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The Annual Interview Issue
May 2016 • vol 20 • issue 12
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Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!
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Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!
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Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!
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vol 20 • #12
We ♥ Ohio People
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you are here
We ♥ You Next month we begin a summerlong celebration of our community – and we mean it when we say summerlong.
snapshot
From Dayton Pride on June 4 to Toledo Pride in late August, qmunity it will be a festive few months. small pond: Robert Mason Co. Columbus Pride is June 17-18. Cincinnati Pride is June 25. we ♥ Brooklyn Steele-Tate Youngstown Pride has been we ♥ Jonathan McNeal moved to July 16. Cleveland we ♥ London Aisa Pride has been moved to Aug. 13. we ♥ Lori Gum we ♥ Kerry McCormack
interview: Kristin Chenoweth creative class: Beyond the Binary
creative class: Local Playwrights Festival IMHO
dyke like me
We’ll have details on these Pride festivals and others in our June issue. This month, we celebrate the individual. In this issue of Outlook, we have profiled five people whose con-
snapshot
PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes
tributions to the LGBTQ communities of Ohio we greatly admire. We hope they inspire you they way they inspire us. Of course, they are not alone. Every day in every corner of this state, countless Ohioans are doing great things to make their communities safer, happier, more accommodating, more accepting, more loving for all. We love telling all of those stories. Please share them with us, so we can share them with the world. And keep up the good work! Bob Vitale Editor-in-Chief
calendar: Dayton
calendar: Cincinnati savage love
Network Columbus @ Factory on Fourth 04/13/16
SALES Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com Mike Moffo / mike@outlookmedia.com Lena NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Vitale / bvitale@outlookmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / erin@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS James Blackmon, Brooke Cartus, Alisa Caton, Debé, Aimee Hancock, Aaron Leventhal, Erin McCalla, Dan Savage, Bob Vitale ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / art@outlookmedia.com
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Jessica Campbell, Aimee Hancock, Beth Ervin Leventhal, Bryce McCaughey, Andrew Williams CYBERSPACE outlookohio.com outlookmedia.com networkcolumbus.com twitter / fb: outlook 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.
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HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Ste G, Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone / 614.261.8200 fax
Outlook is published and distributed by Outlook Media Inc., on the first day of each month throughout Ohio.
trippin’ out: Traverse City Film Festival calendar: Toledo
AIDS Walk Central Ohio @ McFerson Park 04/16/16
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 ©2016 Outlook Media Inc., All rights reserved.
AIDS Walk Toledo @ International Park 04/17/16
divine life toons
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Bob Vitale / Chad Frye
Love Big Dayton @ Crowne Plaza 04/24/16
next month: the 2016 Ohio
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pride issue may 2016
Opera Ain’t No Drag @ Collingwood Arts Center 04/16/16
Advertise in our Pride issue and show your support for Ohio’s LGBT communities! Call 614.268.8525, x1
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qmunity
Missing Man Found Dead; Police Have Few Answers
A friend held onto a framed snapshot from a trip they took to Pittsburgh. His sister hugged people tightly.
4. His body was found March 29 in the Scioto River at Whittier Peninsula, just south of Downtown.
And more than 100 people he never met lit candles and shed tears on March 31 at a vigil in memory of Joey LaBute, a 26-year-old from
Franklin County Coroner Anahi Ortiz told The Columbus Dispatch that LaBute most likely had died before his body entered the river,
Gahanna who was missing for more than three weeks before he was found dead in Columbus.
and she said there were no obvious signs of foul play. WBNS-TV reported April 15 that a security camera from the neighborhood showed LaBute leaving Union alone.
“I can just feel the love,” said Stephanie Stegmeier, LaBute’s sister.
was robbed and beaten near a South Side gay bar in 2013 that criminals sometimes choose areas around LGBT nightspots to find their victims. Aaron Eckhardt, training and technical assistance director for BRAVO, acknowledged
that unanswered questions about LaBute’s disappearance and death have caused fear in the LGBT community.
“It’s very hard when we don’t have the answers we want. Police haven’t talked about … I know often our minds whether LaBute might have wander,” he said. “We don’t LaBute was last seen at been targeted because he know the motive. We don’t Union Café in the Short North was gay, but Buckeye Region know how Joey died. But we during a night out with Anti-Violence Organization are a community that loves friends and family on March officials said after a man each other.”
Shooters Shuts Down After Death of Owner
Howard Sharon, the owner of Shooters bar and a founder of the Cincinnati Court, ISQCCBE, passed away on March 23. He was 64 years old.
TransOhio Symposium Features 50 Workshops An “overwhelming” response for workshop proposals has resulted in more than 50 sessions over three days for TransOhio’s 8th Annual Transgender and Ally Symposium.
nity Between MSM of Color and Trans Women.
Sunday, May 15 Noon - 4:45p
Sessions include: Significant Other: How Do I Also Meet My Needs?; Addressing the HIV Epidemic in the Trans Population; A Labor History of Queer America; Examining the Intersections of Identity and Sexuality Friday, May 13 Through a Trans Lens; Allyship and the 9a - 5p Transgender Community; TransYouth: NaviThe symposium opens with a Providers Day, gating the Healthcare and Educational Sysfull of sessions geared toward health profes- tems; Teaching While Trans; God Loves sionals and others who serve the transgender Everybody. community. There’s a reception at night. It’s $90 to attend all three days, although the symposium is free for trans/gender-variant Saturday, May 14 youth through high school and $20 for par9a - 5p ents of trans children younger than 18. The Sessions include: Bisexual/Pansexual Forum; Friday session costs $60, the Saturday sesFtM Top Surgery 101; Strategies to Preserve sion is $30 and the Sunday session is $20. Family and Trans/Cis Committed Relationships; Advocating for Your Child; Changing Visit transohio.org for registration details, the Culture of Rural and Small Town America; lodging info and more. Coming Out, Overcoming the Bigotry and Creating a Life Worth Living; Building CommuIt’s scheduled for Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, at the Ohio Union on the campus of Ohio State University.
Give Out Day 2016 Since 2013, people have pledged nearly $2.5 to LGBT groups around the country through Give Out Day, a coordinated effort to call attention to the needs of those who help our community.
and PFLAG chapters, bands and choruses, Pride festivals, health and safety groups and more - will take part in this year’s Give, scheduled for Thursday, May 19.
Ohio organizations - GLSEN
Visit giveoutday.org.
leagues, HIV/AIDS programs and efforts to help LGBT youth.
A post by the bar on Facebook said Shooters will close permanently.
“Daddy Howard Sharon was the functioning center of so many “If it wasn’t for Shooters and the Stompers (LGBT country dancing group) 23 years ago, I fundraisers and charity events. He has helped thousands of people in our commuwouldn’t be married to the most wonderful man today,” one patron posted in response. nity. No matter the cause, he was there to help in any way he could, and he was a A native of Covington, Ky., Sharon served in friend to everyone he met,” Cincinnati City the U.S. Army and owned a real-estate office Council member Chris Seelbach said in a eulogy delivered at Sharon’s memorial service. before buying a run-down Cincinnati bar, renovating and renaming it Shooters. He “He gave so many a ‘home’ in Shooters. Both supported LGBT bowling and softball will be sorely missed from the community.”
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We send our sympathies to the familes and friends of Joey LaBute and Howard Sharon.
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small pond
photo: Jessica Campbell
Back in Style We ♥ Robert Mason and its Rise From the Ashes
by Alisa Caton
work, and they went for it. As a young business owner, he said, he always It’s obvious that every detail has been had to show that his age was not an considered in the new Robert Mason issue. store in Columbus’ Short North neighborhood. The sounds of RM Radio mix “I had to prove myself quite a bit, and with the brand’s exclusive scent to that’s something I’m still trying to do create an atmosphere truly original to constantly,” Grimmett said. the space. As business boomed, a teenage It’s no surprise to learn the upscale Grimmett hired on both of his paroffice supplies store is 23 years in the ents, and they moved the shop to a making. larger space where it still sits today. He also went to work for other retailAt the age of 12, Robert Grimmett ers to learn how they grew their comstarted Robert’s Design Studio, a little panies and to gain big-city shop in his parents’ home in experience. “I had applied to every Ravenswood, W.Va., an Ohio River store in Charleston to practice not town about 40 miles southeast of being the boss. ... The only one that Athens. called me back was Bath & Body Works,” he said. “I learned a lot about “When I came home at night to do my branding in that experience.” daily orders ... we had to set him up an office alongside of mine, so there Before leaving for college at the Art went the dining room table - and it Institute of Chicago, Grimmett sold was 8 feet long,” said his father, Bob Robert’s Design Studio to his parents. Grimmett, who was a sales represen- Grimmett stayed in Chicago for 11 tative for Benjamin Moore Paint Co. years, working for competitors and “He had his own calculator, order educating himself on retailing and pads and the works, and he would the development that goes into buildwork alongside of me until the work ing a brand. He was working for was done.” Value City Furniture when he was relocated to Columbus. Dad bought a used desktop computer and got to use it for about a week be- “I never thought I would stay here,” fore young Robert claimed it as his he said. own to produce his own graphics and displays. He also started designing Upon arriving in the city, he quickly his own office supplies. changed his mind. “There’s a focus “He had a great eye for detail,” Bob on fashion, culture and wanting local Grimmett recalls. to flourish here. It seemed like a great fit for the (Robert Mason) brand.” The The business wasn’t child’s play, owner of Sugar Daddy’s Sumptuous though. Sweets offered him 208 square feet to set up shop Downtown at High and Robert’s Design Studio grew, and Gay streets. Grimmett’s parents eventually insisted he find a spot outside the “It felt very New York, very urban. We house for his work. Grimmett worked filled every nook and cranny with out a deal with local company to rent stuff. That store then took off and space in exchange for his design was very successful,” Grimmett said. outlookohio.com
“We were there one year, one month, Robert Mason Co. one day, then burned down. It was tax robertmasoncompany.com day, the day of the Titanic, and the 17 Brickel St. day we burned down.” Columbus, 43215
Everything was lost in that fire in 2014, and Grimmett and his family were devastated. “It was a death beyond imagination,” said Bob Grimmett. “The restart was not at nothing but severely in the hole.”
