2013-05-01 outlook columbus by Outlook Media, Inc

OC_1_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/29/13 7:38 AM Page 1

the trippin’ out issue • may 2013

inside: remembering dusti / tek experts / mom’s love / hocking hills / pittsburgh / washington dc key west / mérida mexico / del marquis / summer reads / dani leventhal / the divine life / puzzling

outlook magazine • outlookcolumbus.com

OC_2_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/23/13 11:54 AM Page 1

may 2013

How often do you think Maureen clutches those pearls in a day?

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_3.qxp_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/23/13 11:55 AM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Who let the dog tags out? Who? Who? Who?

may 2013

Everything is Trippin’ Out It might seem a little weird that we follow up our annual issue devoted to the best of Columbus with a magazine full of suggestions for getting the hell out of town.

The diocese and Bishop Frederick Campbell turned the tribute to a loving and accepting mother into a reason to fire a devoted employee during Holy Week.

But we all need a break once in a while, right? Even though there’s plenty to do in our own backyard see social tsar Robby Stephens’s suggestions on the next page and our monthly calendar on Page 24 - this month we ease into summer by offering suggestions for your weekend (or longer) getaways.

Watterson students, parents and alumni have been speaking out ever since. They’ve talked about ways to support Hale and push their church into the 21st century, perhaps by showing Campbell the impact LGBT people and their allies can have on his own economy via the collection plate.

Most importantly, though, they’ve been talking As LGBT travelers, we’re a wooed demographic. about ways to counter the dangerous message that There’s an International Gay & Lesbian Travel Asso- Campbell and the Catholic Diocese of Columbus ciation that represents more than 2,000 gayhave sent to fragile LGBT children across this refriendly destinations, accommodations, gion about their place in the Catholic church and in businesses, tour operators and others in 80 coun- the bigger world. tries. Even in the conservative Middle East, the IGLTA lists a bookstore/coffee shop in Jordan that There are kids who have read Hale’s story and are boasts a “cozy atmosphere with no restrictions.” scared right now. The most powerful Catholic leader in Central Ohio has told them they have no Our writers and contributors this month share the place in his church and don’t even deserve to hold can’t-miss sights, sounds and tastes of destinations a job. as close to home as Pittsburgh and the Hocking Hills and as far-off as Mexico. There in the Yucatan, Hale’s message to those children - showing a in a town called Merida, former Columbus resiChristian spirit that Bishop Frederick Campbell and dents Michael Berton and Bob Klie have opened a an anomymous letter-writer will never have - is on resort called Villa Verde in a restored 250-year-old Page 10. Spanish colonial home. Rich Warren’s piece begins on Page 30. We’ll be following Carla Hale’s story at outlookcolumbus.com and invite you to visit our website In April, I had the opportunity to accompany writers daily for the latest local, national and world news from LGBT publications in New York, Chicago and that affects our community. Detroit for a tour of Columbus and the Hocking Hills. Experience Columbus and hospitality-related Bob Vitale businesses here and in southeastern Ohio recogEditor-in-Chief nize the value of gay-friendly reputations and the bvitale@outlookmedia.com impact of LGBT travelers on local economies. An apology: I’m truly sorry to all outlook readers for Sadly, though, we were reminded in April that there an answer in our May crossword puzzle that many are organizations less progressive than Jordanian people consider offensive and demeaning. We try coffee-shop owners that still reject us, devalue our every day to create a magazine and website where humanity, throw away our talents and turn their everyone feels included, welcomed and reflected. backs when we need support. The editors of Q Syndicate, which provides our monthly crossword, assure me that they share our Carla Hale taught at Bishop Watterson High School goals. for 19 years until an anonymous, not-very-Christian person read her mother’s obituary in the newspa- I’m embarrassed that in this case, we did not meet per and pointed out to officials in the Catholic Dio- that standard. I will work harder to make sure that cese of Columbus that Hale’s name was followed in in the future, we always do. parentheses by the name of another woman.

the trippin’ out issue: vol 17 • #12 | here’s what’s getting us out of town in issue

OC_4_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 11:49 PM Page 1

you are here

OWNER & PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes

snapshot

qmunity

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

qmunity

qmunity: dusti hymen

small pond: daniel maldet

NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863

the other side

ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month. Art in by the 20th.

tongue in chic

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

feature: hocking hills

ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / hayes@outlookmedia.com

feature: pittsburgh

MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / emccalla@outlookmedia.com

out & about

Chris Azzopardi, Debé, Andrew Collins, Peter Diller, Jeff Houlton, Pete Lovering, Tom Muzyka,

feature: washington dc

Teena Parker, Tera Proby, Romeo San Vicente, Dan Savage, Regina Sewell, Robby Stephens, D.A. Steward, Bob Vitale, Rich Warren

feature: key west

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Hayes, Robby Stephens, Aloha Photography, Matt Reese, Andrew Williams

feature: mérida, mexico

creative class

deep inside hollywood

interview: del marquis

bookmark

23 frames per second

i ♥ the nitelife

savage love / the divine life

local celebrity bloggers / puzzling

puzzling solution - puzzle on pg 46

SALES DIRECTOR Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com SALES REPRESENTATIVE Alexis Perrone / aperrone@outlookmedia.com SALES REPRESENTATIVE Logan Fisher / lfisher@outlookmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

INTERNS Peter Diller, Anthony Georgetti, Brent Hawk, Pete Lovering, Michelle Nath, Brandon Nehrkorn, Asher Pollock, Tera Proby, Emma Reichert, Ashley Rhodes, Josiah Weinhold 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 ©2013 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

NEXT MONTH:

pride 2013 4

may 2013

Who wants to go swimming?

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_5_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 11:17 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Need more outlook all month long? Check out our website daily for new content.

may 2013

OC_6_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:59 AM Page 1

snapshot

by Robby Stephens, Social Tsar

May May Be My Favorite What’s hot? Hopefully, summer - if it will ever get here. What’s not? April. May not only ushers in a new season of warmer temperatures, but the season for LGBT social events and sports really jumps off! I’m loving that the 2013 season of the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association starts the first weekend in May. Games will be played at Tuttle Park near OSU. I’m also loving the newest Downtown event, the Gay Street Moonlight Market. Local business owners along High and Gay streets are hosting their own monthly event the second Saturday each month. Outdoor entertainment, great sales and a great variety of fun to be had on May 11. And my favorite thing about May is that Pride season gets into full swing. Stonewall Columbus will begin announcing more details for our own Pride on June 21 and 22. If you’re looking for a great May getaway, check out Pensacola Pride on Memorial Day Weekend or Chicago’s Bear Pride from May 24-27. I want to hear from you on what’s hot, what’s not and what you love! Write to me at social@outlookmedia.com about your May and June events, follow Outlook Columbus on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @StephensRobby for great photos in real time from these events and more. What’s on my play list for May? Snooki picked it as the theme for her new MTV series and I play it in the car and on my iPod when working out: “I Love It” by Icona Pop is bound to be a Summer 2013 hit to remember. Want to get your community giving in gear? Want to represent Stonewall for the 10th Annual Capital City Half Marathon on May 4? Contact Elizabeth at eminot@stonewallcolumbus.org or call 614.930.2269. Finally, I’m loving the new Arch City Tavern. The new look of this old space isn’t the only amazing thing Arch City has cooked up in the Short North. The fresh new menu and hospitality of the staff make you feel so at home, you just gotta go back for more! Until next time, Robby

may 2013

That clown definitely gave me nightmares... and face - face - face - face!

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_7_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 8:12 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Enter at outlookcolumbus.com to win tickets to see Kate Clinton at Wall Street!

may 2013

OC_8_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 11:21 PM Page 1

snapshot

04/02/13 Brothers in Blood 3

04/02/13 Garbage @ The LC

04/04/13 Fleetwood Mac @ NWA

04/07/13 Ave Q Cabaret @ Level

04/10/13 Network Columbus @ Level

04/20/13 AIDS Walk

04/21/13 Short North Gala @ The Hilton

may 2013

Congrats to all the honorees at the Short North Gala!

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_9_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 7:39 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Don’t miss the Outlook Nights Out Five Guys cabaret upstairs at Level, May 9. It’s free!

may 2013

OC_10_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:02 AM Page 1

Watterson High Teacher Fired Because She’s Gay

qmunity

Cleveland’s Gay Games Land Corporate Sponsors

Sponsor Drops Event With Stonewall Ties

A local marketing company that deploys signspinning acrobats to curbs and street corners in Central Ohio pulled its support for a local scavenger-hunt event because its charity beneficiary this year is Stonewall Columbus.

Organizers for the Gay Games scheduled next year in Cleveland and Akron have landed two big sponsors for the event.

if Stonewall addressed other LGBT issues such as suicide prevention or anti-bullying efforts, which it does.

Kristen Warren, producer of the Pointless Pursuit, said she chose Stonewall because she believes wholeheartedly in its mission. And here’s the Melvin Harter, owner of happy ending: Another Street Hop Advertising, local sign-spinning comtold organizers of the pany, Aarrow Advertising, Pointless Pursuit, planned for September, stepped right in as a that he and his company sponsor of the race. stand for “traditional marriage.” You can register for the Sept. 8 event at Harter told Outlook that www.pointlesspursuit.com. he would have stayed on

Rogers: Anti-Gay Slurs Were Common in Soccer

The Cleveland Foundation will pay $250,000 to become the games’ first-ever presenting sponsor. And Ernst & Young, the London-based global accounting firm, will sponsor the games to the tune of at least $100,000 in cash and services. The games will be known officially as the “2014 Gay Games presented by the Cleveland Foundation.” Cleveland Foundation President and CEO Ronald B. Richard told The Plain Dealer that the sponsorship will ensure that “Cleveland is seen globally as a truly modern, inclusive city, where everybody is more than welcome.” Bishop Watterson High School students, parents and alumni and practiced the love and kindness that Columbus Catholic Diocese leaders only preach when they rallied behind a popular teacher and coach who was fired because she’s gay. Catholic church officials fired Carla Hale, a 19-year physical education teacher at Watterson, after reading her mother’s obituary in The Columbus Dispatch. Hale included her partner, Julie, among surviving family members. “To see the treatment of a woman who has given so much time to the Watterson community as a teacher, coach and much more is just sickening,” one student wrote at Change.org, where a petition garnered nearly 46,000 signatures in a week. “Judging and discriminating against people on the basis of their sexuality is not what God wanted at all.”

Former Columbus Crew star Robbie Rogers, in his first television interview since coming out earlier this year, described the stress of being gay and closeted in professional sports.

you’re an outcast,” Rogers told ABC News.

“Guys on your team are your best friends, your brothers. ... If you’re not the same as them then

On the day he came out in February, the Crew issued a statement of sup“My classmates and I feel very passionport.

Rogers, 25, who played for Columbus from 2007 to 2011, said he heard anti-gay slurs in the locker room “all the time, … everywhere,” and He said he went to work “that’s what scars you.” each day hoping none of He didn’t talk specifically his teammates figured about the atmosphere out that he’s gay. with the Crew, though.

may 2013

Neither Watterson Principal Marian Hutson nor Bishop Frederick Campbell said anything publicly following the decision to fire Hale. A spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Columbus said the church wouldn’t comment on personnel matters.

ately about this issue,” said Jackson The Gay Games will take place from Aug. 9 to 16, Garrity, the Watterson senior who started 2014. They’re expected to bring 11,000 participants the petition effort and coined the Twitter and 30,000 total visitors to northeastern Ohio. hashtag #halestorm. “We agreed that we needed to take a stand as leaders Calling Amateur Lobbyists: and voice our opinions.”

Equality Ohio Plans Push

Hale told outlook that she hopes LGBT kids will see from the response to her firing that far more people will love and support them than they might think based on the church’s actions. “Hopefully that’s what stays and that’s what endures and continues on from this whole situation,” she said. Hale’s story was picked up by national news outlets and Tweeted by Dan Savage. Mayor Michael B. Coleman issued a statement of support, saying: “I stand with Carla Hale in her fight to get her job back. No one in Columbus or in the United States should be denied employment because of who they love.”

There is no federal law or state law in Ohio that stops employers from firing LGBT workers. Columbus does bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, though. Hale’s attorney, Thomas Tootle, said she will file a complaint with the Columbus CommuStudents and Watterson grads sure did, nity Relations Commission. though. They described Hale as “beloved,” a mentor who treated kids Aides to City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer with respect and a role model whose in- Jr. said the city law doesn’t exempt relifluence remained long after graduation. gious institutions.

