2015-01-01 Outlook Ohio Magazine by Outlook Media, Inc

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HELLIN

BEDD

The Voice of Ohio’s LGBT and Ally Community

FIRE WHAT A

BALL ! BIANCA DEL RIO Interview:

Our 2nd Annual Drag Issue

Penny Tration

& the Queens of the Queen City!

Reading With

Mary Nolan

WHAT’S

THE

Transgender Showgirls

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vol 19 • #8

the drag issue

11 12

you are here snapshot

qmunity briefs

qmunity: hockey and lgbt rights

polisigh: marriage in 2015? small pond: latitude 41 N feature: drag hotspots feature: drag & charity feature: trans vs drag

feature: the girls of cincinnati feature: Hellin Bedd

feature: Ashley O’Shea’s drag dating woes

in the shade

34 37

#blacklivesmatter insight out

deep inside hollywood

bookmark: dr.a.g.

lgbt bar roundup

42 44

interview: Bianca Del Rio

out & about

savage love the divine life

blogoqueer

puzzling

couple of guys

you are here

You Better Work You don’t know drag, really know it, until you’ve spent four hours in the dressing room preparing yourself for Nina West’s “Glam Clam,” stand to put on your pantyhose, and in bare feet step on Maria Garrison’s tucktape from the previous evening. Oh, I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain. Tucktape - Noun: 1. A narrow strip of material, generally duct tape, used to secure inconvenient and illusion-ruining genitals during a drag performance. 2. Something one doesn’t want to step on in bare feet. Ever. This might come as no surprise to many of you, but I’ve been known to lift a few, and even though Nina had a strict no-booze-before-the-show policy, when I walked onto the stage that night with a live starfish headdress securely fastened to my smart blond bob, I was good and buzzed because of the experience. A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do, and the show must always, always go on. Drag is a strange and funny and wonderful thing that has roots in all manner of performance, and while there are many different kinds of drag and

many different kinds of drag queens, one aspect of this art form appears to be universal. The audience, gay and straight alike, finds it entertaining as hell. And we should. Being a drag queen isn’t easy. It’s a hell of a lot of work, and it takes moxie, and guts, and commitment to be good. In this issue we wanted to lift the skirt for you a bit and show you some of what comes with being a queen on the scene. We followed Ohio’s hardest working working girl, Hellin Bedd, during a few nights in her very busy life. We asked Ashley O’Shea to share with us what it’s like for an amorous gal on the hunt for a man-friend. We explored differences between showgirls and drag queens, and we spent time with the stars of the Cincinnati drag scene. And we had an untucked ball doing it. So get out your ones, pour yourself a cocktail, and from all of us here at Ohio’s statewide LGBT and Ally publication, enjoy our annual drag issue. We think it’s anything but a drag. Chad (Sherri Dribblelipz) Paul Frye Associate Publisher Retired Show Girl

On the Cover: Penny Tration

PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Bob Vitale / Chad Frye

HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Ste G, Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone / 614.261.8200 fax SALES Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Vitale / bvitale@outlookmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / erin@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Noah Alexander, Bryan Cole, Luke Darby, Rashida Davison, Debe, Orie Givens, Erin McCalla, Mary Nolan, Ashley OÊShea, Romeo San Vicente, Dan Savage, Regina Sewell, Debra Shade, Helena Troy, Bob Vitale ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / art@outlookmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Hayes, Vision Video Productions, Andrew Williams CYBERSPACE outlookohio.com outlookmedia.com networkcolumbus.com twitter / fb: outlookcolumbus Outlook is published and distributed by Outlook Media Inc., on the first day of each month throughout Ohio. Outlook 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 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 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 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 ©2014 by Outlook Media Inc., All rights reserved.

puzzling solution - puzzle on pg 46

shot by Columbus photographer Andrew Williams (left)

awpixelphotography@gmail.com january 2015

Fans voted Penny Tration into the cast of RPDR Season 5.

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Gay for Good Wagon Assembly

Sunday Strippers with Hellin Bedd @ Club 20

Laverne Cox @ Wright State Kaleidoscope Youth Center Open House

Caracole Christmas Tree Sale

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Submit your event photos to bvitale@outlookmedia.com.

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Gender Identity Added to Toledo Hate Crimes

CINCINNATI: A Cincinnati Pride Loyalty Card earns users discounts at local businesses (15 percent off Taste of Belgium, for example, and BOGO admissions at the Contemporary Arts center). It also supports the annual LGBT festival. Get one by signing up for the Cincinnati Pride e-newsletter at cincinnatipride.org.

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CLARKSVILLE: There will be something new for Camp Sunrise attendees this coming August. The annual camp in Clinton County for kids affected by HIV/AIDS has dedicated a new observatory.

CLEVELAND: Mary Zaller, who oversaw fundraising for last year’s Gay Games 9 in Northeast Ohio, has joined the Equality Ohio Education fund as its new development officer. Zaller also has been development director for the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.

COLUMBUS: As it celebrated 25 years of supporting LGBT young people in Central Ohio, Kaleidoscope Youth Center estimates that participants visited its programs about 3,000 times in 2014. Hundreds more participated in the center’s network of gay-straight alliances.

SPRINGFIELD: Allies in Clark County are working to re-establish a Youth First group to support the area’s LGBT young people. The Dayton chapter of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, will help in January to train volunteers for the effort. TOLEDO: Equality Toledo, Rainbow Area Youth and AIDS Resource Center Ohio have teamed up to help students and schools in Northwest Ohio that want to start gay-straight alliances. Call 419.241.9444, x406, for details.

City Council members in Toledo voted unanimously on Dec 2 to add gender identity to a local hate-crime law. The vote came less than a month after Candice Milligan was attacked on a Downtown street during the middle of the day. Milligan, who suffered a broken jaw and other injuries in the attack, attended the meeting and addressed council members. “It’s important to help people who live here who are a member of this community feel safe and also to send a message that hate crimes are not going to be tolerated here, that that kind of behavior isn’t going to be tolerated here and this is a place where that’s not welcome,” she told the Toledo Free Press. Toledo’s hate-crime law had covered crimes against people based on their sexual orientation but not their gender identity.

When asked what she hoped her tribute tonight would look like, she said, ‘What I’d like to see is a big stream of gay drag artists come out as Ernestine.’ ... I don’t know whether this has been arranged - although I’d like to see it, too! - President Obama on Kennedy Center Honors recipient Lily Tomlin

Portman Rules Out Run for President

Ohio’s Rob Portman, who in 2013 became the first Republican in the US Senate to announce his support for marriage equality, has ruled out a 2016 presidential bid.

“It really wasn’t a factor,” Portman told The AP. “Some people say it would have hurt me. Some people say it would have helped me. The country is obviously moving on that issue.”

He told The Associated Press in December that his decision has nothing to do with vows by some conservatives to oppose any White House run because of his stand for equality. Portman said he’ll run for re-election to the Senate instead.

Portman, who has a gay son, also breaks from the majority of his fellow Republicans in his support for a federal law banning discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The 2014 Gay Games did more for Cleveland and Akron than boost the sale of rainbow flags.

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Around the State

Northeast Ohio Reaped $52.1 Million From GG9

A study by two Kent State University economics professors found an economic impact of $52.1 million for Northeast Ohio at hotels, restaurants, bars and other venues during the week-long event. The ninth international Gay Games, which took place Aug 916 in Cleveland and Akron, drew 20,000 people from around the world, including 8,000 participants for its sporting events. Kent State professors Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley and Shawn Rohlin surveyed nearly 1,200 participants about their spending and activities during the week. The average participant spent $981 on lodging and $377 at restaurants, they found. More than three-quarters of Gay Games attendees hit the bars and spent an average of $168. Among the other findings: • 76 percent of Gay Games participants and spectators came from outside Northeast Ohio. • People visiting Northeast Ohio for the Games accounted for $41.9 million in spending. • Almost two-thirds of local participants said they would have attended the Games even if they had taken place elsewhere. They would have spent $8.4 million out of town.

Potential Portman opponents include Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman and former Gov. Ted Strickland.

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The Month in Marriage

Kansas: State marriage forms were made gender-neutral as of Dec 11.

Kentucky: Gov. Steve Beshear’s own attorneys asked the US Supreme Court to review the November ruling by a federal appeals court that upheld the state’s marriage ban. Beshear opposes equality but wants the high court to decide the issue. Mississippi: The Rev. Edward James of Bertha Chapel MB Church in Jackson dressed a horse in a wedding gown and let it graze on the lawn of the federal courthouse to protest marriage equality. His sign read: “Do you take this horse to be your unnatural wedded spouse? ... This might be possible if the ban on same-sex marriage is lifted.” Tennessee: Unlike their anti-equality counterparts in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, leaders in Tennessee are asking the US Supreme Court not to review a November federal appeals ruling upholding marriage bans. Although they agree with the appeals court, Ohio leaders want the high court to decide the issue once and for all. Texas: US District Judge Orlando Garcia reaffirmed his decision to put weddings on hold until a federal appeals court reviews his February ruling that would strike down the state’s marriage ban.

DeWine to High Court: Let Each State Decide

Wisconsin: Because federal law allows people who win civil rights cases to recover their legal fees, 13 lawyers who won federal cases to overturn the state’s marriage ban are seeking $1.2 million. Chile: Lawmakers introduced a marriageequality bill on Dec 10.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who as a US senator in 2006 pushed for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide, told the US Supreme Court in December that every state should be able to decide the issue on its own.

Finland: Marriage equality will come on March 1, 2017. Parliament approved a measure on Dec 12, but needed changes in other laws will delay its implementation.

In asking justices to review a Nov 6 federal appeals court ruling upholding Ohio’s marriage ban, DeWine asked for a ruling that “permits the democratic debate over proper policy to continue now and going forward.”

Ireland: Voters nationwide will take up the question of marriage equality in a May referendum, Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced Dec 16. Polls show 70 percent of voters approve.

In two Ohio cases seeking state recognition of legal, out-of-state marriages, plaintiffs also are seeking a Supreme Court review of the appeals court ruling.

Scotland: Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster were the first couple to wed after Scotland expanded marriage rights on Dec 16. They married just after midnight at the British consulate in Melbourne, Australia. Slovakia: Voters will decide the issue of marriage equality in a national referendum on Feb 7.

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The cases involve two widowers who want to be listed as surviving spouses on their husbands’ death certificates and six same-sex couples who want to be listed as married on their children’s birth certificates. Supreme Court appeals also have been filed by plaintiffs in Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, the other states affected by the Sixth US Court of Appeals ruling. In those states, lower-court judges had ruled in favor of full marriage equality.

Columbus City Council Backs Marriage Equality

Two years after creating a domestic-partner registry for city residents, members of the Columbus City Council are calling for full-fledged marriage equality. The council voted unanimously on Dec 15 to endorse a resolution in favor of marriage equality in Ohio. Why Marriage Matters Ohio, the statewide group trying to build public support for equality, said Columbus was the first city to endorse the freedom to marry in Ohio.

$42,700 in Grants Awarded to Akron LGBT Groups Scholarships for LGBT students, support Film+Pride program, $1,500. for LGBT seniors and other efforts were awarded $42,700 in grants Dec 5 from • Community AIDS Network, to support Akron’s Gay Community Endowment Fund. the Game Change Educational Conference, which educates local social workers, The fund, part of the Akron Community teachers and health care workers about Foundation, awarded 11 grants for prothe needs of the LGBT community, $3,500. grams that help the LGBT community. Equality Ohio Education Fund, for a public The following grants were awarded: education campaign about the need for statewide nondiscrimination protections, • Battered Women’s Shelter, to renovate $3,500. a residential suite for victims of domestic violence at the agency’s new campus, Fair Housing Contact Service, to prevent $10,000. discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, $1,000. • Cleveland International Film Festival, for screenings of LGBT films in Akron as GCEF Scholarship Fund of Akron Compart of the 10% Cinema series, $2,500. munity Foundation, for scholarships for LGBT students in Summit, Medina, • Community AIDS Network, for the Akron Portage and Stark counties, $5,000.

The three-judge appeals panel voted, 2-1, to overturn lower court rulings in favor of marriage recognition.

Jewish Family Service of Akron, for a program that provides education, counseling and social support for LGBT senior citizens, $5,000. • PFLAG Akron, for the Teen Pride Network, $6,000. • Rape Crisis Center, to meet the needs of LGBT survivors of sexual assault, $2,700. • Stark State College, to send students to a regional conference for LGBT college students, $2,000. Since 2005, the Gay Community Endowment Fund has awarded nearly $360,000 in grants.

LGBT groups: Share your news! Email bvitale@outlookmedia.com.