614.228.7626
Mondays - Saturday 11a-9p Sunday Noon-6p
Robert said it was the people who believed in the brand and supported him who brought him back: his partner, Dean; family, friends, and fans of the store. Now, Robert Mason has returned and bigger than ever before. In a 3,000 square foot space at 17 Brickel St., the alley off High Street between Brassica and the Short North Tavern, Grimmett has expanded his product line to carry lifestyle gear, an accessories parlor, home and body and grooming products. The new space also acts as the Robert Mason headquarters, with a marketing team running campaigns in the backroom and managing a new partnership with Express. “We want to be a global brand, and we already ship all over the world.” But Grimmett said he’s just happy to be back in a shop in Columbus and watching this dream come to life. “All of our fans from our old store have come to visit us and we have new guests. We feel very loved,” he said. “It’s like seeing old friends again.” Alisa Caton is a Hilliard native and Ohio University alumna. She now is a freelance writer living in Columbus.
Robert Mason carries everything from shower gel to OSU gear!
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Bait your hook with creativity and catch yourself an Art Shark at the Columbus Arts Fest!
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We ♥ Brooklyn
Steele-Tate
photo: Andrew Williams
The Cincinnati Drag Queen Changes Lives One Single at a Time
by Erin McCalla
that Tate has emceed Cincinnati Pride for the last eight years.)
Brooklyn Steele-Tate doesn’t say no. She can’t.
“Her dedication to our community is second to none,” Penny Tration said. “She works tirelessly raising money for local charities and is the president or past president of nearly every LGBT organization in the city.”
And groups like Caracole and PFLAG are thankful for that. Known as the “charity queen” in Cincinnati, Tate serves as Empress XIV of the Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire. The chapter of the national organization “represents the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, allied communities, and all concerned in support of community functions.” Through her work as Empress, she raises money by guest bartending, hosting bingo and, of course, by performing. And because of her efforts, she has helped the Imperial Court raise $1.2 million for local charities like Caracole, PFLAG, GLSEN, Specialized Alternative for Families and Youth and Necco in 25 years. “Some people say, ‘You’ve been an organization for 25 years and you’ve only raised that much?’” Tate said. “I tell them, ‘Think about how we get it. We get it one dollar at a time. We don’t have big sponsors; we don’t have people giving us $10,000 at a time. On average, each year we raise $60,000. ... On average, at our shows, we raise $600-$800.” Originally from Texas, Tate has been in the Queen City (how fitting) for 12 years. It was through charity that she started doing drag a year earlier at Lima’s Someplace Else before heading south to Cincinnati. Penny Tration hired her onto the cast at The Cabaret five years ago, and she trusts Tate to fill in as emcee while she’s away. (It helps outlookohio.com
Penny isn’t exaggerating. Tate is the current president of the Cincinnati PFLAG board and the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce, the vice president of the board of the Imperial Court and a cochair of Cincinnati Pride. She also helps with Northern Kentucky Pride and just started with LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens. Even in her day job, she helps people. She well, he, since her real name is Michael Cotrell - works for OnHealthcare, at a mobile medical unit doing ancillary services for nursing-home residents. Tate attributes her giving spirit to her mother, a single parent of 10 children who taught them all that there was always someone less fortunate. “We never knew that we struggled; I never knew my mom struggled,” she said. “But she worked two jobs just so we didn’t have to go on welfare. She said, ‘If you have clothes that you don’t wear anymore, you give them to somebody.’ Whenever I would get things at jobs, like at Thanksgiving time, they would give us free turkeys. Mom always bought a turkey, so if this person needs a turkey; give it to them. It’s always been like that in our family.” And that’s why her reputation has become: “Ask Brooklyn. She’ll do it.”
“People call me, and immediately my mind starts going, thinking of ways to help,” she said. When Necco, a foster care organization, asked her to help fill 300 Easter baskets in March, she leapt into action asking people to bring her candy and treats. She presented Necco with 315 baskets filled with candy, stuffed animals, baby wipes, shampoo and gift cards for the kids. The organization’s gratitude was overwhelming, and it reminded her of why she continues to paint and pad herself two to four times a week. (From start to finish, she can paint and dress in an hour. “And Penny says it looks like it!” she said.) At 43, Tate doesn’t think she’ll continue to do drag forever, and she says she’s probably too old for it already. But when she speaks about different charities and the ways to help them,
Brooklyn performs at The Cabaret in Cincinnati on Saturday nights at 10:30p.
there’s excitement in her voice. She also knows that her charity brand is wrapped up in drag, because people want to be entertained. “I don’t find it a chore to do. When someone comes to me, I think, ‘How can we make this work?’ Some people don’t know how to raise money, or what they want to do,” she said. While any queen can join her in her philanthropic endeavors, she doesn’t try to force her giving spirit on others. “It’s who I am. I don’t need it to be who you are.”
Erin McCalla is the managing editor at Outlook. If she were a drag queen, she’d want Brooklyn to be her drag mother. (Even though Brooklyn doesn’t do that.) You can reach her at erin@outlookmedia.com. may 2016
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We ♥ Ohio People
We ♥ Jonathan McNeal Dayton Filmmaker Makes and Shares LGBT Stories
by Aimee Hancock Pop culture plays a role in the push for equality, helping to normalize and demystify the stereotype-driven view many people have of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Magazines, TV shows and film help create an atmosphere of acceptance. Jonathan McNeal is well aware of that fact.
“She wrote a little slip for me to go upstairs to the adult, main section of the library to check out a book called, The Making of The Wizard of Oz by Aljean Harmetz, which was the first, kind of, ‘Making of...’ book that came out about Oz. I was really enraptured by it, just how all the special affects were done, and the back story, how the film went from book to screen, and I loved it.”
He created and produced his own film, a documentary about the popular He’s a filmmaker and the manager of The Neon, Dayton drag troupe known a Dayton movie theater that regularly screens as The Rubi Girls, while atLGBT-themed films. He’s also the driving force tending Wright State Unibehind the Dayton LGBT Film Festival, a 10-year- versity. He’s now a member old showcase for stories featuring queer charac- of the group, whose perters and themes. formances raise money for HIV/AIDS programs and Since he was a child, McNeal has been enamLGBT organizations. ored with television and film. He grew up in Salem, a small Northeast Ohio town between “I was a fan [of The Rubi Canton and Youngstown. Girls], first in the mid-’90s, and became kind of a groupie “My mother thought I watched too much televi- and would go to their shows sion,” he said. “She likes to tell people that.” when they were doing things [in Dayton] or in Columbus,” A fan of the The Wizard of Oz since childhood, McNeal said. “Then they found out I was a film McNeal recalls when he became interested in student. They asked me if I’d start videotaping how the film was made. their shows, and I started taking the camera backstage, as well, and realized that there was “In 5th grade, I remember [the librarian] was al- just as much fun and interesting things happenways helping me find books about Oz,” he said. ing back there as on stage. So that’s where the
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idea was born for the documentary.” The documentary, first screened in 2003 at a film festival in San Francisco, was part of McNeal’s thesis work. It has been shown in many different places since then, traveling as far as Australia. It won audience awards at film festivals in Atlanta and Fire Island. Along with being a filmmaker, McNeal has worked full time as the manager of The Neon since 2001. The twoscreen theater shows foreign and independent films and regularly includes LGBT fare. “I’m kind of the face of the theater,” McNeal said. “I’m more focused on what’s happening artistically here, as far as the work that’s being shown. Jan, who is our buyer out of Oakland, goes to Sundance [Film Festival] and sees a lot of things, and I go to the Toronto Film Festival every year. So, over the course of 8½ days, I’ll see 35 films, and a lot of those are films that we end up booking.” LGBT+ stories and character portrayals are still
Visit neonmovies.com for The Neon’s movies and show times.
photo: Aimee Hancock
The Neon Movie Theater
in short supply, though, McNeal acknowledges. “I certainly think that we still see a reluctance by the mainstream to embrace LGBT stories,” he said. “LGBT characters can certainly exist in a peripheral and be well-received and do well financially, but those films that are fanatical with LGBT characters, it’s so rare that they do well, and I just think that shows that there’s still a reluctance to completely embrace.” The Dayton LGBT Film Festival is yet another way McNeal promotes the inclusion of LGBT characters, directors and themes within culture and media. The 11th annual festival will take place in October. (There are also dedicated LGBT film events in Cincinnati and Columbus, and a healthy representation of queer themes at the annual Cleveland International Film Festival.) “I do think that exposure is still not fully embraced,” McNeal said. “Thus, the importance of an LGBT festival is not only to create community, but also to showcase exposure to stories that otherwise aren’t being seen or told.” Aimee Hancock is a 2014 graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she studied journalism and popular culture. She currently lives in Troy and works as a freelance writer in Western and Southwest Ohio. outlookohio.com
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We ♥ Ohio People
photo: Bryce McCaughey
We ♥ London Asia
Valerie Neal
by Bob Vitale
When London Asia tells me she took her first steps in her mother’s heels, I don’t ask if she means figuratively or literally. Either way, it works. Blessed with a mother who accepted her as transgender from the first time she expressed her identity as a child, the Toledo entertainer has paid that love and acceptance forward many times over. At just 29, she’s the mother figure for a large and growing group of drag performers, friends and LGBT young people in Northwest Ohio. “She has nothing but love in her heart, and she is always willing to reach out a helping hand to anyone in need,” said Santana Romero, a Toledo drag king who is part of London’s family. “She has ‘children’ from all walks of life that she cares for and considers her family, in and out of the entertainment scene.” outlookohio.com
photo: Bryce McCaughey
Toledo Entertainer Offers a Mother’s Love to a New Generation a different high school and earned her diploma. A few years ago, she said, she met another transgender woman She was raped, which made her mother even more protective. Her mom who had attended Scott High School. “If it was shiny, if it was bright, if it fought officials at Toledo’s Scott High She told her that school administrahad cartoon characters, I loved it,” London said of her childhood gender School who repeatedly sent London tors called her “another London” and left her alone. home for wearing girls’ clothes to “I’ll never blend into society, but I expression. “It was normal. I didn’t know the outside world was different.” school. The tipping point came when never thought about being in that London’s mother, Valerie Neal, passed London planned her response. box,” she said. “I’m a child of God. To away in February. She attended Lonme, everyone is family. That’s from She learned soon enough. In her first few years of school, she tried to avoid “I did this elaborate, sculpted, nice lit- don’s shows, helped her prepare for God.” the boys’ lines and the girls’ lines and tle ponytail. I wore a pencil skirt past pageants, and offered advice to the my knees, so it wasn’t too short. I wore parents of other LGBT kids. If London Asia was influenced by the walk in the mid woman who raised her, what made her a nice blouse, a little belt. The bell had “Black parents are a lot tougher, so dle of the hallway. A 7th-grade talent just rung, and I was told I couldn’t mother so full of unconditional love? show was her first public performdress that way. I picked up my clutch black kids are more scared to come out,” London said. “She said, ‘Love and walked to the office.” She had gay and transgender friends ance, although classmates already them. The more you try to change before she had London. Her parents, in were drawn to her because of her talA school administrator told London to them, the more you’ll push them fact, met at Caesar’s, Toledo’s legent as a dancer. take her hair down. She did, but she away.” endary showbar. London’s father is gay, and her godmother is trans. Her But eventually came the names. Lon- had fixed it at home so it would be an parents divorced but lived together. don convinced herself she was being entirely different look. She was told to “We were like this,” London said, holding up her crossed fingers. called fag and fruity tooty because she take that ’do down as well. She revealed a third style. It was all too Her mother sat through the shows was so bubbly. She began teaching much for officials who earlier that year she’d put on as a young child - London herself about LGBT history. She cut would run up the back stairs for cos- through alleys and fields to and from told her a simple white blouse wasn’t You can email Outlook school to avoid mean comments and acceptable because the buttons were Editor-in-Chief Bob Vitale at tume changes - and would ask her bvitale@outlookmedia.com child: “What do you want to be called threats. on the left side. or follow him on Twitter today?” She’d tell London she could @Bob_Vitale. change out of her boy clothes as soon “Being a kid was great,” London said. After two years, London transferred to The world hasn’t always been as kind and loving to her as London’s mom, but her upbringing has given her an outlook that trumps whatever life has thrown in her path.