Equality Ohio is rounding up allies to help round up legislators on issues important to LGBT residents of the state. The group’s annual Lobby Day for Equality will take place on May 8. Organizers say their focus this year is legislation called the Equal Housing and Employment Act, which would bar employment and housing discrimination against LGBT people in Ohio. Ohio is one of 29 states that doesn’t include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws. It’s one of 34 states that doesn’t prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Dayton are among 11 Ohio cities that prohibit LGBT housing and job discrimination with local laws.) During Lobby Day, people from across Ohio will come to Columbus to discuss the anti-discrimination bill with lawmakers on the fence and to thank those already on board. Amateur lobbyists are welcomed: Register at www.equalityohio.org.

The petition to hire Carla back went from 20,000 to 40,000 over one weekend.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_11_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 8:53 PM Page 1

Marriage Support Hits Majority in U.S. Senate

App Assesses HIV Risk of What You Plan to Do

would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others,” he announced. “Same-sex couples should have the right to Statements of support in civil marriage. Our time April put the total at 54. on this Earth is limited, I know that better than Among the latest to em- most. Life comes down to brace equality was Sen. who you love and who Mark Kirk of Illinois, who loves you back - government has no place in the joined Ohio’s Rob Portman as the only Republi- middle.” can senators to favor Although support from marriage rights. half the U.S. Senate is a Kirk’s statement was par- significant milestone, it ticularly moving. He suf- will do little politically for fered a serious stroke in LGBT Americans. Beearly 2012 and has spent cause of Senate rules, it the last year recovering. usually takes support from 60 lawmakers to “I promised myself that I pass any legislation.

LGBT Liaison Among Boston PD Heroes

More than half the U.S. Senate is now on record in favor of marriage equality for LGBT Americans.

An iconic image taken moments after the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing features three police officers coming to a runner’s aid. One of the officers is the Boston PD’s LGBT liaison. The photo, captured by Boston Globe photographer John Tlumacki, shows early responder Javier Pagan (far right) and two colleagues ready to assist and protect citizens as smoke from the last explosion billows in the background.

NHL, Players Union Join ‘You Can Play’

“The big shift is that this is a professional sports league saying not that, ‘We tolerate you,’ not that, ‘We’ll deal with it if we need to,’ but that they’re inviting us in. It’s exciting,” said Patrick Burke, an NHL scout who started You Can Play to honor his brother, a team The agreement with You manager at Miami UniCan Play, a campaign to versity who was killed in a 2010 car crash. fight homophobia in sports, will including training and counseling Brendan Burke had come on LGBT issues for teams out and began addressand players. ing such issues before his death. outlookcolumbus.com

Pagan is a native of Puerto Rico who came out just after joining the force. He was named LGBT liaison in 2002. Pagan’s husband, Pedro, is a retired sergeant from the New York Police Department who rescued people when the World Trade Center collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001.

OraQuick Seeks Videos to Promote HIV Testing

AIDS Resource Center Ohio has launched a mobile application for iPhone and Android users that will tell you the health risk of various sexual activities. The National Hockey League and its players association have announced a partnership with the You Can Play project in what will be the biggest effort by a major North American sports league to support gay athletes.

One of the images was used as the cover of the April 22 Sports Illustrated.

sion, whether you should take an HIV test, and any other sexually transmitted infections for which you might be at risk.

The app also lists locations in Ohio where free HIV testing and condoms are OraQuick, the manufacturer of the first-ever available. home HIV test, is sponsoring an online cam“This new app will provide users with information about risky behaviors and paign called “Make resources in a matter of seconds, which Knowing Your Thing,” to we know will become an effective new encourage people to get tool in our prevention arsenal,” said Bill tested regularly. The HIV Risk Meter (search for it at your Hardy, ARC Ohio president and CEO. In the vein of the It Gets app store) asks you three questions: about the type of sexual activity in The app was created with the help of a Better Project, Make Knowing Your Thing which you engage, the HIV status of your grant from the Ohio Department of partner, and whether you use condoms Health and a partnership with Chepri In- wants people to share their reasons for getting teractive, a software developer. or any other barrier. tested in an openWhen you submit your answers, the app It’s a project of the Ohio HIV/STD Preven- minded, judgment-free forum through short tion Hotline (1-800-332-2437). tells you whether the activity has low, videos, captioned phomedium or high risk for HIV transmisIncreasing rates of new HIV infections among youth in Ohio are the reason for the new app, officials said. The highest rates of new infections in Ohio are among people younger than 24, and that age group uses phone apps six times more than websites.

A lot of people know my thing. You’re welcome.

tos or written pieces. Certain rules apply, but it’s pretty much a blank slate for people to create positive and encouraging messages of support. The first submission is a short message from Magic Johnson. The contest runs through July. Visit www.OraQuick.com/kno wing for more information. may 2013

OC_12_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 11:24 PM Page 1

qmunity

Remembering Our Friend Dusti Hymen / Timmy Justice Timmy Justice died suddenly on April 5. You might have known him as Dusti Hymen. Off-stage, Justice was an information specialist for the OSU Veterinary Hospital, a Buckeyes fan, a musician and a member of Flaggots Ohio, our community’s flag team. On-stage, Dusti was a member of the Mary Ann Brandt cast, a loveable scamp who delighted audiences with her incredible energy, winning smile, and an incredible sense of comedic timing. There will be a celebration of Timmy and Dusti’s life on May 10 at Wall Street Nightclub, starting with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 7p and performances at 8. We asked two friends to share their memories of Dusti, whose Facebook page still reads: “Be yourself, not someone everyone else wants you to be.” Our deepest condolences to Timmy’s family and friends and Dusti’s many fans.

by June Bugg On joy and sorrow, Khalil Gibran wrote, “…look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” Dusti Hymen (Timothy Justice) was our delight. If you knew him from time spent at OU or spun a flag with him in

may 2013

Pickerington Color Guard or Flaggots Ohio, he was a delight. If you were bewitched by his stage persona or had the ultimate pleasure of being his cocktail-drinkin’, football-watchin’ buddy, he was a delight. Why then are we weeping? I can’t help but think that Dusti would rather we gather in fellowship, pump the organ pedals and sing in full-throated exaltation! If we could deal with this in Dusti’s skin, we would gaze at it with wonderment and compassion, absorb it with feeling and understanding, hold it tight and release it without fear. We would celebrate with silliness, go at it with gusto and deliver it with dance - and maybe a drink or two. If we could rise to the occasion like Dusti, our story-telling would be colorful and captivating (quite possibly in tongues) and our tributes would be heavy with humor. If we could live our lives like Dusti, they would be full of love, laughter, music, food, friends and family. Of course, we’ll each keep Dusti alive and safe from harm in our own unique ways, for he was many things - the sum of which, a kindred spirit. We loved him as a fanciful cast member of the Mary Ann Brandt Show, providing wildly popular moments on stage. We couldn’t get enough of his irresistible stories from the veterinary hospital. One day, lessons on large-animal insemination; the next, a primer on proper canine cleanup.

music, relishing in his rousing renditions of the classics, be it Vestal Goodman vocal or marching-band melody. Dusti brought so much joy and talent to our world, and we hold many wonderful memories of our dear, dear friend. He was part of our family. We love him. Let this be well with our souls.

by Matt Eisert, director of Flaggots Ohio Timmy Justice was a colorguard instructor for the Pickerington High School Marching Band and came to Flaggots Ohio in 2003. He had such an amazing spirit of uniqueness and talent, and his warm personality made everyone love him immediately! I admit: Rehearsals were difficult at times, keeping folks focused when Timmy was around, for he kept everyone in stitches with his humor, stories and “visual interpretations” of our choreography. He was so hysterical that we gave him a lip-synch feature in our 2006 production of “Nobody” and he rose to the challenge of every performance opportunity when presented. In addition to Columbus Pride events, he traveled with us to perform in Dayton, at King’s Island, in San Diego, Chicago, Palm Springs and Indianapolis. Timmy brought a flare of fabulousness to our organization from 2003 to 2008, and he will forever be one of our all-time favorite Flaggots. We love you always.

We were captivated by his fondness for

More memories of Timmy can be found at outlookcolumbus.com.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_13_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 7:48 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Glinda is talking smack again about me; I just know it!

may 2013

OC_14.qxp_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 7:54 PM Page 1

small pond

Who You Gonna Call? TekExperts Comes to the Rescue of Smart-Phone Owners by Peter Diller

“Being in the Short North was a benefit because I did get a lot of local business, but a lot of my customers would Columbus natives come in all forms. Some are born and come in from the surrounding communities of Columbus raised, while others find the city later and call it home. In and even outside. It was intimidating [for them] because any case, many of us find a subtle yet pervasive openof the parking situation there. A lot of people weren’t ness that allows our inner child to express and explore real familiar with how to get around there. So I wanted to within our metaphysical city walls. resolve that and get out a little bit.” Daniel Maldet is no different.

The new storefront in the University District - at 22 E Hudson St, just east of campus - is four times bigger “My mom always used to get angry with me for taking than his space in the Greystone building at N High Street stuff apart when I was a kid and never putting it back to- and Hubbard Avenue. There’s ample parking and easy gether.” access to I-71. A soft-spoken man with a warm demeanor, Maldet is the Tek Experts now has space for full repair services and owner and operator of Tek Experts, a repair shop with a room for more gadgets, cases and accessories. The new location near the OSU campus where he repairs, re- store carries a range of Otterbox products. furbishes and sells nearly all types of gadgets. “That was the idea, moving here and having more space And there’s nothing he can’t handle. to be able to offer more,” Maldet said. “I had an iPod touch that was run over by a car. We had an iPhone too. Saved them both,” Maldet said with a calm confidence.

That being said, repairs are still the bread and butter. Aside from Apple products, they also service HTC, Samsung, LG, Kyocera and Blackberry gadgets. “I try to do a lot within a day. Sometimes [each repair takes] a couple Starting his career as an electrical engineer, he worked hours.” They also buy used devices in almost any condiin Ohio after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh tion. in 1988. His job relocated him to Alabama in 2005. The most common repairs are cracked screens. Next “He’s the reason,” Maldet said, referring to his husband, comes problems with the charging port. And you’d be William Brown, who helps out at the front of the store. surprised at how many people can’t seem put their “Even though he probably doesn’t want me to admit that, phones down for even a few minutes but still seem to he’s the reason I started.” lose their grip at the most inopportune moments. After meeting in Brown’s home state of Alabama, the two married in Vermont in 2010. The business - or what it evolved from, anyway - started when Brown wanted to upgrade the hard drive on his iPod. Having worked for a small company that serviced metal-melting equipment, Maldet envisioned a new avenue for his skill set. “I started thinking, ‘I can do this and sell it on eBay,’” he said. “So I would get iPods and refurbish them and sell them on eBay just as a side thing. That happened for a couple years, and I had a pretty successful business. They’d buy the repair on eBay, send me the device, and I would fix it and send it back.”

“People drop it in the toilet all the time,” Brown said. “ALL THE TIME. I get a crack out of that. But I think the funniest story was someone came in and apparently their kid was just running around with a hammer and hitting everything - including the iPhone.” Tek Experts says many repairs can be done while you wait, but the business also offers customers a way to check the status of longer repairs online. Phones can be mailed in for repairs as well. Depending on the make of the device, repairs and replacement screens run from $35 to more than $300.

“We’re more reliant on phones probably than any other When Brown was accepted into grad school at OSU, device because it stores all of our information,” Maldet Maldet saw an opportunity within the move. “I was origi- said. “It’s our way to contact everyone. So people are nally from Ohio so I said, ‘Well, OK.’ I was ready for a reluctant to give it up for very long at all.” change. I was ready to quit my day job.” He opened a small Short North storefront in January 2012 shortly after their move, and business quickly picked up.

may 2013

Tek Experts, located at 22 E Hudson St in the University District, is open Monday through Saturday from 10a to 8p and Sunday from noon to 5p. Call 614.427.3498 or visit www.tekexperts.org.

We miss Daniel as one of our neighbors in the Gaystone.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_15_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 11:56 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun-filled summer at the corner of Neil and Brodbelt.

may 2013

OC_16_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:34 AM Page 1

A Mother’s Love

the other side

Honoring Our Community’s Moms by D.A. Steward During opening arguments for the U.S. Supreme Court case on Proposition 8, the cruel gay-parents’-effect-on-children argument reared its cringe-worthy head. But to a 2-year-old who’s just getting a knack for the English language, “mamma” and “mommy” are just the norm. Not political. At the core of good parenting, whether by someone who’s gay or straight, is one simple concept. Love. Julia Applegate, a public-health administrator and local activist raising 2year-old Karsten and 3-month-old Solveig with her partner, Liv Gjestvang, put it best. “In most cases, a child of an LGBT person is a wanted child.”

