2013-04-01 outlook columbus magazine

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vol 17 • issue 11

i♥ cbus outlook columbus magazine • i ♥ cbus people 3

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Bob ♼ the ketchup at Level Dining Lounge. He stockpiles it in the outlook fridge.

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Meet music maven and Miracle Soup maker Sharon Udoh on Page 30.

Everything is ♥ “You know what I always say...” Mayor Michael B. Coleman told me when we sat down in March for the first time since I joined the outlook team in November.

Page 14 that it goes back to a simple lesson from her mom and dad. “We may come in different forms and have different values and backgrounds, but everyone deserves respect.”

“Ummm, that we need to grow inward with a Columbus has been buzzing for months about passion and outward with a plan?” I interrupted, Yavonne Sarber’s De Novo and Manifesto, but the quoting his mantra about suburban sprawl.

Downtown restaurateur says she’s only beginning. Read about her next ventures in Pete Lover“That we don’t have beaches or mountains, but ing’s profile on Page 32. what we do have is...” I continued, quoting his often-repeated line about how Columbus overIn stories by our writers and in photos by Andrew comes its too-long winters and lack of scenery.

Williams, you’ll also be introduced this month to people worth knowing.

Yeah, I know what the mayor always says. I covered him for almost four years as City Hall reTony Gatto doesn’t look back fondly on his own porter for The Dispatch. high school days, but as principal of Columbus’s Arts and College Preparatory Academy he’s workI didn’t get to add the old State of the City line I ing every day to make sure LGBT teens and never quite understood - “we’re neither ‘cow’ nor everyone else at his school will. Alisa Caton’s ‘town’” - before Coleman interupted me with a profile of Tony is on Page 22. new line.

And make sure you read about Savanna DeLong “We’re in the beginning of a renaissance... I’ve on Page 20. She was on the verge of homelessalways talked about getting there. I think we’re ness two years ago when she came out as transthere.” gender and work disappeared. But she fought back, and in March her case resulted in the first When he tosses out that no-beaches, no-moun- fine against a Columbus employer since the city tains line, Coleman always ends it with an obadded gender identity to local anti-discriminaservation that Columbus is a good place to live tion laws in 2008. because so many people here work hard to make it that way.

The Columbus ♥fest continues at the bottom of every page, too. There, our local faves share It’s kind of a cliché, but it’s also kind of true. some of their local faves: restaurants, dishes, cocktails, parks, neighborhoods, etc. Our writers This month’s edition of outlook is our third anchime in as well. nual I ♥ Cbus People issue, in which we highlight some of the people whose contributions to Is Columbus perfect? Hell no, as columnist Mario local life we admire.

Pinardi reminds us on Page 8. Winter was too long. There are too many potholes. The Shoe They’re a great group - some well-known and needs another 100,000 seats, and that Mr. Hosome unsung. mophobe thing from the Mikey’s line still gets me cheesed.

I think you’ll learn something new about those you’ve already seen in the spotlight. You probably But as the mayor always says... already know, for instance, that state Sen. Charleta Tavares is one of the LGBT community’s Sincerely, strongest allies. She hasn’t “evolved” because she has always been there.

Bob Vitale Editor-in-Chief But she tells Dwayne Steward in a profile on bvitale@outlookmedia.com

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the i ♥ cbus people 3 issue: vol 17 • #11 | here’s what we ♥ in this issue

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you are here

OWNER & PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes

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super mario world

HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Bsmt Ste G Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookmedia.com SALES DIRECTOR Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com

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complete the circuit

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small pond: brian hawkins

NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863

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ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month.

Art in by the 20th.

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

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ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / hayes@outlookmedia.com

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feature: savanna delong

MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / emccalla@outlookmedia.com

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feature: tony gatto

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out & about

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feature: brad henry

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alisa Caton, Debé, Jon Dunn, Chris Hayes, Andrew Keller, Pete Lovering, Erin McCalla, Tom Muzyka, Teena Parker, Mario Pinardi, Tera Proby, Romeo San Vicente, Dan Savage, Robby Stephens, D.A. Steward, Bob Vitale, Mickey Weems, Mackenzie Worrall

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feature: monica day

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feature: sharon udoh

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feature: yavonne sarber

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deep inside hw / creative class

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23 frames per seond

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bookmark: bi-curious george

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interview: kathy griffin

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i ♥ the nitelife

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savage love / the divine life

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local celebrity bloggers / puzzling

puzzling solution - puzzle on pg 46

SALES REPRESENTATIVE Alexis Perrone / aperrone@outlookmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Hayes, Robby Stephens, Andrew Williams INTERNS Alisa Caton, Anthony Georgetti, Brent Hawk, Pete Lovering, Michelle Nath, Brandon Nehrkorn, Asher Pollock, Tera Proby, Emma Reichert, Ashley Rhodes 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.

Mayor Mike ♥ The Hills Market, the first Downtown grocery in who-knows-how-long.

NEXT MONTH:

trippin’ out april 2013

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Bar Crawlin’ with Purpose!

by Robby Stephens, Social Tsar AIDS Resource Center Ohio has undergone a total makeover in the past few years. A merger with the Columbus AIDS Task Force and the opening of a Short North healthcare facility has taken its services and mission to the next level.

ARC Ohio is now shaking things up with its events schedule. The Central Ohio AIDS Walk has been moved to the spring and will take place on April 20 (see our story on Page 7 and their ad on Page 11). Event organizers Shaun Whybark and Emily Toney hosted a North and South Bar Crawl Registration Kickoff for the walk in March. For more information on starting a team, joining a team, walking as an individual or making a donation, visit www.arcohio.org.

Chicago Bound: Cbus at Large Whether coloring the river green or tasting the rainbow in Boystown, Chicago knows how to deliver when it comes to celebrating our Irish brothers and sisters. Mimi and I traveled to Chicago for our second-annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We watched as the river was dyed and enjoyed festivities hosted by the Hyatt Regency Downtown Chicago. Then it was off to Boystown to join the mayhem! Our favorite spot of the day was DS Tequila, where the beer was green and the boys were hot. If you think you can handle St. Pat’s and Chicago, get it on your calendar now for 2014.

On the Town I bumped into two of our favorite Short North bartenders, Rocky Pace and Mikey Erickson, out and about enjoying the nightlife.

03/17/13 Irish Pirates Singing Bus Tour

03/09/13 Off the Grid @ the Wex

03/13/13 Network Columbus @ Cafe Napolitana

03/23/13 March for Marriage Equality

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Robby ♥ taking your photo. Want him at your event? Email editor@outlookmedia.com.

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And knowing is half the battle... GI JOE!

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Bearvillities Turns 10 with Fun, Furry Show

Gay Son Trumps Party for GOP’s Rob Portman

Kasich Corrects Himself on Civil Union ‘Support’

Hater Hits Sour Note With Call to Chorus

Organizers of the 10th annual Bearvillities hope this year’s charity show can help shrink a $30,000 drop in grants and donations for Camp Sunrise.

Ohio’s Rob Portman became the only Republican in the U.S. Senate to support marriage equality when he announced a change of heart on the issue May 14.

The Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus is looking on the bright side of a brush with bigotry.

“We need to do everything we can to help replace that funding,” founder Tim Shrewsberry said.

As a member of the U.S. House in the 1990s, Portman voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and opposed adoption rights for gay people. His son, Will, a 21-year-old junior at Yale, came out to the family two years ago, Portman said.

Gov. John Kasich got people’s hopes up when he told a TV station March 20 that he supports civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. But the next day, his spokesman said the first-term Republican used the term incorrectly.

Bearvillities is scheduled for April 20 at Wall Street Nightclub. Doors open at 7:30p.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.bearvillities.org.

Bearvillities began as a fundraiser for the Columbus Ursine Brotherhood but is now strictly a fundraiser for Camp Sunrise, a summer camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Will Portman voiced his approval via Twitter: “Especially proud of my dad today,” he wrote.

Statewide Rights Groups Finally Address Differences They’re still at an impasse, but Equality Ohio and Freedom Ohio are finally talking.

The organizations in opposite camps over the possibility of a 2013 marriage-equality referendum in Ohio met March 16 to discuss their differences - as well as “those junctures where we may be able to collaborate.”

Both Freedom Ohio co-founder Ian James and Equality Ohio Executive Director Elyzabeth Holford used the word “amiable” to describe the meeting. James also called the meeting “informative,” while Holford said the discussion was “useful.”

Freedom Ohio, founded in 2012, has been working to collect the 385,000-plus signatures needed to force a statewide vote on marriage rights for lesbian and gay couples.

Equality Ohio, founded after voters banned same-sex marriage in 2004, seeks more basic anti-discrimination legislation that the state still lacks.

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“It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective, and that’s of a dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have — to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years,” Portman told CNN.

Report Says Ohio Schools ‘Hostile’ for LGBT Youth Nine out of 10 LGBT kids at schools in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton regularly hear anti-gay slurs like “fag” and “dyke,” but only 2 in 10 have heard positive representations of LGBT people, according to a report by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

GLSEN said the report shows that Ohio middle and high schools are “hostile places” for many LGBT students. The findings were based on Ohio students who participated in GLSEN’s 2011 National School Climate Survey. Columbus doesn’t have a GLSEN chapter, so no local kids’ experiences were measured.

GLSEN found, though, that 40 percent of LGBT students were physically harassed, and 22 percent were physically assaulted.

Only 3 percent attended a school with a comprehensive anti-bullying policy.

“The governor’s position is unchanged,” aide Rob Nichols said. “He opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio’s Constitution to allow for civil unions.”

In the interview, Kasich said: “If you want to have a civil union that’s fine with me.”

Nichols said Kasich was suggesting that lesbian and gay couples enter into legal contracts for issues that are taken care of automatically with a government-issued marriage license.

NFL Punter, LGBT Ally to Speak at OSU Event Chris Kluwe, the Minnesota Vikings punter who took a prominent role last year in the debate over marriage equality, will visit Ohio State University on April 8 to talk about his advocacy in the sports world and beyond.

He’ll speak at 5p at the Ohio Union. Outlook is a partner for the event, which is open to all and organized by the Moritz College of Law Sports and Entertainment Law Association.

Kluwe didn’t wade into the debate last year over marriage rights; he did a cannonball into the deep end of the pool.

When a Maryland lawmaker urged owners of the Baltimore Ravens to silence a player who endorsed a marriage-equality referendum, Kluwe penned a hilarious, scathing letter for Deadspin.

“I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. ...

They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster,” read the most often-quoted part.

Intern ♥: Alisa ♥ Milestone 229 on the Scioto Mile. Tera ♥ Columbus Museum of Art

After WBNS-TV (Channel 10) began airing a public-service announcement for the group’s March concert, an anonymous caller dialed the chorus office with a message for Executive Director Patrick Roehrenbeck.

“You have a lot of nerve putting that on TV, faggot,” the caller said.

Instead of dismissing the comment, chorus members shared it on Facebook, and the response was overwhelming. “Sing louder and hold your head up high!!” wrote one.

Gloria McCauley, executive director of BRAVO, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization, said it’s important to shine a light on such incidents. It helps advocates show state legislators the need to include LGBT Ohioans in the state’s anti-discrimination laws, she said.

Cardinal on Pope Francis: ‘He’s Not Going to Change’ A majority of Catholic voters in the United States now support same-sex marriage, according to a poll by Quinnipiac University. But Pope Francis is unlikely to join them.

The day after the new pope’s March 13 selection, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York squelched any hope among American Catholics he might soften the church’s attitudes on LGBT equality.

“He’s not going to change any of that,” Dolan told MSNBC. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the new pope called marriage equality “an attempt to destroy God’s plan.” Meanwhile, the Quinnipiac poll in March found that 54 percent of Catholic voters supported marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

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We ♥ Gay News

March for Marriage Equality Attracts Statewide Supporters

Queer Burlesque Festival Will Debut in Columbus

Activist Couple Chosen as Pride Grand Marshals

AIDS Walk Steps Up to April 20

by Alisa Caton

More than 800 marriage-equality supporters marched and chanted from Columbus Commons to the Statehouse on March 23, three days before the U.S. Supreme Court took up two cases that could make history.

Advocates - many of them first-time activists for the cause that touches themselves, their friends and their families - were greeted by honking horns of support from passersby along the entire Downtown route.

“Society is finally getting it,” Freedom Ohio cofounder Ian James told the crowd as people circulated petitions for his group’s proposed statewide marriage-equality referendum.

Supreme Court justices were scheduled to hear arguments March 26 and 27 on two separate cases: one challenging California’s 2008 voter-approved marriage ban and the other challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage in heterosexual terms and denies more than 1,000 federal rights and benefits to same-sex couples.

Lindsey Camargo drove down from Toledo with her husband and two toddlers for their first LGBTrights march. She said they decided they needed to do more than hit “like” buttons on Facebook and talk about the issue.

“We totally support equality. American people who are gay should have the same rights as anyone else.”

Keep Calm and Sing Along Dangerous Productions returns to Columbus for its annual show Saturday, April 6 at Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St. Join gender expressionists and kings, queens and in-betweens from all over the country as they join voices, hearts and hands for an old-fashion singalong. Warm up your pipes and get ready to belt out your favorite tunes with some of the country’s hottest performers.

Doors open at 8p with the show at 9p. Admission is $7. Reservations can be made by calling 614.464.2800 or visiting wallstreetnightclub.com. outlookcolumbus.com

The first-ever queer burlesque festival is coming to Columbus in early May, and organizers promise “a rhinestone-encrusted spectacle of epic proportions.”

“Fierce! The First International Queer Burlesque Festival” is scheduled May 2-5 at locations in the Short North, Downtown and Franklinton. The gathering will feature four nights of shows, as well as cocktail and wine-tasting parties, drag and variety shows, and comedy.

Headliners include Indigo Blue of Seattle, the 2011 Miss Exotic World; Tigger!, a New York performer known as “the Godfather of Boylesque;” Tamale Sepp, a comedian from Chicago; and Columbus’ own Viva Valezz!, winner of two Golden Pastie awards.

She said she’s hoping the show will draw up to 500 people from around the country.

Visit www.fiercequeerburlesque.com for more information and events.

Parade Snubs LGBT Kids, So Officials Snub Parade Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, council members, candidates, labor unions and others dropped out of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade after organizers excluded an LGBT youth group from participating.

Stephen and Joshua Snyder-Hill will be the grand marshals of Pride 2013, according to Stonewall Columbus.

Stonewall officials said they decided to honor the recently married couple for their activism and commitment to marriage equality.

Stephen Snyder-Hill is the U.S. Army officer who submitted a question about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell at a 2011 Republican presidential debate and was booed by the audience.

The couple now is part of a lawsuit to gain equal family benefits from the military. They’re steering committee co-chairs for Freedom Ohio and created a social-networking site last year called Marriage Evolved, which allows people to share their stories about how they’re affected by being denied the right to marry.

Just recently, Stephen and Joshua created an event called the C-Bus of Love, in which they will escort 25 couples to Washington, D.C., on June 21 to be married on the U.S. Supreme Court steps.

The Pride parade is June 22.

Brown Urges President to Protect LGBT Workers Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio and 36 Senate colleagues have urged President Obama to sign an executive order that would bar discrimination by companies doing business with the federal government.

