APRIL 2019 by OutSmart Magazine

APRIL '19

HOUSTON'S LGBTQ MAGAZINE

EAT YOUR HEART OUT

JOHN NECHMAN’S FAVORITE DISHES Pg.92

HOP TO IT

BUNNIES ON THE BAYOU TURNS 40 Pg.52

PLUS HOUSING TRENDS

INSIDERS’ GUIDE TO REAL ESTATE Pg.78

THROUGH the QUEER LENS Exhibition at CAMH celebrates 50 years of Stonewall Pg.34

Yaya Mavundla, Parktown, 2014. Gelatin silver print.

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FEATURES

APRIL 2019

DALTON DE HART

VOLUME 26 • NUMBER 3

CATHERINE OPIE

100

34 52

Meet Machine Dazzle—and he does

HGO’s Patrick Summers conducts a search in his new book, The Spirit of This Place.

Jayson Kolbicz’s dual roles in Side Show

10 years later, a return to Ragtime

Houston exhibit showcases the work of queer Latinx artists under 30

Bunnies on the Bayou hops into its 40th year

Andrew Edmonson’s skills were forged by three decades of experience

A night of fun for the Montrose Center

Julie Mabry receives the HRC Community Equality Award

Top real-estate pros don’t scare easily

LGBTQ Realtors urge Congress to pass nondiscrimination protections

30 favorite dishes in the Houston area

100

105

111

A confectionery of mythic proportions

What it takes to make some Houston faves

It’s time to dine out for life

Something blue: Josh Beasley and Andrew Hayes’ well-planned wedding

34 COVER STORY

OUT OF THE CLOSET AND INTO THE GALLERY Stonewall 50 through the queer lens

PERFECT PITCH

The flawless Melody Moore stars in Mozart’s Don Giovanni

TINY DANCES, BIG STEPS

CounterCurrent19 takes on club culture

YES, DISCRIMINATION IS LEGAL

Taxes, Texas, and the wrong side of history

UNICORN DESSERT

APRIL 2019

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RAGE WITH THE MACHINE

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

MEDIA MASTERMIND

HOUSTON HOUSING TRENDS

RECIPES FOR SUCCESS

MUSICIAN OF NOTE

‘HERE, AHORA’

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HOUSE RULES

ENTRÉES WITH A SIDE OF KINDNESS

DOUBLING DOWN

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WEDDING GUIDE

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POMEGRANATE ARTS

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DEPARTMENTS NEWS & COMMENT 15 NEWS & COMMUNITY 26 LEFT OUT

Name your cut: the president serves up another slice of stupid

28 UNAPOLOGETICALLY TRANS

To the Max: on a 25th transiversary, a look back at an old friend

30 MONEY SMART

Financial education and changing your mindset: what they don’t teach you in school

32 TIME OUT

OUTSMART ’s readers and recommendations

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 107 COMMUNITY

Roasting Rusty Mueller/Crystal Rae Lee Love

108 GROOVE OUT

Solo ventures: Jeff Tweedy, Robert Forster, J Mascis, Nat Freedberg, and more

116 QUEER QUOTES

Miley Cyrus, Dean Cain, Brandi Carlile, and Joy Behar

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ON THE COVER THROUGH THE QUEER LENS Exhibition at CAMH celebrates 50 years of Stonewall Pg. 34

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

ur cover image this month could not be any more symbolic. The subject—who looks fabulous, by the way—is facing forward but looking back. And that’s just what’s happening this month in Houston and around the country. This June will be the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and there is a plethora of art at the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts dedicated to the spirit of Stonewall. These works look to the importance of our past and the hope for our future. So does this issue of OutSmart. We’re also looking back to a small pool party that has grown into an iconic spring event. Yes, Bunnies on the Bayou is celebrating its 40 anniversary this year. Jenny Block covers this now-famous annual fundraiser. Jenny also talks to the Pearl’s Julie Mabry, who has been selected to receive the Human Rights Campaign Community Equality Award. Brandon Wolf interviews media expert (and frequent OutSmart contributor) Andrew Edmonson. And there are two musicians in this issue, both from operatic backgrounds. Soprano Melody Moore talks

about her upcoming appearance in Houston, while Houston Grand Opera conductor Patrick Summers discusses his intriguing new book. In our annual dining guide, John Nechman turns us on to his 30 favorite dishes being served up in Houston right now. And just in case you aren’t able to get out to these laudable eateries to try them, we’ve included a handful of delicious recipes from some of our favorite places for you to cook at home. In our home guide, Houston real-estate professionals give their market insights and what they believe are the upcoming design trends. We hope you find this feature both informative and entertaining. Also, Neil Ellis Ortz covers Ten Tiny Dances, Marlene Gustin spends some time with Machine Dazzle, and Don Maines looks at Jayson Kolbicz’s dual roles in Side Show. Enjoy this issue, and get ready to celebrate the Stonewall anniversary in June. We’ve come a long way in 50 years, and OutSmart is proud to have been there with you for 26 of them.

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NEWS

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Voices Support for the Equality Act Law to protect LGBTQ Americans should reach House floor this summer. By LOURDES ZAVALETA

ongresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) promised to support LGBTQ equality when she was elected to office last November. Fletcher, who was sworn in last January, kept her word by becoming an original cosponsor of the Equality Act. On March 13, she joined a bipartisan group of nearly 240 lawmakers at a press conference on Capitol Hill to introduce the bill, which would modify existing civil-rights legislation to include protections for LGBTQ people across the U.S. “It is a privilege to be able to support the Equality Act,” Fletcher told OutSmart. “Every person deserves to be protected under law. This important piece of legislation will codify nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans.” The Equality Act, which was first introduced in 2015, is a version of a bill from 1974. In addition to adding gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes protected from discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the new bill would outlaw discrimination in all public accommodations. If the bill becomes a law, it would be the first nationwide law to protect LGBTQ Americans. In 30 states, including Texas, people can be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Only five Texas cities—Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Plano, and San Antonio—have nondiscrimination policies to ensure that queer citizens are protected in employment, housing, public accomodations, jury service, education, federal programs, and credit. “The Equality Act would be a win for states like Texas, and cities like Houston, because it provides clarity and consistency,”

Keeping Her Word

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, who represents Houston, was one of the original co-sponsors of the Equality Act. Hearings for the bill to protect LGBTQ Americans are scheduled for April and May, followed by a House vote in the summer.

Fletcher tells OutSmart. “Protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity will be addressed through nationwide legislation that ensures full equality for every American.” The Equality Act also clarifies that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows those claiming “religious liberty” to deny service to LGBTQ citizens, cannot be used in civil-rights contexts. Conservative groups fear that the Equality Act would infringe on their religious freedoms, but Fletcher believes otherwise. “The freedom of religion, and the right to freely exercise [your religion], are the cornerstones of our society,” Fletcher says. “The Equality Act does not infringe on the right to do those things, and we are not asking anyone to change their beliefs. Instead, it just ensures that, in public accomodations, everyone would be treated equally under the law.” More than 280 members of Congress, 165 leading businesses, and 288 organizations from across the country support the Equality Act, according to the Human Rights

Campaign. And a recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows that majorities of Americans in every religion, party, and U.S. state—including 66 percent of Texans—want nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Congressional hearings for the Equality Act are scheduled in April and May, followed by a vote on the House floor this summer, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. “The Equality Act is a priority to the new Congress,” Fletcher says. “This is why we were able to bring this bill so quickly. I am so glad to have partners who are committed and working hard on these issues.” Fletcher says that the best way folks can support the Equality Act is by contacting their state representatives. “We pay attention when our constituents let us know what they feel passionately about,” Fletcher says. “We appreciate the time that they take to share what they want. I hope [whoever reads] this knows that their NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 voice matters.” OutSmartMagazine.com | MARCH 2019 15

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

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MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

} Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you

have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: } Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

including hepatitis infection. } Have any other health problems. } Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

} Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-

counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

} BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

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BVYC0102_BIKTARVY_A_8-125x10-75_OutSmart_KeepPushing-1_C1_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

GET MORE INFORMATION } This is only a brief summary of important information

about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

} Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. } If you need help paying for your medicine,

visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP PUSHING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0102 01/19

KEEP PUSHING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are. BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

3/13/19 2:11 PM

NEWS

Senior Security Recent litigation seeks to protect LGBTQ seniors. By LISA KEEN

Still Fighting MARY WALSH/NATIONAL CENTER FOR LESBIAN RIGHTS

Mary Walsh (l) and Bev Nance were married in 2009. The women planned to live together in Missouri’s Friendship Village Retirement Home, but were denied housing for being a same-sex couple. A judge dismissed the couple’s lawsuit against the retirement home, but a national LGBTQ litigation group filed an appeal on behalf of the couple in March.

residential facility for seniors in Illinois has agreed to settle its disagreement with a lesbian who successfully sued the facility for taking no action to stop anti-LGBTQ abuse against her by other residents. But in Missouri, a federal judge ruled that a similar facility could deny admission to a same-sex married couple. A national LGBTQ litigation group filed an appeal in March on behalf of the Missouri couple. Both cases sought protection under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), although each involved a different argument under that law. Together, they illustrate the unpredictable terrain that lies ahead for LGBTQ people who move to senior-living residences equipped to meet their needs as they age. In Illinois, 70-year-old Marsha Wetzel moved into the Glen St. Andrew Living Community just north of Chicago in 2014, after her partner of 30 years died and her partner’s family took possession of the couple’s house and other assets. When other residents at Glen St. Andrew began asking Wetzel about 18 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

her background, she answered them honestly, noting that her partner had been a woman. Soon, other residents began abusing Wetzel, repeatedly calling her a “f--king dyke,” “f--king faggot,” and “homosexual bitch.” One resident threatened to “rip [her] tits off.” Someone hit her in the back of the head and called her a “homo” while she was in the mail room. When Wetzel sought help from Glen St. Andrew staff, they responded by characterizing the incidents as accidents and calling Wetzel a liar. The staff also moved Wetzel’s dining location to a less-desirable spot, barred her from the lobby, and stopped cleaning her room. One staffer slapped her. In Missouri, Mary Walsh, 72, and Bev Nance, 68, had been together for 37 years and obtained a Massachusetts marriage license in 2009. They were allowed to put down a deposit and get on a waiting list to move to the Friendship Village senior living community in St. Louis. But when an admissions staffer determined they were a lesbian couple, the facility withdrew its acceptance and said the facility did not recognize any marriage beyond

“the union of one man and one woman, as marriage is understood in the Bible.” This was in 2016, more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that discriminated against same-sex couples. But the facility said its policy was to operate the community “in accordance with biblical principles and sincerely held religious stands,” though it did not explain who held these beliefs. As the National Center for Lesbian Rights pointed out in its lawsuit for Walsh and Nance, the Friendship Village is not affiliated in any way with any religion. In Illinois, Lambda Legal successfully sued on behalf of Wetzel. A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last August that the federal Fair Housing Act holds a landlord liable when the landlord has “actual notice of tenant-on-tenant harassment based on a protected status, yet chooses not to take any reasonable steps within its control to stop the harassment.” Glen St. Andrew at first appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but on February 12, the senior facility NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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Court judge Jean Hamilton (appointed by Republican president George H.W. Bush) ruled on January 16 that “sexual orientation is not and Wetzel filed a brief to the Supreme Court explicitly a protected characteristic” under stating that they had reached a settlement “to the Fair Housing Act, and that the mutual satisfaction of the discrimination Walsh and all parties.” Nance experienced was based on Attorneys for both sexual orientation, not sex. In a sides declined to explain sentence that fails the giggle test, what the settlement Hamilton states, “At no time do included. [Walsh and Nance] assert that had “What I can tell you they been men involved in a sameis that the matter has sex relationship or marriage, been resolved to the they would have been admitted mutual satisfaction of as residents in Friendship the parties,” said Karen Village.” Therefore, she said, the Loewy of Lambda Legal, discrimination was based on the national LGBTQ sexual orientation, not sex. litigation group that –ATTORNEY NCLR did argue, however, represented Wetzel. JULIE WILENSKY that if one of the women had been Loewy said Wetzel is no a man, they would have been longer living at the Glen St. admitted to Friendship Village. And NCLR Andrew residence. filed notice that it will appeal the decision The Seventh Circuit’s opinion in Wetzel to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh v. Glen St. Andrew Living Community, noted Circuit. Loewy, turned on the issue of whether the The Fair Housing Act prohibits Fair Housing Act can hold a landlord liable for discrimination “against any person in the tenant-on-tenant harassment. terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental In Missouri, the issue was whether the Fair of a dwelling, or in the provision of services Housing Act prohibits discrimination against or facilities in connection therewith, because LGBTQ people. of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or In the Missouri case, U.S. District

NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

A RECENT STUDY FOUND THAT 48 PERCENT OF OLDER SAME-SEX COUPLES WERE SUBJECT TO DISCRIMINATION.

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STAY THE WEEKEND TO ENJOY ART, MUSIC, GREAT FOOD & CHARMING PLACES TO STAY! RoundTop.org StayInFayetteville.com Two Juried Shows with over 100 Artists displaying their creativity through a wide range of mediums. In the heart of FAYETTEVILLE And, 2 miles south of ROUND TOP at THE COMPOUND Benefiting the projects & programs for children delivered by ARTS throughout Fayette County.

20 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

national origin.” It also makes it illegal “to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of . . . any right granted or protected” by the Act. Even though the FHA does not explicitly include “sexual orientation” as a prohibited form of discrimination, the Seventh Circuit ruled in 2017 that sexual orientation is a prohibited form of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and attorneys for the lesbian couple could cite that ruling in Hively v. Ivy Tech to urge the court to come to a similar conclusion with the Fair Housing Act. However, subsequent to that decision, President Trump has added four new judges to the 11-member circuit-court bench. A 2016 report from the Williams Institute estimated there are 2.4 million LGBT people over the age of 50 in the United States, and that the number would double by 2030. NCLR attorney Julie Wilensky, who represents the Missouri couple, noted that a recent study using “testers” to apply for admission to senior housing found that 48 percent of older same-sex couples were subjected to discrimination. The study was conducted by the Equal Rights Center, a national nonprofit civil-rights group headquartered in Washington DC. © 2019 Keen News Service. All rights reserved.

NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

ND TO

ROUND TOP ARTS FESTIVAL Friday Preview 5-8 pm Saturday & Sunday Fine Art displayed inside the Big Barns of The Compound 2550 S. State Highway 237 roundtopartsfest.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS By STEVEN FOSTER

QUEER THINGS to DO Resolve to stay involved with the help of our weekly planner. Visit OutSmartMagazine.com

ART

Now thru May 6

COURTESY NICK VAUGHAN AND JAKE MARGOLIN

‘Here, Ahora’ Here, Ahora: Houston, Latinx, Queer Artists Under 30 highlights a particular aspect of the Latinx identity: young LGBTQ artists of color working within Houston who show amazing potential to shape and innovate Latinx art and discourse, for Houston and beyond, in the years to come. artleaguehouston.org

‘Political Gestures,’ 2018

ART

Stonewall 50 features a five-channel 67-minute video loop, projection screens, wood, nail lacquer, and printed text. Artists: Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin

April 27–July 29

‘STONEWALL 50’

ou know the CAMH. It’s that imposing-looking building at the corner of Montrose and Bissonnet with the almost-hidden entrance. (Not too imposing, however, since it’s always free to get in.) Well, on April 27 it will be ground zero for queer artwork. (The opening reception is April 26, 6:30–9 p.m.) Celebrating Stonewall’s 50th anniversary with an all-encompassing array of

22 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

artwork, the CAMH will feature photographs, paintings, films and videos, sculpture, performances, and other media from or about the gay experience. Stonewall 50 is a snapshot of the complexion, interests, and activities of a diverse group of queer and allied artists. Whether working in local communities or around the world, these artists address a range of personal and collective concerns and desires. Expect a comprehensive

example of contemporary queer art, and artists that will entertain, inform, and challenge you. The CAMH’s always good for an artistic experience, and this one is all about us, so we encourage you to go and check out this really worthwhile exhibition. Oh, and there’s a donation box just inside the entrance, so even though it’s free, it’s nice to put a few bucks in there so it can keep being free. camh.org

TALK

May 3

Art at Noon with Annise Parker Join the former Houston mayor for a discussion of the exhibition Stonewall 50 and the state of current LGBTQ issues in our city. This talk is a walk through the gallery, and if there’s anyone who can speak about how gay rights have changed in 50 years, it’s Parker. A big turnout is expected, so hit it early. camh.org

COMMUNITY

April 21

Bunnies on the Bayou 40

DALTON DEHART

an you believe this thing is actually 40 this year? Seems like yesterday when all the craziness started. You know you’re going to get the usual people-watching, bunny (and other) costume plumages, and too-long lines to get your cocktail on. And, as usual, it’s a great place to head after your egg hunt. Oh, and don’t forget the after-party sponsored by Revelry and Rich’s—the place to keep your Easter groove going. Be sure to take advantage of Rich’s free shuttle to and from the park, which will be zipping people back and forth from 1 to 6 p.m. bunniesonthebayou.org

ART

TALK

COMMUNITY

AN EVENING WITH MARGARET ATWOOD

HRC HOUSTON 22ND ANNUAL GALA

THE GAY 10K

ARTS

COMMUNITY

STAGE

COUNTERCURRENT 19

THE 2019 ART CAR BALL

One of the wildest parties of the spring is back, and its got the usual eye and ear candy. There will be musical performances by Boyfriend, Sailor Poon, and Free Radicals. You’ll also witness performance art and interactive art installations. And the whole affair is hosted by Dessie Love-Blake and Kara Dion. Join in the fun, but don’t have so much fun that you miss the parade on Saturday, April 14. thehoustonartcarparade.com

‘RAGTIME’

CounterCurrent is a free festival of performance, installation, and ideas presented by the University of Houston and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. CounterCurrent includes audio and visual installations, live performances, talks, and participatory events from all around the world. Expand your horizons with this one. countercurrentfestival.org

STAGE

COMMUNITY

THE MONTROSE CENTER SUPER GAYLA

LAMBDA NEXTGEN HOUSTON HAPPY HOUR

April 4

82 SHADES OF JIM BOONE

Celebrate National Poetry Month with gay poet Jim Boone, a 2012 nominee for U.S. Poet Laureate. Boone, known as the Poem Hunter, writes in free verse style that has a rhythm, but not a fixed meter. And poetry just makes everything sweeter. (See what we did there? We rhymed. Like a poe . . . never mind.) poemhunter.com/jim-boone

April 9

April 25

ACTOUT AT THE ALLEY THEATER NIGHT

Join the hottest LGBTQIA theatre event in town! Co-sponsored by OutSmart in coordination with the Alley Theatre. The free reception starts at 6 p.m., and then everyone slips into the theater to see Crimes of the Heart. Get your discounted tickets for the show by using the discount code ActOUTpartner when purchasing. alleytheatre.org

April 5

Best known for The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood is the closest thing we have to a literary living legend. But what people don’t often know is that Atwood is a lively conversationalist with a wicked sense of humor, so leave your bookish expectations at the door. Atwood is also fiercely political, so expect this evening to be one rollicking talk. spahouston.org

April 12

April 6

This yearly fete brings out so many see-andbe-seeners your head will get whiplash from all the familiar faces. The HRC is America’s largest LGBTQ organization, and this night will line up just like all the others—a political update will be heard, and both silent and live auctions will take place, along with dinner, cocktails, and dancing. hrchouston.org

This is the third time for the annual run. Join your fellow athletes at their certified race course at MacGregor Park. thegay10k.com

April 16–28 If this musical is half as great as the Milos Forman film, it will be one of the best theater events this year. Expect a solid book and winning tunes, and don’t forget Out@TUTS is Wednesday, April 17, so you can mix and mingle with the Ragtimers themselves. (Pictured at right are Robert Petkoff and Sarah Rosenthal in the 2009 revival.) tuts.com

April 27

Help the Montrose Center end LGBTQ youth homelessness by joining community leaders and friends for cocktails, wine and champagne, a delicious dinner with an inspiring program, and international and local talent. Costumes and drag encouraged! Proceeds support the Hatch Youth Rapid Rehousing Program. montrosecenter.org

April 6

April 30

The group’s April pub crawl is a trip to FM Kitchen and Bar. So you can hang out with all the next-generation’s movers and shakers and have yourself a nice cold drink and a tasty snack. Try the chili. It’s a bowl of rich, tomatoey goodness. lambdanextgen.com MORE QUEER THINGS TO DO ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 23

IZE Y R -P L A R ZE G P T I L IN PU NN I W

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

QUEER THINGS to DO

SAVE the DATES COMMUNITY

May 5

An Evening with Hats-n-Drag

CRIMES OF THE

HEART

Dina Jacobs

This benefit for the Association for Family and Community Integrity will feature the legendary Dina Jacobs, hat trivia, and in the evening, a hat contest. There will be prizes for the most outstanding hats. But VIP ticket holders will be able to borrow a hat from the AFCI hat collection to wear for the evening. neonboots.com

COMMUNITY

May 19

Victory Fund Houston Champagne Brunch

Join former mayor Annise Parker, LGBTQ Victory Fund President & CEO, as well as elected officials and leaders from the Houston area, in building LGBTQ political power across the nation. The event will allow you to join LGBTQ power players over brunch and unlimited bubbly. The brunch will be held at the Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, so if you don’t have anything to wear to this ritzy little shindig, you can pick up something there. victoryfund.org

BETH HENLEY DIRECTED BY

THERESA REBECK

APR. 12 – MAY 5

ActOUT

THUR., APR. 25 Supporting Sponsor

Oﬃcial Airline of Alley Theatre

ALLEYTHEATRE.ORG

PERFORMING ARTS

May 29

Out@TUTS Night

Theatre Under The Stars presents Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. This is the final show and crown jewel of TUTS’ 50th-anniversary season, a Broadway review that showcases 10 shows, 13 musical numbers, a large diverse cast, and countless characters during this celebration of the Tony-winning work of master director and choreographer Jerome Robbins. Remember to stay after the performance for the Out@TUTS event so that you can mix and mingle with members of the cast and crew. Sponsored by OutSmart. tuts.com/tickets/outtuts PERFORMING ARTS

May 30

A Night of Dance Commemorating Stonewall’s 50th Anniversary

Choreographer Rebecca French and her collaborators bring together jazz, contemporary, ballet, and hip hop dance styles with a range of music and costumes (including drag) in Up Rising, a dance to celebrate the achievements and hard-won successes of the gay-rights movement. camh.org

Submit your events at calendar@outsmartmagazine.com 24 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

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LEFT OUT By SUSAN BANKSTON Illustration by BLASE DISTEFANO

Name Your Cut The president serves up another slice of stupid.

ey, Train Wreck! This Isn’t Your Station. Donald Trump found himself in church in Ala-damn-bama after some storms came through that did more damage than a hurricane with three eyes. For the sake of dignity (and maintaining America’s place among firstworld nations), they did not let him throw paper towels at these disaster victims. But they did let him autograph Bibles. You know, the Word of God. He signed them. It was like breaking the seal on a brand-new giant industrial-sized 55-gallon drum of nope. Trump signing Bibles is like John Wayne Gacy signing Boy Scout manuals, or Jack the Ripper doing an infomercial for cutlery. The first Bible went up for sale on Ebay the next morning. I imagine that God is pissed he’s not getting his 10 percent agent’s fee. Old White Baptist Ladies Who Want to Hurt You Vice president Mike Pence has a wife named Karen, who is an art teacher. The private school where she teaches art has up-and-decided to ban all gay students and parents. The name of the school is Immanuel Christian School, and I think we should be able to sue them for false advertising because Christians are supposed to follow the teachings of Jesus. (Spoiler alert: They ain’t doin’ that, Honey.) I think there are some things

26 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

As Seen on TV

Trump signing Bibles is like Jack the Ripper selling knives.

that should be banned from school, but I don’t think people ought to be one of them. So I came up with a short list of things that should be banned at Karen Pence’s school, instead of gay people. For example: • All those Trump-autographed Bibles that Karen stole from hotel rooms. • Kinky hetrosexual marriages where the female wants the male to refer to her as “Mother” in front of other people. • Those shoes. Where the hell does she get those shoes? • Her homegrown collection of tarnished halos. • Piped-in Muzak from Joan Jett. • Poledancing classes in the gym. • Naming your football team the Tawdry Cougars. • Stop making every Friday “Jimmy Swaggart Shirt Fridays.” Replace it with “Guava Lamp Thursdays.” Save the Words! Donald Trump can never admit he’s made a mistake, no matter how small. He was holding a panel discussion on the teevee, and accidentally referred to Apple CEO

Tim Cook as Tim Apple. Simple mistake. The kind of mistake that most of us make every day. No big deal. If we had said it, we’d make a joke about it and say something like, “Sorry, my tang got tumbled up.” All in all, it was an amusing brain fart. The next morning, Trump carefully explained that he actually said “Tim Cook, of Apple,” but he enunciated the “Cook, of” very quietly and the microphone didn’t pick it up. No, he’s wrong. It’s obvious from the teevee recording that that didn’t happen. But Trump can’t leave it alone. He cannot admit that his tongue slipped a gear. People kept making fun of it because the excuse was funnier than the mistake. One of the people making fun of it includes Tim Cook, who changed his Twitter handle from @tim_cook to @Tim followed by the Apple symbol. Trump then decided he needed an even better explanation. So he waited a couple of days, and then unholstered his Twitter finger to explain it even better. Way better: “At a recent round table meet-

ing of business executives, & long after formally introducing Tim Cook of Apple, I quickly referred to Tim + Apple as Tim/Apple as an easy way to save time & words. The Fake News was disparagingly all over this, & it became yet another bad Trump story!” Thank you, Donald Trump, for saving all of those words. America was damn close to running out of them. Just the week before, Trump had given a two-and-a-halfhour CPAC speech, and came close to making words an endangered species. And because we are helpful, kind, and charming people, we will participate in Trump’s quest to save words: from now on, we will all refer to the president as Donald Collusion. You’re very welcome. It’s April. There better be some damn flowers pretty soon. Yes, crepe myrtles, I’m looking at you. Susan Bankston lives in Richmond, Texas, where she writes about her hairdresser at The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc., at juanitajean.com.