1. 3.

may 2013

“It’s important to us to be there for each other and be nurturing to our kids,” Gjestvang said. “We were both involved in a lot of social activism before we had kids, so making the tough decisions of what things should stay and what things should go was hard.” Ultimately, the balancing act was a blessing in disguise. “Having children makes you very present. I’ve been grateful that it forced me to gain that balance.” “But what about the children?,” cries the conservative. Despite many studies that prove otherwise, I still cautiously asked each mother I interviewed what they thought of the age-old “detriment” argument.

Applegate and Gjestvang (Picture 5) knew, even before meeting each other, that having children was a life-long journey neither could pass up.

“For us, the transition was unexpectedly smooth,” said Erin Upchurch, a social worker and TransOhio board member. She and Michelle Geeting (Picture 3), a crisis counselor and Upchurch’s partner of five years, are currently raising Alex, 9, and Jeremiah, 11.

Same for Love Dixon, a local educator and author. As she came closer to age 35 (her personal deadline for having children) the biological clock wasn’t just ticking. It was a screeching siren.

“We all four sat down and I let the kids have input into making [Geeting] a part of our lives,” she said. “It was just important for me to choose a partner that loved my kids as much as I did.”

“I think it’s important to leave a legacy in the form of a child,” Dixon said from her couch at home, as her 5-month-old son, Elijah, audibly occupied an infant walker nearby. “We decided to go with someone that we knew to be a donor so that the child would know who their father was and there wouldn’t be holes when they had questions.”

Siobhan Boyd Nelson, a former attorney who’s now a part-time administrative assistant at Kaleidoscope Youth Center and a full-time mom, also has a modern Brady Bunch tale.

Dixon (Picture 4) has the unique experience of being a single, lesbian mother. But love, again, rules supreme.

Nelson (Picture 2) had her son, 9-yearold Marsellis “Mars” Davis, while studying law at Howard University. She later married fellow classmate and attorney Maritza Nelson. They, along with Mars’s father, have all been equal parents.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t have a visitor. He has like five grandparents, several godparents, aunts, uncles. This child is loved. If anything, I’d say I have an overwhelming amount of support.”

“We’re all a part of each others’ lives,” she said. “Early on he didn’t get why we all didn’t live in the same house, because there are all these adults in his life who, as far as he can see, love each other. But that was it.”

Applegate and Gjestvang, a filmmaker and technology educator at Ohio State University, also went with donors they knew, after enduring a two-year fertility battle (“21 failures in 25 months”) with Karsten. But now with the recent birth of Solveig, the key has become balance.

Stonewall Columbus board President Letha Pugh and Wendy Miller Pugh (Picture 1), an artist and stay-at-home mom, used an anonymous donor for their now 2-year-old daughter, Avery. School bullies are definitely something they’ve thought about.

Moms rule.

“I hope that we’ve prepared her for when she does face any discrimination,” said Letha Pugh. “But we’ve never been confronted and we’ve been treated with respect. I think we live in a city that lends itself to acceptance.” Politics and scheduling conflicts aside, for these moms the joys of motherhood had nothing to do with gay rights. “He’s the best of me,” Dixon said. “And just seeing that being manifested in him is rewarding.” “I’m doing my best to raise a little feminist who respects diversity and differences and change,” Nelson said. “If I am known as nothing else, I want to be known as Mars’s mother.” “It’s rewarding just to seeing her evolve into this little person,” Miller Pugh said. “The moments that get me are when she randomly comes and hugs you or when you pick her up at day care and she’s excited to see you.” “Being a mother has made me a better person,” Gjestvang said. “It’s drawn out of me this selfless giving and this joy at just watching them grow.” It was a humbling and, at times, emotional experience delving into the life of lesbian motherhood in Central Ohio. Gjestvang breastfed Solveig in the middle of a coffeehouse while critiquing the ignorance of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in calling gay rights younger than cell phones. Upchurch beamed at the fact that she was raising “little allies.” Dixon didn’t bat an eye at the path that lay before her son. “In five years when he’s in school, him having a gay parent won’t matter.” Motherhood and activism comes naturally. Much like the famous Bible passage, a mother’s love is patient, it’s kind, it doesn’t envy, it doesn’t boast, it isn’t proud ... it never fails. And unlike much of the national discourse, it transcends sexuality. D.A. Steward writes The Other Side for outlook. He also hosts Queer Minded, an online radio show that airs live every Thursday at 8p at talktainmentradio.com. You can find more on all his projects at www.dwaynesteward.com.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_17_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 10:36 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

We bet Jerry and Kristyn could keep a straight face during a Ryan Lochte interview!

may 2013

OC_18_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 11:54 PM Page 1

Tongue in Chic

Traveling on a Budget by Teena Parker What’s more exciting than a lesbian couple’s first U-Haul rental? Their first weekend getaway. But what’s a gay girl do to when the only people who can actually afford an Olivia cruise either played characters on The L Word or are the people in Los Angeles on whom those characters were based? Fear not, young lovers - and all you single gals, too. Here are three fabulous and affordable vacation ideas for the savvy Sapphic traveler. Create Your Own Gay Cruise Seriously, though. Olivia Cruises are really expensive - like six-months’-rent expensive once you pay for both yourself and a ladyfriend (not including airfare). Case in point: Olivia’s seven-day sailing to the eastern Caribbean next year starts at $999 per person for a tiny, interior room. But, of course, those staterooms are already sold out. So the next-available, least-expensive option is $1,599 per person for 180 square feet and a window. Now compare those rates to Carnival, for example, which offers a seven-day western Caribbean trip in the same month for $429 per person for a tiny, interior room. My girlfriend and I took a three-day Carnival cruise to the Bahamas a few years ago, and we simply created our own little gay corner of the boat by inviting our friends and booking adjoining staterooms. It was an absolute (and affordable) blast. The 10 of us spent our evenings drunkenly singing showtunes in the ship’s piano bar - and it doesn’t get much gayer than that.

may 2013

Sure, the room steward was initially confused by my request to convert our cabin’s two twin beds into one full-size bed (which, I’ll concede, probably never happens on an Olivia cruise), but he was polite and accommodating once the light bulb went off and he realized we weren’t just “roommates.”

drive a Prius. So if you’re planning to take a pick-up truck, your radius might be a bit smaller.

Carnival’s ships also offer a “Friends of Dorothy” meeting every night where you can mingle with the other queer travelers on board.

A year and a half ago, I would travel to PA just to get Yuengling. (See Page 22.) But once America’s Oldest Brewery became locally accessible, I had to find a new reason to visit the Steel City. And guess what? As it turns out, Pittsburgh is pretty gay.

Midwest Pride Tour Columbus arguably has the biggest and best Pride celebration out of all the noncoastal states. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great cities nearby with fabulous Pride parties in their own right. And, thankfully, many of these cities don’t want to compete with Columbus for visitors, so they tend to schedule their festivities on alternate weekends. Try Dayton Pride on June 1; Indy Pride on June 8; Capital Pride, also on June 8, in Washington, D.C.; Kalamazoo Pride on June 15; or the statewide Michigan Pride, which, for some reason unbeknownst to me, is happening on Aug. 24. (I’d suggest Cleveland Pride or Chicago Pride, too, but theirs both fall on the same weekend as Comfest. So ladies’ choice, I suppose.) Here’s a quick tip, though: Because airfare is insanely expensive these days, be sure your out-of-town Pride city is within driving distance. That way, you’ll save some spending money for rainbow bracelets and draft beer. Now, I consider “driving distance” to be anything less than two tanks of gas, but I

Pittsburgh Definitely within driving distance, Pittsburgh is less than 60 miles across the state line.

The city has been featured on a national travel site called NaviGAYtour, alongside such locales as Chicago, L.A. and New Orleans. There’s also the Lez Liquor Happy Hour at Andy’s at the Fairmont, monthly drag bingo at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and the Renaissance City Choirs (one for men and one for women; take that, Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus). And, to top it all off, drag king and former Columbus resident JJ Cox - who’s also the eternally reigning Mr. East Village, having won the competition shortly before the bar closed its doors forever - produces and performs in shows, usually at a little spot called Cattivo. Imagine if Wall Street and Slammers had a love child. That’s the vibe you’ll find at Cattivo: good food, pool tables, a dance floor, a performance space and Bell’s TwoHearted Ale on tap. Win-win... win-winwin. Oh, and did I mention there’s an Ikea? Way to score some butch points, Pittsburgh. Allen wrenches, anyone?

Hayes once went on an Olivia Cruise, which is of course is his drag name.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_19_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/23/13 7:45 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that the cutest gay dad ever?

may 2013

OC_20_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 1:10 AM Page 1

OH! HOcking Hills is a WHOle Different OHiO by Bob Vitale Toledo of the 1970s wasn’t exactly “Escape From New York,” but I’ve always felt more city than country.

Jacuzzi tubs. You can get a facial, massage (couple’s massages are the most popular) and other spa services during the day and sit around a fire pit at night.

The Inn - and much of the Hocking Hills - gets I prefer a hotel swimming pool to the beach. My spotty to no cell-phone reception because of first camping trip was my last camping trip. We the terrain. Innkeeper Ellen Grinsfelder said screamed when the man at the Lucas County Fair tried to get my cousins, my sister and me to touch a goat’s udders. So I didn’t rush to the Hocking Hills when I moved to Columbus in 2004. Hills, forests, yeah, yeah, right. I’m more likely to drive 100 miles to a visit an Ikea than a cave. Forgive me for sounding like the last person to finally watch Game of Thrones, but sheesh! Have you seen those caves?! For those of us used to the Indiana-ish parts of Ohio, it’s hard to believe places like Ash Cave, Cedar Falls and Saltpetre Cave are within our state’s borders. Hocking Hills is 11,000 square acres in southeastern Ohio, from Lancaster to Athens to the Ohio River. About 2,300 acres of the region are inside Hocking Hills State Park, and surrounding state-owned forestland offers more opportunities for hiking and sightseeing.

most people look at that as the excuse they need to unplug, and she and husband Terry Lingo seem to embrace the isolation. They offer wi-fi service, but rooms have no TVs. They didn’t keep a newspaper in the dining room until last year, thinking people should converse instead.

way leads through a narrow, quarter-mile gorge lined with ancient trees and rocky walls. The cave itself is Ohio’s largest, a horseshoe-shaped recess 700 feet wide and 100 feet deep. You can hike and explore on your own in the Hocking Hills, or you can take any of a number of organized tours. Hocking Hills Adventure Trek offers guided hikes through areas such as Saltpetre Cave, a state nature preserve that usually requires permits weeks in advance. The company does that for you, and for $30, the hike through the area’s caves and crevices ends at a beautiful overlook where a Shawnee storyteller shares the history and music of his people. More adventurous Adventure Trek customers can book rappelling and rock-climbing tours for $120 to $140. The company also offers treks that include yoga ($50), morel mushroomhunting ($30) or bass fishing ($125).

Lodging options run from hotels to camping, cabins to bed-and-breakfasts. The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, 1½ hours southeast of Columbus, is a green-certified, environmentally conscious resort where you’ll simultaneously feel like you’re being pampered and roughing it. Rooms start at $139, cottages start at $189, and cabins start at $209 per night.

Weekend guests can spend their time close to the Inn, lounging, reading, romancing and hiking to nearby sights such as Cedar Falls, named for the misidentified hemlock trees nearby. (And you’ll be happy to know, the water that flows over sandstone formations to create Cedar Falls is named Queer Creek.)

Cottages have backdoor decks overlooking the woods in which they’re nestled. They also have

If your idea of relaxing doesn’t include strapAsh Cave is a marvel - and an incredibly easy ping yourself into safety gear, explore the anhike. No climbing is required, and a paved path- tique and art shops dotted throughout the area.

may 2013

For a different view of the Hocking Hills - above the treetops, caves and cliffs - try Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, which offers zip-line tours for $89. You can also take nighttime, twilight and sunrise tours.

The Hocking Hills is home to an eclectic mix of people. It’s politically conservative overall, but it’s home to a good number of creative, progressive - and/or LGBT - types drawn to its beautiful scenery and calm lifestyle. Hocking House features the pottery and garden art of Jean Magditch. The world’s only pencilsharpener museum is at U.S. 33 and Rt. 664. At the Inn, Grinsfelder and other experts offer three-hour cooking lessons for desserts such as blueberry cobbler and sticky toffee pudding, and they send you off with the recipes to impress your friends at home. Especially popular is an early-December cookie class. There’s also a new Chef for a Day class, in which participants get to hang out in the kitchen for four hours and help Chef Anthony Schulz as he prepares sauces and dressings and other items for the evening meal. The Inn’s food is anything but roughing it. Schulz’s menu uses locally grown and produced ingredients from nearby farms or the Inn’s own gardens and beehives. The restaurant also hosts special dinners throughout the year to showcase different wines, beers or spirits. Grinsfelder and Lingo employ a diverse and welcoming staff. Journals on the table inside each cabin at the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls catalog the memories of couples who’ve stayed there. “We had an amazing time celebrating my sweetie’s birthday and our three-month relationship together,” wrote Karen and Beth, who came down from Michigan. “This was our first visit here and won’t be our last.”

