2016-09-01 Outlook Ohio Magazine

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The Voice of Ohio’s LGBT and Ally Community

THE FALL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ISSUE Outlook Interviews:

Staley Munroe

LGBT MUST SEES Cleveland Makeup Artist Jacob Kelly JASON vol 20 • issue 4

Sep 2016

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Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!

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Thanks to all our advertisers and readers for two decades of support! You rock!

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june 2015

Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!

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Thanks to all our advertisers and readers for two decades of support! You rock!

june 2015

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vol 21 • #04

the arts & entertainment issue 6 8

10 13 14 17 20 21 22 23 24 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

you are here

qmunity news

small pond: Jason Kelly

LGBT must-sees: concerts LGBT must-sees: musicals LGBT must-sees: theater column: Brynn Tannehill

column: James Blackmon column: Brooke Cartus

column: Mickey Weems fashion: in & out

profile: Staley Munroe calendar: Columbus calendar: Dayton

calendar: Toledo, Cleveland calendar: Cincinnati savage love

the divine life toons

puzzle

on the cover

Staley Jophiel Munroe made her stage debut in June in Evolution Theatre’s Sticks and Stones. On Page 26, the Columbus resident talks about her life and career as a transgender photographer, stylist, artist and now actress. (Photo by Kayleigh Kuhlman)

next month: the politics issue

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Voices Carry

For four years now, we’ve compiled a list of LGBT Must-Sees for our September arts issue. And for the first three years, we’ve had plenty of room for artists and productions that weren’t on the gay train but certainly wouldn’t get kicked off.

Our musts of years past included a Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition (“he was friends with Oscar Wilde”), a musical about Patsy Cline (“was a huge influence to singers such as k.d. lang”), and every community theater production of Steel Magnolias (“maybe it’s because of Dolly?”) within Ohio’s borders.

But a funny thing happened this year on the road to the box office.

As we compiled the LGBT Must-Sees of 2016-17, we found our list getting quite extensive, but not because of Wizard of Oz screenings and 1950s musicals and c oncerts by divas and dames and all those others we love.

It’s a big arts year ahead not for LGBT favorites, but for LGBT performers and performances in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton and elsewhere.

From the big names such as Elton John (Toledo on Sept. 28), Tegan & Sara (Columbus on Oct. 25), Alan Cumming (Cleveland on Dec. 4) and Melissa Etheridge (Cincinnati on Jan. 8) to up-and-coming artists such as Chris Pureka and Dane Terry, the LGBT marquee is full.

should be an interesting tale nonetheless.

A Kid Like Jake, playing in Akron in January at the Weathervane Playhouse, looks like an interesting play as well. It’s about a couple of New York parents concerned about whether their gender-non-conforming 4year-old will get into a good preschool.

And I’m penciling in a trip to Dayton in February to see the Human Race Theatre Company’s production of 26 Pebbles, about the 26 children and adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

I hope you’re as happy as I am to have so many entertainment options from and about LGBT people. There are LGBT film festivals coming up in Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus, and the international film festival in Cleveland will have a healthy diversity of content. Our gay bands and choruses - wonderful, effective ambassadors to our broader communities have new seasons starting in the coming months as well.

The abundance of LGBT entertainers and productions scheduled across Ohio means our voices are being heard.

Literally and figuratively.

Bob Vitale Editor-in-Chief

PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Bob Vitale / Chad Frye

HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Ste G, Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone / 614.261.8200 fax SALES Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com Mike Moffo / mike@outlookmedia.com Kurt Mueller / kurt@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Vitale / bvitale@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS James Blackmon, Brooke Cartus, Debé, Paige Johnson, Dan Savage, Oskar Stine, Brynn Tannehill, Bob Vitale, Mickey Weems ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / art@outlookmedia.com

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Ase Boogie, Christopher Hayes, Kayleigh Kuhlman CYBERSPACE outlookohio.com outlookmedia.com networkcolumbus.com twitter / fb: outlook ohio Outlook is published and distributed by Outlook Media Inc., on the first day of each month throughout Ohio.

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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.

I’m hoping to get to Canton on Oct. 1 to see Sara Davis Buechner, a concert pianist whose U.S. bookings dried up after she came out as transgender in 1998 but who rebuilt her career in Canada. She no longer performs much with the big-name symphonies in cities that like to think of themselves as so much more open-minded than those of us in the heartland. But she’s returning to Northeast Ohio and the Canton Symphony Orchestra, where she is an audience favorite.

Others on my personal to-go list include Abraham Lincoln Was a Faggot, scheduled for a November run in Columbus by the LGBT-focused Evolution Theatre. I’m more and more convinced he wasn’t, but it Advertise with us! Call Mike Moffo at 614.268.8525.

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Who else put Cabaret at the top of their list?

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Cleveland, Columbus Murders Add to Transgender Death Toll

Bi Visibility Month Events in Columbus Social gatherings, discussions and entertainment are planned every week of September to observe Bisexual+ Visibility Month.

“These events are intended to bring together folks to build bi+ spaces and assert our identities,” said Merisa Bowers of BiLocal, the bisexual advocacy and social group in Central Ohio.

Skye Mockabee

#SayTheirNames: Skye Mockabee, 26 Rae’Lynn Thomas, 28 Two transgender Ohioans murdered in recent weeks had heartbreaking final words for their mothers.

Skye Mockabee, 26, was found dead in a parking lot on Cleveland’s West Side early in the morning of July 30. The Plain Dealer reported she had suffered head trauma and was found bleeding from her mouth.

Mockabee worked at a Chipotle but also advertised as an escort online, her family told the paper. She left her home after midnight to meet a man, her boyfriend said.

She texted her mother at about 3:45a to say she loved her. Her mother said she thinks Mockabee’s killer allowed her to say goodbye.

Rae’Lynn Thomas, 28, was shot on Aug. 10 in her Columbus home as she watched TV with her mother. Her mother’s ex-boyfriend has been charged with murder.

Thomas’ family told WBNS-TV that James Allen Byrd never accepted her as transgender and called her “the devil.”

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Rae’Lynn Thomas He began beating Thomas after shooting her twice, the station reported.

“Mom, please... please don’t leave me.

Mom, I’m dying,” Thomas said, according to WBNS. “Mom, I love you. ... Tell my family I love them. Mom, I’m dying, I’m dying. Please don’t leave me.”

Mockabee and Thomas are among 17 transgender people murdered in the United States this year (through Aug. 22). Six transgender women have been murdered in Ohio since 2013.

They were transgender women of color, like 15 of the 17 victims nationally and five of the six victims in Ohio.

Ohio law does not acknowledge hate crimes committed against people because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, but the families of Mockabee and Thomas said they know the women were killed because of whom they were.

“In my heart of hearts I feel like that’s what it is,” Thomas’ aunt told WBNS after referring to the murder as a hate crime.

“Whoever did this was not comfortable with my baby being the way that (she) was,” Mockabee’s mother told The Plain Dealer.

Bowers said her group welcomes bi, pan, queer and non-monosexually identified people to the events, as well as allies.

Monday, Sept. 12: Monday Night Live, BiLocal Edition at Mikey’s Late Night Slice, 268 S. 4th St., Columbus, 43215.

7p; free.

Wednesday, Sept. 21: Community Conversation: Consent, Sexual Assault and Bisexuality at Columbus Public Health, 240 Parsons Ave., Columbus, 43215. BiLocal, BRAVO and Columbus Public Health host a discussion on how sexual assault and intimate partner violence affect the bi+ community.

It will be an open conversation on consent and voicing the needs and concerns of bi people. 6p; free.

Wednesday, Sept. 14: Craft Night, co-hosted with Queer Behavior, at It Looks Like It’s Open, 13 E. Tulane Rd., Columbus, 43202. FYI: It’s arts and crafts crafts, not craft beer! 8p; cost of material.

Saturday, Sept. 24: Bi Visibility Celebration: Third Annual Bi Pride Variety Show at Shadowbox Backstage Bistro, 503 S. Front St., Columbus, 43215: A night of burlesque, music,

Here’s what’s planned: Thursday, Sept. 8: Hi & Bi Happy Hour at Bossy Grrl’s Pin-Up Joint, 2598 N. High St., Columbus, 43201. 6p; free.

magic and spoken-word.

7p; $10. Presale tickets available at bipride2016.eventbrite .com.

Friday Sept. 30: Tea Time: Bi-ographies: Building Our Spaces Wherever We Are. (The loocation has to be determined.) BiLocal and Queer Behavior will host a special edition of Tea Time that’s an evening of togetherness and truth-telling. 7:30p; $5 suggested donation.

Keep an eye on bilocal614.org and FB: Bi Local, because times and other details are subject to change.

Email bilocal614@ gmail.com to learn more.

Flag Football League Kicks Off in Cincy

Who Dey? They’re the Cincinnati GLBT Flag Football League, a first for the city.

GLBT leagues already exist in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

for

Cincinnati has a competitive LGBTQ flag football team called the Queen City Pigs, but the new league is for recreational players.

The National Gay Flag Football League says more than 4,000 people play nationwide. Visit FB: Cincinnati GLBT Flag Football League for more info.

We extend our condolences to the families and friends of Skye and Rae’Lynn.

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LGBT Athletes Win 25 Medals in Rio If we all lived together on an island somewhere - wouldn’t Pat Robertson (and a lot of us) love that? - Team LGBT would have finished 10th in the medal standings at the Olympics in Rio.

‘All Womyn Are Welcome’: Ohio Lesbian Festival Set for 27th Year The 27th Ohio Lesbian Festival is sched- own label, Tomboy Girl Records. uled for Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18, in a rural spot 30 miles • Kelly Zullo, an acoustic guitarist from east of Columbus.

Columbus whose music is described as acoustic funk.

It’s a women-only event but not a lesbian-only event, organizers say.

• Summer Osborne describes herself as “the love child of Adele, Carole King and “All womyn are welcome!” includes Joss Stone.” straight women, bi women and transgender women.

• Reina Williams says her acoustic soul hip hop sound was inspired by everyone The gates open at 3p on Friday and at 9a from Sade to Metallica. on Saturday and Sunday, and there are full schedules of performers and work• Skip the Needle is a true group effort. shops. Vendors include retailers, services Members Shelly Doty, Kofy Brown, Katie providers and community groups.

Colpitts and Vicki Randle share leadsinging duties and write songs Performers include: collectively.

• Ferron, whose five decades as a folk singer and songwriter has influenced others such as the Indigo Girls.

• Sandra Valls was named by Latina magazine as one of the top “Bad Ass Comics With Latin Roots.”

• Cris Williamson, a Women’s Music pioneer who founded Olivia Records, which founded Olivia Cruises.

• Crys Matthews (pictured above) says her music is inspired by her roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She has performed at many Prides and folk festivals.

• Hanifah Walidah, a filmmaker, musician and playwright whose music is a blend of electro, soul and hip hop.

• Staceyann Chin, a spoken-word poet whose MotherStruck, chronicling her experiences about motherhood, will debut in October.

The website counted 42 lesbians and bi women and 11 gay men competing for their countries. (There were no transgender Olympians in 2016.) LGBT athletes came from 16 countries; the most were from Great Britain (nine), the Netherlands (nine) and the United States (eight).

They competed in 24 sports, mostly women’s soccer (nine) and women’s field hockey (five).

Here, as tracked by Outsports, are the 25 medal-winning athletes, which include Helen Richardson-Walsh and Kate Richardson-Walsh of Great Britain, who were the first married couple to compete on the same team: GOLD • Nicola Adams, Great Britain: boxing.

• Caster Semenya, South Africa: track and field, 800 meters.

• Rafaela Silva, Brazil: judo.

SILVER Rachele Bruni, Italy: 10-kilometer distance swimming.

• Lisa Dahlkvist, Nilla Fisher, Hedvig Lindahl, Carolina Seger and coach Pia Sundhage, Sweden: women’s soccer.

• Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Maartje Paumen and coach Alyson Annon, Netherlands, women’s field hockey.

• Carl Hester and Spencer Wilton, Great Britain: equestrian team dressage.

• Alexandra Lacrabère, France: women’s handball.

• Sunette Viljoen, South Africa: track and field, javelin.

BRONZE Tom Daley, Great Britain: synchronized diving, 10-meter platform.

• Seimone Augustus, Elena Della Donne, Jen Kish, Canada: rugby women’s Brittney Griner and Angel McCoughtry, sevens.

United States: women’s basketball.

• Stephanie Labbe and Marie-Eve Nault, • Helen Richardson-Walsh, Kate Canada: women’s soccer.

• Heather Mae just released I Am Enough, an album whose songs are about body positivity, coming out and fighting intolerance.

• Elvira Kurt, a Canadian comedian.