as a family picture was taken or they returned home from some errand.
“Junior high was a little tough.”
London performs in Toledo, Dayton, Columbus and other cities.
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We ♥ Ohio People
We ♥ Lori Gum
The Stonewall Columbus Program Coordinator Creates Communities by Bob Vitale Lori Gum has helped LGBT refugees, LGBT prison inmates, even LGBT ghosts feel like they’re part of a community. Her own welcome came in the form of a punch in the face from a pissed-off lesbian at the old Summit Station bar in Columbus.
“She has a unique ability to foresee the trends that are happening in our community and then build programs for us that fill in the gaps for our members and the wider Columbus community,” Rothan said. The most recent sampling: • An effort to help overturn the dishonorable discharges of Central Ohio veterans who
migration Services in May. The two organizations have been guiding LGBT refugees from Uganda who resettled in Central Ohio last fall. • Three efforts are in place to reach out to LGBT people serving time in Ohio’s prisons and jails. Through Inside Out, Stonewall staff and people from other community groups visit facilities such as the Marion Correc-
Gum was a 17-year-old from suburban Westerville when she ventured out on her own for that gay rite of passage, the first visit to a gay bar. She asked a girl to dance. She got clocked by another, for reasons never explained.
Gum also serves as Stonewall’s Columbus Pride coordinator. She left Central Ohio for NYU’s film school in the year of the first Pride parade in Columbus and hadn’t planned on coming back. Although her family “just let me be me” - no one forced her to wear dresses; her dad played ball with her in the backyard - Gum just didn’t feel she could live authentically in her hometown. “You know how I got this job?,” Gum asks while sitting in a meeting room on the second floor of Stonewall’s Center on High. “I put in those windows!” After years in the film business - she worked in casting, as a production assistant and a screenwriter - Gum came back to Columbus in 2007 after her brother took over the family glass business.
At a recent story-telling event, Gum shared that experience with others for the first time. Although she’s accustomed to speaking publicly, she found herself uncharacteristically ill-at-ease and emotional.
Gum already knew Stonewall’s center coordinator, Suzie Simpson. On the window job, she met Rothan and her partner, Linda Schuler. She ended up volunteering for Pride and later jumped on board full-time.
Weeks later, in the safety of her office at Stonewall Columbus, she explains how that night kept her at arms’ length from the LGBT community for years but now helps fuel her passion for making sure others feel like they’re part of it.
“This ‘wasteland’ where I couldn’t live authentically transformed into this progressive, welcoming community,” Gum said of the Columbus she returned to.
“That one woman did not represent the community, but that’s what it felt like to me,” she said. “Community means all of us.” It’s a thought that guides Gum’s work at Stonewall Columbus, where the now-54-year-old serves as program coordinator. In the last two years, those programs have evolved and expanded to the point where Executive Director Karla Rothan jokingly tells her: “No more programs!” But seriously, Rothan says, Lori Gum has transformed Stonewall and contributed greatly to its success and sustainability.
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photo: Jessica Campbell
were kicked out of the U.S. military under its bans on service by gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans has expanded statewide and nationally after stories on CNN and in The New York Times. • Stonewall will kick off a formal partnership with Columbus’ Community Refugee and Im-
tional Institution, where LGBT inmates and allies discuss issues of safety and acceptance. There’s also a support group for LGBT people who have finished their sentences and are back in their communities. Stonewall also has started a letter-writing effort between LGBT inmates at Marion and LGBT people on the outside.
Gum’s work helps others find their connections and communities within the larger LGBT world, and it’s helped her discover her own sense of community, as well.
“I’ve really found my passion and my reward,” she said. “I have found that working in service to others is the most satisfying and rewarding work you can do.” You can email Outlook Editor-in-Chief Bob Vitale at bvitale@outlookmedia.com or follow him on Twitter @Bob_Vitale.
Read more about Stonewall’s gay ghost hunts at FB: Stonewall Columbus Queer Ghosthunters.
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We ♥ Kerry McCormack
We ♥ Ohio People
Cleveland’s New Voice Is the First Millennial and Second LGBT Member of City Council
by Bob Vitale
You could say Kerry McCormack has a new job. Or you could say he’s doing what he’s been doing for a while now, just from a different office that likely has a better view.
service. His father, Appeals Court Judge Tim McCormack, is a former Cuyahoga County commissioner and auditor, a former state representative and state senator, and a former City Council member in Euclid.
unteer than the all-consuming job of a paid staffer. He ended up running field operations in 26 communities from the East Side of Cleveland to the eastern suburbs in Cuyahoga County. Brown and McCormack’s father - once de-
McCormack, 28, who has worked since 2013 as director of community affairs for Ohio City Inc., was appointed on April 4 as the newest member of the Cleveland City Council. He’s the second openly gay Clevelander to serve on the 17member council and the first since Democrat Joe Santiago was defeated in 2009.
Cimperman was considered the City Council’s strongest ally for LGBT Clevelanders, and his final legacy was recommending an LGBT Clevelander - and the first member of the millennial generation - as his replacement. City Council tradition gives great weight to an outgoing council member’s choice to complete an unexpired term. McCormack will run for a full four-year term in 2017.
He was recommended by the man he replaced, Democrat Joe Cimperman, who resigned after 17 years on the council to run a nonprofit agency called Global Cleveland.
While McCormack gives the standard response of LGBT politicians - “I want to be able to represent everybody” - he also acknowledges that his experience and perspective as a gay white man isn’t the same as everyone else in the LGBT community.
At Ohio City Inc., McCormack worked on programs that helped homeowners pay for safety improvements, brought college students to Cleveland as student teachers, improved recreation opportunities for kids and made the neighborhood more welcoming to LGBT people. He said he enters public office with a list of priorities that includes many of the issues he tackled at his previous job. Ohio City Inc., is the community development corporation for the LGBT-centric neighborhood west of Downtown. On the City Council, he’ll represent Cleveland’s Ward 3, which includes Ohio City, Tremont, Downtown, the Flats and portions of Clark-Fulton and the Stockyards. “It’s a very diverse area,” he said. “Your 10 o’clock meeting can be about a 55-story proposed development, and your 11 o’clock is finding houses for refugees. You have to be a versatile person who can do those things.” McCormack knows the demands of public outlookohio.com
to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Right now, Cleveland law bans discrimination based on gender identity, but it exempts anyone who denies a transgender person access to the restroom of his, her or their identity.
“It’s important to have the lived life of an LGBT person at the table ... but I don’t know what it’s like to be a trans woman, or a lesbian, or a gay African-American man,” he said. “Because of that, I hope to bring everyone to the table.”
McCormack grew up in the Collinwood neighborhood on Cleveland’s East Side. He graduated from Miami University with a degree in international relations, Spanish and Latin American studies. He taught English in Madrid for two years before returning to Cleveland in 2012. “I was concerned about the money being spent against (U.S. Sen.) Sherrod Brown, so I went to volunteer for his campaign. They said they had a job open. Great,” he said jokingly. At the time, McCormack was more interested in the noncommittal role of a campaign vol-
scribed by a Plain Dealer columnist with two words seldomly paired: honest politician - are his political role models. “Before I came out, my dad was asked once about his opinion on gay marriage. He said something like, ‘Of course people should have the right to get married,’” McCormack said. On the Cleveland City Council, McCormack will face a different set of LGBT issues. He’ll continue Cimperman’s push for legislation that would give transgender people the right
Contact Mike Moffo at mike@outlookmedia.com to advertise in our Pride Issue.
“To educate people is critical, especially when we see the bans that have been proposed in places like North Carolina.”
At the Table
LGBT members of city councils in Ohio: Cincinnati: Chris Seelbach Columbus: Shannon Hardin Maple Heights: Richard Trojanski Portsmouth: Kevin Wadsworth Johnson Youngstown: Anita Davis You can email Outlook Editor-in-Chief Bob Vitale at bvitale@ outlookmedia.com or follow him on Twitter @Bob_Vitale. may 2016
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Square One has salons in Dayton and Columbus.
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Sheís So Popular Singer and Actor, Broadway and Country, Christian and Ally, Kristin Chenoweth Does It All by Erin McCalla
It’s easy to love Kristin Chenoweth. The Broadway/television/movie star is not only incredibly talented (her vocal range is four octaves!), she’s personable and a fierce ally. And she even has her own jewelry collection on the Home Shopping Network. In April, Chenoweth was honored at the Straight for Equality Awards, hosted by PFLAG, for publicly speaking out with her personal message, proving that Christians and LGBT allies aren’t mutually exclusive groups. Outlook was able to ask Chenoweth a few questions about her career and her current tour, which stops at the Palace Theatre in Columbus on Thursday, May 19; at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on Saturday, June 25; and at the Stranahan Theatre in Toledo on Saturday, Sept. 17. Erin McCalla: For our readers who haven’t seen you live, can you briefly describe your concert? Kristin Chenoweth: For those who don’t know me, they should be ready... My show is a compilation of all music I love: music theater, country, soft rock, classical, inspirational and gospel. It’s quite a ride. I love all kinds of music and was raised listening to all kinds, so I gotta represent! EM: What do you like about performing concerts vs. being on Broadway or doing movies or television? KC: Concerts give me an outlet to be the “artist.” I am not playing any type of role [I’m] just picking music that means something to me, and saying what I want and need to say to audiences. I adore picking material that speaks to me so that people get a better idea of me. I have music to speak about things that are important to me, and outlookohio.com
hopefully others find that interesting.