Openly gay City Council member Chris Seelbach told the Cincinnati Enquirer that parade organizers indicated to him that they excluded the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) because of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday’s connection to the Catholic church.

“You are in a position to protect millions of American workers immediately by including sexual orientation and gender identity alongside long-standing non-discrimination protections,” the senators wrote.

Even though GLSEN marched in 2012, parade officials said they don’t allow groups to promote a cause.

Ohio is one of 29 states where it remains legal to fire or refuse to hire someone for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, so ENDA would help workers statewide whose employers are federal contractors.

Among people who stayed in the parade was Nick Clooney, a former Cincinnati TV anchorman and father of actor George Clooney, who was grand marshal.

Stay up-to-date between editions of outlook by visiting outlookcolumbus.com every day for the latest in LGBT news, politics and entertainment.

You don’t have to wait until October anymore to participate in the annual AIDS Walk Central Ohio.

The event is moving to April 20 this year to be part of the traditional running season and allow more time for other fall events planned by AIDS Resource Center Ohio, the fundraiser’s sponsor.

The 5K run/walk runs/walks between Downtown’s Bicentennial Park and the Scioto Audubon Metro Park in the Brewery District.

There will be plenty of entertainment for participants, with Carolyn Buck of Good Day Columbus and Nina West acting as emcees and the Capital Pride Band performing. Former Columbus Crew player Frankie Hejduk will be the honorary chairman.

Those who aren’t quite ready for a 5K can take part in a one-mile stroll - or they can just donate to the cause as a “sleep walker” and stay home in bed. All of the walkers and runners will take off at 10:20a. It’s $20 to walk and $30 to run. For more information or to register, visit www.aidswalkcentralohio.com The event will benefit ARC Ohio, the Ohio AIDS Coalition, Camp Sunrise, Montana de Luz, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital FACES Program and Project Open Hand. Organizers hope to draw 1,500 participants and raise more than $100,000. They raised $140,000 last year.

Teams participating in the race also can raise money for their own organizations.

So what will happen come fall? ARC Ohio will host a gala called Red Columbus 2013 on Sept.

7 at the Landmark Aviation Hangar at Port Columbus. The night will feature tables decorated by local artists and designers. This year’s theme is “Wanderlust,” highlighting a passion for travel and adventure. Attendees will enjoy dinner and hors d’oeuvres amongst the tablescapes and dancing to end the night.

The event then will take place every other year, rotating with Art for Life, another ARC Ohio fundraiser.

We ♥ our interns and our interns ♥ things. Pete ♥ The Book Loft and Teena ♥ Ohio Roller Girls.

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super mario world

I Would ♥ C-Bus More If...

by Mario Pinardi After two lengthy flights, I have landed with my own underpants on in Sydney, Australia, where the bears are as cuddly as koalas and Vegemite doubles as eye cream.

I am pretty lucky to be able to travel with Hubby out of the country often, and when I visit an international destination I become torn with comparisons to Columbus.

Columbus has so much awesomeness for a Midwestern city, and we have some pretty cool stats.

We’re home to the most undies in the world, Victoria’s Secret, and we have the gerifratric international hunky brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, too.

Plus, we are super gay! Columbus vomits more glitter than any other city in the Midwest, and it’s home to many companies rated highly in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.

And before you all start getting your Buckeyes in a knot, we have The Ohio State University, too.

Think about what happens when you make jobs easily accessible without inflated car payments or high gas prices. Mass transit is a part of daily living in major cities, not a social scar like folks view it here. We have the energy and the creativity to improve our transportation options and the reputation of mass transit here.

How about making weekends in Columbus less about retail therapy and drinking and more about exploring the cultural offerings of our city?

I know Columbus houses the Disneyland of Central Ohio, Easton Town Center (or as I like to call it, the Panty Center, because Victoria has her underpants everywhere there). And we have some fabulous gay bars here, but what about our parks, COSI (not the deli), Franklin Park Conservatory or a theater matinee?

With a major university here, promoting booze and debauchery is an easy moneymaker for businesses - and believe me, I participate in debauchery, too.

Columbus is the 15th largest city in the United States and one of the top gay cities in the Midwest.

Why isn’t Columbus No. 1? We have so much here that could make us No. 1 in every city survey. Or are we happy at No. 15?

But I pledged to Hubby that we would start doing less boozapaloozas and more activities we don’t normally do. I live really close to COSI, the Columbus Museum of Art and the Wexner Center, and I pledge to patronize these places more often.

I’m a transplant to Columbus, and when I utter just one syllable of a critique of what could be done better here, folks get their jocks in a bind and these queens even call me names. Bitches, I have always believed that we all can learn from feedback and even criticism, no matter how inane it is.

Now, I know some of my friends are like, “Grrl, you are too lushy to stand upright at an art exhibit,” and sometimes this is true, but I really am trying to be less of a lushy retail queen and more of a patron of the city.

Let’s talk about transportation. Why do we only have eight airlines that fly regularly out of Port Columbus when we’re the 15th largest city? This makes no sense. We have large corporations here such as Wendy’s International and Nationwide; you’d think we would attract more airlines.

There are cities smaller than Columbus that have more airlines and more routes at their airports, which makes it easier to reach both domestic and international destinations.

And what about COTA? Since I have lived here, COTA has made drastic improvements, but we need readily accessible and quicker ways to get from the suburbs to city conveniences and work. We are a suburbanite mecca, and there’s still an unspoken fear of public transit and Downtown.

There is nothing harmful or evil about the arts or about expanding your mind. I learned a long time ago that opening your mind and leaving your ethnocentric comfort zone makes you a better and more well-rounded person. I challenge you to leave your safe haven of Buckeyes sports and local watering holes and seek other adventures in this city.

Again, I am even challenging myself. If I’m not working, Tweet me and I’ll meet you at COSI or the Art Museum.

Columbus has the potential to be the best city in the United States. We have the resources to be No. 1 in all those city surveys that pop up on the Internet. Let’s start pushing for a better transit system and airport, and let’s stop being afraid of all that is not Buckeye-centric.

Be loud, be proud, and stop settling for No. 15.

When my office relocated Downtown, I heard people talking about “sketchy” and “crazy” people riding the bus Downtown. I know you’re shocked, but don’t be. This is real.

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Mario Pinardi writes Super Mario World every month for outlook.

You can follow him on Twitter at @mariowp3.

Brent Hawk ♥ the Columbus Crew’s Nordecke supporters section. Hudson Street Hooligans rule!

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Chris ♥ the Golden Spider Roll at Haiku. He does not ♥ spiders, however.

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Gays, Guns and God

by Mickey Weems Americans, especially those of us in the LGBT community, have compelling reasons to be concerned about the current debate on weapons of war.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time calling for a ban on assault weapons and magazines (also called clips) holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Without exception, people who have defended their right to buy more assault weapons have convinced me that they should not own assault weapons at all.

On top of being paranoid and trigger-happy, they were also homophobic.

I favor blunt confrontation when talking with pro-gun extremists.

Stating facts helps, but they must be stated repeatedly: “Switzerland has an assault weapon in every home? Well, you left out that it is illegal to keep ammo at home. Look it up for yourself.

All bullets must stay on the firing range, and there are limits as to what kinds of firearms and how many you can own. Do you know why?

Switzerland had its own massacre, as did Australia, Scotland, and Hawai’i. Sensible gun control was the response, and their gun violence dropped dramatically.”

I just pray those who oppose me bring up Israel, the Norwegian massacre or the Constitution.

Minimal

research disproves any points they try to score with these topics.

I do not debate weapons fanatics. I teach them, just as I teach creationists, climate-change deniers and homophobes. But I keep ridicule close at hand if teaching fails, or if they say something especially stupid.

“So hammers are more dangerous than assault weapons?” I ask. “Why don’t you tell that to the parents of kids massacred in Newtown? They’ll feel much better knowing that the madman only had a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle instead of a fully loaded carpenter’s belt.”

The NRA raised an army of bullies to intimidate anyone who dares call for gun control in Congress or online. I hate bullies. It is my duty to call them out whenever I see them, educating them when I can, humiliating them when I must.

One man said he had the right to own any weapon and ammo available to the police and the military, and that he would use his firepower on anyone who sought to take away his weapons. I told him to keep talking, he’ll end up on multiple watch lists before the day is through.

His response? He hoped I get aids. I think he meant AIDS. I told him I hope he gets professional help before he kills somebody - or a whole passel of somebodies.

Here is something that rarely comes up during discussions about gun control: Grenade launchers made for assault weapons are legal in many states. So are attachments for rocket launchers.

Behind all the pro-gun rhetoric is the simmering anger that President Obama is in office. Assault weapons, they say, are not for hunting or home defense, they

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are for overthrowing the U.S. government if these guys decide they don’t like the way things are going. Overthrowing the government is the sole reason for having semi-automatic weapons that can be rendered easily into automatic weapons, fit with grenade launchers and rocket launchers, and loaded with armor-piercing shells.

Such anti-American paranoia was apparent on that cold January day at the Statehouse as people proudly toting assault rifles let the public know the government was oppressing them.

They believe that only good guys with assault weapons can stop bad guys with assault weapons. Ironic, that the men who conducted massacres in our country were classified as good guys, right up until the moment they opened fire.

And here’s why this is an issue for LGBT Americans: It’s not simply a civilian’s right to weapons of war that is at stake. The right of Christians to bear arms against homosexuals is also under siege.

Here’s a new bit of crazy: Gays are infiltrating the CIA and FBI. Just ask homophobe-for-pay Brian Camenker: “The FBI is just unbelievable to see,” he says. “They have started a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender program on their careers website and they apparently have even gone from there to embracing the gay agenda, having a gay advisory committee, welcoming homosexuals as FBI agents, getting involved with pride events, but more than that going to gay pride events and encouraging homosexual activists to report hate crimes and working with them against pro-family groups. ...

It is very, very frightening to see. The FBI is very powerful and they can do a lot of damage if they are out to get you.”

Association thinks about gun control: “What if [the attorney general] decides radio talk show hosts who don’t believe in gay marriage, they’re dangerous, so they shouldn’t get guns?

What about pastors who preach against abortion and homosexuality? They’re too dangerous to get guns? That could happen.”

Throw in the blood-soaked wet dreams of Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver, who believes gay marriage could inspire gun-loving Christians to open fire: “This could cause another civil war,” he warns. Or fervently hopes.

Civil war against the Gays one of many scenarios that inspires people to join the movement to keep assault rifles, grenade launchers and rocket launchers legal. Behind the rhetoric is an unspoken fantasy: the pleasure, the ecstasy of firing weapons of war and unleashing an orgy of death. The reason why men who conduct massacres kill themselves before they are caught is so they may die unaccountable for the reality they leave behind and their fulfilled fantasy intact.

Giving men (it seems to always be men, selfidentified straight men at that) the means to indiscriminately kill on a large scale leads to what we are witnessing now: an arms race conducted by a minority within this country.

The goal is to make themselves Too Dangerous to Disarm, reminiscent of Wall Street’s Too Big to Fail, and every bit as morally bankrupt.

All the while, the LGBT community is in their crosshairs.

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.

Add what Brian Fischer of the American Family

We ♥ the Pink Pistols.

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We ♼ Briggs Cormier for constistenly being one of the top fundraisers for AIDS Walk.

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We ♥ Brian Hawkins

A Tale of Two Brians Salon Lofts. The name is not misleading. It’s an industrial-inspired space with a labyrinth of individual loft-style salons. Yet to the uninitiated, misconceptions exist. For example, I thought it was an apartment building full of real lofts where people actually live.

But after making an appointment, I ventured to the salon-saturated section of the Short North to meet local

celebrity Brian C. Hawkins.

To break the ice, I confess my delusion that Salon Lofts are trendy residences. Hawkins laughs. “My friend thought they sold lamp shades.” (At night, the building is illuminated by large, drum-shaped chandeliers.)

You could argue that Hawkins does live at Salon Lofts, based on the number of hours he spends there. “It’s essentially your own business,” he says. “You have your own key, and it’s technically 24

hours a day. So if I want to come in at 3 o’clock in the morning and do a haircut - I’m not sure why I would but if Michelle Obama were in town and says, ‘I need a haircut’ and it’s 3 a.m., guess what I’m doing?”

Although he has yet to meet the First Lady, Hawkins has worked with countless celebrity stylists and runway models thanks to his jobs at Fashion Week and his appearances on popular TV shows like Project Runway and Fashion Star.

His involvement with Fashion Star started with a simple text message to a friend in LA: “We were just going back and forth with texting, and I’m like, ‘Well, as always, if you need something, just let me know.’ And a couple of minutes later, he calls me and he’s like, ‘Your timing couldn’t be better.’”

Less than a month later, Brian was in LA for filming.

by Teena Parker like, maybe in my 20s - maybe early 30s - I might consider it.”

Columbus, he says, “is home,” and he loves working in the Short North.

“Nothing against suburbia, but I’m not a suburban person. If I’m sitting at Level, and you and I are chatting, and you’re like, ‘Where do you work?’ and I’m like, “Oh, it’s right down the street,’ the likelihood of you coming to me is a lot more than if I say, ‘Oh, I’m in Powell.’”

He admits that not everyone is cut out for New York City or Fashion Week.

“It can be very intense. You’ve got on average about 18 models, and the hair team can be 12 to 14 people, and the makeup side can be 10 people, and there’s photographers, there’s press back there, and it’s very, very intense. ... You can either handle it or you can’t.”

Brian C. Hawkins can handle it.

“My clients have been very supportive and encouraging,” he says. “One of my clients was like, ‘You know, every time I see something you post on Facebook, I’m happy for you. But then I’m like, Wait a minute.

How much longer are you gonna be in Columbus?’”

So will he move to New York or LA? “If I were younger ...

Brian Hawkins? Not so much.

“There’s two different Brians. There’s ‘Brian C. Hawkins,’” he says mockingly in a deep baritone. “And then there’s ‘Brian Hawkins.’”

“I’m a shy, quiet person, but this industry creates a different persona.

It’s still me. I’m not being fake. But for me to do what I’ve done, I have to be assertive.”

He also has to network.

“I’m a networking fanatic,” he says.

“I’m not afraid to pick up the

phone. I’m not afraid to email.”

He emailed Ted Gibson from TLC’s What Not To Wear. Shortly thereafter, Gibson’s assistant called to invite him to work with their team on a photo shoot.

“The first time I met Ted Gibson, I was like a groupie,” he says. “I’m standing there, like, ‘Oh my god,’ and so he says, ‘You must be Brian,’ and I’m like, ‘Hi, Mr. Gibson, it’s so nice to meet you,’ and he’s like, ‘No, no, no, it’s Ted,’ and I’m like, ‘OK, Mr. Ted, it’s so nice to meet you,’ and he’s like, ‘No, just Ted,’ and he gives me this hug, and I’m like, ‘Oh my GOD!’” “My inspiration in the industry is how he handled that situation. You know who he is. He knows who he is. But there’s never this unapproachable feeling to him.”

Brian, too, is very approachable. “To me, I feel like even though I’m proud of myself and what I’ve accomplished, I’ve never been a bragger. I think it has a lot to do with how my parents brought me up.”

“I had this visual of the day that I become all, ‘Yes. Hello. I’m Brian C. Hawkins,’” he says in his faux baritone. “And my mother is going to come around the corner and body slam me.”