County commissioners in Franklin County (Columbus) endorsed marriage equality in June as “an issue of civil rights and individual dignity,” and Lucas County commissioners in Toledo endorsed a marriage-equality ballot issue, since shelved, in 2013. Canton’s City Council endorsed that measure as well.

Save the Date

Dining Out for Life diningoutforlife.com /cincinnati Feb 3, Cincinnati

Leadership Summit for HIV Positive Young Adults ohioaidscoalition.org Feb 20-22, Columbus GLSEN Cincinnati Prom glsen.org/chapters /cincinnati April 15, Cincinnati CLAW 15 clawinfo.org April 23-26, Cleveland

Columbus Pride columbuspride.org June 19-20, Columbus Cincinnati Pride cincinnatipride.org June 27, Cincinnati 2015 Gay Softball World Series gsws2015.org Aug 17-22, Columbus Pride Night @ Kings Island cincyglbt.com/pride-night Sept 11, Cincinnati Ohio Lesbian Fest ohiolba.org Sept 18-20, Pataskala january 2015

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Hockey Scores by Bob Vitale

Brendan Burke had something he needed to talk about. When students and athletes ask in that way, Enrico Blasi knew from experience, it’s usually something you don’t want to hear. Blasi, the coach of Miami University’s men’s hockey team, suggested the 21-year-old student manager meet him for coffee. It was early 2009. “When he came out to me, I said, ‘Oh, thank God. I thought it was going to be something bad.’” Instead, it started a movement in hockey and across all sports, really - that, sadly, Brendan Burke didn’t live to see. Less than a year later, in February 2010, Burke was killed in a crash on an Indiana highway while he and a friend were driving back to Oxford. In the years since, an organization started by his family has built a support system for young LGBT athletes, and all professional sports leagues have taken steps to address anti-gay discrimination and intolerance. But when the National Hockey League’s best and most popular players head to Columbus on Jan 24 and 25 for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, they’ll represent the sport that took the lead on LGBT issues. “It really took off,” Blasi told Outlook. “It’s put everyone in a different mindset. I believe that.” When he came out to his coach, Brendan Burke had reason to fear it might turn into a big deal. His dad, Brian Burke, was a Stanley Cupwinning general manager for the Anaheim 8

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Ducks who had since taken over hockey’s most storied franchise, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was putting together the US men’s team for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

And this was in 2009, not that long ago but an entirely different era when you think of all that’s happened since. This was before Kye Allums, before Robbie Rogers, before Jason Collins and before Michael Sam. It was before It Gets Better and before there was much discussion, let alone action, to change the anti-gay, anti-trans culture of sports at all levels. Brendan had quit high school hockey because he feared teammates finding out he was gay, but his family offered love and support after he came out to them during his freshman year of college. Blasi said it didn’t change anything at Miami, either. “You’re part of the team. It doesn’t really matter,” the coach told him. But in late 2009, when Brendan decided to come out more publicly, it was a big deal. ESPN interviewed him for a story online, and TSN, the cable sports channel in Canada, interviewed him and his dad live on the air. “I think it’s important that my story is told to people, because there are a lot of gay athletes out there and gay people working in pro sports that deserve to know that there are safe environments where people are supportive of you regardless of your sexual orientation,” Brendan told TSN. After Brendan’s death, his brother, Patrick, helped create You Can Play, a group whose mission is to fight homophobia in sports. Now the NHL’s director of player safety but then a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Burke rounded up some of hockey’s biggest names - New York Rangers goalie

Henrik Lundqvist, Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux, Anaheim forward Corey Perry, then-Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash and eight others - to launch You Can Play with the first of what has grown to a collection of more than 100 videos. All - including later videos from athletes at Miami, Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati - feature the group’s tagline: “If You Can Play, You Can Play.” But the You Can Play movement caught on most firmly in the world of hockey, a sport that revels in its bloody, brawling, tough-guy image.

Today, every team has at least one player who has volunteered to take part in a video, including the Blue Jackets’ Scott Hartnell. The NHL started a partnership with You Can Play in 2013 that called for educating players and taking action when they use homophobic slurs. “The official policy of the NHL is one of inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the time.

How the NHL Warmed Up to LGBT Rights

ON THE ICE Lake Erie Monsters Team CLE VIP Night Feb 7 @ Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland 7p, $60 • Ticket includes club seating, pre-game buffet, beer and wine, soda, food during the game. Order tickets at teamcle.org by Jan 25. OSU Men’s Hockey Pride Night Feb 14 @ Schottenstein Center, Columbus 7p, $12 • Ticket includes lower-bowl seating and pre-game (6p) social at the arena. Cash bar, plus a gourmet buffet for $20. Order tickets at gayhockeyohio.com. Gay Hockey Ohio The 10-year-old organization runs the Ohio Mayhem, a Columbus recreation league hockey team for LGBT and allied members. Visit gayhockeyohio.com for info.

Burke and Blasi say they’re not surprised at hockey’s embrace. “This was the first time anyone made a successful, concerted effort to use pro athletes in this conversation,” Burke said. Blasi said it’s a simple proposition. “It’s about being a good person,” he said. “We’re all in this thing together. We’re all going to have the same fate in the end. The way you go about doing your business: That’s the best thing you can leave.”

Next step: gay couples on the kiss cam!

ONLINE PuckBuddys A website “for boys who like boys who like hockey.” Visit puckbuddys.com. Gay Jackets Fans A Facebook group for Columbus Blue Jackets fans who discuss hockey and hot hockey players.

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What do you think lions thought of the roaring â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20s?

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Where do Columbus mayoral candidates stand on LGBT issues? Find out at outlookohio.com.

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Is This the Year? polisigh

by Bryan Cole

solved by the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the land.

It was a banner year for marriage equality in 2014, and much of the credit goes to a case that’s not even from 2014: United States v. Windsor. In the landmark 2013 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. In the wake of this new interpretation, lower courts struck down marriage bans in 2014 with unprecedented speed, pushing the total number of states with marriage equality to 35. That winning streak ended in November when the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld bans in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, in a 2-1 decision authored by Judge Jeffrey Sutton. “He would have told Rosa Parks to take out a petition,” said Ian James, lambasting Sutton’s faux-noble refusal to involve himself in a civil rights issue he determined should be left up to voters. James is the executive director of FreedomOhio, an advocacy group working for marriage equality in the state.

Since the historic Windsor case, the Supreme Court has been hesitant to jump back into the fray, preferring to let the issue percolate in the lower courts and theoretically resolve itself. In October, a month before the decision in Ohio, justices let appeals courts’ pro-equality rulings stand. The decision in Cincinnati will bring an end to that passivity, Premo suspects. “The Sixth Circuit kind of forced their hand.” On Nov 14, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and lawyers for Ohio’s marriage-equality plaintiffs asked the Supreme Court to review the lone anti-marriage

A ballot initiative would introduce a deluge of new considerations to the marriage fight. Advocates would need to raise money and agree on tactics, as well as mobilize those in the community who have come to think another Supreme Court victory is inevitable. Perhaps most critically, support would need to coalesce around a particular election year: 2016, 2018 or even an off-year. “There’s some thinking out there that 2016 is a wonderful year,” James said. “I don’t think there’s any magic to evennumbered years.” Running a campaign is particularly expensive in presidential election years, he argues, but if strategists opt for an offyear, the electorate will likely be older and more conservative.

he decision was a disappointment, but the good news is we’ll find out if the Supreme Court will take the case. - Michael Premo, Why Marriage Matters Ohio

“It’s written in an effort to be a kinder and gentler sort of conservative jurisprudence,” said Marc Spindelman, a law professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. Despite its lack of inflammatory rhetoric, though, the negative reaction to the ruling shows just how much the LGBT community’s expectations have changed, he said. Despite the setback, some argue that the Sixth Circuit’s ruling might turn out to be an unexpected boost for marriage advocates in the long run. “The decision was a disappointment, but the good news is we’ll find out if the Supreme Court will take the case,” said Michael Premo, campaign manager for Why Marriage Matters Ohio, an education campaign launched by Equality Ohio and national partners. “The Sixth Circuit may have done LGBT families a favor.” By deviating from rulings in other appeals court jurisdictions, the decision created what is called a “circuit split,” experts say. That’s a disagreement that’s traditionally reoutlookohio.com

Ohio Advocates Push for Public Support, Court Intervention

decision. Justices are scheduled to decide this month whether to take up the issue again. Oral arguments would likely be in the spring, with a decision by late June. James said he thinks the Supreme Court will take the case, but he’s less confident in the outcome.

“We’ve always said ... that we’re pursuing an all-of-theabove strategy,” James said.

Such a strategy also includes building public support for marriage so politicians and judges feel aligned with public opinion. By working to boost the polls in states such as Ohio, Premo said, advocates are building evidence that could be called upon in a Supreme Court case to prove that the country is ready for marriage equality.

“It will ultimately depend on what side of the bed Justice [Anthony] Kennedy wakes up on,” James says, referring to the court’s pivotal swing vote.

Spindelman is hesitant to overstate the court’s reliance on public opinion. But justices still live in the same society as the rest of us, he said, and they surely are noticing the shifting landscape.

Despite the marriage movement’s recent focus on the courts, advocates aren’t ruling out going to the ballot should the appeals process fail.

“The expectation increasingly with time is that a majority of the court will find that marriage equality is constitutionally required.”

Why Marriage Matters was formed to build support in Ohio for an eventual statewide referendum to overturn the voterimposed ban from 2004. FreedomOhio had been collecting signatures for a 2014 referendum before deciding to put the effort on hold. Baby’s breath: beautiful addition or vile weed?

Bryan Cole grew up in Dublin, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University in 2012.

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small pond

he Coordinates of Community

Cleveland’s Latitude 41 N Offers Comfort,

by Luke Darby

She sold Snickers in 1998, and between that and Latitude 41 N she spent six years teaching culinary arts at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center. She taught high school juniors and seniors the absolute basics of cooking - baking, grilling, boiling, frying and such.

“I’ve always had an affinity for maps,” Kathy Brown says, gesturing to the prints and street plans on the walls, tables and booths at her restaurant, Latitude 41 N. She attributes it to her memories of sailing in the Chesapeake Bay, and to her brief stint with a pilot’s license. More than just getting students to properly convert tablespoons into cups, though, Brown The restaurant in the Detroit-Shoreway neigh- was interested in getting her students to be borhood of Cleveland is celebrating its sevwell-rounded and productive people. “Treat enth anniversary, which gives Brown a lot of other people well, don’t go to jail,” she says, satisfaction. In that time, she has seen other things like that. She still keeps in touch with restaurants open to great acclaim and close some of her students, a few of whom went on soon after. Latitude 41 N has survived since to culinary school or became pastry chefs. 2007 by becoming an open and welcoming space for everyone in Cleveland, from the What Brown learned from her time as a transgender group at the LGBT Community teacher is that she needed to be her own boss. Center to Case Western Reserve University She started looking for locations in the Detroitstudents to local artists. Shoreway neighborhood to open a new restaurant and thought the space at 5712 Detroit Latitude 41 N is the New Jersey native’s secAve was perfect. The split space allowed the ond restaurant, after opening Snickers in the restaurant to have a diner and a cozy, cafésame neighborhood in 1994, which she calls esque space that would work as a bar lounge one of the first places in Cleveland that should Latitude 41 N ever get a full liquor librought together a “blended, eclectic, gaycense. straight crowd.” She remembers walking into Snickers one night and seeing a table full of Unlike Snickers, this location is on a main drag queens, all of whom she knew, next to a road, which means more walk-in customers. local news anchor and thinking, “You know what, this is really working.” One of the things that most excited Brown about a new restaurant was the chance to Neither Snickers nor Latitude 41 N seems to offer an affordable breakfast. Her first place have ruffled any feather; Brown says the com- offered lunch and dinner, but Latitude 41 N is munity has been supportive and receptive. In known for its breakfast and brunch, which fact most complaints have more to do with the gets slammed on the weekends. counter service than the other clientele, but her policy remains, “If you don’t like it, we’re The Pizza for Benedict is a big pull (eggs sorry to lose you but you’re free to go.” benedict made with pizza dough instead of English muffins), along with the Mongo 12

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Food and Comfort Food

Grubbo Cakes (pancakes made with candy bars, an homage to Snickers).

The Menage a Trois, advertised on the restaurant’s mugs, is actually a foursome: eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns. The restaurant is officially Brown’s, but Latitude 41 N is still a family affair. Her partner Moira handles the accounting and graphic design as needed. “If you’re looking for a five-star dining experience, you’re not going to come here,” Brown says. Instead she wants people to come and feel like they’re part of a family. That’s part of the logic behind the restaurant’s counter service, rather than retaining a flock of waiters parroting, “Hi, my name is...,” which Brown finds shallow.