EM: What has been the most difficult or challenging role you’ve done? KC: The hardest role I’ve ever done was most recent: Lily Garland in On the 20th Century. It was on Broadway last year and it was operatic in tone, and yet highbrow comedy. It was the most challenged I’ve ever been. Madeline Kahn created the role; she’s a hero of mine. I’m so honored I got to do it. EM: Do you ever feel like you get pigeonholed into certain roles? KC: I do feel lucky I don’t get pigeon-holed. Maybe I do a little... but it’s mainly in the way of, “Here is a really specific role, not many can do. Get Kristin.” I like that. I don’t mean it in an arrogant way, but I’m not usually the one they call to play a regular mom or the office worker. I’m usually playing the weird, complex, sometimes-comedic person. I wonder why? [laughs] EM: If you could perform any musical role there are no limitations - which would it be? KC: Any role I wish I could play? I haven’t I’ve done it. But I do love Dolly Parton. I relate to her. Maybe I would’ve loved to have played Eliza in My Fair Lady. But now it’s just a dream in my head... the bus left the station! EM: You’ve done it all - stage, movies, television, voiceover work. Is there anything you haven’t done in the entertainment industry that you want to try? KC: There are always things in this business I wanna do... I’ve never hosted SNL. I’m not sure that will ever happen, but I can still dream. I’ve always wanted to produce something for someone else, so they can realize their dream. I will do that before I die. EM: Do you sing in the shower? What songs
do to sing for yourself? KC: I sing in the shower all the time. Every singer knows that’s where you sound best. Dusty Springfield once threatened to do an album in there, but I hear she settled on a good hallway of a building in NYC. Acoustics! I always sing a little Trisha [Yearwood], some Dolly, then I move into pure belt like Judy Garland. Then I usually warm up the soprano with some aria. That’s getting harder as my voice is deepening. But I still got the notes! [laughs] EM: Is Taylor the Latte boy real? If so, do you still gets your lattes from him? KC: Taylor the Latte Boy is not real. But in my head I picture someone I know. Which will remain a secret. EM: You have been outspoken both about your faith and about your support of the LGBT community. I have a friend who lives in the South, who is a Christian AND she is liberal. In the current political climate, she often gets dismayed that because she is both Christian and Southern, she is often painted as intolerant. Have you ever felt judged in that way? KC: I am judged a lot for my beliefs. Both for being a Christian and a gay rights lover. I used to get hurt more by it, but now I just think, “What would Jesus do?” He would
Kristin’s Cincinnati concert is the night of Cincinnati Pride.
LOVE. That’s my only answer and my truth. Please tell your friend to keep her head up high, and keep on lovin’! EM: If you lost your voice tomorrow (God forbid), what would you do instead? KC: If I lost my voice tomorrow, I would probably teach. I have a theater in my hometown of Broken Arrow, Okla. We are doing some amazing things there, starting our second year with a summer arts camp for kids. I do master classes there. I only want kids to know everywhere that music can be a lifesaver. Music can change your life - let it! It sure as heck changed mine. To purchase tickets to see Kristin Chenoweth in concert, visit officialkristinchenoweth.com.
On Tour
Thursday, May 19 Palace Theatre, Columbus Saturday, June 25 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati Saturday, Sept. 17 Stranahan Theatre, Toledo Erin McCalla is the managing editor at Outlook and was too late to see Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. No, she’s not bitter. Not at all. may 2016
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creative class
LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2016 evolutiontheatre.org by Bob Vitale
What you’re watching every night on The Rachel Maddow Show is real. What you’ll see at the Local Playwrights Festival in Columbus in early June is fiction. We’ll leave it to you to decide what’s more believable. Evolution Theatre Company will kick off its 2016 season of LGBTQQIA-themed productions with four politically themed, original one-act plays written by Central Ohio playwrights. The festival will continue with the first-ever production of a full-length play that won Columbus resident Cory Skurdal CATCO’s 2014 Playwrights Fellowship. Skurdal’s Sticks & Stones, about a closeted lesbian arts critic who’s outed by a young trans artist who receives a bad review from her, will run from Wednesday, June 8, to Sunday, June 12, at the Columbus Performing
Arts Center’s Van Fleet Theater. The four one-act plays, commissioned by Evolution Theatre Company for the festival, will be staged from Wednesday, June 1, to Sunday, June 5, at the same venue. They are: A Point of Diminishing Returns: Skurdal wrote and Jack Petersen will direct the play about a venerable but clueless Ohio politician named Ulysses McKinkey Rutherford Harding Garfield Hayes III, who chooses the wrong place and wrong audience to deliver a speech. Things only get worse when he abandons his prepared remarks and speaks from the heart. Alexander the Great in Love and War: Amy Drake’s play, directed by Mark Phillips Schwamberger, is about the relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion, his life partner, traveling companion and comradein-arms. When Alexander must take a bride to expand his empire, he must balance his conscience with his conduct.
Vetted: Presidential nominee Tobias Gatton is vetting potential running mates but discovers something in the past of his first choice, Congressman Gregory Highland. This play is written by Sheldon Gleisser and directed by Kristina Kopf.
Skurdal said the emotional and legal clashes reflect the different life experiences of older and younger LGBT people. There’s a lot to think about afterward, and he said he hopes his work sparks discussion among theatergoers.
Shall I Run Again: Haunted by ghosts from his past, the president agonizes over his decision to run for re-election. Jack Petersen wrote and directs this play.
The festival is produced in association with CATCO.
All of the plays include LGBT characters, Skurdal said. Sticks & Stones focuses entirely around them. It’s the story of Janice, an arts critic, and Kyle, an artist. Kyle outs the critic with a blog post after an unfavorable review, and Janice threatens to sue for defamation. The play, directed by Joe Bishara, explores age barriers, gender, culture and politics.
BEYOND THE BINARY ART SHOW glsencolumbus.org/31st-beyond-the-binary-art-show.html by Erin McCalla Sometimes specific letters of the LGBTQQAI acronym need room to breathe and be highlighted on their own. Beyond the Binary Art Show is a chance for the T get some recognition. “The goal is to find an activity where we could highlight people who don’t necessarily fit into the social constructed norms of male and female and provide an opportunity where they can express themselves in a positive way, and to let the community view that population in a positive way,” said Anna Winders, GLSEN Columbus co-chair. Winders said that choosing to work with Wild Goose Creative has been “super awesome” and the organization has been perceptive about what GLSEN is trying to accomplish. 22
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“I want to get more involved in the LGBT community, as well as participate in an art show,” Sanker said. “I want to help promote the community and help educate the public on transgender issues.”
The art types that are accepted are painting, drawing, sculpting, glass blowing and performing arts. Tables are provided for sculptures, but all work must be freestanding with artist-provided equipment.
She believes the show can be beneficial for both the artists and the community at large by exposing the diversity of creative talents.
Bobbie Sanker, whose paintings are shown on the right, has participated in art shows before, but this is her first that relates to the LGBT community.
Featured playwright Cory Skudal Tickets are $15 for four one-act plays, presented June 1-5, and $15 for Sticks & Stones, presented June 8-12.
May 31 • 1p - 9p Wild Goose Creative 2491 Summit Street Columbus, OH 43202
While the pieces on exhibition are created by artists who identify as trans/genderqueer, the art itself doesn’t have to deal with gender or gender identity. But it can, and some of it does.
Currently there are 10 artists signed up, and applications will be accepted through May 21. There is no age limit to those who want to participate, and there are several students involved who attend Arts and College Preparatory Academy.
June 1-5, 8-12 Van Fleet Theater 549 Franklin Ave. Columbus, 43215
“It’s important for all of us to live the way we feel is right, not necessarily matching our sex at birth. We need to know ourselves and be happy with ourselves,” Sanker said. “Art is the perfect way to express how we feel about ourselves, about others and about the world at large. There is no such thing as LGBT art. There is only human art.” Donations collected from admission (suggest donations amounts are $3 for adults, $2 for youth and $1 for ages 1-5 that includes making a craft with volunteers) will be distributed to TransOhio, GLSEN Columbus and GLSEN National.
Clevelanders: You can contact your new City Council member at 216.664.2691.
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3 pt Kristin’s Cincinnati concert is the night of Cincinnati Pride.
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IMHO
Going Home
A Grown-Up Gay Kid Returns to His Refuge: Theater by James Blackmon
It’s pretty amazing how quickly things can change in your life. Thirty days ago, I was preparing to vocal-direct the Stephen Schwartz musical, Children of Eden, for State of the Arts Productions (SoArtsPro) here in Columbus.
be an artist - my true calling. So no, it wasn’t a job I was actively looking for. But recently, I’d begun to miss being involved in the theater, and I longed for a real theater “family.” A place I could call home. No, a place that would be my home. And that’s what I have now with SoArtsPro. An artistic and creative home.
Thirty days later, I am the new artistic director of SoArtsPro, and I’m preparing to direct its next show, the award-winning Broadway musical, The 1940s Radio Hour.