This down-to-earth attitude - as well as his accomplishments in his field are why his alma mater has invited him to give this year’s commencement address at the Paul Mitchell School. When offered the opportunity, Brian asked, “Why me?”

“I’m just little ol’ me,” he says.

“Those were my exact words to her.

And she says, ‘That’s exactly why we love you.’”

Brian Hawkins - or is it Brian C. Hawkins? works out of the Salon Lofts at 909 N High St in the Short North. Visit him online at salonlofts.com/brian_hawkins or call 614.638.1599. Small Pond features LGBT 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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Brian ♥ Camelot Cellars: “Camelot has THE best wine selection and a fantastic owner.”

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Erin ♼ live local music, especially outdoors. Picnic with the Pops is only two months away!

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We ♥ Charleta Tavares

UNABASHEDLY PRO-EQUALITY

by D.A. Steward Just a decade ago when asking most any office-holder about her stance on marriage equality, you could expect a diplomatic answer filled with words of respect for both the LGBT community and those who oppose “such lifestyles.”

Fortunately we now live in a world where our president openly supports marriage equality and where politicians like state Sen. Charleta B. Tavares respond like this to the question of whether she’s ever hesitated to support LGBT rights legislation: “No, because if you have principles and values that you live by, you don’t hesitate when supporting equality. I believe in doing what’s right and what’s just. I don’t believe in discriminating against anyone.

If you believe that, then it has to be a part of your life and your decisions as a senator. I’ve supported benefits for same-sex partners because it’s just what’s fair and what’s right.”

Tavares, a Columbus Democrat who was elected to the Ohio Senate in 2010, is gracefully unapologetic in her convictions for an Ohio and an America where everyone is treated equally. And unlike other politicians - including President Obama - her public support of the LGBT issues didn’t need a period of “evolution.”

The Franklinton-raised politician speaks fondly of a childhood where the tenet of equality was just “something I grew up with.” Her father worked as a laborer at General Motors and her mother was a community activist who served on the local PTA. They taught Tavares to “treat everyone with respect and appreciation.”

to 2010 and as a representative in the Ohio House from 1993 to 1998. She was the first African-American woman to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly.

“This is my home, and I’m proud of this city and the advancements we’ve made,” Tavares said. “I’m proud of the diversity that is now capturing Columbus and central Ohio, and that fact that we’re embracing diversity. That’s a strength many communities don’t have.”

Equality is a mantra she has continued to carry politically. Tavares, along with Sen. Mike Skindell, D-Lakewood, sponsored the Equal Housing and Employment Act in the last General Assembly session. Ohio is one of 34 states where it’s still legal to be fired or refused housing simply for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The EHEA would make such discrimination illegal.

“We’re gearing up and getting ready to introduce [the Equal Housing and Employment Act] again,” Tavares said. “The plan was that if we didn’t pass it last year we had to reintroduce it, so we’re looking for co-sponsors so we can make that happen.”

She said she’s paying attention to but hasn’t waded into a debate within Ohio’s LGBT community on how best to move forward on civil rights issues. The biggest organization, Equality Ohio, wants to push for anti-discrimination legislation, while the newest group, Freedom Ohio, says it is on track to put a marriage-equality initiative on the November ballot.

“I generally let the communities that are primarily impacted make the decision for themselves,” Tavares said. “I think there’s an opportunity on both fronts. The main issue here is, do the people think there are enough resources and funding? I don’t know. That’s something the LGBT community and allies have to decide.

Where do they want to put their resources? But I can see the pros and cons of both sides.”

She goes on to stress that the toughest fight won’t be within the community. Groups like the Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values and the National Organization for Marriage are the real opponents.

“Unfortunately they have a lot of momentum behind them, these outside entities who are pushing their personal agendas and have millions of dollars to do so,” Tavares said. “I do believe that we have to do the same thing. If we’re against constitutional language that discriminates against the residents of our state, we have to get allies, business entities and organizations to contribute and build the resources necessary to combat their message.”

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

“[Being an LGBT ally] is just who I am and who I was raised to be,” Tavares said.

“We may come in different forms and have different values and backgrounds, but everyone deserves respect.”

Tavares has also remained fiercely dedicated to Columbus and Ohio. She served on the Columbus City Council from 1999

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Charleta ♥ our parks. “All the little community parks provide an outlet for relaxation, social interaction and exercise.”

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We ♥ “Eye of the Tiger.” “That Girl from Cali,” not so much.

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We ♥ Steven Anderson

Taking CaTCO TO The COmmuniTy

by Andrew Keller

pot of problems, and I thought, ‘Why would I want to trade my little pot for a big pot?’”

Once upon a time, there was a land of cats and dogs. The dogs mistreated the cats, and to get back at them and to ensure that justice was done, the cats ... well, they decided to form a government.

While the premise might not sound like the stuff of legend, CATCO artistic director Steven Anderson said the show designed by kids, for kids, is just one aspect of what makes one of central Ohio’s premier theater companies so unique. It was designed to teach children the structure and importance of government and is part of Anderson’s initiative to make CATCO - and theater in general - a driving force for development in the community.

Anderson moved to Columbus with his partner in 1976, and after acclimating himself to the city helped found the Phoenix Theater for Children, an institution that ran for 19 years until Anderson was approached by CATCO and asked to merge the two companies into one. He hesitated at first.

“I got a phone call from their managing director, asking, ‘Would you be interested in merging the two companies?’” he said. “They had a big

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ture and updates, and that was a really interest- form the audience about the subject.” ing project.”

Finally, Anderson said he was particularly proud He was persuaded, however, after considering He also has made a push to build the audience, of the work that he has done with CATCO in the benefits of the merger. The companies reaching out to other companies in the Columespecially in the GLBT community. merged in 2010, and Anderson immediately set bus theater community to help dispel what he off to shrink the “big pot of problems.” First on “When I first became artistic director, there feels is a discomfort about cooperation. his list? The lack of necessary engagement he was no gay audience, and I was like, ‘What kind saw between CATCO and the community at of theater is that?!’” Anderson said. “We have “I think that, in the more than 30 theaters in large.

Columbus, the way people differentiated themreally reached out to the gay community, selves was, ‘I do this, I do classics, and everythrough shows like Next Fall and I Am My Own “CATCO was pretty focused on what happened Wife, the story of a man who was actually trans- thing else is crap.’ I don’t think that’s a on the stage, period.” Anderson said. “It was sustainable way to create a theatrical comgender living in Nazi Germany.” not particularly interested in reaching out to the pany,” said Anderson. “We started holding community, showing leadership, and it certainly Anderson has pushed to strengthen CATCO’s ed- stage greetings with other companies, so we wasn’t interested in collaboration.” ucational mission, a passion he said he carried can all work together to build community.” over from his work at the Phoenix Theater for Anderson reached out to CATCO’s audience and Children. Through CATCO’s Education DepartUltimately, Anderson says, he wants to grow to the community. And almost unheard of in the ment, members work with children to produce CATCO into a household name in central Ohio. theater world, he reached out to other theater “informances,” or informative performances, He wants everyone, whether or not they’re accompanies. that help teach the audience and the kids put- tively involved in theater, to be able to benefit from CATCO’s work. ting them on about a certain subject.

For the audience, CATCO’s first step was to engage via social media.

“Before I retire in 30 years, I would love for “There are five elementary schools we work with that have a high risk of children at failure, people to claim the theater as something that “In the traditional theater world, the design really moves them, excites them and entertains mostly under poverty line,” Anderson said. process is not necessarily secret, but it is very “These kids were not having academic success, them, and I would like to make people say, private,” he said. “We did a design process for and there were topics they weren’t mastering. ‘Well, I don’t know that play, but I know CATCO is a show in which the entire process was on doing it, and I’m interested in seeing it because In our program, we work with them for 20 Facebook, and people could respond to the pic- weeks to put on informances, and then they in- I like what CATCO does,’” he said.

Steven ♥ “that Columbus is an open and smart city. Our community is really becoming spectacular."

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Chris ♼ the running hot dogs... especially when they fight. His favorite is Ketchup.

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We ♥ the Rev. Margaret Hawk

Transforming Lives Far and Wide wasn’t Christian vs. lesbian, it was the idea of a literal Hell that I struggled with. I didn’t believe in Almost hidden in plain sight on Columbus’s South it,” she said. “I felt I was more like a Unitarian or Side is the New Creation Metropolitan Community Buddhist than a Methodist in that regard.”

Church. The building is small and austere but As she looked at other spiritual paths, she found well-kept and warm on a cold March day. many were similar to the Christian faiths, and those similarities ultimately led her to stay where It’s a welcoming place that inspires calm and a she was. desire to learn more - much like its pastor, the Rev. Margaret Hawk. Her story and passion match the church and its mission as they seek to trans- A reference from a friend led Hawk to the New Creation Metropolitan Community Church. The deform themselves and others. nomination that began in 1968 has churches and ministries in more than 25 countries, but the local Hawk hails from northeastern Ohio and earned her undergraduate degree in edu- congregation was at a low point when Hawk arcation from Bowling Green State Univer- rived in 1990. sity, followed by a master’s in theological studies from the Methodist “The congregation was burned out,” she said.

Theological School in Ohio. Raised as “They had been without a pastor for a long time. a United Methodist, she felt a calling The attendance was very low.” Hawk was brought to the church early on, even though in to preach as she finished her theological studas a lesbian she had to deal with ies. She continued to garner more duties and became pastor once ordained. She took up the an inner struggle. challenge and began leading New Creation church forward with weekly services.

That might sound familiar, but Hawk’s conflict was on an“In church-speak,” she explained, “We call it a other level. blended service. A blend of some of the tradi“For me the tional, formal elements mixed with the less formal struggle elements.” To create the feel of a church, familiar aspects such as communion help provide touchstones from familiar faiths. “We want to acknowledge people’s different backgrounds in faith and add some other elements, too.”

by Jon Dunn

The church serves people on the South Side but reaches out as well to LGBT people farther north.

“We are the best kept secret in Columbus, and we really hope to be bringing hope, light and love to the community,” she said.

“We have a motto: ‘Transforming the World as We Transform Ourselves,’ and I think that really represents what we are trying to do.”

King Avenue United Methodist Church (see www.newcreationmcc.org for details) to benefit the Seaside Park, N.J., Firehouse No. 45, which sustained major damage during Hurricane Sandy last October. The firehouse was gutted and lost much of its equipment.

It’s likely that none of the members of the church had ever heard of the tiny seashore hamlet of Seaside Park, let alone visited there. Yet they are trying to lift the spirits and strengths of the firehouse through some long-distance goodwill from a tiny congregation with a big heart. The firefighters may never meet any of the New Creation congregation, but their lives will certainly be touched by them.

For itself, the New Creation Church gets by on what the congregation and community can offer.

It gets no money from the national New Creation church, but Hawk’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The local congregation was named a 2011 MCC Pacesetter Church for its leadership and commitment to strengthening the future of the movement’s international ministry.

While helping to changes others’ lives, sometimes the change is personal. The toll of driving from her Union County home has convinced Hawk to finally move south to Columbus. “I have a large home on three acres and it’s too much for one person to handle, so I am looking around here, now.”

She shared that country home for many years with her partner, Stephanie Miller, who passed several years ago. The memory is still a bit tender, but Hawk’s strength and faith have helped her keep moving forward.

Although she’ll be a new Columbus resident, Hawk has been a local for a long time and a fixture at GLBT events.

“My idea of cutting loose is wearing my clergy collar to Pride and just stand in the oncoming flow of people and making light-hearted comments about what they’re wearing, their tattoos, what“We’re always looking for ‘what does it mean to be ever strikes me as they pass,” she says with a a good neighbor’ and try to follow through on that. smile.

So as we help our neighbors to renew themselves, we are renewing and recreating ourselves at the Her reward is the responses people provide. same time.”

“They’ll just look at me, sometimes stopping to talk and respond. I really love that interaction.”

This dedication sometimes requires reaching outside of the local community and into the unknown. New Creation MCC, which offers positive, affirming ministry to The church is hosting a chili cook-off on April 6 at

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We ♥ open and affirming churches. We also ♥ an open bar.

gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith, meets at 116 E Williams Rd each Sunday at 10:30a.

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We ♥ Soup and the Torso store in Cleveland. Fees? We’re not so crazy about those.

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We ♥ Savanna DeLong

‘

’

Tiny Battle Makes History

by Bob Vitale Savanna DeLong lost family when she began telling them in 2005 that who she is on the inside didn’t match the person they saw on the outside.

Five years later, with hormone replacement therapy well under way and her male name legally left behind, DeLong began telling employers and lost even more.

Three jobs - as a licensed massage therapist at Downtown’s Capital Club and as a server with two suburban catering companies - slipped away as bosses stopped calling. She already had lost her health coverage. Then she lost her income as well.

On her way home from a January 2011 meeting in which a club manager told her that she’d make guests feel uncomfortable, she had to pull off the highway to vomit.

OK, let’s fast-forward this to the happier part.

It’s 2013 - March 11, to be exact - and DeLong is standing in the courtroom of Franklin County Municipal Court Judge H. William Pollitt Jr. He’s about to levy the first fine under a five-year-old city law that bans discrimination based on gender identity.

Columbus Hospitality Management, which ran the Capital Club when DeLong stopped getting work there, pleaded no contest to charges that bosses retaliated against her for filing a federal complaint.

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DeLong read a statement in court that recounted her fear of losing her home, her pets, her possessions. And then she took her place in history as the first transgender resident of Columbus to fight back against workplace discrimination.

“Today, I feel like I have done what I can to advance the rights of the LGBT community. For that I am thankful,” she said. “Just a tiny battle in the fight for all our rights. I hope with this win, it can make life easier for transgender people now and in the future.”

After Pollitt fined Columbus Hospitality Management $1,000 - the company said it pleaded no contest as a “business decision,” not an admission of guilt - City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr., said Columbus won’t hesitate to hold employers accountable.

“If you engage in illegal discrimination, we will file charges,” he said.

Chief Prosecutor Lara Baker-Morrish gave much of the credit to DeLong, 53, who grew up in the shadows of Ohio Stadium as her father managed a farm for Ohio State University.

“This wasn’t easy,” Baker-Morrish said. “She was willing to go forward and do all of that.”

standing to claim discrimination as a transgender woman. A federal complaint was dismissed because bias against LGBT people isn’t covered by federal law. Ohio doesn’t bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, either.

The city said Columbus Hospitality Management denied DeLong work after she filed that unsuccessful federal complaint. Although the company didn’t fight the charges in court, President Charles Lagarce said managers stopped giving work to DeLong and all other contract employees because business had slowed during the recession.

DeLong worked at the Capital Club for 12 years as a licensed massage therapist, bartender and restaurant server and said she never received bad feedback from superiors.

After she came out to a supervisor in an email, though, she was called into the office and told she could work as a bartender instead. The club never asked her back for either job. Nor did catering companies in Bexley and Reynoldsburg, where local anti-discrimination laws are silent on transgender discrimination.

in 2004 and with her now ex-wife and step-children in 2005.

DeLong is on the verge of bankruptcy today, but a job at Giant Eagle in Upper Arlington offers a paycheck and health insurance. She hopes to get back into massage therapy, for which she became licensed by the state in 2000.