UNAPOLOGETICALLY TRANS By MONICA ROBERTS

To the Max On a 25th Transiversary, a look back at an old friend.

appy 25th Transiversary to me! April 4, 1994, is the day I nervously stepped into Terminal C at Houston Intercontinental Airport to clock in for work and finally begin my life. It was a long, winding road to get there. I was deeply unhappy, despite having a great job I loved. The urgency to sort out my life increased after I attended my 10-year highschool reunion in 1990, zipped past my 30th birthday in 1992, and suffered through the breakup of a three-year relationship in 1993. I was coming to grips with the awareness I was trans, and trying to figure out what to do about it. What I did know for certain was that I didn’t want to waste another decade wrestling with the issue, like I’d done during the ’80s. However, I was concerned about how transitioning would affect the job I loved with Continental Airlines. When I was hired in February 1987, my goal was to be there for 35 years like my late grandfather had done. I started on the ramp, moved up to my desired gate-agent job a year later, and got promoted to CSR in 1990. I was good at that job, and I was considered one of the best customer-service reps in the building. But it bothered me that I was one of the few African-Americans working gates, and even fewer were CSRs and supervisors. So I got to know and started hanging out with many of the Houston-based African-American flight attendants before and after work. One of those flight attendants I met was Maxine Johnson-Farrington. When I met her statuesque self, I thought I recognized her but couldn’t put my finger on why. But she also picked up on my unhappiness in that period before I transitioned. Well, I’ll let Max tell you the story: The first time I met Monica, it was before her transition. We became very fast friends. I would make her laugh constantly, and she would tell me how I made her day. Our friendship became deeper the more we conversed. I could sense she was hiding something. What, at that time, I didn’t know. Whatever it was, I was going to be there for my friend. I trusted her and she trusted me.

28 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

One day, when Monica told me I should model, I burst into laughter and told her all about myself. She jumped up, stating, “I knew it!” After I told her about my modeling days and the major ads I had done, Monica began to change. I came through the airport terminal one day, and she asked me if I had time to talk. My eyes welled with tears as she told me about the transition plans. I went on vacation shortly after, and when I returned, the person I’d met had disappeared and Monica Roberts was here to begin a new life. Monica will tell you I had a lot to do with her transition, but I think she already had the courage, fight, and fortitude to do what made her happiest. I was there at the right time to give her the push she needed. Once I had her confident, she took herself to another level. I am so very proud of her achievements and what she believes in, still fighting for justice. To Monica: I will forever love you and believe in you. Thank you for being the ultimate friend. Blessings in all your endeavors. Thanks, Max

That first week and month seemed like it took a decade to pass. In between my flights, I was having sit-down conversations about the transition with my airport gate-agent colleagues, flight attendants, the peeps I knew on the ramp, some of our pilots, and the maintenance guys. Those pilots, gate agents, and flight attendants based in Newark, Denver, and L.A. that I knew who flew through Houston eventually heard about my transition, and also caught up with me in individual conversations I had with them throughout the summer. One of the emotional meetings I had during that first eventful month was with Jessica Starnes. She was our Newark-based trans pilot who successfully sued the company for wrongful termination and got her job and seniority back. I ran into her in a Terminal C food court, and she had already heard about me through the Continental company gossip line. “You were the reason I fought so hard to get my job back,” Starnes said to me as we hugged. “I wanted to make it easier for the next trans person to be themselves and keep their job.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 72

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MONEY SMART By GRACE S. YUNG, CFP

using a 5 percent return over time, investing $100 per month could grow to almost $15,500 in 20 years. Likewise, in 30 years, investing $100 per month at 5 percent interest would give you more than $81,800! So even if you don’t think that setting aside $100 per month will get you very far, when you consider the advantages of compound interest, it can definitely snowball into a nice-sized sum. Compounding is so powerful that Albert Einstein stated, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.”

Financial Education and Changing Your Mindset

What they don’t teach you in school.

lthough we place a great deal of emphasis on going to school and getting a good education, the reality is that most institutions—from grade schools to universities—teach very few, if any, financial-planning skills. And without this knowledge, many people go through life unknowingly cheating themselves out of a solid financial future. In the past, many companies took care of their retirees by offering a pension that would provide income for the remainder of their lives. This, coupled with Social Security and personal savings, was oftentimes more than enough to provide a comfortable retirement. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Now, with the responsibility for a secure financial future placed solely in the hands of individuals, having a solid education about how money works—and how it can work to your advantage—is essential. The good news is that financial planning at any age doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. In fact, by following just a few simple “rules,” building up ample savings for retirement can be much easier than most people 30 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

think. But like anything else, it is important to start with the basics and work from there. Compound Interest: The Eighth Wonder of the World One of the most fascinating components of making money work for you is compound interest. With compounding, even the smallest amount of money that is saved can multiply systematically over time as the interest that is gained earns even more interest on top of that. There is an interesting thing that happens if you simply take a penny and double it every day for 30 days. At the end of just one month, believe it or not, that one small penny will have grown to over $5 million! Or consider a one-time lump sum of $1,000 that is invested. The long-term return can be amazing when the interest on that money is compounded over time—even if you don’t add another cent to the account. In this case, after 20 years with a 5 percent return, your $1,000 could grow to more than $2,600. After 30 years, your savings would be in excess of $4,300. The magic of compound interest also works if you invest funds periodically. For example,

How to Be Good at Money Math While not everyone is good at every topic, having an understanding of math—particularly as it pertains to money matters—is a primary ingredient for your financial success. In fact, just the way you think about money can actually determine a great deal about where you will end up financially. This is important in terms of both saving money and growing it. For instance, even just the simple act of changing your habits and putting small amounts of money to work for you can make a tremendous difference. Let’s say that you set aside just one dollar every day—perhaps what you already spend for a small cup of coffee. Over time, the money that you save can truly add up. $1 per day for 30 days = $30 per month Years

5% Compound Interest

$4,677

$12,381

$25,071

$45,969

$80,391

$137,085

$230,460

Thinking about math as money, and what that money can buy, can help you to more clearly visualize the concept of numbers and how they work.

What Do You Want Your Money to Do? As young investors, money is primarily about accumulation. But as we get older, the primary goal for the money we have saved will typically turn to one of generating cash flow. This is because when you retire, you will need to “replace” your paycheck, and the way to do that is by converting your savings into an ongoing stream of income. Because people are living longer lives now, knowing that your income won’t run out is an important aspect of financial planning, as is ensuring that you also have enough to cover taxes and inflation. The Time to Start Is Now It has been said that “goals are dreams with a deadline.” This is a great way to look at your financial goals. So ask yourself when you would like to realistically become financially independent. Is that possible within just a few years, or will you need many years in order to come up with the savings and income that you will need? Once you have an approximate time frame in mind, you will be much better able to move toward your goal and track your progress along the way. But in any case, regardless of where you are financially, it is essential to begin setting money aside right now for your future. In fact, the most important habit that you can develop for life-changing financial success is to utilize the best available strategies for taking action on your short- and long-term goals. In moving toward your financial goals, having the “LGBTQ advantage” could allow you to save more money in a shorter period of time. Unlike the “traditional” family model where there was only one breadwinner, LGBTQ couples have an advantage because they are often bringing in two incomes. So if both commit to setting aside money to save and invest on a regular basis, they could reach their financial goals and enjoy the benefits of financial freedom sooner rather than later. Taking the Next Step As with any successful journey, the road to financial security should begin with a clear and focused plan with all of the key steps outlined. In doing so, you will be better able to stay on course and make any changes that are needed. The best place to start is by sitting down with an experienced financial advisor who can guide you through the process and explain the tools that are needed to get the job done. Choosing an advisor who is also adept in LGBTQ issues can help you pursue your goals by using financial vehicles that complement the resources you have available. Grace S. Yung, CFP , is a certified financial planner practitioner with experience in helping domestic partners plan their finances since 1994. She is a principal at Midtown Financial Group LLC in Houston and was recognized as a “Five-Star Wealth Manager” in the September 2017 issue of Texas Monthly. Yung can be reached at grace.yung@lpl.com.

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OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 31 OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019

TIMEOUT

TimeOut in Colombia

with OutSmart

Buddy Harris (left) and David Stacy took OutSmart to Comuna 13, Medellín, Colombia.

Show Us Your OutSmart GOING OUT OF TOWN? Take OutSmart along. Snap a high-res pic of yourself with the magazine and send it to us. Send to: Letters@OutSmartMagazine.com. Tag us on Facebook or hashtag us on Instagram

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

THE EYE GALLERY

Check out these fabulous events co-sponsored by O ut S mart and our marketing partners. April 6: 22nd Annual Human Rights Campaign Houston Gala & Auction. INFO: hrchouston.org

April 27: The Montrose Center Super Gayla fundraiser. INFO: MontroseCenter.org

April 6: Bering United Methodist Church, “Oodles of Noodles” All you can eat pasta benefiting Bering Connect (Formerly the Bering Support Network). INFO: beringsupportnetwork.org

April 27: Machine Dazzle fashion show and performance at Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University. INFO: moody.rice.edu

April 12: The Council on Recovery 36th Annual Spring Luncheon, with Andrew McCarthy. INFO: councilonrecovery.org April 17: Out@TUTS Night presents Ragtime. Get your seats for the first Wednesday-night production in TUTS’ 50th-anniversary season. After the curtain goes down, the party continues. Mingle with the cast and crew, sing a few show tunes. All are welcome! INFO: tuts.com/out April 21: Bunnies on the Bayou 40, benefiting local charities INFO: bunniesonthebayou.org

May 17: Victory Fund Houston Champagne Brunch benefiting future LGBTQ political leaders. INFO: victoryfund.org May 19: Under the Sea, Champagne Brunch benefitting AIDS Care of Coastal Texas INFO: accttexas.org/brunch May 29: Out@TUTS Night presents Jerome Robbin’s Broadway. Get your seats for the first Wednesday-night production in TUTS’ 50th-anniversary season. INFO: tuts.com/out

April 25: AIDS Foundation Houston, “Dining Out for Life”, benefitting AIDS Foundation Houston. INFO: AIDSHelp.org EYEGALLERYHOUSTON.COM 1806 WESTHEIMER RD. - RIVER OAKS 1700 POST OAK BLVD. (NEXT TO WHOLE FOODS) POST OAK LOCATION NOW OPEN SUNDAYS!

32 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

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Be social! Connect with us! @outsmarthouston

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OUT of the CLOSET and into the GALLERY Stonewall 50 through the queer lens. By RYAN M. LEACH

Frank Yamrus, Untitled (Nap), from the series I Feel Lucky, 2011, chromogenic print, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Joan Morgenstern in honor of Clinton T. Willour and Reid Mitchell. © 2011 F. Yamrus 34 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

ueer artists have been interpreting the world around them through their craft as long as art has existed. The queer experience told through art can only give us a small snapshot of the world and the LGBTQ experience, but as a broader whole, it tells the cultural history of LGBTQ people. Sometimes the expressions are overt, as with the hyper-sexualized, homoerotic imagery of gay artist Touko Valio Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland). He endeavored to arouse, challenge, and offend the status quo with his images. His art still influences (and in many cases defines) gay subcultures like leather, role play, and BDSM. Other times, artists create more subtle impressions like those of bisexual artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Her famous paintings of flowers and cow skulls reveal subtle impressions of the female body and vagina while evading the more alluring qualities associated with female sexuality. As the LGBTQ community prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the titular event that began the modernday LGBTQ-rights movement, several Houston art museums and festivals are mounting exhibits celebrating queer artists and giving new visibility to their works in a way rarely experienced—with truth.

The Museum Closet

“Every other minority group is born into their history. You have a family that raises you in the same traditions [they were born into]. But as a young LGBTQ person, you have to find that LGBTQ history—many times on your own.” says Bill Arning, curator and head of special-artist projects for the Nancy Littlejohn Gallery. It is through queer art and queer artists that the LGBTQ community is able to discern something visceral about their culture and its layers. In one piece we may see the complexity of LGBTQ subjects living at the intersection of race, religion, disability, gender, sexuality, and disease. In another piece we may see something more universal, like themes of love, family, and tradition. These layers, as vibrant and different as the colors on the Pride flag, remind us that we are a dynamic community made more dynamic by our struggle for equality. Pride celebrations allow us the opportunity to celebrate that reality, and 2019 is particularly significant because of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

“Museums have been shy in acknowledging the reality of what their content really is,” says Arning. “When I was studying for my undergrad degree in art history, I was hanging out with queer art-history students. We would be looking at a Gericault painting, and although it depicts this horrific scene, there is a sensual male figure in the painting and I discovered that was his lover. Things like this would of course always be spoken about as a ‘rumor’ because it was never discussed otherwise in the coursework, but it was the truth of the artist and the work,” says Arning. Arning is credited by both the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) and the Contemporary Art Museum Houston (CAMH) for encouraging and conceptualizing their respective exhibits acknowledging Stonewall. Arning himself is working on several Stonewall anniversary exhibits. His Stonewall 50/50 exhibit will look at the anniversary from both a public and private narrative about the LGBTQ community. It will be shown as part of the World Pride event in New York City, where the historic Stonewall Inn riots took place.

the raids beforehand, and they would generally happen early enough in the evening so that business could resume. Patrons without identification (or who were transgender or in drag) were arrested. Women were arrested if they were not wearing at least three pieces of feminine clothing. But the June 28 raid at 1:20 a.m. was different, and it set off the events leading to the days-long riots. Transgender customers refused to go to the restroom to have their gender “verified” by female officers. Other patrons began refusing to produce their identification. Police decided to take everyone to the station. Those who were not arrested were released at the front door, but they did not quickly leave the area as they usually did. The crowd began to grow. A scuffle broke out when a woman in handcuffs, a butch lesbian named Stormé DeLarverie, fought with four police officers after being hit on the head by a baton. Many bystanders credited this fight as the spark that started the riots when she looked at the crowd and shouted, “Why don’t you guys do something?” She was then heaved into the back of a paddy wagon, and the crowd became explosive. Other historians have credited transgender activists Marcia P. Johnson, Zazu Nova, and gay activist Jackie Hormona as the vanguard of the riots. However, Johnson herself dispelled this myth, saying that by the time she had arrived at 2:00 a.m., the riots had already started. Regardless of who can claim responsibility for the riots themselves, the fact is that they sparked the modern-day gay-rights movement as well as the modern-day Pride parades that occur in late June to commemorate the night (and the ensuing marches) that have brought us to where we are fifty years later. ➝

The Stonewall Riots: A Quick Queer History Lesson

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar run by the Genovese crime family, was raided by the New York Police Department. The small Greenwich Village bar paid off the police weekly in order to continue to run without a liquor license. It had no running water behind the bar, and no fire exits. Dancing was the main draw for customers, as it was the only bar for gay men in the city that allowed dancing. Police raids were not an unusual occurrence. Management was usually tipped off about

Debbie Grossman’s Jessie Evans-Whinery, homesteader, with her wife Edith Evans-Whinery and their baby, from the series My Pie Town, 2010 © Debbie Grossman OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 35

STONEWALL 50 | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Jimmy DeSana, Parka, 1985. © Estate of Jimmy DeSana

HOUSTON MUSEUMS FINALLY COME OUT FOR QUEER ART MFAH - 50 Years Since Stonewall

What has changed over the last fifty years is a cultural willingness to talk about queer culture, and even celebrate it. Although the LGBTQ fight for equality still has many battles ahead of it, this shift lends itself to deeper discussions about the queer experience. Art has always given people an opportunity to experience something outside of themselves. This reflection not only captures the essence of the times, but also provides a path forward. The MFAH exhibit 50 Years Since Stonewall will be on display through September 3 as part of a rotating display called A History of Photography: Selections from the Museum’s Collection. “I think that the stories of civil disobedience, of the assertion of individual identity, of love and loss, of political struggle, of openness about our families, have a broad relevance not only for the gay community (and especially a new generation that did not live through the 36 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

past 50 years), but also for anyone trying to find their place in society, make a better world, or be a fuller version of themselves.” says Malcolm Daniel, MFAH’s Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography. All but one of the photos come from the MFAH collection. “Our one loan—a promised gift from Houston photographer and collector Joe Aker—is a magnificent new work by Kyle Meyer that’s already proving to be a crowd favorite. The photo is from his series of portraits of gay men in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), where homosexuality is illegal. The men are wearing vibrantly colored head wraps of a type normally worn only by women. The photographic portrait and the patterned fabric of the head wrap are woven together, blurring sexual categories, partly masking identity, and partly celebrating the boldness of his subjects’ gesture,” says Daniel.

Daniel explained that while they can’t tell the whole story of the LGBTQ movement in 25 or 30 pictures, they tried to hit a variety of subjects and issues as well as feature some photographers that people may already know, like Robert Mapplethorpe and Annie Leibovitz. With the help of the department’s curatorial assistant, Marijana Rayl, as well as other staff and several generous donors, the exhibit is able to touch on several milestones including the AIDS crisis and marriage equality. The permanent MFAH collection also holds many works by queer artists. In June, a major show will make its way to the museum. Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography will—not surprisingly—feature numerous works by LGBTQ photographers and designers. “In fact, on the wall just opposite the 50 Years Since Stonewall, in our History of Photography survey, there are two important recent acquisitions: South African photographer Zaneli Muholi’s ZaVa, Amsterdam, a self-portrait with her partner, and Cathy Opie’s 1995 photograph Flipper, Tanya, Chloe, & Harriet, San Francisco, California. We hope that the wall texts and labels that are part of the installation (and also appear on the museum’s website) will provide information and spur discussion,” says Daniel. The MFAH’s entire photography collection can be explored online at mfah.org/art. Right now, one can search by artist, title, process, nationality, etc.; within the next year (thanks to a grant from the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation), the collection will be searchable by subject and concept keywords as well. The MFAH is also a venue for QFest, which will take place July 25–29. Houston’s annual film festival showcases LGBTQ-centric feature and short films by LGBTQ directors. Last year’s festival premiered The Miseducation of Cameron Post, starring Chloe Grace Moretz in a film about the harmful and fraudulent practice known as gay conversion therapy. Submissions for the 2019 festival are currently being selected.

CAMH - Stonewall 50

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) will have an even larger show opening on April 27 and running through July 28. The exhibition is titled Stonewall 50 and is conceived as a snapshot of the complexion, interests, and activities of a diverse group of queer and allied artists. Whether working in local communities or on other continents, these artists’ responses to the world around them—in photographs, paintings, films and videos, sculptures, performances, and other media—address a range of personal and collective concerns and desires. ➝

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STONEWALL 50 | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

queer issues abroad. While these themes provide a framework for the exhibition, the show’s contents are not limited to artworks exploring these notions. This exhibition is organized with an understanding that the privileges and disadvantages that affect the self-determination of sex and gender expression are linked inextricably to cultural perceptions around ability, age, nationality, race, wealth, and a host of other issues. “We will have a video installation and a couple of film and video pieces by Barbara Hammer. Barbara is widely celebrated as a founding and foundational member of the experimental film movement in the United States. She also happens to be a lesbian— something she has made explicit in her work for a number of years. Her 2018 piece Evidentiary Bodies, commissioned by the Wexner Zanele Muholi, Yaya Mavundia, Parktown, Johannesburg, Center in Ohio, will be premier2014. Courtesy of the artist, Yancey Richardson ing as part of the exhibit.” says Daderko . All of the fifteen artists with pieces in the tonewall 50 is curated by Dean Daderko, show are queer-identified, and the exhibition based on an exhibition proposed by Bill also features some prominent Houston artists Arning. “Stonewall is of course a very imlike David Lejeune, Anthony Sonnenberg, and portant milestone in queer history, and being the collaborative art team of Nick Vaughn and that there are so many artists who are thinking Jake Margolin. There are also other nationally about art and activism—specifically the interand internationally recognized artists particisection of those and using their artwork to talk pating in the show. about their own personal experiences in the “This will be an interesting show that will world—it felt like a great time to put that work bring up some issues that people may not be forward and celebrate it.” says Daderko. familiar with, and do so in a way that makes The exhibit at CAMH is strikingly different them visually exciting and approachable. from the smaller MFAH exhibit. CAMH will There are three basic themes that run through feature contemporary works in a wide variety multiple works in the exhibition. One is looking of media. Stonewall 50 follows a number of at establishing intergenerational diapaths: it traces artists’ engagement logue—conversations between emerging with trans issues, suggests posartists and more established artists. sibilities for formal and conceptual Another is looking at trans visibility. intergenerational dialogue, and looks And then a third is looking at queer outside the United States to consider productions outside of the United States,” says Daderko.

Thomas LaniganSchmidt, Knick Knack (The Mirror of Youth—Spritzer Thaw), 1969. Courtesy of the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery.

38 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Arning feels that these themes are important ones to discuss, especially as they relate to established versus emerging artists. “There is a younger generation that wants to talk about queer theory, but doesn’t want to deal with the metaphors of sex. In the physical act of sex, you have all of these gender codes and power codes that are subverted. [Younger artists] are much more interested in intersectionality. However, what’s interesting to explore is when our attractions are inflected by race, ethnicity, class and/or financial inequality or cultural backgrounds, and tourism. That’s really interesting,” says Arning.

Christina Quarles, We All We Are, 2018. “Sure, there is going to be stuff [in the exhibit] that’s challenging for folks, but the idea isn’t to challenge them without any kind of context or reason. Everyone is welcome,” says Daderko.

A Worldwide Observance

Exhibits celebrating and studying the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots are taking place throughout the world. Aside form the Stonewall 50/50 exhibit in New York, Arning is curating a Texas-centric exhibit entitled More Texas Queers than You Can Handle, which will be shown in the U.K. As of now, there are few full-time museums specifically geared toward telling the history of the LGBTQ community. The Leslie Lohman Museum in New York is the only art museum in the country serving this purpose. However, as time goes on and more exhibits take place like the ones celebrating Stonewall in Houston, , we will be able to understand the artists behind the art—and perhaps the true meaning of the classics that have traditionally been interpreted for us inaccurately through the straight lens. In the meantime, the movement marches forward—and so does its art.