• Wahru, of Columbus, is the founder, director and leader of Sistah Ngoma, a professional multicultural women’s drum group.

• Tret Fure has been a folk singer and songwriter for five decades and has her

Visit ohiolba.org/2016 for complete schedules, ticket info and directions.

outlookohio.com

A record 53 openly lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes and three team coaches competed at the 2016 summer games, according to Outsports, which declared these “the gayest Olympics ever.”

Richardson-Walsh and Susannah Townsend, Great Britain: women’s field hockey.

There were 23 LGBT athletes at the 2012 Olympics in London, compared to 53 in Rio.

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small pond

Lips and Cheeks and Lips Eyes...and Say Eyes...

Say

Cleveland Makeup Artist Jason Kelly Has Made a Name for Himself by Making a Face for Others

by Bob Vitale photo: Ase Boogie

Jason Kelly’s mother gave up her career as a makeup artist as soon as she earned her nursing degree.

Jason Kelly, though, is still going strong.

“When I was 5 years old, I was surrounded by all this makeup,” he recalls. “My sister was like a living Barbie doll. She ended up looking like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

Now 42, Kelly is one of Cleveland’s go-to makeup artists. He does 60plus weddings a year, as well as fashion shows and photo shoots. He has been the makeup artist for the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2003-04 yes, that includes the occasional player photo shoot as well as the Cavalier Girls and Scream Team and he was the makeup artist for the Republican National Convention in July.

(The answer to your question: Not as orange in person.)

“This business is recession-proof. I know that much,” he says.

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But it does require constant selfpromotion - not to mention constant effort to keep up with trends and techniques - in order to rise to the top. Kelly is both self-taught and formally trained through MAC Cosmetics. He also teaches others.

He did a touchup for Lady Gaga dur- BtB #2: “I am also using Jason Kelly other gay men can relate to. It was ing one of her visits to Cleveland. for my wedding in June. My wedding the late 1970s, early 1980s, and fall planner has worked with him multi- Saturday morning TV was overrun “I made her laugh. I told her I was a ple times and his work is impecca- with commercials for Christmas 40-year-old Monster.” ble. He is also the makeup artist for toys. Young Jason saw an ad for the Cavs Girls.

Make Me Pretty Barbie, a nearly lifeBut while branding wins the big size Barbie head that could be made gigs, it’s word-of-mouth that keeps BtB #3: I wish he were doing mine. up and styled over and over and over “You have to brand yourself,” he him booked day-to-day. Kelly some- He is not available for my date. :( and... says. “A lot of people will do what times does makeup for two or three they do in a salon, and no one sees it weddings a day, and he has a num- “Word-of-mouth here in Cleveland is “I told my sister, ‘You need that in public.” ber of clients whom he calls “ladies the best thing for business,” Kelly doll,’” he says. “I was beside myself who lunch.” “They will get their says. “All you have to do is answer from like Kelly’s business is called JKellymakeup done to check their mail.” the phone.”

Halloween to Dec. 25.”

FaceArt. It’s not a brick-and-mortar salon, And they must be telling their Makeup trends tend to reinvent And another makeup star was born. although he works with two assisfriends. Kelly was once named Best themselves, Kelly says, ticking off tants and will add on up to six as Makeup Artist by Cleveland’s Scene looks such as winged eyeliner and needed. He pairs up with photogra- magazine, which said he has contour shadow that have been in, phers, stylists and others and works “Renoir’s eye for color with a out and back in again. He says he KellyFaceArt not just in Cleveland, but also in makeup kit bigger than a plumber’s doesn’t follow too many trends.

Makeup Artistry by Jason G. Kelly New York, Chicago and other cities. toolbox.”

But that doesn’t mean his work is People have seen Jason Kelly’s work. And consider this 2015 comments- staid. One of the looks in his portfo- JKellyFaceArt.com section exchange among brides-to- lio is a model whose face is made up FB: JKellyFaceArt 216.355.337 He has done makeover segments for be at The Knot: like a watermelon. She has bright Cleveland TV. He landed the Cavs red lips like the fruit itself, and two gig when the Cavalier Girls’ coordi- BtB #1: “Wondering if any of you seeds painted on her shoulder.

Bob Vitale is the edinator came into the MAC Cosmetics have had your makeup done or know tor-in-chief of Outlook store at the Tower City Center, where someone who has had their makeup It’s not a look that he first tried out and can be reached at he was working in 2003. He has done by Jason Kelly. I was referred to on his sister. And she didn’t stay his 614.268.8525, x3, or at bvitale@outlookmedone makeup for Kimora Lee Simhim by my photographer and he did model for long, anyway. dia.com. He is willing to mons, Keke Palmer, Cheryl Tiegs, my photographer’s wife’s be a Make Me Pretty Mariel Hemingway and other famous makeup for their wedding this past As he talks about his early love of Barbie for anyone who faces.

October.” makeup, Kelly recounts a story many can get rid of his eye Jason put a good face on the Republicans, but he says he’s voting for Hillary Clinton.

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Thanks to all our advertisers and readers for two decades of support! You rock!

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Red Dayton has a goal this year of raising $250,000 for Equitas Health.

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S E E S T S U S E M E T S B T G S L U M T B LG feature

Concerts

[ ] broken up. The ’80s icons will perform at Columbus’ Palace Theatre as part of their U.S. tour. Tickets are $48-$232.50 through Ticketmaster.

Chris Pureka

Cincinnati: September 17 Columbus: September 18

Mary Lambert

Columbus: September 3

The singer/songwriter who found fame with her contribution to the 2012 LGBTQ rights anthem, “Same Love,” will headline an outdoor festival over Labor Day weekend in Columbus’ Arena District. Other performers include openly gay Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit and gay fave Betty Who. Tickets are $59.99-$99.99 per day or $109.99-$189.99 for Saturday and Sunday. Visit fmmf.us for the full schedule.

Culture Club

Columbus: September 10

Boy George and the boys are now [x] together outlookohio.com

The genderqueer folk singer/songwriter from Portland was named by Buzzfeed last year as one of “10 Queer Lady Musicians You Seriously Need in Your Life Right Now.” She told the website: “I write my songs with the intention that people will have an emotional response to them. ... My hope is that some of those songs will resonate with someone on whatever journey they are on.” She’ll perform on back-to-back nights at MOTR Pub in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine and at Rumba Café in Columbus’ University District. The Cincinnati show is free; tickets to the Columbus show are $10 through chrispureka.com.

Elton John

Toledo: September 28

He’s still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The performance at Toledo’s Huntington Center is part of a 31-city, 48-show world tour. Tickets are $29-$154 through huntingtoncentertoledo.com.

Johnny Mathis

Cincinnati: October 14

The third-best-selling artist of the 20th century celebrates his 81st birthday this month and is on tour to mark his 60th year in show business. Tickets to his performance at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center are $52.50$132.50 at cincinnatiarts.org. (He’ll also perform on Oct. 16 in Fort Wayne, Ind.) Tegan & Sara

Columbus: October 25

Did you know the twin sisters released their first recording under the name Sara and Tegan? Not sure why the billing changed, but the indie pop duo has been performing since 1999, and they’ll play Columbus’ Express Live! (formerly Lifestyles Communities Pavilion) as part of the tour for their eighth album, Love You to Death. Tickets are $34.50 through promowestlive.com. (They’ll also perform in Royal Oak, Mich., on Oct. 26, and in Pittsburgh on Nov. 5.)

Rufus Wainwright

Cleveland: November 12

Is there anything the singer/songwriter hasn’t done? He has recorded seven albums of his own. He has written for - and performed in - movies. He has composed two

operas. He even wore stilettos and red lipstick to perform a concert of Judy Garland songs. He’ll perform at the Music Box Supper Club in The Flats of Downtown Cleveland.

Tickets are $45-$65 at musicboxcle.com.

Alan Cumming

Cleveland: December 4

His raucous one-man show, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, was released as an album in February. He’ll sing songs by Elaine Stritch, Annie Lennox, Miley Cyrus, Rufus Wainwright and others at the Connor Palace in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. Tickets are $10-$75 through playhousesquare.org. (He’ll also perform on Nov. 30 in Louisville and on Dec. 3 in Carmel, Ind.) Dane Terry

Columbus: December 9-10

The Columbus native returns home from New York for two performances of Bird in the House, his solo musical-theater work about childhood, coming of age and coming out in the Midwest. Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell called Terry “the millennial Cole Porter.” He’ll be at Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts.

Tickets are $20 ($13 for students) at wexarts.org.

Interviews with Mary Lambert, Boy George, Alan Cumming and Melissa Etheridge are at outlookohio.com.

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of essays and short stories in 1994. He’ll be at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo ($39.50$49.50 through stranahantheater.org), at the Akron Civic Theatre ($25-$45 through Ticketmaster), and at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton (tickets go on sale in November).

Dave Koz

S

Cleveland: December 10

The Grammy-nominated saxophonist has taken his holiday show on the road for 19 years now. His guests this season include singer Valerie Simpson. He’ll perform at the State Theatre in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. Tickets are $10-$69.50 through playhousesquare.org. (He’ll also perform on Dec. 7 in Warren, Mich.)

The Santaland Diaries

Akron: December 1-17 Cleveland: December 1-18 Dayton: December 8-17

Melissa Etheridge

Cincinnati: January 8, 2017

Within 24 hours of the June 12 mass murder at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, the singer/ songwriter put our community’s sorrow and anger to music: Who ya gonna hate now / When there’s no one left but you / Who ya gonna gun down / When you can’t kill the truth. She’ll perform with the Cincinnati Pops at the Taft Theatre. Tickets are $24-$115 through cincinnatisymphony.org/pops.

David Sedaris’ tale of a middle-aged, out-ofwork actor’s gig as one of Santa’s helpers at Macy’s is a new a holiday classic. It will be produced by Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company ($24, humanracetheatre.org), Cleveland Public Theater ($30, cptonline.org), and Akron’s Weathervane Playhouse ($22, weathervaneplayhouse.com).

Broadw ay in...

Cleveland broadway.playhousesquare.org • Fun Home: October 2-22 • Finding Neverland: November 1-20

• Into the Woods:

January 10-29, 2017 • Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I: February 7-26, 2017

• Something Rotten!:

April 25-May 14, 2017 • An American in Paris:

A New Musical:

June 20-July 9, 2017

Columbus columbus.broadway.com • Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Nov 22-27 • Disney’s The Little Mermaid: January 31-February 5, 2017

• The Bodyguard: The Musical:

February 14-19, 2017 • Stomp: March 10-12, 2017 • Cabaret: March 28-Apr 2, 2017

• Riverdance 20 Years: May 12-14, 2017

• Beautiful: The Carole King Musical: June 6-11, 2017

Comedy Akron broadwayinakron.com • Rodgers & HammersteinÊs Cinderella: November 8-9 • Once: December 6-7 • Rent: April 4-5, 2017 • Chicago: May 9-10, 2017 Cincinnati cincinnati.broadway.com • Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music:

Bianca Del Rio

Cleveland: October 14 Columbus: October 15

September 27-October 9

Fresh off her Rolodex of Hate tour, Hurricane Bianca film and as-yet untitled book, The Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner is taking her Not Today Satan tour global. She’ll perform at the Capitol Theatre ($37.50) in Columbus’ Riffe Center and at the Ohio Theatre ($37.50$87.50) in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. Look for ticket links at thebiancadelrio.com/tour.

(She’ll also perform on Oct. 12 in Royal Oak, Mich., and on Oct. 16, in Munhall, Penn.

David Sedaris

Toledo: October 10 Akron: October 16 Dayton: April 25, 2017

september 2016

November 15-27

• A Gentleman’s Guide

to Love & Murder:

January 3-8, 2017

• Disney’s The Little Mermaid: January 17-29, 2017 • Something Rotten!: February 21-March 5, 2017 • Mama Mia!: March 10-12, 2017 • The Illusionists: Live

From Broadway:

March 21-26, 2017

• Matilda: The Musical: Apr 4-16, 2017

The man the New York Times once called “a minor phenomenon” published his first book

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• The Phantom of the Opera:

• Beautiful: The Carole King Musical: May 2-14, 2017

Ga G ay yC Ch ho or ru us se es s &L & LG GB BT TB Ba an nd ds s

Dayton victoriatheatre.com • Jersey Boys: October 18-23 • 42nd Street: January 10-15, 2017 • Dirty Dancing: March 14-19, 2017 • Motown: The Musical:

April 11-16, 2017 • Kinky Boots: May 23-28, 2017 • Circus 1903: The Golden Age of Circus: June 13-18, 2017

Toledo theaterleague.com/Toledo • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical:

November 25 • The Phantom of the Opera: November 30-December 11 • Jersey Boys: January 10-15, 2017 • Pippin: March 16-19, 2017

Blazing River Freedom Band, Cleveland blazingriverband.org

• Spooky Sounds and Eerie Delights: October 22 • Christmas Time Is Here: December 10 • Turn Back Time: Music of the ’60s, ’70s & ’80s: March 18, 2017 • Blazing River Goes Broadway: May 13, 2017

Capital Pride Band, Columbus cappride.org

• Things That Go Bump in the Night: October 29 • Spring Concert: April 1, 2017

Cincinnati MenÊs Chorus cincinnatimenschorus.org

2016-17 schedule to be announced...