“I’ve worked with athletes, with terminally ill patients, with the elderly,” she said. “Not to sound cliché, but I like helping people.”

She acknowledges that she once considered suicide, but now DeLong talks about new friends and adopted family who love and support her. A cousin contacted her after reading her story in The Columbus Dispatch, and coverage of the case on Channel 10 has brought more kind words than uncomfortable stares.

“Strangers would come up to me and say they support me,” DeLong said. “They said it took a lot of courage to do what I did.”

DeLong, though, still calls her fight “a small battle.” The $1,000 fine paid by Columbus Hospitality Management will go to the city, not to her.

Baker-Morrish said DeLong’s status as an independent contractor prevented the city from fully pursuing a discrimination case. The local law doesn’t cover people who work under those terms.

Among the most hurtful things her former manager did was refer to her gender identity as an epiphany, she said.

“It’s not so much the fine. It’s the statement,” she said.

“My first thoughts and memories, from when I was 5 years old, were feeling something wasn’t right,” she said. “Things just didn’t fit.”

“It gave me a lot more self-confidence. I feel probably better than I’ve felt at any time in my life. I feel a lot more relaxed - myself, I guess.”

But only in Columbus did DeLong have any

She finally shared her feelings with a therapist

Savanna DeLong ♥ the Hot Times Community Arts & Music Festival in Olde Towne East.

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We ♼ sister-owned businesses.

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You’d likely miss the Arts and College Preparatory Academy if you were driving by it on Columbus’ East Side. The sleek black building nestled behind Fort Rapids Water Park off I-70 looks like any other office complex anywhere between Polaris and Grove City.

Gatto said he’s up front about the culture of the school when he interviews potential teachers. “I always ask a question: ‘If you see two boys holding hands in the hallway kissing, how would you treat it?’”

This is his third year as principal at ACPA.

One step inside ACPA, though, and the whole place comes alive. Students mill the halls during class change, past walls covered in colorful murals. The sounds of instruments from the music room can be heard in the distance.

The place is beating, and at the heart of it is Principal Tony Gatto.

Gatto has been with the academy since it opened in 2002. He taught math back then and didn’t always know education would be his calling. He earned a journalism degree from Miami University and worked as a substitute teacher for Columbus Public Schools while he looked for a job.

He enjoyed it so much he took math classes at Columbus State Community College and received his teaching certificate. “I felt like this is what I should be doing. I felt like this was my purpose.”

While long-term subbing at Arts Impact Middle School, Gatto met art teacher G.G. Howard, and she soon became his mentor. After her daughter was bullied at a suburban high school, Howard decided to open ACPA, and Gatto went with her.

“She wanted to open a school where she could go be safe,” he said.

In 11 years, Gatto has watched the school grow.

ACPA opened with about 50 students; currently there are 260. But the mission of the school hasn’t changed.

Diversity and inclusion continue to be the core beliefs and are reinforced daily. Many of the students have transferred to ACPA after being treated poorly at their home schools. Many are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

“They typically come in because they are marginalized in some way,” Gatto said. Sitting in the cafeteria, he asked a student: “Why did you come to ACPA?” She responded: “I had no where else to go.”

Diversity is celebrated in the curriculum. “When they talk about civil rights they talk about gay rights.

When they discuss political issues they discuss marriage equality,” Gatto said. “Novels have gay characters, and they have gay themes. And it’s not made a big deal of. It’s just presented as something to study.”

The school also hosted a drag pageant talent show in February where six students - both kings and queens - competed for the crown of ACPA Drag Superstar.

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“I feel like I have the ability to guide the culture and provide opportunity for the students and teachers to succeed. I can’t really see myself working in a different place now that I’ve been here,” Gatto said. “Now that I’m here and have that capacity, I want to create a safe place for kids to go to school.”

Gatto attended a suburban high school in Columbus and didn’t have a good experience. He said he can relate to the students who transfer into ACPA. “I was pretty nerdy but also pretty unhappy. I didn’t fit in,” he said. “A lot of why I’m here and why I want to create a safe place is because I know what an unsafe place can be.”

Richard Albeit was hired as the academy’s vice principal at the same time Gatto was brought on, so the two have grown into their jobs together. They’re friends as well as colleagues, laughing and joking in their shared office.

“He’s a remarkable partner to work with, and I trust him explicitly because he operates with unwavering honesty and integrity. I haven’t met many people in my life who are so thoroughly honest,” Albeit said.

“He also has an incredible, morally correct conscience, which makes working with him refreshing and humbling.”

Albeit remembers a moment when Gatto was talking to parents at a school orientation, and he was addressing the need for kindness from the students at all times during the upcoming year. He said Gatto is able to communicate with ease and is so simple and direct when it comes to discipline. “‘When you’re interacting with somebody else, all you have to do is think about if what you are doing is nice,’ (Tony told the parents),” Albeit recalled. “Just be nice. It’s so simple and easy to understand.”

If he weren’t so dedicated to his teaching career, Gatto might be contributing to VH1’s I Love the 80’s because of his expansive knowledge of 1980s pop.

“An ’80s pop song starts and he knows the title, artist, background ... It’s crazy!” Albeit brags of his friend.

When he isn’t at ACPA, Gatto can be found cooking delicious meals, doing yoga at Snap Fitness or doing online classwork while sitting at Cup o Joe. Gatto is finishing up his master’s in educational leadership at the University of Cincinnati.

“After the master’s program I need to find a new hobby,” he said.

We ♥ Tony Gatto

Reading, Writing

& Inclusion

Tony ♥ the Olentangy Bike Trail.

by Alisa Caton

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Erin ♥ puppies more than Doritos Tacos. It’s close, but puppies definitely win.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 11 TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY Piano Men: The Music of Billy Joel, Elton John & Stevie Wonder @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614.340.1896, www.jazzartsgroup.org: The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will have you feelin’ all right as they play timeless classics from these three legends. 7:30p (8p Fri-Sat, 3p Sun); $30-$49.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 CONJUNCTION JUNCTION School House Rock Live! @ Shedd Theater, 549 Franklin Ave, 614.460.7211, www.catco.org: Scores of ’70s kids learned their grammar rules from this classic chow, and now it is coming to you live! Sure to teach you something with the catchiest of tunes. 2:30p (runs through April 14); $5.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2 HARDLY TRASHY Garbage @ LC Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave, 614.294.1659, www.promowestlive.com: Garbage has enjoyed a long and acclaimed career, and continues to be a huge hit with the gay community. They’ll be tearin’ it up for all those who remember being misunderstood in the ’90s. Chris Hayes will be in heaven. 7p; $35.

TUESDAY, APRIL 30 WE CAME IN PEACE...

For All Mankind @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: Hit up Columbus’s snazziest dining spot for discount cocktails and the pulse of house and electro music that will be spinning all night. This event is 21 and over, so no young’ns. 10p; free.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28 LIFE’S A STAGE Illusions Cabaret @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Columbus’s premier lesbian bar is transformed into an intimate cabaret, including table seating and cocktail service. 7p; $5.

SUNDAY, APRIL 21 AND BRIANNA IS HER NAME-O I <3 Bingo @ Cavan Irish Pub, 1409 S High St, 614.725.5502, www.cavanirishpub.com: Join host Lady Brianna for a hearty round of Bingo. It’s just what the doctor ordered for a Sunday evening. 9p; free.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 IF YOU WERE GAY, THAT’D BE OK Avenue Q @ Studio One, Riffe Center, 77 S High St, 614.460.7211, catco.org: The puppets are in full effect, but these fluffy friends are NOT for kids. Back by popular demand is the award-winning Broadway musical about the post-college doldrums and finding one’s purpose. 8p (runs through April 21); $45.

TUESDAY, APRIL 16 BUZZER HAPPY Name Ten Trivia @ Gateway Film Center, 1550 N High St, 614.545.2255, www.gatewayfilmcenter.com: Perfect for those aspiring trivia stars, like Intern Pete. Pop culture, sports, entertainment, you name it, they’ll ask you about it. 8p; free.

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Underland @ Shadowbox Live, 503 S Front St #260, 614.416.7625, www.shadowboxlive.org: Based upon, you guessed it, Alice in Wonderland, this Shadowbox original show tells the story of a man searching for his daughter in San Francisco during the Summer of Love. 2p, 7p; $30.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 NO INTRODUCTION NECESSARY...BUT SHE STILL WANTS ONE Kathy Griffin @ Ohio Theater, 55 E State St, 800.294.1892, www.capa.com: The foul-mouthed, two-time Emmy winner and honorary gay male is making a comedy stop in Columbus. Bob is counting down the days. 8p; $29-$68.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 MIND THE GAP Keep Calm and Sing-Along @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, wallstreetnightclub.com: Dangerous Productions returns to Columbus for its annual show. Join gender expressionist and kings, queens and in betweens from all over the country as they join voices, hearts, and hands for an old fashion sing-a-long.

Doors 8p; $7.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 RAISING THE HOOF War Horse @ Ohio Theater, 55 E State St, 800.294.1892, www.capa.com: Join us for another Outlook Night Out! Based on the book about World War I from the point of view of a horse. It’s the best stage play featuring our equine friends since that one where Daniel Radcliffe showed his junk. 8p (runs through April 28); $45-$95.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 LEGEND ON CAMPUS An Unforgettable Evening with Natalie Cole @ Mershon Auditorium, Wexner Center, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, tickets.wexarts.org: Singer, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning R&B legend Natalie Cole will perform and be the guest A of honor for a special fundraising event benefitting both OSU’s Wexner Center and the Wexner Medical Center’s Harding Behavioral Health STAR program. 7:30 p; $25-$100.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26 HEAVY BALLS COMIC Bowling Tournament @ HP Lanes, 2012 Innis Rd, www.comicbowlingtournament.com: Here’s the perfect event for all you jocks out there! Three days of splits, strikes and spares at the premier gay bowling event in Ohio. See website for registration. Through April 28; free to attend.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23 SANS JACKET Jim James @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 614.294.1659; www.promowestlive.com: My Morning Jacket front man Jim James is on tour supporting his new solo album, Regions of Light and Sound of God. 7p; $26.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18 SOMETHING WICKED The Animals and Children Took to the Streets @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: A dark and utterly macabre production from British theater company 1927, this is unlike any show you’ve seen. It is a dystopian story featuring multimedia and performance, and has been described as a live-action graphic novel. 8p (runs through April 21); $16 members, $18 public, $10 students.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 FOSSE-PANTS Fossified! @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: This show is all things Bob Fosse, the legendary dance choreographer and director. See a talented bunch of steppers demonstrate why Bob was one of the foremost dance pioneers of the last century. 7p; $12.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 THE FRENCH DO PANCAKES BETTER Pop-Up Brunch @ The Hills Market, 95 N Grant Ave, 614.846.3220, www.thehillsmarket.com: The Hills hosts Rosa from Crepes A La Carte for a delicious brunch, with seating available inside and on the patio. 8a-2p.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 START THINKIN’ BOUT IT Fleetwood Mac @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.246.2000, www.nationwidearena.com: Start practicing your “Stevie Spin” to emulate our favorite rock ’n’ roll witch. You can go your own way, or you can go see Fleetwood Mac. 8p; $49.50$149.50.

out & about

FRIDAY, APRIL 19 DRESS UP YOUR DOG AND COME ON DOWN! Columbus Pet Expo @ Ohio Expo Center, 717 E 17th Ave, 614.644.3247, www.columbuspetexpo.com: Pet fashion shows, acrobatic cats, performing birds... and lots of stuff to buy. Bring your dogs and cats, too. Fri 11a-8p, Sat 10a8p, Sun 11a-6p; $9 advance, $11 at door.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 BED, BATH, AND WAY BEYOND Craftin’ Outlaws Spring Show @ Veterans Memorial, 300 W Broad St, craftinoutlaws.com: We’re not talking glitter and macaroni. Craftin’ Outlaws is an alternative crafting group, and their first-ever spring show will feature modern handmade clothing, jewelry, paintings, posters, ceramics, bath and body items, home décor and more. 10a-6p; free.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 WALK FOR A CAUSE AIDS Walk Central Ohio @ Bicentennial Park, 233 Civic Center Dr, www.aidswalkcentralohio.com: Central Ohio’s largest HIV/AIDS awareness event is striving to raise $120,000 this year, so register soon to take part in this important annual event. 9a; registration.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKER JACKS AND...

Columbus Clippers Home Opener vs. Indianapolis @ Huntington Park, 330 Huntington Park Ln, 614.462.5250, www.huntingtonparkcolumbus.com: The start of another baseball season can only mean one thing: We’re probably due for a snowstorm. 7:05p; $6-$12.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 DIVINELY GIFTED Namasya @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Celebrated dance performer and choreographer Shantala Shivalingappa presents a showcase of her unique style. 8p; $18 members, $22 public, $10 students.

MONDAY, APRIL 1 MIXED MEDIA MADNESS The Cave of Light: A Dark Symposium @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Integrating a number of media, Josiah McElheney and others present stories, spectacles and even a séance. 4p; free.

MONDAY, APRIL 1 April Fools Day! Bring on the pranks.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 11 TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY Piano Men: The Music of Billy Joel, Elton John & Stevie Wonder @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614.340.1896, www.jazzartsgroup.org: The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will have you feelin’ all right as they play timeless classics from these three legends. 7:30p (8p Fri-Sat, 3p Sun); $30-$49.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 CONJUNCTION JUNCTION School House Rock Live! @ Shedd Theater, 549 Franklin Ave, 614.460.7211, www.catco.org: Scores of ’70s kids learned their grammar rules from this classic chow, and now it is coming to you live! Sure to teach you something with the catchiest of tunes. 2:30p (runs through April 14); $5.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2 HARDLY TRASHY Garbage @ LC Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave, 614.294.1659, www.promowestlive.com: Garbage has enjoyed a long and acclaimed career, and continues to be a huge hit with the gay community. They’ll be tearin’ it up for all those who remember being misunderstood in the ’90s. Chris Hayes will be in heaven. 7p; $35.

TUESDAY, APRIL 30 WE CAME IN PEACE...

For All Mankind @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: Hit up Columbus’s snazziest dining spot for discount cocktails and the pulse of house and electro music that will be spinning all night. This event is 21 and over, so no young’ns. 10p; free.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28 LIFE’S A STAGE Illusions Cabaret @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Columbus’s premier lesbian bar is transformed into an intimate cabaret, including table seating and cocktail service. 7p; $5.

SUNDAY, APRIL 21 AND BRIANNA IS HER NAME-O I <3 Bingo @ Cavan Irish Pub, 1409 S High St, 614.725.5502, www.cavanirishpub.com: Join host Lady Brianna for a hearty round of Bingo. It’s just what the doctor ordered for a Sunday evening. 9p; free.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 IF YOU WERE GAY, THAT’D BE OK Avenue Q @ Studio One, Riffe Center, 77 S High St, 614.460.7211, catco.org: The puppets are in full effect, but these fluffy friends are NOT for kids. Back by popular demand is the award-winning Broadway musical about the post-college doldrums and finding one’s purpose. 8p (runs through April 21); $45.

TUESDAY, APRIL 16 BUZZER HAPPY Name Ten Trivia @ Gateway Film Center, 1550 N High St, 614.545.2255, www.gatewayfilmcenter.com: Perfect for those aspiring trivia stars, like Intern Pete. Pop culture, sports, entertainment, you name it, they’ll ask you about it. 8p; free.

