iPhone or the magic we find in a shopping mall.

We can let this be the end of the world as we know it. And we can celebrate the possibility of the world we’d like to see by dancing into the light.

Regina Sewell writes Insight Out every month for Outlook. To ask her a question, check out upcoming workshops or check out her books and other writing, go to: www.ReginaSewell.com.

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When life gives you lemons, make a liqueur and forget about it.

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Restoring ‘The Black Church’: Pentecostal pastors preach revolutionary message of unconditional love

by D.A. Steward

you straight to hell, I felt dirty and evil for much of my life.

It is often said that good writers write what they know, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s church.

I’ve mentioned my religious upbringing in this column before, that I was raised by a Pentecostal minister and a mother who was not only my grade school’s librarian but also my Sunday School teacher. My childhood identity consisted of school, family and religion, and like many black gay youth, the hate-filled intolerance of homosexuality within the black church fueled much of my struggle to come to terms with my sexuality.

The term The Black Church typically refers to traditional Baptist, Pentecostal and A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) denominations, or any derivative thereof (Apostolic, Church of Christ, Southern Baptist, etc.). Most have direct roots in slavery, when African-Americans would conduct their own services in the slave quarters of plantations, filled with much of the hand-clapping, Holy Ghost-filled hands-laying and foot-stomping worship we see in predominantly black churches today. Sunday was the only day of the week slaves felt free from the persecution of their masters. Church was a celebration.

That spirit of celebration still carries on today, but it has since been paired with a fire-and-brimstone message that cast God as an angry zealot always poised to strike down those who defy him. It often ignores the Bible’s messages of God’s unconditional love for all people. And much of this hateful rhetoric has become targeted toward the LGBT community. When President Obama came out in support of marriage equality, African-American religious leaders nationwide openly opposed his views, saying he’d turned his back on The Black Church.

When you’re a preacher’s kid and you’re gay, growing up hearing this message every week isn’t easy.

Because of this constant need for my pastor to reiterate that being gay was an abomination that sent

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Thousands of LGBT African-Americans stay hidden in church for fear of rejection. You know what I mean. It’s the choir director who winks at the deacon whose hand lingers when he pats the back of the pastor’s right-hand Armor Bearer who leads a new handsome congregant to the back office for another pre-membership “counseling” session.

Check into any black gay man’s dating record and you’ll find at least one closeted church queen among the mix.

“We can’t even get to the conversation of homosexuality because we haven’t even had the sexuality conversation,” said Bishop O.C. Allen, the openly gay senior pastor of The Vision Church of Atlanta and presiding bishop of the United Progressive Pentecostal Church Fellowship.

Allen was referring to an age-old practice of many African-American churchgoers to sweep certain issues under the rug. “Give it over to God, he’ll take care of all your needs” is a familiar sentiment.

Since opening its doors in 2004, Allen and his 3,500-member Vision Church have become the poster ministry for the possibilities of progressive Pentecostalism and progressive Christianity within the black community.

“The pushback has been profound, especially in the beginning,” Allen said. “But I don’t think black people are more homophobic than any other group of people.”

It’s an interesting conjecture given the social climate, but he goes on to explain: “It is a sociological reality that oppressed groups are typically conservative. ... But it’s also about perception. Gay was considered ‘white’ or something outside the scope of the black community. Black people are wrestling with the reality of coming to terms with our own truths. And there are so many disparities against our community. ... But I think all of these

conversations play a role. There’s not just one reason. And all of these conversations converge on Sunday morning.”

of The Vision Church and cry every Sunday. I needed to heal and change all the bad things in my life.”

The rise of the open and affirming movement has created a place where LGBT people of faith can finally worship without persecution, but for a long time it was reserved for more progressive denominations like the United Methodist Church. With ministries like The Vision Church that’s not the case anymore.

The Goodlife Church opened its doors in January and has become a revolutionary place of healing for those rejected early on for being who they are. It has grown from three members to nearly 200. It’s operating out of Summit United Methodist Church at 82 E 16th Ave in the University District, with services every Sunday at 1:30p and Friday at 7p.

“Gay and Pentecostal have traditionally been an oxymoron. But when you really think about it, (being open and affirming) is the foundation of Christianity. If you read the Bible, if you read the Christian story, it is about freeing oppressed people. It’s liberation theology at its core.”

“I want Goodlife to become not just a place for the LGBT community, but for everyone who wants an authentic place to worship,” Heard said. “Without truth and authenticity there can be no growth.”

And now this progressive Pentecostal movement has even made its way to Central Ohio.

Last year Michael Heard returned to Ohio from Atlanta a changed man. Ten months earlier, he abruptly left Columbus during his tenure as head of Destined for Greatness, a ministry he started but wasn’t ready to lead.

“We were accepting but not affirming,” Heard said.

“I wasn’t out. I had a lot of work to do on myself before I’d be able to lead anyone.”

So he left. The lies of trying to hide who he was, a bisexual Pentecostal preacher, had reached a boiling point. When he left, he planned to never return, but during his escape to Atlanta he discovered The Vision Church. It was something Heard had never thought possible. Joining Bishop Allen’s ministry became a choice that changed his life.

Heard brought Allen’s “radical” theology back with him late last year and began laying the groundwork for The Goodlife Church of Columbus.

“All I needed was to see that it was possible,” Heard said. “I just needed to see that pastoring authentically was possible. I would sit in the back

When I finally came out to my church as a kid, the hateful response was so strong that I left and rejected my faith altogether. I always associated the bigotry of the church’s members with God and religion in general. So I wanted no part of it. It took me a long time to accept that God loved me because I was gay, not in spite of it.

Truthfully, I enjoyed going to church as a kid. I enjoyed the singing, the worship service and the strong emotional ties between people in the church community. For years, I felt that had been unfairly taken from me because of something I couldn’t control. I thought I’d never be able to get it back.

But now, because of ministries like The Vision Church and The Goodlife Church, that doesn’t have to be my story anymore.

For more information on The Vision Church of Atlanta or the United Progressive Pentecostal Church Fellowship, visit www.thevisionchurch.org. For more on The Goodlife Church of Columbus or The Goodlife Reality Show visit www.mygoodlifenow.org.

D.A. Steward writes The Other Side every month for Outlook.

He also hosts Queer Minded, an online radio show that airs every Tuesday and Friday at 10p at talktainmentradio.com.

You can find more on all his projects at www.dwaynesteward.com.

Be sure to tune into Queer Minded on Tuesdays & Fridays on TalktainmentRadio.com to hear Dwayne!

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The good gifts come from The Garden. Get some goodies for the one(s) you love!

dec 2012

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Celebrating the None Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion, every time of year

by Mario Pinardi The only thing I like about the holiday season is washing it away on Dec. 31 with much champagne. But then I’m usually too drunk to play with Hubby’s disco balls on New Years’ Day. As you may know, I’m not a holiday season person. My happier memories of the holiday season are far and few. Holiday seasons for me meant lots of work, lots of mean people and lots of physical aches and pains. Plus, I grow weary of people correcting me when I say “Happy Holidays,” half-heartedly. This usually comes from some old bat telling me, “It’s Merry Christmas in ’Merica.” Then, I have to resist the urge to say, “Fuck off, you bottom feeder.”

Anyway, part of the holiday season for many folks is the spiritual side, through organized religion. I have always been weary of religion.

I have many family members who use religion as a veil for hate. It is sad how miserable they are all year.

When my parents were alive, the holidays were about rest and recuperation, not throwing religion and overspending in people’s

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faces. The only stress in our house during the holiday season was keeping the pets away from the tree. A couple years ago, I decided to take the none approach. By being a religion of none, I have no true attachment to Christmas and it becomes another day to me.

Now Hubby enjoys the season much more than I do, for various reasons, so he will modestly decorate our loft. Yes, we are not Christopher Radko-worshipping Holiday homos. Decorating every corner of the loft would be a waste because we have bad pets that would break shit and we are never home enough to maintain it. I think Christmas has become palatable, because I am a religion of none.

The Pew Research Center did an extensive study on faith and religion in the United States, and it came out to be that one in five describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, otherwise known as the nones. Fiftyeight percent of the nones say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth.

Sixty-seven percent of the nones believe that churches and other religious institutions are too involved with politics, and they go on to say that religious institutions are too con-

cerned with money and power and focus too much on rules.

This pretty much sums it up for me, and I wear this profile well.

Some folks feel they need to offer their religion to me or they need to pray for me. Isn’t this a bit conceited and rude? And, in my cubicle world, folks are often soliciting religious media and church fundraising items. Since when was religion an offering in a corporate environment? Did I miss the required morning-prayer-meeting memo?

Part of being an American - and one of the many reasons why people want to live here is freedom of religion. I am fine with this freedom. It also means I have a freedom to have no religion.

What about the liability of religion? University of Tampa researcher issued a lengthy report in May titled, How Secular Humanists (and Everyone Else) Subsidize Religion in the United States, and came to the conclusion that organized religion is aided by its tax-exempt status to the tune of $71 billion a year.

charities, they are businesses. I can think of many ways that $71 billion could be used in this country, and I’m sure you can, too. Why should I fund churches that I don’t align with or ones that spew hate? I would love to see religious organizations, like Focus on the Family, get slapped with a huge tax liability.

That would be a happy new year for me!

As you are trimming your trees, think about your personal journey and how it relates to the holiday season. Understand that organized religion is a business, not a benevolent service. Realize that freedom of religion means we can have no religion. Begin to love people for their unique perspectives and their unique journeys and not out of pity.

Hubby and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, whatever that means to you, and thank you for reading all year – this is best gift of all. Remember to be a survivor and never a victim. Who’s up for some champagne-guzzling and general gassiness? Have happy, sexy and butt-tastic 2013!

Mario Pinardi writes Super Mario World every month for Outlook. You can follow him on Twitter: @mariowp3.

To me, this means that churches are not

There’s a joke in there somewhere about hanging balls, but I’m too proper to make it.

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All of Columbus is now recycling-capable. Make sure you participate.

dec 2012

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Project: Zero Ohio

ing away with great local merchandise.

by Erin McCalla

The team would like to introduce a new product every quarter, with possible new candle scents for the changing seasons. Sharma, a huge music fan, also likes to incorporate the local music scene with a yearly event held on World AIDS Day.

In March 2011, Dr. Randy Sharma sent a very sick patient with symptoms of an opportunistic infection caused by his full-blown AIDS straight to the Ohio State University Medical Center.

He didn’t realize that his patient would be denied the proper medications for not having insurance; the man was in need of immediate, emergency medical attention. Surely, he thought, that kind of disparity in care is relegated to Third World nations, not here in the good ol’ U. S. of A. The patient almost died before he was admitted to OSU’s ICU, where he received the treatments he needed to survive.

That was an eye-opener for Sharma.

Something had to be done.

Having only met her once, he decided to contact Nina West, who has singlehandedly raised $300,000 for HIV/AIDS organizations in the past 10 years. Via Twitter, Sharma asked her to join him in founding Project: Zero Ohio.

Without hesitation, she accepted.

“It was all pretty organic. I thought that with our own organization, I could really focus my fundraising efforts,” West said.

“The entire idea was inspiring and exciting to me.”

The pair knew they wanted a steady revenue source and to work with local businesses by using locally crafted items to make a difference. They reached out to Steve Weaver of the Candle Lab for advice, and upon hearing their idea, he was in.

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“I knew of Randy and Nina both through mutual friends and had a lot of respect for them from a distance. When they came together and approached me, I jumped at the chance to work with them,” Weaver said. “This seemed like a perfect blend of community involvement, fundraising for an important cause and collaborating with great people.”

“Nina is obviously amazing and talented, and Steve is brilliant,” Sharma added.

Soon after the launch, Megan Green of Stinkybomb Soaps asked to make a Pride Soap to sell, and Amy Dalrymple of Made by AmyD joined the fold in November and introduced her handcrafted coffee sleeve to the host of Project: Zero The grassroots cause is named for the Ohio products. All the money earned, number of people they want going with- above the cost to the vendor, goes to out HIV/AIDS medication and assistance. PZO. It officially launched with a July 2011 event where 250 people came to the To date, the charity has raised about Short North Candle Lab. They released $25,000. the Rainbow Candle that smells like Skittles candy, with Nina’s face on a At first, all money raised was used to label designed by John Olson. provide HIV/AIDS medications. People who earn more than $32,000 a year The members of this trio each bring don’t qualify for assistance. Meds will something different to the table. Sharma run about $1,200 to $1,700 a month out is the physician and energetic idea guy. of pocket ($15,000 a year), and people West is the effervescent celebrity and the must pay several hundred more a year to face of the charity. Weaver is the behind- test CD4 counts and HIV viral loads. the-scenes businessman with a political background.

Many employers still don’t cover domestic partners, which brings more chalThey all have a healthy respect for each lenges. other.

With the opening of the AIDS Resource “Steve is the silent force. Strong, foCenter of Ohio’s new medical center, cused, driven. He also has this very con- though, many patients will receive the tagious laugh. Randy is this great care they need. Therefore, the team frenetic energy; he excites very easily. He plans to sit down with ARC Ohio “to see is driven, focused and his heart is where they have holes in care,” as ARC huge,” West said.

Ohio’s hands are sometimes tied with

On Dec. 1, Project: Zero Ohio, Kobo Live, the Small Business Beanstalk and Live Local! Columbus will present A Night at The Bluestone featuring Queen tribute band Mr. Fahrenheit and The Loverboys, Van Haken (a Van Halen tribute band), While the money is clearly needed, PZO’s the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, Joshua first goal is to raise awareness and edu- James & The Paper Planes, DJs Scotty cate that HIV/AIDS is still a concern in Niemet and Lydia Beatz with host Nina Columbus, not just in far-off places like West.

Africa.

Tickets are $10, and part of the proceeds “This is still a big issue,” Sharma said. will go directly to Project: Zero Ohio.