Latitude 41 N eatatlatitude41n.com / FB: Latitude 41n 5712 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, 44102 216.961.0000

Instead the counter is supposed to encourage chatting, and the small staff and regulars certainly know each other.

Open Sundays, 8a-3p; Mondays, 7a-7p; Tuesdays-Thursdays, 7a-9p; Fridays, 7a-9:30p; Saturdays, 8a-9:30p

Over the past few years, the crowd at Latitude 41 N has gotten bigger and younger, mirroring the shift in Detroit-Shoreway itself. Brown is excited about the progress in the area, dreaming of Cleveland being able to develop its lakefront like Chicago has. By the same token, Latitude 41 N offers free Wi-Fi and encourages people to camp out while reading or working, which is always a solid way to keep students coming back. “I love seeing people sitting in here at 3 in the afternoon. They may only get a cup of coffee but they’re going to come back here.”

We’ll have an order of Mongo Grubbo Cakes with a Menage a Trois on the side.

Small Pond shines a spotlight every month on LGBT-owned businesses across Ohio. Send your suggestions for future articles to erin@outlookmedia.com. photos: Vision Video Productions

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DRAG HOTSPOT RAG D e

11.

12.

Glamazon and Outlook house drag dictionary Helena Troy has put together a new glossary of terms to help keep your vocabulary dusted.

by Helena Troy

f i n e d 14

january 2015

Busted: To be a mess or unpolished. “I went to Diamond Hunter’s show To Clock: To find fault with. “You cannot clock Bianca Del Rio’s last night. Girl looked busted!” wigline. It’s perfect!” or “Girl, I clocked her 5 o’clock shadow from Boots: An emphatic, verbal exclaacross the room.” mation point. “Virginia tore it up. Boots!” Gagging: To be impressed with. Almost speechless with delight. The House Down: To add fur“Krystal Something-Something’s ther emphasis to a point. performance left me gagging!” “Not only did Mari Jane dance, she danced the house down!” Face Crack: When one experiences obvious dismay at the reLeaving it on the Stage: To sults of a pageant or contest. put your all into a performance. “Did you see Miss Thing when they “Anisa Love left it all on that announced the winner? Now that stage!” was a face crack!” Drag Mother: An experienced queen who mentors and develops a Cutlets: Fake breasts. “That picture looked great except queen who is new to drag. where her cutlets were showing.” “How is that queen your drag mother when she’s only been doing this for six months?!” Dusted: To be flawless. “Ashley Austin Ferrah looked gorgeous last night. Absolutely dusted.”

13.

14.

5. 1. Ginger Minj 2. Jaidynn Diore Fierce 3. Jasmine Masters 4. Kandy Ho 5. Katya

“I’m like Sharon Needles, but better.” - Judith Iscariot

10. 6. Kennedy Davenport 7. Max 8. Miss Fame 9. Mrs. Kasha Davis 10. Pearl

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 Contestants 11. Sasha Belle 12. Tempest DuJour 13. Trixie Mattel 14. Violet Chachki outlookohio.com

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Reading Is Fundamental with Mary Nolan

Way back when the first caveman let out a higher pitched grunt just for yucks, some other queen no doubt had something kind-of-crappy-but-pretty funny to say about it. Reading - a drag queen’s

biting insult - is an art, just like drag. And Mary Nolan is one of the best.

We asked the Columbus drag queen to give us a good read on a few celebs, gay and not so much.

John Boehner Hey John, skin cancer called and it doesn’t want you either! STAY OUT OF THE TANNING BED! Taylor Swift It’s like the cast of Glee gangbanged a bag of sugar-coated rainbows and the offspring was the most nauseating collection of happy teen angst ever heard!

Kim Kardashian I’m all for a big ass, but this girl makes Ohio bottoms look slightly less hungry.

RuPaul I’m so glad RuPaul could get even more famous for sitting on her ass!

Rosie O’Donnell She’ll huff, she’ll puff, and she’ll blow all of your interest in her out the window.

Johnny Manziel Nice work in that first start. Helen Keller did a better job of finding the mark.

Suze Ormon I’d rather get stock advice from the guy who sells blow in a gay bar bathroom stall.

Mike DeWine Fiscal responsibility apparently stops when it comes to a couple of queens getting hitched.

Jesse Tyler Fergurson For the love of everything unholy, flesh colored beards have never been and never will be attractive!

Sherri Dribblelipz Nick Jonas Nope, not gonna read this one except to say that he was talentless in Hanson. outlookohio.com

I’m all for French broads and their hairy bodies but for Christ’s sake; would it kill you to take a weed whacker to them pasty white airplane pillows? It’s like this: whatever happened to Baby Jane? I DON’T CARE!

Don’t get on that queen’s bad side.

Bianca Del Rio Bianca Del Rio calls her bit the “Rolodex of Hate.” It’s more like the “Rolodex of Repeat.” She’s had the same material for her entire 40-year career! Speaking of which, Bianca, what were the ’70s like? january 2015

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“I’m an older queen in a younger body.” - Velma Tration

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Drag Gives Back

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by Noah Alexander For many drag performers, their passion is also the means by which they make a living. “Or many have to work part-time jobs, and then use drag to supplement their incomes,” says Sister JFB (short for Just Fucking Bubbles), mistress of propaganda for the Rock and Roll City Sisters, Cleveland’s chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. But for some, their art is about something much more. Beneath the hair and makeup often lies a serious political or charitable cause. Encores, shows and entire troupes are dedicated to raising money for HIV/AIDS services, anti-bullying and anti-violence efforts, marriage equality, and other LGBT issues. “Drag isn’t just an entertainment art,” says Nina West, a Columbus drag queen and local celebrity whose performances often involve a bit of charity. “It’s a social art form for people like us.” She intended for activism to be part of her persona ever since she first entered the drag scene. “I grew up with a partisan family of Republicans, so I was raised in a very political environment,” West says. “When I first started out [in drag], I saw a real lapse in involvement with the community.” In a December holiday show with Virginia West, the duo raised $4,000 for Kaleidoscope Youth Center. In June 2013, after three gay men were attacked in Columbus, West organized a show that raised more than $12,500 for the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization. Last March, she donned a sequined

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Hillary 2016 dress at a Columbus fundraiser for group that’s urging Hillary Clinton to run for president.

Every weekend in Cincinnati, a drag show somewhere in town raises money for causes dear to West also been able to bring tothe Imperial Sovereign Queen City gether her love of drag and desire for Court of the Buckeye Empire. The political activism with her own char- chapter is part of a national ority, Project: Zero, which raises money ganization that turns 50 this year. to help people living with HIV who can’t afford to pay their medical The Queen City Court has raised bills. West started the organization more than $1 million over 23 years, with Dr. Randy Sharma, a Columbus says Brooklyn Steele-Tate, Empress family physician, when a mutual XVI. The court’s charities include friend tested positive and had trou- food pantries, Planned Parenthood, ble paying for treatment. breast cancer research and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Similar efforts take place regularly Greater Cincinnati. across Ohio. “People don’t realize we’re doing this After Candice Milligan was punched a dollar at a time at the bars,” she and kicked repeatedly on a Downsays. town Toledo street in November by three men shouting transphobic For the Rock and Roll City Sisters in slurs, Toledo drag queens staged an Cleveland, charity and political ad“Ignorance Is Not Bliss” benefit and vocacy are at the forefront of their donated all tips to help toward her work, de-emphasizing the performmedical bills. Legends Showclub, ance aspect to the point where they which hosted the show, matched don’t even fully identify as “drag.” performers’ tips. Members identify more with the street-theater tradition, rooted in In Dayton, the Rubi Girls sell hunspontaneity. dreds of tickets for shows and have raised more than $1 million for “The white [makeup] and habit are HIV/AIDS services over a quartera political statement,” says Sister century in heels. A Newbi Rubi Pag- JFB. “Through the spectacle, and in eant on Jan 24 (tickets are $20 and trying to get people to laugh ... we available at arcohio.org) will end want to rid people of their stigmatic with a new member of the troupe. guilt.”

“I’ll do any charity fundraiser in the city.” - Brooklyn Steele-Tate

Forgoing the “drag” qualifier, the Sisters instead prefer to see themselves as “missionaries for the community.” They’ll host their inaugural event of 2015, Bring in a Full Year, on Jan 10 at Cocktails Cleveland. The Sisters are all-inclusive; women are welcome, and female inductees are known as Guards. In Cleveland, the chapter even includes a straight couple: The wife is a Guard, and the husband is a Sister. While the Sisters’ main concern is AIDS awareness and prevention, they also organize and sponsor events throughout the year that benefit a range of marginalized populations in Cleveland, from the gay to homeless to trans communities. “Any place where we are needed,” Sister JFB says. Noah Alexander grew up in Hilliard, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University in 2014 with a degree in English. january 2015

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‘We are showgirls’

Performing Helps Some Trans Women in Their Journey

by Erin McCalla

Traditionally, dressing in drag is defined as dressing in clothing of the opposite gender, but trans women like Carmen Carrera, Sonique and Monica Beverly Hillz have made names for themselves as drag queens by competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race. So, can it really considered drag if a woman dresses as drag queen? Summer Pennington, who performs as Summer Day-Bedd in Columbus, thinks so. “I think very much it is drag. Drag is an art form; it’s not solely ‘female illusion.’ It’s an artistic outlet for many trans women and cisgender men who just happen to enjoy dressing up as women for entertainment value,” she said. “The men who do it for drag are obviously only for entertainment value, but the trans women most likely have been doing it before their transition. It’s just their way of a creative outlet.”

the drag community. “Drag is basically men dressing up in women’s clothing,” said Erin Mortin, a former Columbus entertainer who is on cast as Akasha O’Hara Lords at Play in Louisville. “When it comes to me, I don’t consider myself doing drag; I consider myself a showgirl. If you identify as a drag queen, and you’re transgender, are you really transgender? Yes, we are in the drag community, but we are showgirls, not drag queens. If you call yourself a drag queen, then you are calling yourself a man.”

maybe this just isn’t a performance thing for White’s career in drag started at 19, around me. It’s more an everyday, being happy thing.” the same time she started to transition. “Amaya White is a normal girl, trying to live Pennington started doing drag in 2008, came her life and blend in,” White said. “Amaya out as trans in 2010 and started transitioning Sexton is a superstar, and you’re going to 1½ years ago. She since has ventured into the know that.” burlesque arena and joined the Velvet Hearts, a Columbus troupe. The women all agreed that performing has helped them in their transition and daily lives. Jessica Fultz, who performs primarily in Cincinnati as Jessica Dimon, wanted to live as “It has helped me transition as far as my a woman, but she didn’t know how. makeup,” said White. “You have to know about contouring and highlighting. You have to tone all that down during the day.”

“I know I’m too tall, I know my head is too big, my hands are too big, my feet are too big.

Said Fultz: “You have to be a master of illusion to trick the eye. Drag was the way of teaching me tricks.”

could transition. So drag was my escape

While Pennington has had her share of struggles elsewhere, she said the drag community has been very open and accepting of its trans sisters.

I know I wasn’t the most passable boy that and no one would judge my hands, my head, my feet or my face.”

A drag queen is a character, and a trans - Jessica Fultz, Cincinnati woman is a real-life person. When they’re onstage, then, the performers go bigger with hair, more drastic with makeup and more dra“I know I’m too tall, I know my head is too big, matic with costuming. Mortin started as a drag queen 11 years ago my hands are too big, my feet are too big. I but transitioned after two years and started know I wasn’t the most passable boy that Everything is exaggerated. living every day as a woman. could transition,” said Fultz. “So drag was my escape and no one would judge my hands, my “It’s harder for a woman to do drag because “Being in drag helped me get confidence and head, my feet or my face.” you want people to think you’re a drag queen,” become more aware and more positive on who said Amaya White, who performs as Amaya I was,” she said. Just like other trans women, these women Sexton at Masque in Dayton. “If you want to be don’t want to be considered “queens” during a drag queen, you better look like a drag Pennington thinks it’s not uncommon for the day. queen. Your hair better be bigger.” queens to transition after they start a career in drag. “The more I did drag, the more I felt “I’m a woman in everyday life. When I’m onBut not everyone thinks trans women can comfortable in my own skin. I felt pretty for the stage, I’m an entertainer,” Pennington said. be drag queens - even performers within first time,” she said. “I started to realize that

january 2015

“The ‘T’ is always silent in the LGBT community, but it is heard and respected in the drag community,” she said. There is even a drag pageant system that caters to trans women. Both Sexton and Lords hope to compete - and win the crown - in Continental and Continental Plus, respectively. Lords wants to use the pageant win to further explore her role in trans activism. “We don’t have to hide anymore. ... We are everywhere. That’s the message I’m trying to get out to the trans community,” she said. Erin McCalla is the managing editor at Outlook. Reach her at 614.268.8525 x 2 or at erin@outlookmedia.com.

