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outlook jan 2013 • vol 17 issue 8
featuring: • Social tsar snapshot • Mary B & Dames Bond • recorder Terry Brown • real estate developments • Garage Resurrected • Folk Legend Janis Ian • The History Boys • eat it! manifesto • Barbra Streisand & outlook Bloggers
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Get ready! We heard that the opening night festivities are going to be incredible.
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progress is political As they celebrated on Dec. 31, 1968, at the Stonewall Inn - and at the Twilight and other bars in Columbus - did anyone suspect what the new year would bring?
ering a bill making LGBT people criminals, that night was considered a victory, and every day has been different since June 28, 1969.
Laws around the country at the dawn of 1969 prohibited “public homosexuality,” and they were pretty hostile toward it behind closed doors, too. In Columbus, a local ordinance even required men and women to wear clothing considered “appropriate” to their gender. Jobs, families and lives were in danger.
And 2013 will be different, too.
Less than six months later, LGBT people began changing the world. The night they began fighting back after a routine round of arrests at the Stonewall in New York, they kick-started a movement that continues today.
Franklin County’s first openly gay elected official takes his oath of office this month. Terry Brown, who’s profiled on Page 22, was elected recorder of deeds in November with 58 percent of the vote. Let’s hope his success convinces both political parties to nominate and appoint more GLBT candidates.
County Treasurer Ed Leonard, who was Brown’s boss for a time at the courthouse, said he doesn’t think voters - even when they’re alone in front of the touch screen - consider sexual When you read the stories and orientation relevant anymore. If columns in this month’s outlook, so, it’s a relatively quick journey I hope you’ll agree we’re at the from a time when hostility wasn’t cusp of another momentous just personal; it was officially time. sanctioned government policy. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in December that it will consider two cases in 2013 that have the potential of making marriage equality the law of the land. In Ohio, advocates are working to collect signatures for a fall ballot issue that would rescind our state’s 2004 exaltation of inequality and extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
In the 1970s, a Columbus woman was arrested Downtown for wearing a pair of men’s work pants, a violation of that genderappropriate clothing law. One local bar had a light that turned red or green depending on who was near.
“When the green light was on, you sat with your girlfriend,” financial adviser Karen Cookston wrote in the recently published Columnist Mickey Weems writes update of Who’s Who in GLBT on Page 14 about that and other Columbus. “When the red light battles our community will face came on, you found a guy and in 2013, and he suggests that in pretended to be happy.” this Year of the Snake, we act more like its namesake when we This winter, one of the legendary fight them. gay clubs from Columbus’ past, the Garage, will return without It reminded me of a quote in the any need for lights to signal a LGBT history, The Gay Metropo- switch in dance partners. And lis, from a New York police offi- gender-inappropriate clothing cer who was there at the will be a big part of the allure. Stonewall riots: “The homosexuals were usually very docile, In a story on Page 28, people quiet people,” he said. “But this who remember it from the 1980s night was different.” talk about the Garage as the first gay bar they visited, the first Despite setbacks, like how place they felt comfortable, Ugandan lawmakers are consid- happy, welcomed.
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From its less-than-welcoming past, Columbus now ranks among the nation’s top-tier cities for laws and policies that treat LGBT residents fairly, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign. The city has anti-discrimination laws in place, a commission that hears complaints of bias, equal benefits for its LGBT employees and a domestic-partner registry for all residents. Our story on Page 20 details how Columbus stacks up against other cities in Ohio, the Midwest and across the country. We’re still far from perfect. Chances are, though, things will be better a year from now. We’re making resolutions, too, here at outlook. Here’s the first: We want to spend more time with you. And we don’t want to do all the talking. As you read through this issue, take a look at the ends of columns and stories. You’ll see more information about our writers and ways you can offer them your feedback. In our story on the return of the Garage, you’ll see an invitation to share your own memories from that club and other Columbus gay bars of the past on our Facebook page and our own website, outlookcolumbus.com. I invite you to visit our website daily. We post new stories, features, events and commentary every day, throughout the day. The calendar of events is updated regularly. Like us on Facebook (search for Outlook Columbus Magazine) and talk to us there, too. And talk to each other. Bob Vitale Editor-in-Chief bvitale@outlookcolumbus.com
the new beginnngs issue: vol 17 • #8 | here’s what’s moving forward in this edition:
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OWNER & PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes
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feature: equality index CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chris Azzopardi, Alisa Caton, Erin McCalla, Marcus Morris, Tom Musyka, Mario Pinardi, Romeo San Vicente, Dan Savage, Regina Sewell, Christa Sidman, Robby Stephens, D.A. Steward, Bob Vitale, Mickey Weems, Ayana Wilson
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feature: Terry Brown
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out & about calendar
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feature: development
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Hayes, Robby Stephens, Robert Trautman, Bob Vitale, Andrew Williams
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feature: garage resurrected
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deep inside hollywood
INTERNS Alisa Caton, Dillon Deshong, Brock Flint, Aleyna Hamilton, Jayra Harris, Andrew Keller, Emma Reichert, Ayana Wilson
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creative class: Janis Ian
class: 34 creative The History Boys
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interview: Barbra Streisand
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bookmark
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fashion forward
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eat it!: manifesto
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savage love
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local celeb bloggers
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puzzling
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 nightlife issue
Do you have something to say to outlook? Bob would love to hear from you! Contact him at bvitale@outlookmedia.com.
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New Beginnings?
bus was Anthony Bellino, and he’s still around annoying the hell out of me.
by Robby Stephens, Social Tsar When my editor Erin asked me to prepare something on “New Beginnings,” my mind went blank. Over the past few weeks I’ve realized that new beginnings are a part of everything. Why are they so important right now? Well, it’s a new year.
When I think about what’s ahead, I’m excited! I hope I keep inviting new people into my life, and I hope I’m lucky enough for a few to turn into great friends. Who would have thought that the loud-mouth lesbian I met at a bar last year (Mimi), or the super-tan, super-skinny gay guy on the sidewalk next to me at Pride four years ago (Ryan) would turn into great friends?
Robby’s Bday @ Union 12-14-2012 photos by Andrew Williams
In 2013, I’ll celebrate my 10-year anniversary as a resident of Cbus. That makes me very happy, as I was so nervous when I moved here as a young In my new beginnings for 2013, I will move my business from a small locaadult. tion to a big location, and I will keep my best friendship circles small but Thinking about the past 10 years makes me think of all the great people love big. who have come and gone in my life. Those friendships that last a summer, Happy New Year, fans, friends and family. or relationships that last two weeks, and some stick around for the long haul. One of my first friends in Colum- Love ya, Robby
Mary Ann Brandt Christmas Show @ Wall Street by Robby Stephens, Social Tsar Mary Ann Brandt and cast returned for their annual Christmas special at Wall Street Nightclub. I was most impressed by the costumes used in this year’s show. Here are some of the fun faces we found in the crowd! For more photos from my night at Mary Ann’s show, check our Facebook page.
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You should know by now that Robby takes a ton of photos . Visit our Facebook page for the rest.
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8.5 million is the same amount in pounds of food that Chad has eaten at Hollywood’s Epic Buffet! Another big winner!
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Project Zero Party @ The Bluestone 12-01-2012
photos by Andrew Williams
ONO: Story of My Life ticket winners 12-06-2012
Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus Book Release @ Lincoln Theatre 12-06-2012
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Network Columbus @ Huntington Center 12-12-2012
Check out Facebook.com/outlookcolumbus for more photos and to tag your friends.
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Bob prefers a quicky. Less muss and fuss.
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Bravo to Train Police on LGBT Victims’ Needs
terested in the program on Jan. 17 from 5:30p7p at the Boat House at Confluence Park, 679 W Spring St, near the Arena District.
BRAVO, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Or(More info:: liveunitedcentralohio.org/prideganization, has received a federal grant to train leadership) police and other agencies across Ohio that work with LGBT victims of sexual violence, domestic ‘Who’s Who’ Highlights violence and stalking.
150 in Second Edition
LGBT victims often face extra, unique barriers to Who’s in Who’s Who? the services they need, BRAVO says. The grant will teach agencies to take those needs into acThe second edition of Who’s Who in GLBT Columcount. bus features nearly 150 people and couples “The need for equitable services for all survivors from Central Ohio: business owners and execuremains,” BRAVO Executive Director Gloria Mc- tives, government leaders, media figures, entertainers and activists. Cauley said. “BRAVO is excited to be a part of bringing a wider array of fully funded services, The book, published by Columbus-based Who’s training and technical assistance for mainstream providers, community organizations and Who Publishing with the help of outlook writers and editors, was unveiled in December at a relaw-enforcement agencies.” ception at the Lincoln Theatre. BRAVO is working with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the Ohio Alliance to End Sex- “This book is truly not so much about its participants as it is about creating a historical docuual Violence on the effort, to be called the BRAVO Statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans- mentation of our community ... and an oasis of hope for those looking to not feel so alone,” asgender, Queer Safe Zone Project. sociate publishers Christopher Hayes, Erin The grant comes from a U.S. Department of Jus- McCalla and Chad Frye wrote. tice program that provides grants for culturally Among people featured in the book are “living specific services to different communities. legends” Mary Ann Brandt, Barbara “Wahru” Cleveland, Linda Cox, Lynn Greer, Jose Ro(More info:: www.bravo-ohio.org) driquez, Steve Shellabarger and Suzie Simpson.
United Way Classes Aim to Boost LGBT Leadership
Books can be purchased through Who’s Who Publishing.
You can sit back and complain when you see a lack of diversity around you, or you can help make local organizations more diverse. The United Way of Central Ohio is seeking people to take part in its yearly series of seminars designed to increase volunteer opportunities for LGBT residents of the area and boost the voice of our collective community in the leadership of local nonprofits. The Pride Leadership program is a series of 10 to 12 sessions over eight months on topics such as organizational planning, fundraising, leadership and fiscal management. Fifteen to 18 people are chosen for each year’s class. There’s a $500 tuition fee, which some employers cover.
(More info:: www.whoswhopublishing.com)
Called-Out Comedian Calls Gay Jokes ‘Pro-Gay Rights’
have concluded it’s a racist and homophobic place. He wrote: “Whenever a person walked into the bar, Mad Dog asked the audience if the newcomer was gay or straight. Each time, his question was met with a holler of ‘GAY!’ from the crowd. He made jokes about gay people in between songs. We were even treated to his song titled, ‘Those Were the Gays,’ set to the tune of the television theme song, ‘Those Were the Days.’ “The bigotry towards gay people seemed neverending, except when interrupted by racist jokes about African-Americans.”
“Sally was all about getting the job done, whether it be in exploring space, inspiring the next generation or helping make the GRAIL mission the resounding success it is today,” said GRAIL principal investigator Maria Zuber, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. “As we complete our lunar mission, we are proud we can honor Sally Ride’s contributions by naming this corner of the moon after her.” “Sally Ride worked tirelessly throughout her life to remind all of us, especially girls, to keep questioning and learning,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. (More info:: science.nasa.gov)
Adams responded quickly to outlook’s request for comment. He described his show as “progay rights.” “My intentions are to expose the hypocrisy of homophobia, racism, misogyny and other human ailments through humor. To point out, make fun of and celebrate our differences. To laugh at each other and ourselves and to show that we can all have fun together. Most people get it. Sadly, there are some who don’t,” he wrote. (More info:: www.mikemaddogadams.com)
NASA’S Lunar Impact Site Named for Sally Ride NASA has named the site on the moon where twin agency spacecraft landed in December in honor of the late astronaut, Sally K. Ride, who was America’s first woman (and the first lesbian) in space. She was also a member of the probe’s mission team.
Kathy Griffin Schedules Ohio Theatre Show Sitdown. Get a glass of water. We have some major news to share: KATHY GRIFFIN IS COMING TO COLUMBUS! The foul-mouthed two-time Emmy winner and honorary gay male will perform an 8p show at the Ohio Theatre on April 3, according to CAPA, the Columbus Association of Performing Arts. Tickets are priced from $24 to $68 and are already on sale. Griffin has won more titles than a drag queen. She was presented with the prestigious Vanguard Award at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards. The Trevor Project named her a Lifetime Honoree in 2011 for her work. She was named an Honorary Gay at the 2007 GAYVN Awards and Friend of the Year by Aid for AIDS in 2005. (More info:: www.capa.com)
A Columbus man publicly called out a Put-in-Bay comedian in a northern Ohio newspaper last month for a barroom act that included polling the audience on whether they thought fellow patrons were gay. Comedian Mike “Mad Dog” Adams told outlook that he was “surprised and dismayed” by a critical letter to the editor published Dec. 12 in The Beacon, a newspaper in northern Ohio’s Ottawa County. He said his intention was “never, ever to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
Columbus resident Scott Surovjak, a Port Clinton native, attended Adams’ show Nov. 24 at Mr. Ed’s To be considered, you must submit an application by Feb. 7, and your employer must agree to Bar & Grille in his hometown. His letter to The let you attend weekday sessions. The United Way Beacon said he feared someone visiting Port is hosting a recruitment reception for people in- Clinton for the first time that night might
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Do you think Wilson Pickett wrote “Mustang Sally” about Sally Ride? “Ride, Sally, Ride...”
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Chad often participates in an encore presentation of bloody marys at brunch. Like, five of them.
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At Dames Bond, Success Is Every Woman’s Business by Christa Sidman Are you a woman with a passion, hobby or skill you dream of unleashing on the world? Are you unsure about how to launch or sustain your venture? Here in Columbus, there’s a group of professional women waiting to help. It’s called Dames Bond, and it turns everything you knew about business on its ear.
Dames Bond is a Columbus-based networking organization that gives aspiring businesswomen the resources, connections and marketing they need to thrive. For group founder Mary B. Relotto, it starts with encouraging women to believe in themselves. Take Tanya Rutner, by day the chief producing officer at Raising Green Productions, a fundraising consulting firm. In her spare time, Rutner is a travel photographer and she’d always longed to do something with her skill. But her family wasn’t entirely supportive.
When Dames have winning strategies, they share them with the group. Take Kathy Rausch, who sells her products on Etsy.com, an online marketplace that has 15 million members worldwide. To keep her inventory flowing, she uses Pinterest. When Rausch learned that others weren’t aware of the site - an online bulletin-board for articles, products, etc. - she made it a point to show the Dames how to use it.