If you have never been to Strouds Run to kayak, you have to try it. It’s like Canada in Ohio. outlookcolumbus.com

OC_21_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 7:40 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Check out outlookcolumbus.com this month for our Pride Mix by DJ Moxy!

may 2013

OC_22_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/23/13 8:49 PM Page 1

numerous theaters, including the gay-popular Cabaret at Theater Square, where you can enjoy cocktails and tapas while taking in a show.

by Andrew Collins Even at half the size from its industrial heyday, Pittsburgh is enjoying a dramatic renaissance. A number of formerly downcast neighborhoods are now abuzz with hip restaurants, indie shops, rehabbed factory buildings and row houses. Having received a bump in gay visibility from its years as the setting for Showtime’s Queer as Folk (actually filmed in Toronto), Pittsburgh has developed into a popular weekend destination for LGBT travelers. The gay community is well-integrated within the larger population. The city has numerous theaters with artsy and gay-themed films and a high appreciation of alternative culture: Two of its top attractions are the Mattress Factory contemporary art museum and the Andy Warhol Museum. The city also hosts the well-attended Pittsburgh International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival over 10 days in October, and the fast-growing Pride Theater Festival takes place over two weekends in June. Close to Downtown, Liberty and Penn avenues form the spines of a 14-block Cultural District of theaters and performance halls housing the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Ballet and the Pittsburgh Opera. You’ll also find

Penn Avenue continues into the historic Strip warehouse district, which has several nightclubs and restaurants interspersed among produce and food markets and offbeat shops. The neighborhood leads northeast into the cool 16:62 Design Zone, home to boutiques, homefurnishings shops and galleries. Pittsburgh’s North Side lies just across the Allegheny River from downtown and is home to the city’s relatively new sports stadiums as well as the Andy Warhol Museum, which celebrates the life of the late pop art icon who grew up in nearby Oakland. Inside an eight-story 1911 warehouse, the museum contains more than 8,000 works and is an outstanding, engaging and often very funny museum laid out with abundant commentary on Warhol’s life. Close by are the Carnegie Science Center, the National Aviary and the Mattress Factory, known for its provocative larger-than-life installations. South of downtown, the city rises sharply above the Monongahela River toward Mount Washington, a workaday neighborhood with spectacular views of downtown. Ride up the slope via the Monongahela Incline, which leads to a viewing

platform and a small museum. A short drive east is the bohemian South Side, a repository of funky shops, galleries and eateries that once anchored Pittsburgh’s Lithuanian and Polish communities.

Not far away on Polish Hill, Donny’s Place is a country dance bar with a pool hall that draws a mixed-gender crowd. Downstairs is a guy-oriented basement nook known as Leather Central.

Still farther east of downtown, Oakland is home to the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Mellon University campuses. Be sure to visit the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, which contain well-conceived architectural and decorative arts exhibits, a cache of artifacts from ancient Egypt, and the nation’s thirdlargest dinosaur collection. Nearby Schenley Park, ideal for a stroll, is anchored by the 1893 Phipps Conservatory, comprising 13 rooms of exotic flora.

Shadyside’s quintessentially queer video lounge and cafe, 5801 Ellsworth, is a hip but friendly place. Nearby Spin draws a similar, mostly gay mix of scenesters, young professionals and fairly collegiate sorts. In increasingly trendy Lawrenceville, the Blue Moon is a fun and welcoming spot with fun videos on TV, karaoke and an easygoing crowd. Cattivo - especially popular with lesbians - stands out as a great place both to drink and eat.

East of Oakland is Shadyside, a gentrified patch of neatly kept yards and attractive old homes, many of them gay-owned. Ellsworth Avenue has several gay-popular eateries and businesses. Pittsburgh’s dining scene has blossomed of late, especially in some of the hip, outlying neighborhoods. Along Butler Avenue in Lawrenceville, you’ll find all sorts of cool eateries. Coca Café serves modern American fare and is a great pick for brunch; Cure is known for innovative, meaty fare; and Tamari is a gorgeous space acclaimed for artful Asian-Latin fusion fare. In the Strip District, lesbian-owned Pamela’s Diner, aka P&G’s, is a fine spot for a hearty breakfast or lunch. The original Primanti Bros. has been doling out huge sandwiches, topped ridiculously but deliciously with French fries and cole slaw, since 1933. The 900 block of Liberty Avenue downtown has a few the city’s top gay nightlife options, including neighborhoody There Ultra Lounge, the long-running Images video bar, and after-hours 941 Saloon. The relatively new Cruze Bar in the Strip is arguably the snazziest gay dance club in the city.

Near and Queer

Pittsburgh Makes an industrial-strength CoMebaCk 22

may 2013

In nearby Bloomfield, the hipster live-music bar Brillo Box draws an eclectic queer-hetero crowd. Lawrenceville’s New Amsterdam Bar caters to a similarly cool group. For accommodations, you can’t beat either the location or the decor of the Westin Convention Center, which sits near Liberty Avenue’s gay nightlife and the Strip’s restaurants. But for sheer history, check into the old-world Omni William Penn, a 1916 beauty in the heart of downtown. A mid-priced option is the Doubletree Pittsburgh Downtown. In the Cultural District, the Courtyard Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown occupies four adjacent historic buildings. A few miles east, the Courtyard Marriott Shadyside/Oakland is close to gay-popular shopping and dining along Liberty and Ellsworth avenues. The gay-owned Inn on the Mexican War Streets occupies a grand mansion with seven elegantly furnished rooms and suites. Also on the North Side, the Parador Inn is another lovely, gayowned option occupying a stunningly restored redbrick mansion.

Pride: June 15-16 Tourism: www.visitpittsburgh.com LGBT: www.glccpgh.org For links to everything in this story: outlookcolumbus.com

Hayes is Steelers fan. Vitale is a Browns fan. Frye doesn’t know how to throw a football.

outlookcolumbus.com

Virginia West is a Pittsburgh native, as is her brother/sister, The Lady Alexis Fontaine!

may 2013

THURSDAY, MAY 9 IS YOU IS OR IS YOU AIN’T SEEIN’ THIS SHOW? Outlook Nights Out: Five Guys Named Moe @ Studio 2 Riffe Center, 77 S High St, www.catco.org: Believe it or not, there are five men who are called Moe in this show. Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe. Maybe they could have added a sixth one, called HoMoe. Just sayin’. 8p (runs through May 26); $41.

WEDNESDAY. MAY 8 WE ARE GETTING TOGETHER...MAYBE Taylor Swift @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.246.2000, www.nationwidearena.com: Come out and see Taylor Swift sing about one of her ex-boyfriends. We’re just not sure which one. 7p; $32.50-$87.50.

THURSDAY, MAY 2 NERD ALERT! Avengers Assemble Marathon @ Gateway Film Center, 1550 N High St, 614.545.2255, www.gatewayfilmcenter.com: For all of those who are biting their fingernails in anticipation of Iron Man 3, ease those nerves of yours and come to the Gateway for their opening night event. Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, then finally Iron Man 3 at midnight. Clear your work schedule. 1p; $20 advance, $25 day of show.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 PEACE, LOVE & BEER Local Brews and Local Foods @ North Market, 59 Spruce St, 614.463.9664, www.northmarket.com: Enjoy the fact that summer is on its way by joining other Cbus foodies on North Market’s patio. Music by Dan Heidt. 4p-7p; free.

SUNDAY, MAY 19 A FORMER FLEET FOX Father John Misty @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: After departing Seattle’s indie sensation, Josh Tillman relocated to the City of Angels and cultivated a solo career. A successful one at that, his 2012 debut album earned accolades of critical acclaim. Come see him and his cute beard play a haunting set of country/folk/rock tunes. 8p; $15.

SATURDAY. MAY 18 SLAPSTICK FROM THE BARD The Comedy of Errors @ Columbus Commons, 160 S High St, 614.645.5133, www.theactorstheatre.org: Part of “Shakespeare in the Park,” this uproarious play is about a set of twin brothers who create a mess of a situation for themselves. 7:30p; free.

SATURDAY, MAY 11 COME BE FABULOUS Other Prom @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.4614, www.wexarts.org: The Wex, in partnership with Kaleidoscope Youth Center, hosts Columbus’s LGBTQ youth for a safe, fun prom where people can feel free to be themselves (up to age 20). 8p; free.

SATURDAY. MAY 11 CANCER IS A DRAG Columbus Rocks the Cure Fashion Show @ Ace of Cups, 2619 N High St, www.columbusrocksthecure.org: See the worlds of fashion, drag and rock collide in a fundraiser to combat cancer. The models walk as local bands shred the stage, and 100% of proceeds go to support cancer survivors in need. 8p; $10.

SATURDAY, MAY 25 IT’S FESTIVAL SEASON! Asian Festival @ Franklin Park, 1777 E Broad St, www.asianfestival.org: The food alone - Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino and more - makes the Asian Festival worthwhile, but there’s also music, dancing, sports, art and other tastes of Asian cultures. 10a-9p (also 11a-7p Sun); free.

FRIDAY, MAY 24 JANE’S AFFLICTION Jane Eyre: An Autobiography @ Riffe Center Studio One, 77 S High St, 614.558.7408, www.avltheatre.com: Presented by Available Light Theatre, Jane Eyre is sure to be a beloved bummer, much like the novel it is based on. Those Bronte sisters weren’t really a hilarious bunch, were they? 8p; $20.50.

MONDAY, MAY 27 THE SANTA MARIA WILL NOT BE RACING Dragon Boat Races @ Genoa Park, 303 W Broad St, www.asian-festival.org/dragonboat: Dragon boats are 20-foot decorative canoes paddled by teams of 20. The races will take place on the Scioto River; Genoa Park is on the COSI side. 10a-4p; free.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 BIG BLOCKS OF COLOR Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade @ Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E Broad St, 614.221.4848, www.columbusmuseum.org: Rothko’s work from his formative years is still on display, so if you’ve been putting it off this is your last chance! 10a-5:30p; $10 adults, $8 seniors/students.

SATURDAY MAY 11 DEATH BY CHOCOLATE! Columbus Chocolate Fair @ Ohio Expo Center, 717 E 17th Ave, 614.306.6091, www.columbuschocolatefair.com: Celebrate on Mother’s Day weekend by indulging in the world’s favorite confectionary treat! Your thighs won’t thank you, but your taste buds will. 10a; $12

FRIDAY, MAY 10 THIS ISN’T BRITTNEY’S CIRCUS Dragons @ Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr, 1.800.ARENA.01, www.schottensteincenter.com: Presented by Ringling Bros. AND Barnum & Bailey, this is a circus experience you won’t want to miss, even if there are a bunch of clowns running around. 7p; $13-$80.

SUNDAY MAY 5 MO’ IS BETTER Outlook Nights Out: Five Guys Named Moe Cabaret @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: Get some of the highlights at a sneak preview of CATCO’s newest production. 6p; free.

SUNDAY, MAY 5 YOU CAN TASTE THE FASHION Couture Cuisine @ Explorer’s Club, 1586 S High St, 614.725.0155, www.explorersclubmv.com: Hosted by Johnny DiLoretto and Kelli Martin, this event is a fundraiser, six-course meal, and fashion show; so basically, it’s about as awesome as possible. Each course is inspired by an outfit put together by one of the featured designers. 6p; $74.

SATURDAY MAY 4 AY CARAMBA! Cinco De Mayo Dance Party @ Skully’s, 1151 N High St, 614.291.8856: OK, fine, technically it’s not ACTUALLY the 5th of May…unless you stay past midnight (and honestly, some of us might not even get there ’til then). Drink specials, including $3 Coronas, make for an enticing occasion. 10p; $5.

TUESDAY, MAY 7 COME ON DOWN! The Price is Right Live! @ Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com: Register at apps.absolutist.com to win prizes on the legendary game show. Maybe you’ll get to spin a big wheel! 7:30p; free.