“There are gay men who think, ‘Oh, I’ll There will also be a silent auction benejust take meds if I get HIV.’ And the fitting the cause, with all of the items straight community thinks, ‘Oh, that’s from the Live Local! Columbus holiday still an issue?’” gift guide up for bid. If you’re in the giving spirit, you’ll be able to make donaSharma hopes the products will facilitions at the booth, where you can also tate an open conversation. “When you sign up for the mailing list. see the coffee sleeve with the state of Ohio and a red ribbon, someone is bound The event is another chance to bring to ask, ‘What’s the story with that?’” awareness to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

And with that awareness comes And you can tell them that about 350 progress. people in Franklin County and 1,000 people statewide are infected with HIV “My vision for PZO is to see it really grow each year. even more than we have in the last year.

But right now, I think we are still buildProject: Zero Ohio also provides the ing and learning, which is the beauty of opportunity for the regular Joe or the process. We have an end goal, but Jane to contribute to the cause. Not we still have so much more to experience everyone can afford a $100 ticket to and challenges to reach before we get a fancy gala or dinner, but usually there,” West said. they can purchase a $15 candle, an $8 bar of soap or an $8 coffee sleeve Erin McCalla can be reached at emccalla@outand know they helped to make a dif- lookmedia.com. ference in someone’s life while walkregulations on grant money. That’s where PZO can step in, by helping with transportation and nutrition, among other services.

Need a cool gift to get someone this holiday season? Purchase Project Zero merch and get double do-gooder points.

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Mega good times are to be had at the Hollywood Casino. Bring in the new year by winning big!

dec 2012

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Just Like a Prayer Episcopals bless same-sex couples, welcome transgender priests

by Tom Muzyka I’m not a practicing Christian, although I’m sure I appear on the Census as such. I’ve not felt the effects of being a gay man wanting to actively participate in the Christian community. I’ve avoided the tensions so publicized between the LGBT communities and many Christian churches. I can’t claim to know how difficult that situation is, although I sympathize with LGBT Christians who don’t want to choose between faith and orientation.

But I was happy to hear that the Episcopal Church of America soon will be blessing same-sex unions. Here is a major church that welcomes our community and seeks to end the conflict that has been building around this issue. The decision came this past July at the church’s General Convention, where Episcopal leaders decide on matters of policy every three years.

What’s even more amazing is that Columbus, falling within the Diocese of Southern Ohio, already has been blessing gay and lesbian couples for two years.

The Right Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, bishop of this diocese, made the announcement far in advance of the rest of the church and was influential in the national decision coming to pass. He’s a highly respected member

22 dec 2012

of the house of bishops, having most recently come from Princeton University, and he also has worked in New York City and Oxford, England. The bishop has been a supporter of samesex unions for some time, having written several books on the subject, and it was in no small part through his efforts that the national Episcopal Church made its historic decision this past July.

As I mentioned, I’m not Christian, so I needed to clarify what a “blessing” for same sex couples means. Since this is a religious rather than legal matter, I wanted to make sure I understood the details. In the Episcopal Church, any couple seeking marriage or a union must attend at least six sessions with a priest prior to the blessing to ensure that they’re prepared for this big step. Think proactive couples counseling.

Once this is done, the ceremony, or liturgy, can commence. The liturgy asks God to smile upon the relationship, just as a marriage ceremony does, but it’s customized in language for same-sex couples. This amendment was requested by many people in the church, in order to have an officially recognized liturgy that emphasizes the commitment of same-sex couples.

So what does this mean for Columbus, specifically? We have a local

parish, St. James Episcopal Church in Clintonville, which has followed Bishop Breidenthal’s example and has blessed unions for more than a year. Eric Reasoner, senior warden of the church, recognizes that the blessing is “a huge step” and said there was “a lot less fallout than I thought there would be” when St. James made its decision.

Yes, there have been bumps along the way, but he said the change has been a welcome one overall. Already, the church has witnessed two liturgies from its congregants. There are about a dozen LGBT regular members of the church, which has about 65 to 70 members.

But the progressive environment isn’t a sudden change. The LGBT parishioners have been long-time members of the church because of its tolerance, rather than hopping on the bandwagon in light of new developments. Several members first came to St. James after leaving the Catholic church.

Of course, there will always be people who want to stay put - or move backward - rather than press forward.

Reasoner said St. James lost a few parishioners after it began blessing gay and lesbian couples. Nationally, four dioceses (including Pittsburgh) broke away from the Episcopal Church after an openly gay bishop

was ordained in 2003. The diocese in South Carolina wants to leave because of the decision to bless gay couples.

Ultimately, the decision on blessings rests with the priest of each church, and individual churches can still deny blessings if they choose. “But overall,” Reasoner said, “the nation as a whole has become more accepting,” which is a major factor in the Christian community’s policies.

In addition to officially sanctioning gay relationships, the Episcopal Church has taken even bigger steps forward, said Ross Murray, director of religion, faith and values for GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Church leaders also adopted a non-discrimination policy at their July convention that opens the door to ordination of transgender priests. Episcopals became the first mainline denomination to do so.

“To me, that’s even more significant,” Murray said. “The Episcopal Church is really far ahead in terms of LGBT inclusion.”

The exclusion that LGBT people have felt historically from religions and the denominations within them are fading away, Murray said. The evolution toward more inclusive beliefs and policies often takes place publicly.

Episcopals are apparently all “autumn” in their color palates.

“Peace begins with loving one another,” Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Episcopal Church of America’s presiding bishop, said in a sermon at the end of the convention that made a strong statement of inclusion.

It’s a message that’s starting to gain believers in the LGBT community, Murray said. “For a long time we’ve made people choose between being a Christian and being gay,” he said.

“That is a false dichotomy. People can retain their religious identity and still identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.”

That’s good news for LGBT Christians and those of us who aren’t religious.

If the Episcopal Church is an indication of the wider attitude toward the queer community, we are making progress socially and religiously, even though it sometimes doesn’t feel that way.

For every one Fred Phelps there are ten Christians willing to practice what they preach and love their neighbors. They may not be in the headlines as much as we’d like, but their presence is still felt and respected.

To learn more about St. James Episcopal Church, you can go to their website at www.stjamescolumbus.org. For more information on the Diocese of Southern Ohio, visit www.diosohio.org.

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You should hear the Wilder sisters do their rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Sisters,”

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18 YOU BETTER SPIFF UP THOSE SHOES AND SLICK DOWN THAT HAIR, BOY Swank, a 20s/30s/40s Cocktail Party @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856, www.skullys.org: What do ya say, bub? Bring your quiff quick and let’s get this joint jumping! 10p 21+

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 NEON SWEATSHIRT, CHECK. LASER POINTER, CHECK. RoeVy @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 800.745.3000, www.newportmusichall.com: If the mega beats of melodies that require no words move you, and you dig glow sticks, check out these local DJs! 8p; $16.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 Short North Holiday Hop @ Short North Arts District,614.299.8050, www.shortnorth.org: Celebrate with thousands of your closest friends by taking in the sights, sounds, food, shopping and cosmopolitan holiday fun. 4-10p; free.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN NICE THIS YEAR…AND FOR THE ONES WHO’VE ONLY BEEN A LITTLE NAUGHTY, TOO Kid Flix Mix @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 187 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Kids movies and fun for the whole family! 10a-5p; $3 for members; $4 for general public.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 AND WHO AMONG YE WILL PASS UP THIS FREE MEAL? Columbus Kwanzaa Celebration @ King Arts Complex, 867 Mt Vernon Ave, 614-645-5464, www.kingartscomplex.com: Come share in fellowship, friendship, and African-inspired dishes. 6p.

Free (over 2 nights).

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT Red Zone End of the World Bash @ RedZone Nightclub, 303 S Front St, 614.621.0416, redzonereunion.com: Head to Red Zone nightclub for a night of world ending debauchery! Featuring three rooms of DJs, performance art, music and more. The party to end all parties is happening at Red Zone. 9p.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 STILL LOVING ALL THAT JAZZ Columbus Jazz Orchestra’s SATURDAY, NO40 VEMBER Years of Jazz Arts Group 24SATfeaturing Doc Severinsen @ URDAY, Southern Theater, 1777 E NOVEMBER Broad St, 614.294.5200,24 Holiday Hoopla XXI www.jazzartsgroup.org: In this day@ andShadage, fortyowbox years of anything is a milestone – and Live, 503 S Front St,one worthy of old scotch, good cigars, and timeless Suite 260, 614.416.7625, music. Celebrate with two out of the three on www.shadowboxlive.org; Christmas Eve at the Southern Theater. 8p; $49.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 PROOF THAT SANTA’S GAY… AND FABULOUS Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus @ Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E Broad St, 614.715.8000, www.fpconservatory.org: He loves shiny, pretty toys, spends most of his time with small men, and he’s practically a bear with that belly and all that hair. You can’t tell me St. Nick isn’t at least on the down...and probably partying with these guys! 2p-3p; $6-$11.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 GET OUT YOUR LEG WARMERS AND CRIMP THAT HAIR! 80s Night Live! @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856, www.skullys.org: Come celebrate the best decade, like ever, like with ten bands, It’s going to be wicked hot! 9p; $5.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 DO YOU ALSO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY WEAR UNDER THOSE ROBES? Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus Presents: Joy To The World @ King Avenue United Methodist Church, 299 King Ave, 614.424.6050, www.cgmc.com: The boys are back to spread their message of hope, love and tolerance. 8p (shows at 2p & 8p on Dec 8); $20 in advance, $25 at door.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11 SING IT SISTER Carrie Underwood @ Schottenstein Center, 614.292.9908, 555 Borror Dr, www.schottensteincenter.com: Come see the American Idol superstar! Just remember: this is the girl who’d destroy your ride for alleged infidelity before even talking to you and who considers Jesus a suitable version of auto pilot. So whatever you do, keep her AWAY from your car! 7:30p; $46-$66.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 Y’ALL CAN GO; I’M TERRIFIED OF CLOWNS Cirque Du Soleil presents “Quidam” @ Nationwide Arena, corner of Nationwide and Neil, 614.246.2000, www.NationwideArena.com: Follow the exploits of a young girl as she escapes into a magical world. Runs through Dec. 9, 7:30p; Tickets start at $35

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 Village Lights @ Historic German Village, 614.221.8888: www.germanvillage.com: Experience the holiday charm of German Village. Stroll down the luminary-lined streets and paths of Schiller Park. Enjoy music, carriage rides and visits with Santa and his reindeer. 6-10p; free.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 COME ONE, COME ALL FOR YE OLDE FASHIONED PUB CRAWL Ohio Village Presents: The Pleasure of the Cup @ The Ohio History Center, 800 E 17th Avenue, 800.686.1541, www.ohiohistory.org: Ever wonder what got the folk of olden times drunk? Come find out, try it yourself! 7-930p; $35. 21+ only.

out & about

SUNDAY, DECEBER 30 ROCK OPERAS ARE JUST PLAIN COOL Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614246-2000, www.nationwidearena.com: The name of the opera is The Lost Christmas Eve. A powerful combination that promises intrigue, mystery and some really high notes. 3p, 8p; $39-$81.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 DON’T YOU WANNA DANCE? SAY YOU WANNA DANCE! Tango CATS December Milonga @ Camelot Cellars Winery, 958 N High St, 614.441.8860, www.camelotcellars.com: A sultry night of booze and tango. 6:30p9:30p; $8 general public (inlcudes one glass of wine); $5 OSU students w/ID (you gotta buy your own wine).

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 WHEN THE WHISKEY RUNS DRY, WE’LL BE… Flogging Molly @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave, 800.745.3000, www.promowestlive.com: Don’t think you like Irish folk-rock-polka-thrash-high octane-bar brawlstudio quality music? You might just be in for a beating. 7p; $54-$70.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 NOT YOUR EVERYDAY CHAMBER MUSIC ProMusica Chamber Orchestra: New Year’s Eve Concert @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614-464-0066, www.promusicacolumbus.org: High Street Stompers and the Groove Barbers join the Columbus Orchestra to help bring in the new year in ragtime style.

Dress to impress as you join in the pre-nosh festivities at The Westin before swinging into 2013. 8:30p; $32-$62.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 OH SANTA, HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING OUT? First Annual Santa Speedo Dash for Diabetes @ Park Street Cantina, 491 Park St, 614.245.5115, www.santaspeedodash.org: Benefitting the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, (you can do the 5K or just 1 mile) and they throw in free schwag and booze!

1130a; $35.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 THE REALLY COOL BAND, WITHOUT THE REALLY TERRIFYING NEIGHBORHOOD Over the Rhine @ The Lincoln Theater, 769 E Long St, 614.384.5640, www.lincolntheatercolumbus.com: Come hear the sound of Cincinnati-a dynamic duo with Midwestern flair. Just remember; NEVER make the mistake of going to the neighborhood from which they got their name. You will get shot. And you will die. No exceptions. 8p; $28.50.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 WHO’S UP FOR A KINKY (AND DANGEROUS) THREE-WAY? Double Feature: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Cobra Woman @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 187 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org. The tale of a shrinking man & the saga of powerful, dueling princesses who sacrifice young boys to volcano gods. 7p-10p. $8 general public; $6 members, students and seniors.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 IT’S LIKE BEING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, EXCEPT EVERYONE KEEPS THEIR PANTS ON Holiday Festive Dinner @ Camelot Cellars Winery, 958 N High St, 614.441.8860, HolidayFestiveDinner.eventbrite.com. A complete (vegetarian) holiday meal, from cheese to apple tart. All the ingredients are locally sourced and artfully prepared. 7-9p; $45-$85.

RSVP req.

DECEMBER 1 to 31 Holiday tours on Capitol Square: A guided tour of the 1861 Statehouse, where the halls will be decked in Victorian-era style. Tours meet in the Map Room near the 3rd St entrance and begin weekdays at 10a, 11a, 1p, 2p and 3p, and weekends at noon, 1p, 2p and 3p.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 Holiday Choir Performances @ Ohio Statehouse Crypt, 1 Capitol Sq, 614.752.9777, www.ohiostatehouse.org: Ohio choirs sing the songs of the season each weekday through Dec. 20 in the Crypt of the Statehouse. 12-1p daily; free.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 Baked at the Palace Theater The Cake Boss “Homemade for the Holidays Tour” @ The Palace Theater, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com.