She turned to Mary B. and the Dames for encouragement. Rutner began printing and selling photographic greeting cards, offering a discount to fundraising groups. “When Tanya sold her first card, she said it was one of the best days of her life,” Relotto said proudly.
The same dynamic plays out one-on-one. “At a recent meeting, I overheard two women talking about contractual agreement,” Relotto said. “The more experienced one outlined all the different types, then added, ‘You just have to decide what works best for you.’”
The Dames Bond community benefits women with all levels of experience, from novices all the way up to seasoned professionals.
In 2013, Relotto said, she’ll start inviting nonmember speakers with extensive retail experience to present to the group.
“I believe women need their own space to figure out how to do business well,” Relotto said. And she provides that space in several ways. Dames Bond Meetings: Making Connections Dames Bond is a diverse group united by the desire to help each other succeed. Members and guests interact at monthly meetings, workshops and other events that are held at the Dames Bond headquarters in the Short North or at members’ places of business. As women discuss their goals, they often form close friendships that may then lead to refer-
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rals. It’s a cooperative, not competitive vibe. It’s different from the usual card-swapping swagger.
The Dames Bond Marketplace: Testing the Waters In September, the Dames Bond Marketplace opened at 1188 N High St in the Garden District of the Short North. It’s where Dames can sell their handmade jewelry, artwork and other products. They pay a monthly fee to display their wares, and a percentage of every sale goes to benefit Dames Bond. “About 50 percent of our vendors also sell their products at other boutiques around town, including Celebrate Local at Easton,” Relotto said. “It’s a women-run shop like ours, but it gets a different clientele. We refer artists to each other all the time.” At any given moment, Marketplace vendors are using their displays to test-market their products. That tends to keep prices low, a boon for shoppers. On average, items run $25 to $55.
service providers can attract new clients. Soon, Key Bank will be sponsoring a 21-inch instore touch-screen monitor that’s linked to the Dames Bond online business database. Shoppers can use the monitor to connect with talented Dames: caterers to lawyers to professional copywriters and others. The Marketplace wants to be an incubator and launch pad for all kinds of women-owned businesses, like North Market was for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and others. “I like to think that if we had been around when Jeni got started, she might have launched her brand with us,” Relotto said. Meet the Grand Dame Relotto, an Ohio native, created Dames Bond for a simple purpose: to give women a networking experience that was worth their time. She’s very much a local girl, committed to improving her city and its female entrepreneurs. “You might say I grew up with Columbus,” she said. “From the Cap to the Garden District, I love everything about what’s happening here now.” Today, Relotto lives in Clintonville with her partner, Claudia, and a Welsh terrier named Henry. She loves to sing, and she often performs for free at LGBT events. She’s involved with Women Generating, Ladies Explorer Club, and the Women’s Council of Central Ohio. She sits on the board of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. Dames Bond meets on the first Monday of every month. Visit www.damesbond.com for more information about the group and the Dames Bond Marketplace. The shop at 1188 N High St in the Short North is open Tuesdays-Thursdays from noon to 6p, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8p, and Sundays from noon to 5p. It’s closed Mondays.
Showcasing Services Online The Dames Bond Marketplace is not just a showcase for artisans. It’s also a place where
For those of you who are slow, Dames Bond is a play on words. You’re welcome.
Small Pond features GLBT 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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Do you think they ever play “telephone” at Teleperformance? What happens if someone gets it wrong?
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Magic Shop: Can You Give Up What’s Holding You Back? by Regina Sewell Step right up. Come one. Come all. Welcome to the Magic Shop! In this shop you will find any trait, quality or characteristic that you wish you had or wish you had more of. This isn’t the shop where you find the Barbie Doll you wanted for Christmas when you were 5 or the chemistry set or telescope you wanted when you were 10. Nor will you find perky breasts, six-pack abs or a pill that instantly takes off unwanted pounds. In this shop, you can find qualities like peace, happiness, serenity, joy, hope and authenticity. It is also a shop that helps you gain fulfilling relationships, better sex, success, prosperity, security, spiritual connection, a sense of safety, love and self-esteem. All you have to do is name what you want and you are on your way to getting it. Ah! But what is it that you truly want? This may be an easy question to answer, but if it isn’t, think about the areas in your life where you feel the most longing, sadness, frustration or fear. If you’re struggling because you and your partner seem to be drifting apart, because you’re not getting along or because you’re tired of feeling alone, perhaps you’re looking for love or intimacy. If you feel like your life has become a meaningless blur of get up, go to work, come home,
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sleep, repeat or you feel like you’re living on autopilot, perhaps you could use a little spontaneity. If you have a sense that you’re not being true to yourself - living the life your parents, your partner or society laid out for you or living in a body that does not match how you feel inside perhaps you’d like some authenticity. If you find yourself working your fingers to the bone but have nothing to show for it, perhaps you could use some success or some prosperity. If you feel hopeless, perhaps you could use a bit of spiritual connection or a dab of hope. But there’s one little catch. In order to get this desired quality, you have to give up something else. It’s only fair. Besides, there is probably something in your way - a characteristic or attribute that you have been holding onto that keeps you from getting what you want. For example, if you tend to be stubborn, your stubbornness has probably served you well. It might even have given you the tenacity you needed to survive your childhood or the gumption you needed to graduate. But stubbornness can get in the way of having intimate relationships, especially if being right becomes more important than hearing and respecting your partner. Going through the motions of life or living the life your parents dreamed of might be life-sucking, but it’s predictable and safe. As long as you
don’t take risks and express your true self, you don’t have to worry so much about being rejected. This is the hard part. You have to take a serious inventory of your life and decide whether or not you really want to change. Are you willing to give up being right or having the last word in order to have a better relationship? Are you willing to take the risk to be yourself in order to have more authenticity? Are you willing to give up or cut back on your drinking and/or drug use in order to pursue your dreams full-tilt? Can you let go of the story you have been telling yourself for years that you are a failure in order to notice how successful you really are and become even more successful? Sometimes the cost of change seems too high. What would it take to make it worth it to you to give up your blocks, obstacles and excuses? Most people find it difficult to change. They need support. They need faith that they can actually do it. They need tools to help them change. And they need compassion for themselves for having difficulties and for the fumbling they are likely to do as they learn how to do things differently. If you are serious about making changes, you don’t really need to step into a magic shop. You already have everything you need to transform your world.
That’s the broken lock from my chastity belt.
You just need support. Few people succeed at making deep changes on their own. Successful businesspeople and successful artists often had at least one supportive parent, teacher, friend or partner that encouraged them and supported them. People who successfully quit smoking, drinking or abusing substances and people who successfully lose weight almost always do so in a supportive group that cheers them on, calls them on their shit and listens with understanding when the going gets tough. One partner can’t save a relationship if the other person doesn’t work to save it with them. So find yourself a group of people struggling with the same issue, make a pact with a friend or partner who understands you, sign up with a coach or personal trainer or work toward the changes with a supportive counselor. Your support network can help you find the tools you need in order to live your life differently and help you find faith in your ability to change. They can also mirror compassion and empathy back to you in those moments when you beat yourself up for not changing fast enough, completely enough, or for needing to change in the first place. Regina Sewell writes Insight Out every month for outlook. To ask her a question, propose a column topic, read about her approach to counseling or check out her books and other writing, go to: www.ReginaSewell.com. Her most recent work, Sliding Away, can be found in Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in Our 40s, edited by Molly Rosen.
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Aww! We love the picture of Tim and his partner in the Reed Arts ad!
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The Year of the Snake We Can Learn a Lesson From Our Venomous Friends by Mickey Weems Kind and gentle are wonderful traits that we all should have. But sometimes our community must resort to less agreeable mannerisms. There are times when we should not play nice. Instead of rainbows and unicorns, we should aspire to be cobras. In 2013, we’re entering the Year of the Snake. Snakes are wise, calculating animals that plan five moves ahead of their opponents. Snakes play to win, and they hold a grudge against those who cross them. They strike quickly and effectively, defeating foes with as much zeal and serenity as they would help their friends. The last two years have seen great progress for LGBT rights. As we work for complete equality, we should prepare for some major legal clashes in 2013 by getting into Snake-Year mode. We should calculate each move for the win and hit homophobes hard, neither forgiving those who opposed us nor forgetting those who supported us in the 2012 election year.
grams to do anything but build a stronger closet, the close association that church and state have in this nation will mean a series of legal battles resolved ultimately by the U.S. Supreme Court, legislative action or a combination of both.
back down if the opposition claims the LGBT community is too unforgiving on this issue.
words, a portion of the human genome is subject to patent.
Young people’s lives are at stake.
The LGBT community must be concerned with anything concerning the building blocks of the human body. The jury may be out as to whether nurture or nature determines orientation, but there is a good chance both play a role, so genetic predisposition for same-sex attraction is a hot issue.
Marriage equality In a 1996 ruling that granted asylum to a Russian lesbian who faced arrest, imprisonment and involuntary psychiatric treatment (reparative therapy by another name) in her native country, Judge Betty Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote: “Human rights laws cannot be sidestepped simply by couching torture in benevolent terms such as ‘curing’ or ‘treating’ the victim.” The Ninth Circuit now is reviewing a California law forbidding reparative therapy for minors. We must insist that the same logic be used for our own LGBT citizens. When anyone says there are two sides to the reparative therapy issue, let them know immediately that their words are offensive, immoral and uninformed.
Marriage equality was approved by voters in four states in 2012. More states will follow in 2013 (supporters are collecting signatures in Ohio), but only after further litigation, referenda and legislation in favor of the LGBT community. A consistent, measured response that claims new ground in each state without conceding anything to the other side is the way to go. Nationally, the U.S. Supreme Court signaled in December that it would review the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s marriage-banning Proposition 8, confirmed by voters in 2008. There are cases currently before state and federal courts concerning spousal benefits for military personnel and parents’ rights in same-sex households.
Anti-bullying Ex-gay therapy (a.k.a. reparative therapy) California has been at the forefront of eliminating ex-gay therapy, starting with protections for minors. But there is big money in snake-oil, faithbased psychology tailored to parents who are encouraged to freak out on their queer kids. Exgay therapists are doing everything they can to convince judges (and the American public) that coercive means to change orientation is a matter of First Amendment speech. Medical science already has spoken against reparative therapy as torture in disguise: ineffective, not based on medicine and dangerous to the victim. Despite spectacular failures of such pro-
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More and more people spoke out against bullying of any kind in 2012. For some institutions, bullying is a way to harass LGBT youth without officially oppressing them, an acceptable means for maintaining anti-gay traditional culture. As with ex-gay therapy, the issue comes down to freedom of speech, which will once again put the controversy before the courts. Violence associated with bullying has its roots in language. If we change the language, behaviors can change as well. Bullying may not go away completely, but it can be reduced to a shadow of the horror it is today. Keep a tally of bullying stories ready at hand to counter the lies, and do not
Results might take longer than expected, and the Supreme Court’s decision, at worst, could support states’ rights to refuse marriages recognized in other states. We might not achieve marriage equality in 2013. But let’s have patience to strike when lesser victories are in range. Final success will come from relentless accumulation rather than sudden revolution. Patent on human gene A biotech company has claimed a patent on genes that can determine whether a woman has greater risk of breast and uterine cancer. In other
Erin is so afraid of snakes that she can’t even look at this page.
The genetics of Trans and Intersex people likewise might be affected down the road by legislation that sets precedence on what in our common biology can be bought or sold. The LGBT community might not be in a position to act on this issue, not yet. But we must be wise and pay attention to court decisions – the time may come when we’ll be glad we did. Involuntary blood alcohol tests Some states are claiming the right to administer on-the-spot blood tests to suspected drunken drivers. Since alcohol levels can vary in a short period of time, they say, such a test is well within appropriate protocol for police. Allowing law enforcement to test our blood on demand sets the stage for other mandatory blood tests, including for HIV or for hormones associated with sex and gender. As with the patent on human genes, vigilance on our part and strategies executed with cool precision are our best strategies when the time is right. 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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You need to get out more! Make a resolution to see more Cbus Theater in 2013... like every show.
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Living Single: Those Relationship and Kid Questions Don’t Discriminate by D.A. Steward Dan Savage’s popular sex-advice column, “Savage Love,” recently featured the story of a straight man experiencing intense badgering from family and friends for his contentment with being single and living alone. This, of course, got me to thinking about my own similar situation. At the apparently old age of 27, family and friends are constantly asking me when I’m going to settle down. As if this state of being is as easily made as deciding on dessert for dinner.
When I first came out, my very large family mostly ignored the revelation and following backlash. Many said they already suspected it, and others just spewed some offensive Bible scripture at me and went on their way. But now, nearly 10 years later, I can’t spend a holiday without getting the question, “When are you going to settle down and adopt some children?” at least a dozen times. And I also face the equal torture of my friends, most of whom are now married with children, mentioning, “You know, there’s this guy I work with, and I think you two will really hit it off.”
But then I got to thinking about a source from my column last month on religion and The Black Church, who made the statement: “It is a sociological reality that oppressed groups are typically conservative.”
I guess I’m only surprised because I expected to skip this new modern-day form of arranged marriages because of my naturally alternative black and gay disposition. No such luck.
That’s definitely true. Any group of people who are outcast from society spend much of their civil rights fight making it known they deserve the same conservative lifestyle as everyone else, trying to “get to normal” as it were. So it makes sense that a straight Dan Savage reader would be living a similar experience.
My own mother, who in childhood would forcefeed me the Book of Leviticus like her life depended on it, has transformed her “subtle” hints from, “You just haven’t met the right girl. Don’t you think [insert random female member of her church here] is pretty?” to “Is [insert name of boy I’ve been on two dates with here] joining us for Christmas?”
This conservative idea of settling down, having children and taking up shop in the suburbs is socially nondiscriminatory.