Columbus Gay MenÊs Chorus cgmc.org

• Joy! Set the Earth Aglow: December 9-11 • Vox: As Seen on TV: February 17-18, 2017 • Heroes: March 17-19, 2017 • Illuminati: Songs of the Spirit: May 1, 2017 • Jackson 5+: June 23-25, 2017

Dayton Gay MenÊs Chorus daytongaymenschorus.org

• Riverdance 20 Years:

March 29-30, 2017 • Chicago: April 20-23, 2017 • Kinky Boots: June 6-11, 2017

• A Modern Monk Holiday: December 3 • A Salute to the USO: April 8, 2017 • Modern Dance, Modern Funk: Jun 3, 2017

valentinetheatre.com • Fame: The Musical: November 3 • Midtown Men: January 20, 2017 • Phanton’s Leading Ladies:

North Coast MenÊs Chorus, Cleveland ncmchorus.org

April 6, 2017

2016-17 schedule to be announced...

Fun Home is a musical based on work by Dykes to Watch Out For creator Alison Bechdel.

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The fish are rainbow-colored!

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c siic us M Mu

The Music of Queen

April 29, 2017 Dayton Philarmonic Orchestra

The cast and musicians from London’s smash hit musical, We Will Rock You, will join the Dayton Philharmonic for songs of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Meddows Taylor and John Deacon, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Who Wants to Live Forever,” “I Want It All,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “A Kind of Magic,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” and “We Are the Champions.” ($27-$81; daytonperformingarts.org/philharmonic) Women of Song

June 9-10, 2017 Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

A tribute to legendary female singers spans six decades and many gay icons: Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and more. ($13$79; daytonperformingarts.org/ philharmonic)

Sara Davis Buechner

October 1 Canton Symphony Orchestra

Transgender concert pianist Sara Davis Buechner will play pieces that were voted the favorites of Canton Symphony audiencess, including Mozart’s “Overture to The Magic Flute,” Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (New World) and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. ($26-$46; cantonsymphony.org) Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn

October 13-22 Evolution Theatre, Columbus

The work of openly gay composer and lyricist William Finn, a two-time Tony Winner, tells personal, haunting and often hilarious tales from his life. Songs from his Falsettos, A New Brain, The Royal Family of Broadway, Elegies: A Song Cycle and more are part of the sixactor, one-pianist revue. ($25; evolutiontheatre.org) Almost Like Being in Love: The Songs of Lerner & Loewe

December 11 Hanna Theatre/Playhouse Square, Cleveland

All your favorite songs from many of your favorite musicals, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, Brigadoon and Gigi. Lerner and Loewe (the latter was gay) were the last of the great Broadway romantics, writing songs such as “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” and “Almost Like Being in Love.” ($15-$60; playhousesquare.org)

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Tallulah toys with poor Danny like a haughty, grizzled feline batting around a hapless mouse. ($25; evolutiontheatre.org) Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike September 16-25 Village Players, Toledo

The New York Times called it “a sunny ... play about gloomy people.” Gay, middle-aged Vonya and his sister, Sonya, share a home in Bucks County, Penn., where they bicker and complain about their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, and Masha threatens to sell the house. Can the siblings live happily ever after? ($18; thevillageplayers.org) Lanford Wilson: Take 5

September 23-October 28 Cesear’s Forum, Cleveland

Five short plays by the late, gay playwright Wandering, Sextet (Yes), A Betrothal, Brontosaurus and A Poster of the Cosmos reflect on aspects of American life.

The stories are told simply but carry emotional baggage. ($18; playhousesquare.org)

Local s S tag e

35mm: A Musical Exhibition

September 30-October 8 Dare 2 Defy Productions, Dayton

A picture is worth a thousand words, and in 35mm, they’re each worth a song, too. This multimedia musical - created by husbands The Legend of Georgia McBride Ryan Scott Oliver (music) and Matthew Murphy (photographs) - explores a groundSeptember 6-25 breaking new concept in musical theater.

Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati He’s young, he’s broke, his landlord’s knocking ($25.50; d2defy.com) at the door, and he just found out his wife is Twelfth Night going to have a baby. To make matters even more desperate, Casey is fired from his gig as September 30-October 30 Great Lakes Theater, Cleveland an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in Shakespeare’s play is about Viola, who is a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey shipwrecked and takes on the appearance of her brother to join a duke’s court on the island learns that necessity is the mother of where she washes ashore. A young countess reinvention. ($44; ensemblecincinnati.org) falls in love with Viola, who takes the name Cesario. ($15-$60; greatlakestheater.org) Looped September 15-24 Evolution Theatre, Columbus

Based on a real event, Looped takes place in the summer of 1965, when an inebriated Tallulah Bankhead needed eight hours to redub - or loop - one line of dialogue for her last movie, Die! Die! My Darling! Her audience consists of a beleaguered film editor, Danny, and a studio technician who watches as

Until He WasnÊt

October 6-22 MadLab Theatre, Columbus

Raya, Tenille, Natalie and Gavin have one thing in common: They all fell for Colin Bayley.

In sharing their diverse “Colin stories,” secrets are exposed and a bond is formed. This surreal and dark drama is about infatuation, violence,

Evolution Theatre in Columbus is dedicated solely to LGBT stories and playwrights.

power and betrayal. (Ticket prices not yet announced; madlab.net) Avenue Q

October 27-November 6 Cleveland State University Theater Department

The Tony-winning musical is a Sesame Street for adults. The story about recent college grad Princeton’s new life on New York’s Avenue Q is a coming-of-age parable whose characters struggle to find jobs, dates and their everelusive purpose in life. It features the song, “If You Were Gay.” ($10; playhousesquare.org) Kiss of the Spider Woman November 3-20 Short North Stage, Columbus

The Tony-winning 1993 musical tells the story of Molina, an imprisoned gay man, and his cell mate, Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary. To survive behind bars, Molina spins fantasies of a movie queen, the “Spider Woman” Aurora, and his fantasies come to life through lavish dance numbers. Inspired by Aurora and his unselfish love for Valentin, Molina arrives at his own heroic definition of masculinity. ($25$42; shortnorthstage.org) Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde November 2-20 CATCO, Columbus

In three short months, the most celebrated playwright and wit of Victorian England, who brought us The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, plummeted from the darling of British society and the world into humiliation and ruin. ($20-$40; catco.org) Rent: 20th Anniversary Tour

November 8 Clark State Performing Arts Center, Dayton

Jonathan Larson’s 1996 rock musical won four Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize, and it’s back on tour. Rent is a fearless portrait of an HIVstricken group of New Yorkers, set to a propulsive rock score. It’s a portrait of life and love flourishing in the face of adversity. ($40$78; pac.clarkstate.edu) Abraham Lincoln Was a Faggot November 10-19 Evolution Theatre, Columbus

Seventeen-year-old Cal is on a quest to prove the secret sexual history of Gaybraham Lincoln. Along the way there is convincing september 2016

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Hairspray

evidence, time travel, a road trip to the nation’s capital, budding high-school romance, Mary Todd and sex in a stove-pipe hat. ($25; evolutiontheatre.org)

the 26 children and adults killed on Dec. 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. ($35-$50; humanracetheatre.org)

When We Were Young and Unafraid

High Society

In the early 1970s, before Roe v. Wade and before the Violence Against Women Act, Agnes has turned her quiet bed and breakfast into one of the few spots where victims of domestic violence can seek refuge. But her newest guest is beginning to influence Agnes’ college-bound daughter, Penny, and soon, Agnes is forced to confront her own presumptions about the women she’s spent her life trying to help. ($44; ensemblecincinnati.org)

Cole Porter’s classic musical follows Tracy Lord, a wealthy socialite who is planning her lavish summer wedding when her ex-husband tries to win her back. Then tabloid reporter Mike Connor arrives to cover the event and takes a shine to her, also. High Society features the songs, “Let’s Misbehave,” “Just One of Those Things,” “True Love” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” ($10-$21; srotheatre.org)

February 21-March 12, 2017 Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati

Oscar Wilde’s most popular play is set against the backdrop of 1890s London and its stiff, Victorian conventions. Two friends find the pseudonym of Ernest covers their socially unacceptable behavior. Until it doesn’t. ($15; utoledo.edu/al/svpa/ theatrefilm/currentseason) A Kid Like Jake

January 12-22, 2017 Weathervane Playhouse, Akron

Four-year-old Jake doesn’t want to be a pirate.

He wants to be a princess. His parents, a pair of affluent New Yorkers, seem to worry less about his happiness than whether his gender variance will hurt his chances to get into an exclusive private school. (Ticket prices not yet announced; weathervaneplayhouse.com)

May 30-June 10, 2017 Cincinnati

Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches June 1-Jul 2 Short North Stage, Columbus

september 2016

around the world. It’s divided into eight sessions over three days. (Ticket prices not yet announced; FB: OutReels Cincinnati) Stonewall Columbus LGBT Fest November 13-19

What was once a branch of the Columbus International Film and Video Festival has become a weeklong event of its own. It includes LGBT feature films and shorts, documentaries, student work and Ohio-made films. (Ticket prices not yet announced; lgbtfest.org/2016) Cleveland International Film Festival

March 29-April 9, 2017 Tower City Cinemas, Cleveland

Films & s valls Festtiiv

The theater festival that boasts it’s “Kinda weird. Like you,” is back for its 14th year. In 2016, the two-week festival included 50 shows in 11 venues. LGBT-themed productions always occupy a prime spot on the marquee. (Ticket prices not yet announced; cincyfringe.com)

Tony Kushner’s 1993 Pulitzer- and Tonywinning play explores how AIDS affected its mostly fictional characters in the 1980s.

Millenium Approaches introduces the characters as they embark on their journeys through the epidemic. Along with actors from the Short North Stage, the puppets and puppet masters of Dayton’s Zoot Theatre ItÊs Only a Play Company will help bring both plays to radiJanuary 13-22, 2017 cally reimagined life with the fantasia Toledo Repertoire Theatre inherent in Kushner’s masterpiece. ($25-$42; Gay writer Terrence McNally’s play about a play shortnorthstage.org) details the opening-night anxiety of a Broadway playwright whose career is on the Angels in America, Part Two: line. He awaits the reviews with his best Perestroika friend, producer, leading lady, director and a June 15-July 2 coat-check attendant. ($20; toledorep.org) Short North Stage, Columbus Part Two of Kushner’s play continues the 26 Pebbles journey of a group of interconnected February 2-19, 2017 individuals confronting the AIDS epidemic in Human Race Theatre Company, the 1980s. Perestroika steers the characters Dayton Through interviews with the people affected, into a new sense of community in the 1990s. ($25-$42; shortnorthstage.org) gay playwright Eric Ulloa tells the stories of 18

John Waters’ movie-turned-musical-turnedmovie/musical tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, whose dream to dance on The Corny Collins Show comes true - and then some. ($20; toledorep.org)

April 28-May 7, 2017 Standing Room Only Theatre, Columbus

The Importance of Being Earnest Cincy Fringe!

March 3-April 9, 2017 University of Toledo Department of Theater

July 13-16 Toledo Repertoire Theatre

Film Retrospective: Kelly Reichardt

October 6-27 Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus

“It’s very hard to come up with other filmmakers in the independent film community who’ve made such uncompromising work so consistently, with such a clear, precise and resonant vision,” filmmaker Todd Haynes said of Kelly Reichardt, whose films will be shown throughout the month at OSU. Reichardt will join the audience for an Oct. 20 screening of Certain Women, her 2016 film that tells the stories of three Montana women. In one of the tales, a lonely ranch hand played by Lily Gladstone grows fond of a night-school teacher played by Kristen Stewart. ($6 per film; wexarts.org) Dayton LGBT Film Festival October 7-9 The Neon, Dayton

The Dayton LGBT Film Festival has become known as one of the nation’s best. We’ll have a full rundown of this year’s films in our October issue. ($8 per screening or $50 for a festival pass; daytonlgbt.com) OutReels Cincinnati

November 4-6 Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre, Cincinnati

This year, the Cleveland film festival offered more than 400 films from 70 countries.