Welcome Buddy Valastro to Columbus as he demonstrates why he is the best cake master in town! 7:30p, $35.75-$45.75

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 What’s That Smell, Hon? Smells Like Burning Grass…

Ray LaMontagne @ Palace Theater, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com.

If you like folksy rock blues, dudes with beards, and insane, all-out, rock-on harmonica solos, this is the show for you. 7:30p; $59.55.

NOVEMBER 30 and DECEMBER 1 Columbus Commons Holiday Fair @ The Columbus Commons, 160 S High, 614.416.7100, www.columbuscommons.org: Downtown park will be transformed into a wonderland complete with Santa, marshmallow roasting and fireworks. 4p-9p.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 HO HO HO Santa Con 2012

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18 YOU BETTER SPIFF UP THOSE SHOES AND SLICK DOWN THAT HAIR, BOY Swank, a 20s/30s/40s Cocktail Party @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856, www.skullys.org: What do ya say, bub? Bring your quiff quick and let’s get this joint jumping! 10p 21+

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 NEON SWEATSHIRT, CHECK. LASER POINTER, CHECK. RoeVy @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 800.745.3000, www.newportmusichall.com: If the mega beats of melodies that require no words move you, and you dig glow sticks, check out these local DJs! 8p; $16.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 Short North Holiday Hop @ Short North Arts District,614.299.8050, www.shortnorth.org: Celebrate with thousands of your closest friends by taking in the sights, sounds, food, shopping and cosmopolitan holiday fun. 4-10p; free.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN NICE THIS YEAR…AND FOR THE ONES WHO’VE ONLY BEEN A LITTLE NAUGHTY, TOO Kid Flix Mix @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 187 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Kids movies and fun for the whole family! 10a-5p; $3 for members; $4 for general public.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 AND WHO AMONG YE WILL PASS UP THIS FREE MEAL? Columbus Kwanzaa Celebration @ King Arts Complex, 867 Mt Vernon Ave, 614-645-5464, www.kingartscomplex.com: Come share in fellowship, friendship, and African-inspired dishes. 6p.

Free (over 2 nights).

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT Red Zone End of the World Bash @ RedZone Nightclub, 303 S Front St, 614.621.0416, redzonereunion.com: Head to Red Zone nightclub for a night of world ending debauchery! Featuring three rooms of DJs, performance art, music and more. The party to end all parties is happening at Red Zone. 9p.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 STILL LOVING ALL THAT JAZZ Columbus Jazz Orchestra’s SATURDAY, NO40 VEMBER Years of Jazz Arts Group 24SATfeaturing Doc Severinsen @ URDAY, Southern Theater, 1777 E NOVEMBER Broad St, 614.294.5200,24 Holiday Hoopla XXI www.jazzartsgroup.org: In this day@ andShadage, fortyowbox years of anything is a milestone – and Live, 503 S Front St,one worthy of old scotch, good cigars, and timeless Suite 260, 614.416.7625, music. Celebrate with two out of the three on www.shadowboxlive.org; Christmas Eve at the Southern Theater. 8p; $49.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 PROOF THAT SANTA’S GAY… AND FABULOUS Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus @ Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E Broad St, 614.715.8000, www.fpconservatory.org: He loves shiny, pretty toys, spends most of his time with small men, and he’s practically a bear with that belly and all that hair. You can’t tell me St. Nick isn’t at least on the down...and probably partying with these guys! 2p-3p; $6-$11.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 GET OUT YOUR LEG WARMERS AND CRIMP THAT HAIR! 80s Night Live! @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856, www.skullys.org: Come celebrate the best decade, like ever, like with ten bands, It’s going to be wicked hot! 9p; $5.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 DO YOU ALSO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY WEAR UNDER THOSE ROBES? Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus Presents: Joy To The World @ King Avenue United Methodist Church, 299 King Ave, 614.424.6050, www.cgmc.com: The boys are back to spread their message of hope, love and tolerance. 8p (shows at 2p & 8p on Dec 8); $20 in advance, $25 at door.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11 SING IT SISTER Carrie Underwood @ Schottenstein Center, 614.292.9908, 555 Borror Dr, www.schottensteincenter.com: Come see the American Idol superstar! Just remember: this is the girl who’d destroy your ride for alleged infidelity before even talking to you and who considers Jesus a suitable version of auto pilot. So whatever you do, keep her AWAY from your car! 7:30p; $46-$66.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 Y’ALL CAN GO; I’M TERRIFIED OF CLOWNS Cirque Du Soleil presents “Quidam” @ Nationwide Arena, corner of Nationwide and Neil, 614.246.2000, www.NationwideArena.com: Follow the exploits of a young girl as she escapes into a magical world. Runs through Dec. 9, 7:30p; Tickets start at $35

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 Village Lights @ Historic German Village, 614.221.8888: www.germanvillage.com: Experience the holiday charm of German Village. Stroll down the luminary-lined streets and paths of Schiller Park. Enjoy music, carriage rides and visits with Santa and his reindeer. 6-10p; free.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 COME ONE, COME ALL FOR YE OLDE FASHIONED PUB CRAWL Ohio Village Presents: The Pleasure of the Cup @ The Ohio History Center, 800 E 17th Avenue, 800.686.1541, www.ohiohistory.org: Ever wonder what got the folk of olden times drunk? Come find out, try it yourself! 7-930p; $35. 21+ only.

out & about

SUNDAY, DECEBER 30 ROCK OPERAS ARE JUST PLAIN COOL Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614246-2000, www.nationwidearena.com: The name of the opera is The Lost Christmas Eve. A powerful combination that promises intrigue, mystery and some really high notes. 3p, 8p; $39-$81.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 DON’T YOU WANNA DANCE? SAY YOU WANNA DANCE! Tango CATS December Milonga @ Camelot Cellars Winery, 958 N High St, 614.441.8860, www.camelotcellars.com: A sultry night of booze and tango. 6:30p9:30p; $8 general public (inlcudes one glass of wine); $5 OSU students w/ID (you gotta buy your own wine).

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 WHEN THE WHISKEY RUNS DRY, WE’LL BE… Flogging Molly @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave, 800.745.3000, www.promowestlive.com: Don’t think you like Irish folk-rock-polka-thrash-high octane-bar brawlstudio quality music? You might just be in for a beating. 7p; $54-$70.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 NOT YOUR EVERYDAY CHAMBER MUSIC ProMusica Chamber Orchestra: New Year’s Eve Concert @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614-464-0066, www.promusicacolumbus.org: High Street Stompers and the Groove Barbers join the Columbus Orchestra to help bring in the new year in ragtime style.

Dress to impress as you join in the pre-nosh festivities at The Westin before swinging into 2013. 8:30p; $32-$62.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 OH SANTA, HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING OUT? First Annual Santa Speedo Dash for Diabetes @ Park Street Cantina, 491 Park St, 614.245.5115, www.santaspeedodash.org: Benefitting the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, (you can do the 5K or just 1 mile) and they throw in free schwag and booze!

1130a; $35.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 THE REALLY COOL BAND, WITHOUT THE REALLY TERRIFYING NEIGHBORHOOD Over the Rhine @ The Lincoln Theater, 769 E Long St, 614.384.5640, www.lincolntheatercolumbus.com: Come hear the sound of Cincinnati-a dynamic duo with Midwestern flair. Just remember; NEVER make the mistake of going to the neighborhood from which they got their name. You will get shot. And you will die. No exceptions. 8p; $28.50.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 WHO’S UP FOR A KINKY (AND DANGEROUS) THREE-WAY? Double Feature: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Cobra Woman @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 187 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org. The tale of a shrinking man & the saga of powerful, dueling princesses who sacrifice young boys to volcano gods. 7p-10p. $8 general public; $6 members, students and seniors.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 IT’S LIKE BEING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, EXCEPT EVERYONE KEEPS THEIR PANTS ON Holiday Festive Dinner @ Camelot Cellars Winery, 958 N High St, 614.441.8860, HolidayFestiveDinner.eventbrite.com. A complete (vegetarian) holiday meal, from cheese to apple tart. All the ingredients are locally sourced and artfully prepared. 7-9p; $45-$85.

RSVP req.

DECEMBER 1 to 31 Holiday tours on Capitol Square: A guided tour of the 1861 Statehouse, where the halls will be decked in Victorian-era style. Tours meet in the Map Room near the 3rd St entrance and begin weekdays at 10a, 11a, 1p, 2p and 3p, and weekends at noon, 1p, 2p and 3p.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 Holiday Choir Performances @ Ohio Statehouse Crypt, 1 Capitol Sq, 614.752.9777, www.ohiostatehouse.org: Ohio choirs sing the songs of the season each weekday through Dec. 20 in the Crypt of the Statehouse. 12-1p daily; free.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 Baked at the Palace Theater The Cake Boss “Homemade for the Holidays Tour” @ The Palace Theater, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com.

Welcome Buddy Valastro to Columbus as he demonstrates why he is the best cake master in town! 7:30p, $35.75-$45.75

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 What’s That Smell, Hon? Smells Like Burning Grass…

Ray LaMontagne @ Palace Theater, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com.

If you like folksy rock blues, dudes with beards, and insane, all-out, rock-on harmonica solos, this is the show for you. 7:30p; $59.55.

NOVEMBER 30 and DECEMBER 1 Columbus Commons Holiday Fair @ The Columbus Commons, 160 S High, 614.416.7100, www.columbuscommons.org: Downtown park will be transformed into a wonderland complete with Santa, marshmallow roasting and fireworks. 4p-9p.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 HO HO HO Santa Con 2012

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The Gay Year in Review: 10 Hot Topics That Had Us Talking in 2012

by Mikey Rox This year the LGBT community laughed together, cried together and celebrated together as news broke on issues important to us all. To refresh your memory on the year that almost was, here are our picks for the top stories that had us talking in 2012.

1. ATLANTIS CRUISE COUPLE CAUGHT IN THE ACT ON DOCKSIDE BALCONY After a cruise ship operated by Atlantis Events ported on the Caribbean island of Dominica, hot-blooded lovers John Robert Hart, 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer, 53, of Palm Springs, stepped out onto their Sky Suite balcony to take in the view – and each other.

The amorous vacationers were quickly spotted by local bystanders, prompting military police to board the ship and arrest the diddling duo on charges of “buggery,” the local equivalent of sodomy. Hart and Mayer vehemently denied having intercourse on the balcony and subsequently protested the “inhumane” treatment to which they were subjected while in custody. After the charges were dropped and they returned home, however, the couple finally admitted to doing the vertical mambo out in the open, but not without throwing shade at Atlantis Events for taking them to a country where public poking between consenting gay men is outlawed. Since, ya know, it’s legal nowhere else either.

26 dec 2012

2. JOHN TRAVOLTA GETS DOWN AND DIRTY WITH MULTIPLE MASSEURS (ALLEGEDLY) Three weeks after a tell-all book detailing John Travolta’s penchant for naked time on massage tables, two masseurs whose identities were kept secret came forward claiming that the veteran actor touched them inappropriately. Johnny boy was almost out the woods when the anonymous litigators both dropped their suits less than a month later, but then two more lawsuits surfaced: The first was filed by cruise-ship employee Fabian Zanzi, who claimed that the Grease star made unwanted sexual advances toward him; the second was from Robert Randolph, author of the aforementioned tell-all who said Travolta and his lawyer, Marty Singer, spread vicious rumors about the state of his mental health. Randolph’s suit was dismissed in court, but Zanzi’s suit still stands despite being called “ludicrous” and “inane” by Singer. It remains to be seen who’ll come out on top in this Face/Off.

3. PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCES THAT HE SUPPORTS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE When President Obama took office for his first term, he was opposed to same-sex marriage because, in his words, he was sensitive to the traditions that the word “marriage” represented to certain people and because he thought “civil unions would be suffi-

cient.” But in May, a day after North Carolinians approved a state amendment that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the now-two-term prez did an about-face and officially affirmed his support for same-sex marriage in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts.

President Obama, who has “always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally,” called his thought process on the issue an “evolution,” a statement that gave renewed hope to the marriage-minded LGBT community. All hail the chief.

4. ‘NON-COMING-OUTS’ INCREASINGLY BECOMING THE NORM Celebrity coming-outs have always made news, but this year their declarations were more likely to be buried within an article or treated as an aside. White Collar star and all-around über-cutie Matt Bomer acknowledged his sexual orientation during an acceptance speech for a humanitarian award when he thanked his family, which includes his partner, publicist Simon Halls, and their children, Kit, Walker and Henry. Actor Jim Parsons, star of the top-rated The Big Bang Theory, quietly came out in a profile in the New York Times. And the Silver Fox himself, Anderson Cooper, put years of gay rumors to rest in an e-mail to blogger Andrew Sullivan, who published Coop’s statement in his Daily Beast column, The Dish. Coincidentally, the catalyst for Cooper’s matter-of-fact coming

This year’s lesson: Do not shag in public, especially in a third-world country.

out was a story in a June issue of Entertainment Weekly titled, “The New Art of Coming Out in Hollywood,” all about how today’s stars are more frequently letting the wellgroomed exotic cat out of the fabulous leather man-bag by treating with whom they share their lives and their beds as a nonissue. Just as it should be.

5. CHICK-FIL-A COO IGNITES FIRESTORM WITH CONTROVERSIAL ANTI-EQUALITY COMMENTS Corporate bigwigs rarely make polarizing statements in the press for fear of biting the proverbial hand that feeds their business, but Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy took off a few fingers when he told the Baptist Press back in July that his family-owned fast-food chain was “guilty as charged” in its unwavering support of the “biblical definition of the family unit.” In response to the Cluck You Heard ’round the world, the LGBT community and its allies – including celebrities Ed Helms, Andy Richter and The Muppets – called for a boycott of the restaurant while supporters (like the Palin family and Mike Huckabee) rallied to celebrate an impromptu Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Despite the franchise’s dip in public approval, however, it seems the deep-fried dissidence wasn’t enough to cause permanent damage to Chick-fil-A’s rancid reputation: It came out on top of Market Force’s recent survey of America’s favorite chicken chains, and the 45th Chick-fil-A Bowl, to take place on New

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Year’s Eve, was nearly sold out for the 16th year in a row as of press time.