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Next year I’m already slated to attend two weddings. In one I hold the cheeky title “Man of Honor” (being a girl’s decade-long gay best
friend comes with certain corny side effects). But of course the first question is always, “Will you be bringing a date?” Another conservative disposition I never thought I’d come up against: the sad single girl at the wedding, featured in every subpar romantic comedy ever made. In the aforementioned advice column, Savage references Eric Klinenberg, a New York University professor of sociology who recently authored some fascinating findings in Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone. There’s a social commentary that’s emerged over the past few years that the rise of social media has made our society lonelier and more disconnected from each other than ever before. The prevailing understanding is that we’re spending more time with each other on Facebook and Twitter than in actual human-to-human interaction, and in turn it’s stifling our collective ability to relate to one another. But Klinenberg says this isn’t true. According to Going Solo, we’ve simply become better at and more content with autonomy. According to Klinenberg’s research, 22 percent of American adults were single in 1950. Now that number is almost 50 percent, and one-person households represent 28 percent of all households. Klinenberg also says the Pew Research Center is reporting the average age of first mar-
Keep the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul.
riage is the highest ever recorded, rising five years in the past half-century. “For young professionals, it’s a sign of success and a mark of distinction, a way to gain freedom and experience the anonymity that can make city life so exhilarating. For someone who’s recently divorced, it’s a way to reassert control over your life and maybe become less lonely. A bad marriage can make a person feel more isolated than being single,” Klinenberg told The New York Times early last year. Apparently the single life is now the norm. It’s funny how things change. Straight Lonely Dude and I are cut from the same cloth, despite the fact that there are groups of people who think I’m a threat to traditional values. We all have more in common than just the blood running through our veins, and tapping into this fact can lead to social reform. My conservative Pentecostal mother may not know it, but her badgering me to find a husband is actually supportive of the gay rights movement. D.A. Steward writes The Other Side every month for outlook. He also hosts Queer Minded, an online radio show that airs live every Thursday at 8p at talktainmentradio.com. You can find more on all his projects at www.dwaynesteward.com.
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I often think Erin is like a candle in the wind... she’s bright, smells goods, and has got some flickering dance moves.
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Another year of living by Mario Pinardi Having my own bottle of expensive champagne and a piece of ass in the morning is the best way to bring in the New Year. Hubby usually works New Year’s Eve, but I get to wake up next to him and make him my New Year’s Day trick. We all celebrate and find new beginnings in our own special ways. Some of you are celebrating a new love, some of you are putting closure on life drama from 2012, and some of you are just celebrating another year of living. For 2013, I am celebrating eight years with my love, another year of living and more closure from my parents’ deaths. I know it sounds depressing, but it is not. In my youth, I was just plain old crazy. If you could rub it, snort it, pop it or lick it - I did it. Under the influence, I had intimate relations with many men, all shapes and sizes and flavors, including a little person (and not all of him was petite or bite-sized). Some of these men were not the best judgment calls on my part, and some of them I wanted to get to know better. But at that time, my hole just wanted a hot beef injection. I am lucky that my Hubby has never been turned off by my sordid past; he just gives me the “oh no you didn’t” look and then starts laughing. I am very lucky that I am pretty healthy after abusing my body for years, although I still need to lose weight and I need to eat better. In 2013, I hope to seek help to make some better health decisions, but only after I drink a whole bottle of champagne on Dec. 31. Next year, I will have been with the same man for almost eight years, which is still unreal to me. Hubby is truly the opposite of me, but we have important things in common. We both are introverts (don’t laugh), we are cinophiles, and we both love adventure and traveling. However, you will never see us watching TV together. Hubby will watch gruesome, scary shit, and when I watch TV (I barely do), it is usually comedy. We also do not like the same foods. In fact, he dislikes a lot of what I eat, but I will say that Hubby will at least try new food. Patience, blatant communication, and the ability to laugh with honesty have made eight years work for us. In 2013, I hope to go on new adventures and con-
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That was the last one I swear.
tinue to embrace the good things that we bring out in each other. In 2010, my life got turned upside down - both of my parents died within three months of each other. First, my mom passed of a stroke and my dad passed three months later with lung issues and a broken heart. Years before their deaths, it became heart-wrenching to see their gradual deterioration, and yet when they died, it was freeing to know they were finally at peace and no longer ill. It has truly taken two years for me to feel peaceful and to understand how my life has changed. Death brings a big sloppy stew of emotions and relationship issues. During the grieving process, I lost many friends because they truly were not friends - they were toxic beings that I was afraid to let go of because they bought me shots. In the end, they were truly never there for me. In the grieving process, I did gain new friends, and I strengthened many old friendships, too. Last year was a year that began to give me closure and peace. In 2013, I hope to continue finding closure and I hope to stop trying to analyze my feelings or lack thereof. I never revealed any of this to anyone because we, as a society, view mental health as unimportant and we attach a stigma to those who are experiencing mental illness. This needs to stop. Do not be afraid to ask for help and do not be afraid to say that you are not well - another lesson I learned while grieving (stepping off my soapbox, now). I look forward to sharing with you more dysfunction and more of my life’s journeys. I am not perfect and I am beyond tainted. If you got any message out of any of my columns in 2012, it’s that I hope you feel safe and comfortable with your own imperfections, and understand that it is OK to laugh at yourself. Please remember to always be a survivor and never be a victim. A tip for 2013: if you start out the year with a good fuck, try a different lube. We fucked with bacon-flavored lube recently and Hubby said it was like breakfast at Denny’s without the shame or guilt. Nice. Mario Pinardi writes Super Mario World every month for outlook. You can follow him on Twitter at @mariowp3.
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If Ann were to interview Spiderman, what do you think her opening queston would be? “So Spidey, where do you hang out?”
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Not Perfect
Columbus Scores High, But Not Among Highest in HRC Index by Bob Vitale
isn’t needed. That’s because Columbus expanded city laws A new domestic-partner regto protect transgender resiistry and a new lesbian police dents in 2008, so bias against chief pushed Columbus into the them is prohibited now by all top tier of cities in a national local employers - including City report measuring how local Hall. governments treat their LGBT residents. Like the city’s internal policies, its laws banning discrimination But we’re still no New York, Los in employment, housing and Angeles or San Francisco. public accommodations included what was once considIn its new Municipal Equality ered a catchall category of Index, the Human Rights Cam- “sexual orientation.” paign knocked Columbus for failing to pledge that it won’t Eleven cities - St. Louis was the discriminate against transgen- only one in the Midwest der city employees, for not re- scored a perfect 100 points in quiring city contractors to offer the survey. At 83 points, Columdomestic-partner benefits, and bus ranked higher than Cincinfor not designating a liaison be- nati and Cleveland but below tween police and the LGBT Midwestern neighbors such as community. Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Ann Arbor. Columbus ranked 31st among 137 U.S. cities included in the HRC looked at state capitals, report, which HRC said it plans the nation’s biggest cities and to update annually. those with high numbers of same-gender couples. Ratings Officials who see Columbus’ were based on inclusive laws, gay-friendly reputation as a policies and services - everypoint of pride said they’ve althing from legal recognition of ready addressed one issue in relationships to anti-discrimiwhich the city was found lack- nation ordinances to LGBT offiing. Days after the report was cials in elected or appointed published in December, City office. Council members voted to extend already existing familyColumbus has all the basics: Its leave policies to include city anti-discrimination law has employees with domestic part- covered people’s sexual orienners. tation since 1994, although gender-identity wasn’t included But they took exception to an- until more recently. Businesses other ding from HRC. with city contracts can’t discriminate, either. Dan Williamson, spokesman for Mayor Michael Coleman, said There’s a Community Relations an internal non-discrimination Commission (1990) that hears statement for transgender city discrimination complaints. City employees and job applicants workers’ health benefits cover
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domestic partners (2010). A domestic-partner registry for LGBT couples has been in place since August.
LGBT residents or anyone else with concerns. In a profile of Jacobs in the recent edition of Who’s Who in GLBT Columbus, the chief said she has worked to foster dialogue within the division and between police and the LGBT community.
But Williamson said Columbus officials haven’t considered taking another step that’s considered a matter of fairness in the HRC report. There are no “We’ve been working with the plans, he said, to make domes- community to make sure we Home Sweet Homes Eleven cities scored perfect 100s in The Human Rights Campaign’s first-ever Municipal Equality Index: • Boston • Portland • Cambridge, Mass. • St. Louis • Long Beach, Calif. • San Diego • Los Angeles • San Francisco • New York • Seattle • Philadelphia
Foundation, wrote in the report. “What we found motivated us. Even in states with few legal protections, LGBT equality is on the move on the municipal level.”
about their cities’ perfect scores. But some of the places renowned as America’s gay capitals didn’t live up to their longstanding reputations, HRC researchers found.
Richard Florida, an expert on cultural trends and demographics, wrote in an introduction that cities across the country are in a competition to attract new jobs. Those viewed as open, tolerant places have the edge in drawing employers from growing fields, as well as the people who want to work for them, he said.
Provincetown, Mass., tied with Omaha for 74th place on the list. The city has no anti-discrimination laws on its books, according to the HRC report. Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors, Fla., ranked barely higher, tied at 69th.
“Members of the creative class - the 40 million workers, a third of the American workforce, the Pack Your Bags! Get Out! scientists and engineers, innoHere are the bottom 10 of 137 cities rated by the HRC: vators and entrepreneurs, re• Juneau, AK • Baton Rouge, LA searchers and academics, • Pierre, SD • Cheyenne, WY architects and designers, • Avondale Estates, GA • Frankfort, KY artists, entertainers and media • Jackson, MS • Jefferson City, MO types and professionals in busi• Pleasant Ridge, MI. • Montgomery, AL ness, management, healthcare See the full HRC report and complete scorecards for 137 cities and law who power economic studied at www.outlookcolumbus.com. growth - place a huge premium on diversity,” Florida wrote. “In tic-partner benefits mandatory have a good relationship,” she fact, they use it as a proxy to for any business that wishes to said. “The more people who are determine whether a city will win city contracts. out on the force, the better the provide a welcoming and stimrelationship will be.” ulating environment for them.” “It may not be something we’re ready to do,” he said. Still, Columbus was praised in That helps explain why Columthe HRC report among nine bus and other cities trumpet And although Police Chief Kim- cities that scored high marks such rankings. berly Jacobs became the first despite a lack of state laws reopenly gay officer to lead the quiring fair treatment. Philadel- “Columbus is a special place to force when she was appointed phia, St. Louis, Austin and Fort live and work because our resiin April, the division has no offi- Worth, Salt Lake City, Ann Arbor, dents value everyone in our cial liaison to the LGBT commu- Tucson, and Atlanta were the community,” City Council Presnity. others. ident Andrew Ginther said in a news release publicizing the Public Safety spokeswoman “Some of our community’s ear- report. Amanda Ford said Columbus liest victories took place in police have community liaisons cities and municipalities,” Chad The mayors of Boston, Philadelin each precinct who work with Griffin, president of the HRC phia and Portland tweeted
The Main St bridge has one of the best views of the city. It’s a great place to propose sans the spiders.
New Hope, Penn., ranked 92nd. The Detroit suburb of Ferndale, Mich., ranked 106th. The report’s authors emphasized that their ratings don’t reflect cities’ quality of life or cultures of tolerance, though. Researchers took into account only whether laws, policies and services protected LGBT residents from discrimination. But they also concluded: “A growing body of research has shown that cities that have significant and vibrant gay and lesbian communities have higher levels of income, life satisfaction, housing values and emotional attachment to their community.” Three cities - Frankfort, Ky.; Jefferson City, Mo.; and Montgomery, Ala. - scored no points. Nine of the bottom 10 cities in the Municipal Equality Index are in states that voted for Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. Bob Vitale can be reached at bvitale@outlookmedia.com.
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We heard these two were a wild time at Wellington.
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In Office, and Out Terry Brown’s Campaign Was a Family Affair by Bob Vitale
knowing, either.
The fact Terry Brown had to spend so little time talking about being gay makes it seem almost unremarkable that he was elected in November as Franklin County’s new recorder of deeds.
“I never thought I’d be in government. No one in my family held political office. My dad spent the majority of his life repairing, sanding and installing wood floors.”
“I spent a lot of time talking to people about saving taxpayer dollars,” he said. But the fact he’s the first openly LGBT candidate ever elected to Franklin County office proves otherwise. He’ll take the oath of office on Jan. 7 with partner Joel Bradley by his side, right where he was during the whole campaign.
Brown grew up “in Central Ohio,” as he puts it, moving around after his parents divorced when he was 7-years-old. He attended elementary and middle schools in Columbus but graduated from Lancaster High School in Fairfield County. He went to Capital University to study pre-law, but changed his mind after an internship with a medical-malpractice and personal-injury firm.
Brown didn’t have to talk much about his sexuality during the campaign - it wasn’t even mentioned in the post-election edition of The Columbus Dispatch - but he didn’t hide it, either. Not from the press, not from pastors, not from anyone.
He came back to Columbus to wait tables after figuring out that the graduate degree he was pursuing at the University of North Texas would result in more debt than income. He was studying communications in narrative and performance; he planned to become a storyteller.
“Joel was everywhere with me. His name was on my bio. I had the attitude that, aside from the Franklin County Republican Party, there is no group I wouldn’t go to,” said the 34-year-old Democrat, who lost a race for county auditor in 2010.
He met Bradley, a political consultant, at Havana two nights after Election Day in 2002.