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ARTS

Rage with the Machine Meet Machine Dazzle—and he does. By MARENE GUSTIN Photo by POMEGRANATE ARTS

to see a fashion show and performance, including a talk t six foot five, Matthew Flower—aka with Machine and Bowdoin about their creative process. Machine Dazzle—stands above the The Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University is a rest. And as a costume designer, he new international institution for the visual and performing stands alone as a true queer theatrical arts in all genres, serving both the university community genius. The 46-year-old’s costumes and the public at large. It is an experimental platform for have been described as both art and arcreating and presenting vital artwork across disciplines, chitecture. Machine was a co-recipient and for encouraging discussions at the intersection of the of the 2017 Bessie Award for Outstandarts, humanities, and sciences. ing Visual Design and the winner of a 2017 Henry Hewes “The Moody is delighted to elevate and celebrate the Design Award. And now he’s coming home to Houston for a arts by hosting Machine Dazzle as an artist-in-residence,” fashion show and performance. says Alison Weaver, the Suzanne Deal Booth Executive Di“I was born outside of Philadelphia,” Machine says, rector at the Moody Center. “Machine’s work will enhance “but we moved to New Caney when I was just one, and then the Moody’s mission to foster dialogue across disciplines we lived in Kingwood until I was twelve. We used to go to through his visionary costume designs. By activating the AstroWorld as kids, and when I was ten my parents asked gallery that is currently home to Natasha Bowdoin’s exhibit, me what I wanted for my birthday, which is in December, so Sideways to the Sun, Machine will support our vision of I said I wanted to see The Nutcracker. It was the first time I bringing art to life through his original performance art.” had seen Houston Ballet, and I loved it. I said, ‘That’s what Machine was here in February to I want to do—be up on stage like see the exhibit and meet Bowdoin, and those children in costumes!’” “I’M A TALL DRINK OF has already started collecting mateIn 1994, after completing an rial that he will use in designing the art degree at the University of WATER, AND WHEN YOU seven costumes based on Bowdoin’s Colorado in Boulder, he bought a work. one-way ticket to New York and SEE ME IN HEELS, I’M A “Her paintings remind me of old hasn’t looked back. His love of vintage cartoons—the colors, the big avant-garde fashion, dance clubs, MONSTER!” flowers,” he says. and performance art combined to — Matthew Flower, aka Machine Dazzle A fan of everything from opera to make him a sought-after designer. rock and roll, Machine will also sing He’s worked with Taylor Mac, Jusat the fashion show. He’s currently working on a show for tin Vivian Bond, Joey Arias, Julie Atlas Muz, Big Art Group, the Guggenheim, and at the time of this interview he was The Crystal Ark, Stanley Love Performance Group, and The busy with his Easter drag costume. Pixie Harlots. His work as both a performer and costume “In New York we have an Easter parade every year designer with the group Dazzle Dancers has earned him the where people dress up and walk down Fifth Avenue,” he name Machine Dazzle. He says he prefers Machine, since says. “I dress up and parade around and get my picture “everyone knows a Matthew, but how many Machines do taken, and then go to brunch!” you know?” Not that it would be hard to remember him. “I’m a tall drink of water,” he says. “And when you see What: Machine Dazzle fashion me in heels, I’m a monster!” show and performance The performer and costume artist will be in residence When: April 27 at 8:00 p.m. for one week at the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice Where: Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University this month, working with students to produce University, 6100 Main Street, MS-480 original costumes inspired by Natasha Bowdoin’s current Info: moody.rice.edu/ exhibition, Sideways to the Sun. Bowdoin is an assistant professor at the university. On April 27, the public is invited 40 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 41

BOOKS

Musician of Note HGO’s Patrick Summers conducts a search in his new book The Spirit of This Place. By RICH ARENSCHIELDT

APRIL 2019

OutSmartMagazine.com

composer Richard Wagner, who discovered everything they were going to spend their life working on before they turned 30, I can’t do that. I’m too curious about the discovery of new ideas.” Having led one of the world’s best opera companies for 20 years, ideas are this conductor’s currency. His book focuses on society’s transactional nature, which is anathema to all things artistic. One of the book’s revelatory claims is that opera, as an art, is a complete absurdity at any practical level.” Summers addresses the notion that his medium always seems to be on the verge of extinction, yet

COURTESY HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

atrick Summers, Houston Grand Opera’s longtime artistic and music director, has chosen to wield a pen rather than a baton for his latest creative endeavor—a collection of essays entitled The Spirit of This Place: How Music Illuminates the Human Spirit, published by the venerable University of Chicago Press. Early in the book, Summers promises to avoid “talking about everything,” but then, utilizing humor, experience, and a pithy self-awareness, proceeds to do just that. In the ensuing 155 pages, the author comments on everything from big-haired motorcycle cops and leaf blowers to country music and, of course, opera. The book is composed of 37 vignettes drawn from lectures given at Houston’s Rice University, where Summers wandered about while wondering about music’s inescapable link to the human spirit. Outside of music-making, writing is this maestro’s chosen method of communication. “There’s a certain amount of surprise that a musician would write at all,” Summers says. “I’ve kept a daily dairy since I was about 15 years old. For me, the process of writing is cleansing and ennobling—a spiritual act in itself. The book contains ideas that very much mirror my daily life as an artist.” Contrary to people’s perception of an opera conductor, Summers has many other interests outside of the opera theater. “My life doesn’t have a single specific trajectory or a solitary goal that I’m working toward. In fact, quite the opposite. For me, an ‘artistic life’ is very much like a painting by the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock: you throw some colors on the canvas and see if it looks like anything. If not, you throw on some more. “Artists have ideas that they work on continuously. While I admire individuals like

never quite succumbs to an impending Ice Age. “At no time in the last 150 years has opera paid for itself—in any city, in any situation, ever,” Summers says. “This isn’t a new worry. In a transactional world, it’s difficult for people to comprehend that something that has to be subsidized can be spiritually fulfilling—and at the same time, unable to pay for itself. Even a sold-out performance at Houston Grand Opera covers only about 25 percent of the cost of raising the curtain on any given night.” As expected, Summers spends a goodly portion of the book discussing the making of music. Interestingly, Grand Ole Opry star Porter Wagoner and opera’s most long-winded genius, composer Richard Wagner, elicit equal respect. “When artists have a genuine connection to the words and music they are performing, integrity exists. You can feel the inevitable spirituality of their communication. Dolly Parton and Maria Callas each accomplish this in their own unique way.” Country music (described by Summers as “three chords and the truth”) or Mozart’s Così fan tutte can both achieve the same musical and spiritual result. Having championed major new

Patrick Summers

works, curated several of the world’s greatest voices, and shaped an opera company that exudes excellence (even when confronted with “Harvey-esque” levels of adversity), Summers is remarkably self-effacing. The book provides insight into the source of his somewhat understated (yet completely unwavering) enthusiasm. “When you go into the pit to conduct, you have to be motivated by the fact that you will never be as good as the music is. No performance will equal the work itself –that’s the beautiful challenge. The process of ‘entering’ these [operatic] works and learning from them must always be a source of great joy.” The “place” that Summers inhabits at HGO (when he’s not in the orchestra pit) is a fifthfloor office at Wortham Center—clearly his epicenter of “works in progress.” The score to HGO’s most recent world premiere, The Phoenix, sits on a table laden with future planning ideas. Amidst so much activity, how does this musician find the time to recharge his own artistic batteries? “In an directorship position, everyone requires something slightly different from you. Conversely, you can’t ever give any one person everything they need. As a result, you have to be sure that you are refueling your own “supply,” artistically, so you can accomplish what you need to. “I do that by writing, reading, practicing, and study. I connect to the natural world as much as I can. Additionally, [I’ve learned] that you have to obtain your ‘reward’ from the art itself; nothing else will provide that. Fame (or notoriety) is always about something you’ve done in the past. Being an artist focuses on what happens from the present moment forward. Take what you have learned—the joy and pain—and distill it for the benefit of younger artists.” The operatic form demands an artist’s best effort. Audiences have become accustomed to near-perfect performances, and the latest theatrical technology makes flawless productions routinely possible. Confronting this technically demanding environment, Summers admits that it can be very difficult to maintain a spiritual relationship to music and art.He also provides little advice on how this relationship might be accomplished. In fact, Summers posits a contrary sentiment with the work’s most memorable sentence: No one could, or should, tell anyone the spiritual meaning of anything. “Works of art engage people where they are, at a point in time,” Summers says. “The journey is what’s most important. If some connection to art will let you notice the natural world in a non-transactional way, let it in.” As you read The Spirit of This Place, it becomes apparent that “this place” is you.

“A Romantic Comedy” Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm Matiness: Sunday, April 14 at 3pm Reservations: TheatreSouthwest.org 713.681.9505 Tickets@theatresouthwest.org

OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 43

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAYSON KOLBICZ

J Jayson Kolbicz

STAGE

Doubling Down Jayson Kolbicz’s dual roles in Side Show. By DON MAINES

44 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

ayson Kolbicz shows two sides of his artistry as both a performer and the makeup designer for Side Show, a rarely performed musical that invites Houstonians to “come look at the freaks” March 28–April 14 at Queensbury Theatre. In the opening number, Kolbicz portrays the half-man/half-woman oddity in a Depression-era sideshow that featured Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton. “Literally, half of me is a dude and half of me is a drag queen,” says Kolbicz, who is openly gay. “I wear a corset and five-and-a-halfinch heels, and makeup that was inspired by RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’m like a cross between Valentina and Roxxxy Andrews, with a little bit of “brass doll” thrown in there. It’s going to be a moment. It’s so fierce.” Competing for the audience’s attention will be a number of other “exotic creatures” whose makeup Kolbicz created to capture what the musical’s composers, Bill Russell and Henry Krieger, called “God’s mistakes.” Among them are a bearded lady, a tattooed girl, and a lizard man. “For some of them, we combined anomalies to give a performer double-freak attributes,” says Kolbicz. “For example, our ‘human pin-cushion’ is a ‘he’ in the script, but we put another spin on the character my making him gender fluid.” Later in Side Show, Kolbicz plays the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini, and sings “All in the Mind” to the real-life Hilton twins, who are the focus of the musical that opened on Broadway in 1997 and ran for 96 performances. Its stars, Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner, were jointly nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. At Queensbury, Violet and Daisy are portrayed by Teresa Zimmermann and Holland Vavra, respectively. The show follows the book

CHRISTIAN BROWN

of Side Show’s 2014 Broadway revival, which delves deeper than the original production into the backstory of the Hilton twins. “With the implementation of the twins’ relationship with Harry Houdini and their proposed separation surgery, the new book fleshes out characters and situations that endow the songs with more sophistication and truth,” according to press material. “Houdini was the one light in the sisters’ lives,” says Kolbicz. “He was the good person in their life,” teaching them tricks to mentally escape their physical restrictions. Kolbicz was born in Michigan and went to high school and college in Ohio. His stage career began in his sophomore year of high school, when he was cast in a community-theater production of Guys and Dolls. He came to Houston last summer to appear in a Latin-inspired reimagining of Guys and Dolls at Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), followed in October by another TUTS appearance in The Wiz. Last December, he was part of the hair and makeup team for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at TUTS. “I was the guy who transformed Michael Burrell into his beastly look every night,” says Kolbicz, who was allocated just 58 seconds to get Burrell out of makeup and back onstage as the prince for the finale. “It was

Team Effort

In rehearsal for Side Show such a cool experience.” Since graduating from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theater and moving to Conroe in 2014, Kolbicz has performed power ballads and duets in four stints aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships. His showreel videos can

be viewed on YouTube by searching “Jayson Kolbicz Showreel.” What: Side Show When: March 28 through April 14 Where: 12777 Queensbury Lane Info: queensburytheatre.org

OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 45

STAGE

Perfect Pitch The flawless Melody Moore By DON MAINES Photo by LYNN LANE

Title goes in Here

he mother of out opera star Melody Moore likes to remind her daughter that the musical name Mom chose for her is the reason for Moore’s success on the opera stage. “She never really lets it go,” jokes the celebrated soprano, who will “hunker down” with her mom in Kingwood when Moore, who is based in Los Angeles, portrays Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni April 20-May 5 at Houston Grand Opera (HGO). Moore can thank HGO for the modified pixie cut that has replaced the “longer mane” she wore at the beginning of her career. Five years ago, the bald cap she wore to play an Auschwitz inmate in HGO’s The Passenger was so uncomfortable that she had her hair cut “real, real, real short, basically a buzz cut.” Since letting it grow out to a sportier style, she says, “It fits me perfectly. It’s totally Melody Moore.” The Tennessee native moved to the Houston area when she was 10. “My parents had a ministry in the Assemblies of God, so when we would go to homeless and women’s shelters 46 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Andrew Edmonson in Brown Auditorium at MFAH

Melody Moore

they would put me on a table and I would sing.” However, when she enrolled at Kingwood High School, Moore expanded her musical repertoire far beyond “Bringing in the Sheaves.” Her gay choir director, the late David Stotlar, introduced her to Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms while coaching her to victories in all-state choir competitions. Stotlar also served as a model of authenticity for all of his students. “I loved him so much,” says Moore. “He never bowed to anyone or anything. He was out, proud, and flamboyant. He was quippy and ‘queery.’ I knew we had something in common,

but I didn’t know how to say it.” Moore discovered what that “something” was when she got to college, on a voice scholarship to Louisiana State University. She spoke about coming out as a lesbian, and how it coincided with her evolution as a singer, in her interview with OutSmart in October 2014: “My coming out was my first journey into what I call ‘harsh truth’—which, to me, is a crucial truth that has some pain associated with it, and one that must be told, regardless of the result. Interestingly enough, my life became better as I became more truthful—and so did my music.”

LYNN LANE

CAMH.ORG

Have You Heard?

Melody Moore as Marta; Michelle Breedt as Liese in HGO’s The Passenger.

Coming out also caused a schism with her parents—a situation that required time to heal. “Not only does it get better,” says Moore, “but it gets so good that you pinch yourself. That’s my life now.” Moore’s wife of four years, Nicole Wagner, hopes to join the opera star in Houston this month. “Talk about the sunshine!” says Moore. “I feel like she somehow pulls me into her force field. It’s a love like that.” Moore’s character in Don Giovanni should have it so good. “She is very strong, but she is put through quite the ringer,” says Moore. “I like her quite a bit. After she is bamboozled by this serial rapist—this power-hungry, deranged megalomaniac—she wants to warn people about him, not because she wants to give him a bad name but because she is a rulefollower. She believes that right should win and people should behave in a respectful way. She blows the whistle even though she has everything to lose and not much to gain.” This will be the fourth time for Moore to portray the noblewoman Donna Elvira, “but the first time in over a decade,” she says. “I am looking forward to seeing what she looks like in the rehearsal room. I want to see what she has learned in the past 10 years. To me, she has her own voice. That is how I approach a role. [I’ll also be] considering what we’ve learned from the #MeToo movement, and from women getting a foothold into more places. All of that will play into the role.” What: Don Giovanni When: April 20—May 5 Where: Houston Grand Opera (HGO) Info: houstongrandopera.org/dongiovanni

Stonewall 50 April 27–July 28, 2019 OutSmart magazine is the exclusive media sponsor of Stonewall 50. © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy the artist, Yancey Richardson, New York City, New York, and Stevenson, Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Josh Walden

STAGE

What Goes Around Comes Around 10 years later, a return to Ragtime. By DON MAINES

hat a difference 10 years can make, says openly gay actor Josh Walden, who performed in the 2009 Broadway revival of Ragtime and now prepares to play Harry Houdini in the April 16–28 production of the show at the Hobby Center. The sprawling musical, based on E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed 1975 novel, seems to pit three disparate groups—genteel whites, restless blacks in Harlem, and eager Jewish immigrants—in a fight for America’s soul at the 48 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

turn of the 20th century. Against a background of transition and turbulence, progressive members of each group unite to form a more perfect union. “In 2009, when Barack Obama was just coming into office, it was thrilling and exciting and wonderful,” says Walden. “The finale represented hope and inclusion. It felt like, ‘Oh my God, this is the time!’” But today, says Walden, the same show feels like nothing less than a call to arms. “You look at the script and the word ‘immigrant’ jumps out at you. At the end of the show, we

are saying to the audience, ‘We are better than this. We can change all the ugly things out there that are hurting us.’” In the production for Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), Walden plays Houdini, the reallife Hungarian-born immigrant who gained fame in the United States as an escape artist. In Ragtime, Houdini inspires a fictional character, Tatel, to pursue his American dream of becoming an artist and providing for himself and his daughter. The lives of other characters are transformed by their interactions with more actual American figures, including wealthy capitalists J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford, anarchist Emma Goldman, orator Booker T. Washington, and explorer Robert Peary. Gay playwright Terrence McNally won a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical when Ragtime debuted on Broadway in 1998. Nominated for 13 Tonys, the show lost Best Musical to The Lion King, but won Best Orchestrations, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (for Audra McDonald, who sang “Your Father’s Son”), and Best Original Score (for composers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty). “Ragtime is a deeply moving musical,” says out TUTS artistic director Dan Knechtges. “Twenty years after Ragtime opened on Broadway, the themes it dealt with are even more relevant today. We’re still grappling with issues of race, class, gender equality, and politi-

cal clashing. I love works of theater that give us some answers and inspire us to create a more equitable society.” The 2009 revival of Ragtime was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Direction of a Musical and Outstanding Choreography for Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who is directing and choreographing the show at TUTS. In addition to his Harry Houdini role, Walden is assisting Dodge, who was his favorite teacher at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Walden made his Broadway debut in a revival of 42nd Street and subsequently appeared in revivals of A Chorus Line and, as Mercedes, in La Cage aux Folles. Then, in 2009, Dodge cast him as real-life showgirl Evelyn Nesbit’s jealous millionaire husband, Harry K. Thaw, in Ragtime at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. When the musical transferred to Broadway, he recalls, “It was exhilarating. I remember watching them load our set at the Neil Simon Theatre and thinking how proud I was to be some sliver

we DEliver!

Robert Petkoff as Tateh in Ragtime’s 2009 revival

of the magic that was behind seeing our show celebrated on Broadway. I also remember thinking about why we were telling the story at that specific time.” What: Ragtime When: April 16–28 Where: Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St. Info: TUTS.com

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ARTS

Here, Ahora Houston exhibit showcases the work of queer Latinx artists under 30. By LOURDES ZAVALETA

atinx artists who identify as LGBTQ often tend to be overlooked by prominent arts organizations, according to photographer Isaac Reyes. Reyes, a queer Mexican man, tried for four years to have his artwork displayed at Art League Houston. His photography is finally being showcased at that Montrose Boulevard gallery in an exhibit entitled Here, Ahora: Houston, Latinx, Queer Artists Under 30, which runs through May 4. “You’re a double-minority when you’re Latin and you’re also queer,” Reyes, 27, says. “There are queer Latin artists all over Houston, which is why this takeover is so great. We get to share all of our different experiences.” 50 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Curated by Reyes Ramirez, the exhibit features the work of seven LGBTQ Houston artists from various parts of Latin America. Along with Isaac Reyes’ photography, the exhibit includes projects by Leticia Contreras, Jessica González, Romeo Harrell, Ángel Lartigue, Trevon Latin, and Moe Penders. LGBTQ ally Ramirez partnered with several artists over a year ago to begin planning for an exhibit that would exclusively showcase creations by queer Latinx Houstonians. As a Houston writer who often works with marginalized communities, he organized Here, Ahora so that more LGBTQ Latinx artists could be recognized and compensated for their work. “I wanted to help my friends who are a part

ALEX ROSA

They’re Here and They’re Queer

LGBTQ Latinx artists Moe Penders (l), Romeo Harrell, Trevon Latin, and curator Reyes Ramirez debuted the exhibit Here, Ahora at Art League Houston on March 22.

of the LGBTQ community thrive in a society that is predominantly straight and cis,” Ramirez says. “I also wanted to make sure that they were being paid for what they do.” Even with all of the descriptors in the show’s title, a large exhibit was still able to be assembled featuring only folks who matched its categories. Ramirez says that the show is proof that these artists exist and need to be included in more exhibits. “I’m not a curator. I don’t do this for a living, so it shouldn’t have been my job to put this together,” Ramirez says. “Houston is home to so many queer Latinx artists. There is no excuse for professionals to not feature more of these people.”

Moe Penders, a 30-year-old nonbinary artist from El Salvador, can attest to not having much support as an openly queer person. “Queer Latinx people don’t receive a lot of support in general, even within our own communities,” Penders says. “Many of our families don’t accept us or acknowledge our identities. But we exist, and it’s important that we talk about it. Recognition is one of the reasons why we exist.” Estudios de Capirucho, the photograph that Penders will showcase at the Art League, is a critique of heteronormativity and the way that society views relationships. A capirucho is a wooden stick with a string tied to it and attached to a barrel with a hole in it. The toy is used to play a game where the objective is to put the stick in the hole consecutively. In many Latin American countries, the term capichuro is also used in reference to having sex. Penders’ piece shows the game of capichuro in action. Under the image is a caption that translates as “Same shit, different light.

Leticia Contreras

“WE ALL HAVE UNIQUE EXPERIENCES. YOU WILL SEE HOW DIVERSE BEING QUEER CAN BE WHEN YOU ARE ALSO LATINX.” — Isaac Reyes

Things change in a different place, but I am not that toy.” “My art talks a lot about my identity, but also in reference to my culture,” Penders says. “In my experience, I have not had the same privileges that heterosexual people have. Heterosexual relationships tend to be given more value by society.” Penders, who is a graduate of the University of Houston, will curate a solo exhibit at Sabine Street Studios on April 3. Reyes grew up being shuttled back and forth between homes in Mexico and Houston. When he moved to Houston permanently for college, Reyes’ immediate family stayed behind in Mexico. After becoming distraught about exploring his queerness and living so far from his family, Reyes decided to take a self-portrait on his birthday to capture what he was going through.

Isaac Reyes

The following year, he decided to take another birthday self-portrait, and has done so consecutively for 10 years. The series of photographs will be part of the Here, Ahora exhibit. “Over those 10 images, you can see my evolution of becoming more comfortable with my queerness,” Reyes says. “When I started, I was frustrated because I wanted to be out, but I was worried about how my parents would react. Last year, I started exploring the art of drag.” Reyes says that attendees who visit Here, Ahora can look forward to coming away with a better understanding of what it means to be an LGBTQ Latinx person.

“All of the artists contribute something completely different,” Reyes says. “We all have unique experiences. You will see how diverse being queer [can be] when you are also Latinx.” On May 2, Ramirez and Lupe Mendez will present Here, Ahora: Houston Conversations, Queer Art + Lit, a reading held in conjunction with their Art League exhibit. What: Here, Ahora: Houston, Latinx, Queer Artists Under 30 When: March 22 - May 4 Where: Art League Houston Info: www.artleaguehouston.org OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 51

COMMUNITY

Bring Your Basket Bunnies on the Bayou hops into its 40th year.

nless you’ve been completely off the bunny trail for the last forty years, you’ve likely heard about Bunnies on the Bayou, which actually refers to both the nonprofit organization and their fabulously famous party held on Buffalo Bayou every Easter Sunday. This year is a big one for the organization as they hop into their 40th year. Bunnies was founded on Easter Sunday in 1979 when a small group of friends gathered for a birthday celebration. Word of the event soon spread, and the following year they sent out invitations and added a sound system. Bunnies president David Goldberg explains, “In the mid-’80s, a bag of food for 52 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

By JENNY BLOCK local charities was required to enter the event. During the ’90s, the location changed to the new downtown Wortham Center. And instead of food, Bunnies began to raise money for local LGBTQ charities.” While Bunnies on the Bayou’s annual Easter Sunday bash is now the largest outdoor cocktail party in Texas, the organization raises money throughout the year with a series of social events. Since 2011, Bunnies has donated over $670,000 to more than twenty nonprofit organizations. Goldberg says attending the event should be a no-brainer. “It’s an amazing party that raises a ton of money for local LGBT charities. We have no paid staff, and all of the money

stays in Houston. At Bunnies on Easter Sunday, attendees can expect to see everyone’s creative spin on Easter attire—bonnets and bunny ears. Beneficiary Committee co-chair and former vice president Ana Sanchez says, “It makes for some great people-watching.” Bunnies host Chad Cornwall adds, “You can expect plenty of eye candy.” To up the ante even more, they now bring in top-notch DJs, and the benefiting agencies serve as bartenders. “Plus,” Sanchez adds, “we have sponsors in the VIP areas mixing special drinks and offering tastings of their products.” There is also a pre-party on Saturday night, and the main event is followed by an after-party on Sunday night.

J. D. DOYLE

Bunnies on wheels

The Bunnies on the Bayou 1997 Pride parade float.

Aside from amazing music and fabulous outfits, Bunnies secretary Luis Morales Lopez says Bunnies is a great chance to see old friends and make new ones. “One of the best things about Bunnies is that it is such a casual event, and everyone is so friendly. I have met some of my favorite people either at the main event on Easter Sunday or at our auxiliary events throughout the year. There is simply nothing else like us out there.” If this will be your first time at Bunnies, Sanchez has a few tips. First off, buy your tickets online so you won’t have to battle the ticket line when you arrive. And be sure to ride-share—best to avoid messing with parking, and there’s no excuse for drinking and driving. Sanchez also reminds newcomers that everyone is there to have fun, so don’t be scared or shy. “When I work the ticket line, I see lots of people who come alone and look shy, but by the end they are laughing and smiling with new friends.” Lopez adds, “Pace yourself and have fun. Between the main event and the after-party there is so much to do that you will need to remember it is a marathon and not a race.” Keep in mind that Bunnies hosts do their best to provide shaded areas to cool off, although they can’t control the weather. “Dress

appropriately, stay hydrated, and don’t forget to use sunscreen!” Bunnies host Chad Cornwall adds. As for what’s on the horizon for Bunnies, Sanchez would love to see more women join Bunnies, both as volunteers and as participants. “The organization should represent the community it supports. The Houston LGBTQ community is incredibly diverse, so both Bunnies membership and event attendance should reflect that,” Sanchez explains. “The entire membership votes on our beneficiaries each year. If there aren’t women to speak up for their needs, they could be overlooked in funding selection. There are times that a woman’s perspective needs to be heard.” Lopez recalls the year that Bunnies started to fund scholarships to LGBTQI+ youth. “That’s something I am so proud of as a Bunny. I remember being one of those kids a long time ago, and now it’s nice to know that something I am a part of is making such a huge impact in someone’s life.” Sanchez adds, “This past Thanksgiving, I volunteered with Thomas Street Clinic for their holiday meal for clients. Seeing the faces of people who end up directly benefiting from our work really hit me. Last year, we surprised PFLAG with a grant larger than they requested because we thought the work they do is so valuable. The look on their representative’s

face, going from utter shock to sheer joy, was priceless.” Cornwall also cites the desire to meet new people and give back to the community as reasons for joining Bunnies on the Bayou. “You can expect to become fast friends with a beautifully diverse group of fun individuals.” Lopez adds, “It is so rewarding to see how much the beneficiaries appreciate the money we give back. In some cases, our grants make up a big part of their budgets.” Cornwall explains that a year’s worth of hard work culminates with an annual check-presentation event, when each beneficiary receives a check that can fund dozens of meaningful projects throughout the community. Sanchez also reflects on what the organization’s founders would think about the group’s upcoming 40th-anniversary event. “I’m sure they never imagined in their wildest dreams that they were creating a legacy that would touch so many Houstonians. [This anniversary is a time] to honor their lives and the contributions that so many Bunnies members have made over the years.” And, Lopez adds, “With all the bad that is out there socially and politically, it is nice to come together and celebrate in a safe space. We are working very hard this year to make sure everyone in our community feels included. “People like to think of us as a big party, but first and foremost we are a fundraiser that makes a huge impact in Houston’s LGBTQI+ community. I would like to see us get even bigger and become a national LGBTQ Easter Sunday destination.” As Sanchez explains, “If you ever go to the Montrose Center, know someone who has accessed services from AIDS Foundation Houston, or have enjoyed hearing the Houston Pride Band, then you have come in contact with a program that has benefited from Bunnies on the Bayou. No one can be certain what politicians will do to social-services budgets, or when the next natural disaster will strike, but you can be sure that our community will come together and look after each other.” “It’s so vital for our community, especially the younger generation, to remember and pay tribute to the history of this event and others like it. Forty years is no small feat,” Cornwall explains. “Events like Bunnies on the Bayou were borne out of necessity. In a world where many face rejection from their family or their church, it’s nice to know that there is a dependable open door for them in downtown Houston every Easter Sunday.” What: Bunnies on the Bayou When: April 21, 2–7pm Where: Sesquicentennial Park in downtown Houston Info: bunniesonthebayou.org OutSmartMagazine.com

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COMMUNITY Photos by DALTON DEHART and EDGARDO AGUILAR

On February 22, Pride Houston 2019 held a volunteer fair at the Montrose Center. Pictured are Pride board members, volunteers, and attendees.