See Jessica Dimon perform at The Dock, the longest running gay bar in Cincinnati.

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Everything you need for a gay wedding on one page: trendy undies, great venue and smart specs!

january 2015

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Queen City Queens In the second edition of Outlook’s drag issue, we highlight the queens from the Queen City by visiting drag venues The Cabaret and Main Event in Downtown Cincinnati.

through a shift in Cincinnati, and there’s a lot of potential out there.

“There’s a lot of gems in this area that have not been discovered yet,” said Ada Von Glam, “We make it look like fun, not like who performs at The Cabaret, we are ‘doing jobs,’” said Penny Main Event, Shooters and The Tration, who has been performing Dock. drag for 22 years. She’s the emcee and show director at The After an evening spilling tea and light reading, one common Cabaret and performs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with mantra is repeated: “We do it because we love it and it’s fun.” fellow cast members Chelsea Pearl, Brooklyn Steele-Tate, MysBrooklyn Steele-Tate adds: tique Summers, Mirelle Jane “You’re not curing cancer, you’re Divine and Quasi. putting on heels and putting your wiener in your butt.” All the queens photographed agreed that drag is going photos by Andrew Williams

Jessica Dimon Khloe Dimon

Bella Dolce 20

december 2014

Tiana Milian describes her drag persona as “white girl wasted.”

Tiana Milian outlookohio.com

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Mirelle Jane Divine

Quasi

Judith Iscariot

Ada Von Glam

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Mirelle Jane Divine describes her drag persona as “old Hollywood.”

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J 22

december 2014

Josephine Talbot is a baby queen; the night of the photo shoot was her first time on stage.

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Monica Paige St. James Brooklyn Steele-Tate

Josephine Talbot outlookohio.com

Mystique Summers

Mystique Summers describes her drag persona as “elegant ratchet.”

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Chelsea Pearl

Savannah Judd 24

december 2014

Savannah describes her drag persona as “drunk country bitch.”

The Cast a outlookohio.com

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Velma Tration

at Cabaret outlookohio.com

Penny Tration “The Cabaret is the most high-class and renowned place to perform.” - Judith Iscariot

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by Bob Vitale

With a Full Schedule of Hosting and Performing, Hellin Bedd Gets Around

Columbus-based effort that encourages young people who’ve been bulDavid - “David Bedd,” as Hellin calls lied to share their stories through Hellin Bedd can write this story in him during shows - will head to Club artwork, poetry, photography and three words, and one of them doesn’t “Honey, I would, but life has read you 20 later. Hellin is something of a side other creative means. pretty bad already.” really count. business for the couple. It’s a love In recent months she has helped the and a passion, but also a job. In a business where sassy sells, “Makeup and Fireball.” Ohio Leather Alliance collect toys for Hellin Bedd is among the sassiest. Wait, what? I have 750 words to write During a Saturday night in early De- People started asking him to do ben- “Sometimes I’m not in the mood, but children and performed to raise I come down and put on my face and money for PetPromise, a Columbus about one of the busiest drag queens cember, Cavan Irish Pub on the South efits. adoption group. During DevelopmenI get into it,” Brett says. in Ohio. The Columbus performer Side is probably one of the few bars tal Disabilities Awareness Month in Columbus where the Buckeyes’ Big Hellin Bedd was born. does at least five shows per week, each year, she hosts a show to beneIt takes about an hour to get ready. and over the course of a month might Ten championship game is on mute. “I love doing it, and knock on wood, I Half-Hellin will head to Club 20 in full fit Creative Foundations, a Central take the stage at half the city’s gay Ohio adult day service. makeup and a baseball cap, have a great following,” Richards bars. Hellin’s wrangling a drunken says as he gets in face for the Sunpadding, sweatpants and a sweatstraight-girl birthday party when a “I try to do as many benefits a year as young stallion catches her eye. day show at Club 20, for which Hellin shirt. Full Hellin will emerge later She’s a regular at benefits for LGBT from the women’s room: green-high- I can,” she says. “So many people performs and hosts a night of male organizations and other charities. come to my shows to support me. I lighted wig, black and neon miniShe’s got a shelf of tiaras in her home “Where you from? Louisville? You like strippers. think we all have an obligation to redneck boys? You like country boys? There’s usually a second show after- dress, a shot of Fireball. from multiple pageant victories. support ward - drag bingo back at Cavan Yeah? Let me take this off,” she jokes. but Hellin’s headed to a holiday party “If you come to my shows, you’ll see I our comAnd, oh, can she read. tonight, and Brett’s getting ready for support Fireball very well,” she says. munity.” “Go ahead, read me!” a friend shouts On Sunday afternoon, Brett Richards a two-week drag-free vacation with She also supports a good cause. during a Sunday show at Club 20, in is putting it all back on in the base- husband David at week’s end. ment of his Merion Village home. He’s the University District of Columbus. In January, Hellin Bedd will take part been doing this for nine years - ish? “I’ll be able to grow a beard,” he says, sitting in basketball shorts and in a show at Wall Street Night Club to “That’s a husband question,” he Hellin’s in his face. She had just benefit the You Will Rise Project, a a T-shirt as he runs a Sharpie over perched on the pool table for a photo, says.

january 2015

and he screamed that her granny panties were showing.

Richards started doing drag for fun, at the Columbus Lesbian & Gay Softball Association’s annual post-Pride Bat-N-Rouge event. It was skag drag in the early days, he says, but he won the Miss Bat-N-Rouge title three years in a row.

some false eyelashes.

“Sometimes I’m not in the mood, but I come down and put on my face and I get into it.” - Hellin Bedd

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Out for a Drag AKRON

Saturdays The Cabaret, 10:30p. Regular Saturday night show includes Penny Tration, Monica St. James, Brooklyn Steele-Tate, Quasi and special guests.

Wednesdays Wild N Out Wednesday @ Interbelt Nite Club. 12:30a. Hosted by KeYanna Diamond, with weekly special guests and theme shows. No cover.

The Dock Complex, 11:30p. Jessica Dimon hosts a regular Friday night show with special guests and regulars that include Nikki Dimon.

Tuesdays Twisted Tuesdays @ Adams Street, 11:45p. Hosted by KeYanna Diamond, along with male dancers. No cover.

Thursdays Bad Girls Club @ Interbelt Nite Club. Hosted by Nicki Adams O’Hara and Nikki Sierra, with a lineup that often includes Nicole Canova, Discord Adams and more. No cover. Drag Bingo @ Square Night Club, 10p. Hosted by Veronika Katrell, with weekly prizes for the winners. Free to play.

Sundays The Cabaret, 7p.

Toolbox Saloon, 10. Hosted by Coco Kane.

Ladies Night @ MJ’s on Jefferson, 9p sign-in and 10p show. Gage Gatlyn hosts kings, divas Double Diva Show @ Southand more on the second bend Tavern, 10p and midnight. Wednesday of every month. Hosts include Hellin Bedd and Rushena Fontaine. Fridays Ab Fab Friday @ Masque, 11p. Drag performers every week, Saturdays Double Diva Show @ Southand Montana McDaniels referbend Tavern, 10p and midnight. ees the Masque Wrestling Hosts include Georgia Jackson, Team. $7-$10 cover. Darah Landon and Vee Love. Saturdays Saturday Night Dance Party @ Saturday Drag Revue @ Axis, 10p. There’s a drag Masque, 11p. Featuring Hope cabaret that’s part of every Sat- Sexton, Jayda Colby, National urday night. $6 cover. Holiday and others. South Side Saturday Night @ Cavan Irish Pub, 11p.

Starlight Sundays @ Shooters. Hosted by Savannah Judd, with special guests. CLEVELAND

Tuesdays Drag Bingo @ Twist Social Club, 8p. Hosted by VeWednesdays Wasted Wednesday @ The randa L’Ni, with prizes for Dock, 11:30p. Hosted by Jessica the winners. The event Dimon, with a different theme helps a different charity every week. each week. CINCINNATI

Thursdays Open Talent Thursdays @ Bounce, 8:30p signup and 10p sign-in. Sonshine hosts a weekly open-stage for singers, dancers, comedians and drag performers who compete for a weekend booking.

Fridays The Cabaret, 10:30p. Regular Friday night show includes Fridays Penny Tration, Monica St. James Top 40 Girlesque @ Bounce, and special guests. 11:30p and 12:30a. Two weekly shows hosted by The Dock Complex, 11:30p. Jes- Danyel Vasquez. sica Dimon hosts a regular Friday night show with special The Mandy Merlot Show @ guests and regulars that inAura. Weekly show; no cover. clude Nikki Dimon. outlookohio.com

Wednesdays The Snatchh Show @ Southbend Tavern, 10p. Hosted by Sharon Snatchh, with special guests.

Old Street Saloon. Booshee Rayburn hosts a regular Friday night show with special guests.

Sundays Broadway Showtunes KariFridays Fuego Fridays @ Interbelt Nite oke @ Bounce, 4p-8p. Club. Hosted by Alejandra Love. Hosted by Kari Nickels.

Thursdays Tipsy Thursdays @ The Cabaret, 11p. Open stage, but regular performers include Penny Tration, Chelsea Pearl and Mystique Summers.

Saturdays Varie-tease @ Bounce, 11p. Weekly show hosted by Kari Nickels.

On Friday, Jan 17, Hellin Bedd is among the performers taking part in The Year of the Phoenix, an 8p benefit show at Wall Street Night Club for the You Will Mondays: Hangin’ With Rise Project. It’s hosted by Hellin at Club 20, 8p. Vivian Von Brokenhymen and features Kelly Mantle and Big Dipper, along BritThursdays: Hellin hosts ney Blaire, Bettie Monroe, Thirsty Thursday’s male Betty Cracker, Deva Station, dancers at the Tremont Mr. Pottymouth, the ColumLounge, 8p. bus Gay Men’s Chorus, Saturdays: South Side Sat- Open Heart Creatures and urday Night Drag Revue at the You Will Rise Guys. See Cavan, 11p. Page 43 for ticket info. Sundays: At 6:30p, Hellin performs and hosts a night of male dancers at Club 20. At 9p, she hosts drag bingo at Cavan Irish Pub.

COLUMBUS

Mondays Hangin’ With Hellin, 8p. Hosted by Hellin Bedd.

Hump Day @ Union Café, 11p. Virginia West hosts.

LIMA Sundays Hangin’ With Hellin @ Club 20, Fridays 6:30p. Hellin Bedd hosts a male Drag Shows & Strippers @ Somewhere, 11:30p. revue. Illusions Cabaret @ Wall Street Night Club, 8p. Female and male illusion every Sunday. $5. Georgia Jackson’s Old School Revue @ Tremont Lounge, 7p. Georgia Jackson hosts an evening of male dancers.

TOLEDO

Thursdays Drag Queen Karaoke @ Mojo, 8p. Fridays Fabulous Friday @ Legends Showclub. Rotating cast.

Drag Bingo @ Cavan Irish Pub, Friday Night Cabaret @ R8p. House, 11p and 12:30a. Different hosts and performers DAYTON weekly. Mondays Masque Mondays @ Masque, Saturdays All Request Saturday @ Bretz, 10:30p. Open stage night. No 10p. Drink, drag and dance. cover.

Thursdays Thirsty Thursday @ Tremont Tuesdays Lounge, 8p. Hellin Bedd hosts a Something for the Ladies @ night of male dancers. Masque, 11p. Sky Black hosts Tuesdays Untwisted Tuesdays @ Southan open stage revue with drag bend Tavern, 10p. Hosted by Open Stage @ The Toolbox, queens, kings and other perMari Jane and Brent Fabian. 9:30p signup and 10 show. One formers. Registration begins a half-hour Big Show @ Southbend Tavern, early for the weekly open stage 10p and midnight. Drag pernight. formers, singers and strippers Wednesdays are welcomed. Open Stage Night @ MJ’s on Variety Show Tuesday @ The Jefferson, 9:30p sign-in and Toolbox Saloon, 10. Alana 10:30p show. Fridays Michaels and JW host. Friday Night Drag Revue @ The

Chelsea Pearl on pageants: “Done ’em all, won ’em all.”

MJ’s Dolls @ MJ’s on Jefferson, 11p.

Shady Saturday @ Legends Showclub. Rotating cast. YOUNGSTOWN

Sundays Drag Bingo @ Utopia, 9op. Jaqueline Rose hosts.