“I never assumed people would not support me because I’m gay,” Brown said. “I went to all the churches. I went to all the banquets. I went to the Baptist Ministerial Alliance.” Brown defeated Republican incumbent Daphne Hawk with 58 percent of the vote. Now he’ll spend his workdays running the 55-employee recorder’s office - and explaining to people just what a county recorder of deeds does, anyway. There was a time Brown had little interest in
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“We’ve been together ever since,” Brown said. The couple lives in Columbus’ Westgate neighborhood. In 2007, Brown and Bradley had a commitment ceremony that was the first performed at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Merion Village. In 2009, they were married in Iowa. In August, they were the first couple to sign Columbus’ new domestic-partner registry. “We’ve been married everywhere,” Brown said. “When Ohio allows marriage, I told Joel we’ll renew our vows.” Bradley laughed, “We’ve covered most of the bases.” Happily-ever-after didn’t come easy, though. Brown came out during college at Capital, a
Lutheran school that lists tolerance among its Christian values. He grew up in a Pentecostal church, though, where he heard a different message. “I kept believing it was something I could overcome,” he said. His father came around quickly after Brown came out. He performed a reading at his son’s commitment ceremony. Brown said he hasn’t spoken with his mother in a few years. Bradley said his partner enjoyed campaigning for office - “he’s pretty outgoing and loves to be around people” - but will enjoy holding office as well. The county recorder’s office keeps all realestate deeds and mortgages, as well as living wills, business filings and other documents that state law requires. Customer-service is a priority. It’s a bureaucracy people can’t avoid, and Brown campaigned in part on his experience overseeing how a county office dealt with the public. How much does he believe in helping people out? He donated a kidney to a coworker’s husband a few years ago. Bradley waited with the friend and her husband, the eventual recipient, while Brown was in surgery. He had offered a kidney to another friend earlier, but he wasn’t a match. “He had already determined it was something he would be willing to do, and he was in a position to do it,” Bradley said. “When he sees something that he believes is the right thing to do, he doesn’t stand on the sidelines.” Brown started working for government in 2003 in the office of then-Franklin County Treasurer Richard Cordray, rising from the mail room to customer-service supervisor. At various times he oversaw tax liens and bankruptcies, not the best
I love you. Don’t screw this up and embarrass me.
interactions with government for the people going through them. It matters who holds seemingly bureaucratic county offices, he said. With Cordray and current Treasurer Ed Leonard, he helped people devise payment plans for their debts and put them in touch with needed social services. Brown has worked as the internal auditor for Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk Lori Tyack, another Democrat, since 2010. “T.J. served the people of Franklin Country extremely well in my county treasurer office,” Cordray wrote from Washington, D.C., where he’s now director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “He cracked down on delinquent taxpayers who did not pay their fair share, but always treated people with compassion and understanding who were in difficult financial situations. He is a first-class public servant.” Brown said he picked up his work ethic from his dad, who encouraged him to start delivering papers at age 12. He has had a job for all but six months of the 22 years since. Now the real work begins. He keeps thinking these days of the advice of his college speech coach, who would good-naturedly tell students before competitions: “Don’t screw up and embarrass me.” In addition to being the first openly gay county office-holder, Brown will be the first Democrat to serve as recorder in 30 years. “I feel like I’ve got a responsibility to get it right,” he said. Bob Vitale can be reached at bvitale@outlookmedia.com.
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Please let us know if you plan to audition for AGT! We’ll follow your career in outlook!
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 ART FOR ART’S SAKE Ohio Art League Curated Exhibition @ Riffe Gallery, 77 S High St, 614.644.9624, www.riffegallery.org: Eighteen of the council’s members are showcased in this exhibit. Both seasoned and emerging artists will be shown. 10a-8p; free.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30 I ALWAYS THOUGHT HE’D MARRY HERMIONE... Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 614.294.1659; www.promowestlive.com. No relation to Harry Potter, Grace and her band of bats and opossums will rock you with tunes off their 2012 album: the Lion the Beast the Beat. 7p; $22.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24 DID YOU THINK YOUR GREAT-GRANDPARENTS MET AT A CHURCH PICNIC? Tavern Tour: The Gentleman’s Club of Three Eras of Columbus @ The Jury Room, 22 E Mound St, 614.221.4508, www.columbuslandmarks.com: And what, you think you discovered drinking? It’s been a Columbus pastime from waaaaaay back. Advance purchase required. 6p9p; $25-$30.
MONDAY, JANUARY 21 WE STILL HAVE A DREAM… Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast @ Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St, 614.827.2500, mlkjrbreakfast.com: Join the city of Columbus in celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through this honorary birthday breakfast. 7a-10a; $35.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18 YOU SAY OHAYO, I SAY OHIO Ohayocon 2013 @ Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St, 614.827.2500, ohayocon.org: Fans of anime, manga and nerd culture, rejoice! The Midwest’s largest anime convention returns again for three days of insanity, sleep-deprivation and awkward stares from people across the street. Drivers should be warned ahead of time to watch for bands of pink-haired teens at crosswalks. $30-$55.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 Innovators & Inventors: The Black Inventors @ King Arts Complex, 867 Mt. Vernon Ave, 614.645.5464, www.kingartscomplex.com: America is known throughout the world for the creative genius of its people. This exhibition highlights contributions by the genius of AfricanAmerican inventors who contributed to the reshaping of the mechanical world and inventions used everyday. From the ironing board and lemon squeezer to the stop light and gas mask, their accomplishments are rarely known. Many African-Americans impacted the world while overcoming poverty, lack of education and racial prejudice. Noon-7p; free.
MONDAY, JANUARY 21 HERE’S ONE DREAM THAT CAME TRUE President Obama’s Inaugural @ U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.; www.2013pic.org: Even if Chief Justice John Roberts messes up the oath again, at least you know the inaugural address is going to be good. Or just tune in to see what Michelle is wearing. The presidential and vice-presidential oaths start at noon, followed by the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. The first lady shows off her inaugural gown that night.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Pride Night at the Schott: www.gayhockeyohio.com/os u-pride-night.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 MR. GAY WAS ANTI-GAY. Exhibit: Donald Moffett: The Radiant Future and Mr. Gay in the USA @ Columbus College of Art and Design, Canzani Gallery, 60 Cleveland Ave, 614.224.9101, www.ccad.edu: It is some of the last few days to check Donald Moffett’s exhibition of his oil paintings. 12p-5p; free.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11 DAS BOOT! Columbus Winter Beerfest @ Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St, 614.827.2500, columbusbeerfest.com: Come on down to the Convention Center to get wasted! Errr, make that to support the arts, of course. Proceeds from the Winter Beerfest go to the Big Joe Dunkin Music Foundation and the Columbus Jazz Arts Group. Did we mention 350 craft beers on tap? Runs through Saturday. 7:30p; $35-$45.
MONDAY, JANUARY 14 MY DREAMGIRL DON’T EXIST… Jeff Mangum @ Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.292.0330, www.wexarts.org: The Wexner Center’s Next @ Wex series showcases indie innovators. Mangum, the usually reclusive leader of Neutral Milk Hotel, has invited experimental-folksters Tall Firs and Briars of North America to open. 8p; $30.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12 ANOTHER APPROPRIATED BIT OF GAY CULTURE World’s Toughest Rodeo @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.246.2000, www.nationwidearena.com: Apparently straight people do rodeos, too. In this one, cowboys and rodeo clowns show off their skills. 7:30p; $17-$77.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 1 NO SHAMEFUL ACTS WILL BE FORGOTTEN, THANKS FACEBOOK. Resolution Time @ wherever you woke up this morning, 1.888.REGRETS, www.ileftmyundies.com: Now that you’ve peeled yourself off the floor and completed your walk of shame, it’s time to make fake promises to yourself about the new you for 2013.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 LORDY LORDY LOOK WHO’S 40! Chris Hayes’ 40th Birthday
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MONDAY, JANUARY 28 I MISS BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY… Doktor Kaboom! @ Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com: It only takes one man to show you the wonders of science with a blend of theatrics. 10a-1p; $5.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 VA-VA-VA-VOOOOOOM! Girls, Gags And Giggles – A Night of Stand Up Comedy & Burlesque @ Madlab Theatre and Gallery, 227 N 3rd St, 614.221.5418. www.madlab.net: Featuring the city’s funniest stand-up comics and most talented burlesque dancers on one stage. Featuring standup by Justin Golak, Chris Coen and Erik Tait, and featuring burlesque dancing by Charie Blondell and friends. 8p, 10:30p; $8-$10.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 STRAIGHT WOMEN/GAY ROMANCE Book Discussion/Signing @ Galleria Evangelia, 4269 N High St, 614.354.6557, lisamowens.com: Your whole life has been like a gay-romance novel, hasn’t it? Former Dispatch travel editor Lisa Reuter’s hasn’t, but she’s doing pretty well writing them. She’ll sign her new novel, Worth the Coming Home, and talk about the genre, and writing under a pen name. (Hers is Lisa M. Owens.) 2p-4p; free.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 SING IT, BROTHERS Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus Illuminati @ Westerville Community United Church of Christ, 770 County Line Rd, 614.882.7056, www.cgmc.com/illuminati: The chorus ensemble that works to be a bridge between the GLBT and religious communities performs at Sunday services. 11a; free.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 HEY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! Marilyn Manson @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave, 614.461.5483, www.promowestproductions.com: Feeling the need to get your screamo on? Or maybe you’re looking for an excuse to bring those whips out of the bedroom and onto the street. This concert is the spot for all those things. 7p; $39-$42.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 THAT’S CIRCUS OF THE SYMPHONY IN ENGLISH Cirque de la Symphonie @ The Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, 614.228.8600, www.columbussymphony.com: The artistry and acrobatics of Cirque de Soliel are paired on stage with the sounds of a full orchestra. Peel your eyes off the clarinet section if you can and check out the acrobats and contortionists. 8p; $31-$81.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 NOT EVERY TALENT NEEDS TO BE BROADCAST America’s Got Talent Open Casting @ Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St, 800.626.0241, www.AGTauditions.com: Show off your talents for the chance to win $1 million - or to meet really cool celebs. Don’t forget unconventional is always welcome, and inappropriate is always entertaining. Say hi to Sharon Osbourne for us! 8a-7p; free.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18 DANCE LIKE AN EGYPTIAN Columbus Dance Theatre: PNC Arts Alive Presents Cleopatra @ Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, 614.384.5640, www.columbusdancetheatre.com: The Egyptian fashions of Cleopatra are always a knockout. We can’t even imagine how good they’ll look twirling around the stage in this world-premiere ballet. There are also Saturday showings at 3p and 8p. 8p; $15-$30.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 O-H! WAIT, WHERE WERE WE? OSU Women’s Basketball vs. Illinois @ the Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr, 1.800.ARENA.01; www.schottensteincenter.com: The Buckeyes have been a Top 20 team for most of the season. 2p; $5-$11.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9 HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN... RIGHT? Columbus Metropolitan Club Luncheon: Blue Chip Economic Forecast @ Athletic Club of Columbus, 126 E Broad St, www.columbusmetroclub.com: Local economist Bill LaFayette, owner of Regionomics, joins other experts to talk about the Central Ohio. Noon; $40.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 IT’S NOT A DANCE PERFORMANCE, IT’S JUST MUSIC FROM VIENNA Columbus Symphony Orchestra: Vienna Dances @ Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St; 614.228.8600; www.columbussymphony.co m: The symphony will play pieces of Viennaborn composers. 8p; $25-$65.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10 RACE, CLASS, SEXUALITY = COMEDY GOLD. Available Light Theatre: The History Boys @ MadLab, 227 N Third St, 614.558.7408, www.avltheatre.com: This production takes on some pretty hefty topics and spins them into comedy. Come ready to laugh about the adventures in issues of race, class and growing up gay. The play runs through Jan. 19. 8p-10p; $1-$50.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 NOW THAT GAS PRICES HAVE DROPPED... Monster Jam @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.246.2000, www.nationwidearena.com: “These colorful, larger-than-life beasts are sure to capture the hearts of both young and old.” Is this a monster-truck show or a Disney movie? Runs through Saturday, Jan. 5. 7:30p; $11-$54.
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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.
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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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What’s Developing in 2013? by Alisa Caton
and finish in 2014.
Sure, we could let 2013 happen. We could let events take their course, wait 12 months, sit back and watch, and wrap it all up in a nice little package.
600 Goodale The new, large apartment complex near the Arena District and Grandview Heights will open in late spring, and residents will be able to move in this summer. The five-story building will hold 174 units, with the first floor providing parking for occupants.
But why wait? The new year will bring a lot of change to Columbus. With new residential and retail developments opening up, Downtown will get another major makeover. People already living in and around the center of the city will have new shops, galleries and restaurants. Those looking to relocate will have more living options.
talizing the former industrial area of Italian Village. Wagenbrenner has now taken control of Jeffrey Place and has big ideas for the area. President Mark Wagenbrenner said there are plans for 1,300 total units and a community center that will include a restaurant and workout facility with an on-site pool. He said his company wants to respect the surrounding architecture in the historic neighborhood, but it also wants a modern look to the project.
When it comes time to look back on 2013, these are sure to be the biggest topics. So let’s review the year that has yet to be:
Brett Kaufman, who is spearheading the project as CEO of Kaufman Developments, said the complex will focus on community service, wellness and sustainability. It will provide opportunities for residents to help people by serving meals and hosting food drives. Kaufman also is working to provide activities like yoga, boot camp and meditation. To fulfill the sustainability aspect, electric car charging, free recycling and community gardens will be available.
Pizzuti Gallery/ the Joseph project The Short North is in for a new boutique hotel, gallery, parking garage and office space. The first phase of the development, the Pizzuti Art Gallery, is scheduled to open during the first quarter of the year in a former insurance-company headquarters building across from Goodale Park at 632 N Park St.
Harrison Park Land that was previously a soybean- and margarine-processing plant has been taken over by Wagenbrenner Development and restored to house luxury rental apartments and condominiums. Located at the end of First Avenue in Harrison West, the units will feature stainless-steel appliances and hardwood floors.
The 20,000-square-foot gallery is named after the developer who created and built the entire project. The space will feature a good portion of the Pizzuti family’s art collection, and local and national work will be showcased as well. The hotel and other portions of what’s called the Joseph project will start construction in the spring
The mixed-use space (pictured above) will have 72 apartments and 350-car parking open to the public, which Wagenbrenner said will help the whole district overall. A courtyard in the middle of the development also is planned - for residents’ use only - with benches and tables. There will be 17,000 square feet of retail space, and companies like Fifth Third Bank and Paper Daisy have already begun to buy.
Parking under the building, a recreation center, pool and workout facility will all be available to residents. The development is set to open in April.
The Hubbard will feature a restaurant, which will be announced in the coming months.
Jeffrey Place Many have tried but few have succeeded in revi-
Neighborhood Launch Edwards Company decided not just to build a new residential complex Downtown, but also to
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“We are seeing the national trends, and we are just going with that movement,” he said. Construction on the site will begin early this year. The Hubbard Located at High and Hubbard in the Short North, this development is a shared project between Wagenbrenner and Elford Reality.
If you build it, they will come. Especially if there’s a frozen yogurt place on the first floor.
revitalize nine city blocks spanning from Gay and Fourth street to the Columbus College of Art & Design. The new neighborhood will have two luxury apartment buildings, with a total of 260 units, and condos. The first apartment building on Long Street is expected to open this fall. Within a year, construction on the second apartment building will start and the condominium building will continue for the next four to five years. The development will have outdoor pools and a workout facility. Seven parks and water fountains will be in the neighborhood. The new Hills Market on Grant Street is part of the new neighborhood and will be close for residents. “We are hoping to bring more restaurants and retail, but you have to have the people here first,” said Travis Samson, a member of the sales team for the development. “There is quite a bit happening down here.” I-71/670, Columbus Crossroads Buildings are not the only part of Columbus to get revamped in 2013. Highways have also received a makeover. Nancy Burton, spokeswoman for Ohio Department of Transportation, said the end is almost near. By the close of 2013, all of the bridges and driving lanes will be complete. The project will continue into 2014, but only for final touches such as landscaping and painting.