FRIDAY MAY 3 BOATS ’N’ BROS Terrapin Puppet Theatre: Boats @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: Australia’s premier puppet theater, which may or may not be a big deal, unravels a maritime tale featuring puppet and liveaction actors. Perfect for the kids, or anyone with an imagination for that matter. 7:30p (also Sat and Sun); $15 members, $10 children, $20 general.

out & about

TUESDAY, MAY 14 OH DEM GAYS! Stonewall Democrats’ 15th Annual Wine Tasting @ Union, 782 N High St: Mix and mingle with your favorite liberals at their 15th annual wine-tasting affair. Politicians, special guests, honorees and a lot of wine makes this a must-attend. 5:30p7:30p; $35, $60 for couples (includes membership).

THURSDAY, MAY 30 NOTHING IS BETTER THAN PIZZA AND BEER Pints and Pies Happy Hour @ Columbus Commons, 160 S High St, 614.645.5133, www.columbuscommons.org: May thru September means happy hour at the commons. Local brews + Late Night Slice = A darn fine way to spend an evening. 5p-7p; free.

FRIDAY, MAY 17 THE ULTIMATE BUMMER Tess @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, 614.292.3535, www.wexarts.org: This Roman Polanski epic is based on Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which is widely considered to be one of the most tragically unfair stories to come out of the Victorian era. You’ll be pissed. This girl CANNOT catch a break. 7p; $6 members, $8 public.

THURSDAY, MAY 16 SADLY, ANNE HATHAWAY IS NOT INCLUDED Les Miserables @ Ohio Theatre, 55 E State St, 800.294.1892, www.capa.com: We dreamed a dream of seeing Les Mis without Russell Crowe’s “singing.” Luckily, that dream came true! The legendary musical will be in Columbus through the 19th. 8p; $40-$110.

WEDNESDAY MAY, 8 BRING YOUR BUSINESS CARD Network Columbus @ Scioto Downs, 6000 S High St, 614.268.8525x1, www.networkcolumbus.com: Columbus’s best networking event hits the Downs this month. Mix and mingle with GLBT professionals and allies while munching on some of the free food. 6p; free.

WEDNESDAY MAY 8 FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS Equality Ohio Lobby Day @ Statehouse Atrium, 1 Capitol Square, 614.224.0400, www.equalityohio.org: Register today for an event to sway those legislators who are on the fence about gay rights. This is how we make a difference, people. 10a; free.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 ET TU BRUTE? Julius Caesar @ Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.469.0939, www.capa.com: This rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale of betrayal, conspiracy, assassinations and conquest is set in contemporary Africa and features some of Britain’s most acclaimed black actors. It has been a hit across the pond, and is coming to Cbus courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company and OSU. 7:30p (8p Thu-Fri, 2p Sun); $38$68.

MONDAY, MAY 27 Memorial Day .

OC_24-25 abouttown_Center Spread 4/25/13 12:11 AM Page 1

out & about

MONDAY, MAY 27 Memorial Day .

OC_24-25 abouttown_Center Spread 4/25/13 12:11 AM Page 1

OC_26_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/23/13 7:53 PM Page 1

The Gay Capital There’s More to D.C. Than Politics and Protests by Regina Sewell Now home to nearly three dozen national organizations fighting for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, Washington, D.C., has come a long way from the days when gay civil servants hid their sexual identities to avoid being fired for “immoral conduct.” Change hasn’t come without a fight, and D.C. has been at the center of the battle for almost 50 years. Four years before the 1969 riots at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a small group of gay people - dressed in suits and skirts with the intent to impress rather than offend - carried picket signs in front of the White House. Since then, there have been five major marches on Washington to demand support for LGBT civil rights. There are a lot of reasons besides protests and demonstrations to visit the District of Columbia, though. You could visit in early June to celebrate. Washington’s Pride parade steps off on June 8, followed by the Capital Pride Festival the next day. The festival takes place in view of the U.S. Capitol, so you can get some sight-seeing out of the way while you celebrate. Dupont Circle - D.C.’s gayborhood - is another reason to visit. It’s one of the city’s most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, with great bars, quaint B&Bs, a variety of restaurants and a few galleries and museums. If you’re in the mood for modern art, pop in to the Phillips Collection where you can view works by artists such as Renoir, O’Keeffe and van Gogh. And if you want to take in the rest of the city, why not take a tour? DC hosts a number of quirky tours that will get you a feel for the real Capital City. You’ve got to try DC Walkabout’s American Scandal tour. Everyone knows the great things that get people into the history books, but politics has always been a little dirty. DC Walkabout Tours walks you

may 2013

through the indiscretions of our leaders from the Founding Fathers to the present day.

women are Phase 1 and Lace. Phase 1 is the oldest continually operating lesbian bar in Or, you can see the sites of DC on a three- the country. The dance floor is the central speed beach cruiser bike. Capital City Bike attraction, but the place also hosts drag Tours offer day and evening rides around king shows every second Sunday, Jell-O the city that let you see the monuments and wrestling every second Wednesday and Wii major sights. bowling tournaments on Sundays. Lace brands itself as a boutique lounge, best If you don’t care to hear a spiel, try a treas- known for its happy hours, ladies-only ure hunt. Double Key Treasure Hunts offers nights, karaoke and gourmet kitchen. kits that contain a letter written by a fictitious historical figure with clues that take The hotspots for men are Town Dancebouyou through a number of Washington’s his- tique, Ziegfield’s/Secrets, JR’s, Cobalt and torical sites, as well as historical artifacts DC9. If you’re looking for a big crowd that’s from the mid-1800s through the early focused on dancing, Town is the go-to des1900s. This may be the best way to explore tination. Be warned, the age limit on Friday the Smithsonian museums. is 18, so if you’re looking for a 21-and-older crowd, plan to go on Saturday. If you’re a Lincoln buff, the best show in town just might be Investigation: Detective If you are in the mood to talk or eat before, McDevitt at Ford’s Theatre, the theater during or after dancing, Cobalt/30 Dewhere Lincoln was shot. The interactive grees/Level One is your best bet. You can play follows Detective McDevitt as he revis- have dinner or Sunday brunch at Level One its sites and examines clues from an inves- on the first floor, enjoy drinks in the posh 30 tigation into the Lincoln assassination. Degrees lounge on the second floor, and Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and then make your way up to Cobalt to shake bring water, because the play lasts about your thing. two hours and takes you through at least eight stops between Ford’s Theatre and the For drag, your best bets are the Town and White House. Ziegfield’s. Upstairs from Ziegfield’s, Secrets hosts a chorus of male strippers The International Spy Museum offers anevery weekend. other option for interactive adventures. In addition to having a way cool collection of Finally, if you have a craving to camp it up international espionage artifacts and a cur- at a piano bar, you’ve got to bop on over to rent exhibit of artifacts from the James the Banana Café & Piano Bar. They serve Bond movie series, the International Spy Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican fare and Museum offers several espionage advenare known for $3 margaritas and mojitos at tures that allow you to play spy. happy hour. DC also hosts some great back-to-nature opportunities. You can visit Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the resident giant pandas at the National Zoo. Into plants? Drop by Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens or wind through the gardens and collections at the National Arboretum. If you’re into a different kind of wildlife, check out D.C.’s nightlife. The hotspots for

Washington, D.C. Pride: June 8-9 Tourism: washington.org LGBT: www.thedccenter.org Media: washingtonblade.com, metroweekly.com For links to attractions mentioned in this story, visit outlookcolumbus.com

We wish Collin Burton would move back from DC already. You with us on this, Diaz?

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_27_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/25/13 12:06 AM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Did you register for the Gay Games yet? You don’t have to know what you’re competing in to register.

may 2013

OC_28_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:22 AM Page 1

Key Best Island Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Rest on its Reputation as a Gay Destination 28

may 2013

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the Keys....

outlookcolumbus.com

out

OC_28_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:23 AM Page 2

by Jeff Houlton, photos by Robert Trautman

Our next few days were packed full of tours, including the Key West Aquarium, a Tennessee Williams exWhether you’re looking for romance, relaxation or fun in hibit at the Key West Business Guild, the Audubon the sun, Key West is one of the best gay destinations in House and Tropical Gardens, the Harry S. Truman Litthe country. tle White House and the Hemingway House. You can see clearly how the creativity and culture of the isDuring an event-filled 10-day getaway in January, we ex- land have defined its history for many years. perienced the warm romantic pleasures of Key West. As soon as we exited the plane into the newly remodeled and When I first heard of Barefoot Billy’s Watersports, I expanded airport, we could smell the warm sea salt-filled was thinking it would be something completely difair and feel relaxation surround us. ferent. But this guided WaveRunner tour is a fun and informative way to learn about Key West and the natAfter a short tour of the island, we had a wonderful tropi- ural habitat around it. The island is also home to an cal lunch at the Southernmost Beach Café, which over- expansive Gay Trolley tour. If you’re looking for somelooks the Atlantic Ocean from Duval Street. We soon thing a bit spooky, the Ghosts & Gravestones tour will found ourselves at the Lexington Hotel, which has a nice take you to all the paranormal hotspots, including pool and tiki bar and a shuttle to take guests downtown the intensely creepy Robert the Doll. for all the fun. We then went to the Waterfront Playhouse, which After a few drinks at the tiki bar and getting settled in, opened in 1940, to see is production of The 39 Steps. we were whisked away for a sunset booze cruise aboard The Waterfront Playhouse at one time was the home the historic Schooner Western Union. We were greeted by theater of Tennessee Williams and is situated in Captain Len and crew and quickly headed out to sea for world famous Mallory Square. Check out its schedule a romantic sunset cruise. Aboard the ship were all sorts for shows during your stay. of couples enjoying the beautiful Key West sunset, as well as the beer, wine, champagne and conch chowder served Key West has a wide variety of restaurants, with ofon the ship. We ended our day at the Smokin’ Tuna (I was ferings to suit anyone’s tastes. Our favorites were shocked it was not a lesbian bar), where we had conch Blue Heaven and Louie’s Backyard. Blue Heaven fritters and enjoyed a live band. opened in 1991 and has plenty of outdoor seating and quality fresh food. Brunch there is one of the After sleeping in and a late lunch, we headed over to best on the island, but be prepared to wait for a seat Hog’s Breath, a gay-friendly motorcycle bar, for a few if you don’t get there before 9:30a. cocktails. Our bartender, Nikki, got us ready for a fun evening on Duval Street and dinner at Abbedanza, a great Louie’s Backyard is one of my all-time favorite roItalian family restaurant that’s popular with tourists and mantic, upscale restaurants. The conch chowder is locals alike. After filling up on carbs, we headed over to La the best of the best on the island, and the seafood is Te Da’s for a few martinis with sidecars. We then hailed a unbeaten. There are many hidden gems, too, such as Pink Cab for a quick ride back to our hotel. La Creperie, Croissants de France, Roof Top Cafe, Baoutlookcolumbus.com

nana Café (featuring Cuban food) and El Siboney. That alone was enough to put me back on a diet for another six months after returning home. The nightlife in the Duvall Street area is wildly diverse - and has a touch of Columbus. Fat Tuesday’s Key West is great for slushy drinks to cool your thirst and has my favorite Key West bartender: Jill, sister of Mikey Sorboro of Columbus’s very own Mikey’s Late Night Slice. Aqua Nightclub, the top dance destination in Key West for both gay and straight visitors, calls itself the sister club of Columbus’s Wall Street and is owned by Columbus’ own, Jill McDonald. The nightly drag shows there get the crowd ready for a fun-filled night. Bourbon Street Nightclub and 801 Bar are the home of Miss Sushi, who is most famous for being lowered in a large red pump from the balcony of the bar and onto Duval Street for Key West’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration. The official philosophy of Key West - approved by its city council, signed by its mayor - is that “all people are created equal members of one human family.” That welcoming atmosphere and laid-back island attitude are truly ingrained in the community. They make Key West a great gay vacation destination. Key West Pride: June 5-9 Tourism: www.fla-keys.com/keywest LGBT: lgbtcenter.com For links to everything in this story, visit outlookcolumbus.com

...merrily, merrily, merrily... God there’s a lot of gays here.

may 2013

OC_30b_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:46 AM Page 1

rel

Don can pib ban Sou om Ver at A roo sam You ing

You sin Che day ma gio has her

Dav and

Mad Over Mérida Columbus Couple Follows Dream in Gay-Friendly Mexican Town Mexico: A mecca for gay expats.

catan last year to follow their dream of opening a B&B in a place they’d visited often and fallen in love with.

Really? Yes, really. Plus, it’s a gay-friendly vacation destination to boot. And in the sunny Yucatan city of Mérida, you’ll find a recently transplanted Columbus couple eager to host you.

The Yucatan?, I wondered to myself. What’s there besides Mayan ruins and lots of jungles? Michael’s email to his Columbus cohorts boiled down to a simple message: “Villa Verde is open. Come on down!”