6. COLLECTIVE GAY HEARTS SKIP A BEAT WITH THE RELEASE OF NUDE PICS OF PRINCE HARRY Despite what the adage promises, what happens in Vegas never stays in Vegas, and scarlet-haired hottie Prince Harry learned that the hard way when, after a night of Sin City-style partying, scandalous photos of the undressed British blue blood leaked and spread like wildfire across the Interwebs – thanks to perennial celeb whistleblower TMZ. The images – snapped by a cell phone from within a private suite at Wynn Las Vegas – feature the ginger Royal Army lieutenant cupping his junk in one photo and baring all in the back while pressed against an equally naked lady in another. Gay tails everywhere wagged for the salacious snapshots that sent the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana into hiding for days, presumably while Queen Liz gave her grandson, who’s third in line for the throne, a tongue lashing for the ages... while you fantasized about giving him one of your own.

7. STRAIGHT SPORTS STARS STAND UP FOR EQUALITY There are still no out-and-proud active athletes in any of the four major sports (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL), but this year some of the (assumed) straight players helped pick up

outlookcolumbus.com

the slack by speaking out in favor of marriage equality. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who has promoted LGBT equality for several years, stood firm on his stance despite a nasty letter to Ravens owner Steven Biscotti from Maryland legislator Emmett C. Burns Jr. calling on Biscotti to silence the player regarding his public advocacy of gay marriage, a request that Biscotti refused. In the midst of the uproar, Ayanbadejo and the LGBT community gained another ally in Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who shot back at Burns for his insensitive rhetoric then solidified his commitment to equality and human rights by posing sweaty and shirtless in the November issue of OUT magazine. Even though professional sports still isn’t exactly an arena of acceptance, progress is being made – and that’s something we can all cheer for.

8. MORE LGBT CHARACTERS REPRESENTED ON TV THAN EVER BEFORE After last year’s drop in LGBT characters on the big five networks – ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and The CW – GLAAD’s annual “Where We Are on TV” report found that there are more of us represented on television than ever before.

Out of 97 scripted shows and 701 total regular characters, 31 identify as LGBT, as do an additional 19 recurring characters. Cable’s scripted shows upped their antes as well, raising their number from 29 LGBT charac-

ters last season to 35 this year. As individual networks go, ABC has the most LGBT regulars – 10 in total – with CBS coming in last place with only four. That number was recently cut in half, however, by the abruptbut-warranted canceling of freshman series Partners, starring Michael Urie and Brandon Routh as a committed gay couple. Sad, but maybe the Eye Network will repent and make Two and a Half Men’s Walden Schmidt the hot gay nerd we all wish his alter ego, Ashton Kutcher, was in real life. Time for a letterwriting campaign.

9. FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. SENATOR ELECTED At least 118 gay and lesbian candidates won local and state races during the 2012 election cycle, but perhaps the most notable is Tammy Baldwin: The seven-term Democratic congresswoman became the first openly gay politician and first Wisconsin woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Baldwin beat out former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson for the position, making her one of six openly gay (along with the first openly bisexual) members of the new Congress that convenes in January. Speaking about Baldwin’s historymaking win, political commentator Sally Kohn said, “This is a big day for gay women in America, and really, for all communities who aren’t the typical, straight, white, wealthy men elected to Congress.” Hear, hear! Many congrats to you, Senator Bald-

Lesbians rule! She’s here, she’s queer and now she’s a senator!

win.

10. MARRIAGE LEGALIZED IN MAINE, MARYLAND, AND WASHINGTON As a result of the recent election, Maine, Maryland and Washington bring the total number of states that legally recognize same-sex marriage to nine (plus Washington, D.C.), but these latest three additions have the tide-turning distinction of being the first to gain such status by popular vote.

This historic showing of support for equal rights is a promising sign of changing times, for sure, but our fight is still uphill; 36 states have banned same-sex marriage, either by statute or constitutional amendment.

Until the next battle at the ballots, however, let’s celebrate and rejoice with our friends who’ll get hitched soon: Washington may begin certifying same-sex marriages as early as Dec. 9, followed by Maryland on Jan. 1, and Maine on Jan. 5.

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist whose works has been published by The Advocate, Out.com, CNN.com, Instinct magazine, and The Huffington Post, among many others. Follow his commentary on all things LGBT and pop culture on Twitter @mikeyrox.

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Mikey Rox’s

Ultimate Guide to Gay Gift Giving

by Mikey Rox

sockfit with an innovative adjustable X-strap system, elastic heel strap, reWhat do you get a gay who has every- flective details and stitch-down conthing? Take your pick from these ideas, struction with an Ortholite sockliner. perfect for LGBT homebodies, adven- Skoras are super lightweight – you turers, activists and more. won’t even know you have them on – to encourage natural movement and perSony Action Cam formance. On the road, that is. You’ll Anyone who’s ever ruined a smarthave to find another way to step up phone trying to document their extreme your game in the boudoir. ($110-$185; adventures will covet the Sony Action skorarunning.com) Cam, a tiny, lightweight video camera to capture all those freefalls, high GrubKit climbs and daring underwater dives.

Veteran chefs and kitchen newbies The Action Cam features Sony’s signa- alike will enjoy GrubKit, gourmet food ture SteadyShot image-stabilization kits that contain the precise amount of technology, Exmor R CMOS image sen- premeasured ingredients and an acsor and an ultra-wide angle Carl Zeiss companying recipe to create not-soTessar lens. The AS15 model (about common culinary delights any night of $70 more than the base AS10 model) the week. Most of the current kits have even offers Wi-Fi connectivity so you an Asian flair (Mongolian Beef and can upload and share your videos on Cashew Chicken, for instance) and the Web – right after you catch your you’ll need to provide a few fresh items breath. ($199; store.sony.com) (eggs don’t fare so well in the mail, it seems). There are also sweet kits for Keelan Rouge your friends who like to save room for Treat your beau to handcrafted acces- dessert. They include a healthy banana sories from Keelan Rouge – the epony- muffin kit and a holiday cookie box mous label of an up-and-coming with recipes for confections from 26-year-old gay designer from Chicago around the world. ($19-$29; – which features upcycled men’s and grubkit.com) women’s wallets, cardholders and flasks decked out with whimsical fab- Snuza Trio rics from vintage neckties, scarves, As more and more of our LGBT friends skirts and other dapper designs. ($26- bring babies home, we’re left scram$58; keelanrogue.com) bling to find the perfect present for the adorable new parents. Bear in mind Skora Running Shoes that the practical route is always the Stay stylish while you sweat out your way to go in these situations – they do frustrations with Skora, the ultimate not need another fruit basket – which multipurpose running shoe. Two styles makes the Snuza Trio mobile baby are available – FORM and BASE – with monitor system the ideal gift for gay the latter featuring a stretch-mesh moms and dads. Snuza Trio includes

the cordless Snuza Hero Mobile Baby Movement Monitor that clips directly to baby’s diaper and activates an alarm if anything goes awry in the middle of the night; a night-vision camera that can be aimed into the crib and a builtin microphone to record sounds; and a lightweight, portable audio-video monitor with a 2.4-inch LCD screen that functions to a range of 450 feet from the camera and crib. The system also includes three lullaby tunes to help everyone in the family catch a few Zs before the 3a screaming begins… again. ($299; snuza.info)

ter their put-together look with effortless maneuverability in and out of the shower. This gift-ready set includes the Power Trimmer fitted with Fusion ProGlide Power Blades, charging base, Microcomb, and a Precision Edging Blade. It’s perfectly safe for staying svelte below the belt, too. ($19.99; www.gillette.com)

pictures during dessert. ($24.99; familyandpartygames.com)

Brookstone HDMI Pocket Project Turn any blank wall into an impromptu movie screening with the HDMI Pocket Projector from Brookstone. With more than two hours of battery life and builtin audio, mobile cinephiles can transform their Apple, Android and Windows PlayStation Vita smartphones and tablets into a crisp, Avid gamers never have to stop playing high-definition viewing experience that their favorite titles thanks to the cross- rivals that of your local multiplex. This platform Wi-Fi/3G connectivity of micro Pocket Projector includes a threePlayStation Vita, the latest handheld foot HDMI cable, a Micro HDMI adapter innovation from Sony. What you start and a Mini HDMI adapter, and projects Moscot Eyewear playing on your home-based PS3 con- an image with a 16:9 aspect ratio – You’ll need a pair of stylish shades to sole you can resume on Vita while which will make that annual viewing of shield your eyes from snow blindness you’re out and about with this palmNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when you hit the slopes this winter, sized device that fits perfectly in a bigger and better than ever before. and Moscot is where it’s at. Based on jacket pocket or backpack. Vita sup($299; brookstone.com) designs from the manufacturer’s ports a wide variety of games, includarchives, the Originals Collection fea- ing Madden and Uncharted: Golden Mango Passport tures a variety of vintage-inspired Abyss, and games available on both For those on your list planning a big frames constructed of real glass PS3 and Vita only need to purchased trip abroad or who simply want to exlenses and traditional hardware, and once to be played on both devices. Vita pand their horizons at home, Mango they come in an array of colors that also offers GPS, video and music play- Passport makes it easy to learn a forhark back to decades past. The avia- back, and is compatible with apps eign language on multiple platforms, tor-style Sechel, available in Straw from Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter including a computer, MP3 player and with G-15 lenses, are fashion forward and more. ($240-$299; us.playstasmartphone. Available in 16 languages yet functional to protect your pupils tion.com/psvita) and 12 ESLs, each Mango lesson incorfrom the harmful UV rays above and porates interactive tools and rich imbelow. ($225-$255; moscot.com) Awkward Family Photos agery that eliminates boredom and Based on the cringe-worthy-but-tokeeps users engaged. Building a solid Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler tally-relatable website of the same foundation on more than monotonous Transform your moisturized mug into a name, the Awkward Family Photos vocabulary memorization, Mango well-groomed work of art with the board game combines classic and Passport – which includes three ‘JourGillette Fusion ProGilde Styler, a three- never-before-seen photos with probing, neys’ for each language – teaches in-one tool designed for men with a make-you-squirm questions for a practical speaking skills and cultural penchant for stylish facial hair. game night full of laughter and creinsights while gradually instilling the Whether you prefer a thin chinstrap, ative discussion. Definitely a better al- confidence to start great conversabushy muttons or a simple goatee, the ternative than mom passing around tions. Like with the pool boy. ($176; ProGlide Styler helps scruffy men mas- those embarrassing, bare-ass baby mangolanguages.com)

Sony Action Cam

Keelan Rouge

Skora Running Shoes

GrubKit

Snuza Trio

Moscot Eyewear

Gillette Fusion Proglide

Playstation Vita

Awkward Family Photos

Brookstone Projector

Mango Passport

Cuisinart Smart Stick

Pain D’Avignon Bread Club

Zero Condoms, Whiskey Lube

28 dec 2012

Any of these gifts would be perfect for the staff at outlook... hint, hint...

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Cuisinart Smart Stick Preserve precious countertop real estate with the Cuisinart Smart Stick, the versatile hand blender that goes from pot to pitcher, bowl to beaker with ease. A powerful 200-watt motor spins into action with a simple one-touch control so home cooks can blend drinks, emulsify dressings, puree soups and froth up festive hot chocolate without dirtying up many-piece bigger blenders that require more work than they’re worth. ($40; buydig.com) Pain D’Avignon Bread of the Month Club Carb lovers will jump for joy every few weeks with Pain D’Avignon’s Bread of the Month Club, which includes monthly deliveries of seasonally thoughtful baked goods and accompaniments, like white French boules and garlic-herb croutons in January and hot dog buns and house-made potato chips in July. Three- to 12-month subscriptions from the celebrated Massachusetts-based bakery are available. ($150-$500; paindavignon.com/botm)

HOLIDAY SPIRITS

flipflop Rum

Boozy Brunch Book

Tequila Partida

Whiskey Dick Lube EpicMealTime is pleased to announce the launch of Whiskey Dick, the world’s first bourbon-flavored personal lubricant. You’re welcome. This tasty, water-based, hand-crafted lube is proudly Made in America. Whiskey Dick is the gold standard of booze-flavored massage oils as it’s aged 4 years in white oak casks and guarantees a velvetysmooth finish. Whiskey Dick’s distinct Tennessee taste won it a Triple Gold Medal Award at the 10th Annual Great American Sex & Drinking Festival in Bean Station, TN (they also placed in the BBQ competition). So remember, the next time you get Jacked, Whiskey Dick will be there to help you rise to the occasion. ($11.99; www.whiskeydicklube.com)

Absolut Tune

Patron XO Café Dark Cocoa

Rabbit Wine Chilling Carafe

Vinamor

Mumm Napa ‘07 Blanc de Blanc

Effen Vodka

Lifestyles Zero Ultra Thin Condoms Want to get closer to the one you love? Now ya can with LifeStyles® Condoms ZERO® and ZERO® Larger. ZERO is the thinnest latex condom now offered in America, 45% thinner than LifeStyles’s standard latex design, and ZERO Larger is now the thinnest large condom in the market in the U.S. Designed to give consumers the increased sensitivity they desire most, this new rubber is a gift wrap even your willy will enjoy. ($13.99$16.99/10-count package; ansell.com) Pain D’Avignon Bread of the Month Club Carb lovers will jump for joy every few weeks with Pain D’Avignon’s Bread of the Month Club, which includes monthly deliveries of seasonally thoughtful baked goods and accompaniments, like white French boules and garlic-herb croutons in January and hot dog buns and house-made potato chips in July. Three- to 12-month subscriptions from the celebrated Massachusetts-based bakery are available. ($150-$500; paindavignon.com/botm)

Pisco Portón

Bytox

bottle purchased to Soles4Souls, a charitable organization that provides shoes to barefoot, orphaned children around the world. ($14; flipfloprum.com) Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking Invite the oohs and aahs of your overnight guests as you test your culinary skills with more than one hundred drink recipes and 25 food pairings in Peter Joseph’s Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking. This picture-heavy entertaining guide features a slew of mouthwatering brunch-inspired alternatives and jazzy variations to champagne-based, coffee-based, or fruit or vegetable juice-based cocktails. ($16.95; rowman.com)

HOLIDAY SPIRITS flipflop Rum Give yourself a temporary reprieve from the winter weather with flipflop, a quadruple-distilled Caribbean rum made from high-quality sugar cane. To sweeten the season even more, flipflop will donate a portion of the proceeds from each

outlookcolumbus.com

Tequila Partida Make your rendition of “Feliz Navidad” more authentic with Tequila Partida, the 100 percent blue agave spirit better for sipping than shots. Available in four marques – Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and Elegante – Partida’s hand-harvested, clean taste is recognized the world over. ($50-$350;

Middle West Spirits

partidatequila.com) Absolut Tune Add a splash of panache to your holiday breakfast with Absolut Tune, Absolut Vodka’s newest fusion of sparkling white wine and premium vodka.