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Nothing tastes better than locally produced liquor... or food... or dudes...
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‘Gay Heaven’: Legendary Hot Spot, the Garage is Resurrected by Bob Vitale The first time David Ryan stepped into a gay bar, it was so dark, dingy and depressing that he went back into the closet. Then he entered the Garage. (Cue the ’80s dance music. Cut to the men with moustaches and high-waisted jeans bitching about Ronald Reagan.) “It was New Years Eve 1988. ... When I entered into the Garage, it was like I died and went to gay heaven! It was loud with crazy lights and lots of guys who were out to party and hook up. I got hit on by at least three guys but was a nube and went home with my new friends who took me there.” Ryan, now 50, is a lifelong Columbus resident who maintains a website called ColumbusGayBars.com. The Garage, he says, was an LGBT institution where the drinks were strong, the music was good and everyone all races, gay, straight, guy, girl, young, old - got along. Fast forward to 2013. Dance music from the ’80s is back again, but the hair is better and the jeans are more flattering. And the Garage is coming back for a new generation. In the same space Downtown where it enjoyed a run that spanned three decades from the early 1970s to 1995, business partners Mike Gallicchio, Chris Corso and Brian Swanson plan to resurrect the Garage. With more than 10,000 square feet, the
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new place will feature three distinct environments: a lounge as patrons enter from Long Street, a Florida room-style patio with a retractable roof, and a dance club with sound and light systems they promise will be state-of-the-art. The new Garage will flip on the disco lights sometime this winter, but the exact opening date has yet to be set. Renovations and redecorating are set to begin in January. The club will be open on Saturdays to start. The buildings at 40 E Long St, between High and Third, are known now as the Long Street District. Gallicchio and his partners at The CGS Group (Park Street Cantina, Park Street Patio, the Social Room) came in after its last occupant, Club Ice, shut down in 2010. The three CGS partners are straight, and the Garage is their first business foray into gay nightlife. Gallicchio knows the scene well, though, and he vows to be an active supporter of the GLBT community. “We loved the Garage. We came here and hung out,” he said while walking through the place in December. He got his start DJ’ing there in the 1980s. He says he wants the club to attract the same people - everyone - that the old Garage drew in. But it’ll be more than just another gay-friendly place, he said.
Like other gays of a certain age, Maria Garrison remembers stepping into the Garage and into a whole new world. “It was the first bar I went to,” said the reigning Miss Garage. She was crowned in 1995, the year the club closed. “It was a place for me to go, a place I could step into and feel like I was part of something. I could be comfortable with being myself and not worry about what other people thought.” Garrison will be in charge of entertainment at the new Garage. She has big plans. “A little bit of something in every corner,” she says. “Boys on dancing boxes. Girls on dancing boxes. Really cool theme parties. Shot girls and shot boys. You name it, we want to have it.” There will be a stage in the front lounge for drag shows and a bar running almost the entire length of the room. What was called Trends in the old days will have an upscale but laid-back vibe. Through a hallway, people will move from the lounge to the patio, which Gallicchio sees as “bamboo-ish” and tropical, with palm trees and light colors. It’s as long as the main dance club behind it but much narrower. It’ll be another spot to get out of the crowd, have a seat, relax.
“It’s a gay bar. Yes, absolutely.” “We’re bringing a big mirror ball
over,” Gallicchio says as he steps onto the club’s dance floor. One column already has been made over to house the LED lights that will be synchronized to the music. Around the dance floor, there are three bars, a stage, and an area (“don’t call it VIP,” Gallicchio says) for groups and private parties. And back in a corner, there’s a black corrugated-steel garage door that’s the bar’s namesake. With many local performers locked into contracts elsewhere, Garrison says drag shows will feature bigname out-of-town acts, independent Columbus queens and local up-andcomers. She pictures the new Garage as a cross between Level and Dayton’s Club Masque. But then again, “I really don’t know of another bar I could relate it to.” Garrison and Gallicchio say they hope the Garage will make Downtown a gay destination again. Ryan and others remember constant traffic between a host of Downtown bars that have all since gone away. “I called it the gay triangle of the Garage, the Eagle bar and Herbie’s, as all were Downtown and close to each other,” Ryan said. “When I came out I went out almost every night, and if the Eagle was not active I would just walk down to the Garage.” JD Martin, a Columbus native who’s now a fashion designer in Dallas,
The Garage is back, and bringing the lasers!
calls himself a “Garage guy.” “It seemed massive at the time, and it was the place to be seen. There was a huge dance floor right in the middle where everybody congregated. I remember dancing ’til the lights came on, then heading to Jon’s Village Junction in German Village for breakfast (and to catch up with that cute guy that you’d be giving bus fare in the morning). “And my outfit of choice: a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off, over a baseball shirt. It was a step up from the headbands and double-wrap belts of the Kismet days.” Those are the types of memories Garrison wants to create today. Well, maybe minus the sleeveless sweatshirts and double-wrap belts. “I think it’s going to be a place for everyone,” she says. “I want young people in 25 years to be telling people, ‘This was the first gay bar I went to.’” Bob Vitale can be reached at bvitale@outlookmedia.com.
Let’s talk! Share your memories of the Garage and other Columbus gay bars of the past at www.outlookcolumbus.com or on our Facebook page (like us at Outlook Columbus Magazine). Got pictures? Email them to bvitale@outlookmedia.com.
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by Romeo San Vicente
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY JOINS DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
CHARLIZE THERON WILL HAVE HER VENGEANCE
Maybe you’ve seen photos of recent public ap- OK, truthfully, there’s nothing technically lesbian pearances by actors Matthew McConaughey about this following bit of movie news. Except for, and Jared Leto and wondered why they’re both you know, everything. so emaciated. And you may not be familiar with director Park The answer is “for their craft.” Chan-wook, but the Korean filmmaker’s “vengeance trilogy,” consisting of the movies OldBoth men will play AIDS patients in Canadian boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee’s (C.R.A.Z.Y., The for Lady Vengeance, has been blowing the minds Young Victoria) next project, The Dallas Buy- of foreign film fans for several years now. ers Club, a movie set in the mid-1980s, the bad old days of the AIDS crisis. While the Oldboy remake is already in the can with Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen, today we’re here to McConaughey plays real-life AIDS activist Ron discuss ladies, specifically Charlize Theron in the Woodruff, a heterosexual electrician whose American version of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. battle with the FDA over non-toxic AIDS drugs The Oscar-winner for Monster, having already became a cause taken up by other people liv- proven she can be terrifying and violent, will play a ing with AIDS in a desperate attempt to stay woman imprisoned for 13 years for a crime she did alive. Leto plays a character named “Rayon,” not commit. Then, upon being set free, she wreaks a drag performer who gets involved in the un- deadly havoc on the people who put her there. derground medications movement. Did we say deadly havoc? We meant insane deadly It follows the award-winning documentary havoc. It’s the kind of movie that, if done properly, How To Survive A Plague in a cinematic mini- will be as artful and disturbing as the original. And wave of ’80s AIDS remembrances. With HIV if it’s not done well, it’ll still feature one of cinema’s infections on the rise among young gay men most beautiful women, destroying everything in who weren’t around to experience that decade sight until she’s satisfied. They call that a win-win. of fear, it couldn’t be better timed. And you’re welcome.
JANE LYNCH GETS SOME AFTERNOON DELIGHT The 2013 Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner, and so is Afternoon Delight. That’s not a euphemism for anything related to film festival hookups, by the way. It’s just the name of a comedy premiering at Sundance from director Jill Soloway (Six Feet Under). Starring Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple and Jane Lynch, it’s the story of a Los Angeles housewife who takes in a stripper as her live-in nanny. And if Indie Film Law has anything to say about it, that thong-wearing Mary Poppins is going to teach the family some things about life right after she displays proper pole technique to her young charges. Watch this one get scooped up at the fest and unleashed into art-houses later in 2013.
IT’S ON! X-MEN SEQUEL GETS MCKELLEN AND STEWART Bryan Singer has made it official: The sequel to X-Men: First Class will include the cast of that film, including January Jones, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and
Romeo San Vicente’s approach to vengeance usually just involves watching Emily Thorne hunt down Madeleine Stowe. He can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.
Nicholas Hoult, plus the last two contract negotiators, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart. Singer will direct this next film in the ongoing saga of superpower-having-mutants-as-metaphors-for-being-gay, shooting in London this year for a release date in July 2014. That means all we don’t know yet is the plot. And, as any good Internet user knows, that is a thing for the bloggers to breathlessly announce each time someone gets a tiny morsel of information to share with the salivating movienerd audience. So watch this space. If anything breaks open wide, you’ll be informed.
Bridging the Gap in Arts Education @ the MAC haunted house and Halloween-themed games; hosted a haiku-writing workshop, tea ceremony and poetry open mic; and created a Since 2010, public-school students have family-friendly holiday open house. The probeen required to complete two semesters in One solution is our local community. The gram provides them with real-world experiart between grades 7 and 12. The change Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthing- ence and the type of arts interaction that the was designed to push students to complete a ton not only offers classes for all ages in Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, Ohio Arts more rigorous curriculum that would prepare dance, visual arts, drama/theater and music, Council and Ohio Department of Education them better for careers and higher-education it also provides an arts internship called Art sought to encourage. We see this especially for high schools in experiences in the arts. Off the Square. Rotating between WorthingFor schools that don’t have the space, time, Ohio. A 2011 survey on the status of arts edton high schools (and currently partnering ucation in Ohio schools found only 37 percent Instead, some students who meet that grad- with Thomas Worthington High School for the budget or instructors to offer more arts education, community organizations are a great of high school students were enrolled in any uation requirement before high school don’t 2012-13 school year), students work as a resource. form of arts education, compared to 64 per- take any more arts classes. And high school group to create, plan, budget, market and students who graduate from community cent of middle school students and 76 perstage an artistic event at the MAC on the schools, career programs and dropout-prethird Sunday of every month from October to Every month, outlook offers space to local arts groups to cent of elementary school students. tell their own stories about programs and productions. vention programs are exempt. July. The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington is loAmong issues such as staffing and funding, cated at 777 Evening St. Visit www.mcconnellarts.org to So far this year, students have created a a surprising reason for this gap in arts focus Then there are the 233 Ohio schools that learn more about the center and its offerings. At this point, arts education is almost synonymous with the words underfunded and underappreciated. Even with advocacy groups like the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and the Ohio Arts Council fighting for arts education, incorporating arts education into schools’ core curriculum is still a challenge.
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is attributed to a change in the graduation requirements for students in public schools.
have no arts education at all. That means a lot of young people leave high school each year with very little exposure to the arts.
They should have shot the X-Men prequels all at once. Patrick and Ian aren’t getting any younger; you know what I mean.
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If you look closely in his glasses you can see Rios, Clark, Schulte, Kline and possibly Hayes.
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‘Society’s Child’ Janis Ian Nabs Ninth Grammy Nomination by Erin McCalla While everyone was clamoring about how Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift were snubbed by the Grammys this year, you might not have realized that three talented and respected gay women Rachel Maddow, Ellen DeGeneres and Janis Ian - rule the Best Spoken Word Album category.
EM: Have you read their books or listened to their audio versions? JI: No. I have not and I’m sure they haven’t mine either. I’m sure we’re all desperately trying to catch up now.
pretty much zero, so... I didn’t think I would get this one. We’re going to have a good time. I’m going to wear my favorite boots – it will be great!
EM: Hopefully we will see that change here soon. JI: It’s coming slowly, but much faster than I had ever dreamed it would come.
EM: Are you tired of talking about or singing “At Seventeen”? JI: No, I sing it at every show. I never get tired of it – it’s a wonderful song. It’s a marvelous calling card, and without it, we wouldn’t be talking!