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Underland @ Shadowbox Live, 503 S Front St #260, 614.416.7625, www.shadowboxlive.org: Based upon, you guessed it, Alice in Wonderland, this Shadowbox original show tells the story of a man searching for his daughter in San Francisco during the Summer of Love. 2p, 7p; $30.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 NO INTRODUCTION NECESSARY...BUT SHE STILL WANTS ONE Kathy Griffin @ Ohio Theater, 55 E State St, 800.294.1892, www.capa.com: The foul-mouthed, two-time Emmy winner and honorary gay male is making a comedy stop in Columbus. Bob is counting down the days. 8p; $29-$68.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 MIND THE GAP Keep Calm and Sing-Along @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, wallstreetnightclub.com: Dangerous Productions returns to Columbus for its annual show. Join gender expressionist and kings, queens and in betweens from all over the country as they join voices, hearts, and hands for an old fashion sing-a-long.

Doors 8p; $7.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 RAISING THE HOOF War Horse @ Ohio Theater, 55 E State St, 800.294.1892, www.capa.com: Join us for another Outlook Night Out! Based on the book about World War I from the point of view of a horse. It’s the best stage play featuring our equine friends since that one where Daniel Radcliffe showed his junk. 8p (runs through April 28); $45-$95.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 LEGEND ON CAMPUS An Unforgettable Evening with Natalie Cole @ Mershon Auditorium, Wexner Center, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, tickets.wexarts.org: Singer, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning R&B legend Natalie Cole will perform and be the guest A of honor for a special fundraising event benefitting both OSU’s Wexner Center and the Wexner Medical Center’s Harding Behavioral Health STAR program. 7:30 p; $25-$100.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26 HEAVY BALLS COMIC Bowling Tournament @ HP Lanes, 2012 Innis Rd, www.comicbowlingtournament.com: Here’s the perfect event for all you jocks out there! Three days of splits, strikes and spares at the premier gay bowling event in Ohio. See website for registration. Through April 28; free to attend.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23 SANS JACKET Jim James @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 614.294.1659; www.promowestlive.com: My Morning Jacket front man Jim James is on tour supporting his new solo album, Regions of Light and Sound of God. 7p; $26.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18 SOMETHING WICKED The Animals and Children Took to the Streets @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: A dark and utterly macabre production from British theater company 1927, this is unlike any show you’ve seen. It is a dystopian story featuring multimedia and performance, and has been described as a live-action graphic novel. 8p (runs through April 21); $16 members, $18 public, $10 students.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 FOSSE-PANTS Fossified! @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: This show is all things Bob Fosse, the legendary dance choreographer and director. See a talented bunch of steppers demonstrate why Bob was one of the foremost dance pioneers of the last century. 7p; $12.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 THE FRENCH DO PANCAKES BETTER Pop-Up Brunch @ The Hills Market, 95 N Grant Ave, 614.846.3220, www.thehillsmarket.com: The Hills hosts Rosa from Crepes A La Carte for a delicious brunch, with seating available inside and on the patio. 8a-2p.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 START THINKIN’ BOUT IT Fleetwood Mac @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.246.2000, www.nationwidearena.com: Start practicing your “Stevie Spin” to emulate our favorite rock ’n’ roll witch. You can go your own way, or you can go see Fleetwood Mac. 8p; $49.50$149.50.

out & about

FRIDAY, APRIL 19 DRESS UP YOUR DOG AND COME ON DOWN! Columbus Pet Expo @ Ohio Expo Center, 717 E 17th Ave, 614.644.3247, www.columbuspetexpo.com: Pet fashion shows, acrobatic cats, performing birds... and lots of stuff to buy. Bring your dogs and cats, too. Fri 11a-8p, Sat 10a8p, Sun 11a-6p; $9 advance, $11 at door.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 BED, BATH, AND WAY BEYOND Craftin’ Outlaws Spring Show @ Veterans Memorial, 300 W Broad St, craftinoutlaws.com: We’re not talking glitter and macaroni. Craftin’ Outlaws is an alternative crafting group, and their first-ever spring show will feature modern handmade clothing, jewelry, paintings, posters, ceramics, bath and body items, home décor and more. 10a-6p; free.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20 WALK FOR A CAUSE AIDS Walk Central Ohio @ Bicentennial Park, 233 Civic Center Dr, www.aidswalkcentralohio.com: Central Ohio’s largest HIV/AIDS awareness event is striving to raise $120,000 this year, so register soon to take part in this important annual event. 9a; registration.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKER JACKS AND...

Columbus Clippers Home Opener vs. Indianapolis @ Huntington Park, 330 Huntington Park Ln, 614.462.5250, www.huntingtonparkcolumbus.com: The start of another baseball season can only mean one thing: We’re probably due for a snowstorm. 7:05p; $6-$12.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 DIVINELY GIFTED Namasya @ Southern Theater, 21 E Main St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Celebrated dance performer and choreographer Shantala Shivalingappa presents a showcase of her unique style. 8p; $18 members, $22 public, $10 students.

MONDAY, APRIL 1 MIXED MEDIA MADNESS The Cave of Light: A Dark Symposium @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Integrating a number of media, Josiah McElheney and others present stories, spectacles and even a séance. 4p; free.

MONDAY, APRIL 1 April Fools Day! Bring on the pranks.

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We ♥ Brad Henry Creating New Worlds

by Tera Proby Tall and handsome, Brad Henry towers over anyone who meets him. And as an Ohio State University doctoral candidate in educational technology, his success can be intimidating as well.

It’s his humility and honesty, though, that gives you the sense his life is a complex journey that’s taught him some valuable lessons along the way.

Henry spent his youth in the suburbs of Dayton. Never feeling accepted by teachers and peers, he passed the time making outrageous fashion statements and partying in local warehouse districts with others who identified with the LGBT community.

Yet a memorable part of his high school experience was the lack of ethnic and cultural diversity. As a result, Henry spent the majority of his high school career viewing himself as the underdog. Giving up on finding success socially and academically, he decided to let fate be his guide.

His young adulthood led him to pursue a range of careers. From recording artist to DJ, then professional baker, it was the unsuccessful business ventures that forced

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him to learn some hard lessons. Most important was that he thrives in a less structured work environment. While he doesn’t judge those who pursue bureaucratic careers, a suit and tie aren’t for him. His productivity relies on places where he can creatively express himself.

It’s with this understanding of how he works productively that he’s found success for the last nine years in his company, EduTechnologic. It business focuses primarily on the connection between technology and education. His company provides customers with solutions to everyday problems and minimizes the cost in doing so.

Understanding that learning technique is subjective, Henry’s most recent project is one that gives participants a personalized learning experience. The unique and groundbreaking work is called the Find Brutus Project: The Virtual Tour Agent, Augmented Reality & Intelligent Tutoring System.

“The purpose of the project is to mix artificial reality with artificial intelligence,” Henry said. Through such a hybrid, a virtual tour guide is created as a tool for users. The goal is that the user is engaged

in interactive learning and can instantly learn about whatever is in front of them.

They are called the Google Glasses. Henry saw them as a way to “create a higher level of learning. It takes people out of the classroom and places them into the realworld environment.”

Channeling the feelings of isolation and exclusion felt throughout his youth, Henry has created a more inclusive and diverse “world” around him. He made the Find Brutus Project a collaborative effort. Combining EduTechnologic employees, OSU Engineering Capstone students and youth from the Downtown High School, his mission was to integrate ethnic and cultural diversity into his program.

The high school students who participate in the project range in age, ethnicities and gender. Besides the chance to aid in groundbreaking research, the Downtown High School students get real-world experience. They’ll have the opportunity for internships after they finish high school.

Like many gay people who grew up elsewhere, Henry said he loves calling Columbus home because of the way the city embraces its LGBT community.

And as an artist, the arts scene is especially near and dear to his heart. Inspired by local artist Adam Brouillette’s illustration for the cover of outlook in March, Henry developed an augmented-reality component that, with the help of a downloadable app, turned the piece into an experience of 3-D sights and DJ Moxy sounds.

“I saw it as an opportunity to get back to my artistic roots,” he said.

Henry considers himself a “foodie” and enjoys local concept restaurants. Surly Girl, Jeni’s Spendid Ice Creams, Bossy Grrl’s Pin Up Joint and German Village Coffee Shop are among his favorites. When he’s not noshing on local fare, he enjoys old-school video games like Pacman and Tetris to kill time.

Henry’s life has been all about exploration.

His current goals include traveling and finding more creative ways to integrate music, art and technology.

“The arts community is one of the best kept secrets in Columbus,” he said.

Brad ♥ Third & Hollywood chicken sandwich followed by a Jeni's Lemon/Blueberry & Red Cherry/Goat Cheese cone.

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outlookcolumbus.com

We ♥ compressed natural gas. Well, except Chad’s. No one ♥ that.

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We ♥ Monica Day

Morning’s Miss Congeniality

by Bob Vitale

Monica Day had just gone over the edge of the PNC Bank building when her photographer told her to hang on.

it’s a hearty, belly laugh. It’s genuine. And a guffaw from her can light up an entire room.”

She dangled 19 stories above Downtown - hanging on, literally - until he emerged on the street below. He wanted to get a different shot of her rappelling down the building for charity.

Day was born in Florida but has lived in central Ohio since she was 9.

Her grandfather, Bill Sapp, was a creator and co-owner of Columbus’ legendary Kahiki, The Top and Wine Cellar. She graduated from Whitehall-Yearling High School and still has a big soft spot for her hometown.

You think all that pageant experience doesn’t come in handy for the NBC4 reporter, a former Miss Ohio who was voted Miss Congeniality at the 2008 Miss USA competition?

“I would love to give some love to Whitehall,” she says. “People tear that community down left and right. There are so many Day, 30, has rappelled off Downtown buildings often enough - twice - great people in Whitehall.” that she can refer to 2012 as “my year of rappelling.” She has ridden bulls and horses and Chopper 4. She has stuffed herself with fried Fair And if you can’t take Whitehall out of the girl, the girl hasn’t refood and doughnut burgers, cuddled with pythons and leopards, ally thought much about taking herself too far out of Whitehall, donned pink wigs and moustaches, and worked with animals and either. She says she never really went through that get-me-outchildren and Marshall McPeek. of-here phase many people feel about their hometown.

And as the WCMH-TV traffic reporter-turned-woman-about-town, she has done it often before sunrise and always, always with a smile on her face.

“When you start to feel like you’re better than the place that you’re from, take a step back,” she cautions.

If she had to do something else?

“I never thought I was going to be a reporter,” says the Whitehallraised granddaughter of a Columbus restaurant legend. She thought “I wish I could be a drag queen,” she laughs. “I want to about following in his footsteps, but decided to dabble in theater be- be Nina West when I grow up.” fore burning out in event planning. She landed the Channel 4 morning traffic gig in 2006.

Day is no stranger to the LGBT community. She’s the kind of straight girl that gay men love. She Columbus morning TV, usually just overnight shootings and repackgrew up with gay people who worked at her aged segments from the night before, has been a little bit brighter grandfather’s restaurants, and she worked ever since. with plenty of gay men during her pageant days. She’s had friends whose parents Mornings on NBC4 are easy-going. Anchor Mike Jackson makes dog have come out and friends who’ve come voices when they show viewers’ pet photos. Meteorologist Bob Nunout. nally calls Day “Monnie.”

She lists Bat-N-Rouge, the annual Regular viewers know all about Day’s love of pets, craft projects and post-Pride drag softball game, as one of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. They know and love her own her favorite summer events. Columbus dog, Mr. Basil Hayden Puffy Butt, who once donned a tie and sat on is a gay-friendly place not just because her lap at the anchor desk. its straight residents are open-minded and accepting, she contends, but also be“It’s a very intimate time,” Day says of the broadcasts that begin at cause the LGBT community welcomes 4:30a. “People are in some level of being dressed or undressed. straight people to be part of the scene.

They’re in the bedroom. They’re eating cereal. I feel it’s better to have a conversation with people than talk at them.”

“It’s welcoming on both sides.”

And her role has expanded significantly over the years, both on-air and off. Day now anchors late-morning newsbreaks and fills in for vacationing colleagues. She reported from Indianapolis during the 2012 Super Bowl. She has interviewed the trifecta of late-night hosts: Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno.

And there aren’t many traffic reporters in town who are invited to emcee charity events and kiddie pageants or asked to ride a horse up High Street for the Quarter Horse Congress parade.

Day gives one of those hearty belly laughs at the idea of having a gay fan base but doesn’t ponder long over why that could be.

“I think it’s the pageants,” she says before quickly backtracking out of the stereotype. “Not that all gay men love pageants!”

When she’s informed that yes, we really do, she confides: “It’s the rhinestones.”

“I always had a blast working with Monica,” says McPeek, who left Channel 4 last year and now lives in Key West. “When Monica laughs,

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Monica ♥ lime slush with tequila and pepper vodka at Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace.

outlookcolumbus.com

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We ♥ Doug Massey

GLBT Game-Changer For anyone unfamiliar with Columbus’ North Side, Chiller Ice Works is located just past a dimly lit entrance along E Wilson Bridge Road. When you finally do see the white dome-shaped building down the driveway, you’ve arrived just in time to watch the final hockey game of the night.

Inside Chiller North, there’s a hockey aura, complete with a Zamboni machine sweeping the ice and the smell of Tim Horton’s coffee. Accompanied by the sound of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” over the radio loudspeakers, the Ohio Mayhem exit the lockerroom and prepare for warm-ups.

The formidable skater and No. 18 on the ice tonight is the captain of the Ohio Mayhem and the founder of Gay Hockey Ohio, Doug Massey. He started Gay Hockey Ohio in late 2004 as a result of three or four friends running into each other at Pride that year and talking about forming a hockey squad that included GLBT players.

Massey had been involved in organized sports through middle school and always enjoyed the competitive nature of hockey. The Ohio Mayhem roster is 30 percent GLBT, and the team plays as part of the D-League (Mid-Tier Division), largely comprised of straight players.

“Our main goal with Gay Hockey Ohio is to get a group of people together that want to play competitive hockey and enjoy the game regardless of their sexual orientation. Columbus is a great community to do just that,” he said.

Also part of Gay Hockey Ohio is Massey’s partner, Don Zender. “Don has been very integral in getting our message out about integrating GLBT athletes that want to hit the ice, get active and enjoy the camaraderie among both straight and GLBT players alike.”

The two took the lead in putting together a groundbreaking Pride Night with Ohio State University’s men’s hockey team in February. It wasn’t just a ticket-selling promotional event for the sponsor; OSU fully embraced the cause of GLBT athletes and became the biggest university yet to film an uplifting video for the You Can Play movement.

“Everyone at Ohio State, including the athletic director (Gene Smith), the hockey coach (Mark Osiecki), and players were overwhelmingly supportive of Gay Hockey

Ohio. They totally embraced the You Can Play message,” Massey said.

You Can Play is a national organization founded by former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke and his son, Patrick, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers. Their son and brother, Brendan, was a manager for the Miami University hockey team and had come out shortly before he was killed in a 2010 car crash.

The group is dedicated to knocking down stereotypes about the athletic ability of LGBT people the compassion of straight athletes.