On February 24,Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) held Out@SPA sponsored by OutSmart for The Wizard of Oz. Pictured are Pam Straker, Sergio Lozano, Araceli Juarez, Stan McDonald, Glenn Van Gaalen, Jill Maxwell, Hernan Campa, Terry Zeno, and Angie Talbott.

On March 2, The Empire of The Royal Sovereign and Imperial Court of the Single Star Reign (E.R.S.I.C.S.S) presented a check to Pet Patrol. Pictured are Martinique Bouvier Empress 34, Pet Patrol Board of Directors, and Michael G. Clayton Emperor 34.

The Montrose Center held the annual Bringin’ In the Green fundraiser on March 15 at the home of Glenn and Justin Dickson. Pictured are volunteers, staff, and supporters.

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OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 55

ARTS

Tiny Dances, Big Steps

Brexxxit, House of Kenzo

CounterCurrent19 takes on club culture. By NEIL ELLIS ORTS

HOUSE OF KENZO

“WE’RE DEFINITELY SAVING A PLACE ON THE DANCE FLOOR FOR EVERYONE.” —Max Fields

56 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

hen Max Fields was invited to curate this year’s Ten Tiny Dances for CounterCurrent, the annual contemporary art and performance festival put on by the University of Houston’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, he knew he wanted to take it in a different direction from the previous years’ showcases of contemporary choreographers’ work. “I don’t have training in formal dance. I don’t have the experience to curate a program that would be more formal,” he says. “I don’t have the eye for it.” He did, however, have a relationship with musicians and the performances that take place in dance clubs. He knew Karen Farber, executive director of the Mitchell Center, had an interest in social dance. From there, Ten Tiny Dances: Nightlife was born, to be presented at Rich’s Houston nightclub on April 9.

It was a different sort of curatorial process. Whereas stage dancers and choreographers are used to communicating via email and writing proposals and applications for festivals, the performers Fields was after communicated via text message and with much less formality. As someone from the contemporary-art world, he knew his first task was to build trust with these performers who worked in a whole other realm. “People who dance in clubs don’t need the validation of the art world to make their work,” he explains. “They don’t need to be on a stage or in a museum. Everyone who is participating in this project had to create space for themselves in this world and for their expression.” These performers have made their own spaces in dive bars and warehouses. Finding them and starting the conversations with them required networking and word-of-mouth more than putting out calls for performers in art circles. “It’s been meeting people through people and

getting vetted. ‘Is he cool? Is he okay? Can I trust this person?’” Fields is proud of the program he’s assembled. “The lineup is not comprised of people just from Texas or Houston” he says. “The lineup includes dancers, club icons, deejays, and more formal artists whose work is informed by nightlife and club culture.” He wanted to have these different types of performers rub up against each other because they each approach their work from different angles. “I’m really interested in the gesture as an archive. I’m interested in how the flick of the wrist is performed over and over, and

each time it’s performed by a different person, that history is embedded within that move. Artists look at that one way, deejays look at it another way, club kids look at it a completely different way.” Fields continues. “But they all think about it. Everyone is thinking about how their culture is transmitted through gesture, through dance, through movement.” By way of introducing the lineup, Fields focused on three performers or groups—one from Houston, another from Texas at large, and one who is a more traditional artist engaged with the art world. From Houston is Neon Mavericks, a competition dance group based at the country and western club Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon in northwest Houston. They’re going to present a choreographed history of the famous dance hall that once featured Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline. Their performance will showcase the evolution of the club into a modern-day center of LGBTQ country and Tejano culture. Hailing from San Antonio is the House of Kenzo, a group that is often associated with voguing and ballroom styles of club performance, but are expanding and creating a distinct vocabulary of its own. They’re pulling from influences as varied as

ChicanX, blues, and deejay cultures, as well as styles they’ve picked up from traveling to other cities. “It’s very queer,” Fields says. “I have a hard time trying to pin them down, to hold their identity to a single word.” Working within the more traditional art world is Devin Kenny, who is currently living in Houston as part of the MFAH’s Glassell School of Art Core Residency Program. Originally from Chicago and educated in New York City and Los Angeles, Kenny’s work explores coded communications found in such cultural artifacts as quilts from the Underground Railroad, graffiti, and Internet memes. For his Ten Tiny Dances performance, he’ll be exploring the juxtaposition of black music and culture’s infiltration into mainstream media against the constant stream of news stories about police brutality directed at black and brown bodies. These disparate styles (and more) will all be presented at Rich’s Houston, a nightclub with its own long history in the city’s nightlife scene. Again, via connections and networking, Fields was able to secure Rich’s as the site for this year’s Ten Tiny Dances. Following the performances, the audience is invited to stay for a dance party with a set from the Houston dance-pop group Wild Moccasins. Summing up what he hopes for the evening, Fields says, “This project wouldn’t be successful if people didn’t come out and dance. We’re definitely saving a place on the dance floor for everyone.” What: Ten Tiny Dances: Nightlife When: April 9 Where: Rich’s Houston, 2401 San Jacinto Info: www.countercurrentfestival.org

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APRIL 2019

NEWS

All’s Well that Ends Well The Houston Public Library’s Drag Queen Storytime is ending for now as organizers step down and temporarily halt the program for safety. By LOURDES ZAVALETA

he Houston Public Library’s Drag Queen Storytime will not continue this month or for the time being, according to the program’s founders. In an op-ed piece for Houstonia Magazine, Trent Lira and Devin Will, who also lead the band Space Kiddettes, announced they were stepping down and that the monthly event would not happen during March or after. “What started as a fun community event shared between us, a couple of drag queens and kings, and a few families has become a national controversy,” the Space Kiddettes said in a statement. “People are being threatened. People are being hurt. We believe in what we’re doing, but we do not believe in putting our friends, our families, or our children in danger.”

58 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

This announcement came March 19, just days after news broke that a former Storytime reader was once convicted of being a sex offender and that the Houston Public Library failed to complete a background check on her. The Space Kiddettes called the incident a “systematic mistake” because the performer read in September and background NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 60

Rockstar Readers

The band Space Kiddettes, Trent Lira (left) and Devin Will, had organized Drag Queen Storytime since September 2017.

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checks were not enforced until October, after protesters filed a lawsuit against Mayor Turner and Houston Public Library executive director Rhea Lawson. “She was part of the storytime before HLP started enforcing background checks for every performer, and hasn’t been back since they started,” the Space Kiddettes said. The Houston Public Library’s Drag Queen Storytime launched in September 2017, and flew under the radar until KHOUTV highlighted a July 9 installment at the Heights Branch featuring drag queen Blackberri. After the news segment hit the airwaves, City councilmember Michael Kubosh complained about Drag Queen Storytime during the Council’s regular meeting on July 17. Protesters stood outside of the Houston Public Library’s Montrose branch for the first time during that month’s storytime on July 28. At each subsequent program, protesters and counter protesters positioned themselves outside of the Montrose library where it was being held. After the lawsuit concerning Drag Queen Storytime was thrown out by a Houston judge in January, members of the antiLGBTQ hate group Mass Resistance began calling for City officials to put an end to the program. The Houston Public Library also began hosting back-to-back storytimes in January to accommodate a growing number of attendees. On January 26, a protester with a concealed handgun was arrested after he refused to leave the library during a Drag Queen Storytime. In February, the Space Kiddettes and the Houston Public Library decided to move the program out of the branch to the LGTBQ-affirming church Kindred Montrose. The February 23 storytime went smoothly, and the next program would have been scheduled for the end of March. However, due to a series of events, the Space Kiddettes believed it was best to step down as leaders, which will put Drag Queen Storytime on pause. “If another person or persons wants to continue our effort or host their own event at some point down the line, they have every right to do so, and it’s likely somebody will. Drag Queen Storytime belongs to everyone, not just the two of us,” the Space Kiddettes said. The Houston Public Library said in a March 22 statement that it is taking this time to reorganize the Drag Queen Storytime and that the program should be back in Montrose in the summer of 2019.

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PROFILE

Media Mastermind Andrew Edmonson’s skills were forged by three decades of experience. By BRANDON WOLF Photo by SARAH HOBSON

Stage Hand

Andrew Edmonson in Brown Auditorium at MFAH.

lthough his day job ends in the afternoon, Andrew Edmonson rarely arrives home before 10:00 p.m. As one of the most media-savvy members of Houston’s LGBTQ community, Edmonson freely gives his time and abilities to local organizations that need his help. The 54-year-old Edmonson has a broad background in activism and media that has molded him into the valuable community asset that he is today. An innate sense of compassion is what fuels him to take on the numerous responsibilities he has accepted.

Growing Up with a Deep Love for Theater

Edmondson, whose parents were both teachers in Knoxville, Tennessee, was born in 1965. His mother helped high-school dropouts earn their 62 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

General Equivalency Degree (GED), while his father was a Spanish, civics, and American history teacher who later became a union organizer for the American Federation of Teachers. Edmonson’s mother was also an Equal Rights Amendment activist. His father would often stand up for the less-advantaged while teaching in Knoxville’s inner-city schools, and he had close black friends—something that Edmonson says was rare for the times in a Southern city. From an early age, Edmonson had a deep love for theater. In high school, he was the president of the drama club and spent countless weekends in theater competitions. He played the emotionally demanding role of David in David and Lisa during his senior year. Edmonson realized by age 15 that he was gay, but he was not out at school. His fellow

drama students, though, gave him a sense of family. Following high school, Edmonson chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school had an excellent drama department and a gay student organization, but Edmonson remembers the campus Young Republicans as constant opponents of the club. “It was the age of the Moral Majority,” he says. He was chosen to direct the play Suddenly Last Summer, which features a gay plot. As a 12 -year-old, Edmonson had been mesmerized by the film version starring Elizabeth Taylor. Despite his love for the theater, Edmonson became more pragmatic in college and switched his major to English literature. “I just didn’t think I could face [the frequent] rejection and financial insecurity that comes with a theater career,” he says. ➝

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MEDIA MASTERMIND | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The LGBTQ Activist Awakens

While in college, Edmonson traveled to Washington DC to see a display of The Names Quilt. He later went to a rally and heard a thin, angry gay man give a powerful speech. The speaker, he later discovered, was Vito Russo, author of The Celluloid Closet and a leader in New York’s AIDS-activist group ACT UP. For Edmonson, it was a turning point. “I had grown up in a conformist world, and suddenly I was identifying with a group of people who were marginalized, discounted, and ignored.” When he returned to school, he was given an assignment in one of his honors classes. Each student was told to pick a symbolic object to put in a time capsule, and then write an essay about why the object was important. Edmonson chose a pen from the Names Quilt display that included the inscription “Remember Their Names.” That pen was chosen as the most significant item in the time capsule. After graduation, Edmonson enjoyed living abroad for six months in London and a year in Dublin. “No one there knew me, and I felt free to come out and be myself. I had come from such a cloistered background, and now my world really opened up.”

Coming to Houston

In 1991, a friend recommended him for a public-relations position at Houston’s Alley Theatre. The job was a perfect fit: Edmonson had a deep knowledge and love of theater, he could write well, and he was proficient with word processors. “Here I was, a socialist-in-exile in the midst of the nation’s energy capital. It was so not me,” he laughs. But soon, local events were about to change his outlook. In July of 1991, banker Paul Broussard was murdered while walking back to his car after spending an evening at Heaven nightclub in Montrose. “I walked on that same street on that same night. It could have been me,” Edmonson says. The murder had a deep impact on Edmonson, and he became involved in the activist group Queer Nation, which organized a protest march through Montrose. “Queer Nation taught me what it’s like to be an outsider, held in contempt by the larger culture. And they taught me how to be brave,” he says. A year later, the Republican National Convention was held at the Astrodome. Queer Nation and ACT UP banded together to march on the convention site. Houston Police Department (HPD) officers overreacted by sending officers on horseback into the crowd and beating demonstrators. Edmonson was used to working with the 64 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

media, so he organized a press conference introducing several of the victims from the protest. The next day, the story ran on the front page of the Houston Chronicle. “I realized then that I had the skills to help the movement,” Edmonson says. A year after the incident, the Houston City Council had still not taken any steps to investigate the police attack at the Astrodome. Edmonson borrowed horse costumes and police uniforms from the Alley’s costume department and staged a reenactment of the incident in front of HPD headquarters. “At that time, queers were supposed to be in the closet and keep quiet. Queer Nation helped me channel my anger into in-your-face activism.”

New Job, New Skills

In late 1993, the 28-year-old Edmonson was asked to join the Houston Ballet as their public-relations manager. “It was a huge honor,” he says. “They had just received great critical acclaim for their Company B production, and I loved working for such a great company.” They were also premiering Cruel Garden, a ballet based on Federico Garcia Lorca, a gay 20thcentury Spanish poet who was murdered by Spanish fascists.

“QUEER NATION TAUGHT ME WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE AN OUTSIDER, HELD IN CONTEMPT BY THE LARGER CULTURE. AND THEY TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE BRAVE.” —Andrew Edmonson Edmonson worked for Houston Ballet for the next 21 years. Eventually, his responsibilities were expanded to include marketing activities. For the launch of the company’s successful touring production of Dracula, Edmonson worked with a host of media including the New York Times, USA Today, and Vogue. In 2014, Edmonson made a career move to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), accepting a position as membership manager of MFAH Films. He is currently responsible for membership campaigns throughout the year, and for organizing member events. “Providing special events helps to ensure members will keep their subscriptions active,” he says.

Edmonson already had great respect for MFAH Films. In 1991, Marlon Riggs’ controversial documentary Tongues Untied, which gave a voice to gay black men at the height of the AIDS crisis, was rejected for broadcast on public television by Houston’s PBS outlet. MFAH Films obtained a copy of the film and presented it in their auditorium, complete with an audience Q&A session with Riggs via a teleconference connection. Edmonson’s museum job is clearly a good fit for his skills and values. “MFAH Films provides a platform for freedom of expression for all voices, especially marginalized groups. It treats all people with dignity and respect.”

Giving Back to the Community

Edmonson also uses the media savvy he has developed over the decades to assist organizations that have touched his life. In the early 1990s, he began working with the Halloween Magic organization, which is once again producing an annual variety-show lampoon of current political events. He was especially interested in Halloween Magic’s monetary gifts to Body Positive, a group that provided companionship and psychological support for people living with HIV. “The productions could raise up to $90,000 to give to worthy beneficiaries.” Edmonson’s interest in LGBTQ films prompted him to chair the Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 1999 and 2000. “Films can present positive portrayals, help us learn more about our history, and make us feel less isolated,” he says. Edmonson’s newest project is working with The oH Project to produce oral histories documenting the AIDS crisis in Houston. He has helped raise awareness of the project through radio and television interviews, articles in Houstonia, Houston Press, and other publications. The Houston Press was so impressed with the project that they awarded it one of their annual Mastermind awards. Looking back on the worst years of the AIDS epidemic, Edmonson says, “It was like the London blitz, except that there was no place to hide for refuge and safety when the bombs started dropping. We had a government that was apathetic and hated us.” Now 54, Edmonson knows the Houston media landscape like the back of his hand. He understands media deadlines and how to attract media interest. He can serve as a coach for people who want to to focus effectively when they appear before cameras. And he has kept up with the rise of social media and its rapid evolution. He is a true asset in Houston’s LGBTQ activist community.

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It’s Not a Gala, It’s a Super Gayla! A night of fun for the Montrose Center. By MARENE GUSTIN

rab your superhero cape and join hundreds of others for fun and food to celebrate the Montrose Center’s third annual Super Gayla event that raises money for LGBTQ homeless youth and senior services. Super Gayla attendees are asked to dress as superheroes, or in sexy cocktail attire, or just in drag. It should be a super blast with a cabaret-style dinner, cocktails and champagne, local and international talent, and superhero virtual-reality experiences donated by XVRcade. It sounds like all fun and games, but the money raised is for a seriously important cause. The previous Super Gayla events raised $500,000 for the Center’s LGBTQ homeless youth program (Hatch Youth Rapid Rehousing) as well as SPRY senior services and their Center’s Hatch homeless-youth program as LGBTQ-affirming senior housing center. its beneficiary. This led to a $75,000 gift to There are an estimated 2,500 homeless launch the Hatch Youth Rapid Rehousing LGBTQ youth in the Greater Houston area, Program. The program takes and 25 percent of all LGBTQ kids off the street and places youth become homeless when them in apartments for 18 they come out to their parents months, paying for food, rent, before the age of 18. According transportation, education, and to singer/songwriter Cyndi a full-time case manager to help Lauper’s True Colors Fund them rebuild their lives. So far, that works for LGBTQ homethe program has assisted 42 less youth, LGBTQ homeless young people. kids make up 40 percent of the Concierge Travel, a country’s 1.6 million youth boutique gay-owned travel living on the streets. agency and tour operator that The “Girls Just Want to gives 20 percent of its profits to Have Fun” singer told People the community, is underwriting magazine in 2017 that she Eric Krop the entertainment for the Super spent time in a youth shelter Gayla evening, which includes the comedy duo and was befriended by many homeless LGBTQ Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen, and the Los youth. “The world brands them as perverse, Angeles-based singer Eric Krop. dirty outcasts,” she said. “They villainize these Amy and Freddy are known for their people, and they don’t deserve it.” charity concerts and have raised more than In Houston, Hatch Youth has been working $15 million for LGBTQ charities. to end LGBTQ youth homelessness for more Krop has performed in Godspell on Broadthan a decade, but this effort expanded in 2017. way, and headlined cabaret performances in At Super Bowl LI, Lady Gaga and her Born New York, Los Angeles, and Puerto Vallarta. This Way Foundation selected the Montrose

68 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Freddy Allen and Amy Armstrong Krop has released four pop singles and an EP in 2016, and is working on his second EP now. The out and proud singer debuted in Houston at last year’s Super Gayla event. “It was such an amazing cause to lend my voice to,” Krop says, “and I’m honored to come back this year. I didn’t realize how bad the problem was until Kennedy Loftin [at the Montrose Center] told me the numbers. And I think it’s going to get worse as more kids come out. As an artist I don’t make a whole lot of money, so performing is the only way I can help. “My mother was a lesbian, so my comingout was easy,” he recalls. “My husband had a bad coming-out. His parents didn’t speak to him for six months. But he was not homeless, and now they’re fine with it and we have a good relationship with his folks.” Hatch Youth Services, founded in 1987, is the largest and oldest LGBTQ youth program in Texas. What: The Montrose Center’s Super Gayla Where: The Ballroom at Bayou Place When: April 27, 7-10 pm Info: montrosecenter.org.

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PROFILE

Pearl’s Gem Julie Mabry receives the HRC Community Equality Award.

very year, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Community Equality Award is given to community leaders who have made their mark on the movement for equality. The decision to honor Julie Mabry this year was a no-brainer. “It was a unanimous decision of HRC Houston leadership to recognize Julie Mabry,” explains Krystal Gilliam, HRC Houston Gala co-chair and a member of HRC’s Board of Governors. Mabry, the owner of Pearl Bar, is well-known in the Houston LGBTQ community. Recipients of this award are not only strong supporters of the Human Rights Campaign’s

By JENNY BLOCK Photo by ERIC EDWARD SCHELL mission, Gilliam explains, but they also display an unwavering support for local causes. “Julie Mabry was chosen because of her commitment to establishing and maintaining a space where women who identify as queer, lesbian, and transgender can feel safe and seen.” Gilliam is quick to note that Mabry’s Pearl Bar doesn’t fall into the lesbian-only bar stereotype. “It is a space that celebrates everyone. Houston is one of the few cities that has a thriving lesbian social scene, and that is due in large part to Julie. She and her staff make everyone feel welcomed, regardless of their gender identity. Pearl Bar strives to be a diverse space.”

Mabry is known for her commitment to helping all members of the local community. She and her business partner, Mariana Lemesoff, have hosted numerous fundraisers for everything from individuals fighting cancer to victims of Hurricane Harvey. “When a Pearl Bar patron was involved in a hit-and-run accident on Washington Avenue, Julie and the patron’s family and friends organized a fundraiser to help cover her extensive medical costs. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Julie opened her doors to host a food and supplies drive for elderly people who lost everything,” Gilliam explains. “When our city needs help, Julie Mabry is one of the first people to ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 74 OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 71

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I thanked her for it, and as she rushed off to catch up with her crew, I headed back to C-16 to work my next flight. I kept up with her for a few years before we lost contact with each other. Maxine was also one of the people I ran into that first week. I was working a flight at my gate as she walked off the airplane. Her words to me when she saw me for the first time? “About time. But we need to talk when I get back from this trip.” We did, and she expressed her concerns that I was jumping into transition too fast. It was literally seven weeks after she read me as trans. I assured her that I’d had more than enough time to think about the pros and cons of it. I was taking this transition journey seriously, and was doing so to be a complement to black womanhood, not as a joke or a detriment to it. My first month wasn’t all positive. Six of my white evangelical female coworkers tried to get me banned from using the Terminal C women’s bathrooms. Their request was rejected by my duty managers. I shut down the ringleader of that group in May. She tried to insinuate in the break room that because I didn’t have female reproductive organs and couldn’t give birth to kids, in her (and God’s) eyes, I “wasn’t a woman.” I reminded her that her own mother was going through menopause, and if giving birth was the standard for womanhood, when was she going to start calling her mom “sir” and using a masculine derivative of her mom’s name? Moni 1, Transphobic Evangelical 0. I instantaneously discovered that sexism was a serious problem now that I was presenting as my fab self. I was experiencing firsthand how my female coworkers got treated in the workplace by customers and supervisors, and it frustrated me in those early days. Activism wasn’t in my initial transition plan. My goal was to get adjusted to living life as Monica, reach my 35 years at Continental, and move on. Fate had other plans for me, and I only got to do 14 years there. Twenty-five years later, my life is totally different from the modest goals I had when I took those first nervous steps into Terminal C and clocked in for work on that sunny April day. But I’m so glad I did. Because 25 years later, my life is infinitely better and I’ve gotten to do some amazing things and meet a lot of wonderful people along the way. While I lost some friends, I gained a few more, and the ones like Max who were there before my transition are still in my life. I also picked up a lot of nieces and nephews, and a family that spans continents. Happy Transiversary, Moni! Monica Roberts, a native Houstonian, is the founding editor of the GLAAD award-winning blog TransGriot. Her ongoing mission is to educate people on the lives of transgender people and fight for everyone’s human rights.

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raise her hand and respond. She does it very quietly, but her work has not gone unnoticed.” It’s worth noting that the HRC Community Equality Award is not based on the recipient’s fundraising abilities, or on the size of their HRC donations. “It is an award that is given to members of our community who fight for, show up for, and make space for all of us,” Gilliam says. “HRC Houston leadership recognizes the tremendous impact Julie has had on us locally, and we want to extend our deepest thanks to her,” Gilliam adds. Like HRC, Mabry believes that every LGBTQ person must be granted both basic equal rights and the ability to be open, honest, and safe at home, at work, and in the community. Mabry’s fight is a personal one, she explains. “I’m gay. My sister is gay. And I have an aunt who was born intersex. My life has been both haunted and blessed by being gay. Haunted because I’ve had to fight homophobia since the day I came out. Blessed because I persevered and made my dream come true to have a safe place for our LGBT community, and to be a voice for those who need me.” Creating that space and establishing that voice has been Mabry’s dream for as long as she can remember. She credits her mom, who

always supported her unconditionally, as her greatest inspiration when it comes to fulfilling that dream. She says her success has made her mom incredibly proud.

“HOUSTON IS ONE OF THE FEW CITIES THAT HAS A THRIVING LESBIAN SOCIAL SCENE, AND THAT IS DUE IN LARGE PART TO JULIE. SHE AND HER STAFF MAKE EVERYONE FEEL WELCOMED, REGARDLESS OF THEIR GENDER IDENTITY. PEARL BAR STRIVES TO BE A DIVERSE SPACE.” — Krystal Gilliam

Mabry’s dedication to service was instilled in her when she served in AmeriCorps years ago. There she learned the value of helping her community, educating those who simply don’t know they don’t know, having empathy, and

exhibiting respect. She is also committed to “combating the ‘less than’ mentality that the Bible and religion was making me feel.” Pearl Bar is a home base of sorts for that fight. Mabry and Lemesoff have donated over $120,000 to the LGBTQ community in Houston with the help of her customers’ selfless generosity. “Being at gay bars was the only time Sarah and I felt safe to be among our own. Pearl has given me a platform to donate, host, give people a place to gather, and to let the younger generation learn about HRC and our LGBT history,” Mabry explains. “My pursuit in life was to open Pearl, and Pearl is about community.” She has also been honored in Houston as the 2018 Pride Houston Honorary Grand Marshal, the recipient of About magazine’s 2017 Humanitarian Award, and with OutSmart magazine’s Gayest & Greatest businesswoman award in 2016. Mabry says she was both surprised and honored when she found out about her HRC award. “I really did not expect it,” she says. “I feel really blessed to be a part of the Houston community. I love Houston, and I appreciate everything HRC continues to fight for. I feel equal parts lucky and blessed to play the part I have been able to play.”