EM: I was having that conversation today; this civil rights movement has progressed faster than any other. JI: This is faster than the voter-registration movement and the Civil Rights Movement. It’s pretty astonishing how The two other nominees in the category quick it is, particularly given that we include Bill Clinton and Michelle EM: You said your last Grammy nomi- EM: I know that there are some artists don’t have a Martin Luther King. It’s Obama. What a group! nation was in 1993 – that was also the that tire of singing their hits, or being pretty amazing. year you came out. known for a particular song. “At SevIan is nominated for the audio version of JI: Correct. Well, that was the year I enteen” seems to be your legacy. EM: Is there anything you want to tell her autobiography, Society’s Child, came out publicly. I was always out to JI: I think that probably if they are tired outlook readers? which is punctuated by vocals of chomy friends and family and the business. of singing their hits, maybe they weren’t JI: Vote for me! [Laughs] But really, ever ruses and relevant lines from songs that lucky enough to have a hit like “At Sev- since I fell in love with my first girlfriend describe each chapter of her life. The EM: Was there any sort of backlash enteen” that moved so many people. at 21, the community has always been title comes from her Grammy-nomiwith your career when you came out supportive, even when I was writing nated song of the same name, released publicly? EM: And it really did. And I think it funny articles at The Advocate. And when she was only 15. JI: I really wouldn’t know – I mean I had moved a lot in the GLBT community. we’ve had our differences; I know there a few letters that said, “I’m going to JI: I would hope so. I would hope so, be- are a lot of people who think I shouldShe has been nominated nine times, in burn all your records,” but I had just as cause it really is a song for outsiders. n’t have gone on Howard Stern, categories from jazz to folk, best vocal, many saying, “What a marvelous thing but in general the community best record. She has won twice and is in to do.” It was probably six of one, half a EM: You mentioned that you were has been very supportive of the Grammy Hall of Fame. dozen of the other, and I think that me going to the Grammys with your wife. me and I’ve always and Ellen and... well, Ellen came out a You were married in Canada, correct? been appreciative I spoke with Ian by phone when she was little later, but me, K.D. [Lang] and JI: We were married in Toronto in 2003, of that. I think home in Nashville. Melissa [Etheridge] all coming out pretty much as soon as you could. We one of the around the same, sort of got the weight were registered for domestic partnership things I reErin McCalla: Congratulations on your of numbers as well. in Provincetown; we were, I think, the ally enjoy ninth Grammy nomination – that’s exsecond couple to register, just as soon about my citing! EM: How do you think it’s different as you could as well. concerts is Janis Ian: Thank you. I’m pretty excited today? To come out now in the public that the myself. Once in a while I forget, and eye? EM: Are you going to get married audience then I go “Oh my God, I have a Grammy JI: I think that now it’s a big deal on a here? is very nomination!” personal level. And in certain profesJI: No. Not so far. We both talked about sions [it’s a big deal] on a professional getting (married) here, but we both feel EM: How does this nomination feel dif- level. But on a sociological level, it’s a like we were legitimately married in the ferent from the rest? Or does it? blip on the radar in a lot of places. But eyes of the law in Toronto and the United JI: You know, the last time was ’93, so it there’s still plenty out there to fix, States needs to recognize our marwas so long I don’t really remember. It though. riage. Although there was the tempwas almost 20 years. Except that it altation to get married in every state, ways feels amazing and always feels... EM: You probably saw more controevery single time (marriage equality lucky. Especially considering the cateversy when you released “Society’s has passed) just for the fun of it, but gory, and considering the other nomiChild” at 15 years old. that’s an awful lot of time and effort. nees. That’s quite a group to be JI: Yeah, I haven’t got any death threats [chuckles] affiliated with. for being a lesbian. That’s true! That’s a good thing. EM: That’s a lot of traveling! EM: You are in the same category with Yes! A lot of traveling. And I think that Ellen, Rachel, Bill Clinton and Michelle EM: Are attending the Grammys? we both feel like it’s important that we Obama. That’s quite the company to JI: I am! My wife and I are going to the be regarded, and that we regard ourkeep. awards! We decided that win, lose or selves as normal. And normal people JI: I know! I keep looking to the punch draw it would be a pretty cool thing to get married once; they don’t go around line of a joke – an ex-president, the first be a part of. I figured my chances of getting married in 15 different places. lady and three lesbians walk into a bar... getting a 10th Grammy nomination are
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EM: Have you met any of the other nominees? Have you met Ellen or Rachel? JI: I’ve met Ellen, she’s the only one of the four.
Listening to the taped interview, Erin resembles Chris Farley when he interviewed Paul McCartney on SNL.
mixed, and they’re a place where people from all different types of life can get together. And I think in that sense, people of the LGBT community have been very supportive. I want to thank people for that. EM: Do you think you will come do a show here in Columbus? JI: I’m actually pretty booked right now for next year, and I’m not going to be doing anything much until fall 2014, when I hope to have a new album. Columbus has always been a great venue for me, so I would hope at that point. EM: Good luck at the Grammys; I’ll keep my fingers crossed. JI: Can’t cross too many of them for me. Erin McCalla can be reached at emmcalla@outlookmedia.com
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Why, what a jazzy scarf!
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Available Light Theatre Brings The History Boys to Columbus by Dillon Deshong Available Light Theatre continues its 2012-13 season in January with The History Boys, directed by Drew Eberly. Set in a grammar school in England in the early 1980s, Alan Bennett’s play is a dark comedy that follows eight intellectual schoolboys as they prepare for the top universities in their country. The story provides interesting perspectives on education, class, race and the difficulties of growing up gay. “I have to give a lot of credit to Alan Bennett, who wrote it. He does bounce around and it does cover a lot, but he does it through the perspective of 18year-old boys,” Eberly said. “It’s fun in the way that it follows the youthful mind as it bounces around and takes so much in. It’s skillfully done in the text.” Eberly, a university admissions counselor, spent an extraordinary amount of time studying the script while in graduate school. “I studied the play more as a piece of
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literature, approaching the piece from a literary standpoint,” Eberly said. “I spent a lot of time with it and began to think of taking it the whole way and doing a production of it. I had written some papers on The History Boys just as a script, and then really became more interested in spending more time with it and seeing a live production in Columbus.” The cast and crew also had to brush up on their history for the production. “History Boys is a unique play in that it’s filled with a lot of references to literature, art and history. So even with the script, there are a lot of things to discover. This is jam-packed with historical information,” Eberly said. “We’ve all basically taken a little history class ourselves as far as getting prepared for all the things that are discussed in this particular play.” Although The History Boys is set in the early 1980s, Eberly believes many of its themes still ring true today. “The play translates really well. All of these issues covered are relevant,” Eberly said. “We have a student dis-
covering his emergent sexuality and it’s done in a very forward-thinking way. His classmates are pretty casual about it. For the 1980s, perhaps it was a progressive look at it. “It’s kind of getting closer to how our young students might be acting now. I think a lot of times, you look at a school today, particularly an issue of homosexuality, a lot of times it’s not the students who have a problem with it, it’s the adults who don’t know how to deal and are trying to catch up. A lot of time it’s the adults influencing the school. It’s the same way in our play. The adults are troubled by their sexuality a lot more than the students are.” The meaning of education is also a major topic covered in the play. “These eight schoolboys are all very smart. They have three very different teachers who have their own view of education, and the students kind of have to juggle these different perspectives of education,” Eberly said. “Overall, the play is asking. ‘Is education something we learn so we can get somewhere, something we should exploit for personal gain, or is education
I’d mentor the shit out of Dominic Cooper.
something we take with us for a more full, happier life?’”
room, but they are 18 so there’s an excitement of a coming-of-age factor.”
The richly drawn characters of the teachers provoke the question, what is an education for?
“It’s extremely rare to find a play with such high quotients of intellect but also emotion, and humanity but also keen insight,” Artistic Director Matt Slaybaugh said. “This is the kind of writing that quickens the pulse and the kind of drama that offers theater at its most absorbing.”
“Hector (English/general studies teacher) really wants these boys to take some of these things they’ve learned to heart and change them, change who they are. Then there’s Irwin (history teacher), helping them ace the test, say the right things in the interviews, helping them get as far as they can with their education,” Eberly said. “Both are well-meaning teachers and want the boys to succeed, but they have different visions of success.” Eberly, a veteran of the Columbus theater scene for the last decade, is encouraging when speaking about the play. “It’s a dark comedy, but it’s fun. I think it really celebrates a love of learning. The celebration of how exciting learning can be,” he said. “I think it’s a really smart play. It’s funny. It’s like sitting in on a class of really smart people with ideas bouncing around the
While The History Boys is not a musical, Eberly and his cast couldn’t resist throwing in some ’80s music. “The boys learn the songs the teachers know, and they obviously have some of their own music too,” Eberly said. “It’s not a musical by any stretch but we do have some pretty cool musical numbers that the boys do in the production.” The History Boys runs from Jan. 10-19 at MadLab Studio, 227 N 3rd St, Downtown. Online tickets start at $20, and a limited number of pay-whatyou-want tickets will be available at the door. Go to avltheatre.com for tickets and information about Available Light Theatre.
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A healthy body is a happy body. Come get happy at SWC’s expo!
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Barbra Streisand: The ‘Funny Girl’ Returns by Chris Azzopardi Barbra Streisand takes center stage, but she’s not busting out “The Way We Were.” Not today, anyway. The legend is promoting her first major film in 16 years at the Four Seasons Los Angeles. Her hair is perfectly coiffed and – dressed in her usual all-black attire – she’s got the off-theshoulder look going on. Hello, gorgeous, indeed. Not long into the interview, a makeup artist waiting in the wings pats any remnants of forehead sweat. You don’t let a legend perspire – and Barbra Streisand is the epitome of an American treasure: a consummate singer with a timeless mezzo-soprano; an Emmy, Oscar and Grammy award winner; and the woman who stole hearts in A Star is Born. To us, a gay icon. After a short stint of recent sold-out shows, Streisand returns to starring-role status in The Guilt Trip alongside goofball Seth Rogen – for real: Babs with the Zack and Miri Make a Porno actor – as a mother-son duo that goes road-tripping together and gets into all sorts of shenanigans. If it weren’t for director Anne Fletcher (The Proposal), who would only do the film with Babs, there’d be no movie – and, worse, no Barbra. Streisand, along with Rogen and Fletcher, sat
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down to chat about the reason she finally gave in (thank her own gay son for that), what she thinks of being a gay icon and how she’s managed to stay successful for nearly six decades. Chris Azzopardi: What was it like meeting each other for the first time? Barbra Streisand: Seth sussed me out. He called people. Seth Rogen: And she checked out. This Barbra Streisand lady checked out. So I thought I’d give her a shot. (Laughs) BS: I didn’t know who to call. I don’t know any of those people from his movies, so what was I gonna do? No – I thought he was adorable. CA: What are you two like off set? SR: The way we talk in real life is not entirely different than our rapport in the movie. It’s a lot of me trying to explain things to her about modern times and her trying to feed me shit I don’t want to eat. BS: I was the one with the iPhone. SR: She had an iPhone before me. I was like, “I gotta get myself one of these. If Barbra can work an iPhone, it’s gotta be fun.” BS: Yesterday he asked me if I had a Twitter account. I said, “I don’t know.” SR: I showed her that she did! I change her clocks during daylight savings and all that stuff. CA: You must know a lot of gay people are going to see this movie – BS: We hope so.
CA: Because Seth is such a huge gay icon. SR: (Sarcastically) I’m a gay icon? Do gay people like Barbra, too? I didn’t know that. CA: Barbra, how do you feel about the label of “gay icon” – and do you think your own son, Jason Gould, thinks of you as one? BS: He doesn’t see me as an icon. He sees me as his mother who touches his hair too much. No – I love being an icon to anybody. Equal rights, you know! SR: Yeah. Me too. (Laughs) CA: What did your gay friends think when you told them you were working with Barbra? Anne Fletcher: Everyone in my life is gay, but I have one best friend who has been obsessed with her since he was a child. His entire childhood was saved because of Barbra – with her music and her movies. His mom had just died four or five years ago, so for him to meet her on the movie – and her and I having such a relationship – was just full circle. CA: Barbra, how much contact did you and Jason have when you were considering the role? BS: He actually was very important in my decision to make the movie. He was recovering from back surgery, so he was in bed for a few days after, and I brought the script over and we read it out loud. It was interesting, actually. His father was in the room, too. Isn’t that funny? We were both coddling our son, so he became the audience and Jason was reading
Who’s a bigger gay icon? Babs or Liza?
the parts with me and he said, “I think you should do it, Mom.” I really trust his integrity and his opinion. He has great taste in whatever he chooses to do. And he clinched the deal. AF: I was with you all over the world, but I love that Jason just one night says, “Yes, Mom, do it.” (I said that) for a whole year! BS: Well, he’s my son. (Laughs) CA: What about reading it with your son sealed the deal? BS: Mothers develop guilt trips. I feel guilty as a parent that I couldn’t pick up my son every day from school and bake him cookies. I know that feeling. I know that feeling a lot. Having a famous parent is an odd thing. I thought it was interesting to investigate trying to be my son’s friend versus a mother. It was a true story. It’s (writer) Dan (Fogelman) and his mother. She was a fan of mine, and Dan wrote this lovely script. It just felt like it was meant to be. Meant for me to come back to work in a starring role. It was time to challenge myself again. Of course, I made it very difficult for them to hire me, because I kept wanting an out: “I really don’t wanna schlep to Paramount. It’s two hours each way, so would you, like, rent a warehouse and build the sets in the Valley no more than 45 minutes from my house?” They said yes. AF: I wasn’t gonna do this movie without these
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two. There wasn’t backup. If Seth said no, there was no replacement; if Barbra said no, there was no replacement. It was them, or I wasn’t gonna make the movie. BS: I said to Anne, “Would you make the movie without me?” And she said no. And I felt bad! Another guilt trip, right? SR: I was open to Shirley MacLaine. (Laughs) No, it’s not true. I only would’ve done it if Barbra was doing it. BS: It was great to feel wanted.
CA: What was harder for you, Barbra: the drama or the comedy elements of the film? BS: Eating steak! That was the hardest thing, I think. But no, they’re both the same. I don’t think there’s a distinction between how you play drama or comedy, if it’s based in truth. AF: This woman may not like steak, but she’s a foodie. You’ve never met a foodie in your whole life until you’ve been with Barbra Streisand. This woman loves food CA: Who is another gay icon you want to work with, more than anything – and she will eat it! She’s a botAnne? tomless pit. We had many discussions about that steak AF: I don’t really like the “gay icons,” by the way. I don’t scene. From Barbra’s side it was, “Does it have to be really respond to them very well. I think Barbra is so that? It seems a little gross.” grounded in many different things, but there’s some of them – I’m really insulting gay sensibility. (Laughs) But CA: Anne, did Barbra ever break into song? Liza Minnelli. I do love Liza. AF: Never. Barbra will not sing. I sang an awful lot to her. But she will not sing. There’s a thing that she did in CA: What was Barbra like? What surprised you most the movie that we cut out where she’d go, “Hmm, hmm, about her? hmm.” She would do rhythmic things that she does AF: We became friends instantly. She’s easygoing, with her voice that only Barbra can do – and I would funny, kind, strong and knows who she is. She’s unbe- take that as singing. But she would never do it. Never. lievably awesome. She’d tell me some of the greatest, She’s so rude. (Laughs) Give us a free concert, Barbra. most personable stories that happened in her life that I She’s like, “Pay for it!” can’t remember one iota of. My best friend’s a little pissed about that. (Laughs) CA: You can sing, act, produce, write and direct. What can’t you do well? CA: I imagine directing a legend like Barbra Streisand BS: I can’t cook at all. I mean, I would not know how to would be intimidating. Was it? Did she call the shots? make coffee. I took cooking classes. I know how to make AF: It’s not intimidating. She comes to work as an actor, chocolate soufflé. Just ask me if I want to make it. I’d as an artist, and she’s been doing it for so long that all rather have somebody else make the chocolate soufflé the pieces fall back into place exactly how they were. – and I eat it. When I tried to cook, put it this way: It We’re all there for the common good, so she would come was never appetizing to eat. And the hands! So filthy to work as any other actor. She’s a legend, so that’s a with the stuff. And then cleaning up – no, I don’t like little different. But it was never intimidating, because that part. she’s just so genuine. She had my back, and the support I had from her was extraordinary. CA: Barbra, you must see a lot of scripts, right? BS: I don’t. You see, everybody thinks like you. MeanCA: So no diva moments? while, I go, “Where are the scripts?” (Laughs) It’s not AF: Never. I know we’ve all heard the stories about her the same as when I last made a film. They’re not interendlessly throughout all these years, but I can’t say ested in love stories. It’s a different time. I don’t like it whether they’re true or false. I just know from my expe- as much. rience I had an unbelievable experience with her, and I would do it again. She works harder than anyone. And CA: What’s the secret to your success? her brain never shuts off. That’s the only thing I would BS: Oh my god. I don’t make that many movies and I complain about! Like, “Please stop thinking for just five don’t make that many appearances so I ... minutes – because I’m tired.” (Laughs) SR: ... leave them wanting more. BS: Less is more. Maybe that keeps a little mystery or CA: Even if people think of her as a diva, this role re- something. ally takes you out of that mindset. You never think of Barbra Streisand, “the diva.” CA: What do you want audiences to take away from AF: That’s the best compliment. I’m glad you say that. the film? This was part of our conversation: “If we’re gonna win BS: I want them to be moved and I want them to see the audience, you have to be every mother. You have to themselves in the movie. I want them to get closer to capture the essence of moms now. You can’t be glam- their children. A lot of things. It’s a transformative kind orous-beautiful. You have to be every mom for us to tell of movie. They start at one point and are both kind of the story the right way.” tragically alone, not finding a mate, and then at the end there are many more possibilities. Horizons open. CA: Barbra, what’s your beauty secret? He took me out of my shell. It’s about love. I always say BS: God, what is my secret? it’s a different kind of love story. SR: Sitting next to me helps. SR: Which to me sounds gross. BS: (Laughs) He is so funny. If you knew all my selfBS: See where your mind goes? Always to the sexual. doubt, my god – I don’t know. Maybe I’m slightly child- SR: Right in the gutter. ish. Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT AF: Your spirit is youthful. wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com. BS: Yeah. I kind of like the child part of me.