Wrapped in festive packaging and corked for added sophistication, Absolut Tune works just as well washing down pumpkin French toast as it does as a host/hostess gift with a kick. ($31.99; absolut.com) Rabbit Wine Chilling Carafe Big, bulky chillers are no match for the ingenious and space-friendly Rabbit Wine Chilling Carafe, an aesthetically pleasing glass bottle that holds an entire regular-size bottle of vino kept cold by a chemical-free stainless-steel ice chamber. ($49.95; kitchencouture.com) Mumm Napa 2007 Blanc de Blanc This sparkling wine made of 90 percent Chardonnay grapes and a touch of Pinot Gris hails from Napa Valley, which since the 1960s has rivaled the viticulture regions of France, Italy, Portugal

and Spain. Thanks in part to its complexity, the Mumm Napa 2077 Blanc de Blanc recently receive a 91-point rating from Wine Spectator. ($38; mummnapa.com) Patron XO Café Dark Cocoa Trade your Irish coffee in for a Mexican version with Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa, a combination of Patrón Silver tequila and light essences of freshroasted java and premium chocolate. Decidedly dry, not sweet like many other coffee liqueurs, Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa is distilled at 60 proof, which you’ll appreciate when the in-laws blow in with the blizzard. ($24.99; patrongift.com) Vinamor Fans of ABC’s hit show Shark Tank may recognize the Vinamor, a unique glass wine aerator that brings out the best of your bottle in an instant. In addition to softening tannins and allowing flavors to flourish, Vinamor also assists in measuring the perfect wine pour, helping to deter overpouring or underpouring for all you lushes out there. The Vinamor can also conveniently move from one wine glass to another, aerating several glasses of wine per table. Need another incentive to buy a Vinamor? Inventor Gary DeJohn has pledged to donate $7 from the sale of each device sold to The Trevor Project when you use code LGBT at checkout. ($39.95; vinamor.com) Effen Vodka What’s in a name? For super-premium vodka Effen, which means smooth, even and balanced in Dutch, it’s the commitment to a clean, crisp taste delivered in a smartly designed package.

Available in regular, cucumber, and black cherry flavors, this 100 percent premium wheat, 80proof vodka is a surefire way to get your party guests rockin’ around the Christmas tree. ($29.99; effenvodka.com) Pisco Portón It takes 18 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of Pisco Portón, the quintessential South American spirit that contains notes of cinnamon, orange blossom and citrus. Sourced from vineyards irrigated by glacial river from the Andes Mountains, Pisco is at its best when served neat and paired with a piece of dark chocolate. ($40; www.piscoporton.com) Bytox Get into the holiday spirits without suffering a splitting headache this New Year’s Eve. Bytox – specially formulated for hangover prevention – is a 100 percent all-natural adhesive patch that pumps the vitamins and nutrients you lose from drinking back into your body. Ideally, the patch should be applied at least 45 minutes before alcohol consumption begins and removed no less than eight hours after last call. Although there’s still no cure for whiskey dick, this is a decent compromise. ($14.99/5-pack; bytox.com) Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and blogger who lives in New York City with his husband and their two dogs. Follow him on Twitter @mikeyrox.

Does anyone remember the outlook Christmas party last year? Neither do we...Thank God for pictures.

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Columbus New Year’s Eve Round Up

by Alisa Caton

The Renaissance Hotel’s NYE Gala This beginning-of-the-year party is by niteMAGIC and promises to be an event to remember. They suggest you dress to impress - and buy your tickets early. Only 1,200 are going to be sold.

VIP open-bar tickets include open bar for beer, wine and mixed drinks, hors d’oeurves from 8:3010p, access to a VIP section and VIP bars, and a ticket for a tour of the Watershed Distillery. $129$149 This offer is also available for a table of 10 at $1,299. (50 N Third St, Downtown) www.newyearsevepartycolumbus.c om

Hyatt Regency’s NYE on High The hotel is offering a top-notch package for two, making this quite the romantic event for any couple looking for a way to ring in the new year. The package includes a hotel room for two, admission to the party, beverages and hors d’oeuvres, buffet breakfast on New Year’s Day, and a late checkout of 2p on New Year’s Day. The lineup of musical acts includes 13 DJs and bands.

Overnight packages range from $399 to $549. Admission to the party alone is $129. (350 N High St, Arena District) columbusregency.hyatt.com (click on New Year’s VIP Package)

Women-Only Party by 3 Hits Entertainment There will be dinner, drinks, and girls on girls. Hosted at the Double Tree-Hilton Worthington Columbus, this all-girl party will have a formal dinner, open bar and dancing all night. Packages start at $146 per person and include an overnight stay at the hotel. Doors open at 6:30p (175 Hutchinson Ave, Worthington) www.3hitsentertainment.com

30 dec 2012

New Year’s at Shadowbox The gang at Shadowbox is throwing its own bash, and with them it’s always all about the entertainment.

There will be a banquet dinner and hours of music from the house band BillWho? A champagne toast is planned for midnight. $30 for admission, $20 for student and seniors. (503 S Front St, Brewery District) www.shadowboxlive.org

WallStreet Night Club DJ Michelle Chaney will be spinning all night and Times Square will be shown on the big screens around the club. There will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and party favors will be given out. The club also will feature a second-level champagne lounge with burlesque performers Viva Burles and The Velvet Hearts. $10 admission and $5 for the champagne lounge, with in-andout privileges all night. Doors open at 9p. (144 N Wall St, Downtown) www.wallstreetnightclub.com

Skully’s Dance Party This all-night dance party will feature music from the ’80s, ’90s and today, so there will be music to cater to your favorite dance move.

(1151 N High St, Short North) skullys.org/calendar.html

Level The menu will include the chef’s special creations for the evening, and there will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.

There will also be a DJ spinning into the new year. It’s recommended to make reservations for dinner. (700 N High St, Short North) www.levelcolumbus.com

Club Diversity There will be live music all night by James Blackman and Andy Hobson to dance into the New Year. The club will provide finger foods and snacks that pair well with their famous martinis and jello shots.

There is no cover charge. Doors open at 4p. (863 S High St, Brewery District) www.clubdiversity.biz/

Exile’s Annual Leather Ball The club will be providing a complimentary champagne toast at midnight with a balloon drop, and DJ Venus will be spinning all night long. There is no cover charge, and music starts playing at 9p.

(893 N Fourth St, Italian Village) www.exilebar.com

New Year’s Eve 2013 Extravaganza at Park Street Complex Park Street Patio, Park Street Saloon and The Social are pairing up with WNCI to put on the largest New Year’s Eve party on Park Street. There will be live music by Hello My Name Is, dancing, DJs, party favors and circus performers. Doors open at 8p. Tickets are $10. (525 N Park St, Arena District) www.nyecolumbus.com

NYE Glow Party at Sugar Bar 2 Looking to bring in 2013 rave style? This event for you, and you can check out Sugar Bar’s new and improved location. There will be drink specials, six DJs, five dance floors and over 10,000 glow products being given away. That’s a lot of glow. Doors open at 9p.

Tickets are $15. (87 W Main St, Downtown) www.facebook.com/SugarBar2

Latin NYE Party at Long Street District Long Street is going south of the border for its New Year’s celebration. The party is 18-plus and will have a balloon drop at midnight, a countdown on all screens and even a mechanical bull for you to give your best ride. Get there early for free appetizers from 9p-10p.

Doors open at 8p. (40 E Long St, Downtown) www.longstreetdistrict.com We’ll be adding events to our New Year’s Eve calendar throughout December. Visit www.outlookcolumbus.com and like us on Facebook to get the latest info.

Bob is making appointments for kisses at midnight. His first “kissing” is at 6p.

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Eggnog does not heal a broken heart, but it does get you blasted.

dec 2012

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by Alisa Caton

A Christmas

Story?

CATCO’s

‘The Story of My Life’ Is a Different Kind of Holiday Tale

CATCO is taking a new approach to its seasonal production this holiday with the musical The Story of My Life, which looks at friendship, death and how tradition can spark inspiration.

Alvin Kelby and Thomas Weaver have been friends since age 6 after meeting at a first-grade Halloween party. Thomas attends the party dressed as Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life, and Alvin is the only other kid in the class to recognize the costume. From that moment on, the two become inseparable.

“Every Christmas eve, all the way up through college, they would get together and watch It’s a Wonderful Life and make snow angels,” said Joe Bishara, who plays the character of Thomas and is also assistant producer for the production.

At 12, the boys make a promise to each other that the other would give the eulogy at the funeral of whoever dies first. The two continue to stay close, until an argument in their 20s sends the friends in separate directions. In their mid-30s, Alvin passes away on Christmas Eve, and Thomas, now an award-winning author of children’s books, returns to his hometown to give the eulogy at Alvin’s funeral, keeping the promise he made many years earlier.

Thomas has struggled to write anything for years, though, ever since he broke ties with Alvin. The musical follows Thomas as he revisits important moments from his childhood and his friendship with Alvin, in order to find the inspiration to write the final goodbye to his old friend.

Bishara said he and director Steven Anderson saw the script and music years ago for The Story of My Life, written by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill. They were interested immediately.

“Steven and I have been talking about producing this play for four years. We have just been waiting for the right time to produce it,” Bishara said.

The fact that Jeff Horst was available to play Alvin is part of what made this the right time to put on the show.

“We understand each other. It is an extreme privilege to work with him. I can’t imagine doing this show with anyone else,” Bishara said. “Jeff is one of the most amazing human beings.”

The rehearsal process for the production

32 dec 2012

Do you think they see Martha Wash up there?

has been emotional for everyone, he said, because the subjects that the show touches on are so sensitive.

“Usually there are seven people in a room during rehearsal, and every rehearsal someone ends up crying. The writers of this musical understand the human condition.”

Friendship - and the obstacles that every relationship faces with the test of time - is at the focus of the play, a subject that Bishara said many audience members will be able to understand.

“It’s geared toward everyone. Anyone who has had a close friend over a course of time can relate to this story,” he said. “I think it’s going to make people reflect on their own relationships.”

The musical is performed in a thrust theater, which allows the audience to watch the performance from three sides to feel even closer to the actors.

“You really do feel like you are in the living room; it is incredibly intimate,” Bishara said.

So many productions look at the friendships of women and how close two women can become. Bishara said it isn’t very often that people look at close relationships of men that don’t involve sex.

“Sometimes it is eluded that Alvin wanted more than friendship from Thomas, but it is about the friendship. It isn’t about the sex, it’s more intimate than that,” he said.

“That is why I think this show is so special, because it touches on a subject others don’t and it does it brilliantly. I have never been involved in anything that focuses on the intimacy, the heartache, the highs and lows of two males being friends.”

Looking at human emotions the relationship between two men is a shift for Bishara from his recent work. Although this musical is different from the typical holiday production, any fan of It’s a Wonderful Life will appreciate the similarities and the realization that the holidays can allow us to stop and take stock of what’s going on.

“I hope people will take a chance on it. I don’t think they will regret it,” Bishara said. “I hope they bring Kleenexes.”

CATCO’s production of The Story of My Life runs through Dec. 16 at Studio Two in the Riffe Center, 77 S High St, Downtown. Tickets are $45. Visit catco.org or call the CATCO box office at 614.469.0939 for show times and other information.

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It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine...well sorta, I’m mean it kinda sucks, but whatyagonnado?

dec 2012

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A Gay Day at the Circus Cirque Du Du Soleil’s Soleil’s Quidam Quidam Comes Comes to to Cbus Cbus Cirque

by Jayra Harris When Cirque Du Soleil came to Jamieson Lindenburg’s performing-arts high school to recruit performers, he lasted a little over a week. He was 16 and got fired for being late.

Almost 10 years later, he’s back singing in the show and loving it. He’s also promoting his first album, Circuit Hoe, a sultry collection that he describes as “my statement on our sub-categorization” within the GLBT community.

new magic in there, the lighting is going to be different so it’s kind of like Quidam 2.0. It was such a poignant and relevant story then, and it’s transferred now to 2012 and it’s totally different. So if you’ve seen the show before, it’s worth checking out again and falling in love with all over again. It’s just a classic, one of my favorite shows for sure.

He shared his thoughts on Cirque, which will stage a show called Quidam Dec. 6-9 at Nationwide Arena, and he discussed why it has appealed to gay audiences.

JH: What is Quidam about?

JL: It’s this little girl who’s kind of bored with life - a little Alice and Wonderland-esque and she discovers this crazy world in her imagination and we’re along with her on the journey. But what’s really cool that Cirque does is read a lot of interpretation and metaphors and story into your own interpretation, so there’s a lot of ideas thrown up on the stage that work beautifully together with the dance, music, acrobatics and lights to make this painting. You could choose what you take from it, so a lot of it is up to your interpretation.