Organizers always book a diverse group of features, documentaries and shorts. Stories by and about LGBT people, women and people of color are featured prominently. (Ticket prices not yet announced; clevelandfilm.org)

e ce nc an Da D The Female Factor March 30, 2017 Dayton Ballet

Since the beginning of time when the natural movement of body to music evolved into its own art form, women have shaped the face of dance. Dayton Ballet honors the women of dance with a program that shines a spotlight on the ingenuity and talent of today’s female choreographers. ($21-$72; daytonperformingarts.org/ballet) Courage

March 31-April 1, 2017 Columbus Dance Theatre

Courage is an evening-length work that confronts issues of race and hate speech. It was created as a response to the hateful rhetoric of the 2008 elections, but its themes hold true today. ($30; columbusdancetheatre.com)

Last year’s LGBT film festival in Cincinnati featured 20 shorts and feature films from

We’ll include rundowns on each film festival in future issues of Outlook.

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trans point analysis

by Brynn Tannehill It was a year ago that I left Ohio for good.

Queer Flowers Bloom in Sometimes Hostile Ohio plenty of time to myself off in a corner.

I desperately looked for jobs for years in the area, but being a trans activist meant that I During my decade in the state, I transitioned. never got far. And if they didn’t know I was Everyone I was close to moved away. And then trans, the calls from potential employers the total isolation as an openly queer person stopped as soon as they figured it out. in rural America set in. It was a 45-minute drive to find the closest transgender person to Activism in Ohio was sort of a dead end as me, and everyone else was a solid half-hour well. Gov. John Kasich and the Legislature are farther away. so right wing that nothing is going to move forward. The districts are so gerrymandered In the place where I lived, I was tolerated. that elections are nothing more than a Which I suppose is OK. But people certainly formality before the inevitable disaster. Sort weren’t having me over for tea and crumpets. of like singing the National Anthem before Transgender people are just so... weird. Icky. a Browns game.

Unfathomable. And what about the children?

Are they too young to handle ideas like that? There was no will - or capacity - to move trans-specific issues forward in the state, So the last four years of my life in Ohio ticked either. by. People I knew passed through, but it was a once- or twice-a-year event. Where I lived was I lived so far out in the boondocks that there about 20 minutes from a highway whose pri- were no LGBT events for me to support with mary purpose was to get people to someplace my presence, either. Dayton Pride was oblivimore important. ous to trans issues, and honestly, I didn’t feel particularly welcome as a trans person there, Work was basically solitary confinement. anyway, given the clueless transphobia After I came out, I displayed by the organizers. got a seat by a Even home wasn’t an escape. My window, no responsibili- marriage crumbled after I came out, ties and and we limped along as

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roommates raising kids together. So I existed and occasionally held out hope things might change for the better. Even for the worse would have been a welcome change.

In short, my time in Ohio as an openly queer person was its own soul-sucking hell. When the opportunity to take a job close to Washington, D.C., came, I leapt at it. I might be slowly going bankrupt here in Virginia, but at least I’ll have a friend’s couch to sleep on when I do.

place, rather than simply tolerant. They’re out there, and I wish I’d gotten to know more. In the words of Bilbo Baggins, “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

I wish I’d been stronger. I wish I’d lived somewhere in Ohio where I would have had a fair chance at finding a job and being closer to the queer community. I wish I’d had the endurance to keep going, keep fighting, keep pressing against a system and an activist So given all this, what do I love about Ohio? community that couldn’t be bothered with I love the queer people there fighting the good transgender issues. fight. It’s a long, hard road that I’d lost the stomach for, and they keep pushing. The odds And if wishes were fishes, beggars would be kings. are terrible, but it doesn’t matter, because there’s still work to do.

So, yes, I’m queer. But now I’m not here.

I love all the people who are completely and unapologetically queer in Ohio. They are flowers blooming in a Midwestern desert of Brynn Tannehill is a former naval aviator and LGBTQ+ culture. With an environment so hostile, it’s a wonder when they survive. It’s a mir- Xenia resident who can be found on Twitter acle when they thrive - and a testament to @BrynnTannehill. their fortitude.

She writes a monthly column for Outlook.

I love the straight folks who are actively working to make Ohio a more accepting

If your vote doesn’t change things, at least you’ll know you tried.

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IMHO

KING OF THE WACK JOBS

by James Blackmon

The Xenophobes, Racists and Heterosexists Have Their Candidate

Full disclosure: This is the fifth time I’ve started this column. For me, the past few months have been... unnerving and disturbing.

From the Pulse nightclub massacre to the police shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and Charles Kinsey, to the emergence of Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee, it’s taken me five tries to try to express exactly what I’m feeling.

Thing is, as a black gay man approaching 50, I find each of those events to be disconcerting in their own right. But taken together as a string of events that started in June, it’s what they share that’s most unsettling.

I’m not really on social media much, other than Facebook. Although I use it mostly to keep in touch with friends who live in other cities or countries, it’s a great platform for commentary on various events. It seems many people use it similarly, too.

Which has led to my discovery that Facebook is also useful for exposing how many crazy, fucked-up people are in your life and on your friends list. And in the world.

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With each of this summer’s tragedies - yes, Trump’s nomination is a tragedy - people took to social media. They voiced their outrage at innocent civilians gunned down in a hatebased terror attack at Pulse in Orlando; at still more black men being shot and often killed under suspicious circumstances by the police (in spite of being unarmed and fully compliant as was the case for Charles Kinsey); at the Republican Party nominating a candidate for the presidency who has on multiple occasions demonstrated blatant racist, xenophobic and misogynistic tendencies; and again at the Republican Party itself for a 2016 platform that is the most anti-LGBT in history.

However, what’s even more troubling is the number of people who took to social media to deny that the Pulse massacre was a hatecrime; to attack the victims of the police shootings; and to support Donald Trump, his policies and the Republican Party platform.

In fact, not only were there people unwilling to label the shooting of 102 people in a gay bar including the murder of 49 - as the hate crime that it was, there are people calling the entire thing a hoax! All made up. One big, fake, reality TV show that every major news organization in the world was in on.

What do all these tragic events have in com-

mon? Each is evidence of a growing trend in America in which denialists, bigots and the lunatic fringe have been given a voice and some power. They now stand poised to possibly slingshot us around the sun and send us back in time 70 years to “Make ‘Merica Great Again.”

And, oh, what a glorious time that was for blacks and other racial and ethnic minorities, LGBT Americans, and women. Lynchings, egomaniacal dictators and Japanese internment camps were all the rage. No marriage equality and no legal protection for LGBT Americans against discrimination. No protection, either, against violence.

Sounds utopic.

And now there’s a mouthpiece for the xenophobes, heterosexists, racists, wack-jobs and chauvinist pigs. And he’s running for president under a political party that is unashamedly anti-LGBT. But honestly, it’s the denialists that I’m most afraid of. Those people who, when faced with a truth or a fact they find intolerable, reject it instead and choose to believe whatever bullshit scenario they’ve cooked up for themselves. They insist that the truth is a lie, despite a preponderance of evidence to the

Ohio’s voter-registration deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 11, for the Nov. 8 election.

contrary.

These are the people who believe the earth is 2,000 years old, that we rode dinosaurs like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble did, and that global warming isn’t really a thing.

These are also the Log Cabin Republicans who are shocked - utterly shocked - at the GOP’s anti-gay, anti-transgender platform. Shocked?

Really? This is the same party that has been against marriage equality in every platform since 1992. This is the same party for which you elect candidates who continually strive to legislate discrimination against you. And you’re shocked?

If you’re a woman, a minority or LGBT, how in the hell can you support misogyny, xenophobia, racism or heterosexism? How do you support that which doesn’t support or give a fuck about you?

What do you tell yourself that makes that all right? I’d love to know.

James Blackmon is a musician, actor, director and the artistic director of State of the Arts Productions in Columbus. You can follow him on Twitter @MrJamesBlackmon. IMHO will appear again in the November issue of Outlook.

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dyke like me

How to Survive the Fall in Ohio

A Lesbian Laments Her Lack of Sports Knowledge, but She Knows the Score in This State

by Brooke Cartus

In Ohio, football is life. Buckeyes football breathes a particularly potent jolt into the veins of every red-blooded millennial who lives within Columbus city limits, and it’s even more intense the farther from Columbus proper you go.

to be able to teach me what a Pick 6 is. And game!” or, “What a blowout!” and not look even if you can, I’m not going to focus any like a total asshat. more intensely if I’m wearing a bulky jersey that looks like one of those gym class pinTip 3: Don’t Let nies with extra space in the shoulders to Anyone Tell You That store grapefruits.

So leave the Block O snapback at home if you’re having a great hair day. You can be I am not here to talk about the stereotypes just as disillusioned when your team surrounding not-so-sports-fans, things like “doesn’t win by as much as you wanted novelty T-shirts that say, YAY SPORTS BALL! them to” without a hat.

That generally annoys the sh*t out of everyone, including myself.

Tip 2: Google the

To talk about football culture, for me, is also to talk about lesbian culture. Midwestern lesbians love football and tailgating more than they love... well... you probably know what I was going to say here. And as a woman who has been dating women for over a decade, managing the pool of complicated emotions that come from loving sports fans can be draining and complicated, like trying to navigate a lesbian bar without running into all of your exes. (Hint: It can’t be done.)

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About Sports.

There is this ridiculous stereotype about a “good woman” knowing her sports and being like “one of the guys” - even in lesbian culture!

Final Score Before You In some ways, lesbians can be JUST as misogynistic as men. Look, if you want a Head to the Bar on Saturday Night.

girl who is one of the guys, you should probably find that girl. I am not that girl. I listen to opera. I love musicals. The only sport I play is golf because it doesn’t involve running or catching and you can drink while you do it.

There is NOTHING more embarrassing than not knowing the final score of the big game. OH WAIT. That sentence was a typo!

What I meant to say is that there is nothing more annoying than someone being mad at My idea of a high-octane Saturday game you for not knowing the score of a football day is a game of 500 Rummy and trying a game after it’s over and done. new risotto recipe I found online.

Let me give you some advice. If you aren’t a It’s over! diehard fan, these tips might help you survive the season with your friends and rela- As long as you know who won (probably), tionships intact. I wish I was kidding. you can hold your own at the bar on a Saturday night. And usually, you can use conTip 1: Wear Whatever text clues to figure it out. Like, are all the lesbians looking really sad? Is it because the F*ck You Want. their team lost, or because the bar ran out of Fireball? Do your research and order a I have exactly TWO jerseys in my possesshot of Fireball just to be sure. sion, both from overzealous (albeit endearing) ex-girlfriends who thought that maybe To avoid having to do too many shots, use changing my game-watching attire would your phone and Google the score. You don’t suddenly transform my knowledge and need to write it down on your hand like it’s a passion for the game. girl’s phone number in the 5th grade (wait, was that just me?), but that way you have Look. My dad couldn’t teach me what icing a general idea of what happened. You can was when I was growing up on the ice rinks say things like, “Wow that was a close of Buffalo, and you CERTAINLY aren’t going september 2016

You Have to Care

And, oh, in case you were wondering: The Buckeyes won.

I’m not going to change, and neither should you! Go watch the game and get your emotions all in a fuss about a couple dozen boys who are knocking the shit out of each other.

Seriously, you do you. I’ll be at home, and if you want to come over after the game, I made risotto.

Just don’t ask me what I thought about the game.

Brooke Cartus earned her law degree from Ohio State University and, no, she can’t get you tickets.

You can find more of her writing on her blog, Size L for Lady, at brookecartus.com. She writes Dyke Like Me every month for Outlook.

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complete the circuit

Porn and Politicians

Those Pics Will Come Back to Haunt You... Or Maybe Not

by Mickey Weems

here with you,” he joked to Barbara Walters in an interview.

What do you do when you are a conservative Christian who wants to limit LGBT rights in America but know you’ll be called a homophobe if you say so directly?

You attack pornography.

It was a tactic used during the administration of George W. Bush. In addition to preventing marriage equality from advancing and using images of two men kissing to win elections, Junior’s administration threatened to punish men’s sites that showed homoerotic material.

The anti-pornography plank in the 2016 Republican platform is a return to that same strategy.

Now, let’s turn to Melania Trump.

The wife of the Republican candidate for president has pictures that not only show her naked, but also engaging in woman-onwoman action. The excuse given by the Trump people: That’s how they take modeling pictures in Europe. (Even though they were taken in New York in 1995) The lack of censure by conservative media outlets has been telling. There has been no big movement calling for Ms. Trump to repudiate her pictures or to explain that the photos were artistic rather than erotic. She didn’t even have to play the Jesus Card: “I was a sinner then, but now I’ve found the Lord” or some such salvific formula.