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Do you think her chocker is like the velvet collar? If it comes off so does her head?
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You’re a Little Late, I’m Already Torn by Tom Muzyka With LGBT issues taking a more prominent role in the media and our society, there is bound to be some friction. One aspect that has gained increased focus in today’s culture is the conflict between certain Christian churches and the queer community. There’s misunderstanding on both sides, but Justin Lee, a Christian gay man, began The Christian Gay Network in an effort to build bridges between the groups. Lee’s book, Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate goes into detail on his personal experiences reconciling his sexuality and his faith, as well as the work he does as mediator to this conflict. Tom Muzyka: Is the conflict of “Christians vs. the gay community” a predominately American one, or is this international? Justin Lee: This is definitely a global issue, though it can play out very differently depending on region and culture. In America, for instance, Christian beliefs about LGBTs factor into issues of politics, therapy, marriage equality and family acceptance. In places like Uganda, though, things are even more serious, with LGBT people facing imprisonment or death at the hands of those who quote the Bible as justification. TM: Why do you think homosexuality is such a major issue in the Christian community right now? JL: Surprisingly, many Christians still don’t understand what it means to be gay, and their misconceptions about LGBT people have colored both
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how they see the world and how they read their Bibles. Growing up, I believed that the Bible condemned being gay, and so it was my responsibility to speak out and tell people not to buy into the lie that it was OK to be gay. From that perspective, the growing acceptance of LGBT people in our culture becomes a terrifying threat, and some Christians view it as a sign that the country is moving away from God, endangering people’s souls. The more pro-LGBT messages they hear, the stronger their backlash grows. TM: What advice would you give to a gay person who hadn’t grown up with a strong religious background but was interested in joining a church? JL: For a gay person looking for a church, there are many wonderful LGBT-affirming churches all across the country. Our staff at The Gay Christian Network is always happy to help people find a congregation in their area, and we have an online community of over 20,000 affirming Christians who are eager to help as well. TM: One of the really interesting points in your book is the difference between “attraction” and “acting on attraction” and the resulting difference in people’s definition of “being gay.” Do you think that if more people were aware that most “ex-gay” people still have same-sex attraction, they just don’t act on it, opinions would change on “ex-gay” therapy and the debate of choice vs. born this way? JL: Absolutely. It may sound like a trivial point, but in my experience, once Christians understand that “ex-gay” programs don’t actually change people’s attractions, it makes a huge difference in how they approach the issue and how they treat their LGBT friends and family members. It’s not a
magic bullet, but increasing awareness of this one point is an important step toward a more welcoming church.
just can’t find what they’re looking for locally, GCN works to connect LGBT Christians in other ways for fellowship and support.
TM: Do you have any anecdotes of experiences you’ve encountered through your work in The GCN and its effects on the communities? JL: Some of my favorite stories are from people whose lives were completely changed by encountering GCN and openly gay Christians for the first time. I can’t even tell you how many times someone has told me that googling “gay” and “Christian” led them to our website and saved them from suicide at a time they were feeling completely alone and unloved. And every time I hear a story like that, I get choked up - both because it’s amazing to be part of changing someone’s life, and because I can’t help but think about all the people who still need to know they’re not alone.
TM: What is your stance on the separation of church and state, specifically when it comes to gay marriage? JL: I’m a huge supporter of the separation of church and state. I’m a Christian, but plenty of Americans aren’t, and they shouldn’t be forced to adhere to my own personal religious beliefs.
TM: What if a gay Christian doesn’t have the ability to easily remain with his or her original congregation; would you suggest finding a different church with a more welcoming attitude, or should a person not have to “adjust” his or her faith or denomination to fit in? JL: This is a huge problem for many LGBT Christians. I often hear from folks who have grown up in a particular church or denomination but haven’t been able to find a congregation that both meets their spiritual needs and is affirming of their orientation or gender identity. Ultimately, people solve that in different ways; some remain in a church that they love in spite of the lack of LGBT affirmation - perhaps even working to change that church from within - and others seek out an affirming church even though it may be different from what they’re used to. I think both are reasonable approaches. For those folks who
Bob didn’t know that the headline was from a Natalie Imbruglia song...
I think civil marriage laws should treat all citizens equally, regardless of orientation or religious beliefs, and that religious institutions should be free to make their own rules about whom they will or won’t marry within their own walls. TM: Any other thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? JL: I know how frustrating it can be to deal with Christians who just don’t get it. But I encourage my LGBT friends not to give up on the Christians in their lives. We need to keep working to change hearts and minds, not only for our own sake, but for the sake of others whose well-being may depend on how long it takes the church to get this right. I wrote Torn as a wake-up call to the church, so if you know someone who needs to read it, please get them a copy and encourage them to spread it far and wide. I believe stories like the ones in Torn are our best hope to stop the hurt and discrimination being perpetrated in the name of God. The full interview is available at outlookcolumbus.com. You can also visit The Gay Christian Network at www.gaychristian.net or read Justin’s blog at gcnjustin.tumblr.com
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Network Columbus is awesome, but check out other networking opportunities at www.networkingleadersalliance.com
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New Fashion, Old News by Marcus Morris January is the month when we’re supposed to start fresh. Vogue usually puts the cover model/celebrity whore in a new spring frock; this is how I know it’s January. My column is about fashion, and I don’t think it’s possible to spin this dog-andpony show into another diatribe about jock straps and skinny jeans, so I’m going to delve into the women’s spring collections. I’ll discuss them in order of city and give my two cents, because everyone knows my opinion matters most.
My favorite show, as viewed on Style.com, was Marc Jacobs because it had energy of the 1960s Warhol factory. Most of the other presentations were the typical down-and-back catwalk jaunts. I also liked the use of block-like stripes in the clothing design and the finale of the models coming out together to form a triangle of these Modish fashions on the set. My close second were the prints at Proenza Schouler. The Proenza boys used Tumblr to create digital prints that they used on the clothes. It was a gorge collage of our culture. London
New York New York is exciting because everyone is sharpening the heels on her Manolo Blahniks and looking forward to the presentations that happen at Lincoln Center, Milk and at the various random spots that designers choose to show their rags. Last year was my first time being in NYC during the collections, the biannual expo of contemporary fashions in New York, Paris, London and Milan. Since I work now for a player in the fashion industry, the office was buzzing about the shows. The few fashion shows I’d been invited to turned sour grapes because I was a dumbass and went out drinking. Sadly, I experienced my worst hangover ever and missed every show I was invited to. Next time I’ll skip the champagne and try to check out what’s happening on the runway.
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London, to me, can be like going to a student fashion show: lots and lots of ideas. Student shows tend to be without a focus, and London can bring that sensibility to the shows sometimes. The shows are always vibrant and fun, but I feel like London Fashion Week is Skipper to New York/Paris/Milan Barbie. The good thing is that Skipper was younger.
but the brilliance was with the homage to Michael Jackson. The most gorgeous black models sauntered down the runway in original Michael Jackson looks with Mr. Treacy’s masterpiece hats. Phillip killed the rest of the competition. KILLED. Milan Milan is where the shit starts to get interesting, and Prada presented interesting ideas about Japanese draping influenced by the kimono and the influence of pop culture in 1960s Japan. One look seemed like it belonged on the cover of Vogue in 1966. The colored fur and Twiggy mood was perfect for these clothes. The models were all either Asian or white, but Prada isn’t usually known for its diversity. The other big story in Milan is the return of Jil Sander to her label. The clothes looked, well, like Jil Sander. No artifice - her signature. Outside of this boring buzz, Milan was actually a snooze city. Paris
Burberry shows in London, and they always have a spectacle. The glitter raining onto models carrying umbrellas was quite a sight, but I swear to God, if I see another trench coat with a bow belting it closed, I’ll kick someone. Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou are really the stars in London; what they send down the runway is always the most directional of the week. The best part about the London Spring shows was Phillip Treacy. Lady Gaga was in his show, and let’s clap for her,
Fashion month is sort of a caravan of well-heeled high school students, and everyone has a title or superlative. If Anna Wintour is class president, then Raf Simons at Dior is Most Likely To Succeed. His spring collection was mega-anticipated following his wellreceived couture debut in July. But I thought clothes were eh. I love his use of color, but the genius stories that were crafted by John Gal-
liano when he was at Dior still cast a cloud over Paris. NOBODY can come close to his masterful delivery of historical narrative as a suggestion to modern times like he did. With McQueen gone and Galliano gone, what Paris and most of fashion lacks is a story. You can make a million beautiful dresses, but fashion is fantasy and if there is nothing to consider outside of a fabric and cut, why should we care? Nicolas Ghesquiere announced his departure from the house of Balenciaga this fall, and this was dreadful news. I felt like Mona Bismark, the ultrawealthy patron of the Balenciaga in the golden age of couture, who went into deep mourning and stayed in bed for three days when Balenciaga closed in 1968. His spring 2013 collection was my favorite of the season. The stiff ruffled skirts with the pinstripe suits were major. There was something so romantic and poetic about what he sent down the runway. The models looked tough, but touching. I also loved the whiff of sex in the strappy bodices that suggested Giorgio Saint’ Angelo. To close Paris Fashion Week, the extravaganzas of Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, and Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton were monuments to their brains. Sarah Burton, expecting a child, played queen of the hive and sent out beautiful clothes with a bee vibe. I liked the full-skirted finale dresses, but Sarah Burton needs to give me something fresh. It feels like a lot of technique and it’s beautiful, but I always want more. Plus, the vision is
Do that little turn on the catwalk. On the catwalk.
cold. She only scratches the surface, so the clothes do not have the emotional weight of Alexander McQueen. Marc Jacobs outdid his own collection with the brilliant use of the LV checkerboard pattern and an escalator installation by Daniel Buren. Having pairs of models descending the escalators dressed in Vuitton squares through a Diane Arbus lens made me glad that Jacobs pays such attention to modern art. It was repetitive, but interesting. I hope the campaign is as compelling. Chanel was amazing, but Chanel is always amazing. Karl Lagerfeld erected massive wind turbines in the Grand Palais and gave us environmental chic. It was Chanel, so don’t think Birkenstocks and hemp hippie clothes. This was luxe and modern, like the green movement. Being conscious of the environment does not mean you should look terrible. Throw on that Chanel suit and save the planet! What I learned surviving my first fashion season in NYC, is don’t believe the hype. There are so many fashion shows and the reality is eight shows determine the look for the coming season. There is lots of filler, and if we take the ideas of a few people and consider our direction, we’d probably save ourselves so much money on hotels, car services and ass-kissing mediocre talent. At least we can all throw a bit of shade at the Kardashian Kollection. 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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Now here’s some hockey for ya. Lockout what?