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74 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

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Yes, Discrimination Is Legal Taxes, Texas, and the Wrong Side of History By KIM HOGSTROM

arly in February of this year, a married lesbian couple in Houston did something that most of us postpone to the last moment: they attempted to file their taxes. Both Debbie Beach and Kim Bowman had utilized H&R Block’s tax services in the past, and fully trusted the agency. So the couple filled folders with statements, receipts, and returns, piled in the car, and drove to the nearest H&R Block office. As it turned out, the closest office was on West 42nd Street, just a stone’s throw from their home in Oak Forest. “When we entered the office, one of the tax assistants asked us if we were ready. We said yes, so he signaled to us to come to his desk,” remembered Beach. “I wouldn’t say he was rude, but I could tell he was out of sorts—maybe tired, I thought—so I offered to get him a cup of coffee. H&R Block always has coffee, and I said I would be happy to get him a cup if he wanted it. He said no, and we started our meeting. “First, the assistant asked for our Social Security numbers and our marital status. Then he said, ‘Excuse me for a moment,’ and he disappeared. When he reappeared, H&R Block’s manager, Marisela Vasquez, was with him. She politely introduced herself and stated that she would be doing our taxes instead. The [original] assistant then stood nearby, watching,” Beach stated, the pitch of her voice rising. The assistant remained in his standing position, observing everything Beach and Bowman said and did. His posture and demeanor appeared aggressive to the couple, and it concerned them both. “When Ms. Vasquez told us that she would do our taxes, I asked her if the guy didn’t want to help us because we are a lesbian couple. Then I waited. “When Ms. Vasquez finally spoke, she said, ‘Yes, it’s because you are gay.’ I was speechless,” Beach whispered. Discrimination that Draws Blood Kind, compassionate, and a fully out lesbian, Debbie Beach has experienced more than her share of discrimination and violence. As a young woman, she was attacked by a coworker at her place of employment. Beach’s 76 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

H&R BLOCKED

Kim Bowman (l) and Debbie Beach had utilized the popular tax services in the past, and fully trusted the agency. But this year, a new agent refused to do her taxes because they were a married lesbian couple. assailant, a woman, followed her into a parking lot at the end of a shift, then hit her repeatedly with a small hammer. Beach was treated at a hospital and released with 21 stitches in her head. Her assailant was unharmed. When Beach took the woman to court for assault, the perpetrator claimed that Beach had “propositioned her for sex,” and that she was acting out of self-defense. No such proposition occurred, but Beach lost the case all the same. Some years later, Beach was attending a holiday party in an apartment clubhouse that was being thrown by the apartment’s leasing agents. She resided in the complex, and was dancing with another woman at the party when a large man jumped her, struck her in the face, and tossed her to the floor. The assailant was wearing cowboy boots and started kicking her. When all was said and done, Beach had a broken nose and several ribs. “I guess my dancing with another woman triggered the guy,” Beach stated, shaking her head. “And we weren’t even slow dancing!” A Neighborhood Steps Up After Beach and Bowman fully realized what was going on that afternoon in the H&R Block office, Beach experienced mounting distress while Bowman remained calm.

“The manager, Ms. Vasquez, was very nice and helpful,” recalled Beach, “but the leering tax guy was really disturbing me; the entire event started to bring back memories of pain and discrimination in my past. I had to go to the car to calm down while Kim stayed inside. Then I honked the car horn and she came out. I was angry and frightened, and decided I just could not stay. Kim got in the car and we went home.” Garden Oaks and Oak Forest, where the couple lives, has a reputation for being a supportive, accepting community. Houstonia magazine once illustrated that point by recounting the time an uninterrupted chain of 174 cars “paid it forward” at a Starbucks drive-thru window on West 43rd Street, each buying coffee for the car behind them. While the community is mostly made up of couples with children and aging seniors, a remarkable number of LGBTQ couples call it home. Susan Sperry, a neighbor of Beach and Bowman’s, was appalled at the treatment the couple received at the tax office, and posted about it on the neighborhood’s Facebook page. The page quickly lit up with voices who agreed. Soon, a complaint phone-in brigade and boycott were organized against H&R Block as people sought justice for the lesbian couple. “All I did was post what happened to my

dear friends,” states neighbor Sperry. “It went viral because my local friends got as upset as I did. And while I also reached out to H&R Block on Facebook, it was Debbie and Kim who actually spoke to the gentleman. They are two of the kindest people I know, and for something like this to happen to them—well, it really got to me.” “One neighbor even took it upon herself to stomp into the H&R Block office that same day and demand the tax guy’s dismissal. She was too late—he had quit on his own,” Beach stated. Texas: On the Wrong Side of History This is 2019, and Houston is the thirdor fourth-largest city in the nation. Can a business survive these days by operating while practicing discrimination? “Fortunately, H&R Block has a policy of no discrimination of any sort against anyone— and they handled this very well. First, their district manager called us and apologized, then they did our taxes pro-bono. Apparently, after we left that day, Ms. Vasquez took the assistant aside and told him that he could not discriminate and continue to work there, so he up and quit,” Beach said, smiling. H&R Block’s official statement in its policy manual reads as follows: “The company maintains a strict policy prohibiting discrimination, sexual harassment, and

harassment because of the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, creed, gender, pregnancy, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local laws.” A number of the neighborhood Facebook posters supporting the couple questioned the legality of such blatant and painful discrimination suffered by Beach and Bowman. “Can they do that? Isn’t this against the law?” one asked. The answer, sadly, is yes, they can do it. It is not illegal in Texas. As of this writing, 23 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and about 400 cities and counties have enacted bans on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In these forward-thinking communities and states, discrimination such as that suffered by Beach and Bowman is against the law. However, the City of Houston, and the State of Texas are not among them. Gary M. Gritz, a certified public accountant in Houston, has operated his office for more than 20 years and has several clients from Houston’s LGBTQ community. “My LGBTQ clients are a joy, and I would be happy to have more,” he says.

Gritz observes that many of his LGBTQ clients pay tax bills that meet or exceed that of their heterosexual counterparts, yet they are still living without the legal protections that protected-class couples enjoy. “For example,” Gritz continued, “in states where there is a state income tax, all married citizens are required to file as ‘Married: filing jointly,’ or ‘Married: filing separately.’ [Laws in the State of Texas still do not officially] recognize married LGBTQ couples, so how would couples be required to file here if a state income tax is introduced? The question would go to the Texas Supreme Court, and I think we know how that would go.” Still, there are baby steps being taken in the right direction every day. In the case of Kim Bowman and Debbie Beach, Houston’s LGBTQ community inched a little closer to equality thanks to the couple’s affirming neighborhood, a humane corporate policy, and their personal courage. “We are so deeply moved by the support of our friends and neighbors—most of whom are straight people! We are so grateful to H&R Block for the way they handled this. Everyone completely stood up to the discrimination. It was very upsetting initially—particularly to Debbie—but now it is a victory for all of us,” Bowman concluded.

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BUSINESS

Houston Housing Trends Top real-estate pros don’t scare easily. By KAREN DERR and STAFF REPORTERS

ccording to the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR,) February 2019 marked the end of three straight months of declining sales for single-family homes in the greater Houston area, compared to the same months in 2018. However, March began with pending sales up, and it’s looking good for an uptick in closed sales for spring. In addition to this slow start, Houston has experienced an influx of new companies and market interrupters hoping to take market share away from traditional real-estate firms and full-service Realtors. OutSmart asked top real-estate professionals if these industry stressors have them running scared, and also which design features are enticing fearless buyers to make a move this year.

Jared Anthony

Vice President of Real Estate & Agent Affairs - Pogi Corp. BestHoustonRealEstate.com Jared Anthony says that despite the statistics, his business was steady in December and January. “Looking back at the numbers for 2018, I did notice a slight decline in closed transactions. However, I experienced a bump in client activity in January and February of 2019.” Anthony points out that despite fewer closed transactions, “Single-family home prices saw a record high for the month of February as the median sales price increased 2.9 percent, going from $226,400 to $232,900. And the average sales price rose 1.9 percent, settling at $286,156. As these numbers indicate, sellers are positioned for a solid spring and summer for 2019.” Anthony agrees that new technologies and changes in value propositions for consumers are inevitable. However, he says “the core of success in real estate is the value of services provided to a buyer or seller. Once we as agents devalue ourselves, our services, and the need for them, are 78 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

pulled into question. The companies that are trying to cut out the middle-man (the Realtors) are doing a disservice to the client. Trying to enter a market by undercutting commissions will see a quick demise. Real estate is a relationship-based industry. I, as well as other industry experts, believe that only 25 percent of the industry will be taken over by the “iBuyer” technology. However, the iBuyer tech will not be able to replace the broker.” Anthony, who is vice president of Pogi Corp, believes that brokers must create a better value proposition to give clients a reason to hire them. “At Pogi we do just that. Our boutique real-estate firm specializes in a personalized real-estate approach to all our clients real-estate needs. We consider ourselves servant real-estate leaders providing cutting-edge real-estate marketing services for buyers and sellers alike.”

Tim Anthony

Realtor and Cofounder Anthony Upton Properties AnthonyUptonProperties.com Realtor Tim Anthony, who co-owns a full-service real-estate firm, isn’t scared of new business models entering his space. In fact, he says he welcomes the competition. “We understand that as Houston continues to grow, there are going to be national or regional firms entering the Houston space. In response to this disruption, we have committed to remain the boutique firm that our clients know and have built us to be. While a national or regional name could be important to some, our focus, and part of our mission statement, is to create a lasting relationship and experience, and not to be just another transaction. While technology continues to evolve and the market base is more tech-savvy, we do plan to layer some of those aspects into our practice. But we will never abandon the [goal of being a] traditional “full service” boutique neighborhood firm that our clients have come to value.” Anthony Upton properties focuses mostly on inner-loop and close-in neighborhoods like the Heights, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Montrose, River Oaks, and Midtown. These neighborhoods often perform better than the Houston market at-large, and Anthony says all indications point to a busy spring and summer. Everyone who

knows him knows his career started with a passion for homes and renovating. He’s lived and renovated in many of the neighborhoods he now sells in.

Brooks Ballard

President and Private Office Partner - Engel & Völkers Houston Houston.EVUSA.com Broker Brooks Ballard attributes the slowdown in the first two months of 2019 to the economic uncertainty of buyers. He says, “Despite the fact Houston is still feeling the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, we are in a buyers’ market. Unlike metropolitan markets like Austin or Dallas, we are still combating the stigma of first-time flooded homes coupled with the psychological and economic effects of low oil prices. Even though our sales are up yearto-date, sales to local buyers have dropped off. Fortunately, this has been countered by national and international buyers outside our market, which we attribute to the success of our global reach.” What’s trending with these buyers who are drawn to Houston from across the nation and around the world? Ballard is adamant: “Contemporary, contemporary, contemporary. Trending right now are very modern homes with clean white walls (glossy white, flat white, all white), with many large windows and marble, travertine, or light hardwood floors throughout. Today’s buyers want energy-efficient appliances and appreciate a bit of technology built into their home. As of late, I’ve noticed Gaggenau appliances are the new high-end favorite, bringing together sleek designs with luxurious functionality.” He predicts the demise of the study or home office. “For many home buyers, studies are obsolete and are being repurposed into hobby havens or children’s rooms.” And speaking of innovative repurposing of spaces, Ballard confided, “Once, I toured a home in a very affluent neighborhood for a listing presentation and came across a sight that would make 50 Shades of Grey seem vanilla. The homeowners had completely converted their garage and garage apartment into an adult “dungeon,” complete with padded walls and accessories that would make your mother clutch her pearls.

Seemingly proud of their “entertainment” space, the sellers even offered to leave their dungeon behind—sling included—if the buyers were into it.”

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Bryan Beene

Broker Associate Compass Compass.com

Bryan Beene was one of the first agents to join Compass when the real-estate firm entered the Houston market in late 2018. Cofounded by Ori Allon (the developer of the search algorithm Orion that was acquired by Google), Compass positions itself as “a tech company reinventing the space.” OutSmart caught up with Bryan in late March, and he reported the busiest first quarter in his nineyear career. “And it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. When I read HAR’s reports, I find they rarely correlate with the submarkets I generally work (Heights, Montrose, West University, Rice Military, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest.) Nearly every transaction I’ve worked this first quarter has involved multiple offers. From my perspective, new-construction homes, especially in the suburbs of Houston, occasionally skew overall market data.” About making the move to Compass, he shares, “They prioritize agents first, and empower us as entrepreneurs. So making that change didn’t feel like a trade-off between technology and a full-service approach; it felt like I was aligning myself with people who understand the resources I need to grow a high-horsepower business that’s unmistakably mine.” He says that lifestyle, location, and outdoor space is the driving factor with his buyers. “It’s very common for buyers to pass up the perfect house for them because it doesn’t have the outdoor space or offer the lifestyle they envision for themselves.” Regarding interior color trends, Beene observes, “I am seeing the market moving away from gray and gravitating toward more classic colors like black, white, and light beige. I think gray did a lot for real estate and design over the last few years, but it’s time to thank it for what it gave us and move into a more sophisticated color palette. On another note, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next trend was “greige,” a blend of gray and beige. My favorite color right now is Benjamin Moore’s 1464, it’s the most neutral color that works for every style.”

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David Bowers

Realtor and licensed Texas Attorney The House Company TheHouseCompany.com Realtor David Bowers specializes in Galveston real estate, where weather and insurance availability can impact sales. “The months of ➝

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 80 OutSmartMagazine.com | MARCH 2019 79

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November and December were mild enough that several properties did sell, and eventually closed in January and early February. The government shutdown and the incorrect cessation of flood insurance were hurdles, but that did not affect my closings. It was almost as if the spring season started early. However, the dense fog and consistent rain of late January and into February seemed to put a damper on the overall market.” Bowers says well-priced smaller homes, $175,000 to $300,000 and in excellent condition, shined through all the drab weather. He warns sellers not be greedy if they want to sell. Also, he reports that “there is more and more emphasis upfront in the listing on flood insurance, with the necessary flood vents and elevation certificates.” Bowers has had several unusual real-estate transactions since he began selling real estate on the island in 1989. He says the infamous convicted murderer Robert Durst made an offer on one of his listings while Durst was in jail awaiting trial in Galveston. “The property was very close to where he killed and chopped up Morris Black in a back alley,” he says. Durst isn’t the only celebrity buyer Bowers has worked

with. “I sold The Property Brothers two canal homes in Galveston, and got to list and sell their completely renovated houses six months later.” Haunted properties seem to be a recurring theme in the strange tales of Galveston real estate. Bowers, a passionate historic-home preservationist, says, “I was sitting in the dining room of a Victorian house in Galveston while taking the listing, and there were noises upstairs. I asked who was upstairs and was told that was why the house was being sold. Paranormal experiences can be very real.”

Karen Derr

Broker-owner Karen Derr Realtors KarenDerrRealtors.com Broker Karen Derr has been a Realtor for over 25 years, and for most of those years she’s thought intensely about the demise of real-estate brokerage as she knows it. This morbid fascination all started when she was the first Realtor in Houston to market properties on the Internet in 1995. Derr knew real estate would never be the same. Innovations and new business models appear on the scene every year, and are either quickly embraced by consumers or fall by the wayside. Constantly contemplating the end of your livelihood is nothing if not motivating, and

Derr admits it keeps her excited about her business. “The intense competition keeps me driven to add value, make new markets, and hone skills that consumers can’t gain for themselves by watching YouTube.” She believes the value that Realtors bring to the transaction has to be more than honesty, integrity, and responsiveness. “Consumers respond ‘Well, duh’ to that value proposition.” So what about the homes? Derr says it doesn’t feel like homes have really changed that much over her career. She was recently impressed by a new townhouse near the Heights that offers a first-floor bedroom with its own separate front door, and a door the owner can lock out from inside the home. This makes the suite perfect for an Airbnb, but also integrated into the main house if desired. The enclave even provides ample guest parking. Derr is impressed, but has to laugh since she remembers that homes had these suites back during the Depression.

Jeremy Fain

Realtor Greenwood King Properties GreenwoodKing.com Realtor Jeremy Fain says he didn’t really notice the reported downturn in the market this past winter. “The first quarter of 2019 has been cuckoo crazy for me! I’ve put quite a few ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 82

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homes on the market, only to receive multiple offers within the first few days with buyers paying 100 percent cash. The past winter was particularly busy for me as well. I attribute this to always staying in touch with my past and current clients and relaying pertinent market information. But I also relate with my clients on a human level—over things such as wine, sporting events, wine, and current affairs. “Did I mention wine?” he said with a chuckle.” Fain is a Leading Relocation Specialist and an Accredited Luxury Home Specialist who was been named a Houston Association of Realtors Next Gen “Top 20 Under 40 Rising Stars.” He has strong opinions regarding some newcomers to the real-estate market who claim cutting-edge technology has been lacking in the home-buying and -selling experience. He says, “I’m a firm believer in the traditional fullservice real-estate firm, and obviously Houston is too. Houston is a market that values and respects stability along with proven results.That is exactly what I’ve been delivering over the span of my real-estate career, and will continue to do so in the future. Some new firms are touting technology and reach. What they don’t realize is that’s exactly what we at Greenwood King have

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been doing, so in theory they’re already late to the game. As in any business, fads will come and go, but we, as the anchors, remain with success.”

Cody Grizzoffi

Sales Manager Academy Mortgage AcademyMortgage.com For loan officer Cody Grizzoffi, the first quarter saw higher-than-normal numbers of new loan applications. He says, “There is something about 2019 that has many people, myself included, ready to make goals become reality, and this is the year it is happening. I have had past clients reach out, ready to buy another primary residence or start investing in rental properties. I think the springtime is going to be extremely busy everywhere, but especially in the Houston and Orlando markets that I specialize in. These two cities and surrounding areas have an extremely large influx of buyers.” He also predicts that condominiums will soon be making a huge impact in Houston. “As fast as we are growing, there has to be somewhere to house everyone, especially within the loop. We have plenty of condo properties now, but there will be a lot more soon enough.” Other trends Grizzoffi has fielded inquiries

about include container homes and tiny homes. He says, “They are the newest type of homes popping up in different areas, but unfortunately lending guidelines and investors are not ready for them yet.“ As the mortgage-lending industry is increasingly impacted by Internet-based companies, Grizzoffi shared his thoughts on his relationship-based business versus mortgage originators who are not invested in the local community. “Personally, I always give 110 percent to my clients and treat them the way I would want to be treated, which is why many of them have become friends and repeat clients over my 16-year career in the mortgage industry. We all have some sort of “new app” or “new slogan,” but the bottom line on being different is doing your job. I take care of my clients beginning to end, and they know that from the get-go.”

Debbie Levine

Realtor—Greenwood King Properties DebbieLevine.com Debbie Levine says her delays in sales were a were a reflection of the market slowdown reported by HAR. She confides, “I had a fairly decent fourth quarter last year. In fact, I had my second-best year ever in my nearly 20 years of ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 84

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real estate.” But as winter wore on, she experienced a big slowdown in the first quarter of 2019. “However, March is really starting to pick up, with four closed transactions already, and five pending sales. I am looking forward to another successful year in our great Houston real-estate market.” Levine has been named a Top Producer by HAR and by Greenwood King Properties, which is a full-service real-estate firm with offices in Houston’s most affluent neighborhoods. Her confidence in the market is based on her decades of experience and proven market knowledge. So what interior-design trends with staying power does Levine see right now? “I am currently seeing a lot of mixing of gold and silver, as well as organic accents such as stained woods on walls and ceilings. Wallpaper is also a trend that always gives a room extra appeal. In fact, I recently installed wallpaper in three rooms in my home!”

Noel G. Phillips

Area Manager for Inner Loop|Galleria|Memorial Vice President|Senior Escrow Officer Chicago Title Houston ChicagoTitleHouston.com Noel Phillips has been in the title business for decades, serving Houston clients and the realestate professionals who represent them. He explains two technological developments in the

industry—one that’s a huge boon, and one that’s pretty scary. “The innovation in escrow closings in Texas (which became valid during the last half of 2018 but has not yet been talked about much) is the use of remote online closings. This is where a closing can take place outside the title company office by live streaming video. This method might be helpful if a buyer or seller is outside the U.S. at closing time, and appointing a power of attorney or traveling to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate’s office is not feasible.” But what technology giveth in convenience, technology can also taketh away. “Wire fraud diversion is where a fraudster uses spoofed emails to convince a buyer to erroneously send their closing funds to a bank account which is different from the information originally provided by a title company. It can take months for the buyer to receive a refund of their diverted funds—if they receive any of it back,” warns Phillips. “The rule of thumb we tell all parties to every transaction: never trust wiring instructions sent to you via email. So always call your escrow officer to verify any wiring instructions which you may have received via email. And most importantly, when you are contacting your escrow officer to confirm any emailed wiring instructions, do not call a phone number provided within the body

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of the email or on any attachment. Only use a verified phone number for the title company where you are closing your transaction, such as a phone number provided on the sales contract, or one which you’ve located through an Internet search.” This scenario has happened multiple times in Houston already, devastating both buyers and sellers.

Thomas Phillips

Realtor - Keller Williams Realty Memorial phillips.kw.com Realtor Thomas Phillips reports, “The winter was definitely slower for me than usual. However, I can already see that we will have a strong spring going into the summer. I have several properties under contract, and my pipeline is full.” Out of his company’s more than 700 agents, he is in the top 25 percent, so he knows how to weather market slowdowns better than less-experienced agents. With a background in business analysis for Fortune 400 companies, Phillips takes new business models entering his field seriously. Still, he sees a clear path to continued success for traditional full-service firms. “These market interrupters pose a risk to the real-estate profession ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 86

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just like Uber did to the Yellow Cab. A recent survey showed that 14 percent of home sellers would rather get less for their home than go through the entire selling process with an agent. As real estate professionals, we will have to improve our customer service and provide value to the consumer, or the traditional full-service brokerage will go the way of Yellow Cab.” Phillips is with Keller Williams Realty Memorial, which claims the position of largest full-service realestate company in Houston.

Keith Russell

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OutSmart spoke with loan officer Keith Russell just as temperatures were warming. He took what he saw as a seasonal slowdown in stride, and believes the Houston housing market is poised for a strong, robust spring. He says, “My phone is ringing with potential first-time homebuyers, as well as repeat customers. I have seen an uptick in requests for refinancing, too. Headwinds that had plagued rates for most of the past two years began to die down in late 2018, which translates to more buying power now. I saw a softening in the market during the fourth quarter of 2018, which carried over to January 2019. January is typically my slow month. I use January to re-energize, reflect, and look forward. Let’s buy a home!” Russell, with more than 20 years in the mortgage business, says it’s unavoidable to have borrowers shopping for new, untested entrants in the lending industry. But he urges caution. “We are all consumers. We make choices daily about where to shop and how to shop. Buying a home is a huge deal. A home purchase is one of the biggest events in one’s life. You want to get lost online? “The loan process is complex, and requires a personal touch. In my experience, using a traditional full-service company is still the best value. I’m your hometown lender.” His belief in doing business with local people you know and trust might be influenced by his deep roots in Texas real estate. His descendants were part of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300, the first families that colonized Texas.

Tom Schwenk

Broker / Owner Tom’s Galveston Real Estate TomsGalvestonRealEstate.com

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In contrast to the HAR reports for the Greater Houston area, broker Tom Schwenk finds the Galveston market to be quite stable. He says, “People always ask me what time of year is best to buy or sell real estate in Galveston. After more than 16 years in the market, I’ve seen our market

is very steady throughout the year. While it was a little quieter this winter, sales were steady, and now in spring it is taking off. Our office had 13 houses under contract in the first two weeks of March. People come to Tom’s Galveston Real Estate because we put our customers first and we really know the market. Galveston is well-known for its wonderful historic homes and its coastal cottages and beach houses. These types of homes come with special requirements, be it a knowledge of insurance or planning guidelines. We provide this expertise to our customers, and that’s one of the reasons we remain successful all year.” While Schwenk doesn’t tell any scary tales of a feast-or-famine market, he does have a few ghost stories to tell. One story in particular concerned the 2-year-old daughter of clients who, shortly after moving in to an east-side home, made two imaginary friends who turned out to be famous Galveston figures from the 19th century! Galveston is a unique place, and I’m always delighted for homeowners to share the story of their homes with me. More often than not, this offers an interesting window onto Galveston’s past. Galveston has always been a place where business people, artists, and characters live alongside each other. We have an amazing, diverse lifestyle here, and I’m always happy to share it with others.”

Mike Taylor

Vice President of Sales Sandcastle Homes sandcastlehouston.com Mike Taylor with Sandcastle Homes concurs with many real-estate professionals selling homes in Montrose, Rice Military, Garden Oaks, and the Heights. It will take more than a couple of off months to really impact sales in these top-performing neighborhoods. Taylor says, “Although 2018 was a very successful year for us, we started noticing a bit of a slowdown in the fourth quarter, and that carried over into January 2019. However, in mid-January we began to see a dramatic increase in inquiries, and have experienced strong sales through February and early March. We expect to have a very busy spring and summer.” Sandcastle has been building in Houston since 1995 and offers new homes, usually in close proximity to dining and shopping. Besides great locations, Taylor says his typical homebuyer is seeking contemporary styling. “We continue to see our clients leaning towards a clean, contemporary, uncluttered look. For interior colors, gray is still a strong preference— ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 88

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with Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray being the most popular interior paint color. For exteriors, we have seen a shift toward bolder colors like dark blue with bright white trim.” While keeping a finger on the pulse of stylish living, Sandcastle Homes has worked hard to position themselves as the “best value in town.”