Granted, Brown wasn’t spooning with another naked man in any of his pics, which brings up another point. Is there a double standard when it comes to Gay visual content? Is woman-on-woman action somehow not as offensive to conservative eyes as man-on-man?

It is safe to say that Melania Trump’s honor is only lightly besmirched by her forays into soft porn, although it would be a stretch to say that the photos will aid her husband’s chances as Brown’s near-dick-pics aided his. Perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps “Do I regret doing that? No. ’Cause if I hadn’t America is finally growing out of its extended done that, I never would have been sitting adolescence and ready to stop slut-shaming outlookohio.com

Or maybe America is still in knee-jerk mode concerning men engaged in soft porn shots with other men. We will soon find out.

We have our first generation of young LGBT people who record themselves and each other doing all kinds of shenanigans for Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram and Grindr.

In the not-so-near future, some of them will Of course it isn’t. When the Republican Party throw their hats into the political ring. was saturating the media with same-sex couples in romantic poses in an attempt to When they do, a myriad of photos and videos turn people against marriage equality and of them will cascade into the hands of waitother LGBT civil rights, they did not use pic- ing media. All those hookup sites they fretures of women holding hands and kissing. quented will become fertile ground for dirty, dirty evidence to determine not only orientaIn the bizarre world of conservative sexual tion but length, girth, cut/uncut, shaved/undesires, the rules are dictated by the desires shaved, and favorite positions of future of Straight men, and those proclivities are mayors, governors, senators and even presifilled with Christian charity for hot women dents. engaged in anything erotic, be it Melania Trump getting European for the camera or, in Where will we draw the line? Will it be differthe case of one famous Alaskan in 2008, ent for men than women, as it has been in winking at the audience during a debate the past? Men’s titty pics are already OK. with Joe Biden and causing countless redWhat about women’s? What about female blooded conservative men to collectively jizz candidates in videos showing dildo penetratheir pants. tion? Will the naked truth be a deal breaker for trans candidates? What about a drunken I think it is instructive at this juncture to re- video of Johnny trading blow jobs at the Relate a story from my own family. Several publican or Democratic convention? years ago, my painfully conservative brother (who refuses to even meet my husband) was Or perhaps we will look at such pictures and visiting my elderly parents. He was asked videos for what so many of them are: the exwhere he wanted to eat on a fine Easter Sun- uberance of youth. Scott Brown was 22 years day; he chose Hooters as the spot to celeof age when he did his centerfold. Melania brate the Resurrection of Our Savior.

Trump was 25.

No doubt for the wings.

It’s all so very different from the short-lived media flash flood that occurred with thenU.S. Sen. Scott Brown six years ago when pictures of his nude centerfold for Cosmopolitan surfaced. Brown actually saw the photos as a plus for his campaign.

everyone.

Personally, I say give anyone at that age a pass.

Mickey Weems is a writer, educator and creator of The Qualia Encyclopedia of Gay Folklife. Visit mickeyweems.com or email him at mickeyweems@yahoo.com. Complete the Circuit will appear again in the November issue of Outlook.

Tip #1 to future politicians: Take your college diploma off the wall behind you when snapping a selfie.

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fashion

What’s In if You’re Out by Oskar Stine

IN

Unscrunchy the man bun and dial back on the neon. You’ve got big - and tall - shoes to fill if you want to be a fashionista this fall.

Here’s what’s in and what’s not-in-a-good-way out for the young, queer and stylish.

High Platform Shoes Platforms are seeing a bit of resurgence in the fashion scene of late, with sexually liberated and empowered artists such as Arca and Lady Gaga donning them, respectively, for live performances and the Met Gala. Highly recommended brands include Deandri, Demonica and Marc Jacobs.

Heavy/Midi Rings Rings have never been out of style. But now it’s popular to wear heavy rings, by which I mean: Go heavy on the rings. Wear at least one on each finger. Either uniform silver/ gold bands or mismatched gemstone rings.

I also highly recommend spiked rings or “cat ear” rings, which give off a subtly dangerous don’t-fuck-with-me vibe.

there’s something for everyone. This does have a catch however: You need to take your time, go through racks, pick stuff up, try stuff on and really look. You could discover a new Korean clothing line or, in my one-in-a-million case, a genuine Versace T-shirt for $7.

Pops of Color/ Flashiness Black and white is a great color palate, but only if you spice it up. Maybe a white shirt with a neon green collar. (But never wear full neon. See: OUT).

Name-Brand Street Clothes

Now LetÊs Put It All Together...

With so many established brands and new lines coming out every month, it’s practically a crime not to capitalize on the cool street clothes trend. I recommend Supreme, Youth Machine, Tower, Pizza Slime and Diesel.

I would wear black leggings and a gray and black Ivy Park split-back sweatshirt with a white tank top underneath. This would be the base outfit. I then would add holographic print platforms, 10 gold rings on my left hand, 10 silver rings on my right, a color-blocked clutch, and I’d top it all off with a great matte red lip.

Shop Thrift and Resale Stores Thrift and resale stores are fantastic, because they’re inexpensive and you never know what you might find. Vintage or new, 24

september 2016

Those last few details - the shoes, rings, lipstick and bag - help to punch up the outfit and make it fashionable as opposed to forgettable.

Man Buns This form of hair torture probably started as a joke in early 2015 and has disconcertingly continued. It needs to die. We need to be done with this. And if you don’t know what a man bun is, good for you. Don’t look it up.

Cargo Shorts This magazine is targeted toward the LGBT demographic. I don’t care how much you hate the stereotypes, I should not have to explain to you why cargo shorts are gross. A definite don’t.

Plastic Chokers I am all for inexpensive jewelry, and these relatively cheap pieces of jewelry used to be minorly cool.

Now they are tiresome and ugly.

They do, however, pair perfectly with sloppily applied winged eyeliner and maybe a Nirvana T-shirt from Walmart. If that’s what you’re going for.

All in favor of declaring man buns out of style, say aye. The ayes have it.

Head-to-Toe Neon What’s that? I can’t hear you over your shirt, shorts, socks and shoes that are all made from the same weird fabric that feels like rubber had a lovechild with polyester.

Vineyard Vines Pure. Bourgeois. Garbage. Unless you’re a middle-school girl, this is a don’t.

Oskar Stine is a music producer and aspiring fashion designer who lives in St. Louis and on the internet. He spent part of the summer as an intern with Outlook, and vintage stores and boutiques in Columbus are eternally grateful. outlookohio.com

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Abe and Boy George at least have the same taste in hats.

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feature

Life Is Her Canvas Staley Munroe’s Stylish Life Has Taken Her From Columbus to New York and L.A., and Back

by Paige Johnson photo by Will Shively The tall, angular woman with glowing, gray-blonde hair emits a confidence that is both dazzling and comforting.

Her exuberant presence is part of the expressive package that is Staley Jophiel Munroe. The artistic and evocative tattoos, her long hair and sunset-themed dress all introduce her as a worldly, loving woman before she has even said a word to me.

But her words about coping mechanisms and struggles as a child just don’t seem to match the woman she is today: cool, collected and capable of just about anything.

“There’s footage of me as a child telling my therapist that I was a little girl trapped in a boy’s body,” she said. “It’s fascinating that that’s the language I used in 1st and 2nd grade, and that I understood body vs. spirit.”

She once got a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers morphing watch as a kids meal prize from Burger King, and into middle school she used it to pretend she was an undercover Power Ranger. She pressed a button, and the watch would project to the world the image of a little boy.

Although Munroe was able to express 26

september 2016

verbally her transgender identity at an early age, she was forbidden from expressing it in other ways.

She wasn’t allowed to play dress up. Her sister’s dolls were locked away to keep her from playing with the toys she wanted.

Ultimately, her parents put her into counseling and therapy.

This summer, Munroe made her stage debut with Columbus’ Evolution Theatre Company in its production of local playwright Cory Skurdal’s Sticks and Stones.

Munroe’s reviews were positive.

“As competent as the cast and script is, the show would not function half as well without the glorious performance of Staley Jophiel Munroe as the fearless [Kylie],” Columbus theater blogger Chuck Pennington III wrote on his site, Life Full of Cheese.

“When I get up in the morning, I get out of the shower, I have no makeup on, my hair is wet, it’s like a blank canvas. You can become any character you want to be and still be yourself.

I do live a very visual life and that sort of bled out into my career.”

Her confidence and strong presence were great assets on stage.

Her character, Kylie, a young transgender artist, lashes out at an older, closeted lesbian critic after a negative review.

“I gather Ms. Munroe has a deep well of life experience that informs her portrayal; the flashback scene with her father is particularly heartbreaking, surely touching a nerve with any LGBT person who has faced hostility from their family. ‘He can’t be this way!’ her father shouts, while Ms. Munroe’s plaintive, ‘I AM this way!’ is so nakedly honest that I defy anyone to walk away unmoved.”

You can see some of Staley’s work at staleydesigns.com.

Munroe played her character much as she lives her own life.

“I think it is so important to not make any apology or have any shame for my story,” she said. “At the same time, it is not all of who I am. I regard myself as a woman who happens to be transgender, just as someone might say, ‘I’m a woman who happens to be Irish.’ Truth is my focus, part of my truth, is that I am a transgender woman.”

And as a transgender woman, Munroe said, she has “a very visual life.” Her career has involved nearly every facet of the fashion industry: photography, makeup and styling, design, post-production, and modeling.

“It’s how I feel like myself,” she said of her personal style. “When I get up in the morning, I get out of the shower, I have no makeup on, my hair is wet, it’s like a blank canvas. You can become any character you want to be and still be yourself.

I do live a very visual life and that sort of bled out into my career.”

Her career has taken the Columbus native to New York, Los Angeles and now back to Columbus, where she began attracting attention even before her June stage debut.

“She was becoming well-known in Columbus for her photography and cre-

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ative artistry,” Fashion Week Columbus founder and executive director Tommy McClure said of the woman who will shoot the designer looks for the October event’s program.

Munroe also works for Buckeye Lifestyle, a local women’s magazine.

“She’s definitely talented, and I trust her creative direction,” McClure said.

Munroe loves her readopted hometown.

New York’s LGBT scene revolves around money and business, she said (“it’s much more shrewd and fast-paced”), while Los Angeles revolves around popularity and looks (“if you don’t look the part, I think it is far more difficult to have a voice”).

Columbus?

“The hill I’m willing to die on is that the LGBT community in Columbus, Ohio, outshines any other I have ever seen,” she said.

“It puts its money where its mouth is. The Columbus LGBT community is informed, it is tough and resilient, it is very, very relationally focused.”

“Staley brought an immediacy and authenticity to Kylie that no other actor came close to providing,” Bishara said.

“Casting Staley was the best choice for outlookohio.com

Munroe understood the character she portrayed on stage, but she but didn’t really like her. Bishara said she inferred a few times during rehearsals that her issues with Kylie stemmed from her similarities to the character when she was younger.”

Living as authentically as possible, she said, is her real focus.

Paige Johnson was a summer intern for Outlook. She is a senior this fall at Capital University in Bexley, where she majors in professional writing.

Even after accepting herself, Munroe said, she was still evolving.

“I think that I went through an exponential growing period where I began to really ask God to show me my blind spots, where I had been part of the problem,” she said. “I was appalled at how long I thought I was really doing the right thing. Not that I didn’t question things. I did, but I didn’t have all the information.”

“There’s footage of me as a child telling my therapist that I was a little girl trapped in a boy’s body.

It’s fascinating that that’s the language I used in 1st and 2nd grade, and that I understood body vs. spirit.”

Staying relationally focused is a recurring theme in Munroe’s life. That is actually what led her role in Skurdal’s play.

Her friend and co-star Priyanka Shetty reached out to her, and a cold reading was scheduled with director Joe Bishara.

Munroe was offered the part, but “I said no because at the time I was working at Victoria’s Secret and had a very busy corporate job. I knew from my friends who are in the theater world that it was a real time commitment. Joe Bishara was really encouraging and said, ‘We will work this out.’”

Munroe’s life. Nor is theater.

the production.”

She got more informed through volunteer work.

A number of her volunteer opportunities arose from her work in the fashion industry.

“Anytime there is a fashion show of some nature going on, there is often a charity involved,” she said. “Fashion is amazing for awareness, and Columbus has always been at the forefront of that.”

Munroe and fashion are interconnected.

Makeup was one of her first forms of gender expression. After years working in grocery stores, a friend finally encouraged her to pursue her passion for makeup, photography and fashion by going freelance. Working in the fashion industry had her playing multiple roles.

“I’d be at shows and an assistant wouldn’t show up so I’d be doing seating and layouts or show-running and show-calling.”