“The Burke family has been a tremendous asset to help us expand hockey and sports to the GLBT community,” Massey said.

Massey said he’s also happy that hockey has led the way in addressing issues of homophobia in sports. He thinks it has something to do with its preponderance of Canadians.

“They have truly been our friendly neighbors to the North,” he said.

Across North America, Massey has kept in touch with a number of gay hockey leagues in places from Montreal to San Francisco.

“Their message is very similar to ours that values integration over segregation. Anyone that can play and has the talent to sharpen and lace up the skates should be out on the ice.”

Massey is looking forward to the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland. “It’s going to be huge. There are actually more athletes that compete in the Gay Games than the Summer Olympics. As a hockey player, nothing would be greater than to play at The Q (Quicken Loans Arena) and feel the adrenaline rush stepping onto the ice.”

Going forward with Gay Hockey Ohio, Massey hopes to add and develop additional GLBT hockey squads at the beginner levels to increase the organization’s presence in Columbus.

Regardless of skill level, his message to gay athletes remains consistent.

“Be yourself, get out there, and don’t be afraid. That is the beauty of sports. If you can play, you can play.”

outlookcolumbus.com Doug ♥ affordability: “I can enjoy all our nightlife and entertainment without the crazy fees like you find in NYC or Chicago.” april 2013

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We ♥ Sharon Udoh: The Piano Playing Party Chef

by Erin McCalla

Udoh is a first-generation American – her parents are from Nigeria and curThere is a good chance you know of rently live there - who moved to ColumSharon Udoh. bus from Cincinnati in 2009, but has been playing music all 27 years of her She performs with The DewDroppers, life. Music was always on in her house The Apes, Andrew Graham & Swarming as she grew up, and she says her mom Branch or by herself as Counterfeit can “sing like a bird,” but her musical Madison. prowess comes from an older generation. “I play music like my grandfaShe works at Impero Coffee Roasters in ther,” Udoh smiles. the Short North, where she is in the back “making soup and With a flair for commaking it rain.” position, she writes music She is attending for any inyour shows and strueither mentorment, ing you or inquiring, “How do I be like you?” (A question she’s constantly asking Zac Little of Saintseneca.)

But what’s the story on Sharon Udoh and why do we love her so much?

“finding her way” on guitar, bass and sax, but she is trained on the piano.

She’s been playing since she was 4 years old.

constrained by ourselves, our jobs, our parents, gravity. At a DewDroppers show, you can fuck yourself up and let loose. It’s a time to dance like fools.”

Udoh plays all of the typical venues and music festivals, but Café Kerouac, Brothers Drake Meadery and Café When she moved to Columbus, she told Rumba top her list of favorites. She also holds a special place in her heart herself she wasn’t going to play live for the relatively new Independents Day. music because she felt overextended as a part of 14 bands at one time in “Independents day is my shit; it’s in the Cincinnati. heartbeat of the city. It fits into the But then she met Joe Gilliland in 2010 rhythm of my life.” and the secret was out that she could But Udoh isn’t just sharing her talents rock that piano. with festivalgoers and bar patrons. She “We met and the words of death were is involved with the musical youth of the city. spoken: ‘We should jam sometime.’”

“I approach all music through the eyes of a piano player,” she explains.

Not long after, The DewDroppers was formed, and local fans quickly embraced the band.

Currently, she mentors two students at the Arts and College Preparatory Academy (see Page 22: principal Tony Gatto is another person we love).

Counterfeit Madison and says the alias/stage name is so people can’t find her if she doesn’t want them to.

Her album is dropping in August.

And it’s with such aliases that some find her both refreshing and confusing.

For all the time she spends tickling the ivories for audiences in this city, you would be surprised to find that Udoh doesn’t really care for attention.

“I’m an introvert and I don’t behave like one. I’m expressive, but not extroverted,” she tries to explain. “The war to express myself and the war to stay out of the spotlight is a war I will have until I die, and I’m fine with that.”

With her talent, a future making music full-time seems inevitable, but two new loves have come into Udoh’s life since moving to Columbus: cooking and dance. She flexes her culinary muscles at Impero by incorporating as much zest into her cooking as she can, and she takes modern and hip-hop classes and has even dabbled in choreography.

“I think people like us because I feel like so many Udoh also has been involved with the Dick & Jane Project, a literacy effort in of us are which middle school students and local “I want to live making food for people musicians collaborate on lyrics and and to become as comfortable as a music for original songs. dancer as I am a musician.”

Her year is filling up fast with Dick & Jane, mentoring, touring and albumdropping. The DewDroppers plan release a full-length album in the fall and The Apes, a “hip-hop/classical/blues/polka/gypsy/improvisational” band she plays with, is releasing an album “sometime this year.”

Currently, she’s the only DewDropper who has a “solo career,” a term she uses with much chagrin. Udoh plays as

There are many reasons to adore her (her smile and laugh are infectious, too) but she also has much love for our fair city.

“I have done more here as a musician in three years, than the six I was doing music in Cincinnati,” Udoh says.

“Columbus is so great to me as a musician because it has a good ear. It’s my home. I’ve been musically, socially, spiritually rebirthed here and I love the person I’ve become.”

If you want to see Udoh this month in her element, she is playing shows April 1 with Dane Terry at Café Kerouac, April 11 with The DewDroppers at The Basement, and April 27 with Joe Camerlengo at Café Kerouac.

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Sharon ♥ Till Dynamic Fare. “If I had more money, I’d be there every single goddamn day.”

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Chris ♥ Reed Arts and can’t wait to see their new space in Grandview Yard.

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We ♥ Yavonne Sarber

Keeping the Lights on Downtown

by Pete Lovering The success of De Novo and Manifesto, two of Downtown’s most popular new restaurants, has in no way slowed Yavonne and Wade Sarber from thinking up new ideas for the heart of the city.

Yavonne Sarber, the creative force behind the restaurants, is developing a new French-themed eatery called Chez du Bon, which translates to House of Good. That restaurant is on track to open in October. It’ll be, of course, Downtown.

Sarber has some other ideas on the backburner as well.

“I’d love to open a boutique hotel Downtown someday, a 25- to 40-room place, very plush. I keep thinking up these types of things, it’s kind of dangerous,” she said.

For now, though, Sarber’s focus is on her restaurants. And at the rate they’ve been opening, that should certainly be enough to keep her busy.

The most impressive part of all this is how quickly these places have popped up. Both restaurants opened their doors within the last 18 months - De Novo in 2011 and Manifesto late last year - which is, needless to say, unusual.

Downtown revitalization is always a work in progress and a hot topic in Columbus; now it seems we’re starting to see some movement.

“I love Downtown Columbus,” said Sarber, who’s

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also a resident of the neighborhood she touts.

“Everything it’s doing, the energy, the growth.

Right now is an awesome opportunity to make any kind of footprint we can.”

She’s already made quite an impression. With Manifesto, she has fully established herself as a key player in the local food scene, although she’s hardly new to the business.

“I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 15,” she said. “I did it through all of my starving artist days.”

Handke favorite - Sarber opened De Novo at 201 S High St and was almost immediately embraced by Downtown denizens.

The overwhelmingly positive response convinced her to open a second restaurant only a year later.

Both restaurants are incredibly well thought-out, aesthetically speaking. Everything seems to be in the right place. The atmosphere and overall feel of the restaurants are crucial to Sarber.

“Manifesto wasn’t thought of until I had seen the spot. It’s across from the Statehouse and next to the theater, so I had to think about what was needed in that location.”

The close proximity to state government made the decision to specialize in Scotch at Manifesto fairly easy.

“There’s politicians across the street!” she laughed.

Sarber grew up in Columbus and has lived here for the past 20 years. She moved around during her early 20s; after graduating from the University of North Carolina, she worked as an interior designer.

“It’s more important for us that you leave with a dining experience,” she said during a happyhour interview at Manifesto, located next to the Ohio Theatre at 21 E State St.

The atmosphere at Manifesto makes it comfortable to spend an entire afternoon or evening, which may have had something to do with why it was so busy during Restaurant Week.

Despite her familiarity with all things food, Sarber originally had no plans to return to the restaurant business after getting out of it for a few years.

She tried a piece of flatbread to determine if it was ready for the menu. She considered it for a moment before informing a member of her staff that was to her liking.

“We got killed,” she said. “There was an hour wait for most of the week. We can’t take reservations at Manifesto because of the way it’s set up, so then factor in the three-course menu. ... It wasn’t pretty.”

“I tried to run away from it, but I just kept coming back,” she said. “I credit Chef [Hartmut] Handke for that. It just never left my blood. I wouldn’t be a restaurateur without him.”

“It’s about making you feel comfortable with what you look at, what you taste, what you smell,” she continued.

Sarber’s experience at Handke’s Cuisine, where she worked for six years, was in part what inspired her to open her own restaurant. After recruiting chef Rob Harrison - who previously worked at Short Story Brasserie in Granville, a

Manifesto, much like De Novo, wasn’t fully realized until Sarber was familiar with the space, a former quick-lunch stop.

“I try to look at the location first and determine what can be created within the space,” she said.

Yavonne ♥ living Downtown.

Despite her ambitious nature and success, Sarber prefers to stay out of the spotlight for the most part.

“I really try to put the emphasis on the restaurants,” she said. “Hopefully people can like each restaurant for what it is, rather than as a person branded on each one. I definitely want to put the restaurant first.” outlookcolumbus.com

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We ♥ that eveyone’s a little bit gay.

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Saffron Burrows Faces Her Share of the Troubles It’s entirely possible that you’ve given fewer passing thoughts to the career trajectory of Saffron Burrows than you should, but the bisexual Brit actress has already done so much to entertain you - including a brief stint dating fellow bi actor Alan Cumming that you kind of owe her a moment of attention, don’t you think?

Well, here’s the latest breaking Burrows bulletin: The former model and star of The Bank Job will appear in a UK crime thriller later this year called Crossmaglen (stumped? It’s a town in Northern Ireland). Co-starring Ben Kingsley, Michael Gambon and Vinnie Jones, it focuses on an IRA gunman (Scottish character actor Tony Curran) who accidentally kills a woman and her children on Christmas Eve. Obviously, life gets much worse for him from that point forward, so abandon all hope that it somehow turns into a cuddly Irish remake of It’s a Wonderful Life. Look for this troubling Troubles drama in December, the jolliest calendar month featuring the year’s most depressing films.

Shoplifters of the World Unite Geography Club Meets Soon, and Take Over the Multiplex Likely on Film Festival Circuit Who doesn’t love The Smiths? Unnaturally happy people, yes, but few others.

Since the early 1980s, Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the mopiest UK guitar heroes of their generation, have captured the loyalty of millions of lonely listeners even though they broke up not long after they began.

And therein lies a tale. It seems that a troubled young American fan, heartbroken over the 1987 demise of the Morrissey/Marr alliance, held a heavy metal radio DJ hostage at gunpoint and forced him to play hours of Smiths songs (and it would take a gun to make a metal dude switch from “Reign in Blood” to “Frankly Mr. Shankly”).

Now that bizarre story is a movie, Shoplifters of the World, a comedy from gay director Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30th Century Man) starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love, Actually), Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) and Will Poulter (Son of Rambow).

Currently still in production, you’ll have to content yourself with the ongoing feud between Moz and every other living non-vegan for entertainment until the finished product rolls into theaters. Lingering thought, though: Where is that DJ today and did he ever learn to love “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out?”

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Brent Hartinger’s highly successful young adult novel Geography Club is the little gay engine that could.

The sweetly unassuming story of closeted high-schoolers who find each other through a clandestine gay student group known under the code name “Geography Club” became a runaway hit, then a play adapted by the author and, now, a feature film from the writing-directing team of twin brothers Gary and Edmund Entin.

Wrapped in 2012 for a 2013 release, the movie stars up-and-comers Cameron Deane Stewart (Pitch Perfect) and Ally Maki (Step Up 3D), with established support from Scott Bakula, Nikki Blonsky, Marin Hinkle (Two and a Half Men) and Ana Gasteyer.

Gay-themed movies for families are few and far between, so be on the lookout for this one very soon at a gay film festival near you before it finds its home on cable. That’s where its intended tween audience will have a fighting chance of seeing it.

Romeo San Vicente has only ever stolen the lust-filled hearts of every man he meets. Believe it. He can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

creative class

Spring is Show Time at CCAD

by Pete Lovering Spring is an exciting time at the Columbus College of Art & Design. In addition to the graduating seniors’ thesis shows, the school is hosting plenty of other events for the general public.

The first is the opening reception for the Master of Fine Arts Class of 2013 exhibition, taking place Saturday, April 12 at 6p. The event features work in a variety of media, from glass sculpture to video and animation. Many of the graduating artists from the school’s esteemed MFA program will be there to discuss their work.

The show is free to the public and will be up through May 3 at the Canzani Center Gallery on the CCAD campus.

Next up is a series of discussions by renowned author and innovator Marc Gobé and his daughter, filmmaker Gwenaelle Gobé. Gwenaelle kicks it off with a screening of her new documentary, This Space Available, an investigation of recent efforts around the world to reclaim public space and minimize visual pollution.

Practically no surface is free of advertising these days.

Public spaces are bombarded with marketing messages and ads. More and more of our everyday world is starting to look like Times Square. Even bathrooms aren’t safe; there’s a company that will actually print ads on toilet paper. The event is May 2, starting with a reception at 5:30p and followed by a screening of the film.

After the screening, there will be a discussion with Gwenaelle and Marc, who collaborated with her during the film’s production. Marc, who created the concept of “Emotional Branding,” will speak at a breakfast event on Friday, May 3 from 7:30a to 9:45a.

Emotional branding is an approach to advertising that encourages a more mindful connection with consumers, rather than engaging in the typical methods that perpetuate visual clutter. Gobé’s consulting firm is working toward a less invasive, but more effective, form of advertising for the future. Gobé has written books on emotional branding, and his ideas about brands and public image

Pete was just ♥-ing that dress so much he got two of his own.

have been integrated with business school programs throughout the United States and abroad.

Both events are free, but the school requests people RSVP through CCAD’s website because space will be limited.

The end of spring semester culminates in one of the school’s most highly anticipated annual events: the CCAD fashion show, which takes place May 10 at the design studios on Broad Street.

The fashion show is a great night out on the town for anyone anxious to get a glimpse at new and exciting work from up-and-coming designers. Presented by the Limited Brands Foundation, the show is an impressive display of the best that CCAD’s fashion students have to offer. photo: Jonathan Starr / CCAD

deep inside hollywood

Each piece is chosen from a selection of more than 100 items by industry professionals. This year’s show features 73 garments from 21 of the school’s senior designers.

“These students represent one of the most diverse classes at CCAD,” said Robin Hepler, director of marketing for the school. “Several already have jobs lined up for graduation.”

Two students have decided to remain in Columbus, working at Lane Bryant and Abercrombie & Fitch. Several others are pursuing opportunities with companies such a Coach, Oscar de la Renta and Chico’s.

In addition to the excellent opportunity for students to gain industry exposure, the fashion show is a great way for the school to raise money to assist its future students. All proceeds from the show go right back to the CCAD scholarship fund, Hepler said. Last year, more than $200,000 went to scholarships from the event.