Steven Tesney

Realtor Monarch Real Estate Group MonarchHomeFinder.com Steven Tesney with Monarch Real Estate Group says his firm did feel the effects of the winter slowdown. “Traditional clients seemed to be taking a “wait and see” approach to moving forward with listing and/ or buying. But many of our rental clients are becoming first-time home buyers. A large part of our practice is in apartment rentals, and we are seeing quite a few of our rental clients ready to stop renting and start buying, no matter what the market is doing. March is showing us quite a positive picture. Traffic is picking up and we are encouraged to see that clients are ready to make a move,” says Tesney. “In fact, we listed a home on Wednesday of this week and received a full-price offer after only two days. Come on, summer—we are ready for you!” The selling season is just heating up, but Tesney can already tell you what will be the picks and pans for 2019, “Crown moldings are out and brass is back in. But most of all, wood floors, wood floors, wood floors! While wood floors are nothing new, we are seeing wood floors in all parts of the home—living, dining, bedrooms, and kitchens. And we’re definitely seeing new wood treatments—painting effects, unique stains, and intricate inlaid patterns.” Tesney started taking a keen interest in Houston real estate way back in the late 1980s. OutSmart asked him if he had any strange stories to share, and he didn’t have to think long. “A home that I was previewing for a client was listed as a ‘4 bedroom, 4.5 bath, with spacious guest quarters over the garage.’ After touring the house, I went up to the guest quarters, only to find that one room had been turned into a colonhydrotherapy room for the owner. The intricate machinery, while undoubtedly effective for its purpose, looked a bit like a modern-day torture chamber. “More recently, I showed a three-story townhouse that mentioned ‘high ceilings’ and ‘completely updated’ in the listing. The update consisted solely of a new paint job, but the painter hadn’t used a ladder and wasn’t tall enough to reach the ‘high ceilings’ so he painted just to the top of his reach. The new paint was beige and there was about a two-foot stripe of stark white paint all around the room. DIY tip of the day: if you are a painter, invest in a ladder!” 88 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

V. J. Tramonte

Broker / Owner Joseph Tramonte Realty TramonteRealty.com Broker V. J. Tramonte has learned over the years that the sales statistics that matter are the local ones. He says, “I cannot speak for the Houston area as a whole, but on Galveston Island, we had a very good fourth quarter of 2018, especially with commercial sales. As for the start of 2019, things have been slower than last year. One theory is that people are waiting to see how the tax-law changes will impact them before making a large financial decision to purchase real estate. Also, the foggy and wet weather we have had since the beginning of the year hasn’t been helpful!” The Tramontes’ long history on the island means few things really surprise them anymore. “Galveston can be eclectic and homeowners on the island are proud of their uniqueness, and reflect that pride in some of their décor choices. Again, I can only speak for the Galveston market, but brighter beach colors, retro touches, openconcept floor plans and traffic flow patterns, along with innovative lighting fixtures, remain popular.” It’s also no surprise that eclectic homeowners living in homes dating back to the mid-1800s sometimes run into previous inhabitants—and we don’t mean at the local pub or grocery store. Tramonte explains, “The island is known for spirits, so they tend to make their presence known every now and then. Many times, the spirits either like or don’t like you intruding on their properties! Hudson Holmes, my associate broker, has had keys in his pockets move up his leg. And at the Colonel Bubbies building on the Strand, his camera stopped working as he was headed up a third-floor staircase. It started working again after he left the building!”

Christopher Williams

Realtor Associate Heritage Texas Properties HeritageTexas.com

Realtor Christopher Williams cites his passion for design as just one of the many reasons that becoming a Realtor selling, buying, and renovating Houston homes was a natural progression for him. His diverse interests and experience living abroad add to what he brings to the table for his clients. He also speaks Spanish. Williams shared with OutSmart some of the

most sought after features he’s seeing, and those that are falling off of his buyers’ must-have lists. “Open-concept floorplans and smart design, coupled with home automation, is still the trend. Fortunately, the days of the 300-square-foot entry are on the decline. Today’s buyer is in search of a home with functional, usable space. My favorite new paint color is Benjamin Moore Brush Blue. It’s bold, versatile, and wears well with any color scheme.” Besides an eye for design and renovation, Williams is a certified negotiator and has a degree in international business. It is notable that with many brokerage business models available in the Houston market, his opinion is that the full-service broker will always be the best value for consumers. “A seller paying a one-percent listing fee will likely get what they are paying for. I would venture to say the marketing and exposure would be limited. This typically results in more days on market and a lower sales price.” A native Texan, Williams is an HTP Top Producer.

BUSINESS NEWS

LGBTQ Realtors Urge Congress To Pass Nondiscrimination Protections By LOURDES ZAVALETA

ousing leaders from across the U.S. will head to Capitol Hill this month to urge support for non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ home buyers and renters. In Texas and 29 other states, it is legal to deny someone housing on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In light of this, the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), will present a 2019 LGBT Housing Policy Summit in Washington DC on April 10 and 11. “Housing discrimination exists, and it lowers the amount of home ownership within the LGBTQ community,” NAGLREP founder Jeff Berger tells OutSmart. “Our LGBT Housing Policy Summit will be a call to action regarding the need for change.” Members of NAGLREP and other prominent housing-industry figures will speak in panels at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center and the U.S. Capitol, sharing statistics and activists’ personal experiences with housing discrimination. The spokespersons, whose positions range from Realtors to activist leaders, also plan to endorse LGBTQ-affirming congressional bills. Speaker Jamie Zapata, a transgender Realtor from Texas who serves as president of NAGLREP’s San Antonio chapter, is no stranger to adversity. After coming out, she experienced

discrimination in both housing and employment because of her gender identity. “I [once] sold my house because my neighbors made me feel so uncomfortable, constantly giving me dirty looks and calling the cops on me for just being who I am,” Zapata says. “And before I was a Realtor, I was let go from a variety of jobs for ‘being a distraction.’” Zapata admits she wasn’t sure that the realestate industry would be any more welcoming when she started working for Coldwell Banker one year ago. But her job has been very affirming, she says, and has allowed her to assist LGBTQ home shoppers who have also faced housing discrimination in the past. In addition to her position at NAGLREP, Zapata is a prominent trans activist who serves in leadership roles at the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the San Antonio Pride Center, and the Transgender Education Network of Texas. She says her involvement in these organizations has inspired her to approach her Realtor work through advocacy. “LGBTQ people would be so empowered if we all had the same rights,” Zapata says. “At the summit, I plan to highlight the fact that there is no nationwide law that includes protections for gender identity or sexuality, and show my support for the Equality Act.” While there are guidelines against LGBTQ discrimination in some real-estate agencies––for example, the National Association of Realtors forbids members to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender ➝ CONTINUED ON PAGE 90

GIVING YOU THE SCOOP FROM INSIDE THE LOOP

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OutSmartMagazine.com | MARCH 2019 89

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identity––there is no federal nondiscrimination law. The Equality Act, a bill introduced in Congress last month, would ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination in housing, as well as in employment, public accomodations, jury service, education, federal programs, and credit. “Right now, advocating for the Equality Act is our best bet,” Berger says. “If it is passed, LGBTQ people across the U.S. would finally be protected from housing discrimination, which is what NAGLREP has been advocating for since its launch.” Congressional hearings for the Equality Act are scheduled in April and May, and should reach the House floor this summer. In conjunction with the LGBT Housing Policy Summit, NAGLREP has released an LGBT Real Estate Report for 2018–2019. The report, which surveyed 485 members, provides an in-depth look at the nation’s queer homebuyers, sellers, and renters. NAGLREP’s report pointed out that levels of housing discrimination have increased from 2017 to 2018. “In fact, 45 percent of those

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2019

surveyed believed a sizable number of their LGBT clients will experience the same or more housing discrimination this year, [compared to] previous years. This is up slightly from 44 percent last year,” the report states. Berger says that the laws permitting LGBTQ housing discrimination, and the election of President Trump in 2016, inspired him to create NAGLREP’s first LGBT Housing Policy Summit three years ago. “Our world shifted politically after the new administration took office,” Berger recalls. “To me, it seemed obvious that there was a need for an event like this to continue raising awareness for LGBT protections—and there still is.” NAGLREP, which was launched in 2007 to serve as a directory for LGBTQ and ally Realtors, will host a national conference in Palm Springs in October.

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OutSmartMagazine.com | MARCH 2019 91

FOOD

MUTT CITY MASTERPIECES 30 Favorite Dishes in the Houston Area By JOHN A. NECHMAN

oes Houston match up to the Big Apple, Paris, and Tokyo as a global foodtropolis? It depends on how you compare them. We may not have Noma, Eleven Madison Park, or Sukiyabashi Jiro, but we can get to them quickly (thanks to our well-connected airports) and we have the same odds as everyone else in those cities to snag a reservation. And I wouldn’t trade our own Justin Yu’s Theodore Rex, Chris Shepherd’s UB Preserv, Kaiser Lashkari’s Himalaya, or anything from Ronnie Killen for any of those distant choices. (Try finding real-deal TexMex, smoked boudin, crawfish pho, barbacoa tacos, carnitas siumai, affordable oysters, crispy fried catfish, East Texas hot links, CFS, and other soulful TexLaMex dishes in New York City!)

Do we have mezes the equal of Istanbul’s? No, but no one else does, either—and ours are excellent. Does our gumbo or Creole compare with New Orleans? No way, but ours is better than anyone else’s outside of Louisiana, and New Orleans is a delicious five-hour drive away. Dining out in Mutt City is incomparable, undefinable, and more enthralling with every new restaurant opening. How people rank food cities is a matter of preference, but I prefer H-Town. Here are 30 of my favorite dishes that all reflect our mighty metropolis. (Whittling this down to 30 was like making Imelda Marcos choose her 30 most-favorite pairs of shoes.) So grab a drink (I suggest a potent blue frozen ’rita from El Patio on Westheimer), or if you’re behaving, Irma’s peerless lemonade, and celebrate 30 more reasons to swell with Houston pride.

John Nechman is an immigration attorney with the Houston law firm of Katine & Nechman L.L.P., as well as an adjunct professor of law at South Texas College of Law. He’s also an inveterate food and H-Town junkie.

APRIL 2019

OutSmartMagazine.com

B R E AKFAST 1. BÒ NÉ Bò Né Houston, 11169 Bellaire (Bellaire Asian District)

Bò né—a great way to start the day. Few breakfasts satisfy more than this Vietnamese classic of creamy pâté and butter slathered on a fresh-baked VietFrench baguette, a side salad drizzled with soy-sesame dressing, and the allimportant cow-shaped comal bearing tender, sizzling chunks of marinated filet mignon, onions, and eggs. Steak & eggs, H-Town style.

2. KATFISH & GRITS The Breakfast Klub, 3711 Alabama (Midtown) thebreakfastklub.com No matter how cold, rainy, or sweltering the weather is, our city’s longest breakfast line is at Marcus Davis’ Breakfast Klub. The dish I order every time is the Katfish & Grits, a perfectly

flaky, crispy filet sided with the creamiest grits in town, buttermilk biscuits, and a duo of sunny-side-up eggs, all yearning to be doused in Louisiana hot sauce.

3. MORNING THALI Pondicheri, 2800 Kirby Dr. (Upper Kirby/River Oaks) pondicheri.com

With its progressive take on Indian dishes, Pondicheri draws crowds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One of its many brilliant dishes is the breakfast thali, a colorful medley of potato or carrot paratha, saag paneer, uttapam, chutney, curried potatoes, yogurt, lamb keema (I often ask to substitute the creamy dal), and a fried egg. If Chef Anita Jaisinghani is around, beg her to make her khichri (a hearty rice-andlentils porridge).

Morning Thali Pondicheri

4. QUAIL AND EGGS Goode Company Taqueria, 4902 Kirby Dr., (Lower Kirby/West U.) goodecompany.com/taqueria.asp Goode Company has deep Houston roots and empire status, but many of

its BBQ fans are unaware that they make some of the best breakfasts in town at their taqueria. My favorite is their two plump and succulent mesquite-cooked Bobwhite quails served with eggs, hash browns, and biscuits. It doesn’t get more Texas than that.

APPETIZERS, SOUPS, SALADS & SIDES proachable Theodore Rex is my favorite restaurant. One glorious night, a group of fellow foodies and I ordered everything on the menu, and every dish we had could have made this list. The menu changes regularly, but a must-order that always appears is the “Carolina Gold” rice and butterbeans cooked in soft butter with crushed garden leaves. Prepare to swoon. If Houston were a restaurant, we’d be Theodore Rex.

Crispy Rice Salad UB Preserv

5. BOILED CRAWFISH Crawfish Shack, 5822 FM 2100 (Crosby) crawfishshack.com

To hell with groundhogs; spring begins when crawdad castles sprout! That’s also my sign to head out to Crawfish Shack in Crosby, the best spot for mudbugs this side of the Sabine River. Take a group and an Igloo full of booze. Add in andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, and mushrooms (truly scrumptious simmered in the boil).

The feel is ice house, the music ranges from Journey to Beau Jocque to Waylon & Willie to Selena, and the crowd is everybody in the area who eats to the Bayou City beat.

6. “CAROLINA GOLD” RICE AND BUTTERBEANS Theodore Rex, 1302 Nance St. (Warehouse District) trexhouston.com Chef Justin Yu’s creative yet ap-

7. CRISPY RICE SALAD UB Preserv, 1609 Westheimer (Montrose) ubpreserve.com

A server at UB Preserv convinced me to order the bland-sounding Crispy Rice Salad. I ended up fighting my husband for every last pellet. Now, whenever we visit, right after ordering one of their stunning cocktails, that salad is the first dish I order. Nobody in town is more dedicated to the story of Houston food than owner/chef Chris Shepherd. Along with chef de cuisine Nick Wong, Shepherd has created a local classic here. For dinner or dim sum, every dish we’ve had has been a stunner.

8. EMPANADAS Papio’s Fusion Deli, 11999 Katy Freeway (Energy Corridor) papios-deli.business.site

Deep within an obscure office building is Papio’s Fusion Deli, where chef Juan Carlos brings a background in science, a European pedigree, and Peruvian upbringing to his trade. His piping-hot beef empanadas, made with finely chopped olives and raisins and topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar, are without equal. Don’t miss any of his other Peruvian dishes, either—particularly his exquisite tamalitos verdes (green tamales) and mind-blowing chicharrón.

9. OYSTERS SHRIMPHOOLEY Gilhooley’s, 222 9th St. (San Leon) facebook.com/gilhooleys Ramshackle Gilhooley’s is a smoky biker’s bar with a no-kids policy. It’s also home to one of the greatest dishes on America’s Third Coast—plump Gulf oysters grilled in garlic butter and parmesan cheese. What makes them transcendent is the smoky flavor they absorb from the grill’s pecan and oak firewood. If you want shrimp on top (and you do), order the Oysters Shrimphooley. ➝ OutSmartMagazine.com

APRIL 2019

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LUNCH 10. BBQ BRISKET Killen’s BBQ, 3613 E. Broadway (Pearland) killenssteakhouse.com

Area barbecue fans speak of the “B.K. Era” (Before Killen’s). In those days, we enjoyed our heavily sauced barbecue while begrudgingly admitting that the Texas Hill Country was home to the best Q. But then, Le Cordon Bleutrained chef Ronnie Killen started doing a weekend BBQ service at his Pearland steakhouse, and the rest is history. I’ve eaten at nearly every BBQ place on every Texas Monthly Best BBQ list since the first one came out, and my favorite brisket is at Killen’s. I’m addicted to the massive beef ribs, too.

11. CHEESE CONEY JCI—James Coney Island (everywhere) jamesconeyisland.com

In the early ’70s, my dad would take my brothers and me to the original James Coney Island in downtown off of Main Street, and we would join the hungry hordes watching in awe as a line of servers would work their magic over a gigantic grill containing dozens of sizzling wieners. My go-to order then was three Cheese Coneys (a hand-cut steamed bun cradling one of their signature dogs, topped with mustard, “chili sauce,” cheese whiz, and minced onions). Fifty years later, it’s still my order. In fact, if I’m out of town for any appreciable amount of time, my first stop upon return is the closest JCI’s.

12. FACCHIA DI VECCHIO Mandola’s Deli, 4105 Leeland St. (East End) mandolasdeli.com

I had a near-epiphany the first time I tried the Mandola’s Deli faccia di vecchia (which translates to “old woman’s face”). It’s an offbeat take on Sicilianstyle pizza—thick crusts topped with fresh tomatoes, spices, herbs, their famous house-made sausage, grilled peppers, and onions. It’s sensational— one of those dishes I can’t get enough of. And it should be a local law that any diner at this cozy, historic locale must save room for a slice of their sublime Italian cream cake.

13. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF OF YOUR MOUTH (with Swiss Cheese and Chopped Liver)

Kenny & Ziggy’s (Galleria area and Upper Kirby) kennyandziggys.com

You’d have to travel 1,500 miles to find a deli that compares to Kenny & Ziggy’s. Travel 10 times that far, and you still won’t find better pastrami. My favorite sandwich is my own custom creation: the Fiddler on the Roof of Your Mouth (a triple-decker of corned beef, pastrami, and Russian dressing), but with a smear of their decadent chopped liver and melted Swiss cheese added. I call it the “Nechmangabetzky,” a toned-down version of their notorious $85 Zellagabetsky, a sandwich that could feed six (or just me if I skip breakfast).

14. GRILLED PORK AND EGG BÁNH MÌ WITH CHA GIÒ Cali Sandwich & Fast Food, 2900 Travis St. (Midtown)

The owner of Cali Sandwich is known by the not-very-original name “The Cali Lady,” and since she first opened

Facchia di Vecchio Mandola’s Deli

many years ago across the street from her current location, she’s brought me the same meal (or told a server to do so)—a full order of her best-in-town cha giò and a marinated grilled pork bánh mi topped with a soft fried egg. I wouldn’t know how to order anything else at Cali, nor would I ever want to.

15. GRIM BURGER Lankford Grocery & Market, 88 Dennis St. (Montrose) lankfordgrocery.com

The first time I ever came up with a Top 100 list of restaurants, Lankford topped it. I used to eat here when it actually sold groceries. Chef Eydie Prior is one of my favorite people in the local restaurant scene, and whether it’s her perfectly crafted breakfasts, some of the city’s best enchiladas, or her legendary burgers, she makes sure no one leaves hungry or unsatisfied. My must-have is the Grim Burger—a massive patty topped with gobs of mac & cheese, jalapeños, bacon, and a softfried egg. Throw on some tater tots and hope you’re not due for a yearly checkup afterwards.

16. GULF SHRIMP AND CRAB SANDWICH Local Foods (various locations) houstonlocalfoods.com

Few sandwiches get me drooling more than the Gulf shrimp and crab sandwich from the local chain dedicated to all things local, and appropriately named Local Foods. They stuff a home-baked ciabatta with the best from our coastal waters, topped with locally sourced pickled red onion, tomato, and homemade green-goddess dressing. l usually grab several of the fabulous sides and salads—this is a place where I gleefully eat my veggies.

Texas-Size Steak Sandwich Champ Burger

94 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

17. KOSHARY Adam’s Bite, 7919 Westheimer (Galleria area/Westchase) adamsbite.business.site Adam’s Bite is a food truck run by

Mr. Omar. If you want to see him beam with joy, ask for koshary, the national dish of Egypt and one that my husband and I fell in love with on a recent trip there. Mr. Omar’s version features the usual rice, lentils, and fried onions, but he adds layers of ground beef, chickpeas, pasta, and much more. Pour on the chili tomato and vinegar sauces, and you have my favorite food-truck dish in town. Also order the “Here We Go” rice pudding, topped with ice cream, hazelnuts, and chopped almonds.

18. SMOKED OXTAILS Ray’s BBQ Shack, 3929 Old Spanish Trail (Third Ward/South Side) raysbbqshack.com

Thursday in Third Ward means one of Houston’s greatest dishes—smoked oxtails by pitmaster extraordinaire Rayford S. Busch. This man knows his smoke! I usually add a fat link of smoked boudin and a Lott’s Link (East Texas-style sausage only found around Houston and the Golden Triangle). And if I feel like eating healthier, I’ll throw on a side of grilled squash/peppers; if not, I get the fried corn on the cob.

19. TEXAS-SIZE STEAK SANDWICH Champ Burger, 304 Sampson St. (East End) champsburger.net

Since 1963, Champ Burger has been serving the East End with quality fast food. I love the family that runs it, and remember many years ago when the original owner, Mr. Saladino, told me to try their steak sandwich. Texans know that a steak sandwich is a CFS, and no one does a tastier version than Champ Burger. Add on an order of the area’s best onion rings and an orange milkshake (think dreamsicle), and you’ll know why I’d be 20 pounds lighter if not for my regular visits to this quintessential Houston stand. ➝

MUTT CITY MASTERPIECES | CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

streetfoodthaimarket.com

Porchetta and Fagioli and Bolognese

Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino

DINNER 20. CRAB FRIED RICE Tuk-Tuk Crab, 6128 Wilcrest Dr. (Bellaire Asian District) tuktukcrab.com

21. HORNADO Andes Café, 2311 Canal St. (East End) andescafe.com

In a mostly deserted strip center far off the main Bellaire Asian District drag is Tuk Tuk Crab. On my first visit, a cheery woman suggested the crab fried rice, and when it arrived, I gasped. It was a mountain of fragrant, ham-studded rice that could have fed four, covered with gargantuan juicy crab parts and a chives omelet that appeared to have been made with at least four eggs. It was sided with a delightful garlicky, vinegary sweet sauce. Try to save room for dessert so you can order the best halo halo I’ve had outside of the Philippines.

Chef David Guerrero’s intimate Andes Café has introduced Houstonians to dishes and ingredients from all over South America, including delectable cuy (guinea pig) and lúcuma (a spectacular Peruvian fruit that tastes like creamy caramel). I crave many dishes on his menu, but my favorite is his hornado, from his native Ecuador and composed of savory roasted pork leg, llapingachos (fried potato cakes), and a sprightly mix of sautéed hominy, shredded greens, and avocado coated in a house-made vinaigrette.

22. KHAO SOI GAI Street Food Thai Market, 1010 W. Cavalcade St. (Heights)

This is the third or fourth reincarnation of a Thai business at this location, but it always ends up being my favorite Thai spot in town. Their khao soi gai consists of a massive bowl of Northern Thai noodles and chicken simmered in a rich coconut curry with the sharp tang of sour mustard greens and unexpected enhancements of fried shallots and diced red onion. There are days I can’t concentrate on anything but this spectacular dish—and also their marvelous mango sticky rice.

23. LE COMPLET BELGE Café Brussels, 1718 Houston Ave. (First Ward) cafebrusselshouston.com

Those wanting to visit Europe without investing the time and money know the next-best option in Houston is chef Catherine Duwez’s Café Brussels. For over 20 years, I’ve followed Chef Duwez wherever she’s gone, and I still never need a menu. I always get Le Complet Belge, consisting of a pot of the finest mussels money can buy, simmered in white wine and onions and sided with her legendary frites (ask for a side of her homemade mayo, along with a draft Stella Artois, which I tend to have refilled often).

24. PARATHADILLAS Himalaya, 6652 Southwest Freeway (Gandhi District) himalayasrestauranthouston.com

Chef Kaiser Lashkari is a local icon. His Himalaya is globally renowned, and I could dominate a Top 30 list with selections from his menu. The kitchen, led by his lovely wife Azra, makes some of the most creative dishes in town, blending Desi flavors seamlessly into

DESSERTS 27. BAYOU GOO House of Pies (Upper Kirby and Galleria) houseofpies.com

Any time of the day or night (but best appreciated after the clubs have closed), the beloved “House of Guys” serves up splendid diner fare and eye candy as well as my favorite pie, the legendary Bayou Goo. How can anyone resist a pecan crust topped with sweet cream cheese, vanilla custard swirled with chocolate chunks, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings?

28. CRÈME BRÛLÉE BREAD PUDDING Killen’s Steakhouse (Pearland and The Woodlands) killenssteakhouse.com 96

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Chef Ronnie Killen makes a second appearance on this list because my husband calls Killen’s crème brûlée bread pudding his favorite dessert in the world. It’s complex without being overly sweet or dense. It’s fruity, flan-ny (if that’s a word), buttery, tart . . .you just have to try it. And make sure to order his best-on-earth carrot cake, too.

est splurges in town. The mandatory order is the Grand Marnier soufflé. Once you try this luscious, billowy, miniAstrodome of a dessert, you’ll see why Shirley MacLaine orders one for herself every time she dines here.

29. GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLÉ Tony’s, 3755 Richmond Ave. (Greenway Plaza) tonyshouston.com

30. MAPLE SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE Ester’s Cajun Café and Soul Food, 5204 Yale St. (Independence Heights) esterscajunsoul.com

Throughout my five decades in Houston, Tony’s has been where the stars shine brightest. Impeccable service and food make this one of the worthi-

Our proximity to Louisiana is why Houston has some of the tastiest soul food in America. We’re blessed with

Third Coast classics. Here, quesadillas are “parathadillas,” made with unleavened flatbread in place of tortillas and stuffed with spicy ground lamb, brisket, or chicken, and onions, masala sauce, cilantro, sour cream—unforgettable Houston fusion at its finest.

25. PORCHETTA E FAGIOLI AND TAGLIATELLE Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino, 3215 Westheimer (River Oaks) giacomosciboevino.com Chef Lynette Hawkins’ passion for Italian has resulted in a trattoria that manages to be faithfully Italian, yet very Houston. The portions are generous, and everything I’ve had has impressed. I’ll cheat and do a two-fer here—one of my favorite meals is to order half-size portions of her unforgettable porchetta e fagioli and the tagliatelle alla Bolognese.