JH: When did Quidam start?

JL: It started in the big-top format. Cirque Du Soleil is pretty famous for its tent shows; they’re really luxe, beautiful tents, very magical. They toured the U.S., Europe and all over for, I think, 14 years. As the show got a little older, to make room for the newer shows, we stay in arenas now. We can go to smaller places for shorter amounts of time while the newer shows are in the big-top tents. ... It’s been restaged, there’s some

JH: What sets Quidam apart from other Cirque shows?

JL: If you’ve seen Cirque Du Soleil shows before, you’ll find them very “fantasy” with birds and animals and jungle places. This is a very human show. This talks about real human problems, real human issues, real human situations. ... It’s a very dramatic show, lots of drama, lots of color, really beautiful. I would say that if Tim Burton were to create a Cirque Du Soleil show it would

“It’s hard enough that we’re gay, but now we’ve created these little groups,” he said.

“If you don’t fit into those groups, where do you fit in?”

34 dec 2012

look like Quidam.

JH: How does Quidam appeal to the GLBT community?

JL: Show business, I feel, totally appeals to us because of that fantasy. Sometimes we have a lot of hardship, especially recently, and I feel that we like to escape. We like to kind of hang our coats and our woes and escape.

Cirque is all of that to me: It’s physical, it’s emotional, it’s all the art forms that come together. They’ve really managed to nail that. ... I’m super proud of Cirque du Soleil for what they’ve done for the gay, lesbian and transgender movement, and I feel like it transfers to the stage and that’s why a lot of us are drawn to Cirque du Soleil. It’s really an escape for us. Not to mention hot guys with all the tights.

JH: How do you, as an individual stay, involved with the GLBT community?

JL: It’s hard for me on the road, but when I’m home I do a ton of festivals, HRC stuff and lots of AIDS walks. On the road it’s hard to be politically active, but the best thing I can do is talk to people and talk to locals. We see total Middle America - small towns, big towns all over the place. Word of mouth and power of speech and voice is probably the strongest thing we’ve got for ourselves right now, besides social networking. I feel like all I can do, to do my part, is make people aware and bring back stories, and to tell about what places I’ve seen and how we’re

Bob was in Cirque before he got into journalism. He still does acrobatics in the office.

all changing to come together a bit. I feel like that’s how I become active, through my music, my voice and travel. One of my big goals next year is to get more politically active because I feel that calling in me, as an artist and a performer who has a bit of a voice.

JH: How can others get more involved?

JL: Our generation is not like our parents who said, “You know what, forget the job, I’m gonna take the hippie bus and go to Washington and sit down for two months.” We can’t do that for some reason. The 20-, 30somethings can’t give up whatever they’ve been working so hard on to just go and march. We’d rather sit on our butts and Tweet or Facebook about it, but it’s time to get off our butts and do something - and I feel like I’m included in that.

JH: What’s next for you?

JL: What’s great about Cirque is they are able to give time off if you ask for time off. So I have six months off to go kind-of find myself as an artist and take some rest and maybe record another musical album. Get some inspiration and rejoin my family on tour.

Jamieson Lindenburg’s album, Circuit Hoe, is available on iTunes and Amazon. Cirque Du Soleil will perform six shows at Nationwide Arena (www.nationwidearena.com, 614.246.2000) from Dec. 6-9.

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Do you think he gets chilly in the winter?

dec 2012

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The Nutcracker Diaries

December’s Other Celeb Has a Busy Month Ahead nual Winterfair at the Ohio Expo Center (www.ohiocraft.org) and the Holiday Fair at Columbus Commons My very good friend supermodel Linda (www.downtowncolumbus.com). The Evangelista was once quoted as say- Winterfair’s a great event. They have the most fabulous and unique craft ing, “I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.” But for me there items. And at the Holiday Fair at the are some things money just can’t buy. Commons I hear there will be a petting zoo.

Things like celebrity and holiday cheer. These are the important things, Sunday, Dec. 2: There are few places in town more especially this time of year, which is why outlook talked me into giving you charming than German Village, so every time I’m asked to make an apa little glimpse into the life of a celebrity - me - whose whole existence pearance at the German Village Lights event, I say yes! (www.gvbusinessis about holiday cheer. It is, as the community.com) Again, there’s great French would say, my raison d’etre. shopping at places like Hausfrau Haven and the Golden Hobby Shop.

Saturday, Dec. 1: This will be an especially busy day, as I’m expected at two events – the an- Of course, after posing for photoby The Nutcracker (with Terence Womble)

of The Nutcracker. But I can only stay a few minutes. I’m needed at BalletMet’s glittering black-tie affair, the Nutcracker Ball (www.balletmet.org). Everyone I start at the inaugural Discovery District who’s anyone will be there, so get your Shop Around, a great event to introduce tickets early. It’s at the toniest new adMonday, Dec. 3: The Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival people to the wonderful cultural organi- dress in town, the Hilton Columbus zations around the Columbus College of Downtown, 400 N High St. at the Statehouse (www.ohiostateArt & Design campus. It kicks off at 1p. house.org) starts at 5:30p and features performances by musical My friends at CATCO will be performing That’s just a sample of my busy schedule. Don’t write or call this month beensembles and local choirs, arts and The Never Ending Story at the Shedd crafts, free refreshments, and a visit Theatre of the Columbus Performing Arts cause I’m booked solid, but you can

by Santa and Mrs. Claus – who just catch me most every night at the Ohio Center (www.catco.org). There are happen to be two of my absolute best events at the Columbus Museum of Art Theatre. friends. and the Topiary Garden. At 7p, the graphs – which any supermodel will tell you is exhausting – I refuel at Schmidt’s or Pistacia Vera. I have months before swimsuit season.

Saturday, Dec. 8: Busy, busy, busy. Three events today.

Columbus State Gospel Choir will perform at State Auto’s outdoor Nativity display (www.discoverydistrict.com).

Friday, Dec. 7: I’m ready for my close-up. I’ll be in front of the Ohio Theatre greeting people at the opening night of BalletMet’s Then it’s off to the Ohio Theatre again to The Nutcracker. meet people at the evening performance

BalletMet Columbus presents The Nutcracker Dec. 7-23 at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, Downtown. Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased at the CAPA ticket office next to the theater, at Ticketmaster and at Kroger stores. Terence Womble is the director of marketing and communications for BalletMet.

by Romeo San Vicente

LESBIAN HAPPY ENDINGS COMING SOON FROM ‘CAROL’

COUNTDOWN TO MATT BOMER IN ‘SPACE STATION 76’

HUGH LAURIE AND STEPHEN FRY: TOGETHER AGAIN

KYLIE MINOGUE IS ‘WALKING ON SUNSHINE’

In 1952, Patricia Highsmith’s romance novel, The Price of Salt, did an unexpected thing: It allowed for the possibility of an optimistic resolution for its lesbian characters in a time when those sorts of outcomes just weren’t on the literary menu.

Gay Indie Film Alert!

Before House M.D. turned him into a worldwide household name, Hugh Laurie was better known, alongside Stephen Fry, as one half of the UK comedy team whose TV series, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, launched both their careers.

It’s a Glee/Smash/Mamma Mia! world. We just live in it.

(Nor was her real name. Highsmith, the lesbian mystery author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, published Salt under a pseudonym.)

The sci-fi comedy, Space Station 76, is based on a Los Angeles stage production that Plotnick has been developing for some time, and it’s quite the team effort. Actors Kali Rocha, Michael Stoyanov, Sam Pancake and Jennifer Elise Cox (Jan in The Brady Bunch Movie) all pitched in on the screenplay and stage version, while the movie itself stars Matt Bomer, Jerry O’Connell, Marisa Coughlin, Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler.

Sixty years later, of course, a happy ending doesn’t seem unreasonable at all, which means the time is perfect for a film adaptation starring Mia Wasikowska and Cate Blanchett. The movie’s called Carol – the name of Blanchett’s character, a woman who falls in love with the younger Wasikowska – and it starts shooting in New York and London early in 2013.

To be directed by John Crowley (other credits: the Andrew Garfield drama Boy A and Is Anybody There? with Michael Caine), the screenplay is from lesbian writer Phyllis Nagy, which means one more lesbian line of defense against the usual movie missteps involving male fantasy versions of women in love with women. Look for this love affair to light up screens sometime in 2014.

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Evie Harris from Girls Will Be Girls has directed a movie. OK, her alter ego, Jack Plotnick, is the actual director. But whatever, same thing give or take a wig or two.

True to its name and set in the futuristic 1970s, its convoluted soap opera plot involves space travelers named Misty and Sunshine, as well as robots, bisexual secrets, Valium addiction, women’s lib, asteroid assaults, a lot of feathered hair and pretty much everything you want from outer space that isn’t already named Buck Rogers.

Check film festival listings first, but it’ll eventually crash down into an arthouse near you. Or possibly one in a galaxy far, far away.

Laurie’s been kind of busy during the past decade starring on the planet’s number one show, so the pair haven’t worked together in some time. But that’s about to change with a new animated version of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost.

A comic satire about British/American culture clash in a haunted English manor – an American family moves in and encounters the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville (Fry) and his afterlife nemesis, Death (Laurie) – the story has a perennial appeal and has already been adapted countless times. Just never by Fry and Laurie as computer-animated ghosts.

Directed by Kim Burdon with music by 84-yearold composer Ennio Morricone, it’ll be a great literary enlistment tool when you introduce your kids to Oscar Wilde during the 2014 holiday season. At that age they’ll appreciate it more than The Importance of Being Earnest.

And thanks to this cultural trend, the jukebox musical’s prospects have never been brighter (at least until that Jersey Boys movie hits theaters – we’ll see). But while the wave is high, who better to ride it than Kylie Minogue?

The actress-turned-pop-diva-turned-actress, whose performance of a melancholy love ballad in the acclaimed arthouse hit Holy Motors was that film’s most tender moment, is having a moment of her own. She’s signed on to star in Walking On Sunshine, a musical stuffed full of ’80s pop hits that’s about two women who fall for the same man in Spain.

UK actress Gemma Arterton – Quantum of Solace’s hilariously named Strawberry Fields, also starring as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with Jeremy Renner – plays Minogue’s romantic rival. And it can be assumed she knows how to carry a tune, too.

She’d better, anyway. Otherwise when they get to the part where it’s time to sing “I Should Be So Lucky,” Kylie might have a bit of an advantage.

Romeo San Vicente hopes that Stephen Fry will be his British sugar daddy. Ian McKellen keeps saying no. He can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

I sure hope the Nutcracker put on SPF50. He’s fairer skinned than Chris. I bet he crisps right up,

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COTA bus passes make an awesome gift. It’s like free gas with no pumping.

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A Few of My Favorite Things: Sidebar 122

by Ayana Wilson My favorite thing about the chic Downtown spot Sidebar 122 is the ambience. Inspired by the1920s speakeasy, Sidebar is dark, lush and comfortable. Brown-paneled walls belie a distinct masculinity, but the friendly lighting and sultry music always playing in the background make women feel just as welcome.

Or maybe my favorite thing about Sidebar is the people. When a friend and I went for dinner, we were greeted and treated all night by Rob, a 15-year restaurant veteran who not only catered to our every desire, but also was patient, friendly and knowledgeable.

The staff behind the bar - Sage, in particular was polite and professional. Having been trained by outside mixologists about the creation of the perfect cocktail, the bartenders at Sidebar are more than just drink-pourers.

They’re artists who work in the most awesome medium of them all. The drinks are wellcrafted, generously poured and with an artisan base to every glass (they make their bitters and liqueurs in house), simply some of the best in town.

So, maybe the libations are actually my favorite part of the Sidebar experience. If served up, the glasses are ice-cold and sparingly garnished, and if on the rocks, the ice cubes are massive 2-by-2-by-2 cubes that melt slowly so the integrity of the cocktail lasts longer.

The menu features Prohibition era-inspired concoctions, ranging from a very proper and righteous Manhattan (made with housesoaked cherries and rye whiskey that remained chilled even as I got to the bottom of the glass) to a simple champagne cocktail that redefined

38 dec 2012

how the sparkling spirit should taste (dry, with a hint of sweetness, and the addition of three drops of Angostura bitters that made it close to ambrosia).

The combination is both decadent and buoyant, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself wondering if it’s appropriate to use your fingers to get every last drop of that sauce.

But whom are we kidding? This is a restaurant, and the thing I love most about Sidebar 122 is the seafood, offered as tapas to share or as meals fit for kings. Whether you order the Shrimp and Garlic (four large, succulent morsels served still sizzling in the savory aroma of garlic and chili oil), the Scallops Parmesan (two huge diver scallops broiled in gooey, wonderful Parmesan that proves seafood and cheese do indeed belong together), or my personal nirvana, the Shrimp and Tilapia Cebiche (bright and sparkly in the mouth, a delicate combination of shrimp, fish, lime and thinly sliced red onions that reminded me of being back home on the beach), you can’t go wrong.

But if the seafood is amazing, the rest is spectacular. Turf is also served with regularity at Sidebar, and of them, the Lamb Shank is not to be missed. The shank is a big, beautiful hunk of meat that made me feel like a caveman. It comes drenched in a roasted red-wine sauce that only adds to the unctuous satisfaction of meat, meat and more meat. It’s accompanied by a Parmesan risotto cake that was pleasant, but could have done without the rosemary garnish that overpowered its subtle flavor. The real star of the plate: braised purple cabbage that takes everything else to another level with its brininess and crunchiness.

There’s no reason to. Chef Alberto, the genius in the kitchen at Sidebar 122, is Chilean-born and believes in celebrating the food of his native region. He has been a chef for more than 25 years, and Sidebar is his ninth venture. His influences are primarily Latin American, and after recognizing the success of fusion restaurants nationwide, he decided to do his own take. Sidebar 122 - there’s an original in Dayton - is envisioned as a Mediterranean restaurant with a Spanish eye for ingredients and preparation.