The night kicks off with a cocktail reception at 7:30p (for VIP ticket holders only). Doors open at 8p, and the show begins at 8:45p. Following the show is a dance party at the design studios, so be sure to don the appropriate, albeit fashionable, footwear.

Tickets for the Spring Fashion Show are available now on the CCAD website, www.ccad.edu.

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Andrew ♥ Kimchi Stew at Japanese Oriental served boiling: “Never before has something so delicious been so terrifying.” april 2013

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We ♥ Drag Movies

Kings, Queens & In-Betweens Documentary Goes Deep Into Columbus Drag Scene

by Erin McCalla We’re gonna be in a movie!

Well… I’m not, and you’re probably not… but Columbus’s drag scene is, and that’s something to be excited about.

Gabrielle Burton has filmed a documentary, Kings, Queens & In-Betweens, about the thriving and creative productions across the entire gender performance spectrum: kings, queens and transgender performers. And to Burton’s knowledge, it’s the first film to do so.

“It’s been over 20 years since Paris Is Burning, and this film is a chance to move the needle for social change, to talk about how gender is a continuum,” Burton said.

The footage focuses on the West Family drag queen troupe (helmed

by Virginia and her drag daughter Nina West) and on the Royal Renegades drag king troupe (led by The Reverend Roy Rogers and Cool Ethan), both of which include transgender performers. There are also interviews with Julia Applegate, Liv Gjestvang and Sile Singleton, who were pioneers and leaders in the in the king scene.

Any one of these subjects has stories interesting enough for a movie, but Burton didn’t want to focus on just one person. No one is a stand-

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out star in the film.

She came up with the idea for the documentary after being invited to a drag show by a friend whose husband was performing. As it turns out, that husband was Virginia West, a headlining queen in town. It made her question assumptions that she had.

Is drag political? Or is it just theater?

“Everyone has a different opinion, so you can’t make an assumption,” Burton said.

Every performer approaches the art form with their own perspective, and their own interests. For some it’s purely entertainment, and for others it’s all about politics.

Some believe it’s about expressing a part of themselves they can’t do in their everyday lives and others say it’s about aiding transition. Then again, questioning the roles we “expect” from gender stereotypes can lead to surprising questions.

“One king said she realized that she was just re-enacting heteronormative relationships onstage,” Burton said. “And she thought, ‘Wait a minute! Just because we’re subverting a gender norm by dressing in the “other” gender’s clothing, is that enough?’”

One thing she is sure of, though, is that all the performers are celebrating different gender roles. And in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with gender norms, that’s a good thing.

Even someone as enlightened as Burton still sometimes falls into the traps of gender stereotypes.

Not long ago, her car was broken into, and as she explained to her young children that the culprit stole their Magic Mountain tickets and Chuck E. Cheese tokens, she used the word “he” to describe the wrongdoer.

at universities, to create discussion groups that will foster and promote understanding in the GLBTQ community.

There will be a benefit concert at Axis on April 20, with the proceeds going toward finishing the film. Nina West, Virginia West, Alexis Stevens, Freesia Balls, Akasha O’Hara Lords, Cool Ethan, The Reverend Roy Rogers, The Royal Renegades, Jamz Dean and Natasha West will all perform that night.

Will Burton herself dabble in drag? She wondered if it would an interesting angle of entry for the film, but ultimately decided not to don a beard and perform. “I don’t want it to be about me; I want it to be about this great community of artists.”

KQIB doesn’t have a release date yet, as it is in the middle of editing. Burton has already culled the film down to 11 hours from 120 hours of footage, and will bring the film in at 90 or 100 minutes. She loves editing, which she compares to a puzzle or Sudoku, so she’s excited to get the final funds to finish the film.

“It’s a challenge weaving all the stories together to paint a picture of drag and of how vibrant and creative a city Columbus is, and I really want this to be an homage to these performers, their art form and this city,” she said.

Burton is also launching a Kickstarter campaign and asking for $25,000 to get the movie completed and distributed.

Her production company, Five Sisters Productions (yes, she runs it with her four sisters) has experience getting films to distributors and ultimately viewed. “We’ve done a lot of movies – we know how to get it out there, to get it widely released as it should be.”

Her daughter spoke up, “How do you know that it was a man?”

Which means not only that these performers will get national attention, but the GLBTQ community and Columbus will as well.

And it’s more of those moments she hopes will come with the subsequent social outreach tour she has planned after the movie is released. Burton wants to visit 10 to 30 cities to screen her film, mostly

“Now is the right time to get it out with anti-bullying and civil rights issues, and as a film that highlights Columbus as a creative, exciting city full of communitybuilding… it’s the right time.”

Chad ♥ Sherri Dribblelips. Where did that hair-eatin’ gurl get to?

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outlook â&#x2122;Ľ Pride! Sign up at outlookcolumbus.com to help carry the 100-foot Pride flag.

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bookmark: We ♥ Bisexuals

Monkey See, Monkey Blew

Bi-Curious George: The Tale of George’s Real Curiosity

by Tom Muzyka You know Curious George, that mischievous little monkey whose inquisitiveness always got him in trouble.

A new picture book turns the childhood character into a story for after the young’ns have gone to bed. Bi-Curious George: An Unauthorized Parody is the tale of a young simian who explores life outside of the jungle - and heteronormative definitions of sexuality.

I spoke with author Andrew Simonian on his after-hours bedtime book.

Tom Muzyka: What inspired you to make a parody of Curious George? Are you a fan of the original series?

Andrew Simonian: The initial inspiration for the story came from the title itself - the title Bi-Curious George is a fairly obvious joke to get to. But we knew that the real key to the book was going to be in the details of the execution of that idea. That said, my ultimate inspiration and goal was always just to write a funny book that would make people laugh.

A book in which all my readers, gay or straight, would be able to see a bit of themselves ... and then laugh at themselves as well. If you read the book, you’ll see that there’s really no political agenda or forced message to it. And that’s intentional.

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I definitely was (and still am!) a big fan of the Curious George books. The story from the first Curious George book has always been a part of my memories, and I was reintroduced to it when I started reading it to my own kids these past few years. I have a lot of love and respect for H. A. Rey’s Curious George, so I wanted to make sure I approached my book the right way, from both a legal and emotional standpoint.

TM: What’s your process for the drawings along with the writing? Is this your normal art style or did you have to work at aping the original books’ artwork?

AS: I wrote the text before any illustrations were done, but I actually did not illustrate this book myself. I’m a fairly talented artist and would love to illustrate other future books, but the look and feel of the original Curious George are so specific and well-known; for the parody to work properly, I knew I needed the illustrations to really strike the proper chord, so we brought in some truly talented professionals. I worked very closely with the illustrators to make sure all the images and details fit the story in exactly the way I wanted. Though the animation style in my book echoes the style of the original Curious George books in the way a parody should, the design of the monkey and many other details in my book are actually totally different than in Curious George.

TM: Have there been any plans to add this to any kind of LGBT youth libraries, or is this intended purely as a parody?

AS: I think parents need to put some intelligent thought into when their child would be ready to read the book. People of different ages enjoy and understand the humor and themes in the book on different levels, but there are definitely some strong sexual references and curse words in there, so gay or straight aside, those adult aspects need to be taken into consideration when deciding to show the book to children.

TM: Are you the Man in the Sassy Purple Beret? How much of the story is you, and how much simply based on the original story? And do you have a pet monkey?

AS: I’m flattered that you find the book authentic enough that you think I, as the author, am gay, but I’m actually straight. That aside, I’d like to think that the Man’s confidence and comfort in his own skin, and his selfless desire to help George through what he knows can be a difficult process, are traits that he and I share.

TM: Even with the light tone of the book, there are moments when people automatically label George as gay, and he reminds them not to label, and he’s figuring things out. I would love to read more adventures where he explores more of this bi-curiousness and what that means to the little monkey, and to his friends.

AS: It was important to me to treat the subject matter with the respect it deserves, even though on the surface the book has such a ridiculous sense of humor. The trick was always to be smart without being preachy or heavyhanded. I think we managed that quite well in Bi-Curious George, and I’d hope to continue that proper balance in George’s future literary adventures!

TM: Will poor George ever find love? What’s next in his journey of sexual discovery?

AS: I don’t know that George will ever find love in the books, because it’s his journey and all his mishaps along the way that are the basis for much of the humor. I hate to leave George eternally hanging like that, but it’s sort of like the great unrequited loves on our favorite sitcoms. ... Once Ross and Rachel actually kiss, then the spark that made their on-screen relationship so exciting disappears.

I ♥ reading. If only this book was in my elementary school library...

Visit outlookcolumbus.com for more of Tom Muzyka’s interview with Bi-Curious George author Andrew Simonian.

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Who doesn’t ♥ Jerry Rhodes? (Bob doesn’t count)

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interview

We ♥ Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin Says We’re Groundbreaking! (...And Answers a Bunch of Other Questions)

by Chris Hayes Sometimes interviews are just fun. I ♥ me some Kathy Griffin, so when I heard she was coming to town April 6, I not only bought my tickets, but made sure to get an interview in - not because her show needed promoting (it’s almost sold out), but because I knew there were no questions I couldn’t ask. Griffin, as always, is a great sport and hysterical.

Chris Hayes: First off, is this you answering these questions or one of your interns?

Kathy Griffin: My assistant Tiffany is busy giving Justin Timberlake his first postwedding blowjob. So I’m answering these myself.

CH: You and Anderson Cooper have been rocking New Year’s Eve on CNN since 2007. Is it less fun now that Anderson Cooper has come out?

KG: Did you not see me try and Kiss the Sardine? More fun.

CH: Anderson has admitted he never washes his jeans. When you were trying to go down on him, how bad did those pants smell?

KG: They smell like money. Did I mention he’s a Vanderbilt?

CH: Oh lay-deeeeee! Do you think yourself more Lucille Ball or Jerry Lewis?

KG: I like to think of myself as more of a Lucille Balls.

CH: Who are your comedy heroes? Comedy villains?

KG: Heroes: Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Don Rickles. Comedy villain: Donald Trump.

CH: We love that you love the gays. How did your love for us develop? Who was your first gay?

KG: My first gay was straight when I met him. His name is Thomas. We went to third base, which for a gay guy is fisting.

He’s now a choreographer at Disney World.

It doesn’t get gayer than that.

CH: Who are your gay heroes? Gay villains?

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KG: Heroes: Larry Kramer (look him up, Young Gays). Allen Ginsberg (look him up, Lazy Gays). Harvey Milk (at least you gays know Sean Penn played him in a movie).

Gay villains: Marcus Bachmann (allegedly).

CH: The Ohio Theatre seats almost 2,800 people. How many of them will be gay?

KG: All of them by the end of the night. The straight dudes that were brought by their girlfriends will get “sorry we dragged you here” blowjobs, and that’ll make them the other definition of gay: lighthearted and carefree.

CH: Any of your victims have restraining orders on you these days? Any defamation cases?

KG: The restraining orders taken out by Ryan Seacrest and Oprah have the word “lifetime” on them, but at least they only cover 50 yards. No defamation cases, but I think I deflowered some guy in the ’80s.

CH: Word Association Section: Answer with the first thought that comes to mind.

CH: Merkin.

KG: Business casual.

CH: Every time we queened out about you coming to Columbus, our straight girlfriends said either they don’t like you or don’t get you. What’s their problem?

KG: They’re assholes.

CH: Seabring convertible.

KG: Only with a pleather interior.

CH: You’ve made a name for yourself as being on the D-list. Are you still on that list or have you moved up? Maybe to the C-list?

KG: Oh fuck off, I’m on the A-list. What more do you gays want? I’ve sat in bed with Cher and watched Chaz on Dancing With the Stars. I had dinner with Joan Collins two weeks ago. A-List enough for you?

CH: Gay bears.

KG: Eat up.

CH: What has been the biggest professional mistake you have made, besides Suddenly Susan?

KG: Now that I think about it, I feel kind of bad about causing that blackout during the Super Bowl. I heard a few of Beyonce’s gay backup dancers tripped in the dark on the way to the locker room.

CH: Are you mistaken for Julianne Moore or Carrot Top more?

KG: Look, for this magazine, all you need to know is I’m a top.

CH: Who is the worst celebrity out there right now? Who will be in your sights for your Columbus show?

KG: Worst celebrity? Well, obviously I can’t stand any of the Kardashians. The biggest asshole of them all is that 2-year-old kid, Mason. It’s always about him. So needy. As for who my sights will be set on: anyone and everyone. No one is safe. Not even my own 92-year-old alcoholic mother.

Who doesn’t ♥ a Ginger? (even if it is a wig)

CH: Rihanna.

KG: Careful, gurrrl.

CH: Jim J Bullock.

KG: Today’s Paul Lynde.

CH: Box Wine.

KG: Maggie’s choice.

CH: This interview is...

KG: Clearly an attempt to punk me.

CH: Outlook: Columbus Magazine.

KG: Groundbreaking.

CH: Mel Gibson.

KG: Jodie Foster’s rock.

CH: Dental Dams.

KG: Eff Oprah.

CH: Hot Cup of Talk.

KG: My first stand-up comedy special. The one that started it all.

CH: Star Jones.

KG: The one that almost ended it all.

CH: Kim Jong Un. KG: Is he single?

Kathy is at the Ohio Theatre, Saturday, April 6 at 8p.

Tickets (if they are not sold out) are $29-$68. She is also in Cincinnati at the Taft Theatre Friday, April 5 and in Cleveland at Playhouse Square Sunday, April 7. Info and tickets: kathygriffin.net/tour.php

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We â&#x2122;Ľ vintage. Check out Smartypants Vintage at 815 N High, Suite D.

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nitelife We ♥ Dancing: AWOL Opens Attached New Club, The Barracks

by Mackenzie Worrall For Olde Towne East, AWOL has been a staple since the end of the ’90s. In many ways, the thriving gay community of the OTE has come together over the bar.

Newer bars have joined the scene just down the road and the neighborhood has started to get a lot of attention. With the new life coming in, AWOL is expanding its own reach.

The building behind AWOL has been a topic for conversation since the beginbeginning. The bar is in the building at the corner of Oak and Parsons, where it is currently nestled between Black Creek Bistro and Black Arts Plus. AWOL is the owner of the building and rents the spaces to both adjoining establishments as well as the apartments upstairs. In addition to the interior spaces, they have arguably the best gay bar patio in the city. Their new space, The Barracks, is just a few feet away across this hopping open area.

“It just seems a natural progression for us to grow into an event space,” owner

Matt Mefferd said. “The open floor plan gives us the ability to offer a good-sized dance floor to the community, and it also gives us an opportunity to better showshowcase the great talents that perform at AWOL.” The Barracks is a huge leap from their previous event space, a small semicircular stage on the patio that got set up around Pride season.

The new room will be able to host Friday and Saturday dance parties, Sunday tea dances (starting this summer), charitable functions, drag events and the ever-popever-popular Miss AWOL contest. The new building is, perhaps fittingly, a versatile space.

Without any windows, The Barracks has a 1970s atmosphere to it. The dance floor is a little more industrial, mixing the original brick building with renovated floors and new dry wall. It’s got that

mixed-medium design aesthetic that Columbus is so fond of. The Barracks acactually resembles many of the Downtown condos, which had the same gut-the-ingut-the-interior-keep-the-walls philosophy. The dance floor is rigged with lighting equipequipment to keep it welllit, despite the lack of natural light. “It’s much easier to crecreate the environment when you can control every lighting and sound element,” Matt said. But there’s more than walls and light that give a sense of history.