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rag & Dating

january 2015

Why Is it So Hard for a Queen to Find Her Prince? photo by Andrew Williams

If Ashley thinks itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough finding a date, imagine if she was Sherri Dribblelipz.

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by Ashley O’Shea When it comes to love and happiness, I want what most everyone wants. I want to find that one special person and live out the rest of our days together. I’ve tried all the various ways to discover my true love, my soul mate, my life partner or whatever label you prefer. I’ve gone out to the bars, breweries and local discotheques in the hopes of spotting someone, or being spotted, from across the booze-drenched floor. I’ve done the whole “he’ll show up when I stop looking” route, which isn’t even fun for a minute. I’ve scoured the internets in hopes of finding an unexpected match, possibly from a quaint fishing village a few counties away. Of course not everyone I meet is an instant click, but there are men with whom I have some sort of spark and it leads to a second, third or even fourth date. Eventually we reach the point in which I must deliver the big reveal: I’m a drag queen! I’m sure some of you are reading this and asking, “Why is that an issue?” or “Why is Ashley O’Shea writing editorials when she should be at happy hour?” Perhaps some of you are thinking, “Who is Ashley O’Shea?” Well, I am an Irish showgirl living in Columbus, just trying to make my way in this big city. I am also a man. A gay man. A single gay man. And I can tell you that trying to date in the gay community while also performing around town in local cabaret lounge acts does present its fair share of hurdles.

the stage. We come from the theater; drama helps fuel our performances. However, let’s be honest, in the gay world there are more people living in drama than not. This excuse almost feels like a copout to me.

come out as a drag queen, in relationship after relationship, it gets tired. And it hurts. You start to think maybe you should give up the stage life just so you can find that special guy. You start to wonder if you’re just not meant to have someone.

The most common reason not to date a drag queen is the one that is most offensive: I don’t want to date a woman.

Whoa! Things just got a little too serious in O’Shealand and I’m running low on vodka.

What in the name of Cher does that mean?! What in the hell am I supposed to do with that? Do these men think I spend all the hours in all my days dressed in sequins, heels and synthetic hair? I might slap on a cheap dress from Forever 21 and lip sync to other people’s songs while on stage at a

So how can we change this? Guys, open your minds! Come to a show. Hang out with me, and meet my tens and tens of fans. I can sit and drink and chat in a wig and dress just the same as in my Express button up and off-the-rack Missoni jeans. There may be a different sort of character on that stage with a mic in hand, but when the show’s over I’m still the same guy face to face.

I MIGHT SLAP ON A CHEAP DRESS FROM FOREVER 21 AND LIP SYNC TO OTHER PEOPLE’S SONGS WHILE ON STAGE AT A LOCAL PUB, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU IT IS NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO BE A WOMAN. local pub, but I can assure you it is not because I want to be a woman. I have been known to style a wig while watching the Browns or the Indians play. I know how to put up drywall. But do we really need to get into the whole “define what it means to be a man or a woman” debate?

Now, I do have several drag pals in Columbus who have boyfriends or husbands who support their drag careers, to which I tilt my wig and con-dragulate them. Those friends of mine know how lucky they are to have found those men.

This prejudice has been around for a long time. I remember starting my drag career and other performers telling me if I kept it up, it would end my dating life. Sure enough, this cloud of concealment loomed over any relationship I had started. And as soon as I told potential dates my secret it was adios, bon voyage, end of story. It’s happened multiple times.

Typically, men give the same reasons for not wanting to date a drag queen. Some will say they don’t want to be with someone who receives that much attention. I get that.

The not-so-funny thing is they all said the same thing. They weren’t breaking up with me because I had lied to them - or kept a secret - but simply because I was a drag queen.

Some guys will say our lives are filled with too much drama. Well, of course they are! We live on

It’s hard enough to come out to your family and friends as being gay. But when you also have to

Just with a touch more eyeliner. To be fair, we showgirls could also help with our own plight. Instead of being ashamed, worried about rejection or hiding this fabulous side of ourselves, we should own it from the get-go. Let’s be open and honest. On that first date, or initial Scruff exchanges, tell those boys who you are. I am a drag queen. I am proud of what I do. I perform for crowds and raise money for local charities. If these guys don’t want to take the opportunity to get to know us just because of this one thing, then arrivederci. Drag queens make awesome boyfriends: We know how to have fun, we know a lot of people, and we get to be a part of awesome events. And you get two for the price of one.

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“We’re not plowing fields; it’s drag.” - Penny Tration

january 2015

Trans and Queer #BlackLivesMatter

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guest commentary

by Rashida Davison On Nov 25, about 400 people marched more than 1½ miles from Franklin Park to the Columbus Police Department’s Office of Internal Affairs to protest the Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson with the murder of Michael Brown. We marched for justice for John Crawford III, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Eric Garner, Aiyana Jones and the overwhelming number of Black people who have been victims and survivors of state-sanctioned violence. Just over a week later, while the world was watching, officer Daniel Pantaleo was not indicted with the murder of Eric Garner in New York. People didn’t think Columbus was going to show up for a second action, but we showed up and in stronger numbers than before. This time about 300 Ohio State students marched from the Oval to Goodale Park to join at least 400 Columbus residents as we marched 700 strong to Columbus Police headquarters to deliver our community’s demands. As we plan our next action, some have congratulated Sarah Green, Tim Singratsomboune and me as Queer and Transgender activists of color in organizing what they’ve called a historic march. I agree that the march was amazing and energizing, but I don’t look at it as creating history. We are building on an erased history of Queer and Transgender people of color working toward the liberation of our community. We BEEN Here Our actions have been in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which was created and led by three Black Queer women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. Patrisse and Darnell L Moore led the national Freedom Ride to Ferguson, which took place last summer. The bulk of the participants were Queer and Transgender people of color. In fact, Queer and Transgender people of color, from Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to Bayard Rustin

and Angela Davis, to Kylar Broadus and Ignacio Rivera, have been leading the revolution for many decades, organizing around a wide array of issues including the Civil Rights movement, prison reform, immigration rights, labor and fair food, fair housing, domestic and sexual violence, student’s rights and Queer liberation.

tified writer from Columbus.

Our Lives Depend On It Why have we been so involved?

This erasure of our contributions both in the past and present can make us feel like we’re incapable of making a difference. It adds to the systemic violence on a daily basis.

It’s because our lives truly are dependent on liberation from all forms of systemic oppression.

How Do We Fix This? “We’re marching today to break the cycle of police abuse, but our efforts are only authentic if we break the cycle of erasure within our own movements,” says Tim Singratsomboune, an OSU senior.

“In this moment where young QTPOC is a demographic that suffers disproportionate homelessness, poverty, surveillance, bullying, sexual assault and homicide, and Black women have the highest rates of incarceration and have always had the highest rates of sexual assault, there isn’t shit for us to lose,” said Tay Glover, an OSU grad student who identifies as a queer Black lesbian woman. Tay also works as an instructor and was the co-coordinator for the Columbus to Ferguson Freedom Ride. Our Erasure Despite our active involvement in the movement, we constantly find ourselves erased from our own work. In Columbus, QTPOC at OSU were in leadership positions in the actions following the racist defacement of the Hale Black Cultural Center in 2012. However, we were rarely mentioned in media coverage of those actions. I’ve seen Queer and Transgender people of color in cities like Ferguson, Madison, New York, Atlanta, Richmond, Los Angeles, Oakland, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus organizing around #BlackLivesMatter.

Michael Marsh, an OSU student and community organizer, says erasure is not only problematic, it’s a form of abuse. “To be denied being seen as a person is not only hurtful, it’s damaging.”

So how do we prevent this erasure? Here are a few tips: • Be intentional in who is speaking at rallies and actions, both to the crowd and to the media. Do not limit these conversations to black cisgender men. “We can’t just fight against racism, we must be intersectional and intentional,” says Tabitha Chester, a Denison University professor. • If you are reading names at a #BlackLivesMatter event, include our names. If not our names, include our experiences with state-sanctioned violence as Queer and Transgender people of color. • Call out erasure when you see it, including when you are perpetuating it. • #BlackLivesMatter in life and death: Do not wait until another Transwoman of color is killed before the experiences of QTPOC are brought into the discussion. Give us our flowers while we’re still here.

We are creating events, spreading the word and burning the midnight oil to make sure all of the moving parts for these actions fall into place. We’ve shut down streets, highways and cities with the numbers we have mobilized. But in the news, our names, identities and messages about state-sanctioned violence against our community is edited out. “It feels like I’m yelling and no one is paying attention,” says Sarah, a genderqueer-iden-

Visit the Black Lives Matter Facebook page. At print time, the page had 24,092 likes.

Rashida Davison of Columbus is the outreach and engagement coordinator for TransOhio. outlookohio.com

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in the shade

At the Intersection Equality Is at the Heart of All Our Issues by Debra Shade

There have been conversations of late around religion and gays, marriage and gays, jobs and gays, violence and gays, children and gays, legalities and gays, gays and gays, and the list could go on. In each of these conversations, there is an intersection where the commonalities of each side rest. For many of these topics, the intersection is wide, and for some, the intersection is very narrow. If you stand on one side of an issue and talk about your beliefs, opinions and experiences, then having a conversation with someone who has a totally different perception or experience might not be comfortable. It might even be called a debate!

This lack of ability to adapt, adjust and accept a difference of opinion in topics regarding the LGBT communities could very well be the reason we continue to struggle with the same conversations we’ve had for years. If we can’t come together on any of these issues, how in the world can we expect non-LGBT people to relate to us? january 2015

An evaluation of where you stand on any of the issues facing our communities includes an ability to honestly be able to handle introspection. I am definitely not asking you to take on something that you mentally can’t handle, but I do ask that you take the time to start within and then reach out.

Something is at the point of two points crossing. Shouldn’t that something be more powerful, more moving, louder, stronger and more impactful than a few voices?

Still, there is a need to reflect on these conversations and determine where you stand: at the intersection, in the intersection or nowhere near the intersection. Are you so absorbed in your own beliefs and thought pattern that you can’t see any similarities with what others are saying?

It is always a great thing when a conversation is engaging and includes common ground among its participants. This common ground is necessary for growth, understanding and value. There is value in every conversation; however, the value doesn’t necessarily equate to growth and understanding. This depends on the size of the intersection of commonalities.

Reaching out does not have to be far. You can reach out to other like-minded people. Or you can reach far - over gender, race, waters and nationalities.

A lifetime of not thinking this way has resulted in the minimum change we see. It is time for something drastic. Standing together, unified and uniformed is a drastic measure that has never been taken. Not even attempted, primarily because of the multiple layers of separation we give ourselves. The narrow amount of intersection we allow ourselves to share is the breeding ground for the negative strong-arm America has over the LGBT community. A Google search on arguments over gay issues will result in Screw the yellow brick road, take the rainbow!

more than three pages of marriage equality articles. We all know that this is not the only issue we face today; everything from job equality, family equality, war equality, home-buying, health and education to violence on various labels in our community are issues that we face, simultaneously. At what point do we quit asking for others to stand with us on violence against queers of color or violence against gay males or violence against LGBT teens or violence against transgender people or violence against lesbians and simply ask people to stand against violence? Now read me right? I am not saying there isn’t violence against each of these labels, but shouldn’t the fact that there is violence against all of them be more reason to stand as one voice against violence? The statement at the intersection indicates that there is something there, that something is at the point of two points crossing. Shouldn’t that something be more powerful, more moving, louder, stronger and more impactful than a few voices? It could be the change the LGBT community has been waiting to see in our lifetimes. Read this and do nothing. Or read this and share it, post about it, tweet about it, take a pic and insta/pinter/snap about it! OK, that might be a bit much, but please get my point: If we all start talking about the same thing, the same thing at once, at the same point of the intersection equality - what harm could come of it? I’m just asking us to take an opportunity to find the common ground on our issue, not issues. It’s a lack of equality. Debra Shade is an author and owner of Shade Media. You can find her on Facebook at Shadyontop or follow her on Twitter @shadeyontop, and you can find her books at Amazon.com or a Lion’s Den near you. outlookohio.com

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insightout people to spend time with or take a trip to Key West. The third step is to identify your patterns, habits and perceptions that keep you stuck. What do you keep doing over and over even though it doesn’t seem to work? Do you suck it up when your boss yells at you and then drown the pain and resentment in alcohol? Do you focus on how life has let you down or on your limitations?