Chef Alberto boasts about the seafood he serves and his dedication to authenticity and innovation. It’s evidenced in the Seafood Opera, a recipe of mussels, scallops, squid and shrimp served atop a pillowy bed of fettuccine that’s doused in a saffron broth tempered ever so correctly with cilantro and sherry.

It will hopefully be served alongside the Roasted Duck as well, an item that’s for now only a special but will join Sidebar’s permanent offerings as they roll out a new menu that changes the focus of service. Instead of being delineated according to protein, the dishes on Sidebar’s menu will be arranged by course.

Chilean Sea Bass and a Cumin Pork also are set to join the menu.

And the desserts: The Tres Leches will change the way you look at all desserts. It is simultaneously rich and light, decadent and sweet, but not cloying or overbearing in its sugariness, vanilla-ness or orange-ness. The sponge cake is thinly sliced and soaked in a delightful concoction of Grand Marnier and sweetened milks that are separately unique and lend distinct and complicated profiles to the dessert.

And they serve house-made sorbets that rival the best Columbus has to offer. Made from

Where’s Chado? Somewhere in Sidebar you have a direct view into Chad’s apartment.

tropical fruits, the flavors range from banana to papaya to blackberry to whatever other brilliant essence Chef Alberto wishes to play on as he elevates straightforward nibbles and sips into life-altering encounters.

I guess this means that what’s next at Sidebar might be my favorite thing about the place.

The building itself is four floors of usable space that are going to be just that: used. The top floor will be an exclusive VIP floor, where private parties can watch the game, socialize or even conduct business in style. The third and second floors, and the main gallery spaces, will house the works of Columbus artists. These floors also have private party rooms for customers to dine in and/or listen to music spun by a DJ or played on a piano.

In 2014, the rooftop adjoining the second floor is scheduled to become the ultimate outdoor lounge. Before the end of the year, the basement will be rebranded the Blind Tiger, a throwback speakeasy-type joint brought to life with pianos in the corner and space to slow dance with your honey. It will be a place to unwind and rediscover what relaxation really entails.

Sidebar 122 is a complete establishment. You feel concurrently like a regular and a special guest every time you walk in. Everyone feels at home at Sidebar, sidled up to the bar to watch the big screen or tucked away in a dark corner where licking fingers and scraping plates is not only allowed but encouraged.

Sidebar 122 is located at 122 E Main St, Downtown. You can book a table by calling 614.228.9041 or check out dinner or Sunday brunch menus at sidebar122.com.

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It’s never too cold to ride your bike. Join Yay! this month and get your reindeer button!

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Queen City It Takes Balls to Put On a Dress

by Marcus Morris I was late to the drag game.

When I first came out, I feared drag shows because I was intimidated by the larger-than-life personalities, the garish colors and the scene that surrounded the community. I’d sit in the back of the room during a drag show because I feared being called out by a performer, and I’d sometimes send friends up to tip.

I was worried they’d see my weakness and eat me alive. I was equating drag to an animal of prey.

Then I saw Nina West onstage. When I first started writing for this magazine four years ago, I had never seen drag outside of television or from a distance. I didn’t connect. Outlook got me a ticket to see a Nina West show, and I fell in love.

I remember thinking it was amazing because it was outside my perception of what it meant to experience drag. I liked the theater and I liked the camp, but the show made me feel like I was 15 years old and I was nostalgic.

Previously, I had only ever felt drunk, stoned or horny in Axis, so it was a very new sensation.

I also was rooting for Nina West in a way that I

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wasn’t able to root for other queens. She made me want her performance to be flawless, and it always was. If it wasn’t, she laughed and didn’t sweat it. She threw that wig or giggled but always looked amazing.

She seemed to genuinely enjoy being in the center of it all, and she did it with the grace of a saint, a head of state or a mother. I was still trying to come into my own as a gay man, so I liked being in the shadows. Usually with my tongue down someone’s throat.

After seeing her, I started seeking out drag when I went out. I’m not a super groupie, but I quickly could tell a booger from a polished professional.

One of my favorite queens in Columbus has been, and always will be, Anisa Love. The first time I saw her, she read an old queen for getting too rough with a stripper. My friends were being saucy with him first, so I was glad it wasn’t them she scolded.

One night, when I lived in the Greystone, I popped over to Havana and had a cocktail by myself. I was drinking my bourbon when Anisa came out, and the crowd was likely expecting a pop hit or something with a bit of sass. Anisa brought the jazz. Whereas other drag I’d seen was riffing the top 20, Anisa Love was a heroine from The Blue Note.

Drag should be exhilarating, and this was taking my breath away. Sometimes the best performers zag when everyone else must zig.

When I studied abroad, I saw a lot of Dame Edna drag, which I don’t care for but I respect, and I was sort of removed from it until I went to Paris.

Paris was not burning with the drag, hunty.

I was shocked that I didn’t see anything remarkable. I did, however, manage to get introduced to a little show called RuPaul’s Drag Race. It was America’s Next Top Model with balls. I LOVED it! I was hooked from Day One. My friend Joe and I would watch episodes while drinking and then stumble out into the streets of Paris to dance until 5a. I had sort of a crush on Raven as a boy, even though Raven was a bitch. I love a bitch, and she also had the best drag. I also was a major fan of Morgan McMichaels and Jujubee. The ultimate is Queen Rupaul. When you’re the drag mother of an entire generation, you have to be fucking fierce.

When I came back to America, I had a healthy appreciation for the ladies who tuck. I tried to always tip my queens, and I don’t really understand those who don’t show some respect for the entertainers.

Bob is disappointed this isn’t a photo of Latrice Royale.

I also became friends with entertainers and saw a bit more of what it takes to make the magic happen. I watched Barbie Roberts paint and kept trying to get her to use less, not understanding that drag is like a sport and you have to put on your equipment. I still like a little subtlety, but I can respect the rough.

I adore the men who spend their time tarting it up for the crowds. This column is about style, and the world of drag is filled with it. Drag queens like Sharon Needles and Latrice Royale drip style, but it is personal and fabulous.

It also has nothing to do with what they put on.

That energy doesn’t require pancake makeup or a sequined gown. It takes a lot of guts, and maybe a little less of the cheap hair and makeup than the busted bitch at the next club.

Well, that’s enough of the shade, because to quote Paris Is Burning, “Give them a round of applause for nerve, because with y’all vicious muthafuckas, it do take nerve!”

Marcus Morris writes Fashion Forward every month for Outlook. You can follow him and his photography online at www.marcus-morris.com.

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local celeb Hey outlookers, this is your space!

Every month in print and every week online, we ask our readers to do our work for us as Local Celebrity Guest Bloggers. If you want to see your work in print, email Erin McCalla at emccalla@outlookmedia.com or call 614.268.8525, x2.

Caelen McCauley, culinary student at Columbus State Community College Top 5 Things Learned When Doing What You Love 5. You’ll never be able to do it recreationally again.

4. It’s impossible not to think about it in social situations. A hairdresser will always look at haircuts; a mechanic will diagnose cars that are in the vicinity.

3. People will think you’re crazy for the inability to talk about anything else.

2. You really don’t know as much as you think you do.

1. You will have the best time of your life.

Dec. 3 BlogOQueer topic: Changing careers

Ben Danals, who’s not really a Grinch Top 5 Bad Holiday Traditions 5. Holiday concerts by beginning instrumentalists.

4. Holiday movies hijacked by advertisers.

3. Christmas newsletters.

2. Ugly sweater theme parties.

1. Roasted chestnuts.

Dec. 17 BlogOQueer topic: Bah! Humbug!

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Speaking of WOSU, did you see the interview with Ann Fisher in Live! Local Columbus?!

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We’re serious: If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, you can always try Cleveland

by Aaron Leventhal,

inn’s parlor. Hop on the nearby RTA Health Line to Public Square and take a short stroll to I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid, the seven-story Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (rockhall.com) on the shores of Lake Erie. It contains the largest single collection of rock artifacts in the world, five movie theaters, exhibit galleries, interactive listening exhibits, a museum store and cafe.

(Admission is $22.)

I was born and raised in Cleveland, attended OSU, live in German Village and have been a part of the Buckeye Nation for going on three decades. But I return often to my hometown to visit family and friends and root for its hapless sports teams.

I understand why Cowtowners are less than enthusiastic about Cleveland. It’s an acquired taste: urban, ethnic, gritty, edgy - yes, different. I do, however, recommend it for a long weekend escape, less than a three-hour drive from Columbus.

Listed below are some highlights of a recent visit. When the winter doldrums set in, I recommend giving Cleveland a go.

THURSDAY: After work, head north on I-71, exit on E Ninth Street and drive east on Euclid Avenue about four miles to the Glidden House (216.231.8900, www.gliddenhouse.com), a century-old, French Gothic mansion built by the son of the founder of the Glidden Varnish Co. It has been restored as an intimate 60-room bed and breakfast inn on the Case Western Reserve campus in the heart of University Circle.

Grab a cab to the legendary West Side Market on W 25th Street in Ohio City (www.westsidemarket.org). It’s celebrating its centennial year as the largest indoor/outdoor public market in the country with nearly 200 vendor booths. The market features extraordinary neoclassical Byzantine architecture with a regal clock tower and red-tile vaulted ceiling.

For an amazing sensory experience, stroll through the bustling aisles as vendors of every ethnic background hawk their fresh produce, meats and baked goods to bargaining shoppers.

Be sure to nosh on the free samples. Continue along W 25th past dozens of small specialty shops, cafes and restaurants, all exuding an Old World ambiance.

seum of Natural History (www.cmnh.org), with its impressive Hall of Dinosaurs, stunning gem collection, planetarium shows and two intriguing Enjoy a great dinner at the popular La Dolce Vita exhibits on whales and photos from National GeBistro (216.721.8155, www.ladolcevitacleveographic. (Admission is free.) land.com). To close the night, drive a short distance up the Hill to Cleveland Heights’ Coventry Obsessive shoppers can break up the day with a Village. Located along a six-block corridor of Eu- return visit to Coventry Village or Tower City Cenclid Heights Boulevard, the famed community ter on Public Square (www.towercitycenter.com), prides itself for being independent, offbeat and featuring three levels of more than 75 specialty loaded with eclectic bookshops, craft stores, art shops, restaurants and an 11-screen cinema. galleries, intimate cafes and coffee shops, and small international and vegetarian restaurants. In the evening, head downtown to E Fourth Street, a narrow, one-block entertainment disSATURDAY: After breakfast at the inn spend the trict crowded with some of the city’s best dining entire day strolling around University Circle, re- and entertainment. Dine at Chef Jonathan puted to be the most concentrated square mile Sawyer’s new Greenhouse Tavern (216.443.0511, of art and culture in the world. Begin at MOCA, www.thegreenhousetavern.com), the first green, the Museum of Contemporary Art (www.mocafarm-to-table restaurant in Ohio. Entrees range cleveland.org), Cleveland’s shiny new four-story, from tangy kale salad with grilled chicken pail$26 million jewel designed by internationally lard to pancetta and red pepper pasta to veggie renowned architect Farsid Moussari of London. crepes.

Its geometric stainless steel and black glass exterior at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Murray Hill is startling. The goal of Moussari’s dramatic building is to showcase innovative visual art that’s open to new ideas and programs. Its first Lunch at Nate’s Deli (216.696.7529), a Middle exhibition features works by 13 celebrated interEastern vegetarian restaurant open for breakfast national artists, including Louise Bourgeois, and lunch. The baba ganoush, tabbouleh, David Hammons, Gordon Matta-Clark and kibbeh, hummus and homemade baklava are Rachel Whiteread. (Admission is $8.) The nearby superb. Taxi back Downtown for a walking tour of Cleveland Botanical Garden (www.cbgarden.org) landmarks including the Arcade, the new Horse- boasts an impressive greenhouse with 10 acres shoe Casino and the Old Stone Church. of outdoor gardens. (Admission is $9.50)

Dine in the inn’s carriage house at Sergio’s (216.231.1234, www.sergioscleveland.com), noted for its Mediterranean, French and seafood specialties. Close the night out at nearby Nighttown (216.795.0550), a gathering place since 1965 with three bars, a kitchen that’s open until midnight and live music nightly. Down Beat Return to the Glidden House for a few hours of magazine named it one of the best jazz clubs in welcome relaxation. Its cozy Palette Lounge is a the world. full-service bar serving tapas from Sergio’s. The night begins with a short drive up Mayfield Road FRIDAY: Begin the day with a hearty, complito Little Italy (also known as Murray Hill), mentary, European-style buffet breakfast in the crowded with dozens of specialty shops, art gal-

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leries, bakeries and Cleveland’s finest ristorantes.

On E Fourth Street, you’ll also find the House of Blues, Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola, Hilarities 4th Street Theatre (comedy) and the Corner Alley with bowling lanes, entertainment and its Martini Lounge. For other popular downtown nightlife there’s Cowboy Rock, a nightclub with huge dance floor and light show; the incomparable Playhouse Square (www.playhousesquare.org) with 10 theaters for ballet, opera, shows, concerts and shows, including the Cleveland Playhouse; Peabody’s (www.peabodys.com), a music institution since the 1960s with two floors of live acts; and Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant (www.clevelandimprov.com).

Stop for lunch at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new cafe, Provenance, part of a $350 million renovation. With 30,000 works, the museum is one of the world’s greatest and the only major SUNDAY: Time to check out a number of attracone in the country still offering free admission. tions before returning to Columbus. RecommenComplete your walking tour at the Cleveland Mu- dations include the Greater Cleveland City

Cleveland Rocks! Check it out. Visit www.positivelycleveland.com for travel info.

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Glidden House at University Circle Photo by Beth Ervin Leventhal

Aquarium (greaterclevelandaquarium.com), with a 70,000-square-foot aquarium, 36 tanks and 5,000 saltwater and freshwater fish; Great Lakes Science Center (www.glsc.org), with hundreds of hands-on exhibits and a six-story Omnimax screen; Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra’s famed Art Deco concert hall offering free tours on Sunday at noon and 1p; and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage (www.maltzmuseum.org) in Pepper Pike.