I’m not sure why gay men are so attracted to the theater. I suppose for a lot of us it was an escape. But times have changed. LGBT folks and our issues are mainstream now. In fact, there’s a whole This wasn’t exactly a position I was seeking. I generation of both gay and straight Americans didn’t apply for the job. But I was looking to bewho will grow up with absolutely no concept of come more involved in Columbus community the- what it was like when any gay-related content on ater. I love community theater. I fell in love with TV came with a parental warning. the theater and chose it as my college major because of my experiences in Theatre Tuscaloosa, For them, I don’t suppose it will be an escape. Or Summer Show, and The Punch and Judy Players perhaps not the same kind of escape. back home in Tuscaloosa, Ala. I wonder if it was an escape for Quintin Edwards, From the time I was 11 until I chose to focus ex- the young man who started SoArtsPro with his clusively on music at 25, I was in at least one mother, Gwen Edwards, back in 2013, but died play a year. When I was a teenager, it was pure too soon in 2014 before his dream was fully realescape. Escape from my reality as a black gay kid ized. growing up in the conservative Bible-thumping South of the 1970s and 1980s. He was close to my age, black, gay and from what I’ve been told, he and I are very similar in In fact, being in the theater gave me life! Literally. other ways, too. We both began our theatrical caI’d finally found a place where I fit in. A place reers as kids in our community theater. And we where I didn’t have to endure the pain of being both found acceptance and a sense of belonging the weird, nerdy, artsy, gay kid. And it permain the theater. nently changed the way I saw my future. I’ve been told we kinda look alike. And we even I loved acting. And performing came easy to me. sound alike. Although I never had the privilege of But the best part of being in my hometown com- meeting Quintin, I feel he is very much a part of munity theater was that it was the only place in this whole process that’s led to my taking over his my life where I got to see positive gay images. Of position. I feel as if he’s given me his blessing to course, no one was out back then. At least no one take the baton and run with it. that I knew of for sure. In fact, I believe he’s responsible for creating the But it was obvious to me who the gay people somewhat unlikely chain of events that has me were. And just being around gay people who were right where I am now overseeing the creative vinot sad and depressed, nor drugged-out party sion of SoArtsPro. And I’m loving every second of animals swinging from the chandeliers, nor pred- it! ators preying on children or whatever the leading bullshit anti-gay propaganda was back then (all Thanks, Quintin, for the opportunity and your beof the above, as memory serves) gave me hope lief in me. I will not let you down. I promise. that there was a place for me in the world where I could be among the majority in a group. James Blackmon is a musician, actor, The normal one, for a change. A place where I could use my natural gifts in the performing arts to make statements, do great things and simply
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director and now the artistic dir ector of State of the Arts Productions in Columbus. (Congratulations, James!) You can follow him on Twitter @MrJamesBlackmon. His next Outlook column will appear in June.
The 1940s Radio Hour will run June 3-5 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center.
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dyke like me
Sssssproinnnnggg!
Spring Has Sprung, and You’re In Love... Finally
by Brooke Cartus
Spring is in the air! And you know what that means: With daffodils and cherry blossoms comes dating and popping... well... you get the point. The lesbians are leaving their newly renovated homes that they renovated themselves, obviously, and the gays are opening up their pools. Queers everywhere are lifting the creaky, musty hot tub covers off the Jacuzzis that are their naughty bits. If you aren’t in a new relationship yet, don’t worry. By Pride, you will be. And new relationships have some particularly fun and exciting challenges that are unique and awesome and petrifying. So as you head into the best three months of your year - sometimes followed by a six-month-long breakup - remember these crucial guidelines to fly smoothly through your new relationship. The first rule is simple: Be ready for your friends to say, “Oh, you’re just in the honeymoon phase” when you explain how happy you are.
Figuring out if your desires and kinks match will save you a lot of time down the road - and a lot of cats that you’ll have to return to the shelter if the relationship doesn’t work out. The trick with talking about sex is you have to be honest, not just with your new boo but also with yourself. What are you into? What aren’t you into? If you cannot get on board with pegging your girlfriend of three weeks and that’s all she wants every damn day, then you probably aren’t going to work out. It’s like that Marilyn Monroe quote: “If you can’t make me orgasm at my worst, then you don’t deserve to put your fingers inside of me.” Or something like that. My third rule - and this is a tough one - is to have the sex toy conversation early on. Sure, couples down the road can and should experiment, but in the LGBTQ community, sex toys can literally end relationships. Some individuals hate them and think that using them somehow “negates” the queerness of the sex. Others, like me, think pleasure is pleasure and whatever your kink is, good for you!
The honeymoon phase? Pu-leaze. The best response to that snarky and sometimes rude comment is pretty simple. All you have to say is, “Yes. We are. And it’s f*cking awesome.”
Now this doesn’t mean you have to go to a sex store on the third date, but you can if you want. It’s a great date place because they often have edible underpants if you get hungry for fruit snacks. This also doesn’t mean you have a buy a It’s GREAT to be in the honeymoon phase! Don’t new strap-on with every new lesbian you date. overthink it. “You know what, Claire? You’re Strap-ons are expensive if you’re buying the good right. This must just be adrenaline and other de- ones (and you should be buying the good ones). licious hormones coursing through my gay-ass veins that are making me think I really care The bottom line for new relationships is to be about this person. Maybe I should just end it now yourself up front. When I was younger, I had this because it may end sometime.” pesky habit of hiding my icky messy emotional stuff because I wanted the person to like me. All WHAAAAAT. Why do that? Enjoy the beginning of that ever really did was delay the inevitable the relationship, regardless of what your friends breakup. like to call it. This is the exciting part, getting to know the idiosyncrasies and intimacies of some- I should have just told my exes that I was into one new in your life that you care about. Get it. puppy play and office roleplaying. (Kidding... And ignore Claire. about one of those things.) My second rule for new relationships is to TALK about sexual compatibility. Why? For the same reason you sign a pre-nuptial agreement BEFORE the wedding. Talking about sex is full of landmines for some people, but it’s crucial early on to figure out if long-term compatibility is an option if that’s what you’re looking for.
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Brooke Cartus is a Chapstick lesbian with a law degree. You can find more of her writing on her blog, Size L for Lady, at brookecartus.com. Look for Dyke Like Me every month in Outlook.
How many different flavors of edible underwear are there?
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trippin’ out
photo: Beth Ervin Leventhal
„One of the 25 coolest film festivals in the world for warmth, energy, supportive atmosphere and awesome offerings.‰ - Movie Maker magazine Travel writer Aaron Leventhal with Capt. Chien Nowland on his Nauti-Cat Catamaran
That Festival Up North
Filmmaker Michael Moore Hosts Acclaimed Cinematic Showcase
by Aaron Leventhal
Oscar and Emmy-winning director Michael Moore was born and raised in economically depressed Flint, Mich. As a dropout of the University of Michigan-Flint, he pursued a career as a liberal political activist in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1989, he kicked off his award-winning documentary film career by writing and directing Roger & Me, a scathing portrayal of then-General Motors CEO Roger B. Smith. This was followed by commercial box office successes Bowling for Columbine and 2005 Academy Award-winning Fahrenheit 9/11, the highest-grossing documentary of all time. Time magazine that year named Moore “one of the world’s 100 most influential people.” Moore has gone on to write screenplays and direct films such as Sicko (a diatribe on the U.S. health and pharmaceutical industry) and Capitalism: A Love Story about the financial meltdown of the late 2000s. He also has written eight non-fiction books and acted in movies and TV series. However, Moore’s artistic passion in the past dozen years has been focused on the Traverse City Film Festival, which he founded in 2005 after moving to Traverse City, a resort town along Lake Michigan. He volunteers his time, money and energy for a singular purpose: to “show great movies.” In 2007, he and some of his neighbors funded the restoration of Traverse City’s historic State Theater, a large, ornate 1940s art deco gem that had not shown movies for 20 years. Today it has been recognized by the Motion Picture Association of America as the “No. 1 movie theater in the world to see movies” and is a focal point for the festival.
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Moore has assembled a board of international filmmakers and artists to provide guidance and support for the festival, including Michigan natives Jeff Daniels and Christine Lahti; Larry Charles of Borat fame; and Terry George, Irish creator of Hotel Rwanda. Moore serves as the board president and chief festival programmer. His efforts have contributed significantly to Traverse City’s creative and economic renaissance. The Traverse City Film Festival will run this year from Tuesday, July 26, to Sunday, July 31, with more than 200 films, including documentaries, LGBT, fiction, foreign features and American classics. They’ll be shown at the State Theater, City Opera House, Old Town Playhouse and Bijou by the Bay, as well as on a gigantic, 100-foot outdoor screen nightly in the Open Space by the Bay. Films are just one piece of this unique festival. It starts with a celebratory Opening Night Street Party and includes discussions with filmmakers and cinema professionals. A twice-daily film school takes place at North Western Michigan College. Film panels take place daily at 9:30a, and cinema salons with discussions following selected screenings are free of charge on the patio at Clinch Park. Free live music is presented at festival sites. A complete 2016 schedule will be on the website by mid-June at traversecityfilmfest.org. Travel writer Aaron Leventhal has organized a trip to this year’s Traverse City Film Festival. For more information, go to leventhaltravel.com
Exploring Northern Michigan Growing up in Cleveland and attending The Ohio State University, my head has long echoed with the refrain, “I don’t give a damn ’bout the whole state of Michigan! We’re from O-hi-o!” So with the exception of several memorable stays at the legendary Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, I largely avoided Michigan as a vacation getaway. A weeklong trip last September to Lake Michigan’s pristine shoreline, from Traverse City to Petoskey in the northern Lower Peninsula, completely altered my point of view. The region has emerged as a popular resort destination. And why not? It excels in scenic beauty with broad, sandy beaches along crystal clear lake waters. It’s ideal for sailing, boating and fishing. Hiking and bike trails are plentiful, along with golf courses, fine dining, arts and entertainment, wineries and microbreweries.
Traverse City Attractions: Old Mission Peninsula Wineries with tasting rooms, vineyard tours, shops and refreshments; Nauti-Cat Cruises on the largest commercial sailing catamaran on the Great Lakes; Grand Traverse Resort for shopping, dining, golf, spa and casino; Sleeping Bear Dunes; Bryant Park Beach; Boardman Lake Trail, an easy, two-mile bike trail; nearby Interlochen Center for the Arts with blockbuster concerts all summer.
Traverse City is a 4.5-hour drive from Toledo.