Getting Unstuck

Make a Roadmap for Getting Out of That Rut by Regina Sewell Feeling stuck is like living on autopilot. You go through the motions but don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere. It’s like you’re eating a food that you’ve always loved but it just doesn’t taste good anymore. You might be bored, burned out, frustrated or hopeless. On the positive side, as long as you’re living on autopilot, your life is predictable. You don’t have to stop to think about how to do things. You can just keep doing what you’ve always done. The problem with living on autopilot is that when you get used to the patterns and routines you’ve created, you have trouble seeing that there are other attractive possibilities and options. People on autopilot stay in conflict-ridden relationships (romantic or otherwise), get trapped in unsatisfying jobs or careers, or hold onto resentments and disappointments with a death grip. They might focus on how they’ve been wronged by another person, or the world, or 34

january 2015

God. Or they might focus on what they lost or never got a chance to experience in the first place.

When you’re stuck, change often seems too painful, too overwhelming, too impossible, too uncertain or too frightening. Spinning around in the same old uncomfortable patterns and belief systems might seem less painful than moving forward. But if that balance shifts so that the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of making changes, there is a roadmap. The first step to getting unstuck is to parcel out the places in your life where you actually are stuck. Everything might feel like drudgery, but it’s possible that only one area of your life is coloring your experience in other areas. If you’re in a miserable relationship, the anger or fear you feel might bleed over into your band practice, softball game, yoga class, job and everything else. It’s also possible that working in a job that bores you to tears or for a boss who is emotionally abusive might leave you so shut down that you’re unable appreciate your relationships or the things that used to bring you pleasure. Grieving the loss of a lover, parent or dear friend might leave the rest of life seeming empty and gray.

The second step to getting unstuck is to determine what part of the stuckness is beyond your control and find a way to accept it. Try as you might to change someone else’s behavior, the economy or the weather, all of these external factors are beyond your control, and trying to change them will just make you miserable. The more you try to make your boyfriend stop playing video games or smoking pot and spend “quality time” with you, the more he is going to dig in his heels. And even if he does change his ways for a week or so, he’ll resent

Do your beliefs get in the way? Do you believe that getting divorced or breaking up with your lover would make you a failure? Do you believe it’s too late to make a major career change? Do you believe you don’t have enough talent to follow your dreams? What role is fear playing in your stuckness? Are you afraid of failing? Being judged? Not being good enough? Not being perfect? Being laughed at? The fourth step to getting unstuck is to get support. Change can be difficult, so it’s important to have an ally or cheerleader. It’s important to find someone who believes in you and who will listen to your tales of woe and encourage you to keep going when things seem hard.

CURSING AT THE SNOW WON’T MAKE IT MELT OR

TURN YOUR YARD INTO A TROPICAL PARADISE. IT

WILL JUST MAKE YOU

MISERABLE.

you and find more reason to slide back into his gaming or smoking. Cursing at the snow won’t make it melt or turn your yard into a tropical paradise. It will just make you miserable. But if you accept that this is how things are, you can find other

There’s Kodo. Where is Podo? (Can you name the reference?)

Regina Sewell is a licensed mental health counselor. To ask her a question, propose a column topic, read about her approach to counseling, or check out her books and other writing, visit reginasewell.com. outlookohio.com

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Is that a grilled cheese in your pocket, or are you just happy to see the new Melt at Easton open?

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deep inside hollywood by Romeo San Vicente

Apatow’s Latest Stars Ezra Miller and LeBron

Kate McKinnon, SNL Pals in 2 Upcoming Comedies

We like Ezra Miller. We like him a lot. He’s talented. He’s We were wondering when the Kate McKinnon bullet train queer. He’s going to be The Flash in The Flash (the movie, would leave the station and speed toward the big screen. not the goofy TV show). It was inevitable after Saturday Night Live’s first lesbian And we hear he’s going to be in next summer’s new Judd cast member became our new favorite human being. Her Apatow film, Trainwreck, too, written by one of our other Ellen DeGeneres impersonation is the best, and we can’t favorites, comic Amy Schumer. re-watch Dyke & Fats enough times. So here come the movie roles. First we applauded this as another opportunity to see the young actor shine like he did in Perks of Being a WallBig movies, too. flower. And then we saw the rest of the cast list. Deep breath: Amy Schumer, Tilda Swinton, Bill Hader, Brie Lar- First up is the heist comedy, Masterminds, with this cast: son, Colin Quinn, Barkhad Abdi, Mike Birbiglia, Vanessa Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Zach GalifiBayer, John Cena, LeBron James, Method Man, Daniel anakis, Ken Marino and SNL’s latest breakout wildRadcliffe and Marisa Tomei. woman, Leslie Jones. And that’s not even the whole list. Maybe this is going to be another epic-length Apatow comedy that stretches out toward the 150-minute mark. Or maybe everyone has a cameo. All we really know is that it’s based somewhat on Schumer’s own life and, well, whatever, we’ll take what we can get. And besides, Miller aside, any film with LeBron and Swinton together is already a curiosity-stoking must-see. Next July, y’all.

Sir John Gielgud Makes a Porno Classically trained Shakespearean actor John Gielgud won an Academy Award for his role as the sarcastic butler in Arthur. He was also knighted. This is a legacy of accomplishment and distinction.

Then comes The Nest, a house party movie in which it appears that adult women will be replacing that genre’s misbehaving teenagers. It stars Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, John Leguizamo, Maya Rudolph, Heather Matarazzo, John Cena, James Brolin and SNL’s Bobby Moynihan. From this we can learn that SNL keeps it in the family. And why shouldn’t they? Great ensembles, more McKinnon. We’re happy.

Ellen Page, Real and Robo, Heads Back to Big Screen Since coming out, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ellen Page was just hanging out, but we’ve got two new projects to look forward to from the Inception star. She’ll be lending her voice to the animated feature Robodog, which is, naturally, about two dog friends, one real and one robotic (think mismatched buddy cops). It’ll also feature the voices of Ron Perlman, Steve Zahn and Rainn Wilson.

He also wrote a gay porn script called Trouser Bar. The guy who was Hamlet and in Gandhi wrote TROUSER BAR. And if you don’t have a child in your life who’ll care about the outcome of that one, Page is also attached to play Set in a menswear shop - where else? - the esteemed John Belushi’s wife, Judith Jacklin, in the upcoming, unactor penned it for his friend, legendary porn director titled Belushi biopic. Peter De Rome, who worked throughout the 1960s and ’70s as one of the genre’s pioneers. Well, De Rome died Emile Hirsch is attached as the late comic actor, with earlier this year, and now prolific contemporary porn au- Miles Teller (Whiplash) in talks to play Dan Aykroyd. teur Kristen Bjorn plans to make Gielgud’s script a real- Aykroyd is exec-producing this and will follow his old ity. friend’s rise to fame in the 1970s, up to his untimely death at 33 from a drug overdose. We don’t know when, or starring whom - dear awesome art-porn person, Colby Keller, get on this one, stat! - but And we’re still waiting for Freeheld, the true story in trust that we’ll keep you posted on its every detail as they which Page stars as the partner of a terminally ill detecdevelop. tive (Julianne Moore) whose spousal benefits are being denied the couple. Post-production delays are a drag. Say it again, out loud: Trouser Bar. Romeo San Vicente makes fast friends with inseam-measuring tailors. He can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com. outlookohio.com

Trouser Bar was the name of my drag king troupe in college.

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(left to right): 1. Jaylene Tyme by Nicholas Jang; 2. Jackie Beat by Austin Young; 3. Jeffree Star by Austin Young;

bookmark

dr.a.g. drag I folk etymology

4. Morgan McMichaels by William Dick, WDPhotoInc; 5. Chad Michaels by Corazon Media; 6. Valeria Mendez by Edwin Irizarry;

[acronym for dressed as a girl] from the early days of the theater when men played both the male and female roles. One was either ‘dressed as a girl’ (dr.a.g.) or ‘dressed as a boy’ (dr.a.b.). It took editor Christopher Logan two years to complete dr.a.g., a 180-page coffee-table book filled with beautiful photographs of drag queens from across the world. “I know the drag world well, and there were some people we just had to have: Frank Marino, Lady Bunny, Joey Arias, etc ... and then it was through recommendations and seeking out photos that we found everyone else.” You can purchase the book - which features Columbus’s Krystal Something-Something and Cleveland’s Shari Turner - at bookthefilm.com.

7. Yara Sofia by Edwin Irizarry; 8. TP Lords by Will ENVY; 9. Nina Flowers by Norman Dillon; 10. Shannel by William Dick, WDPhotoInc; 11. Tammie Brown by Dusti Cunningham; 12. Courtney Act by Magnus Hastings

january 2015

“Drag education is no different than any other education.” - Penny Tration

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feature

The Queen 40

Reining ‘RPDR’ Champ Bianca Del Rio Breaks the Mold

january 2015

Mary Nolan reads Bianca on Page 15.

by Orie Giv

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She’s the type of queen you want to throw shade with during Sunday brunch, or talk shit about your ex with over a stiff cocktail. But advanced reading skills, a sharp comedic tongue and a bag of fbombs isn’t all you get with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio. This champion is humble, appreciative and determined to conquer the world with her one-queen comedy tour, Rolodex of Hate, which she’ll take to Bogart’s in Cincinnati on Jan 16 (tickets at bogarts.com).

OG: Now your other new project is a web series asking a question many have: “Really, queen?” So Alyssa Edwards was your first target… BDR: I filmed quite a few and it was their choice to choose whatever. And Alyssa ... everyone that I make fun of has a purpose, and there is nothing better than going out to lunch or hanging out with a group of queens and all you do is sit there and talk shit about one another.

She’s also bringing her signature hilarity to a new web series roasting favorite drag personalities. The current reigning America’s Drag Superstar chatted with Outlook to tell us about her adventures since snatching the RPDR crown.

OG: Yes... yes... BDR: That is my kind of queen. Alyssa is one of those queens. And we go through so many jokes and so many laughs; I think she’s absolutely hysterical. And, basically, the ones we chose were the ones we knew that could take it. You know, they can dish it, they can take it. She’s definitely one of my favorite people.

Orie Givens: Rolodex of Hate... you are bringing it to Cincinnati in January, what can people expect when they see it? Bianca Del Rio: For a lot of queens that come through Drag Race, there’s a formula to it. Like, you just put out a song, do music, put out an album, which is not the route I want to go. It’s just not for me.

But, the great thing about doing the web series is it gives me an opportunity to make jokes, because, you know, you’ve watched Drag Race and many moments you’re like, what the fuck? What is that about? Really, queen? That just gives an opportunity for me to get to discuss some things that I felt as a viewer [that] people were thinking. We just started our first episode and more to come. No one is safe.

So, the opportunity was to create a standup comedy show. I’m a comedian that happens to be in drag as opposed to a drag queen doing comedy. A lot of the places that I’ve been traveling to over the past year, I’m doing 20- or 30-minute guest spots. And usually the queens that go around will either lip-sync or sing their songs from their album. So it’s been great to travel the world doing these spots, but this is the chance I get to actually to do a real sit-down show with an audience who wants to see it. It’s a full hour of me taking everyone on my little Rolodex of Hate journey.

OG: You had a catchphrase this season, “Not Today, Satan, Not Today.” My friends and I all totally use it. Where did it come from? BDR: I think it was something a friend of mine and I, many, many years ago, said when I started drag. It was just our thing. When we couldn’t find a matching earring, or we couldn’t find a shoe, or they changed the time or whatever... it was just something we said amongst each other. It’s kind of interesting that it kind of crept out because I say the shit all the time, but I didn’t know that many people would catch up on it.

OG: So comedy stands out? BDR: I think it is what it has evolved to for me. I think that, once again, age and experience helps out a lot in that I’ve been that lip-sync queen, I’ve danced, I’ve sang, and this is the most comfortable for me, this is what I truly loved. And this is what I always wanted to do is sit down and actually do a show. For me, I’m not really a serious person…I am when it comes to business and my personal life. But

Another thing I said was, “Baloney!,” which was Judge Judy’s line. So now, when I’m visiting other states, lots of people bring me bologna, and they’re like “I brought you a gift. Haha.” And then Miss Courtney Act is getting flowers and love notes (laughs). So sometimes it works to your advantage, other times it doesn’t. I get bologna. She gets the boys.