None of that, though, is the focus of

Best of luck this fall to our summer interns: Paige, Lennie, Rachel, Nathan and Oskar!

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Out & About in

Central Ohio

on tour. 8p; $48-$232.50.

UnderBear: Powered by Growlr @ The Barracks, 49 Parsons Ave., Columbus, 43215; 614.621.8779; FB: The Barracks Mary Lambert • Culture Club • U.S. Women’s Soccer • UnderBear at AWOL: It’s billed as “a night of dancing and cruising with the woofiest bears, cubs and friends in town.” It’s a FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 THURSDAY, 21+ party. 10p; $3 cover or free before Pride Night at the Clippers SEPTEMBER 8 11p. @ Huntington Park, 330 Life After Diagnosis @ Vue Huntington Park Lane, Columbus, 95 Liberty St., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Columbus, 43215; Columbus, 43215; 614.

Columbus Women’s Chorus Rehearsal 614.268.8525, x1; 340.6784; @ King Avenue United Methodist Church, outlookohio.com: Outlook’s projectinkcolumbus.org: Since 299 King Ave., Columbus, 43201; annual Pride Night with the Greg’ry Revenj was diagnosed 614.636.3541; colswomenschorus.org: Columbus Clippers features a pre-game with HIV in 2014, he has made it his mis- Central Ohio’s feminist chorus begins buffet, private bar and the first-place sion to destigmatize living with the disrehearsals for its new season. If you’re team in the International League West! ease. He and guest CJ Stobinski tell their new, see musical director Lisa Springer 5:15p; $12 ($8 for kids 12 and younger) stories and answer questions to help for voice placement when you arrive. for game tickets, and $25 for the buffet. demystify living with HIV. Testing will be 6:45p. available throughout the event. 6p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Mary Lambert @ Arena District, Colum- Brittney Cooper: Gender Inclusion and Network Columbus @ location to be anbus, 43215; fmms.us: The lesbian Black Feminism @ Denison University’s nounced; 614.268.8525, x1; FB: Network singer/songwriter will perform outdoors Swasey Chapel, 200 Chapel Dr., Columbus: Outlook’s monthly social gathat a weekend festival. 4p; $60-$100.

Granville, 43023; 740.587.6297; ering for the LGBTQ and allied community brittneycooper.com: The Rutgers Univeris on the second Wednesday of every Oh, Pit Crew + Torso Underwear Fashsity professor of women’s, gender and month. Come mingle with us! 6p-8p. ion Show @ Axis, 775 N. High St., Africana studies, is a founder of the blog, Columbus, 43215; 614.291.4008; Crunk Feminist Collective, and a frequent THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 axisonhigh.com: Just about every queen contributor to print and cable news. Her Ballroom Dancing Class @ Stonewall from RuPaul’s Drag Race has come to lecture is open to the public. 7p.

Columbus, 1160 N. High St., Columbus, town; now it’s the Pit Crew’s turn! The 43201; 614.299.7764; men of RPDR join a cast of 12 to model FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 stonewallcolumbus.org: There will be two the latest from Torso. 10p; $7-$60.

Ohio Women on Women @ 400 West six-week sessions of classes. Beginners Rich, 400 W. Rich St., Columbus, 43215; will learn the waltz, tango and cha cha, Miss Mansfield All Star Newcomer FB: Ohio Women on Women: A showcase while the intermediate class also will Pageant @ Sami’s, 178 Wayne St., of female artists’ portraits of female learn foxtrot, rumba and swing. InstrucMansfield, 44902; 419.522.1500; FB: artists who inspire them. 7p-11p. tor Jeff Grace has taught ballroom Sami’s Bar: Brionna Brooks, Valerie dancing for more than 20 years. 6:30p for Valentino and Danyel Vasquez host this SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 beginners and $7:30p for intermediate first-ever pageant. Categories include Columbus Coyotes vs. Canton @ Scioto level; $25 per person or $50 per couple. talent, self-expression and evening wear. Audubon Metro Park, 400 W. Whittier St., 10p; $5 to enter.

Columbus, 43215; columbuscoyotes.com: U.S. Women’s Soccer vs. Thailand @ The International Gay Rugby club opens Mapfre Stadium, 1 Black & Gold Blvd., its fall season. 1p.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Columbus, 43211; FB: U.S. Women’s Passion Pit @ Arena District, Columbus, National Team v Thailand: They didn’t 43215; fmms.us: The indietronica band Culture Club @ Palace Theatre, 34 W. bring home the gold medal from Rio, but led by openly gay singer Michael Broad St., Columbus, 43215; the U.S. women will have the home crowd Angelakos will perform outdoors at a 614.469.0939; capa.com: They’ll tumble behind them in Columbus. 8p; $35-$295. weekend festival. 9:30p; $60-$100.

4 ya. Boy George and the boys are back

28

september 2016

Evolution Theatre: Looped @ Columbus Performing Arts Center’s Van Fleet Theater, 549 Franklin Ave., Columbus, 43215; 614.233.1124;evolutiontheatre.org: Truth makes the best fiction. Looped is based on a real event, a day in the summer of 1965 when a drunken Tallulah Bankhead took eight hours to record a single line for her last movie, Die! Die! My Darling! 8p; $25 ($20 for seniors and $15 for students). More performances are scheduled for Sept. 16-17 and 21-24 at 8p, and on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 LGBTQ Hiking Club @ Hocking Hills, Old Man’s Cave (parking lot), 19852 Ohio Rte. 664, Logan, 43138; 614.930.2265; stonewallcolumbus.org: The six-mile route is classified as a “high-medium level” hike. It’s one of Ohio’s most beautiful spots. The group will gather for a meal afterward at Olde Dutch Restaurant and Banquet Haus in Logan.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 National Leather Association-Columbus CommUNITY Picnic @ Highbanks Metro Park’s Oak Coves Picnic Area, 9466 Columbus Pike (US Rt. 23N), Lewis Center, 43035; 614.404.7521; nlacolumbus.com: Members, friends and family of BDSM-related groups throughout Ohio are invited. Bring your own food and anything you need to prepare it.

11a-3:30p.

Central Ohio Prime Timers Brunch @ Copious, 520 S. High St., Columbus, 43215; 614.885.0846; primetimersww.com/copt: The group for mature gay and bi men meets on the third Sunday of every month for brunch.

11a; most meals range from $9-$11.

Chris Pureka @ Rumba Café, 2507

The Clippers will have LGBT Pride T-shirts available with the design shown above!

Summit St., Columbus, 43202; 614.268.1841; columbusrumbacafe.com: The folk singer/songwriter identifies as genderqueer. She’ll perform with Ages and Ages, who also hail from Portland.

9p; $10.

MONDAY, SEPTMEMBER 19 LGBTQ Veterans Support Group @ Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center, Room 3A413, 420 N. James Rd., Columbus, 43219; 614.257.5837; stonewallcolumbus.org: The group meets on the first and third Mondays of every month. 3:30p-4:30p.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Puppy Contest Weekend @ AWOL, 49 Parsons Ave., Columbus, 43215; FB: Ohio Leather Alliance: Keep ’em leashed, boys!

Check out the Facebook page for details about events throughout the weekend.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Art for Life @ Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St., Columbus, 43215; 614.340.6777; artforlifecolumbus.org: Since 1989, this art auction has raised more than $2.5 million for HIV/AIDS services in Central Ohio. You can view the art available at this year’s event at artforlife.arcohio.org/art. 5p-11:30p; $150-$350 ($50 for students and young professionals).

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 Hula Against Hatred Guinness World Record Attempt @ North YMCA, 1640 Sandalwood Pl., Columbus, 43229; FB: GLSEN Columbus: The Columbus chapter of the national group for LGBT youth ill attempt to break the world record for the longest human chain to pass through a single Hula Hoop. (It appears to be 572.)

The demonstration is meant to symbolize the impact we can make against bullying. 9a.

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Out & About in

Western Ohio LGBT Bowling • Mr. Gem City Bear • Lesbian Happy Hour

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 The Taste @ Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering, 45429; 937.296.3300; fraze.com/the-taste: The 30th annual version of The Taste features a sampling from about 20 local restaurants, bakeries and dessert shops. 6p-9p; $30.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Ladyfest Dayton @ Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. 4th St., Dayton, 45402; 937.424.3870; ladyfestdayton.org: Part of a nationwide movement, the community-based, notfor-profit music and arts festival for female artists will feature bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken-word and visual artists, and workshops. This year’s event will raise money and collect items for the Dayton YWCA Women’s Shelter. Check the website for ticket and schedule info.

Dare 2 Defy Productions: Little Shop of Horrors @ Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton, 45402; 937.999.9949; dare2defy.com: Meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new

breed of plant he names Audrey II after his coworker crush. The foul-mouthed, R&B-singing, carnivorous plant promises unending fame and fortune to the downand-out Seymour as long as he keeps feeding it blood. Seymour steps up, though, when he discovers Audrey II’s sinister plans, and in doing so he wins the heart of Audrey I. 8p; $28.50-$53.50.

There are two more performances, at 2p and 8p, on Saturday, Sept.

3.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Screening: 91%: A Film About Guns in America @ The Neon, 130 E. 5th St., Dayton, 45402; 937.222.8452; neonmovies.com: Victims of U.S. gun violence tell their heartbreaking stories of loss and their search for hope in a nation stalled on gun control. The title is taken from the 91 percent of Americans who support comprehensive background checks of gun-buyers. Filmmaker Ian Cook is a Dayton native and Wright State University grad. 7:30p; $9.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 Dayton Gay Volleyball Club Picnic @ Taylorsville Reserve, Deer Trace Run Shelter,

8400 S. Brown School Rd., Vandalia, 45377; daytongayvolleyballclub.com: It’s a day of games and cards and, of course, volleyball.

Bring some good to share and some pop or beer for yourself. Noon-6p.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Human Race Theatre Company: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street @ Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St., Dayton, 45402; 937.228.3630; humanracetheatre.org: This musical thriller is the tale of Sweeney Todd, a 19th century barber who returns to London 15 years after he’s released from an unjust prison sentence to take his revenge on the judge who put him away. His need for vengeance becomes indiscriminately murderous - and profitable - when he partners with the unscrupulous Mrs. Lovett and opens his new barber practice above her failing meat pie shop. 8p; $12-$50. There are 22 more performances scheduled through Sunday, Oct. 2.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 MJ’s Bus Trip to Kings Island Pride Night @ MJ’s on Jefferson, 20 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.223.3259; mjsonjefferson.com: It’s a road trip, and you don’t have to get stuck driving! Meet at the bar for a ride to Cincinnati for the annual LGBTQ night at the amusement park. The price includes bus fare, admission for Pride Night and admission to MJ’s upon your return to Dayton. 5p; $65.

Rainbow Bowling League Opening Night @ Poelking Lanes, 1403 Wilmington Ave., Dayton, 45420; FB: Dayton Rainbow League: The LGBT bowling league is moving its play to Friday nights this season.

6p.

Mr. Gem City Bear Contest @ MJ’s on Jefferson, 20 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.223.3259; mjsonjefferson.com: The men will be judged on formal wear, fetish wear and bar wear.

Lucky judges... Time TBA.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus Auditions @ Westminster Presbyterian Church, 125 N. Wilkinson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.530 .0642; daytongaymenschorus.com: There’s an online form to fill out first; click the Join Us link at the group’s website. 6p.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Mu Crew Apple Picking and Geocaching @ Wal Mart (meetup location), 3465 York Commons Blvd., Dayton, 45414; 937.461.2437, x2015; mucrew.hb2web.net: The group for gay and bi men ages 18-29 will take a trip out to Monnin’s Fruit Farm, then try out geo caching. Everyone will get dinner back in Dayton. Noon-8p.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 College Night @ Masque, 34 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, 45402; 937.228.2582; clubmasque.com: It’s a reason not to schedule classes on Thursday. Every Wednesday, drink specials abound, and both floors are open with music by DJ Edge and DJ MSC. 8p; $5.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Lesbian Dayton’s Thirsty Thursday @ location TBD; FB: Lesbian Dayton: Anywhere from 30 to 60 women gather monthly for happy hour at locations around town. Check out the group’s Facebook page to see where they’re meeting next. 6p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 GemFest Concert Series @ Oregon Express Bar and Restaurant, 336 E. 5th St., Dayton, 45402; FB: Musicians for Unity: Local bands and musicians Evil Eye Gypsy, Kyleen Downes (and The Whole Crew), Achilles Tenderloin, Paige Beller, Moriah Haven, Mandy Jewell and James Thomas perform. The GemFest finale on Friday, Oct. 7, will benefit GLSEN Greater Dayton and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley. 9p; $5.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Dare 2 Defy Productions: 35mm: A Musical Exhibition @ Mathile Theatre/Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 W. 2nd St., Dayton, 45402; 937.999.9949; dare2defy.com: This multimedia musical created by husbands Ryan Scott Oliver (music) and Matthew Murphy (photographs) explores a new concept in musical theater. 8p; $24.50. There are five more performances scheduled through Saturday, Oct. 8.