26. ROOSEVELT SPECIAL El Real Tex Mex Café, 1201 Westheimer (Montrose)

Only in Houston do I regularly find Tex-Mex places that serve heated salsa (so much tastier than when it’s cold). And when I ask for eggs on my enchiladas, I never get the funny stares that I get in other cities. My favorite enchiladas with eggs is El Real Tex Mex’s Roosevelt Special (named for a dish at a place in Fort Worth that made it at the request of president Franklin Roosevelt, although they thought he was weird to order it). This special also comes with a chalupa and a taco. A second must-order dish at this temple to Tex-Mex is the Borunda stacked enchiladas—topped with an egg, of course.

Crème Brûlée Bread Pudding

Killen’s Steakhouse

Creole-Cajun soul with a lot of Texas smoke mixed in. No one in America has what we have, and no one in Houston serves it better than Ester’s. If they’re serving their stunning Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake, I’ll eat a slice and take a few more home—always graciously but reluctantly leaving some for the other diners.

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Serving Our Community with PRIDE! FIX IT WHILE YOU FLY

Unicorn Dessert A confectionery of mythic proportions By JENNY BLOCK

avi and Bubar Usman are making Houston just a little more fantastical with their Unicorn – Magical Dessert Bar, which officially opened last month. Inspired by their daughter’s love of all things unicorn, the pair decided to open a unicorn-themed dessert bar that would offer everything from cakes to donuts to milkshakes. “Everything has to be pink and unicorn-ish,” Javi explains. Their Dallas location has caused quite a stir, with a three- to four-hour wait on the very first day and people traveling from all over the county to check out their magical offerings. Houston seems equally excited about the concept, with more than 13,000 people on Facebook showing interest in the

Houston opening at 907 Westheimer. No wonder. Unicorn – Magical Dessert Bar is truly the first of its kind. Usman creates all of the recipes herself, being a pastry chef by trade and having a deep love for baking and decorating. The top menu items, Usman says, are the unicorn milk shake and the unicorn cake pop. But all of the Magical Dessert Bar’s offerings are known for being as delicious as they are colorful and glittery. If people’s love of sweets and unicorns is any indication, Unicorn – Magical Dessert Bar is sure to be all the rage here in Houston. When you check it out, be sure to bring your sweet tooth—and your patience during peak hours. I am assured that it will be well worth the wait!

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RECIPES for SUCCESS What it takes to make some Houston faves.

THE CLASSIC HOUSTON’S

Dutch Baby Pancake by Chef Maria Gonzalez Ingredients: ¾ cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup warm milk 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon butter 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 pinch salt 3 eggs Instructions: • Preheat oven to 400° • Place 10-inch cast iron skillet in oven to heat • Submerge the eggs in warm water to remove chill for 20 minutes • Warm milk in microwave on medium-high power, stirring every 15 seconds, just until steam begins to rise from the milk • Combine all ingredients except the butter in a blender and blend until smooth 100 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

• Let stand for approximately 20 minutes until the mixture reaches room temperature • Remove the skillet from the oven and place on stovetop • Melt butter in the skillet and spread to cover the base and sides • Add ¾ cup of batter to the skillet, making sure to coat the entire surface including the sides

• Place skillet back in oven for 5-8 minutes • Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately with your favorite nuts, seasonal fruits, ricotta cheese, and maple syrup ➝

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GIACOMO’S CIBO E VINO’S

Giacomo’s Bolognese Recipe by Chef Lynette Hawkins Yields approximately 3 quarts (enough sauce for 12 orders of pasta) This recipe is so laborintensive and time-consuming that it is best to make a lot of it at a time. It freezes beautifully. Freeze in 1-cup portions per serving of pasta. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds ground beef (preferably local grass-fed) 1 pound ground pork (preferably local pastured) 4 ounces pancetta, finely diced 3 cups finely chopped yellow onion ¾ cup finely chopped celery 1½ cups finely chopped carrot 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic ½ cup finely chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley 4 teaspoons kosher salt 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups dry white wine 2 cups milk 6 cups puréed canned plum tomatoes (preferably imported San Marzano) ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Instructions: • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the meats, and sauté over mediumhigh heat, stirring frequently until cooked through, nicely browned and caramelized, and completely broken up into little pieces. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. • In the same pot, melt remaining butter in remaining olive oil over low flame. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season immediately with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Sauté until completely cooked, meltingly tender, and caramelized. Return the meats to the pot and combine thoroughly with the vegetables.

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For 4 servings: • Bring 16 cups of water to a rolling boil in a 6-quart pot. Season with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook 1 pound of your preferred pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.

• Add the milk. Stir thoroughly to combine. Simmer until the milk has become absorbed into the meat sauce. Finally, add the puréed tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, add the grated nutmeg, cover with a lid, and simmer

• In a large skillet, bring 4 cups Bolognese sauce to a simmer. Stir in 4 teaspoons unsalted butter. Add cooked pasta with reserved pasta water and toss/stir together until well combined. Serve immediately.

and carefully place plastic wrap on top of foil square. Smooth out plastic wrap as evenly as possible, trying to eliminate wrinkles. • Transfer butter mixture onto plastic wrap and spread evenly lengthwise with your hands to form a log. • Lift up edge of plastic wrap closest to you and fold over the length of the butter log. Press down firmly over the butter log. Take

each edge of plastic wrap into your hands and roll butter log away from you until butter log is completely wrapped in plastic wrap. • Using foil sheet as a guide, lift up the edge of foil closest to you and roll over the top of the plasticwrapped covered butter log. Roll the foil around the butter log to tighten log and make more even (like a Sushi chef uses a mat to roll sushi rolls). • Once you have formed an even log, unroll the foil and remove the plastic-wrapped butter log. Twist ends of plastic wrap tightly against butter. • Chill butter for 2 hours in refrigerator or 30 minutes in freezer. Remove from fridge/freezer and unwrap plastic wrap. • Slice butter log into ¼-inch coins and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. ➝

FREE GRILLIN’

Pink Peppercorn and Truffle Compound Butter Recipes by Chef Michele Free

Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened ½ tablespoon whole pink peppercorns ½ teaspoon truffle salt 1 teaspoon honey 1 sheet aluminum foil (approximately 12” x 12”, optional 1 sheet plastic wrap (approximately 12” x 12”, optional Instructions: • Bring butter to room temperature to soften. • Place whole peppercorns in a ziplock bag and pound with meat tenderizer, mallet, or the bottom of a drinking glass to crack. 102

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• In a medium-sized bowl, combine butter, peppercorns, truffle salt, and honey. Mix together well using a whisk, spatula, or fork. • Chill for two hours and enjoy a dollop over a steak, or roll into a log and slice into pieces (directions follow). To roll butter into log: • With a damp paper towel, dampen surface of countertop. Then lay aluminum foil square on damp surface, smoothing with your hands until it adheres to countertop. With a damp paper towel, dampen top of foil

sauce for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

• Add remaining salt and pepper. Add tomato paste, parsley, and bay leaves. Stir well to combine. Simmer together for about 5 minutes to brown the tomato paste, stirring occasionally, and then add the white wine. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has become absorbed into the meat sauce.

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URBAN EATS’

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Entrées with a Side of Kindness It’s time to dine out for life. By STEVEN FOSTER

id you know Houston has more than 10,000 restaurants representing some 70 countries and American regions? No wonder we’re one of the cities that goes out to eat the most. (The national average is 4.9, but Houstonians eat out an average of 6.9 times each week.) Clearly, no one in this town appears to need a reason to eat out. But if you do need to be persuaded, put Thursday, April 25, on your calendar for Houston’s annual Dining Out for Life event—the day that select restaurants give a portion of their sales to AIDS Foundation Houston for services that help thousands of Houstonians living with HIV/AIDS. Dozens of terrific restaurants are on the participation list this year, and it goes on all day so you can even eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Looking for some menu suggestions? You and a date could split the 40-ounce Porterhouse for two at B&B Butchers on Washington Ave. for $116! If that’s out of reach, hop across the street to Benjamin Berg’s other eatery, B.B. Lemon. (Their complimentary lemon jawbreakers alone are worth the trip.) Other participating restaurants you can try are Barnaby’s, El Real, Harold’s, Laurenzo’s, Niko Niko’s, and Rainbow Lodge, to name but a few. To find out if your favorite restaurant is participating, go to diningoutforlife.com/city/houston and scroll down. Then all you have to do is order what you want, knowing that everything on the menu will get served with a side order of good karma. What: Dining Out for Life When: April 25 (all day and night) Where: Various restaurants Info: diningoutforlife.com/city/houston

Whether you’re looking for the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker, OUTSMART can help you find equality-minded businesses that appreciate you and provide vital community support.

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COMMUNITY

Crystal Rae Lee Love

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Rusty Mueller will be the honoree of a fundraiser benefiting PWA Holiday Charities. By DON MAINES

legendary fundraiser in Houston’s LGBTQ community will be honored on April 20 as part of—what else?— a fundraiser for causes near and dear to the LGBTQ community. Rusty Mueller, who performs in drag as Crystal Rae Lee Love, will be just the sixth honoree of a “Roast ‘n Toast” benefitting PWA Holiday Charities, says Don Gill, the 1996 honoree. This year, beneficiaries also include Legacy Community Health Services and The ERSICSS Jonathan Smith Emergency Fund. “Rusty has worked tirelessly for numerous causes and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars with his event organization and entertaining skills,” says Don Gill, the 1996 honoree. The tribute will be Mueller’s first time in heels since a cancer scare last fall that required chemotherapy. “I will [decide] that night what number I will perform. It will be a slow Rusty Mueller number,” he says. Mueller, who lives in Montrose, graduated in 1975 from Cy-Fair High School, where he played Marcellus Washburn, a former con man, in The Music Man. (Buddy Hackett was Marcellus in the 1962 movie.) Then in Fiddler on the Roof at Sam Houston State University, Mueller portrayed Motel Kamzoil, who tells Tevye, “Even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness.” Mueller says his “first taste of drag” was being wowed by Naomi Sims, Hot Chocolate, and Ernestine at the Old Plantation nightclub. “I was an instant fan,” he says, “and I ended up working there as a bartender. I dabbled in drag for a year or two” before his other half, the late Jerel McNeil, said no. It would be 15 years before Crystal Rae was born. “I told Jerel, ‘Look, I gotta try this—I’m not going to be happy if I don’t,’” says Mueller. After winning several talent-night prizes, Crystal was hired as a regular entertainer at Outlaw’s before moving to Cousin’s, which was the home of the Royal Sovereign and Imperial

Court of the Single Star, whose mission is “to sponsor, support, and promote community charitable and educational programs and efforts; to promote and recognize community leaders; and to promote harmony among the people in the community.” At first, Crystal wanted no part of “the court.” “I felt that the queens who were a part of it were way too pretentious for my taste,” she says. “I didn’t want to be up there with all that bowing and curtsying.” However, in 1992, when Crystal agreed to run lights and sound for the court’s show in a hotel ballroom, she says. “I fell in love with it. Sure, there was pretense. We all have egos—I wouldn’t be on stage if I had no ego—but when you see the whole thing, well, I started eating it up.” A month later, Crystal joined the court, and was given the surname “Lee Love” by her mentor, the late Laura Lee Love, who founded the Houston court. “Laura was my mama,” says Crystal, who reigned as Empress XI in 1995. Outside of the court, Crystal counts two of her many honors as most precious: Honorary Miss Mint Julep 2013, at an annual event that raised some $85,000 for HIV-specific needs at Legacy, and Mother of Montrose 2015, a “camp title” that she competed for and won. For the talent category, Crystal dressed as Cruella de Vil and performed “How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?” by Patti Paige. For more than 28 years, Crystal has championed such causes as HIV/AIDS care, breast cancer and breast-health awareness, and the security and safety of LGBTQ seniors and youth. The Montrose Center, the Krewe of Olympus, and the Texas Gay Rodeo Association are among the groups that have benefitted from her work. What: Roast’n Toast of Crystal Rae Lee Love When: April 20, 3 PM Where: Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon Info: pwaholidaycharities.org

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GROOVE OUT By GREGG SHAPIRO

Solo Ventures Jeff Tweedy, Robert Forster, J Mascis, Nat Freedberg, and more.

he suitably titled Warm (dBpm), the first proper solo album of alloriginal material by Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo fame), is the kind of musical project that will please the artist’s fans, regardless of when they became followers. As personal as it is universal, the sincerity of the 11 songs on Warm generate a welcome ardor similar to what we heard Kacey Musgraves do on her lauded Golden Hour album. Even the most casual listener can’t help but be moved by songs such as the exquisite “How Hard It Is for a Desert to Die,” “From Far Away,” “Having Been Is No Way to Be,” “I Know What It’s Like,” “How Will I Find You?” and the John Lennon-esque “Bombs Above.” Tweedy also breaks up the serious nature of the album with songs such as the subtle humor of “Don’t Forget” and the stormbeckoning “Let’s Go Rain.” As one of the original founding members of the Australian band The Go-Betweens (“Streets of Your Town”), Robert Forster has been sporadically releasing solo albums for nearly 20 years. His latest, Inferno (Tapete), is a welcome addition to his canon. The songs nicely alternate between sunny pop numbers such as the irresistible “Inferno (Brisbane in Summer),” “I’m Gonna Tell It” (which comes across like a long-lost Velvet Underground song), and “Life Has Turned a Page” (on which you can hear Forster’s wife, Karin Bäumler, providing backing vocals), and mood pieces such as “I’ll Look After You,” “Crazy Jane on the Day of Judgment,” and “One Bird in the Sky.” Solo albums have long been a productive way for musicians to stretch muscles that may be otherwise sitting dormant. Elastic

108 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Days (Sub Pop) by legendary Dinosaur Jr. front-man J Mascis is a good example of this. An audible departure from Dinosaur Jr.’s trademark alternativerock crunch, the dozen songs on Elastic Days are admirably mellow and electrically charged without being washed out. Highlights include “Drop Me,” “Sometimes,” “Give It Off,” “See You at the Movies,” “Picking Out the Seeds,” the subtle twang of “I Went Dust,” and the title track. If you don’t immediately recognize the name Nat Freedberg, perhaps you know him better as Lord Bendover from the rock novelty act The Upper Crust. Dressed in 18th-century attire complete with powdered wigs, The Upper Crust was in on the joke as they played a style of rock that combined metal, glam, and a heavy dose of camp. For Freedberg’s solo album Better Late Than Never (Rum Bar), featuring “love songs, sad songs, songs about the devil,” he is joined by a stellar lineup of Boston musicians, giving him the chance to rock us to our core on the songs “All My Love,” “I Think I Died and Went to Heaven,” “World to Come,” “Queen for a Day,” and “Heavy Metal Cow.” Known for leading a number of blistering garage-rock acts including Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, and Heavy Trash, Jon Spencer officially steps out on his own on Spencer Sings the Hits (In The Red). Fear not, Spencer doesn’t veer too far from his trademark scuzzy fuzz rock on the album’s 12 songs, the best of which are “Time 2 Be Bad,” “Fake,” “Wilderness,” “Ghost,” “Overload,” “Alien Hu-

midity,” and “Love Handle.” When you stop to think about it, a lot of cool bands have roots in Ohio. Devo, Pretenders, Pere Ubu, and later The Black Keys and Afghan Whigs (to mention a few) all have connections to the Buckeye State. One of the best (albeit short-lived) bands was The Waitresses, known for the songs “I Know What Boys Like,” “No Guilt,” “Christmas Wrapping,” and the theme song to the early 1980s Sarah Jessica Parker sitcom, Square Pegs. Chris Butler, who was The Waitresses’ leader and main songwriter, has continued making music since The Waitresses broke up, and Got It Together (Future Fossil) is his latest. You can definitely hear traces of The Waitresses’ delicious wit throughout the album’s 16 songs (which includes three demo recordings). Formerly of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, Andrew McMahon has been making piano-driven pop music as Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness since 2014. The first few songs on his new album Upside Down Flowers (Fantasy/ Crush) set the tone with their personal lyrics. McMahon knows firsthand what he’s singing about on album-opener “Teenage Rockstars.” Having lived in Ohio also gave him a particularly good perspective from which to write the song “Ohio.” In “Blue Vacation,” McMahon the father sings about needing “a place to raise my daughter,” perhaps on a “private island” in “Blue Vacation.” No longer a “teenage Rockstar,” McMahon sings like a person with responsibilities and “mouths to feed” (“Paper Rain”).

Gregg Shapiro is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.

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WEDDING GUIDE

SOMETHING BLUE Josh Beasley and Andrew Hayes’ well-planned wedding. By JENNY BLOCK Photos by M&M PHOTO HOUSTON

t was at the wedding of close friends Rick Dickson and Luis Morales Lopez in August of 2016 that 40-year-old Josh Beasley knew for certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Andrew Hayes. When Beasley looked around at all of Dickson and Lopez’s friends and family celebrating the couple’s future together, he says he could picture his own future with 29-year-old Hayes. Beasley even asked some of Hayes’ close friends who were at the wedding what they thought about him proposing. Everyone loved the idea, and Beasley’s mind was set. Meanwhile, Hayes had no idea what was brewing. ➝

Blushing Grooms

Hayes (l) and Beasley under the chandeliers of The Dunlavy

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WEDDING GUIDE

Hayes and Beasley own a boutique gym in the Oak Forest area called Body3 Personal Fitness. “Body3 focuses on personal training and small-group fitness classes,” explains Hayes, who is a Houstonian through and through. Even his parents were both raised in H-Town. “And my grandma lives about five blocks from us in the Heights,” Hayes explains. Beasley is from Oklahoma, and moved to Houston in 2013. The pair hopes to buy a home in their beloved Heights neighborhood soon. Beasley and Hayes met in August 2015 at a birthday party for a mutual friend. The party bar-hopped from FBar to Meteor. Beasley thought Hayes was “super cute” at first sight, even though he was rather quiet. The couple exchanged numbers, with plans to get together. A few days later, they got together for a beer and immediately “hit it off,” according to Hayes. It wasn’t long before Beasley, a planner by nature, began to plan how he would pop the question on New Year’s Eve of 2016 when the two would be visiting close friends in Crested Butte, Colorado. For New Year’s Eve dinner in the charming little ski town, Beasley and Hayes had dinner reservations with their friends at Uley’s Cabin, a restaurant half way up the mountain. “It was cold and snowing, and the only way to get to the restaurant was to take an open-air sleigh ride up the mountain in the dark. We all crowded into the sleighs, wrapped blankets around us, and were trucked up the side of the mountain as fireworks started going off to celebrate New Year’s Eve! It was fantastic. The restaurant was cute and cozy, with fires going to warm the space. At the end of dinner, Josh ordered champagne to make a toast, where he fumbled through asking me to marry him. I said yes, and the whole restaurant cheered for us!” Hayes recalls. The two were wed in Houston on June 2, 2018, at The Dunlavy. They chose the date because they wanted to have a long engagement with plenty of time to allow for Beasley’s penchant for planning,” Hayes explains. After checking out several hotels and venues, they landed on The Dunlavy. Beasley and Hayes knew they didn’t want to have a formal-sit down meal, but rather “a place that was nice and that felt special—sophisticated, but not stuffy,” Hayes says, adding, “We wanted it to be nice but still be able to dance like crazy.” The two agree that it turned out to be the perfect space for them—a beautiful venue, with delicious food and some really wonderful moments. 112

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“BEFORE GOING BACK IN TO SEE EVERYONE, WE REALIZED THAT I PUT ANDREW’S RING ON THE WRONG HAND.”

It was also the first time that their parents and grandparents were able to meet. “It was beautiful, fun, exciting, and happy. It’s such an honor to have so many friends and family join us to celebrate our life and future together,” Hayes said. They did have one truly funny moment during the ring exchange. Hayes said that both of their hands were shaking so badly that he forgot which hand to offer, so Beasley just grabbed one of the hands to put the ring on. “When we got to the waiting room before going back in to see everyone, we realized that I put Andrew’s ring on the wrong hand,” Beasley said. “We laughed, but thought nobody noticed. Then my friend Steve came back and said, ‘You may want to switch that. You put Andrew’s ring on the wrong finger!’ We laughed again and had more champagne.” Beasley and Hayes wanted to keep the ceremony short because, they joked, they knew their friends and family would want to get back to the open bar. The couple wrote their own vows, and chose to leave out the parts of a traditional ceremony because, they explained, “nothing else really spoke to us.”

WANT TO TELL YOUR STORY? Email us at letters@outsmartmagazine.com

WEDDING GUIDE

Hayes says The Dunlavy was terrific to work with, as was their event planner, Mariah. “She was stellar, and took care of us for months.” The two used Secret Floral Garden for flowers, décor, and linens, and were quick to say that the LGBT-owned company did an amazing job with everything. Beasley is no stranger to planning major events, as he has chaired a number of large

fundraisers. So, Hayes says, “There weren’t too many surprises for him when it came to planning a party. There were a lot of moving pieces, but we divided the tasks early on and would talk through [each task].” Hayes says the one thing that they did not expect was how much time they would spend waiting throughout their big day. “We waited while everyone arrived. We waited after the ceremony to go back

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in. We waited before leaving at the end of the night. But it was all worth the wait to celebrate and make the day special for everyone.” Hayes said. The two went to Hawaii for their honeymoon, and it was Beasley’s first time there. “So it was a special place to unwind and rest following the party,” Hayes explains. They stayed at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore—a quiet, peaceful spot close to lots of quaint shops and restaurants. “It was a truly beautiful honeymoon!” Hayes says. And is there one thing that they would like to shout out to the world about each other? There certainly is. “Andrew is amazing. I would do anything to make him happy, and I hope that our special wedding day was just the first of many, many days where we get to celebrate life together,” Beasley says. Beasley has some equally sweet words to offer about Hayes. “Josh is all mine! But seriously, he is the best, and always puts us first. He’s a planner and always wants to make sure that we will be okay, no matter where life takes us.”

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Home and family are going through renovations this month, and you may be moving or doing some remodeling. You are ready for family members to let go of the past and move forward with hope and forgiveness. If you can’t, you’ll be leaving without them. This is also a good month for you to focus on your artistic skills and sharing those skills with others. You are communicating more clearly and getting to the point. Patience will be hard to come by over the next couple of months. Be sure to have plenty of exit strategies so you don’t have to feel trapped. This is a great month to be with your children, playing, and finding that joie de vivre you seem to have lost!

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your sensitivity levels are very strong this month. You may need more time to yourself, especially in the early part of April. You will be putting a lot more energy into your home and family over the next month. You could be doing some remodeling, putting out new plants and flowers, or inviting your closest friends over for BBQ, especially after midmonth. It will be easy to spend money this month, so watch your impulse spending! Career activity remains very positive. This is a good time to look for a better position or to start something on your own. Your neighborhood is much more active in the latter part of the month. This could be a time when you get involved in a community project, and even take on a leadership role!

For more astro-insight, log on to lillyroddy.com.

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On a Schedule? Joy Behar (seen here on ABC’s The View): View what does she think of the studies about “sexy time” for men and women?

Miley Cyrus

CYRUS - JEFF NEIRA/CBS; CAIN - SONJA FLEMMING/CBS; CARLILE - TIMOTHY KURATEK/CBS; BEHAR - PAULA LOBO/ABC

(Vanity Fair, March 2019, Zach Baron)

iley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are “redefining, to be f--king frank, what it looks like for someone that’s a queer person like myself to be in a hetero relationship. A big part of my pride and my identity is being a queer person. What I preach is: people fall in love with people—not gender, not looks, not whatever. What I’m in love with exists on almost a spiritual level. . . . I don’t think [relationships] have so much to do with sexuality or gender. Sex is actually a small part, and gender is a very small, almost irrelevant part of relationships. . . . “[W]ho gives a f--k if he’s a guy, if I’m a girl, or if he was a woman—who gives a f--k? We really are stronger together.”

To Be Frank Miley Cyrus (seen here with out fashion designer Zac Posen at the 6Oth Annual Grammy Awards in 2018): is she a queer person in a hetero relationship with actor Liam Hemsworth?

Dean Cain

(Entertainment Weekly, Rom-Com Special Issue, Tim Stack)

Re: playing a gay character in The Broken Hearts Club, directed by openly gay Greg Berlanti. The film has become a cult classic.

I had to fight with my agents. I had tremendous pushback. It was like, “Dean, I know you love this, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to play a gay character at this point in time.” I was very clear. I read a beautiful, hysterical, witty, touching, romantic, fantastic movie [script], and I wanted to be a part of it.

Did Cain Join the Club? Dean Cain (seen here in 2013 on CBS’s The Talk): what did he think of the script to the 2000 gay film The Broken Hearts Club? OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 117

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Thursday, March 21

The Lazarus House team was just a small part of the walkers and runners brought out by the beautiful weather for AIDS Walk 2019. AIDS Foundation Houston couldn’t have been happier with the turnout.

Thursday, March 21

Everyone wore the color of the month at the Bringin’ In the Green event, benefiting the Montrose Center. It was held at the home of Glenn and Justin Dickson.

OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 119

OUT THERE

Sunday, March 3

In the mood for sumptuous sweets and cookies in the shape of cowboy boots? Then the AssistHers fundraiser Decadent Desserts & Dancing, held at Neon Boots, was definitely the place to be.

Thursday, March 21

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce held a happy hour at Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors.

713.528.1201 1201-F Westheimer Houston TX 77006 www.copydotcom.com

CANVAS PRINTS | COLOR POSTERS | GREETING CARDS| MUCH MORE 120 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

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BAR & CLUB GUIDE

All Vodka Drinks

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SPORTS BAR

HOUSTON

617 Fairview • Houston, Texas • 713.528.8102 HOURS: Mon-Sat 7am–2am • Sunday 12pm–2am There’s always something going on at TONY’S CORNER POCKET!