When my partner and I were looking for a winter warm-weather destination, we first considered a Caribbean cruise. Then we got an email from Michael Berton, the former director of catering at the Westin Great Southern, who had been on the Thurber House board with me. He and his partner, Bob Klie, formerly with the marketing department at NBBJ architects, moved to the Yu-

It also contained a link to their website, www.villaverdemerida.com. We clicked. And we were instantaneously sold by beguiling images of a beautifully re-

by Rich Warren

may 2013

stored 250-year-old Spanish colonial home complete with a breathtaking central courtyard, an inviting pool area and spacious, comfortable rooms. There also are links of what to see and do in Mérida, a lovely - and relatively safe - city filled with grand plazas, ample shopping, good restaurants and interesting museums. And oh yes, it’s teeming with gay folks, many of whom are Americans who’ve moved there permanently. In fact, Michael and Bob estimate that fully half of the expat community in Mérida is gay. So yes, it’s a Mexican mecca, although one not yet on many people’s radar screens. When we arrived, we weren’t disappointed. If anything, the courtyard was even more beautiful than the website showed, filled with lush vegetation and fountains and lined with a colonnade of ornate tile. The sunny pool area was the perfect place to spend the 90-degree afternoons. And you could have gone hot-air ballooning in our huge room with its 22-foot ceilings. As hosts, Michael and Bob really extend

We’ll take one guy in a hammock...

themselves, making scrumptious breakfasts, arranging daytrips and chatting at length with their guests during the evening happy hours. Mérida itself won us over quickly. As in many Mexican cities, there’s a grand central plaza with a cathedral. Be sure to check out the concrete “love seats” in the plaza’s garden area. Walk up the city’s main drag, Calle 60, taking in the many shops and you’ll reach Paseo de Montejo, once home to Mérida’s wealthiest families. It still sports beautiful Beaux Arts mansions. Farther out is the brand spanking new Gran Museo del Mundo Mayo, a worldclass museum with plentiful Mayan

outlookcolumbus.com

out

OC_30b_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:47 AM Page 2

relics and fascinating interactive displays. Don’t stint on sampling the distinctive Yucatecan cuisine. The signature dishes of cochinita pibil (shredded pork baked underground in a banana leaf) and Sopa de Limon (Lemon Soup) can be had almost anywhere, but I recommend Chaya Mayo, a restaurant near Villa Verde. For drinks, order the spicy margarita at Amaro and on a moonlit night sit on the rooftop at Pancho’s, enjoying the views and sampling some “Mayan coffee” - I dare you. You’ll be astonished at the cascades of flaming liquor as they prepare it in front of you. You can learn to make this flavorful local cuisine at Los Dos, a cooking school headed by Chef David Sterling, an American expat whose daylong classes include trips to the local market and a thorough introduction to the region’s distinct flavors. Even Martha Stewart has taken David’s class and has featured it on her TV program. David’s partner, Keith Heitke, leads homeand-garden tours to show the often-sumptu-

ous homes behind the plain facades in the Centro. The ones we saw ranged from a home as lovingly restored as Villa Verde to a fixerupper that had the electric wiring strung up on the walls. Bus tours, bike rides, antiques shopping, art galleries - there’s no lack of things to occupy your time in this surprising city. But by all means, get out of town and see the countryside. Mayan ruins are everywhere, but Uxmal - the biggest complex closest to Mérida - is spectacular. Here, unlike the more famous Chichen Itza, you can climb the Grand Pyramid, which I managed with a sprained ankle (although I came down on my butt!). I also recommend a day trip to the town of Izamal, where all the buildings are painted a gorgeous shade of yellow that practically glows in the sunlight. Here we finally saw someone wearing a sombrero. But it was a horse! The do-not-miss activity in the Yucatan, however, is a visit to a cenote, a geologic formation common throughout the limestone peninsula. Basically it’s an underground

grotto, similar to a cave, but filled with water where you can go swimming. My partner did just that. I did not. The next day he was writhing with abdominal pains. I was not. So, go swimming if you like... but you’ve been warned to breaststroke with your mouth closed. If we’d had more time, we could have gone to Progreso, a beach community on the Gulf, just north of land-locked Mérida. There’s also a nearby national park sporting large flocks of flamingos. Those who are interested can easily combine a visit to Mérida with one to Cancun. An expressway and bus service make movement between the two cities simple.

Mexico that’s long been known for its tolerance. So go ahead, try out those concrete love seats in the Grand Plaza with your partner. You’ll also find gay people moving to Mérida in droves, snatching up the fixer-upper homes in the Centro and renovating them. “It’s like Mérida’s German Village,” said Michael. He and Bob have no regrets over their move, even after more than a year of intense labor to transform Villa Verde into the showcase it is today. “We’re here to stay,” he said, and Bob agrees. Pay a call on them and you might just find yourself mad over Mérida.

For nightlife, many of Mérida’s gay bars and dance clubs are on the city’s outskirts, but taxis are plentiful and cheap. You’ll find gayowned businesses like Hennessey’s Irish Pub, an annual Pride Parade, and in general you’ll experience a gayfriendly vibe in a region of

s, th .

ona. g in Monies.

Mérida, Mexico Tourism: www.merida.gob.mx/turismo For links to everything in this story, visit outlookcolumbus.com

outlookcolumbus.com

...and two of those margaritas.

may 2013

OC_32_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 12:51 AM Page 1

creative class

Portrait of an Arts Festival Artist: Todd Anthony Garland by Peter Diller Art is a subjective term. Fine paintings can pass for pennies while hodgepodges of accumulated objects are celebrated as sculpture. All the while, the front lines of expression have moved to the digital theater with the general public remaining aloof to that fact outside the comfort of their own entertainment. In our own corner of the new global consciousness, a young man is preparing for the Columbus Arts Festival, the annual smorgasbord of artistic potential that takes place June 7-9 along the Scioto Mile. A native of Youngstown, veteran of the U.S. Navy and graduate of the Columbus State Community College photo and design program, Todd Anthony Garland is an artist finding his vision. Splashes of vibrant color, remnants of structure and the loss of function typify the work he showed me at a sun-drenched corner table in the nearly empty Mojo Lounge. With his varied photographic portfolio laid out before him, he detailed his anticipation of the festival and his place in the emerging artists category. “My goal is to make a name as a local artist. To never be comfortable sitting around and always

may 2013

take things to the next level.” From across the table, his eagerness spilled forth in stories of abandoned buildings, transient souls, long exposures and short shots of adrenaline. “Some of the places I’ve shot, the average person would not want to wander into. I’ve come across homeless people [and drug addicts]. Some of the times when I shoot my night photography, its like 2 or 3 in the morning, no one’s in sight. I’ve had cars stop and people run up on me. People see a guy with a camera and try to steal gear.” Aside from the occasional close call, Garland sees his work as therapeutic. “When I’m taking photos it’s like getting lost in my own world. I can find some kind of peace.” Garland is no stranger to the Columbus arts scene, having showed at pop-up galleries and coffee shops around the Short North in the last three years. When his corporate job fell through, so did his ability to show his work in the capacity he wished. Working as a portrait and event photographer to make ends meet, Garland spends his spare time exploring the deteriorating urban landscape of Central Ohio. From an old mill in Bexley to the transformation of Grandview Yard, the extended

exposures of his work showcase the vibrancy of these places that few see, let alone focus on. Surrounding his photographs in rough, hand cut steel frames, he hopes to bring the viewer closer to the experience. “I don’t want to put them behind glass because it implies value.” Although his goal is to make a name for himself, Garland emphasizes that his motives are not rooted in money, “I want to tell the story of time.” In citing his own military service, he also reflected on his grandfather’s impression of his work. “He stormed the beach at Normandy on Day 2. He said all the buildings looked bombed out. ... It really reminded him of the war.” He had hoped to show his work at last year’s festival for its first year back on the riverfront after construction of the new Main and Rich street bridges, Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park.

river. My first experience with it, it was on the CCAD campus Downtown. But then, they had all the bridge work done, so the whole riverwalk is brand new. I wish I had had the opportunity last year, but I mean, [being involved] in the second year is pretty cool. ... There’s a lot of people and a lot of energy there. I’m kind of nervous in a sense because it’s huge, it’ll bring close to half a million people.” For artists from all corners of the creative spectrum practicing and perfecting their respective crafts, this summer’s Arts Festival is a place to be seen and hopefully make an impression. As the riverfront is transformed into the city’s largest gallery space, the hard work of creators from all over will be presented for visual digestion while the festival also presents fare from some of Columbus’s best restaurants. In the ever-changing landscape of the contemporary art world, Garland’s hopes for the event wrap up the oldest yearning of the artistic spirit. “I just want to make a name for myself.”

“This is the second year it’s back down on the

Uh-oh, someone left his post again...

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_33_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 10:41 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Sit with us at the Outlook table. We are always near the bar : )

may 2013

OC_34_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 1:04 AM Page 1

deep inside hollywood

Cooper, Griffin: Better together? It’s official: Both Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin have canceled talk shows. And while both also have other career irons in the fire - NBC reportedly is courting him to move into Matt Lauer’s Today spot, and if stand-up tours were an Olympic event she’d have medaled several times over - there’s still a cool rumor going around. Allegedly (to use a favorite adjective of Ms. Griffin), the pair whose on-camera chemistry is already a solid ratings and controversy-based hit every New Year’s Eve for CNN is moving in the direction of hosting a show together. They recently taped something resembling a pilot for CNN, and word is that the news network is looking for a way to use them as a team more regularly. Obviously this could all turn into nothing. Or it could become the weirdest thing on mainstream television. And that would be awesome.

the Wachowskis enter the Netflix OK, so nobody went to see the extravagantly goofy, heartfelt, sci-fi WTF that was Cloud Atlas. Bummer, because it really was an underrated - and amazingly transgender-powered - gem of 2012 moviemaking. Undaunted, Andy and Lana Wachowski soldier on to series television for at least a 10-episode arc of Sense8, a scifi drama the siblings are developing for Netflix, home of David Fincher’s nervy House of Cards. What’s it about? Well, the description floating around is “a gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted.” This could mean just about anything, naturally. But come on, have these people bored you yet? Even when they go out on a crazy limb (frequently) and fail (sometimes) you can’t call them hacks. We’re going to go click “Save” on our Netflix queue right now.

Black Nativity to Brighten Up the holidays You’d be forgiven for thinking that, right now, African-American film output in Hollywood consists entirely of Tyler Perry. But you’d be forgetting Kasi Lemmons. Though not as prolific as the one-man-in-drag media juggernaut, Lemmons is the acclaimed director of 1997’s Eve’s Bayou and, coming to theaters in late November, the woman behind Black Nativity. From a libretto by Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes – who, based on his life and work, is widely regarded by literary historians to have been a closeted gay man – Lemmons’ screenplay concerns a young boy who dreams an all-black Nativity story. The filmmaker has also assembled an A-list cast in Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Tyrese Gibson and rapper Nas. Now all we need to know is if Hudson and Blige sing at some point during the running time. Together or solo, we’re not picky. They can even just hum something; we’ll take what we can get.