Owner Matt Mefferd The men’s room is a must-see for every gay man and gay tourist who sets foot in the city. It’s cheeky, and it’s fun. Keeping with their retro circa-Stonewall Inn atatmosphere, the men’s room is playfully open. As soon as you step into The BarBarracks, you can see into the bathroom over a half wall with a glass top. Facing you is a row of sinks, attached to ananother half wall in the center. On the other side is a row of urinals, so anyone using them can look directly into the eyes of those washing their hands or enentering the bar. Even more flirtatious is the second row of urinals against, sursurprise surprise, a third half wall with glass on top. This one looks out on to the dance floor. For those who need a little more privacy, there are two stalls that close completely like a traditional British water closet.

While The Barracks and AWOL are a hop and a skip away from other gay destinadestinations, they are a must for bar-hoppers.

There is ample parking and quick servservice from the bartenders, which already sets it apart from some Short North bars.

It’s been a neighborhood gay bar for a long time, but Olde Towne is getting much younger. Age-wise, the patrons of AWOL are distributed fairly evenly. AlAlthough it seems like they all come with the same state of mind: relax and have a good time. AWOL is the perfect place to begin drinking on the patio or, with the addition of The Barracks, finish a night of revelry.

Even though he’s opening a new gay dance space in the same window of time as The Garage, Matt kept a positive, colcollaborative attitude. “Success for us all depends on individually and collaboracollaboratively keeping Columbus fun and interinteresting,” he said. AWOL will always be AWOL, and will keep its spot in the varied Columbus LGBTQ community. The comcomplex has its own vibe, and it is certainly one you can’t find anywhere else in Columbus.

Going to happy hour at AWOL’s patio any summer afternoon is like relaxing on the porch of some Southern estate with friends. It can also be one of the most packed bars in the city at 3:30p on a Thursday afternoon in warm weather. As The Barracks evolves and its audience continues to grow, it will develop its own personality. Already, parties at The BarBarracks feel less like you’re dancing to imimpress strangers, and more like you’re just having a good time with friends.

AWOL/The Barracks is open until 2:30a every day and is located at 49 Parsons Ave. For events or more information follow AWOL Bar and The Barracks at AWOL on Facebook.

Top 5 MiliTary-insired pick-Up lines 5. I can still fly four missions a night, if you know what I mean 4. Want to learn what the ‘F’ stands for in F-16?

3. How would you like to serve under me?

2. If you sleep with me, I'll let you bomb New Jersey back to the Stone Age. 1. I've heard great things about you from President Clinton.

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D.A. Steward ♥ Olde Towne East. “OTE is a wonderful alternative to the popular Short North scene.”

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We â&#x2122;Ľ Mother Earth. Go hug a tree on April 20 to celebrate Earth Day.

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savage ♥ Puzzling

even worked with men like your brother before.

“A friend had a client who used her services to ‘practice’ dating,” Siouxsie said. “Over time, the

by Dan Savage client gained enough confidence to start dating. I My brother is 22 years old and mentally ill with so- hope SIS’s brother has a wonderful experience, and cial anxiety on the scale of agoraphobia (officially that boosts his confidence and helps him move fordiagnosed). He’s made significant progress in the ward in his life, too.” past few years, but he’s stuck on the fact that he’s a virgin and is convinced that he’s not going to So what do you do once you locate a prospective sex make any real social progress until that’s no worker in you area? longer a fact. His particular problem makes it impossible to reason with him - he’s a little As“Send an e-mail explaining the situation and your perger’s-y - and he is convinced that he will only brother’s special needs,” said Siouxsie. “There are be able to pursue a job, have a social life and sex workers out there who specialize in working with tackle other obstacles after he loses his virginity. clients with disabilities, and many have experience Financially, it would be easy for me to drive him to working with clients who might be very similar to her Nevada and eliminate the virginity issue. He’s brother,” and with a little searching, you should be asked our mom to do so. My family isn’t hung up able to find one. If the first woman you contact doeson “purity” where sex and virginity are conn’t work with men like your brother, she may be able cerned, so we’re open to this. I don’t have any illu- to refer you to someone who does. sions that this will solve his problems, but my mom and I are hopeful that it would eliminate an excuse Once you find your local Helen Hunt, SIS, prep your that’s keeping him from taking positive steps for- brother for the experience. “Give him a pep talk,” ward. Should I offer to take him? Or force him to said Siouxsie. “Let him know about etiquette and sort it out on his own despite his crippling social protocol: no haggling, no prying for personal inforissues? mation, his personal hygiene needs to be impeccable, and he should know the basics on protection Socially Interactive Sister and STI transmission. Above all, he needs to treat her with respect.”

“I want to commend SIS for considering the services of a sex worker in such a positive and nonjudgmen- Listen to The WhoreCast at thewhorecast.com. Foltal way,” said Siouxsie Q, a San Francisco-based sex low Siouxsie Q on Twitter @WhoreCast. worker and the creator and host of The WhoreCast, a Here’s hoping your dick surprises you, MDMA. weekly podcast that seeks to humanize people working in the sex industry. “And I want to reassure her I’m a 23-year-old bi female from Vancouver, BC, that the right provider is out there for her brother.” and I’ve been heavily sub-identified since I started having sex nine years ago. (Don’t worry - the age Some will object to your hiring a sex worker to help of consent was 14 then!) But lately, with the helpyour brother out, of course, but you can tell those ful guidance of my lovely boyfriend, I’ve been realpeople to go fuck themselves - or you can tell them izing I have a very pronounced Dom streak. Do to rent The Sessions. In that acclaimed 2012 film, you have any pointers on starting out? I read The John Hawkes played a poet who is paralyzed from New Topping Book by Dossie Easton and Janet the neck down. Helen Hunt played a sexual surrogate Hardy, and it was helpful, but I was wondering if - a clinical/glorified sex worker - that the poet, with you had any tips. I’m pretty uncomfortable topping the blessing of his priest, hires to take his virginity. my boyfriend - he’s always been the top, and I’m No one had a problem with the sex-work aspect of nervous about doing it wrong.

The Sessions because Hawkes’s character is so profoundly and obviously disabled that audiences sym- Another Novice Top pathized with his plight: It would be difficult, if not Give yourself permission to do it “wrong,” ANT. I impossible, for him to get laid any other way. don’t mean “wrong” in the accidentally-injure-orkill-the-boyfriend sense of doing BDSM wrong. I While Hawkes’s disability in The Sessions was immean “wrong” in the go-your-own-way sense. You’ll mediately apparent, SIS, your brother’s disability is be less nervous about topping if you relax and give no less real for being invisible. So I don’t see why anyone should object to your brother getting a little yourself permission to be yourself, i.e., nervous and inexperienced, a little awkward in your new role. Reprofessional assistance with his plight. member: You don’t have to be the perfect snarling So hire a sex worker for your brother, SIS, if you think dominatrix the very first time you pick up a crop. You don’t have to be a snarling dominatrix ever, ANT, if it will help - even if it just eliminates an excuse that’s blocking his progress - and there’s no need to that’s not who you want to be. Check out the wonderful Beyond the Valley of the FemDoms - beyondthedrive to Nevada. Siouxsie suggests you look for an “experienced” (read: somewhat older) escort with an valleyofthefemdoms.tumblr.com - for some insight online presence in your area. A sex worker who’s over on being your own dominant woman, not some Fem25 or 30 and maintains her own website - and has Dom porn cliché. Good luck! write-ups on escort review sites - is not just far less Savage Love appears every month in outlook and every week at outlookcolumbus.com. You can email Dan at mail@savagelove.net, follow him on likely to be trafficked or exploited, she’s far more Twitter at @fakedansavage or listnen to his weekly podcast, “Savage Lovecast,” likely to be experienced and patient. She may have every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage.

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The Divine Life by Debé We ♥ Queer Scopes Aries (March 19-April 19): 19): You are the belle of the ball, Aries, and we all know how much you hate attention. After being cooped up all winter you are raring to go. You want to lead the charge, so what if you leave a few bodies in your wake pursuing truth, justice or the hottie you just met? It’s the thought that counts. While your charisma, energy and creativity make you the perfect choice to run the softball league, local nonprofit or wine-tasting gala, remember that you can be tripped up by your impatient, egocentric nature. Stop looking in the mirror long enough to listen to the lesser mortals around you. You might learn something.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): You are working hard for the money this month. Luckily, your down-and-dirty efforts will pay off in the end, so remember to shower before you step into the limelight.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18): Things are getting easier for you this month, so just go with the flow. Be a student of human nature. People will love you for your flexibility.

They may even tip you.

Gemini (May 21-June 20): You are the center of attention this month as Venus, the goddess of love, moves through your sign.

Be pretty, and witty and GAY!

Pisces (Feb 19-March 20): You are highly sensitive to those around you this month.

Since you are picking up on their emotions (and possibly their STDs) play it safe and stick with what - and who - you know.

Cancer (June 21-July 22): Express yourself this month. That means actually tell someone your ideas, out loud. You may be surprised how hot people think your ideas and you - are.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22): Love is in the air, and you are the king - or queen - of the jungle.

If you’ve got a steady, try something new or kinky. If you’re single, it’s time to go out on the prowl. Grrrr.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22): It’s time to put your problem-solving skills to good use. You can fix that hot mess in your life - or find a way to get people to stop ending sentences in a preposition. Apply yourself.

Libra (Sept 23-Oct 22): The full moon in your sign this month brings clarity in the bedroom and the boardroom. You may even learn a new trick or two if you are open to it.

Just remember to stretch first.

Famous Aries: Elton John and Rosie O’Donnell Handy Tip: It’s been rumored that a long ring finger (longer than the index finger, and sometimes even as tall as the middle finger) on a man’s hand was a sign that he’s gay. In palmistry, the ring finger represents the creative aspect of a person. A longer ring finger means more artistry and creativity, so many gay men have long ring fingers because they are so fabulously creative!

Debé is a highly respected palmist, teacher and coowner of Enchanted Elements. She is available for personal readings, parties, events and workshops.

Contact her at www.enchantedelements.com or 614.437.2642.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 22): It’s time for a little spring-cleaning. De-clutter your life and get rid of the things - and maybe a couple people - that are just weighing you down.

Best diet ever.

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21): Extra excitement and creativity are in store for you this month but can lead to some drama in the boudoir. Make sure you communicate with your partner. Have a safe word.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19): You goats are feeling a little frisky and more social this month. You also have the urge to update your digs with some stylish new toys. Only the best will do, of course.

Beside palms, Debé ♥ cabaret singing. You can catch her vocal stylings at Club D and elsewhere.

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Every (You If you want to share month in print and don’t really your rants, raves or observaevery week online, we ask have to be a celeb. tions with the rest of Columbus, outlook readers to do our work This will launch call Erin McCalla at 614.268.8525, for us as Local Celebrity your career.) x2 or email her at emccalla@outGuest Bloggers. lookmedia.com. Or call. Email would be better.

Eve Davis - who at age 63 could probably bench-press you Top 5 Reasons I Started Weight-Lifting at Age 50 5. Not to need elongated scissors to cut my toenails 4. Not to have to wear pants with an elastic waist 3. Not to have my arm flab considered a lethal weapon 2. Not to have my bust fall to my waist 1. Not to have my butt fall to my knees April 8 topic: From Flab to Fab!

Debé

Metaphysical Maven, Singer & Co-Owner of Enchanted Elements

Top 5 Fortune Telling Tools 5. Stone Casting/Geomancy – Stones that correspond to the chakras and other forces in your life. Don’t worry, they aren’t thrown at you.

4. Runes/Oghams – Ancient alphabets carved into stones or pieces of trees. Perfect for tree huggers and language arts majors.

3. Astrology – Predictions based on the alignment of the planets and stars. Basis of one of the oldest pick-up lines around.

2. Tarot – Uses a deck of symbolic pictures, elements and patterns.

Think of them as really cool psychic flash cards.

1. Palmistry – Reading the palms, fingers and prints. Don’t call it a hand job or you’ll be asking for trouble.

Phillip Fierst

April 15 topic: Fulfilling Your Life Purpose

OSU Student Majoring in Economics & German Top 5 Places/Events to Promote Equality in Columbus 5. The March for Marriage Equality (which took place March 23 at the Statehouse) 4. Equality Ohio 3. For college students, Stonewall Fusion 2. The Ohio Pride Festival 1. Stonewall Columbus April 22 Topic: Right Now is a Much Better Time To Be Gay Than in the Past

Shannon Duffy

Top 5 Movies I Can’t Pass Over on TV 5. Princess Bride (as you wish) 4. Stick It 3. Any Musical (I own most of them) 2. Terminator 2 and 3 1.Armageddon (I still cry every time Harry saves the day) April 29 topic: What Annoys Me about the GLBT Community that I’m a Part Of

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Not Rhoda’s Type

41 Lodging place 42 Cole Porter’s “___ Love You?” Across 43 Conduit bend 1 Former Korean president in 44 Cold shower the land of Margaret Cho’s 46 Cary Grant’s real last ancestors name 5 Game with men that are 50 Line from the show that queens used a certain word for the 10 Talk back to first time on network TV 14 Chauffeur’s order 52 Shakespearean prince 15 Seduces 54 Jack of Flower Drum Song 16 Coagulate 55 Prelude, for short 17 Last word in prayer 56 See 20-Across 18 Brian of figure skating 59 Trojans’ org.

19 Plot unit 60 Ashley’s C&W mother 20 With 56-Across, Rhoda 61 Earthenware jar was a spin-off from this TV 62 Malicious gossip program 63 Bones below the elbows 22 Melrose ___ 64 Golda of Israeli politics 23 FabergÈ creation 65 Enc. with a ms.

24 NASDAQ rival 66 Style Tracy Turnblad’s hair 25 “My Brother’s ___” 67 Ogled a hottie in a bar, (ground-breaking episode of e.g. the show) 26 Oozes through Down 28 “Candle in the Wind 1 Pulp Fiction actor Ving 1997” subject 2 Tribute 31 Vein filler 3 Come out 32 From Jan. 1 to now 4 Start of a rhyme about a 34 Field film name tiger 35 Like a straight line, for 5 Has an effect like the Teleshort tubbies 36 Rhoda star 6 Threw a screwball, in Billy 40 Show Boat bundle Bean’s game

Chad ♥ pirogies, crafting and vampires searching for fun.

7 Hebrides language 8 Student of palms 9 Ukr., once 10 Sequence for Bernstein 11 Top mobster 12 Fantasia figure 13 Took the wheel 21 Sample some buns, e.g.

22 It may be black-eyed 25 Work with the hands 27 Part played by Nabors 29 Cara of Fame 30 Postcoital sigh 33 In a straight-faced way 35 Ron Howard role 36 Juicy fruit 37 Top athletes 38 Suffix with Paul 39 Bea Arthur’s TV maid Esther 40 Top targets 44 Word in Brazilian place names 45 The “T” in T.E. Lawrence 47 Jeffrey director Christopher 48 Eastern laborer 49 Disney lyricist Ashman 51 Catch basin cover 53 Heed the alarm 56 International ___ 57 Sometime Capote associate Chaplin 58 To a degree 60 Testacle, in slang outlookcolumbus.com

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