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Manifesto Redux:Meaty & Manly by Ayana Wilson We’ve all heard it’s a man’s world, but you wouldn’t have known it from the food scene in Columbus over the past decade. Overrun by “feminine” restaurants that featured white tablecloths, accent lighting and menus ranging from the organic to the tiny plated, Columbus is overdue for something more mannish, more back-room-deals-and-cigar-smoke, less flutes of champagne. Enter Manifesto, a man’s restaurant where it’s surprisingly easy for women to fit in as well. Housed in the Fifth Third building adjacent to the Ohio Theatre and directly across from the Statehouse, the concept of Manifesto builds off its location and potential clientele. It’s glamorously dark inside, even during the day, which makes the roaring fireplace and the long, sleek mahogany bar appear even more appropriate in this simultaneously whimsical yet staid décor. The walls are filled with great quotes from great men – and even some not-so-great ones. The chandelier is iron-wrought grandeur. The staff is pleasant, joke-loving and downright talented. So talented, in fact, that any one of them can pour the perfect snifter of scotch. Manifesto is primarily imagined as a scotch bar, and the staff is constantly trained in the history, region and character of the various bottles and blends stocked. A seasoned scotch drinker myself, I’m particularly fond of the Balvenie Caribbean Cask, 14-year. Balvenie, a Speyside scotch, is fairly popular in the city, as the Doublewood is on every scotch menu worth seeing. But the Caribbean Cask is special – smooth,
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smoky and naturally sweet. It’s almost silk in the mouth, and so far, only readily served here. Scotch drinkers are treated like royalty here, and it only promises to remain so as the bill of fare continues to evolve and more upscale scotches are added to the menu. You don’t have to love scotch to love Manifesto, though. The food is also outrageous. Chef Derek, a young, exciting chef whose specialty is coastal Italian cuisine, heads the kitchen. An admitted seafood lover, he’s equally quite adroit at land fare as well. The menu at Manifesto is built with men in mind: lots of red meat and hearty sides. The steak is center cut, New York Prime Strip, broiled to juicy perfection and served with embarrassingly large shrimp. The lamb shank is concurrently elegant and primal, served with dense and decadent cheese gnocchi. The dish everyone comes back for is the Slow Braised Beef Cheek, which comes atop a slightly heavy wild mushroom risotto and a Glenkinchie scotch sauce. It’s served with a knife that’s entirely for show, as the tender beef will yield with only a hungry look. Succulent, decadent, and downright alluring, I ordered two plates. And I could. The plates at Manifesto are generally smaller. They’re not quite tapas, but they are designed to be shared or compiled to create the perfect meal to accompany your choice of scotch. Owing to the theater and political crowds, the menu was designed to offer the chance to eat a leisurely meal when time affords, but also to grab a quick, tasty bite. The food is comfortable and familiar, but with a twist, so the Tuscan Hummus is made with white beans and served with crisp chips instead of soft
pita. The House Salad is an unanticipated intermingling of greens, kalamatas, roasted tomatoes and peppadews that dance in the mouth in salty, briny harmony. The lasagna has no meat, and you don’t mind because the creamy merger of butternut squash, spinach and one of the richest béchamel sauces I’ve tasted in a long time is enough to satisfy even the most carnivorous of palates. The need to make dishes that not only celebrate the region of Tuscany, but also highlight scotch is no easy task. Chef Derek rises to the occasion beautifully, bringing his flair to the classics: an Oban cream sauce to grace the orecchiette pasta alongside the Porcini Crusted Veal, a grilled cheese sandwich turned on its head as the Italian Grilled Cheese Flatbread (you must get it with prosciutto), and easily my new favorite dessert in the city, the Butterscotch Panna Cotta, made with real, in-house, honest-to-goodnessfrom-scratch butterscotch sauce that some customers have been known to order extra of, so every light, creamy, sweet bite will be kissed by the sensual caramel. In the future, Chef Derek wants to introduce more seafood to Manifesto’s menu, as it is what he loves to cook and eat first. I wondered how this would play into the whole idea of Manifesto as a masculine space, but he said fish stew and other sturdy white-fish dishes would be where he’d go next. He’ll still offer filling fare with his own special panache, like short ribs, a dish common to all and loved by most men, but made with veal, to add luxury that’s still a good value. The chef is very much invested in making food that’s mancessible – delicious and affordable – but chic. His goal is to make the customer happy, because as he says, “Perfection is in the eye of the be-
Be sure to read Ayana’s food blogs in BlogOQueer at www.outlookcolumbus.com
holder, not in making the perfect plate…as long as my guests are happy, I am happy, and that makes that plate of food perfect.” If De Novo is the naughty minx in the red dress that flirts with you from across the room, Manifesto is the James Bond who buys her a drink. They’re both from the brilliant mind of Yavonne Sarber, both located in the heart of Downtown, and both destined to change the food landscape of Columbus. Manifesto is open straight through from breakfast to nightcap and really is worth the experience. It’s a place for sexy nibbles, sultry ambience and a sensual seduction into the world of scotch-sipping. Manifesto is located at 12 E State St, Downtown. You can look over breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy-hour menus, as well as wine and cocktail lists at www.manifestograto.com.
Quick Nibs: On a deserted island, you have salt & pepper. What other herb/spice would you wish to have? Sweet Basil Who’s your celebrity chef crush? Cat Cora What’s your favorite piece of kitchen equipment? My vitamixer – I love to make sauces What’s the next big “it” ingredient? Specialty gastro-inspired produce, like crystallized micro basil What’s your cocktail of choice? Ketel & Soda
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We are proud of you too!
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by Dan Savage
for you with this guy - or much of a future for him and his boyfriend, frankly.
I just started an intense relationship with a guy who has a boyfriend. This guy and I love each other. However, he is uncomfortable with me meeting his boyfriend. I’ve asked if it’s OK that we’re fucking, and he said they’re in an open relationship so it’s OK. I asked if it’s OK that we’re in love, and he said yes. So why the secrecy? My lover’s only explanation is that his boyfriend doesn’t want to know about the guys he fucks around with. The whole situation is starting to make me uneasy. I can’t figure out why I want to know more about his boyfriend. Is it so I can verify that he’s not cheating, or that jealousy is an issue for them and that’s why I can’t meet him? I do know that I wish my lover would be more open with me. Should I just relax? - The Other Person Monogamous couples have one rule about fucking other people - “don’t fuck other people” but non-monogamous couples have all sorts of different rules, TOP, and sometimes a particular couple’s particular rules make it hard for a third to verify that the partnered person he’s sleeping with is, in fact, in an honest and healthy open relationship. That said, most couples with a “don’t want to know about the other people you’re fucking” rule - and that’s a pretty common rule - also have a rule against getting emotionally involved with the other people they’re fucking. So if it’s against the rules for the guy you’re seeing to introduce his boy-on-the-side to his boyfriend, TOP, odds are good that swapping “I love yous” with his boy-on-the-side is against the rules, too. Someone is being lied to here. Either this guy is lying to you about being in an open relationship or he’s lying to his boyfriend about not getting emotionally involved with the other guys he fucks. Whichever it is, TOP, I don’t see a future
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But to answer your question: No, TOP, don’t relax. DTMFA. I’m a feminine, submissive dyke. My girlfriend is absolutely amazing, and our sex life is awesome and really kinky. The problem is two of my friends. I’ve formed a pretty tight trio with two hot, funny tops. I’ve got tiny, manageable crushes on them both. My girlfriend knows, but she’s secure enough in our relationship that she isn’t bothered by it. The problem? My friends are fucking each other. They’re also in happy open relationships with other women. Sounds great, right? Even though they’re great friends most of the time, they definitely leave me feeling like the third wheel once in a while. How can I gently remind them that, even though they’re not sleeping with me, I’d like a little more platonic attention friendship-wise? - Satisfied Under Butches I suppose you could sit your friends down and say, “Hey, when you two move out of your friends-in-open-relationships-with-benefits honeymoon phase, I could use a little more friends-without-benefits attention.”
roll elsewhere generally wind up feeling better. You are so fun! My hubby is 62, and I am 52. We are empty nesters now and we love it! We are experimenting sexually, but my blowjobs don’t do it for him. I’ve watched videos, read articles, and finally bought some flavored lube. He loves having his balls licked while I jerk him off. But what can I do about my blowjobs?!? Any advice would be great! - Ho Ho Ho My advice: Lick your hubby’s balls while you jerk him off. Your husband either can’t get off from a blowjob alone - and there are men out there who can’t or your blowjobs just don’t do it for him. In the interest of marital harmony, HHH, let’s give your blowjobs the benefit of the doubt and assume that your husband is one of those guys who can’t be gotten off by blowjob alone. If you love sucking dick and your blowjobs are in no way traumatizing - if they don’t leave your husband curled up on the floor sobbing - then go ahead and blow your husband. Telling him the blowjobs are for you, HHH, will take the pressure off him and - who knows? - he may relax and enjoy the blowjob more. He might even get off.
But there’s almost no way to say that without coming across like a jealous, controlling bag of dykenuts, SUB. So I would urge you to hang back and trust that this honeymoon phase, like all honeymoon phases, will eventually pass, and these two friends will have more time for you in the future.
Bonus pro tip: You know that flavored lubes don’t do anything for the person being blown, right? They’re for people who don’t like the taste of dick, HHH, and it doesn’t sound like you’re one of those people. Until they come out with Chord Overstreet-flavored or Cheyenne Jacksonflavored lube, there’s no reason you should be slathering your hubby’s dick with artificial flavorings and aspartame.
In the meantime, fuck your girlfriend lots and hang out with other friends. And remember: When you’re feeling like the third wheel, SUB, it’s because you’re probably functioning as the third wheel. While first and second wheels can make an effort to prevent thirds from feeling like the thirds they are, thirds that make a decision to
I’m a Canadian 25-year-old gay man in a fouryear relationship with a 22-year-old. Over the course of our relationship, we’ve explored each other’s kinks and been very understanding and GGG. The sex is amazing and varied.
How many licks...
The problem: He has this fantasy that I’m having trouble pulling off. He wants me to piss in his ass. But peeing while erect is not my forte. I’ve tried, but I have to concentrate on peeing to actually go, and that just resulted in my going soft while I was inside him. By the time the urine was actually flowing, my dick was so soft that his sphincter was actually pinching my urethra closed, making it impossible for me to pee. He hasn’t bottomed in a couple of years, since I realized how much I love it, so I’m assuming his tightness isn’t helping. I just can’t think of what more I can do to fulfill this fantasy for him. Do I need to just learn how to pee while erect or is there an easier way? I’m stumped and worried I won’t be able to make this happen for him. - Dripping Out Urine Confounds His Enema I’m going to assume that you two are in a committed relationship, that you’ve both been tested and have either no STIs or the same STIs, that neither of you is having unprotected sex with anyone else, that you rarely eat asparagus or beets, that you don’t plan on doing this in front of your pets, etc. Okay, DOUCHE, I feel like Santa Claus right now because I have the perfect toy to put under your tree. (Your tree is still up, right?) Go to forttroff.com, click Enter, search ass tunnel, then watch the video demo. It’s an after-Christmas miracle. (For the idiots in my readership, that link is NSFW. And, yes, I’m assuming DOUCHE and his BF celebrate Christmas. But only because all the piss-in-assers I’ve ever known were homeschooled Liberty University graduates.) Savage Love appears every month in outlook and every week at outlookcolumbus.com. You can email Dan at mail@savagelove.net, follow him on Twitter at @fakedansavage or listen to his weekly podcast, “Savage Lovecast,” every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage.
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Q: What do you call a gay drive by? A: "a fruit roll up."
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Every month in print and every week online, we ask outlook readers to do our work for us as Local Celebrity Guest Bloggers. (You don’t really have to be a celeb. This will launch your career.) If you want to share your rants, raves or observations with the rest of Columbus, email Erin McCalla at emccalla@outlookmedia.com or call 614.268.8525, x2. This edition outlook staff took up the call to show you how it’s done.
Chris Hayes, President & CEO Top 5 Things Learned from My First 4 Decades 5. Booze, boys or betrayal, eventually you feel better. 4. Tequila makes everyone crazy and parties more fun. 3. Pride is always here before you know it. 2. Never say ‘the magazine production is going good’ unless you want to miss your press time. 1. If it’s something you can’t do anything about, don’t sweat it; if it’s something you could have done something about, don’t obsess about it; if it’s something you can do something about, get ‘er done already and move on.
Jan. 7 BlogOQueer Topic: Something to do with turning 40. Bob Vitale, Editor-in-Chief Top 5 Weekend Roadtrips 5. D.C. 4. Pittsburgh 3. Chicago 2. The Cleve 1. Hocking Hills
Giant Star Across
Jan. 14 BlogOQueer Topic: Breaking Up with My Sofa Erin McCalla, Managing Editor Top 5 Things To Do in 2013 5. Try sushi 4. Ride my bike for transport, not just for leisure 3. Eat four helpings of veggies each day 2. Send more handwritten letters 1. Attend a music festival (Lolla, All Good, Nelsonville)
Jan. 21 BlogOQueer topic: What do you want from 2013? Chad Frye, Director of Marketing & Sales Top 5 Insane Things Chad Frye Has Said 5. “So just how much foreskin is in this cream? Because I want everything that’s coming to me.” 4. “I’ll take two pizzas: one with all of your meats, and one with all of your vegetables. Thanks.” 3. “You wanna know why? Because I’m a treasure!” 2. “Poop or boobs, hotshot? Two-seconds. Choose.” 1. “Not to be a bitch, kiddo, but I get a big cocktail.” (Sorry, Mike Wake!)
Jan. 28 BlogOQueer Topic: It’ll Be Entertaining, That’s For Sure
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1 With 54-Across, movie of 38-Across 6 With 9-Across, costar in this puzzle’s movie 9 See 6-Across 14 “Scary Movie” Cheri 15 “Double Fantasy” artist 16 Fred’s first partner 17 Empathetic phrase 18 “___ De-Lovely” 19 Triangle sign 20 Costar in this puzzle’s movie 23 Pal around 25 Mary Cassatt, for one 28 Zoo barrier 29 Hotel quote 33 Burn the surface of 34 Sticker datum, for short 35 Sonny and Cher, to Chaz 37 “Crying” singer Orbison 38 Gay icon of the ‘50s 40 Samantha of “The Collector” 43 It comes after kick or kiss 44 Dances in a grass skirt 48 Bones that are the farthest up
Let us know if you like the puzzle.
50 Muslim palace areas 51 Giant killed by David 53 Tennis great Navratilova 54 See 1-Across 56 Like autoeroticism 57 Loaded 58 Trojan Horse, e.g. 60 Glenn Burke, formerly 61 Metaphysical poet John 62 Buffalo’s lake 63 Lines from Lesbos 64 Golf great Sam 65 Stud poker demand
Down 1 Colette’s king 2 Truncation abbreviation 3 Chair style named for Baseballer Billy? 4 Like a Man of la Mancha knight 5 Try to deceive 6 Erosion loss 7 Start to climax 8 Blow, as a game 9 George Moscone, for one 10 Real jerk-offs 11 More like Albert in The Birdcage 12 Cockney’s place of torment? 13 Brit. word ref 21 Genesis patriarch
22 Piss away 23 “Let’s see ... “ 24 Comic caveman Alley ___ 26 Saint, in Rio 27 Take a shot at 30 Perimeter contents 31 Gay wedding guide author Ayers 32 Targets of men who make passes 35 Persona non grata 36 1943 Bogart film 38 Cleaning agents 39 Like gay teens with supportive moms and dads 40 Heart exam 41 What Dorian Gray didn’t do 42 Ancient Roman province 45 Suit type 46 Result of a lick on the head, perhaps 47 FICA funds it 49 Likely to butt heads 50 Did a circumcision roughly? 52 Iroquoian language 53 Unexpected help 55 Dancer Tommy 56 Cone starter 59 Sushi selection
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I would say that the guy above looks like Chad, but there isn’t a bald spot.
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