Logo’s Newest Puppet Show Take a bit of Avenue Q, the ghost of the fondly remembered, Lego-based sitcom Rick & Steve The Happiest Gay Couple in All The World, the parts of The Sopranos where Tony sat complaining in his psychiatrist’s office and whatever humor existed in Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes From a Marriage and that’s Felt. It’s a new series coming very soon from Logo. And it stars puppets. Puppets who enact real audio recordings of couples – both gay and straight – in relationship therapy. It premieres May 6. Considering that every non-competition reality show the network ever aired was already like a bizarre puppet show, we can say with assurance that we’ll be watching. (Note to Logo: We’d also watch old reruns of The A List if they were re-enacted by puppets. Or costumed chimps. Or fresh produce with animated mouths.) As Logo Ambassador to The Entire Planet RuPaul might say, “Don’t f*@# it up.” You’ve already got one 1 Girl 5 Gays. Romeo San Vicente has responded to spring by taking off his shirt. You’re welcome. He can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

may 2013

Maybe Anderson and Kathy can do a reality show together.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_35_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/23/13 7:59 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Communities are better when we share. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m better when I stretch.

may 2013

OC_36_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 11:06 PM Page 1

interview

Kiss & Del by Chris Azzopardi

Derek Gruen, aka Del Marquis, is happy to let his fellow Scissor Sisters eclipse his nerd-cool presence on stage. Now, though, as the band takes some time off, all swoony eyes - and ears - are on Marquis and his latest solo project, Cosmos, released under the moniker Slow Knights (take that, Jake Shears). CA: What do you like most about doing these side projects without the Scissor Sisters? DM: I’m not really one of the main songwriters in Sisters. I come in and put down guitar parts over structures and ideas that are existing, so this really gives me more validation - considering I went from a world working as a designer into music, where I wasn’t sure I was creating enough. CA: How would you describe this album to a Scissor Sisters fan? DM: I set out to make an R&B record that went to outer space. It’s a groove record, but it’s a decidedly different sense of taste. Obviously, doing a record like this, I have a bit more control and it’s through my own filter as opposed to a band’s. CA: You get to be the frontman and call the shots. DM: Yeah, I mean, I’m the art director. (Laughs) I’m the creative director of the project. Being a creative director is very different from being a front person, and I’m actually the opposite. I chose four or five other people to be the front person to sing each song, which is the true focus for the listener, or most listeners, so I actually remove myself from the center of attention. I was happy to kind of be a Dave Stewart and just wear sunglasses and hide a little bit, because I actually don’t feel very comfortable in front of a mic. I’m not a true singer, and giving the song to other people to sing allows me to enjoy them. I can distance myself enough from them by hearing someone else’s voice so I enjoy the record I’ve made. CA: You’re a lot like Jake, because he obviously doesn’t feel comfortable in front of a mic at all. DM: He doesn’t? CA: I’m teasing. DM: (Laughs) I’m actually that gullible. I’m like, “What are you talking about?” I don’t think I’ve ever known anybody more attuned to be there (than Jake) - and you know what, seeing that is clarity enough to know when it doesn’t feel right. Because it should feel natural. Everyone has a role they are destined to fill whether they know it or not, and I have just enough attention on me as a guitar player. Anything more and I’m not sure I’d thrive like that. CA: How did you come to work with Prince’s former backing band, New Power Generation? DM: I had basically made a bedroom record like many people do, but I just felt like there was something missing. I’m not a great

may 2013

Scissor Sisters guitarist Del Marquis talks ‘ego baby,’ band’s hiatus and being Beyoncé

bass player, so I really felt like in order for these songs to sound authentic to my ears, I needed people to play them who are true players. When I played the demos to my engineer, he said, “I know the guys who used to play in New Power Generation and I’m sure I can set this up,” and we did. I flew out to Minneapolis and had a one-week session and it was by far my favorite part of the process. I just had to communicate very little. I just let them do what they do and it was so much fun. When people are that connected to an instrument, music is their language.

CA: How long do you expect the Scissor Sisters’ hiatus to last? DM: I have no idea. And I think that’s how it should be. If and when it feels right we would do it in a second, so whatever that means. CA: What are the challenges of releasing an album independently vs. one you’ve done with Scissor Sisters? DM: How diversified social media is. Just to create a new name for this project, I had to start over with everything from the basics of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - and then I’m not very active as it is. I’m almost like a technophobe, so for me this administration of being up on my Twitter - using exclamation points and being informative and funny - it’s like I can really barely muster the energy. I’d much rather be working in the garden or riding my bike and whistling at the clouds. (Laughs) I really have a tough time doing this groundwork. Knowing that I made a great record is enough for me, and then it’s like, “Oh wait, I have to tell people about it.” I don’t want to do any of that. It’s awful. (Laughs) I have people helping me set up some bells and whistles. Gosh, I sound like a fucking Golden Girl. CA: You need to call Taylor Swift. She’s mastered social media. DM: (Sarcastically) Oh my gosh, I just need to be dating teenage boys and then breaking up with them. I’m sure that would really help.

Look at those piercing blue eyes and that wolverine beard...dreamy

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_37_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 10:43 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Check our Facebook and website for chance to join us at our tables at the pops!

may 2013

OC_38_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 10:44 PM Page 1

Pack a Good Book From the LGBT Shelf by Tom Muzyka With warmer weather and more hours of sunlight right around the corner, it’s time to round up a list of reading materials. Whether on the beach with a cooler of beer, lounging on the hammock with a mint julep or sitting in Goodale Park with a barely concealed forty, here are some accompanying reading materials for your summer drinking: A Santería mystery in the Bay Area stars Archer Barron, a man who lost his dreams when he contracted HIV. After losing his boyfriend and his faith, Barron becomes tangled in a crime investigation revolving around his former association with the Santería cult in How to Greet Strangers: A Mystery by Joyce Thompson. His past is catching up to him as he’s forced to face the loss of everything he’s worked for until now, starting with being the prime suspect in a murder case. I’m a huge fan of genre fiction, in particular sci-fi, post-apocalyptic works. So having a queer protagonist featured in The Culling (The Torch Keeper #1), by Steven dos Santos, is a thrill for me. What sounds like a mix of The Hunger Games and a (post-)modern gay romance takes place under the rule of the Establishment, which forces its citizens to compete to join its military or lose a family member. In the midst of this chaos, Lucian Spark finds himself growing closer to his competitor, Digory Tycho. But as their relationship progresses, the couple finds out how dangerous it has become. British royalty meets Sapphic love in Nell Stark’s novel The Princess Affair. Rhodes Scholar Kerry Donovan finds herself in the path of Her Royal Highness Princess Sasha, second in line to the British throne. She must deal with the tabloids and her own hard-won position at Oxford, which

may 2013

seek to prevent her and Sasha from living happily ever after as one would expect for a princess and her lover.

Joins the Church of Scientology and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She Is Today comes out May 7.

From post-apocalyptic to historical fiction, queer novels run the gamut. My Dear Watson, takes a hypothetical look at one of literature’s bestloved duos, Holmes and Watson. Not the same as online fanfic about Jude and RDJ, L.A. Fields makes the protagonist Dr. Watson’s wife, never named by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mrs. Watson meets Holmes for the first time after the retirement of the consulting detective; she traces the relationship between her husband and Holmes, deducing the nature of that relationship and where they stand now that they have moved on from 221B Baker Street.

Less known than Wilde or Whitman, author John Horne Burns (19161953) is still notable as one of the first to write about gay life in the military. In David Margolick’s book Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns, available June 4, we see Burns’ life from his roots in New England academia to his work in military intelligence in World War II. His first novel, The Gallery, sold 500,000 copies upon publication in 1947. Margolick sheds light on this gay author and his dark and troubled life.

David Sedaris’ latest book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls was slated for release in April. Sedaris’s collection of essays takes place across the world, from “the perils of French dentistry” to “the squat-style toilets of Beijing.” Sedaris narrates his travels through his well-known humorous perspective. “The parental version of the schnoodle, or the cockapoo” is how author Jennifer Finney Boylan describes herself in her memoir Stuck in the Middle With You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders. She has been “a father for 10 years, a mother for eight, and for a time in between, neither, or both.” Stuck in the Middle With You is the story of a transgender parent and her relationship with her children during her transition, looking at how gender shapes a parent and what family really means. Another genderqueer work deals with Kate Bornstein’s journey from a “nice Jewish boy” to a “rising star in the lesbian community” of Seattle. A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who

Get your read on!

The quote “well-behaved women seldom make history” could be a tag line for William Klaber’s pseudo-biographical novel The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell, available June 18. Lucy Lobdell lived life as a man in the 1850s, a pioneer in overthrowing gender stereotypes and roles. Although she promised a memoir of her accomplishments, historians have been unable to find such a work, and Klaber corrects this literary absence. He drafts Lobdell’s life in her words, channeling her voice through echoes and dreams. Closing out the summer is the story of a family dealing with the difficulties encountered by queer teens. New York Times writer John Schwartz relates his experiences of his son’s suicide attempt in Oddly Normal: One Family's Struggle to Help Their Teenage Son Come to Terms With His Sexuality, due out Sept. 3. After 13-year-old Joe overdosed on pills, his family dealt with the aftermath, including his school’s inability to handle the situation. Schwartz explores issues such as whether children should be urged to come out before they’re ready.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_39_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 10:46 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Who you calling gurl, guuuurrrllll?

may 2013

OC_40_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 10:47 PM Page 1

23 frames per second

Queer Film, Hard as Opal,

Is More Than Just

Horsing Around by Pete Lovering Hard as Opal - a new film by Dani Leventhal and Jared Buckhiester - is, according to its creators, hard to describe. “It’s a narrative piece, but it’s improvisational and adaptive,” said Leventhal, a Columbus native who returned in 2012 for a post-MFA fellowship in the OSU art department. “Neither of us has worked on something like this before, so we’ve learned a lot about the process.”

Leventhal and Buckhiester cast non-actors for their film, contributing to its improvisational and unapologetically authentic tone. They were rolling on the day the actors first met, and they included that moment in the film’s cut. “Many of my mentors have worked this way,” Leventhal said about the decision not to use professionals. “I’ve been in the same situation as the actors.”

The film focuses on Maya, a lesbian horse breeder living in rural Ohio who has an overwhelming desire to become pregnant.

Leventhal and Buckhiester also appear in the movie in minor roles.

The film begins with Maya getting inseminated at the hospital. It is unsuccessful, however, and she is left frustrated. Her quest for pregnancy eventually leads her to Charlie, an acquaintance from her past who lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

While this is her first feature-length project, Leventhal is not new to filmmaking, although she said her previous work has been more on the abstract and experimental side. She’s the recipient of several awards and other recognition, including the Wexner Center’s Film and Video Program.

She proposes a sexual tryst strictly for the purpose of conception. This intersection of their lives is rocky and uncomfortable for both. They discover one another’s similarities and differences, and the lack of consideration of the consequences of their actions plagues both characters throughout the film.

“The Wexner Center has been extremely helpful,” Leventhal said. The Wex has provided access to its equipment and advising from its editors, as well as funding for the film.

“Maya is fairly self-focused,” Leventhal said about the film’s main character. “She doesn’t

really consider the life-changing aspect of being pregnant.”

may 2013

Leventhal received an MFA in film and video at Bard College in New York. It was there that she met Buckhiester, who was completing a master’s degree in sculpture. She reached out to Buckhiester, who had written a few screenplays,

and the two began knocking around some ideas about a feature film. They drew inspiration from a variety of works, most notably David Lynch’s Inland Empire, an enigmatic film that is known for its experimental atmosphere and its unusual cinematography. “Inland Empire is a film where you really want to make sense of what you’re seeing,” Buckhiester said. Eventually the two filmmakers landed on a story about a queer horse breeder. The artists hesitate to designate the word queer as a description of the film, however. The filmmakers’ artistic backgrounds were crucial in conceptualizing the visual aesthetic of the film. Much of Hard as Opal relates to imagery and shape; many of the film’s prominent close-ups, such as an artificial vagina used for breeding horses, were inspired by drawings and representational pieces the artists created before they began shooting. “We were discussing what to call the project, and we ended up liking the way Hard as Opal sounded,” Buckhiester said about the film’s appropriately complex title. Charlie’s specialty in the film is restoring cars, particularly those made by Opel, a German manufacturer. The filmmakers wanted to incorporate the word into the title.

You got a fast car... is it fast enough that we could fly away?

“There’s something erectile about it as well,” said Buckhiester, referring to the rock aspect of the title, “but at the same time opals are also very soft stones.” “It’s about how hard the process is for each character,” Leventhal said. Production for Hard as Opal began in summer of 2012 and is still in production. Leventhal and Buckhiester hope to complete the film this August. “We’ve had some issues with continuity, with the seasons changing,” Leventhal said. Leventhal and Buckhiester are keeping busy, trimming the film bit by bit. They’re juggling their work on the film with their individual commitments as well. Leventhal recently became an assistant professor in OSU’s art department, so finishing the project will be a bit of a balancing act. “We really want to get this done,” Buckhiester said, “not just because we want to enter the film into festivals, but also because we’ve also got a horror movie in the works.” A rough cut of Hard as Opal will be looping at the Urban Arts Space, Downtown at Town and High streets, from May 16 through June 1.

outlookcolumbus.com

Looks like someone got a new logo.

may 2013

OC_42_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 1:24 AM Page 1

nitelife

Is This Thing On? Kate Clinton Comes to Wall Street’s Comedy Night by Tera Proby

On Saturday, May 11, iconic lesbian comedian Kate Clinton, whose influences include Carole Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Bill Cosby, Richard Prior and Dave Chapel, is looking forward to delivering her own brand of comedy.

Wall Street Night Club, in partnership with Static Dog Entertainment, is bringing some of the best nationally known comedians in the LGBT community to Columbus. In March and April, respectively, Erin Foley and Ian Harvie warmed up audiences in the nightclubturned-chuckle hut for Kate Clinton, Fortune Feimster and Adam Sank, who will keep us laughing well into the summer.