OG: I’ve seen pictures of you and Courtney Act on Facebook. You guys are best buds, right? BDR: Well, I think we all are. I think especially with Adore (Delano), Courtney and I, we had this big experience happen with all of us. In the moment, I was completely appreciative to be in the company of those two as far as top three; they are all brilliantly talented. And we all knew that we all had something different to offer, and through the show we didn’t know who was going to win. And it is a television show and Ru can do whatever she wants, so, we felt very comfortable and confident with one another in that, you know, if it happens to you, whoever gets it gets it. We’ve been able to bond with one another and we are very fortunate that we get to travel and cross paths and do things together. Just recently, I was in Philadelphia, and it was Courtney’s night off and she decided to train it from New York City to come and see me, through the fuckin’ snow, to come and see the show. Which is, you know, something that not just anybody would do. I’m completely enamored with her and Adore as friends. They’re great. And if anybody understands the situation, they get it. It’s been a blessing to get to know them. And it’s not really a schmooze-y schmaltzy thing to say, it’s just you know, it’s respect. ... We had this amazing thing happen together. OG: Any dish on what you think about the new queens in RPDR Season 7 coming this month? Who’s gonna take over your crown? BDR: You know what’s funny? I don’t know anything about any of them. The only one that I’m aware of, and that’s because I’m friends with her - and I didn’t even know she was on the show - was Miss Fame. She’s a New York queen, and I love her, but the others, I don’t know any of them, which is great because it’s going to make the season far more exciting for me. When you’re in the bubble and you’re filming it, you don’t know what other people are saying and what other people are doing. So it’s fascinating to sit back

n of Funny e Givens outlookohio.com

in general I like to have fun and tell stories and talk shit (laughs). And really this is the best venue for me.

OG: We need to switch that around a little bit. BDR: Right, that bitch. (laughs)

Check out the cast of RPDR Season 7 on Page 14.

and watch because your perception of it could be different from what it actually is. january 2015

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OHIO LGBT NIGHTLIFE ROUNDUP BARS & CLUBS Akron

Adams Street 77 N Adams St Akron, Ohio 44305 330.434.9794 adamsstreetbar.com FB: Adams Street Bar Cocktails 1009 S Main St Akron, Ohio 44311 330.376.2625 FB: Cocktails Akron Interbelt 70 N Howard St Akron, Ohio 44310 330.253.5700 interbelt.com FB: Interbelt Nite Club Square Night Club 820 W Market St Akron, Ohio 44310 330.374.9661 squarenightclub.com FB: Square Nightclub Tear-Ez 360 S Main St Akron, Ohio 44311 330.376.0011 tear-ez.com Canton Crew 304 Cherry Ave NE Canton, Ohio 44702 330.575.5548 FB: Crew Canton Studio 704 704 4th St SW Canton, Ohio 44702 330.453.1220 Cincinnati Bar 32 701 Bakewell St Covington, Ky 41011 859.431.7011 bar32covky.com FB: Bar 32 Cov KY Below Zero Lounge 1120 Walnut St Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513.421.9376 belowzerolounge.com FB: Below Zero Lounge

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The Dock 603 Pete Rose Way Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513.241.5623 FB: The Dock Complex

Leather Stallion 2205 St Clair Ave NE Cleveland, Ohio 44114 216.589.8588 leatherstallion.com FB: The Stallion - Leather Stallion Saloon

Level Dining Lounge 700 N High St Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.754.7111 levelcolumbus.com FB: Level Dining Lounge

Right Corner 105 E 3rd St Dayton, Ohio 45402 937.228.2033 FB: Right Corner

Home Base Tavern 2401 Vine St Mean Bull / Aura Cincinnati, Ohio 45219 1313 E 26th St 513.721.1212 FB: HBT Home Base Tavern Cleveland, Ohio 44114 216.812.3330 meanbull.com Main Event FB: Mean Bull Cleveland 835 Main St Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Twist 513.421.1294 11633 Clifton Blvd FB: Main Event Cleveland, Ohio 44102 216.221.2333 Old Street Saloon FB: Twist Sc 13 Old St Monroe, Ohio 45050 513.539.9183 oldstreetbar.com FB: Old Street Saloon On Broadway 817 Broadway St Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513.421.2555 FB: On Broadway Bar Rosie’s Tavern 643 Bakewell St Covington, Ky 41011 859.291.9707 rosiestavernnky.com FB: Rosie’s Tavern Shooters 927 Race St Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513.381.9900 FB: Shooters Bar Simon Says 428 Walnut St Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513.381.7577 Cleveland Cocktails 9208 Detroit Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44102 216.961.3115 FB: Cocktails Cleveland

Vibe 11633 Lorain Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44111 216.476.1970 vibecleveland.com FB: Vibe Bar + Patio Columbus AWOL 49 Parsons Ave Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.621.8779 awolbar.com FB: Awol Bar Axis 775 N High St Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.291.4008 axisonhigh.com FB: Axis Cavan Irish Pub 1409 S High St Columbus, Ohio 43207 614.725.5502 cavanirishpub.com FB: Cavan Irish Pub Club 20 20 E Duncan St Columbus, Ohio 43202 614.261.9111 FB: Club 20 Club Diversity 863 S High St Columbus, Ohio 43206 614.224.4050 clubdiversity.biz FB: Club Diversity

Slammers 202 E Long St Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.221.8880 FB: Slammers

Sparky’s Lounge 822 Watertower Lane West Carrollton, Ohio 45449 937.859.1062 FB: Sparky’s Lounge

Southbend Tavern 126 E Moler St Columbus, Ohio 43207 614.444.3386 FB: Southbend Tavern

Stage Door 44 N Jefferson St Dayton, Ohio 45402 937.223.7418 FB: The Stage Door

The Toolbox Saloon 744 Frebis Ave Columbus, Ohio 43206 614.670.8113 FB: The Toolbox Saloon Tremont Lounge 708 S High St Columbus, Ohio 43206 614.444.2041 FB: Tremont Lounge Union Café 782 N High St Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.421.2233 unioncafe.com FB: Union Cafe

Lima Somewhere 804 W North St Lima, Ohio 45801 419.227.7288 somewherelima.com FB: Somewhere Mansfield Sami’s 178 Wayne St Mansfield, Ohio 44902 419.522.1500 FB: Sami’s Bar Sandusky

Wall Street Night Club 144 N Wall St Columbus, Ohio 43215 614.464.2800 wallstreetnightclub.com FB: Wall Street Night Club

Crowbar 206 W Market St Sandusky, Ohio 44870 419.624.0109 sanduskycrowbar.com FB: Sandusky Crowbar

Dayton

Springfield

Argos 301 Mabel St Dayton, Ohio 45403 937.252.2976

Diesel Bar & Nightclub 1914 Edwards Ave Springfield, Ohio 45503 937.324.0383 FB: Diesel Bar & Nightclub

Masque 20 N Jefferson St Dayton, Ohio 45402 937.228.2582 clubmasque.com FB: Masque

Toledo Bretz 2012 Adams St Toledo, Ohio 43604 419.243.1900 FB: Bretz Nightclub

Legends Showclub 117 N Erie St Toledo, Ohio 43604 567.315.8333 legendsbartoledo.com FB: Legends Showclub Toledo

Out & About

Mojo 115 N Erie St Toledo, Ohio 43604 567.315.8333 mojobartoledo.com FB: Mojo’s R-House 5534 Secor Rd Toledo, Ohio 43623 419.474.2929 FB: Rhouse Bar Warren Funky Skunk NiteClub 143 E Market St Warren, Ohio 44481 FB: Funky Skunk NiteClub Youngstown Utopia Video Night Club 876 E Midlothian Blvd Youngstown, Ohio 44502 330.781.9000 FB: Utopia Youngstown

BATHS Club Columbus 795 W 5th Ave Columbus, Ohio 43212 614.291.0049 the-clubs.com

TOLEDO / NORTHWEST FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 Silver Screen Classic & Art House Film Series: Gone With the Wind @ Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St, Toledo, 43604; valentinetheatre.com: Sure it’s on like every weekend on AMC, but imagine watching the 1939 classic in Toledo’s even more classic theater. 7:30p; $5. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 Euchre Club of Toledo @ Mojo, 115 N Erie St, Toledo, 43604; FB: Euchre Club of Toledo: They’re looking for more people to play Ohio’s favorite game! The Euchre Club of Toledo is an LGBT group that meets every Saturday afternoon. 4p.

Flex 2600 Hamilton Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 216.812.3304 flexspas.com

GET LISTED! We want to make sure all Ohio LGBT bars and clubs are included in our roundup. To update or add your listing, contact Erin at 614.268.8525 or erin@outlookmedia.com. Listings are free.

See our listing of weekly drag shows on Page 27.

DAYTON / WEST SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 Ohio All-American Goddess At Large Pageant @ Masque, 34 N Jefferson St, Dayton, 45402; 937.228.2582; clubmasque.com: outlookohio.com

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Montana McDaniels and Monica St. James host the state prelim pageant in which contestants will be judged in interview, costume, evening gown, talent and Q&A. The national pageant will be in Dayton in March. 10p; $10. SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 The Newbi Rubi Pageant @ IUE-CWA Union Hall, 313 S Jefferson St, Dayton, 45402; 937.694.2196; FB: The Rubi Girls: The Rubi Girls drag troupe, which has been raising money for HIV/AIDS research and education for more than 25 years, is seeking new members. 8p; $20 ($75 VIP).

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 New Year’s Eve Rewind Party @ Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E 6th St, Cincinnati, 45202; cincinnatipride.org: Here’s a reason to delay those resolutions a couple weeks. This middle-of-the-month New Year’s Eve party is also a fundraiser for Cincinnati Pride. 9a-1a. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 Butch Thursday @ Shooters, 927 Race St, Cincinnati, 45202; 513.381.9900; FB: Shooters Bar: Cool it with the showtunes, Mary. Every Thursday at the country and western bar, there’s free pool, corn hole and, more recently, shots for shirts.

COLUMBUS / CENTRAL

CINCINNATI / SOUTHWEST MONDAY, JANUARY 5 Happy Hour for a Cause @ Below Zero Lounge, 1120 Walnut St, Cincinnati, 45202; 513.421.9376; belowzerolounge.com: Every Monday, guest bartenders serve drinks and donate their tips to a specific charity. Check out Below Zero’s Facebook page for charity details. 6p-9p. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7 and WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 Cincinnati Men’s Chorus Auditions @ St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church, 320 Resor Ave, Cincinnati, 45220; 513.542.2626; cincinnatimenschorus.org: Two days of auditions are planned for the March chorus concert, which will celebrate the music of girl groups. Email membership@cincinnatimenschorus.org for details. 6p. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 Bianca Del Rio’s Rolodex of Hate Tour @ Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St, Cincinnati, 45219; 513.872.8801; bogarts.com: The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner brings her onequeen show back to Ohio. See Page 40 for our interview with Del Rio. 8p; $20-$75. outlookohio.com

Project, a Columbus-based online effort that lets young people express their feelings about being bullied through art. Performers include Kelly Mantle of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, Big Dipper, Britney Blaire, Bettie Monroe, Betty Cracker, Deva Station, Hellin Bedd, Mr Pottymouth and the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus. 8p; $10-$85. SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 OSU Women’s Basketball Pride Day @ Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr, Columbus, 43210; ohiostatebuckeyes.com/pride; 614.292.0063: The OSU women’s team will host its second Pride Day game for LGBT fans when the Buckeyes take on Penn State. Visit the website listed for details about a reception taking place as well. 2p; $6.75.

CLEVELAND / NORTHEAST

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 Derrick Barry As Britney Spears @ Bounce, 2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, 44113; 216.357.2997; bouncecleveland.com: The Old-Timers Club of Central Ohio Murder Mys- Divas Las Vegas performer brings his show to tery and Spaghetti Dinner @ Southbend Tav- Cleveland. 11p; cover not announced. ern, 126 E Moler St, Columbus, 43207; 614.444.3386; FB: SouthBend Tavern: Some- THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 one’s been murdered, and your job is to guess YSUnity Drag Show @ Youngstown State Uniwhodunit in this charity fundraiser. 6p-8p. versity Kilcawley Center, Chestnut Room, 1

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 New Year, New You @ Harrison Park Condos Community Center, 575 W 1st Ave, Columbus, 43215; stonewallcolumbus.org/trailblazers; 614.930.2262: Instructor Mark Mayes will lead participants in this Trailblazers (age 50+) event through beginners’ exercises using fitness bands. Registration required. Noon-2p; $6. SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 Capital City Volleyball Open Gym @ Berliner Sports Complex, 325 Greenlawn Ave, Columbus, 43223; 614.329.3696; capitalcityvolleyball.org: In preparation for the winter season that starts Jan 18, the gay volleyball league ATHENS / SOUTHEAST will host an open gym so new participants can be assigned to one of four skill divisions. 10a- MONDAY, JANUARY 26 6p; $10. Screening: United in Anger: A History of ACT UP @ Athena Cinema, 20 S Court St, Athens, SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 45701; 740.593.0239; ohio.edu/lgbt: ProducNina West’s So You Think You Can Drag @ ers Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman will be Axis, 775 N High St, Columbus, 43215; on hand to take questions after the screening 614.291.4008; axisonhigh.com: Twenty conof their 2012 documentary on the AIDS Coalitestants vie for crown in Nina’s amateur com- tion to Unleash Power. 7p petition. The top 11 will share $1,000 in cash and prizes. 8p; $6-$30. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 Queer Women in Film Series: The Lost Tribe SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 @ Ohio University Women’s Center, Baker UniThe Year of the Phoenix Benefit @ Wall versity Center Room 403, Athens, 45701; Street Night Club, 144 N Wall St, Columbus, 740.593.9625; ohio.edu/womenscenter: 43215; 614.464.2800; Screening of a 2005 documentary following wallstreetnightclub.com: Vivian Von Brokenhy- lesbian comedian Sue-Ann Post’s journey to a men hosts this fundraiser for the You Will Rise conference of fellow LGBT ex-Mormons. 4p. Find our full calendar of January events at outlookohio.com.