Dining: Favorites include Apache Petoskey Trout Grill on W. Bayshore Drive; MisJust a short sion Table on Old Mission Peninsula drive north of for local produce and fresh fish; Charlevoix, Sleder’s Tavern, the locals’ hangout Petoskey is a since 1882; Trattoria Stella for Italcharming reian fare in the Village Commons. sort community with elegant Victorian neighborhoods; historic Where to stay: Pointes North downtown Gaslight District; sandy Beachfront Resort Hotel is within 15 beaches along Little Traverse Bay; minutes of all downtown attractions more than a dozen beautiful puband Traverse City Film Festival ven- lic golf courses, many with ues. Features include a private, panoramic views of Lake Michisandy beach; outdoor pool; compli- gan; and scenic hiking and biking mentary breakfast; private terraces trails. Nearby Bay Harbor and Harand in-room Jacuzzi spas. pointes- bor Springs boast quality shopnorth.com. Also check out traverping and dining along the bay. secitylodging.com. Bay View is a Chautauqua historic For more information: landmark with stately homes and 800.678.3416 or a summer series of concerts and traversecity.com. lectures. My favorites include hunting for fossilized Petoskey Charlevoix stones at Petoskey State Park; deDrive 50 miles vouring homemade ice cream at north from Mooner’s; taking a self-guided tour Traverse City of author Ernest Hemingway’s along the haunts, including his bar seat at lakeshore to a City Park Grill; and riding the free vibrant downtown filled with an downtown shuttle on weekends. eclectic mix of locally owned boutiques, galleries and restaurants lin- Where to stay: The 1899 ing Bridge Street. The quaint, small Stafford’s Perry Hotel in the town has a bustling marina and Gaslight District has stunning bay waterfront park along Little Traverse views, dining on the veranda in Bay, with outdoor concerts through- the Rose Garden, live entertainout the summer. It’s worth a visit ment on weekends in the Noggin just to tour Earl Young’s Mushroom Room, and full breakfasts inHouses, a collection of unusual ar- cluded. Visit staffords.com/perrychitectural stone structures. A sum- hotel. mer outdoor farmers’ market is open on Thursdays. For more information: 800.845.2828 or For more information: petoskeyarea.com 800.367.8557 or visit charlevoix.com. outlookohio.com
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Out & About in
Central Ohio
Glow Putt • Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner • Kristin Chenoweth SUNDAY, MAY 1 Illuminati: Songs of the Spirit Annual Spring Concert @ Worthington United Methodist Church, 600 High St., Worthington, 43085; 614.228.2462; columbusgaymenschorus.com: Illuminati is an ensemble of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus that performs sacred and spiritual music and serves as a bridge between the GLBT and religious communities. 3p; $10. Drum Workshop @ Stonewall Columbus, 1160 N High St, Columbus, 43201; 614.299.7764; stonewallcolumbus.org: Wahru, a Columbus teacher and performer, will host the one-day class covering Afrocentric drumming techniques and rhythms. 3:30p-5:30p; $15. The Vagina Monologues @ Axis, 775 N. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.291.4008; axisonhigh.com: This performance will benefit BRAVO, the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization. 8p; $10, or tables and booths for $50. SATURDAY, MAY 7 Pints & Paintings @ two locations: the Pint House, 780 N. High St., Columbus, 43215; and Forno, 721 N. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.340.6777; equitashealth.com: It’s a silent auction of local artists’ work to raise money for Ohio’s HIV/AIDS services agency. Artists include Dino Nemec, Christopher Carter, Jimbo Tamoro, Patrick Wyaner and more. 6p-9p. There’s a preview night scheduled for Friday, May 6, from 4p-close at the two Short North nightspots. These events originally
outlookohio.com
were scheduled in April but were canceled because of bad weather. Columbus Coyotes vs. Youngstown @ Scioto Audubon Metro Park, 400 W. Whittier Ave., Columbus, 43215; columbuscoyotes.com: The Coyotes are an LGBT rugby team. 1p. Bearvillities 2016 @ Axis, 775 N. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.291.4008; bearvillities.org: The annual show benefits Camp Sunrise, the annual summer camp for kids affected by HIV/AIDS. 7p; $15. Cavan Irish Pub Employee Turnabout Show @ Cavan Irish Pub, 1409 S. High St., Columbus, 43207; 614.725.5502; FB: Cavan Irish Pub: They’re putting quotation marks around the word ladies on their Facebook page. Our favorite drag name for this show is Nelly Furtaco. All the proceeds from this show benefit Camp Sunrise. 10p. TUESDAY, MAY 10 Glow Putt Fundraiser for GLSEN Columbus @ Glow Putt Mini Golf, 161 Granville St., Gahanna, 43230; glsencolumbus.org: A night of indoor, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, and it all benefits GLSEN’s new Columbus chapter. 3p-8p. Ellie Goulding @ Express Live!, 405 Neil Ave., Columbus, 43215; 614.461.5483; promowestlive.com: The British indie pop singer/songwriter performs one night only in Columbus. 6p; $39.50. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 Network Columbus @ Hilton Polaris;
8700 Lyra Dr, Columbus, OH 43240, 614.268.8525, x1; FB: Network Columbus: Outlook hosts a monthly LGBT & ally netorking social gathering for . Free food, cash bar.6p-8p. THURSDAY, MAY 12 Bi Local Happy Hour @ Bossy Grrl’s Pin Up Joint, 2598 N. High St., Columbus, 43202; bilocal614.org: The social and advocacy group for bisexual Central Ohio residents meets on the second Thursday of every month. 6p-8p.
the homes of various donors. 6p; $125 ($40 for the reception only).
and the Great American Songbook to country and gospel. See our interview with Kristin on Page 23. 8p; $38-$98.
Love Will Win: The LGBTQ Refugee Experience @ Stonewall Columbus, 1160 N High St., Columbus, 43201; 614.299.7764; stonewallcolumbus.org: Stonewall Columbus is launching a new partnership with Columbus’ Community Refugee and Immigration Services to assist LGBT refugees. This reception will welcome a group of new residents from Uganda. RSVP required. 6p.
SATURDAY, MAY 21 LGBT Hiking Club @ Dawes Arboretum, 7770 Jacksontown Rd., Heath, 43056; 614.299.7764; stonewallcolumbus.org: The Stonewall-led group hits the trail monthly at scenic locales around Central Ohio. 10:30a.
THURSDAY, MAY 19 Kristin Chenoweth @ Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., Columbus, 43215; 614.469.0939; capa.com: The Broadway legend will sing a variety of styles from musical theater
Sister Helen Holy @ Axis, 775 N. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.299.7764; stonewallcolumbus.org: To raise money for the Pride Banner Project (which pays for all those Pride Month banners Downtown), comedian Paul J. Williams brings his Bible-thumping “altar” ego to town for a performance hosted by Nina West, Virginia West and Malcolm Riggle. All proceeds benefit the project. 9p; $10$15 (tables $60-$75).
SUNDAY, MAY 22 Harvey Milk Day of Service @ Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St., Columbus, 43201; glsencolumbus.org: The new Columbus chapter of GLSEN, the national organization serving LGBTQ youth, will gather to commemorate the birthdate of Harvey Milk by collecting personal hygiene products for clients of OSU Star House. 4p-7p. TUESDAY, MAY 31 Beyond the Binary Art Show @ Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit St., Columbus, 43202; glsencolumbus.org: GLSEN Columbus hosts a show featuring the works of artists who identify outside the gender binary. Some of the works will be for sale, and donations collected will go to GLSEN and TransOhio. 1p9p; $3 suggested donation.
FRIDAY, MAY 13 8th TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium @ the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., Columbus, 43210; transohio.org: This year’s theme is “In It Together: Trans Activism and Building Coalitions.” The three-day gathering includes workshops, lectures, activities and more. SATURDAY, MAY 14 Martin Wong: Human Instamatic @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., Columbus, 43210; 614.292.3535; wexarts.org: Wong, an openly gay man, was a “visionary poet of the urban landscape.” The exhibition will include over 80 paintings from every stage of his career and will run until Aug. 7. 11a; $6-$8. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner 2016 @ Copious, 520 S. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.294.7867; bravoohio.org: BRAVO’s annual fundraising event begins with a cocktail reception at the Brewery District restaurant and continues with dinner parties for eight to 10 people each at
Grab that FunnyBone coupon and go have some laughs!
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Out & About in
Northwest Ohio Toledo Reign • Arctic Clam • Twila
SUNDAY, MAY 1 Wonderful Wizard of Oz @ Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St., Toledo, 43604; 419.242.2787; toledoballet.com: Calling all friends of Dorothy! The classic is reimagined as a ballet. 2p; $15$35. TUESDAY, MAY 3 University of Toledo Rainbow Graduation @ UT Student Union Ingman Room, 2801 Bancroft St., Toledo, 43606; 419.530.2261: Good luck, LGBTQ grads! 6p-8p. FRIDAY, MAY 6 Twila’s Birthday Bash @ The Toledo Club, 235 14th St., Toledo, 43604; 567.343.0972; phptoledo.org: Toledo drag legend Twila Starr celebrates her birthday with a fundraiser for the Promise House and Holiday With Heart. Order your tickets online by May 1. 7p; $25. SATURDAY, MAY 7 Maker’s Mart @ Handmade Toledo, 1717 Adams St., Toledo, 43604; handmadetoledo.com: It’s a one-day, popup indie craft fair that celebrates handmade, local products. More than 80 vendors are signed up. 10a-8p. Toledo Reign vs. Columbus Comets @ Rogers High School, 222 McTigue Dr., Toledo, 43615; 419.654.2719; theetoledoreign.blogspot.com: The women’s football team (we profiled them in Outlook in April 2015) takes on its rivals from Columbus. 7p. Miss Glass City Gay Pride @ Legends, 117 N. Erie St., Toledo, 43604; 567.315.8333; legendsbartoledo.com: The local pageant is a preliminary competition for Miss Ohio Gay Pride, to be held in Columbus. 9p. FRIDAY, MAY 13 Arctic Clam @ The Blarney, 601 Monroe St., Toledo, 43604; 419.418.2339; theblarneyirishpub.com: The super-popular band is a headliner every year at Toledo Pride. 8p.
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Happy Birthday, Twila Starr!