Clinton got her start in New York in the 1970s during the comedy boom, and she has been busy working since. When she’s not on stage telling jokes, she writes for the Huffington Post, Progressive Magazine and the Washington Blade. Clinton also has her fourth book coming out, a collection of her comedy bits over the last five years, as well as a

documentary titled OUT in America. Directed and produced by Straight Ally, the film is about how LGBT Americans are like everyone else, how they are productive citizens and how they contribute to society. With all those writing gigs, she hones her skills and technique when approaching new material to tell on stage. And we’ll be able to hear that new material during her Columbus stop on her Sis-Boom-Bah tour. Clinton claims that this tour, all about inclusion, is her way of making sure that all ages, races and genders are able to enjoy her work. Her hope is for peo-

ple to leave her show inspired to pursue/continue activism in their everyday lives. Clinton loves Columbus and knows we are a very distinctive audience. “Once they start to laugh they don’t stop” she says. For those who weren’t familiar with the artist and are questioning whether they should attend, she’s confident: “It’s the best money they will ever spend on a ticket.” Want free tickets to see Kate Clinton at Wall Street Nightclub on May 11? Of course you do. Visit outlookcolumbus.com and enter to win.

Upcoming Wall Street Comedy Nights 5/11- Kate Clinton, special guest Dana Goldberg 6/23 - Fortune Feimster 7/13 - Adam Sank

In honor of Mother’s Day, Our Favorite ‘Yo Mama’ Jokes: 1. Yo mama is so stupid, she got fired from the M&M factory for throwing away all the Ws. 2. Yo mama is so stupid, she got hit by a parked car. 3. Yo mama is so stupid, she put a quarter in a parking meter and waited for a gumball to come out. 4. Yo mama is so stupid, she sold her car for gas money. 5. Yo mama is so stupid, when I said drinks are on the house, she ran and got a ladder.

may 2013

Like jokes? So do we. Submit yours on our Facebook page. The funniest gets a prize.

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_43_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/25/13 1:16 AM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Here’s something to really woof at: outlook’s Bark for Life team. Join us!

may 2013

OC_44_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/25/13 1:26 AM Page 1

savageby Danlove Savage

The Divine Life by Debe Taurus (April 20 - May 20) It’s your time to shine, Taurus. You bulls like to get outside and play, so this warmer, rainy weather is just what the doctor ordered. Whether you are tuning up your bike, lacing up your hiking boots or getting sweaty in the garden, as long as you are getting your hands dirty there should be a smile on your face. There is a Taurus new moon eclipse on May 9, so look out for a little relationship drama. It might be time for a fresh start. You tend to stubbornly hold onto what you have, but that new acquaintance you met at the Earth Day celebration may offer some new experiences. Since you love to get physical and you are sensuous beasts, some mud wrestling perhaps?

I am uncircumcised, and the q opening at the end of my foreskin is not large enough for the head of my penis to pass through. This means my foreskin doesn’t pull back when I get an erection. The Internet says this is a condition called “phimosis,” and a lot of medical websites recommend circumcision. I’m not super-excited by that idea. I don’t have any pain or difficulty with sex or urination, and I’ve never had any health problems related to being uncircumcised. The foreskin isn’t stuck or fused to the glans - the hole is just small. Is there a safe, nonsurgical way to enlarge the opening in the foreskin? Dick Hole Panic

is why anyone suffering from it should head to an emergency room immediately. Here’s something else to worry about: “Although extremely rare, penile cancer can arise, usually in older patients with recurrent infections/inflammation.” You’re probably panicking now, DHP - hell, hearing about paraphimosis has me panicking, and I’m circumcised. But the doctor said your case doesn’t sound serious. You aren’t experiencing any pain, your dick seems to work fine, and you haven’t suffered from a series of infections.

You don’t need to do anything about your phimosis for now, Dr. King said, but if you’re “Tell Dick Hole Panic not worried about complications arising in the to panic,” said Dr. Stephen H. future, or if you want your sex partners to see the head of your dick someday, there King, a urologist in Washington are nonsurgical remedies. State and my new go-to guy for all questions dick. “Phimosis occurs in an un“Preputial gymnastics” is one way to recircumcised penis when a circular ring of solve phimosis, Dr. King said. “It sounds like the foreskin becomes scarred, often from prior infection, inflammation or trauma. This an Olympic event, but it involves gently scar prevents the normally elastic tissue of pulling the foreskin back to expose the tip the foreskin from fully retracting to expose of the glans to the point where the ring of scar is exposed.” In other words, pull your the head of the penis.” foreskin back until you can’t pull it back anymore, and you’ll be looking at the scar Roughly 1 in 100 men have phimosis, said tissue. Dr. King, “and depending on the degree of narrowing, complications of phimosis can vary widely. These can include difficulty with Hold this position for one minute and repeat cleaning/hygiene, infection, pain with erec- three to four times a day, Dr. King continued. tion, bleeding from skin cracking and para- “In combination with topical application of a steroid cream twice daily, typically bephimosis.” tamethasone 0.05 percent [needs a prescription], more than 90 percent of cases Paraphimosis sounds like something you want to avoid: “It occurs when a narrow will dramatically improve or resolve within foreskin is pulled back to expose the head four to six weeks.” of the penis but then can’t be pulled back over the head, which then constricts blood Savage Love appears every month in outlook and every flow to the glans,” Dr. King said. Paraphimo- week at outlookcolumbus.com. You can email Dan at mail@savagelove.net , follow him on Twitter at sis can cut off blood flow to the head of the @fakedansavage or listen to his weekly podcast, penis, which can cause the head of your “Savage Lovecast” every Tuesday at cock to become gangrenous and die, which thestranger.com/savage.

may 2013

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) As you head toward your birthday, the socializing and parties come fast and furious. Just remember that your quick wit may rub some people the wrong way, and chafing is never good. Slow down and smell the roses, or leather, or whatever you are into. Cancer (June 21 - July 22) You have been forced to be around a lot of people lately, and although you have been a great team player, you vant to be alone. No worries. After you dazzle them with your brilliance, you can finally exit stage left for a little quiet time. Leo (July 23 - August 22) You are a kid in a candy store this month with so many options to choose from in work and social opportunities. Be on the lookout for a ghost from the past showing up, too. You may need to call an exorcist in order to move on, darling. Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Drama with coworkers may have you rethinking your career choices this month. A new moon in Gemini on May 20 will set you off like a starter pistol. You are off and running for greener pastures - in sensible shoes, of course. Take your passport, as far-away locales beckon. Libra (September 23 - October 22) The obstacles are moving out of your way, so now you have to decide what to take with you, and what baggage to check at the gate. Don’t overthink it, and remember that it’s better to travel light. With any luck, they’ll lose your checked baggage en route. Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Oh my, you are a fickle one this month. The full moon in Scorpio on May 5 has you even moodier than usual, so lovers beware! Should you kiss or kick to the curb? This roller coaster is exhilarating, but keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Time for a little discipline. Some behavior modification improves your well-being, but

also gears up your enthusiasm and friskiness. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a little playful S&M. Handcuffs, anyone? Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) Your finances are looking up, but a breakdown in communications with your significant other could be a buzz kill. Screw it go on vacation, with or without them. You need to kick up your hooves. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) The early part of the month can be vexing in your personal and financial world, but pick your battles carefully and be patient. Some eye-opening discoveries mid-month may give wings to your free-spirited nature. You are up for anything as long as you don’t wind up in traction. Pisces (February 19 - March 20) This is a career and project month for you, and it’ll be like swimming downstream for you fishes. Things go even more smoothly when you stay out of the spotlight, so be Machiavellian and you’ll get what you want. Pay no attention to the person behind the screen... Aries (March 21 - April 19) This is a turbulent month for you rams. You may be struggling with finances and selfworth issues - rare for an Aries, but it does happen. You are heavy into fantasizing this month, but keep your feet on the ground. Even though you are restless and easily bored, don’t think that interesting new stranger is The One. One night may be all you need. Handy Tip: Taureans are known for their stubborn nature. In palmistry, the flexibility of the top section (or phalange) of the thumb indicates how stubborn you are. The more the tip will bend backward when manipulated, the more flexible the person. The more rigid the tip, the more rigid the person. Really flexible is the sign of a people pleaser. Famous gay icon Taureans: Cher and Barbra Streisand

Circumcised men: If you had had the option to be circumcised, would you have been?

outlookcolumbus.com

OC_45_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 5:50 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

Roses are red, violets are blue, get Erin a gift from The Chamber, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll really love you.

may 2013

OC_46_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 10:08 PM Page 1

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.

Darryl Fore,

The National Association of Black & White Men Together

Top 5 Things That Should Not Be Happening in 2013:

5. The fight for marriage equality 4. Healthcare treatment inequality 3. Disrespect of minorities 2. Bullying 1. Apathy concerning these issues

May 6 Blog Topic: Have We Moved Beyond Racism?

5 4 3 2 1

Lisa Harkes

Top 5 Best TV Shows of All Time: 5. Parks and Recreation 4. I Love Lucy 3. Arrested Development 2. Big Bang Theory 1. Friends

May 13 Blog Topic: Conservative Families Mark Innocenzi, Red Cross Volunteer Director

Top 5 Surprises About a Charity You Think You Know 5. Who offers domestic partnership benefits? 4. Who had the jump on comprehensive HIV/AIDS education? 3. Who had a drag queen lead them in their first gay pride parade? 2. Who was founded by a woman in the 1800s? 1. Where do you get to work with fabulous people like me? If you couldn’t guess, the answer to all the above is the Red Cross, of course! Brett Jones May 20 Blog Topic: The Important Truth about the American Top 5 Things Guys in Cbus Need Red Cross for the LGBT Community to Stop Doing Right Now! 5. Shaving. Natural is best, baby. 4. Drinking Long Islands after 25. You’re too old, err, smart for that. 3. Eating in public. I know Mikey’s is pro-homo but eat all that cheese in private, OK? 2. Novelty facial hair. Keep it simple, dudes. I don’t care if you can spell your name with your mustache. It’s too much. 1. Wearing bowties. Sorry. It happened. It’s over.

May 27 Blog Topic: Gay Cbus Clichés and How They’re Changing for Good and Bad

may 2013

Piano Man

44 See 23-Across 46 Cole Porter’s “Katie Went to ___” 48 Accusation of pedophilia, 1 Coup target, to Cocteau e.g. 49 Enters through the 5 Points at the target 9 “There Is Nothing Like a cracks 51 The Beatles’ “Let ___” ___” 13 The M in SMU (abbr.) 52 Actor who played Liberace’s lover in a biopic 14 Cut it 54 Rip Torn’s voice role in 15 Juan, in Moscow 16 With 32-Across, Liberace Hercules 55 Touched down biopic 56 Lambda Legal Defense 18 Famed Loch suit, e.g. 19 Ferrera of Ugly Betty 20 Gets frothy at the mouth 57 Hebrides language 58 Irene ofFame 22 Gives temporarily 23 With 44-Across, Liberace 59 Watched intently portrayer in a biopic 25 C. Torres and others, on Grey’s Anatomy 1 Do a job on Six Feet 26 Banana treats Under 29 Regret bitterly 2 Swarmed 30 Acted sheepishly? 3 Birthplace of Socrates 31 Tabloid fodder 4 Base before home 32 See 16-Across 5 Bi 35 Perry of Metropolitan 6 Minute quantity Community Church 7 Dash letters 37 Happening place 8 Deem appropriate 38 Internet trigram 9 Shore of Palm Springs 39 Rears to your first mate 10 Prayer to the Queen of 41 Dyslexic’s deity?

Across

Chris wishes his ginger beard would fill in like Brett’s.

Down

Heaven 11 He rubs you the right way 12 Halves of ems 17 Maxima maker 21 Place for future Lts. 23 Bette of Bette 24 Do-over for Mauresmo 27 Hippie’s home 28 Frasier actress Jane 30 Water near San Francisco 31 Dr. of the rap world 32 Tennessee’s Mississippi birthplace 33 Alice portrayer on The Brady Bunch 34 Tired from muff diving? 35 Abe Lincoln’s boy 36 Prominent cock 39 ‘70s org. of kidnappers 40 Runway surface 41 Chagrin 42 At leisure 43 Removed seeds from 45 Honkers in the sky 47 Lickety-split 49 Direction from Susan Feniger 50 Jazz singer James 51 Suffix with magnet 53 Home st. of Harper Lee outlookcolumbus.com

5 4 3 2 1

5 4 3 2 1 If

To 5 4 3 2 1

OC_47_HSNM TEMPLATE 4/24/13 5:57 PM Page 1

outlookcolumbus.com

24,771,897 is the number in “Seasons of Love” from Rent, right?

may 2013

OC_48_HSNM TEMPLATE EVEN 4/24/13 5:05 PM Page 1