SPONSORED BY

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Coming up: The Dayton LGBT Film Festival, Oct. 7-9. We’ll have all the details next month.

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Out & About in

Northwest Ohio

Kristen Chenoweth • LGBT Unity Picnic • Elton John • Foam!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 The Big Gay Welcome @ Bowling Green State University’s Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Lenhart Grand Ballroom, Bowling Green, 43403; 419.372.2642; bgsu.edu/lgbt: The Welcome Week program introduces new students to LGBT life on campus. It’s not your typical orientation program, unless drag queens and kings perform at every orientation program. 5p-6:30p.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Adams Street Block Party @ Adams Street (11th to 21st), Toledo, 43604; FB: Adams Street Block Party!: Each bar (the list includes Bretz and Georgjz) and many businesses on Adams Street will offer drink specials, games, entertainment and other activities. Proceeds go to The Village on Adams. 4p-2a; $5.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Miss Crowbar 2016-17 Pageant @ Crowbar, 206 W. Market St., Sandusky, 44870; 419.239.6852; FB: Sandusky Crowbar: Brionna Brooks hosts as contestants are judged in presentation, on-stage question, talent and evening wear. Registration is $30 in advance and $40 the night of the pageant.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Foam Party @ Bretz, 2012 Adams St., Toledo, 43604; 419.243.1900; FB: Bretz

Nightclub: This is it, folks. The foam is being turned off for the year after this fourth and final party of the summer.

9p; $6 ($10 for those 18-20).

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Costume Party: Mermaids and Mermen @ Bretz, 2012 Adams St., Toledo, 43604; 419.243.1900; FB: Bretz Nightclub: You won’t have to drink water all night if you dress as a fish. We promise. Toledo Bar Owners United hosts the fourth in a rotating series of costume parties. Cash prizes go to the best dressed.

Village Players: Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike @ Village Players Theatre, 2740 Upton Ave., Toledo, 43606; 419.472.6817; villageplayers.org: The winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play is about a comedy about a gloomy group of bickering middle-aged siblings that includes gay brother Vanya. 8p; $18. There are five more performances scheduled through Sunday, Sept. 25.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Bowling Green Pride Picnic @ Kiwanis Shelter and Martin Shelter, BG City Park, Bowling Green, 43402; FB: The 4th Annual Bowling Green Ohio Pride Picnic: It’s a celebration of Bowling Green’s diversity. Bring your family and friends and a dish to share. Organizers wish to help out the Brown Bag Food Project, so please bring a canned-food item

to help those in need. 11a-4p.

BGSU LGBTQ+ Family Social Weekend @ Bowen-Thompson Student Union Room 207, Bowling Green, 43403; 419.372.2642; bgsu.edu/lgbt: Meet and mingle with LGBTQ+ community members and allies. 4p-6p.

Kristin Chenoweth With the Toledo Symphony Orchestra @ Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo, 43614; 419.246.8000; toledosymphony.com: The Tony- and Emmy-winning actress and singer kicks off the Toledo Symphony’s new season like no one else can. She brings her own hits as well as a list of Hollywood and Broadway standards. 8p; $45-$100.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Toledo LGBT Unity Picnic @ Vienna Park, 320 Vienna West Rd., Temperance, Mich., 48182; FB: LGBT Historical Archives of Toledo: The annual event is a chance for members of the community to enjoy each other’s company and a day in the sun.

Bring a dish to share, although organizers will provide chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad and macaroni salad. There will be music and entertainment, games, community groups, a dessert contest and more. Noon; $15.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Dixie Chicks @ Huntington Center, 502 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, 43604; 419.321.5007; huntingtoncentertoledo.com: The 13-time Grammy winners are headlining a North Ameri-

can tour for the first time in a decade.

7:30p; $49-$129.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 Elton John @ Huntington Center, 502 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, 43604; 419.321.5007; huntingtoncentertoledo.com: That Reginald Kenneth Dwight fellow sure has made a name for himself, eh? This is the fourth time Elton has performed in Toledo during his legendary career. 8p; $29-$154.

Out & About in

Northeast Ohio

Anderson Cooper • Trans Comedian Jeffrey Jay • NeNe Leakes

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Labor Day Weekend @ Freedom Valley, 1875 U.S. 250 S, New London, 44851; 419.929.8100; freedomvalleycamping.com: The five-day weekend at the men’s campground north of Mansfield includes a lingerie breakfast and an underwear night, a foam party, a pool party and more. There’s a threenight minimum stay required. $20-$125 per night for accommodations; $25 for a full-day pass or $15 for a half-day pass.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Drag Bingo With Veranda L’Ni @ Music Box Supper Club, 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland, 44113; 216.242.1250; musicboxcle.com: Bingo is free, martinis are just $5, and the kitchen is open until midnight. But just remember: I-69 is not an actual bingo number.

10:30p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 Labor Day Weekend @ Circle JJ Ranch, 1104 Amsterdam Rd., Scio, 43988; 330.627.3101; circlejjranch.com: The holiday weekend at the men’s campground southeast of Canton features a Denise Russell drag show on Saturday at 10p. $18-$150 per night for accommodations or $10 for a day or night pass.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 Diana Chittester Presents: Travelling Troubadours @ Music Box Supper Club, 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland, 44113; 216.242.1250; musicboxcle.com: Lesbian singer/songwriter Diana Chittester invites two of her own favorites - Ohio songwriter G.S. Harper and Buffalo singer Grace Stumberg - to join her onstage. 8p; $10.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 All Ages Drag Showcase @ Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd., Cleveland, 44110; 216.383.1124; beachlandballroom.com: This first-of-its-kind

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Banned Books Vigil @ University of Toledo Carlson Library, 5th Floor, Toledo, 43606; 419.530.2516; utoledo.edu: U.S. parents, patrons and library officials attempted to ban more than 5,000 books over the last decade, many because they included LGBT content. All day, UT faculty and Toledo area teachers will celebrate our right to read and think freely with presentations about banned materials. 9a-5p.

Big names in Toledo this month: Kristin Chenoweth, Dixie Chicks and Elton.

show is family-friendly and geared toward LGBT and allied youth who don’t get to see drag shows. Performers come from across the drag spectrum. 9p; $10 (tables for $50).

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Lake Erie Volleyball Association Open Gym @ Lakewood YMCA, 16915 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 44107; 216.236.LEVA; lakeerievolleyball.com: Northeast Ohio’s LGBT volleyball league kicks off its fall season with an open gym. Register at the league website.

10:20a-2p; $10.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Common Ground HIV/AIDS Peer Support Group @ New Vision, 3129 Market Ave. N, Canton, 44714; 330.265.2008; equitashealth.com: Support, encouragement and dialogue on the second Wednesday of each month for those living with HIV/AIDS. Topics include aging, nutrition and healthy living. 3p-4:30p.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 G2H2 (Gay Guys/Girls Happy Hour) @ Jukebox, 1404 W. 29th St., Cleveland, 44113; g2h2.com: There’s no program and there are no speakers for this monthly LGBT gathering.

It’s just LGBT folks hanging out, on the third Friday of every month, at places throughout Cleveland. 6p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Cleveland Play House: All the Way @ Allen Theatre/Playhouse Square, 1407 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44115; 216.241.6000; playhousesquare.org: The Tony-winning drama examines the backroom deals and political showdowns that led to passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It’s described as a mirror of our times that “reflects the power of one person and one vote to transform our country.”

7:30p; $25-$100. There are 23 more performances scheduled through Sunday, Oct. 9.

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Arktos Bears Stay-Cation: Akron @ various locations; arktosbears.org: The Northeast Ohio social group for bears and admirers has two hometown weekends planned this fall. Check out the website for activities planned during this first weekend in and around Akron. Another stay-cation weekend is planned for Oct. 8-9 in Cleveland.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Ta Da! Series: Reap Its Harvest @ Harvest Kitchen & Lounge, 33730 Bainbridge Rd., Solon, 44139; 216.651.5428; lgbtcleveland.org: This event in the LGBT Community Center fundraising series is a private dinner with Chef Michael Longo of Harvest. He’ll walk you through the sustainable journey of everything you taste, and you’ll also enjoy a cooking demonstration.

8p; $150.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Speaking of Shame: A Discussion of the Various Uses of Shame in Society @ Cuyahoga Community College’s Eastern Campus, Room ESS 2410, 4250 Richmond Rd., Highland Hills, 44122; 216.987.5930; tri-c.edu: Cuyahoga County Municipal Court Judge Pinkey S. Carr, and other experts discuss and answer questions about bullying, “slut shaming,” body shaming and more.

11a-12:30p.

Comedian Jeffrey Jay @ John Carroll University’s Marinello Theatre, University Heights, 44118; 216.397.4288; jcu.edu/studentlife: Transgender comedian Jeffrey Jay tours the country and also posts on Twitter (@HeyJeffreyJay) with the hashtag #JustTransyThings. A savmple: “My mom taught me to shave when I was 11. My dad taught me to shave when I was 21.” 9p.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Cesear’s Forum: Lanford Wilson: Take 5 @ Kennedy’s Theatre/Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44115; 216.241.6000; playhousesquare.org: A performance of five short plays by the late, gay playwright: Wandering, Sextet (Yes), A Betrothal, Brontosaurus and A Poster of the Cosmos. 8p; $18. There are 13 more performances scheduled through Saturday, Oct. 29.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Canton Ohio Prime Timers Picnic @ Rocky Fork Ranch Resort, 74978 Broadhead Rd., Kimbolton, 43749; 330.232.0195; cantonohiopt.com: Prime

Out &Out About & in About in

Timers is a social group for mature gay and bi men. 2p.

Anderson Cooper @ Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 5th Ave., Youngstown, 44504; 330.259.0555; stambaughauditorium.com: The openly gay CNN anchor will present Youngstown State University’s Skeggs Lecture. Tickets are free but must be reserved at the auditorium’s website. 7p.

Mr. Cleveland Leather Contest @ Leather Stallion Saloon, 2205 St. Clair Ave. NE, Cleveland, 44114; rangersinc.org: You can’t win if you don’t enter. 9p.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 Same Love, Same Rights LGBT Wedding Expo @ Holiday Inn Cleveland East/Mentor, 7701 Reynolds Rd., Mentor, 44060; rainbowweddingnetwork.com: Dozens of gay-friendly exhibitors will participate: photographers, DJs, officiants, wedding planners, venues, jewelers, printers and more. 12:30p-3:30p.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Voices of Democracy: Newt Gingrich and Van Jones @ Baldwin Wallace University’s Ursprung Gymnasium/Lou Higgins Center, 136 E. Bagley Rd., Berea, 44017; bw.edu/democracy: The former speaker of the U.S. House and the former Obama administration policy adviser-turned-CNNcommentator will discuss what’s at stake in this year’s presidential election. It’s open to everyone, but you need to visit the website above to get a ticket. 7p.

queen, of course! 7p; $18-$44. There are 22 more performance scheduled through Sunday, Sept. 25.

women of color. This multi-media production utilizes spoken word poetry, popular music, original songs, powerful imagery and eye-opening statistics to chronicle the universal realities of womanhood and the unique experiences of women of color. 8p; $18.50-$22.50. There is another performance on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 6:30p.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 Cincinnati Men’s Chorus Auditions @ St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church, 320 Resor Ave., Cincinnati, 45220; 513.542.2626; cincinnatimenschorus.org: Potential members should be prepared to sing a brief audition consisting of pitchmatching, scales and vocal warm-ups. No prepared song is necessary. 6p-7p. There THURSDAY, are more audition nights scheduled for SEPTEMBER 15 Sept. 14 and 21, also from 6p-7p.