SATURDAY, MAY 14 Toledo Opera Gala: Men in Black @ The Toledo Club, 235 14th St., Toledo, 43604; 419.255.7464; toledoopera.org: Five Toledo Opera tenors will sing arias and art songs mere feet away from the audience in the intimate confines of the Toledo Club. Dress formally for this event, which includes cocktails and dinner. 7p; $150-$250. THURSDAY, MAY 19 Glass City Film Festival @ Ohio Theatre and Event Center, 3114 Lagrange St., Toledo, 43608; 419.720.8952; glasscityfilmfestival.com: More than 30 films - both shorts and feature-length are on the schedule of the three-day festival. Among them: A documentary exploring the life of Toledoborn Lutah Maria Riggs, who navigated the male-dominated world of architecture and changed the look of Southern California in the early 20th century. Thursday’s film starts at 7p, and Friday and Saturday screenings start at noon; $10 per showing, $30 per day pass, $60 for allevent pass. MONDAY, MAY 23 Young, Gay & Empowered @ 419 Pride Center, Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, 43620; 419.383.3683; FB: Young, Gay & Empowered - YGE: The support group for LGBTQ youth meets monthly. THURSDAY, MAY 26 Jam City @ Huntington Center, 500 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, 43604; 419.972.0022; jamcity.feedtoledo.org: Toledo’s top chefs offer their own unique takes on PB&J to benefit Food for Thought, which operates Northwest Ohio’s food pantries. 6p-10p; $35. SATURDAY, MAY 28 Miss Fabulous Flora 2016 @ Handmade Toledo, 1717 Adams St., Toledo, 43604; FB: Miss Fabulous Flora 2016: Like flowers, pinups come in a variety of all shapes and sizes. This pinup competition celebrates ladies of all varieties while helping women in need. 2:30p; $5. outlookohio.com
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Out & About in
Northeast Ohio
Ellie Goulding • Steel Magnolias • 42nd Street • Matilda
TUESDAY, MAY 3 Plexus Membership Lunch @ Holiday Inn Cleveland Clinic, 8650 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44106; 1.888.PLEXUS9; thinkplexus.org: This gathering for Northeast Ohio’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce is free but open only to members. 11:30a-1p.
SUNDAY, MAY 15 Gay Community Fund Annual Meeting @ John S. Knight Center, 77 E. Mill St., Akron, 44308; 330.376.8522; akroncf.org/GCEF: Akron’s Gay Community Endowment Fund offers financial assistance to LGBT organizations in the area. The annual meeting will feature a talk with Alana Jochum, the managing director of Equality Ohio. 2p.
Matilda @ State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44115; 216.771.4444; playhousesquare.org: The Tony Award-winning musical, based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, is about an extraordinary girl who dares to change her destiny. The show runs through May 21. 8p; $10-$110.
TUESDAY, MAY 17 Cyndi Lauper @ Hard Rock Live Northfield Park, 10777 Northfield Rd., Northfield; 33.908.7625; hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com: She’s so unusual! The LGBT icon will perform hits like, “Time After Time,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and “True Colors.” 7:30p; $47.50-$75.
FRIDAY, MAY 6 Pride Youngstown Drag Pageant @ Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center, 1 University Plaza, Youngstown, 44555; 330.799.1240; prideyoungstown.com: Mona Lotz hosts the competition in formal wear, talent and Q&A. 7p. (Registration starts at 4p and costs $25.) SATURDAY, MAY 7 Miss Cocktails Akron 2016 @ Cocktails Akron 2.0, 33 W. Mapledale Ave., Akron, 44301; 330.376.2625; FB: Cocktails Akron: Brionna Brooks and reigning Miss Cocktails Akron Robyn Hearts host. 7p. (Registration is $40 on the day of the pageant or $25 in advance.) Ellie Goulding @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, 2014 Sycamore St., Cleveland, 44113; 216.622.6557; livenation.com: This English songbird will sing hits like “Lights,” “Love Me Like You Do,” and “Burn.” 7p; $29.50$59.50. SUNDAY, MAY 8 Miss Gay Akron America 2016 @ Interbelt Nite Club, 70 N. Howard St., Akron, 44308; 330.253.5700; interbelt.com: Jazmyn James and Sasha Bonet host. $7. TUESDAY, MAY 10 Broadway in Akron: 42nd Street @ University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., Akron, 44325; 330.253.2488; uaevents.com: Come and meet those dancing feet! 7:30p; $30-$60. Another performance is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11, at 7:30p. outlookohio.com
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 Town Hall Forum With Mary Jane Kennedy @ St. John’s Episcopal Church, 2600 Church Ave., Cleveland, 44113; FB: Human Rights Campaign Cleveland: The Mississippi mom, a self-described “Bible-believing bornagain Christian” who spoke out in a series of Human Rights Campaign ads promoting love and acceptance of LGBT people, will visit Cleveland to share her message. 6:45p. Carrie Underwood @ Quicken Loans Arena, 1 Center Court, Cleveland, 44115; theqarena.com: The country queen once started as an American Idol winner; now she’s selling out stadiums and hosting the CMAs with Brad Paisley. 7p; $46-$75.
lgbtcleveland.org: The series of fundraising feasts and parties to benefit the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland kicks off with a night at Alley Cat Oyster Bar in the Flats. Chef Zack Bruell will prepare a “traditional shore” full-course dinner. 6p; $150. Mr. Northeast Ohio Bear Contest @ Cocktails Akron 2.0, 33 W. Mapledale Ave., Akron, 44301; arktosbears.org: Prizes include cash, a run package to Bears in the Woods and much more. 9p. Cleveland Play House Presents Steel Magnolias @ Playhouse Square/Allen Theatre, 1407 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44115; 216.241.6000; playhousesquare.org: Through clouds of hairspray and over the buzz of blow dryers, six Southern spitfires gather each week to gossip and support each other through thick and thin. 8p; $10$80. There are performances scheduled every Tuesday-Sunday through Aug. 21. TUESDAY, MAY 24 Tatsuya Nagashima Benefit Concert @ Pub Bricco, 1841 Merriman Rd., Akron, 44313; 330.869.0035; canapi.org: Akron’s world-renowned classical pianist Tatsuya Nagashima performs, and all proceeds will go to CANAPI, the city’s LGBT and HIV/AIDS services agency. Tickets are available by calling Pub Bricco at the number above. 6:30p; $35.
FRIDAY, MAY 27 Memorial Day Weekend @ Circle JJ Ranch, 1104 Amsterdam Rd., Scio, Pat Benatar @ Hard Rock Live North- 43988; 330.627.3101; field Park, 10777 Northfield Rd., circlejjranch.com: Holiday weekend Northfield; 33.908.7625; hrrocksihighlights at the LGBT campground nonorthfieldpark.com: The ’80s rocker for men include a Friday night perwill perform hits like “Love is a Battle- formance by male dance Magic Mich field” and “Heartbreaker.” 7:30p; and a Saturday night drag show fea$39.50-$65. turing Victoria Valentino. $25-$110 per night for accommodations ($15 for day or night pass). THURSDAY, MAY 19 Canton Ohio Prime Timers Garage Sale @ 333 Pershing Ave. NW, MasMemorial Day Weekend @ Freedom sillon, 44646; 330.605.0417; Valley Campground, 1875 U.S. 250 cantonohiopt.com: The club for maSouth, New London, 44851; ture gay and bi men hosts the three419.929.8100; freedomvalleycampday sale through Saturday, May 21. ing.com: Holiday highlights at the 9a-5p. LGBT campground for men include a new drag show by Denise Russell, bingo hosted by the Sisters of PerpetSATURDAY, MAY 21 Tada! Series: The Cat’s Meow @ Alley ual Indulgence, an underwear party Cat Oyster Bar, 1056 Old River Rd., and more. $25-$130 for accommodaCleveland, 44113; 216.651.5428; tions.
Cleveland Pride has been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13 at Mall C.
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Out & About in
Western Ohio Miss Masque • Best of Broadway • Gladys Knight
SUNDAY, MAY 1 Miss Masque Newcomer @ Masque, 20 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.228.2582; clubmasque.com: $500 in cash and prizes is on the line. Last year’s winner, Mocha Lisa, will be honored. Time TBA.
FRIDAY, MAY 13 Best of Broadway II @ Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 W. 2nd St., Dayton, 45402; 937.228. 3630; daytonperformingarts.org: The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and singers from the Human Race Theatre x perform classics of Cole Porter, Rogers & Hammerstein, Leonard BernFRIDAY, MAY 6 1776 @ Dayton Playstein, Stephen house, 1301 E. SiebenSondheim, thaler Ave., Dayton, 45414; George Gersh937.424.8477; wordpress.the- SATURDAY, MAY 7 win and their Dayton Rainbow Club @ Aldaytonplayhouse.com: Before contemporary ways Ballroom, 552 Wilmington counterparts. Frank and Claire, there was John and Abigail and Tom and Ave., Dayton, 45420; 8p; $27-$78. Martha, who sang and danced 937.256.2626; alwaysballThere’s another pertheir way through the American room.com: No dance experience formance on Saturday, May 14, Revolution. 8p; $13-$18. There necessary; your natural gay at 8p. rhythm will suffice. 8p-10p; are eight more performances scheduled through Sunday, May $15. SUNDAY, MAY 15 22. The Bach Society of Dayton: Kiltin’ It Up @ Argos Bar, 301 The Music of Downton Abbey Mabel Ave., Dayton, 45403; @ Kettering Adventist Church, 513.922.3193; scorpiu3939 Stonebridge Rd., Dayton, sofcincinnati.org: Scorpius of 45419; 937.294. 2224; bachsoCincinnati and the Miami Val- cietyofdayton.org: The final conley Bears & cert showcases music Leathermen from the era of the host a popular British night of drama. 4p. fun, fellowship MONDAY, and bare MAY 16 legs. LGBT Board Guest There will Bartenders @ Fifth be a Best Kilt Street Brewpub, 1600 E. contest, demos, Jell5th St., Dayton, 45403; O shots and more. 10p. 937.274.1776; daytonlgbtcen-
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An Evening With Gladys Knight @ Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights, 45424; 800.745.3000; rosemusiccenter.com: The Empress of Soul has been singing for more than 50 years. 8p; $23.50-$57.
For kilts like the one above, visit Cleveland’s kiltedbros.com!
ter.org: Tips will go toward Dayton Pride, scheduled for June 4. 6p-10p. SATURDAY, MAY 21 Miami Valley Bears and Leather Men Pride Kickoff Cookout @ Argos, 301 Mable St., Dayton, 45403; 937.252.2976; FB: Argos Leather & Levi Bar: Bring a dish or dessert if you wish... and definitely bring a friend or four. Burgers and hot dogs, fixings, Jell-O shots and gummis are provided. 5p. WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 Mu Crew Outing @ Young’s Dairy, 6880 Springfield Xenia Rd., Yellow Springs, 45387; 937.461. 2437, x2015, mucrew.hb2web.net: The group for young gay and bi men will head to Yellow Springs for mini golf and ice cream. They’ll meet in the parking lot at Kohl’s in Beavercreek and carpool. 6p. Flashback Duct Tape Prom @ Masque, 20 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.228.2582; clubmasque.com: The best duct tape outfit will win a prize. The night includes performances by Hope Sexton, Nicole Jackson Valentino and Jessica Dimon. Time TBA.