No visit to Cleveland is complete without a final stop at my beloved Corky and Lenny’s (www.corkyandlennys.net), the best Jewish deli between New York and Chicago. Located on Chagrin Boulevard in Beechwood near I-271, it features incredible piled-high corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, mishmash soup (matzo ball, chicken noodle, and kreplach), 13 signature salads, cheesecake, rugalech and chocolate cream sodas.

The Cleveland GLBT Scene “Cleveland is a welcome destination for gay and lesbian travelers,” according to Ann Gynn of Gay Games 9. She cites Lakewood, Ohio City, Tremont and Detroit Shoreways on the west side, and Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights as ideal areas to enjoy gay nightlife and culture. (www.positivelycleveland.com/lgbt) David Pecjak, the new owner of Bounce Cafe Bar and Nightclub (2814 Detroit Ave, 216.357.2997), said Cleveland doesn’t have traditionally gay neighborhoods like Columbus’ Short North and German Village. He describes the GLBT community there as “very conservative, cliquish and fractured.”

He said he’s trying to create an open gay environment at his club. He has a full-service

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restaurant open nightly from 5p-2:30a and a dynamic schedule of happenings: Sunday buffet from 11a-3p; Tuesday karaoke, Wednesday and Friday drag shows, and a Saturday dance club.

Another popular club is Twist (11633 Clifton Blvd, 216.221.2333) in nearby Lakewood, which caters to gay men in a sophisticated and subdued atmosphere. The club is known for its huge square bar and friendly wait staff and bartenders who can mix and shake any drink upon request.

Coming up in August 2014 is Gay Games 9 (www.gg9cle.com), to be held in Cleveland and Akron. It’s one of the biggest GLBT sports and cultural festivals in the world, and Executive Director Tom Nobbe said organizers hope Columbus residents get involved. There are 36 sports competitions and three cultural events, ranging from rowing, darts, softball and volleyball to visual arts and choral singing.

It’s open to athletes and amateurs.

For More Information, call Positively Cleveland, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, at 1.800.321.1001 or go online to www.positivelycleveland.com. You can also pick up brochures, book concerts and plays, or make dinner and hotel reservations at the CLE+VISITORS Center at the corner of Euclid Avenue and E Fourth Street.

Columbus travel writer Aaron Leventhal has organized a small group tour to Cleveland in conjunction with the Tri-C Jazzfest, April 18-21, 2013. For more information and rates log on to leventhaltravel.com or contact him at 614.506.9666.

Bounce your butt up to Cleveland for a real good time!

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by Dan Savage I’m a straight man at that age where the general public still considers me young. Although I’ve attended many weddings, I have no interest in marrying or even being in a relationship. I never have.

But while I’m not sympathetic to your plight, IDGAF, I found someone who is.

“Few young adults say they’re not interested in sex or relationships, but IDGAF’s preference for going solo is hardly unique,” says Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at New York University and author of Going Solo: The I’m not asexual. I’ve had and enjoyed sex. I just Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Livdon’t feel the need to be with anyone. As long as ing Alone. “Today, an unprecedented number of I’ve got music and friends, I’m satisfied. Unfor- people are opting to live alone. One-person tunately, I seem to be the only one. My parents households represent 28 percent of all housewant grandkids. My friends want to set me up. holds in the US, and in cities the numbers are My television set only ever shows people in or higher.” pursuing relationships. My government wants me to father and raise future dead soldiers. I try Your coupled-up friends and grandchild-starved not to internalize these views, but sometimes I parents might have an easier time accepting wonder what’s going to happen if I change my your lifestyle choices if they knew just how mind somewhere down the road. What the hell’s common they are. wrong with me? Or not wrong with me? What do I tell people who insist that something’s wrong “In recent decades,” says Klinenberg, “young or that I’ll change my mind? And what should I adults have been the fastest growing group of do if I actually do change my mind?

American singletons. They’re delaying marriage and spending more years single. Moreover, they I Don’t Give A Fuck increasingly recognize the fact that over their long lives, they’re likely to cycle in and out of Honestly, IDGAF, yours is one of those letters different situations: alone, together; together, that I have a hard time giving much of a fuck alone.” about. Don’t get me wrong: You sound like a nice guy, articulate and pithy, and I typically like And despite the negative stereotypes that slosh people who know what they do and don’t want. around about single people - they’re antisocial, unhappy, isolated - Klinenberg’s research shows that those who live alone do just fine in the But cowards annoy me. friends and social-life departments.

Forgive me for working my own sexuality into “People who live alone tend to be more social this, but I have to say: When I was at that age than people who are married,” says Klinenberg. the general public unanimously considers “They’re more likely to spend time with friends young - still a teenager - I walked into my mother’s bedroom and informed her that I was and neighbors; more likely to spend time and a faggot. (Begging my parents for tickets to the money in bars, cafes, and restaurants; and even national tour of A Chorus Line for my 13th birth- more likely to volunteer in civic organizations. day somehow didn’t do the job; five years later, I So much for the myth of selfish singles!” had to come out to them all over again.) If I could work up the nerve to come out to my very So what should you tell your nagging friends and family?

Catholic parents about putting dicks in my mouth - at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, at that - you can find the courage to come out to “How about letting them know that going solo is your parents and friends as not asexual, not un- what works best for him right now,” says Klinenberg, “but that he’s hardly made a vow to stay happy, and not planning to date, cohabit, wed, single forever. Or, if he’s feeling feisty, he can or reproduce. remind them that, no matter how they’ve

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arranged their lives at the moment, someday they might find themselves opting out of sex and relationships, too.”

What should you do if you change your mind someday? You should date, IDGAF, you should marry. Don’t describe your current choices as superior - even if it does mean a better social life - and you won’t have to eat crow if you change your mind.

that have a strong preference for cleanliness.

But straight women in particular prefer that things be wiped down, well cleaned, and shiny.

So a woman who opens a dresser drawer and finds restraints with signs of wear and tear and signs of someone else’s sweat or fluids on them - is probably going to be turned off.”

So get rid of your old gear, Schroder advises, but don’t throw it away.

“We’ve come a long way in our attitudes about sex and relationships,” says Klinenberg. “Now that living alone is more common than living with a spouse and two children, isn’t it time we learned to respect the choice to go solo, too?”

“Find someone who wants and can’t afford bondage gear, and give it to them,” says Schroder. “Gear is expensive, and there are people out there who can’t afford it. Help ’em out.”

Indeed it is. And the sooner you demand a little respect from your parents and friends for your choices, IDGAF, the sooner you’ll get it.

@fakedansavage says polyamory a “choice,” not an “identity.” Where have we heard that argument before? Meet the new bigots, same as the old.

Single and partnered people alike should follow Eric Klinenberg on Twitter: @EricKlinenberg. To find out more about Klinenberg’s books and his research, go to ericklinenberg.com.

What’s the etiquette around (nonpenetrative) sex toys after a breakup? I bought restraints, a blindfold, etc. for my ex, and she left them behind. It seems a waste to throw them away. Is it a bit squicky for a guy to bust out an arsenal of old toys when a new gal comes along?

Alone With Accessories She Had Jonathan Schroder, general manager of Mr. S Leather in San Francisco (mr-s-leather.com), suggests that you get rid of your bondage gear.

Schroder is in the business of selling sex toys Mr. S is famous for its high-quality bondage gear - but his advice isn’t about his desire to move merchandise. It’s about your desire for gals, AWASH.

@lilyldodge If all people are naturally nonmonogamous - a point I’ve made about 10 million times - then from my perspective, polyamory and monogamy are relationship models, not sexual orientations. (And if poly and monogamy are sexual orientations, Lily, wouldn’t going solo have to be considered one, too?) That was my point. Poly can be central to someone’s sexual self-conception, and it can be hugely important, but I don’t think it’s an orientation in the same way that gay, straight, or bisexual are orientations. People can and do, of course, identify as poly. But is poly something anyone can do or something some people are? I come down on the “do” side. Lily clearly disagrees.

But as @GetItBigGurl said on Twitter, where Lily and I engaged about my comments in last week’s column, “Openly pondering difference between orientation vs. lifestyle isn’t bigotry, legislating against polyamory is.”

“Personally, I think some of the best gear you can get is hand-me-down gear,” says Schroder.

“And there’s a great tradition in the gay leather No one is legislating against polyamory here. community about passing gear from older folks Just thinkin’ about things. to younger folks. But my gut tells me that a new mail@savagelove.net. @fakedansavage on Twitter girlfriend might wig out about used bondage gear. We have a lot of customers and couples

I say he should shrink wrap the old gear and pass it off as new.

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That is one long treasure trail.

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Forever Kylie Icon Looks Back at 25 Years of Gay Fans, Bad Fashion and Girl Kisses

by Chris Azzopardi Kylie Minogue was just 19 when she landed a record deal that would turn the soap star into a singing superstar. This year marks a quarter-century of Kylie, who’s celebrating the milestone with orchestral reinterpretations of her most popular songs on The Abbey Road Sessions, a greatesthits, two movies and an upcoming book chronicling her style over the last 25 years.

We hooked up with the 44-year-old pop icon to talk about those projects, the outfit she calls an “abomination,” taking a sabbatical from music and why she doesn’t want to know how she became a gay icon.

Chris Azzopardi: The Abbey Road Sessions really shows a more sophisticated side to you – one that people who only know you from your dance music might not be familiar with. Why now are you venturing out into more stylistically ambitious territory and taking risks? Is it because you’re in your 25th year and you just don’t give a crap anymore?

Kylie Minogue: (Laughs) That could be a tiny bit of it! I actually recorded The Abbey Road Sessions late last year, knowing it would be part of what we’ve called K25. But I can’t tell you exactly why.

I’ve just felt like now is as good a time as any to do these things that I’ve been harboring – these desires to do the Anti Tour and to do an orchestra album – and I managed to make them happen.

CA: It’s not even just with music, though. You’re taking risks with film, too. You returned to acting this year in Jack and Diane – and you kissed a girl.

KM: (Sings) And I liked it.

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CA: What was it like shooting that scene?

KM: Blink and you’ll miss me, but I am there!

(Laughs) I play a part-time flame of Riley Keough’s character, and she’s having drama with the girl she’s just met and I’m, like, the older woman.

CA: Did you study any lesbian flicks, like Bound or The Hours, to prepare for your lesbian role in Jack and Diane?

KM: (Laughs) No, I just went with instinct.

CA: You’ve kissed a girl before anyway. Remember smooching Geri Halliwell in 2001?

KM: Oh, that’s right! That’s true, I hadn’t thought about that. (Laughs) It was just very straightforward. It’s a film about a couple of girls who fall in love, and I was a momentary wake-up call for Riley’s character. We never discussed it – the kissing or anything. It just all happened.

CA: A lot of people who are working the same job for as long as you have might move on to something else. In these 25 years, was there ever a moment – maybe during your battle with cancer in 2005 – where you thought about ...

KM: … going off and living in Taos, New Mexico?

Somewhere easy, somewhere kind of mystical?

Maybe for a brief moment, but no, I was just eager to finish what I’d started. I wanted to get back on stage, and I wanted to be better and stronger and not as stressed-out as I always was.

I wanted to make it work for me as well as working for it. So no, I’m really so fortunate that I have a lot of different types of opportunities – thank God, because otherwise I would be off! That’s why I’m doing so many different things, and fortunately my audience understands that about me and almost expects it of me these days. It’s harmonious. It’s not like I go off and do something

and they just think, “She’s just disappearing for a while and then she’ll be back.” They come with me.

CA: Gay fans are super loyal. We’ll follow you anywhere.

KM: Oh yeah. Nothing if not loyal.

CA: What kind of stories have you been told over the years from your gay fans about how you’ve inspired them?

KM: That’s really hard for me to think of a specific story, but in general, I do hear that kind of thing.

The biggest question is: How did I end up in this position? My gay audience just decided. It was like, “You’re ours. We’re adopting you.” And I thought it was brilliant. But it wasn’t like I was marketed to the pink pound or anything like that – that didn’t even really exist back then, actually.

So yeah, I do hear lots of stories about people feeling some kind of support and loving what I do.

I don’t have the answer and I’m asked all the time, “Why do you have such a gay following?”

“Why are you a gay icon?” I almost don’t want to know the answer, because it was so organic the way it happened.

CA: When you work on a project, be it including mermen in the Aphrodite World Tour last year or recording a dance song, how much do you keep the gays in mind?

KM: I try to keep everyone in mind, because I don’t want to go too far and I don’t want to go not far enough. It’s just a case of balance. Like, I wouldn’t go on a tour that’s got a routine like we had for “Slow” on the Showgirl tour. You wouldn’t want that for two hours. I don’t even think my gay audience would want that for two hours.

Chris Casey, this one’s for you!

CA: I don’t think we’d care. It’s Kylie for two hours!

KM: (Laughs) I nearly spat my water across the room right then!

CA: You crushed my little gay heart when you debunked rumors about you doing a song with Madonna for a TV special to commemorate your anniversary. You were kidding, right?

Please tell me this is happening.

KM: Aww. No, for real. There’s nothing. I’ve always dueted with guys, which is also good, but the question always comes up: “Would you duet with Madonna?” “Would you duet with Britney?” And the answer is always “yes,” because I think all of those girls are great for different reasons. Hey, it might never happen, but maybe – if the moment and the song and the desire came up from both parties. It is a bit like a gay wet dream, but who knows. I’ve just always said, “Of course that’s something that’s interesting.”

CA: Is there a gay friend who cuddles up with you on the couch with a bottle of wine to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race?

KM: Is there one? No! Look, I might be a serial monogamist with my actual boyfriend, but with my gay boyfriends I’m a floozy. There are a few.

I’ve got one in every port! (Laughs) CA: What would you like to tell your gay fans who’ve been following you for these last 25 years?

KM: It’s very simple: I just want to say thank you.

That’s all.

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chrisazzopardi.com.

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Guess who’s back, back, back... back again, again, again...

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