Cocktails for a Cause @ Tillie’s Lounge, 4042 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, 45223; 513.541.1414; tillieslounge.com: Brooklyn FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Pride Night 2016 @ Kings Island, 6300 Steele-Tate bartends on the third Thursday Kings Island Dr., Kings Island, 45034; of every month for charity. 6p-10p. cincyglbt.com/pride-night: One: You’re helping the LGBTQ community in SouthSATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 west Ohio. Two: No lines! Three: NO LINES! Chris Pureka @ MOTR, 1345 Main St., People come from 30 states for this Cincinnati, 45202; 513.381.6687; annual event that benefits the GLBTQ motrpub.com: The folk singer/songwriter Center of Greater Cincinnati. 5p; $38.50 identifies as genderqueer. She’ll perform a online (includes parking) or $42.50 at free show with Ages and Ages, who also the gate. hail from Portland. Time TBA. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Coochie Chronicles @ Artsville, 5021 Whetsel Ave., Cincinnati, 45227; FB: Artsville: Coochie Chronicles is a frank, melodic exploration into the sexuality, lives, politics, stereotypes and realities of

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Look What the Cat Drag in Brunch @ The Cabaret, 1122 Walnut St., Cincinnati, 45202; isqccbe.org: The Cincinnati Court will host a drag brunch to raise money for the Cat Adoption Team. 11a brunch and noon show; $20.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Old Street’s All-Stars Show @ Old Street Saloon, 13 Old St., Monroe, 45050; 513.539.9183; FB: Old Street Saloon: Former Miss Old Street title-holders perform. 8p.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Miss Old Street Pageant 2016 @ Old Street Saloon, 13 Old St., Monroe, 45050; 513.539.9183; FB: Old Street Saloon: Organizers say this is one of the most competitive pageants in the area. If you’re interested in competing, visit oldstreetbar.com/os_packet.pdf.

8p-2a; $5.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music @ Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Stingerfest @ On Broadway, 817 Broad- Cincinnati, 45202; 513.621.2787; way St., Cincinnati, 45202; FB: Scorpius of cincinnatiarts.org: They’ll start at the very Cincinnati: The leather group celebrates beginning, a very good place to start. It’s a its ninth anniversary with Jell-O shots and new production of the musical classic. a silent leather auction as part of the 7:30p; $30-$106. There are 15 more perfestivities. 10p. formances scheduled through Oct 9.

NeNe Leakes @ Ohio Theatre/Playhouse Square, 1511 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44115; 216.241.6000; playhousesquare.org: Real Housewives of Atlanta isn’t her only turn on a gay staple; Leakes also was a three-season semiregular on Glee and a cast member for the shortlived gay sitcom The New Normal on NBC. Her onewoman touring show is titled, So Nasty So Rude.

8p; $29.50-$39.50.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Great Lakes Theater: Twelfth Night @ Hanna Theatre/Playhouse Square, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland, 44115; 216.241.6000; playhousesquare.org: In this Shakespeare play, hope seems lost when a violent shipwreck separates Viola from her twin brother. However, tragedy turns romantic when she washes ashore and disguises herself as a boy messenger. Misplaced affections and misunderstood intentions result. 7:30p; $15-$80.

Southwest Ohio

Pride Night at Kings Island • Chris Pureka • The Sound of Music • Foam!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Labor Day Weekend Foam Party @ The Dock, 603 Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, 45202; 513.241.5623; FB: The Dock Complex: The show hosted by Jessica Dimon starts at 11:30p, and the foam starts flowing at 1a. DJ Charlee spins.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Line Dancing @ Below Zero Lounge, 1120 Walnut St., Cincinnati, 45202; 513.421.9376; belowzerolounge.com: Free country line dancing lessions are offered on the first and third Sundays outlookohio.com

of the month. After you learn the Cowboy Cha Cha, Copperhead Road and Cowboy Stomp, you can put your newfound talent to use with some structured dancing. 4p-6p.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati: The Legend of Georgia McBride @ Ensemble Theatre, 1127 Vine St., Cincinnati, 45202; 513.421.3555; ensemblecincinnati.org: He lost his job, he’s late on the rent, and his wife is expecting. What’s a young straight boy to do? Get a job as a drag

If you’re in Dayton, MJ’s is taking a bus to Pride Night at Kings Island.

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savage love

by Dan Savage

ALL I EVER WANTED Dear Readers: While I’m on vacation, you won’t be reading an old column in my absence, and you won’t be reading a column by anyone who isn’t Dan Savage.

My guest is Dan Savage, who is 32 years old, single and living in London. Dan Savage got his professional start working in promotions at the legendary London nightclub, G-A-Y. He’s now 10 years into a career in theater arts marketing and currently works for some of the West End’s biggest hit musicals.

Dan has never written a sex-advice column before, but he occasionally gets angry tweets that are meant for me.

A quick word about qualifications: Advice is defined as “an opinion about what could or should be done.” We’re all entitled to our opinions, but only Dan Savage, theatrical marketing exec, is entitled to share his opinions in my column this month.

Take it away, Dan! IÊm an early-30s bi woman. As I have more relationships, I have started to see a pattern in that I find sex much hotter when there is some degree of confusion or forbidden-ness. So relationship sex can get boring quickly.

I know thereÊs not necessarily a good answer for why, but any suggestions on what to do about this? I want to have great sex with a partner for life!

Maybe my expectations about good sex in a long-term relationship are unrealistic?

I know itÊs not always going to be crazy passion, but how can I sustain amazing sex in a relationship?

- Passion Fades From This A problem you and I share! The fun is in the chase, the excitement of someone new and that first time. You might return for a second

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or maybe a third time - but then what or whom is next? Often regardless of whatever feelings might have started to develop.

For those who don’t understand, just imagine we’re talking about food. You like food.

You like lots of different types of food. Right now, your favorite food is hot dogs. But you don’t want to eat that every day. Occasionally you might want an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet.

I believe the secret to a good relationship - besides love and passion - is keeping it downright dirty! It’s about keeping that spark alive. If the fun starts to fade, spice it up with toys, games, risky locations, additional people, rubber dog masks. You can’t know what will excite you both until you give it a try!

But that’s the key, that you both like it.

There are millions of people all over the world in long-term relationships that on the face of it maintain a fun and healthy sex life.

Can it really be that hard? Or maybe longterm relationships aren’t for you, PFFT! I am a 65-year-old male new to gay relationships. I placed a listing on SilverDaddies and have had a LOT of responses from great young guys. I have met only one guy so far. He is 23 and says he has had only a few girlfriends and has not had any gay experiences.

He is so passionate. Very oral.

Long kissing sessions, and he puts his tongue EVERYWHERE. Very submissive and insatiable.

Of course I use condoms.

I asked him what he gets out of this. He said he gets an intensity he canÊt explain over pleasing an older man that he doesnÊt get from sex with a female.

Being a sub makes him rock hard, and with a woman, he has to be the performer. He considers himself straight, since he is attracted only to older

Hillary Clinton, Scorpio: “Try a little wishing and dreaming this month.”

men and is only a bottom.

In any case, he will be back at grad school soon, and I will no doubt have another partner. I have never had an STD. I donÊt want to get one now. I talked to a clinic over the phone about getting the HPV vaccine, and they thought it was funny and would not do it.

I will be seeing young guys who are sexually active, so I think I should be able to get this vaccine. I do not want cold sores or warts or whatever at my age.

- This Old Pop I think it’s great - if you don’t mind me saying - that in your advanced years you are able to embark on this new sexual adventure and experimentation, TOP! And a hot 23year-old visiting you for regular sex is something a lot of people much younger than you would kill for!

As long as you are safe and wear a condom, you shouldn’t put too much stress on yourself regarding STIs. My personal opinion is this guy might not be being as honest with you as you’d have hoped. A 23-year-old straight guy, in his first homosexual encounter, being “very oral” and “only a bottom” and putting “his tongue everywhere” - that sounds to me like someone who knows what he’s doing.

My experience of first times is generally a quick fumble and an even quicker ejaculation.

Regardless, he is soon to leave, TOP, and you will find a new sexual partner. Advice from a YoungTOP to an OldTOP: Go with the flow and be safe, but most of all enjoy it! (And to older gay gentlemen who think you can’t get any: TOP is! You can!)

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 weekly at outlookohio.com. outlookohio.com

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the divine life

check by paying attention to people’s intentions and not just their words. Hissy fits are not attractive.

by Debé

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) It’s your month to shine, but Mercury Retrograde from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in your sign makes it challenging. You might be accused of being more distant, but you are just tuning in. It’s time to decide if you are going to follow your heart or listen to others who think they know best.

Famous Unique Virgos: Lily Tomlin, Freddie Mercury, Meshell Ndegocello.

your partners by being overly zealous. Yes, you really can be too passionate!

Libra (September 23 - October 22) Your intuition is off, and someone might be trying to sabotage your confidence. Don’t let it get you off balance. Tune out the haters and prove them wrong by being fabulous. You’re good at that.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) New ideas are thriving in that fertile brain of yours, but give them time to ripen before you harvest them. They’ll be even juicier and more luscious if you wait for the right moment. Yummy.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Instead of your usual laser focus on goals, try a little wishing and dreaming this month. You’ve got the ear of a fairy Godmother that might make those wishes come true, if you believe...

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Instead of adding more baggage to your already cluttered psychic closet, it’s time for a little fall cleaning. You’ll feel freer and more energetic, and you’ll have more room for the good stuff.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Things are falling into place, but there is more work to do. You can make it happen, but don’t alienate

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) There’s too much going on and it’s taxing your ability to multitask. Keep your inner drama queen in

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Leo (July 23 - August 22) You might be brooding about your self-worth, but unless your name is Heathcliff it’s not your best look. Turn that energy into constructive action by taking charge of your finances or health - or both if you’re really moody.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Life gets messy this month, but a little mud wrestling might be just what you need. You needed to shake up your routine anyway. Your goals might be slippery, but it’s more fun to catch them Handy Tip: that way.

Super Computer Head Line Spock from Star Trek would have this head line (trivia: He’s also a Virgo). When the head line Taurus stretches (April 20 - May 20) All work and no play makes for a dull bull, but the straight across payoff will be worth it. Use your ingenuity and find the hand to the a way to get the job done quicker. Then you can kick other side, the bearer is very up your hooves. Time to get busy! logical and needs big probGemini lems to solve (May 21 - June 20) You are ready to give your life a makeover but don’t with his, her or know where to start. Instead of throwing something their super intel(or someone) away, maybe what you really need is lect. Otherwise they tend to create problems to a fresh perspective. The grass might not be greener have something to do. on the other side.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Sister, you are fixating on all your past regrets and perceived failures. You need a safe word to put a stop to the self-flogging before you do real damage to yourself. Try to refocus and look forward, not backward.

Donald Trump, Gemini: “Maybe what you really need is a fresh perspective.”

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 The Divine Life every month in Outlook.

september 2016

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lesbians 101

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Ummm, your cat is not invited to Thanksgiving at my place.

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Get a Life(-time Achievement Award)

Across

1 Slang for vagina 5 Barneys event 9 Refrain from using the tongue 13 Shirley’s la Douce role 14 Zip 15 Northern metropolis 16 Positions for Patty Sheehan 17 Took one’s turn 18 Top priority of a top 19 Where Old Man River makes deposits 21 2015 Tomlin movie 23 1984 Tomlin movie 26 Mag. execs 27 Reined in 29 Bannon of lesbian pulp fiction 32 Put the top on the cake 36 Cole Porter’s “___ America First” 37 Homophobia, in enlightened societies 39 Animated TV series in which Tomlin had a voice role, with The 42 Broadway backer 43 Abe Lincoln’s boy 44 Window piece 45 Rainey and Kettle 46 Pairs of brides walk them 49 Double curve in a pipe 50 Tomlin’s role in a Netflix comedy series 55 Tomlin was in this TV show hosted by Rowan & Martin 59 Susan’s Thelma and Louise partner 60 Ingrid in Casablanca 61 Temporary superstar 64 Disney pictures 65 Do a banker’s job 66 Very, to Verlaine 67 You may go down on one 68 Oral votes 69 Scout’s promise to be “morally straight” 70 Groups of games, to Mauresmo

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VDown 1 Baba Wawa portrayer Radner 2 Moon of Uranus 3 Cologne queen characteristic 4 Can’t help but 5 Emulate Betsy Ross 6 Maugham’s Cakes and ___ 7 “Big Boned Gal” singer 8 Main dish 9 Band members blow them 10 Thrift shop condition 11 Kind of dunk, to Sue Wicks 12 Hour on the Costa del Sol 20 Colts’ org.

22 Expand upon 24 Make messy 25 Becomes hard 28 Sake 29 “Dancing Queen” band 30 Tom or dick, but not hairy 31 Sam’s Bewitched twitcher 32 Mosque leader 33 Water-to-wine town 34 They get laid only once 35 Cube with pips 38 “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” peak 40 Butt heads 41 River of Ulrichs’ country 47 Really loves 48 Give in the middle 49 “Great balls of fire!”

51 Head turners?

52 Carolyn who wrote about a Nancy 53 Coastal recess 54 Makes less difficult to bear 55 Tomlin, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from SAG 56 Toward shelter 57 Annapolis inst.

58 Mother of Brothers & Sisters 62 Doc for lions and tigers and bears 63 What hangs from a Cuban

Be sure to pick up our Election 2016 issue next month!

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Outlook Magazine: Celebrating 20 years!

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