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Out & Out About & in About in
Southwest Ohio
Naomi Smalls • Paula Cole • Mary Chapin Carpenter
SUNDAY, MAY 1 The Long Christmas Ride Home @ Studio 88 Theatre, Miami University Center for Performing Arts, Oxford, 45056; 513.529.6010; miamioh.edu/cca: Playwright Paula Vogel’s tale of a family’s holiday drive and life-changing events along the way uses puppetry to help tell the story. 7:30p. THURSDAY, MAY 5 Naomi Smalls @ The Cabaret, 1122 Walnut St., Cincinnati, 45202; 513.202.4052; FB: The Cabaret: The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 contestant brings her act to town. 9p meet and greet, 10p show; $20.
good story. The show runs through May 14. 7:30p; $20$24.
the modern Mexican restaurant. 5:30p.
SATURDAY, MAY 7 The GLSEN Greater Cincinnati Safe Space Soiree @ Cincinnati Masonic Center, 317 E. 5th St., 45202; 866.934.9119; glsen.org/chapters/cincinnati: This dinner/dance is the adult version of the GLSEN Prom. Your admission or donation allows the kids’ prom to be free. 7p11p;$85.
SUNDAY, MAY 8 Mindfulness and Art: Coping with Stress and Anxiety @ Heartland Wellness Center, 103 William Howard Taft Rd., Cincinnati, 45219; 513.549.4447; transwellness.org: Open to all LGBTQPIA people, this free workshop will share relaxing ways to cope with anxiety and stress though mindfulness techniques, FRIDAY, MAY 6 GLSEN Greater Cincinnati Prom art, and writing. 6p-8p. @ Cincinnati Masonic Center, 317 E. 5th St., 45202; TUESDAY, MAY 10 866.934.9119; glsen.org/chap- Mary Chapin Carpenter @ ters/cincinnati: LGBTQPIA youth Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., and their allies in grades 6-12 Cincinnati, 45202; cincinare invited to dance the night natisymphony.org: The country away in a safe, supportive singer-songwriter, space. This year’s theme is fairy known for hit tales. Register online at the site songs like listed above; it’s a free event. “Down at the 7p-11p. Twist and Shout,” “I Big Fish @ Aronoff Center, 650 Feel Lucky,” Walnut St., Cincinnati, 45202; and “Passion513.721.3344; cincinnatimuate Kisses,” will sictheatre.org: A new Broadway join the Cincinnati musical based on the film diSymphony. 7:30p; $20rected by Tim Burton centers on $95. Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 Tri State Prime Timers lives life to the fullest Gourmet Dining Out @ - and Nada, 600 Walnut St., doesn’t Cincinnati, 45202; let the 513.305.2015; tristruth get tateprimetimers.com: in the The group for mature gay way of a and bi men goes upscale at outlookohio.com
SATURDAY, MAY 15 Caracole’s 5K Run/Walk for AIDS @ Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Cincinnati, 45232; 513.761.1480; caracole.org: All proceeds benefit Caracole, Southwest Ohio’s HIV/AIDS services agency. Registration begins at 7:30a, and the walk/run begins at 9a. THURSDAY, MAY 19 Cocktails for a Cause With Brooklyn Steele-Tate @ Tillie’s Lounge, 4042 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, 45223; 513.541.1414; FB: Tillies Lounge: The cause is one of Brooklyn’s many LGBTQ charities. 6p-10p. Paula Cole @ Live at the Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, 45220; 513.221.4111; liveattheludlowgarage.com: Where have all the cowboys gone? Paula is surely still closing with the theme from Dawson’s Creek, and dreaming about the Lilith Fair days. 8:15p; $30-$55. SUNDAY, MAY 22 Heartland Trans* Wellness Kids/Parents Group @ Heartland Wellness Center, 103 William Howard Taft Rd., Cincinnati, 45219; 513.549.4447; transwellness.org: A social space for trans and gender-creative kids 12 and younger also includes concurrent space for parents and guardians to meet with each other and speak with medical and mental health professionals. It’s limited to 20 participants, so RSVP to info@transwellness.org. 4p-6p.
Read our profile of Brooklyn Steele-Tate on Page 15.
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savage love
by Dan Savage
WOMAN ON THE VERGE I’ve been aware of my emetophilia since a very young age and have always kept it private. No need to tell me about the health risks, I’m aware, and I’ve only ever indulged this kink through videos online. The actual substance doesn’t turn me on - I have no desire to be puked on. For me, the fantasy involves being with someone as they begin to feel sick, and then taking care of them as they puke. It has something to do with the buildup and release. Who knows? I’m married, and I told my husband about my kink exactly once, a few years ago. He wasn’t judgmental, but he never brought it up again. We have a great sex life otherwise, and I’ve always assumed I’d have satisfying, normal sex with my husband and masturbate to this kink in private. But recently, on a whim, I posted a message on a kink site. A few weeks later, a guy reached out to say the description exactly mirrored his own kink. We’ve been texting for a few weeks. He makes me feel like less of a freak, it’s been super hot, and we’ve talked about meeting up and role-playing for each other. It makes me go crazy just to think about this. In light of the health risks - and the fact that I’m married - this would be a one-time thing. Do I have to tell my husband? I don’t want to have sex with this person; I just want to live out my fantasy for one night, which doesn’t necessarily involve getting naked. But obviously we will both get off, so there’s a definite sexual element. My husband and I have had threesomes, so he’s not a “strictly monogamous” guy, but it is new for me to strike out on my own. But more than that, I’m mortified at the thought of him knowing about the kind of night I’m having, asking me about it later, etc. I would just rather him not know. But is that cheating? - A Lady Emetophile Meets Her Match
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may 2016
Emetophilia: Not for everyone!
The answer to your last question - is that cheating? - is obvious. If that wasn’t cheating, ALEMHM, or if you thought your husband wouldn’t regard it as cheating, you would be asking him for permission to meet up with your vomit buddy. So let’s just run with the assumption that getting together with your VB would constitute infidelity, if the low-grade, nonpenetrative, not-for-everyone kind. So do you have to tell your husband? You could tell your husband and lots of people will insist you must tell your husband - but I wonder if your husband would rather not be told. You shared your kink with your husband once, and he never brought it up again. We can reasonably assume that your husband isn’t interested in discussing, much less indulging, this very particular sexual interest of yours. Another reasonable assumption: Your kink may not be something your husband wants to think about. The awareness of your kink, to use Emily “Dear Prudence Emeritus” Yoffe’s phrase, could be a libido-killer for him. If your husband worked at stuffing your disclosure down the memory hole, because it interferes with his ability to connect with you sexually, asking permission could come as an unwelcome reminder. So you could make - as I’ve just made - an argument for sparing your husband the reminder, and sparing yourself the discomfort, by not telling and/or asking him and then discreetly meeting up with your VB just this once. (The counterargument is also easily made: He never brought it up again because he picked up on your shame, he didn’t want to distress you, etc.) But if you decide to meet your VB, ALEMHM, weigh the risks (what happens if you get caught?) against the rewards (scratching this off your kinky wish list!), meet up with your VB in public first and let someone know where you are and who you’re with on the big night. You can email Dan Savage at mail@savagelove.net, follow him on Twitter at @fakedansavage or listen to his weekly podcast, Savage Lovecast, every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage. Savage Love appears every month in Outlook and every week at outlookohio.com.
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the divine life
by Debé
Taurus
(April 20 - May 20)
It’s your month, and you are the queen of the mountain! You should be flaunting your tiara and enjoying the view from the top, but instead you’re worried about falling. What’s up with that? I know how stubborn you can be, but try to enjoy yourself. Being on top is fun.
doing. Your optimism is contagious as you happily work away. Are you whistling?
Libra
(September 23 October 22)
You’ve done some spring cleaning, and your life feels so much lighter without the dead weight. If your sweetie Talented Taureans include George made the cut, go out on the town and cel- Pisces (February 19 - March 20) ebrate. If you’re newly single, try a new Takei, Ma Rainey, Lance Bass and You’re a water sign, but your head is in lover on for size. Megan Fox. the clouds this month. That’s OK, it’s good to play with the other elements. A little Scorpio Gemini kinky, maybe, but good. The full moon in (October 23 - November 21) (May 21 - June 20) Sagittarius on May 21 makes you even Suddenly you are the belle of the ball! You want to change the world, and your friskier. superpower is creativity. You are crackling Everyone wants to be on your dance card, so you can afford to be choosy - or to with ideas to make a difference. All that Aries mental stimulation is great, but don’t for- change partners at will. Knowing you, (March 21 - April 19) you’re going to have very sore ... feet. get the physical plane too. Even superYou’re itching for a fight, but no one heroes need to get laid. wants to challenge you. How boring! Take Sagittarius the opportunity to practice random acts of Cancer (November 22 - December 21) kindness instead. A little good karma in The devil is in the details, and you’re feel(June 21 - July 22) the bank won’t hurt, and you’ll make May is bringing out your hedonistic side. ing bedeviled by all the little hassles. some new friends. You want to surround yourself with beau- There are obstacles you must overcome, but hang tough. You’ll look back on these tiful things (and people). Let your lover Handy Tip: challenges in triumph one day. feed you grapes, but don’t max out the Self-Reliant Heart Line credit cards. You can still revel on a The self-reliant heart line stretches budget. Capricorn straight across the hand and stops below (December 22 - January 19) the middle (Saturn) finger. The bearers of This month you are in your element, glee- this marking don’t really need anyone in Leo fully putting plans into action. You are the order to be happy. (July 23 - August 22) After April’s respite, you’re ready to tackle general, and we are all your toy soldiers. Therefore, they are You’re taking no prisoners this month, un- very particular the world. Don’t go the Atlas route and take everything on your shoulders, though. less they’re cute, then you’re open to ne- about partners gotiation. Teamwork will achieve a lot more, and and would prefer you’ll have playmates handy. Everybody being single to wins. Aquarius compromise.
Virgo
(January 20 - February 18)
Your laid-back, free-love demeanor is nowhere to be found after someone mis(August 23 - September 22) takes you for a sucker. You channel your Mercury Retrograde works in your favor. Taurean brethren and stand your ground. You have so much to do, but you are in your element because you love what you’re No one is the boss of you!
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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.
Our June issue will have details about every Pride festival in Ohio!
may 2016
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lesbians 101
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may 2016
Price is getting on my last nerve...
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Don’t miss our profile on Brooklyn Steele-Tate on Page 18.
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may 2016
Emetophilia: Not for everyone!
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