University Plaza, Youngstown, 44555; 330.941.3597; ysunity.webs.com: Denise Russell hosts, with performances by Mona Lotz, Ava Rose, Kage Kraven and Verronika Vice. 7p10p; $5 (or free with YSU ID). SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 Snowshoe Hike @ Holden Arboretum, 9550 Sperry Rd, Willoughby, 44094; clevelandoutandabout.org: A reason to hope for snow... it’ll make this two- to three-mile hike possible. If there’s no snow, wear waterproof boots, because the hike will go on anyway. It’s sponsored by Cleveland Out & About, an LGBT recreation and social group. (Snowshoes and admission are free.) 3p. Miss Pride Youngstown Pageant @ Funky Skunk Nite Club, 143 E Market St, Warren, 44481; 330.799.1240; prideyoungstown.com: Mona Lotz, the reigning Miss Pride Youngstown, will host the pageant to crown her successor. There’s a Pride Q&A, evening gown and talent competitions. 9p registration and 10p show; $25 to register. SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 Hi-Bear-Nation @ Leather Stallion Saloon, 2205 St. Clair Ave NE, Cleveland, 44114; arktosbears.org: It might be the dead of winter in Cleveland, but Northeast Ohio bears aren’t curled up at home in their Snuggies. They’re firing up the grill, even, for this month’s party. 4p-9p. january 2015

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savage love

by Dan Savage

We just did a live taping of the Savage Lovecast at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre. Audience members submitted more questions - anonymously, on index cards - than we could possibly answer during the Q&A segment of the show. So I’m answering some of the questions we didn’t get to in this column. Here we go:

What is the proper etiquette at most fetish/sex clubs? Can you go and simply observe and not participate? Some fetish/sex clubs allow people to observe on the theory that today’s nervous newbie observer is tomorrow’s confident, active player. Other fetish/sex clubs welcome only active players because they don’t want to be overrun by voyeurs, My partner wants me to pee on him. I’m gawkers or tourists. Most clubs have connot so into it. Now what? Should I do the tact info on their websites, so your best “one and done” thing or put it on the course of action is to email the place you big “no way” list? want to attend and ask. One and done - and with any luck, after seeing what a big nothing peeing on I have not come from a blowjob since I someone actually is, you’ll have a change was a 17-year-old boy. Do I give up on of heart, and peeing on your partner will my quest to orgasm in someone’s wind up on your “once in a while, if you’re mouth or do I continue to subject poor good, and only after I’ve had few beers so women to failure? it’s basically just hot water” list. Mix blowjobs and handjobs together jerk your cock to the point-of-inevitability My boyfriend seems to love the dog place - and you’ll not more than me. What gives? fail. Apparently the dog does. My dick gets dry and kinda bumpy. Lately, there have been more bumps. Why? You might want to ask someone who reads braille to run their fingers over your cock - you know, just to rule out the possibility that Helen Keller is trying to communicate with you from the great beyond. You might also want to see a doctor. It could be HPV (sexually transmitted) or molluscum contagiosum (sometimes sexually transmitted), both of which require treatment, or it could simply be “pearly penile papules,” which are harmless and do not require treatment. Would you let a grateful, mostly straightish guy give you a handjob for all the good work you’ve done in the world? And would you let a straightish woman watch? Yes and no. Is it immoral to fuck an ex-professor who’s married and has three kids if his wife hasn’t fucked him since March? Yes (if he’s lying) and no (if he’s not). 44

january 2015

My gay husband of five years knew what he was getting when he got into our relationship: a total bottom. Now he wants to find a top to play with, but he also knew that I was not “open to open.” That was the price of admission. Can you tell him to stop annoying me? The price of admission cuts both ways. The price of admission he had to pay to be with you: no other partners for him, no getting topped again, ever. But if he’s not willing to keep paying that price, then you may have to decide whether you’re willing pay his price: He gets to play with another top - always safely, once in a great while, maybe with you - or he walks.

What are the ethics of this? Unless the kinksters at the dungeon she attends are engaged in extremely risky forms of edge play - breath control, asphyxiation, fire play, gun play - her life is not in danger. (Suicide-by-cop is a thing, suicide-by-tit-clamp is not. So here’s hoping she’s bullshitting you.) But if she somehow managed to find the one public dungeon on earth where tops rely on bottoms to use their safe words to prevent their own deaths during edge play, what your client is doing is unethical and unfair. A top’s consent matters in a BDSM scene, too - and the people she’s playing with consented to top her, not off her. Tell her to knock it off. I’m a 40-year-old vegetarian guy living in a small college town and looking for an LTR. Sadly, most women my age eat meat. How do vegetarians and meat-eaters compromise in LTRs? The meat-eater agrees to keep a meat-free home; the vegetarian agrees to keep a Morrissey-free home.

I have a glass dildo that I love, but I worry it might break if I go at it too rough. Is this possible? I don’t want to show up in the ER with glass in my vagina. Glass dildos - quality ones - are safer than many other kinds of dildos (nonporous surfaces, no icky chemicals), and one would have to be dropped from a great height onto a very hard surface to actually shatter. So unless you have a diaphragm made of marble and you’re relying on velocity to insert your glass dildo your partner drops it from the top of a I provide counseling to a client who ac- building, you catch it with your pussy cesses the S&M community fairly fre- you’re in no danger. quently. She has shared with me that You can email Dan Savage at she often attends a dungeon in order for someone to inflict pain on her - not mail@savagelove.net, follow him on Twitter @fakedansavage or listen to his weekly podcast, because she enjoys it, but because Savage Lovecast, every Tuesday at she’s hoping they’ll go far enough to thestranger.com/savage. Savage Love appears every month in Outlook at every week at outlookoput her life in jeopardy. She does not hio.com. use the safe words provided to her.

It’s a piece of calamari...

outlookohio.com

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the divine life

by Debé

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) Your word for 2015 is prosperity. You’ve worked hard, and now it’s time to reap your reward. You’re getting some satisfaction in January (cue the porn soundtrack). That Cheshire-cat grin will have everyone wondering what you’re up to. Let them wonder. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Your word for 2015 is opportunity. Exciting things are ahead, but keep it simple. Complications trip you up, and you don’t fall pretty. Your creativity is high, so let your imagination run wild. Pisces (February 19 - March 20) Your word for 2015 is optimism. You start the year off fantasizing, and it’s hard to be disciplined. That can get you into trouble, so unless discipline is your fantasy (oh, you kinky fish), you’ll need to find balance in work and play. Aries (March 21 - April 19) Your word for 2015 is enthusiasm. Take a good look in the mirror. Yeah, we know you’re hot, but look past that and see who you really are. Set goals to improve yourself inside and out. You’ll have to commit this year - and it won’t kill you. Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Your word for 2015 is action. This is no time for false modesty. Look at your life realistically. If you want life to be more fulfilling, you’ll need to be bold to get what you want. That attitude will arouse your partner or playmate - a bonus gift! Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your word for 2015 is balance. The grass was never greener on the other side. Seriously, Dorothy, there’s no place like home. Focus on the here and now. Click your heels three times. Be creative and eloquent, two of your best traits. Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Your word for 2015 is determination. You’re tempted to pull into your shell when life gets tough. Do the opposite: Spend more time with friends. I know you don’t want to, but suck it up. They can help, and they will inspire you. Leo (July 23 - August 22) Your word for 2015 is bonding. Relationships are the focus of 2015. Happiness depends on how good a friend, lover, partner, parent, child, coworker and person you are. Be accessible and supportive, with a side of awesome sauce. outlookohio.com

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Your word for 2015 is manifestation. You will attract what you put out to the universe, so concentrate on goals, not trolls. You might need to bury the hatchet with (not in) someone. Banish negativity and believe that you deserve the best. Libra (September 23 - October 22) Your word for 2015 is momentum. Careful what you wish for because you are about to run into it. Change can come fast and furious, so ditch the heels and keep your track shoes handy. Ready, set, go baby go! Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Your word for 2015 is perspective. Time to step back, reflect and make necessary changes. Getting in touch can make you touchy. You might be tempted to lash out, but stay tactful. Your words can sting, baby. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Your word for 2015 is passion. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Get out of your comfort zone and dive in. You may feel off balance and it will test your confidence, but that’s a good thing. Less cockiness and more originality brings success. Entertaining Capricorns: Ricky Martin, Marlene Dietrich, Chris Hayes, John Legend (not gay but fabulous!) Handy Tip: Capricorn is an earth sign, and an earth hand belongs to someone with a large square palm and shorter fingers. Debé is a palmist, intuitive adviser and metaphysical teacher in Columbus. She is available for personal readings, parties, events and workshops. For more information, go to thepassionatepalmist.com. Look for her horoscopes every month in Outlook.

Outlook’s publisher has earth hands. Weird for his 6’4” stature, but great for getting in the cookie jar.

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outlook’s blog squad Every month in print and every Monday online, we ask Outlook readers to do our work for us as members of our blog squad.

If you want to share your rants, raves or observations, join the Squad! Contact Erin McCalla:

614.268.8525 x2

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley

Top 5 Things to Do in Dayton:

5. Eat dinner in the Oregon District, great local food and drink. 4. Catch a movie at the Neon, an intimate atmosphere with the best movies. 3. Hear one of the best choirs around, the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus. All of the shows are awesome and amazing. 2. Catch the Rubi Girls, guaranteed to be one of the funniest nights you will/will not remember. 1. Dance the night away at Masque, Ohio’s largest gay club in the heart of Downtown. Jan 12 Topic: I Can’t Wait To Perform Same Sex Marriages

Mystique Summers, Cincinnati

Top 5 Products I Can’t Do Drag Without: 5. Lip liners 4. Green Marble SeLr Spray 3. Angle Brush 2. Pros Aide 1. Gel Liner

Jan 19 topic: Why Changing Your Look Is Important in Your Drag Career

january 2015

Missionary Position Across

50 Daughters of Bilitis cofounder Phyllis 1 Vehicles for some 51 Coverage co. dykes 54 Blows away 6 Gladly, old-style 55 Actor who plays Elder 10 Bad bottom-line news Price in 33-Across 14 Not potent 58 Triple X, for Caesar 15 Disengage, as a bra 59 Deity on Xena hook 60 Lubricated 16 “Just for the thrill ___” 61 Swirl around three 17 Co-writer of 33-Across men in a tub 19 Bus Stop playwright 62 Ironically straight singer 20 Autumn mo. Marvin 21 Cross-dresser in a Kinks 63 Nuts partners song 22 Co-creator Matt of 33Down Across 1 Bridle parts 23 Half of a pair of balls 2 As to 26 Cut calories 3 Old playbill from a 27 Not digital Broadway show, e.g. 29 Cries over spilt milk 4 Mock tail? 30 Game with straights 5 Gas additive and queens 6 Angry display 31 Gay-friendly prez por7 It’s just over a foot trayer on TV 8 It comes out of your 33 Broadway musical in head which two missionaries are positioned in Uganda 9 Negative joiner 10 Screw around 39 Formal orders 11 Memorable 40 Erect 12 Official seal 41 Rice fields 13 Real stallions 45 Slapped on the butt, 18 What you shake when e.g. you come quickly 46 Heads off 47 “Keep your pants on!” 22 Fraus to Frida 24 Naval Academy fresh49 Singer Jennifer

Mystique Summers appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 2.

man 25 Russian pianist rated 76% gay at Gay or Straight.com 26 Regard as 27 In the cards 28 Type of drama in the land of Samurai 29 New York Liberty game officials 31 Biathlete’s slats 32 How some like it 34 Rock group? 35 Part of APR 36 Cameron’s husband on Modern Family 37 Verb ending 38 Beatty of Roseanne 41 Susan Feniger may pleasure it 42 Stated openly 43 Ride (on) 44 Somewhat formal 45 Harvey Milk portrayer Sean 47 “Yipes!” from Harvey Fierstein 48 Some people make it in bed 50 Byron poem 52 Come together 53 Cutlass, for one 55 Regret not spitting 56 It’s corny 57 Carnaval locale outlookohio.com

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january 2015

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