Houston’s Hottest Male Amateur Strip Contest Headquarters! 817 W. Dallas 713.571.7870 Voted the Best Place to Watch Male Dancers Tues. and Thurs, – Sunday Nights

Nightly Specials – Call for Details

Cold Beverages & Hot Guys!

BARCODE Houston’s newest bar with happy hours from 11am to 8pm daily, this new neighborhood watering hole is a great place to see drag shows and strippers Tuesdays—Saturdays and karaoke Sundays & Mondays. 817 Fairview St. 713.526.2625 • barcodehouston.net BLUR Multi-level dance club featuring an upstairs lounge and balconies. Ladies enjoy Wet and Wild Wed., 18-year-olds welcome Thurs., Latin night on Sun. Happy hour 8–10pm; free cover before 11pm. 710 Pacific St. • blurbar.com. CLUB CRYSTAL Find many of Inergy’s former staff and décor at this two-room Latin/hip-hop club. Sunday evening drag shows rule the roost. 6680 Southwest Frwy, next to Colorado 713.278.2582 • crystaltheclub.com. CROCKER BAR This comfortably remodeled Montrose nightspot also offers karaoke on Tuesdays and Thursdays and extended happy-hour prices throughout the week. 2312 Crocker • 713.529.3355.

Houston’s most iconic and largest LGBTQ dance club NO COVER BEFORE 10:30pm

2401 San Jacinto • Houston, TX • RichsNightclub.com

SUPPORT

•

EDUCATION

•

ADVOCACY

Where Everyone is Welcome! Helpline: 713-46P-FLAG www.pflaghouston.org

If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, that’s ours.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Hundreds of meetings a week in your area. Call (713) 686-6300 or visit www.aahouston.org For general information visit: www.aa.org

122 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

GEORGE Regulars rule at this comfortable neighborhood sports bar. Sports Saturdays and Sundays start at 3pm with dart and pool tournaments. 617 Fairview • 713.528.8102. GUAVA LAMP This trendy and friendly video and cruise bar gets busy during happy hour and stays busy ‘til closing. Karaoke on Wed. and Sun. 570 Waugh Dr. • 713.524.3359 guavalamphouston.com. HAMBURGER MARY’S Since 1972, Mary has served up amazing food and stellar shows*! With the best drag talent in the city, it’s been voted “Best Drag Show Bar,” “Most Supportive of the LGBTQ Community,” “Best Hamburger,” “Best Brunch,” “Friendliest Staff,” and “Best Place to Celebrate” by our readers. Be sure to try the famous Mac & Cheese Balls, or grab a leg glass (as seen on RuPaul’s Drag Race)! *Reservations recommended for shows. 2409 Grant St., 713.677.0674, hamburgermarys.com EAGLE Part of the Eagle worldwide family, it’s the definitive home to the man’s man. Leather, Bear or Jock, you’ll find them here. Voted “Best Community Bar,” “Best Men’s Bar,” “Best Place to Show Your Leather,” “Best Happy Hour,” and “Best Place to Buy Erotic Playthings” by our readers. Eagle has multiple levels and patios, along with DJs and male dancers—and it’s the place to watch sports. Noon–2am every day, 611 Hyde Park Blvd., 713.523.BIRD • houstoneagle.com

JR’S BAR & GRILL This Montrose standard offers drag and strip shows throughout the week, karaoke Thurs. and Sun., plus pool tables and male dancers. 808 Pacific St. • 713.521.2519 jrsbarandgrill.com. LA GRANJA DISCO Y CANTINA Houston’s newest gay disco. Great drink prices, house DJs nightly. Open at 3pm until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays. 5505 Pinemont • 713.518.6753 lagranjadisco.com MICHAEL’S OUTPOST Jerry Atwood, Clay Howell, Neil Massey, Steve Wheaton, and Roger Woest take turns at the keys at this comfortable neighborhood piano bar. 1419 Richmond Ave. • 713.520.8446. NEON BOOTS DANCEHALL & SALOON Houston’s only LGBTQ country dancehall opens Wednesday–Sunday. Wednesday features Steak Night and Bingo. Free dance classes on Thursdays, and karaoke. 11410 Hempstead Hwy 713.677.0828 • neonbootsclub.com. PEARL BAR This LGBT-friendly lounge in the Washington corridor features daily highlights like open mic night, steak night, and drink specials. 4216 Washington • pearlhouston.com. RICH’S HOUSTON Houston’s most iconic and largest LGBT dance club, with multiple levels featuring a video/show bar and a private VIP lounge. No cover before 10:30 p.m. 2401 San Jacinto • 281.846.668 • richsnightclub.com. THE RIPCORD This multi-roomed leather bar boasts a busy patio, especially on the weekends. The Forge shop located inside the club. Saturday nights with DJ Tad Dvorak. 715 Fairview Ave • 713.521.2792. RUDYARD’S The eclectic British pub is known for its craft beers as well as for the burgers. Most weekends you’ll find up-and-coming local bands rocking the house. 2010 Waugh Dr. • 713.521.0521 • rudyardspub.com. TONY’S CORNER POCKET This comfortable club has one of the friendliest bar staffs in town. Amateur dance contest each Thurs., Fri., & Sat. at 11pm. Opens daily at noon. 817 W. Dallas • 713.571.7870 tonyscornerpocketbar.com. VIVIANA’S Happening weekend-only gay dance club with Latin DJs, singers, talent shows & Sunday strippers. 4624 Dacoma • 713.681.4104.

Behind the Bar

What is the best and worst holiday to work? Why?

Best: Halloween, because it’s fun and people are in a great mood. Worst: Valentine’s Day, because of all the lonely hearts I have to talk to all night!

Who are the hardest customers to please?

The ones who like certain drinks at other bars and they don’t know the recipe!

If you weren’t a bartender…what career would you choose?

DAVID TRUONG JR’S BAR & GRILL

What is your favorite shot to make? To drink?

To make: Sour Watermelon Shot with Tajín spice on the rim.

Where is your favorite place to drink when not on duty? JR’s or Eagle or Guava

I’m best known for my accent and funny personality.

RUMORS BEAUMONT Now open in the old Orleans Street Pub location. Drag shows with Dessie Love-Blake, Lady Shamu, Kara Dion and more. 650 Orleans • 713.539.5183 rumorsbeaumont.com

BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION HALO VIDEO BAR The only LGBT dance club in Bryan/College station, this sleek spot is open Thurs.–Sat. smack in the middle of Aggieland. 121 North Main • 979.823.6174 • halobcs.com.

GALVESTON 23RD ST. STATION The bar features daily drink specials and the weekend is filled with pulsing music, hot dancers, drag shows, and a Sunday Tea Dance. 1706 23rd St. • 409.621.1808.

Pop-up Cooking Events, Catering & Private Chef GEORGE SPORTS BAR Thursday Nights CHEF MICHELE 832.419.0165

freegrillin/

/chefmichelefree

Do you have any pets?

Yes, one lady pug named Lola.

Shifts:

What are you best known for?

BEAUMONT

I’d like to be a photographer because I can be creative and capture all of life’s beautiful moments.

Best Steak Night at a Bar Winner

Wednesdays & Fridays 8p-2a; Thursdays 6p-2a; Sunday 9p-2a.

ROBERT’S LAFITTE The Island institution features a private patio with swimming pool. On Sat. and Sun. nights, the Ladies of Lafitte show takes the stage. 2501 Avenue Q (at 25th) • 409.765.9092. RUMORS BEACH BAR Drink specials every night and daily day drinking specials starting at noon. Great drag shows Fri. – Sund. and karaoke Sun. – Thurs. at 8pm. Sun. Drag Bingo. 3102 Seawall Blvd. • 409.497.4617 • rumorsbeachbar.com

SPRING RANCH HILL SALOON With its two pool tables, 52-inch plasma televisions, and large dance floor, this popular northside spot also offers DJs Thurs.– Sat. 24704 I-45N Suite 103 • 281.298.9035 • ranchhill.com. THE ROOM BAR AND LOUNGE This bar and video lounge has a laid-back atmosphere. DJs several nights a week. 4915 FM 2920 • 281.907.6866 • roombarspring.com.

HAPPY, HARD & DEEP SATURDAYS 10pm-2am at the RIPCORD

OutSmartMagazine.com

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ADVERTISERS INDEX ACCOMMODATIONS/HOTELS

Resurrection MCC

Elan Heights

2025 W 11th..................................... 713/861-9149

Elan Memorial Park

5501 Main........................................713/528-0527

825 Usener.....................................832/906-8728 920 Westcott................................... 713/861-6900

St Paul’s United Methodist Church St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

Lake Charles

Visitlakecharles.org/greattimes.... .800/456-7952 Miller Outdoor Theatre

MillerOutdoorTheatre.com...........281/373-3386 Pearl Bar

Le Méridien Houston Downtown

1805 W. Alabama........... ststephenshouston.org

4216 Washington................... PearlHouston.com

L’Emerson Corporate Lodging

CLEANING SERVICES

queensburytheatre.org.................713/467-4497

........................................................... 832/252-1961

2401 San Jacinto................. RichsNIghtClub.com

NURTURE

SPAHouston.org..............................713/227-4772

1121 Walker.....................................346/330-3453 ...........................................................Lemerson.net

ACCOUNTANTS/BOOKKEEPERS/ CPAS Gary Gritz, CPA

230 Westcott, Ste 210...................713/784-3030

ADVERTISING/MARKETING Ashkan Media

.................................................. Ashkanmedia.com

Dexter’s Five Star Service/Bob Samora

your LOCAL

OutSmart Magazine

3406 Audubon................................713/520-7237

AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING Newport Air

newportair.net ..............................281/808-8630

ART GALLERIES & MUSEUMS

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

5216 Montrose........................................camh.org Museum of Fine Arts

BUSINESSES

WHO believe IN

EQUALITY. Thank You for supporting our advertisers!

www.mfah.org............................Mfah.org/royals The Menil Collection

1533 Sul Ross St..................................... .menil.org

ASTROLOGER

Lilly Roddy Astrology

...........................................................713/529-5842

ATTORNEYS/LEGAL SERVICES

Get listed on this page. Call 713/520-7237 for details.

Gonzalez Olivieri LLC

gonzalezolivierillc.com..................713/481-3040 Katine & Nechman LLP

1834 Southmore.............................713/808-1001 3730 Kirby Dr Ste 777....................832/303-3410

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS

COMMUNITY/NONPROFIT

1919 FM 1960, Bypass Rd. E.,Humble281/540-2000

...............................................713-526-1017, ext.20

Master Car Care & Collision

2305 Yale St.................................... 713/862-6630 RMS Auto Care

Bering Connect

Diana Foundation

.......................................TheDianaFoundation.org EPAH

1759 Westheimer............................713/529-5855

...................................................................EPAH.org

Ryan Automotive

Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce

716 Fairview...................................713/522-3602 Tech Auto Maintenance

37 Waugh Dr................................... 713/863-8244

AUTOMOTIVE SALES Central Houston Cadillac

2520 Main St....................................832/981-7590 Planet Lincoln

20403 I-45 North Spring, TX...... 888/242-5059 Toyota of Alvin

3506 FM 528 Alvin,Tx.77511 ....... 281/968-2266

BAKERIES/CUSTOM CAKES

Acadian Bakers

604 W. Alabama.............................713/520-1484

HoustonLGBTChamber.com.........832-510-3002 Houston GLBT Political Caucus

.......................................................... thecaucus.org

The Compound Antique Show

1006 Missouri................................. 713/529-4364

800 Bagby, Suite 200...................... tuts.com/out

2550 S. State Hwy 237....Roundtopcompound.com

Tony’s Corner Pocket

817 W. Dallas...................................832/722-7658

EMPLOYMENT/STAFF RECRUITING

The Z Firm / Poppi Melera

www.zfirm-us.cm...........................713-877-8583

FERTILITY/GYNECOLOGY

Aspire Fertility

AspireFertility.com.........................713/425-3003 The Cooper Institute

Houstonfertilitysolutions.com..... 713/771-9771

FINANCIAL PLANNING/BANKS

Bryan Cotton/Mass Mutual

Three Greenway Plaza.................. 281/960-0447 Richard Dickson/Galene Financial

1700 W Loop S, Ste 255................ 713/489-4322 Grace Yung/Midtown Financial

Montrose Dental Group/Bruce W. Smith, DDS

HEALTH CARE/COLON/RECTAL CARE

Texas Oncology Surgical Specialists

7400 Fannin St., Set 1295..............832/932-1720

HEALTH CARE-ORTHODONTISTS

Orthotex/Dr. Zane Haider, DMD, MS

Orthotexsmiles.com.......................281/937-2540 2540 FM 2920, Spring....................281/937-2540 11942 Barker Cypress, Cypress....281/937-2540

HEALTH CARE-EMERGENCY CENTERS

SignatureCare Emergency Centers

1007 Westheimer............................281/709-2897 1925 TC Jester.................................832/850-4338 1014 Wirt Rd.....................................832/924-0312 Additional locations.......................ercare24.com

HEALTH CARE-FOOT/ ANKLE SPECIALISTS Sole Aesthetic/Dr. Vanessa T. Barrow

3355 Alabama, Ste 180..................713/355-9833

FITNESS CLUBS/PERSONAL TRAINERS

Avenue 360

HEALTH CARE-HIV/STD TESTING

Club Houston

Avenue360.org................................713/426-0027

FIT

...............................LegacyCommunityHealth.org

Fithouston.com.............................. 713/529-1515

FOOD/SPECIALTY & SPIRITS

Deep Eddy Vodka

..............................................deepeddyvodka.com Dripping Springs

................................... drippingspringsvodka.com

Legacy Community Health

HEALTH CARE–OPHTHALMOLOGISTS

Houston Eye Associates/Stewart Zuckerbrod, MD

5420 Dashwood, Ste 101............... 713/668-9118

HEALTH CARE–OPTOMETRISTS

Boutique Eye Care

HAIR/NAIL/MAKE-UP SALONS

2502 Woodhead.............................713/528-2010

1318 Telephone Rd................. EastEndBarber.net

2055 Westheimer.......................... 713/520-6600

East End Barber

Green Apple Salon

719 W. Gray St.............................. 713/5212-0500

Eye Contact Eye Gallery

432 W. 19th..................................... 713/864-8822

MyGayHouston.com

RoboticHairSolutions.com........... 832/644-9170

520 Waugh Dr.................................713/352-0974

HEALTH - AGE MANAGEMENT

4317 Montrose, Ste. 2....................713/529-3937

401 Branard................................... lhihouston.org .............................. MyGayHouston.com/discover Pet Patrol

..................................................... ThePetPatrol.org Ryan White Planning Council

rwpcHouston.org .......................... 713-572-3724 Theatre Southwest

Copy.com

1201-F Westheimer......................... 713/528-1201

515 Westheimer............................ 713/524-7858 Robotic Hair Restoration Services

Share Wellness & MediSpa/Dr. John Share

4011 Richmond Ave........................713/621-8200

Spectacles on Montrose

HEALTH CARE/PHARMACIES

Avita Pharmacy

2600 SW Fwy, Ste 409.................. 713/589-9804

LegacyCommunityHealth.org/services/pharmacy/

Champion Counseling/ Yvonne Champion, LCSW, CGP

ChampionCounseling.com........ 832/6543-5168 Denise O’Doherty, LPC, LMFT, LCDC, RN

3131 Eastside St., Ste. 435...........713/524-9525 230 Westcott, Ste 210................... 713/869-7400

Dr. Barry F. Gritz, MD

George Country Sports Bar

........................................................... 713/447-2164

CHURCHES/SPIRITUAL CENTERS

617 Fairview ...................................713/528-8102

The Montrose Center

1440 Harold................................... beringumc.org

611 Hyde Park........................HoustonEagle.com

Dr. Daniel Garza, MD

3131 Eastside St, Ste 4...............15281/610-8190 Jeffrey Myles/JM Professional Services

Houston Eagle

401 Branard.................................... 713/529-0037

JR’s/Santa Fe

4617 Montrose, Ste C206.............. 713/522-7014

808 Pacific....................................... 713/521-2519

Montrose Eye Care/ Dr. Paul Lovero

AvitaPharmacy.com...................... 713/489-4362

ENTERTAINMENT/NIGHT LIFE Bacco Wine Garden & Spirits

Eye To Eye

HEALTH CARE–COUNSELING/THERAPY

D. “Woodja” Flanigan, MS, LPA

3611 Montrose Blvd......................346/444-5275

124 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

Montrose Dental Group/Austin T. Faulk, DDS

Soleaesthetictx.com.....................713/666-9934

Jim Benton of Houston Catering

Living Mosaic Church

Montrose Dental Group/Samuel A. Carrell, DDS

1006 Missouri................................713/529-4364

615 Texas Ave..............................alleytheatre.org

401 Branard St................................ 832/971-0364

Orthotex/Dr. Zane Haider, DMD MS

Orthotexsmiles.com.......................281/937-2540

Theatre Under The Stars

Alley Theatre

Bering United Methodist

LifeSmiles by Randy Mitchmore, DDS

1722 W. Alabama........................... 713/592-9300

1006 Missouri................................713/529-4364

2305 Dunlavy................................832/788-1586

2811 Eastman................................. 713/802-2860

530 Waugh Dr................................ 713/942-8598

Theatre Southwest

Thearesouthwest.org.....................713/661-9505

davidalcorta.net............................. 832/439-0224

David Alcorta Catering

Cory Logan, DDS

HAIR RESTORATION

kpft.org............................................ 713-526-4000

COMPUTERS/INTERNET/IT SERVICES

Capitol Beverage

Bayou City Smiles/ Cynthia Corral, DDS

2313 Edwards St., Ste 150............ 713/518-1411

Lesbian Health Initiative (LHI)

KPFT Radio

Dessert Gallery

CATERING SERVICES

Stages Theatre

StagesTheatre.com......................... 713-527-0123

2313 Edwards St., Ste. 150............. 713/518-1411

1806B Westheimer.........................713/523-1279 1700 Post Oak Blvd, Ste 110.......... 713/622-7470

Theatresouthwest.org....................713/661-9505

DessertGallery.com.......................713-522-9999

Society For The Performing Arts

HEALTH CARE–DENTISTS

Bayou City Smiles/Marcus de Guzman, DDS

NU-Cuts Hair Salon

David Alcorta Catering

davidalcorta.net............................. 832/439-0224

Rich’s Houston

2205 Fannin ................................... 713/659-4998

The Perdue Law Firm

Beckwith’s Car Care

Queensbury Theatre

Christine Wysong

230 Westcott, Ste 210..................713/869-7400

Robert Snellgrove, LMSW-ACP

Legacy Pharmacy

HEALTH-PHYSICAL THERAPY

Crom Rehabilitation/Dr. Roy Rivera

Cromrehab.com..............................713/868-2766

HEALTH CARE–PHYSICIANS

Octavio Barrios, MD

507 West Gray.................................713/942-7546 7106 Spencer Highway................. 281/542-9400 Gordon Crofoot, MD/Crofoot MD

3701 Kirby, Ste.1230...................... 713/526-0005 Abel Flores, MD/Crofoot MD

3701 Kirby, Ste.1230.................... 713/526-0005 M. Sandra Scurria, MD

6565 West Loop South, Ste 300... 281/661-5901

ADVERTISERS INDEX Derek Smith, AGPCNP-BC/Crofoot MD

3701 Kirby, Ste.1230...................... 713/526-0005

HEALTH CARE–SERVICES

PET SERVICES& SUPPLIES

Bacco Wine Garden & Spirits

3611 Montrose Blvd.................... 346/444-5275

4920 Mimosa....................................713/661-2117

Molly’s Mutthouse

DessertGallery.com.......................713-522-9999

Visitlakecharles.org/greattimes.. 800/456-7952

MidtownVetHospital.com............ 713-528-4900

Avenue360.org................................713/426-0027

Avenue 360

3410 N. Shepherd......................... 713/426-6888 2755 Vossdale.................................281/501-9062

Harris County Public Health

Spay-Neuter Assistance Program

Publichealth.harriscountytx.gov..713/439-6293 Houston Health Department

.....................................................PensHouston.org Legacy Community Health

LegacyCommunityHealth.org..... 832/548 5000

Snapus.org.......................................713/862-3863 West Alabama Animal Clinic

2030 W. Alabama...........................713/528-0818

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ryan White Planning Council

Dalton DeHart Photography

St. Hope Foundation

Yvonne Feece Photography

RWPCHouston.org.........................713/572-3784 offeringhope.org.............................713/778-1300 UT Hearts

...........................................................713/486-2736 Ways2Well

Ways2well.com.............................. 800/321-0864

HEALTH CARE–SKIN CARE

Heights Dermatology/Alpesh Desai, MD

2120 Ashland.................................. 713/864-2650

Dessert Gallery

Free Grillin’/Chef Michele

...........................................................832/419-0165 Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino

3215 Westheimer............................ 713/522-1934 Gloria’s Latin Cuisine

2616 Louisiana................................832/360-1710 Hamburger Mary’s

2409 Grant.......................................713/677-0674

DaltonDehart.com..........................713/622-2202

yvonnefeece.com...........................832/876-1053

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jenni’s Noodle House

3111 S. Shepherd.............................713/523-7600 602 E. 20th St. ................................713/862-3344 2027 Post Oak Blvd........................713/621-4200 3773 Richmond...............................713/714-8258 Katz’s Deli

Houston Camera Exchange

5900 Richmond Ave.......................713/789-6901

616 Westheimer Rd.........katzsneverkloses.com

PLUMBING

2019 Post Oak Blvd ........................713/961-3565

U-Plumb-It Plumbing Supply

1424 Montrose................................ 713-942-2277 Village Plumbing & Appliance

Maggiano’s

POOLS & POOL SERVICES

1117 Missouri St.............................. 713/529-3450

Skin Renaissance Laser/Octavio Barrios, MD

........................................................... 713/447-9201

HEALTH CARE-RESEARCH STUDIES

Copy.com

Riva’s Italian Restaurant

1201-F Westheimer......................... 713/528-1201

UT Health Substance Abuse Study

Readings by LA

...........................................................713/486-2635

HEALTH CARE-WEIGHT LOSS CLINICS

Dr. B-Fit/ Octavio Barrios, MD

517 West Gray.................................713/942-7546

HOME BUILDERS

Colina Homes

Colinahomes.com. ....................... 281/463-0355 Sandcastle Homes/Mike Taylor

SandcastleHouston.com.............. 281/543-6360

HOME FURNISHINGS/ACCESSORIES

Cantoni

9889 Westheimer............................cantoni.com Fountains and Statuary

11804 Hempstead Rd.....................713/957-3672

HOME REMODELING/RENOVATIONS

Luria Construction

2200 North Loop W, Ste 136....... 713/688-8669 Patrick Torma/Goosehead Insurance

Aquafestcruises.com.....................800/592-9058

Chicago Title –Inner Loop

REAL ESTATE–REALTORS

Jared Anthony Cox/Pogi Realty

pogirealty.com............................... 832/570-5726

Tim Anthony/Anthony Upton Properties

AnthonyUptonProperties.com.... 713/528-0050 Brooks Ballard/Engel & Volkers

309 Gray........................................... 713/522-7474

yvonnefeece.com...........................832/876-1053

WEDDING SERVICES/SERVICES Bradley David Entertainment

204 Marshall St. #5........................713/487-6076 Harmony Strings String Quartet

....................................www.harmonystrings.com

Get listed on this page. Call 713/520-7237, ext. 710.

IDEAL FOR SUMMER INTERNS When business or pleasure brings you to Houston for a month or more, why not make L’Emerson your address?

t.phillips@kw.com........................ 832/305-7848

Wade Knight / Martha Turner

Wadeknight.com............................ 713/582-0264 Debbie Levine/Greenwood King Properties

JEWELERS

redunlocked.com........................... 832/654-3293

Lynette Lew/Better Homes and Gardens

Red & Co. Real Estate

Tom Schwenk/Tom’s Galveston Real Estate

1338-C Westheimer..................... 713/520-5440

Tomsgalvestonrealestate.com......713-857-2309

LANDSCAPING/GARDENING

1802 Broadway/Galveston........... 409/765-9837

PEST CONTROL SERVICES

DaltonDehart.com..........................713/622-2202

Yvonne Feece-Tran Photography

Marthaturner.com.......................... 713/520-1981

Dannypleason.com........................832/661-1502

Andy’s All Star Pest Control

Dalton DeHart Photography

Thomas Phillips/KW Memorial

Danny Pleason/Martha Turner

........................................................... 713/732-7742

WEDDING SERVICES/OFFICIANTS

Judge Kelli Johnson – Officiant

karenderr.com................................713/875-7050

Life OutStanding/Chaz Bethas

RyanMassageWorks.com..............713/269-7926

2811 Eastman................................. 713/802-2860

...........................................................713/677-4337

ChazBethas.com........................... 346/298-0722

Ryan Fugate, RMT

davidalcorta.net............................. 832/439-0224 Jim Benton of Houston Catering

David@DavidBowers.com..........409/763-2800

LynetteLew.com..............................713/582-2202

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

WEDDING SERVICES/CATERERS David Alcorta Catering

Jeremy Fain/Greenwood King Properties

LIFE COACHING

502 W. 18th St.................................713/862-7444

DessertGallery.com.......................713-522-9999

David Bowers/The House Company/Galveston

...........................................................713/942-6857

Joshua’s Native Plants & Antiques

Dessert Gallery

Keith Russell/Republic State Mortgage

2121 Sage Road, Ste 140................713/299-4981

3420 Rusk, Ste. 22..........................281/723-1294

Silverlust

David Alcorta Catering

davidalcorta.net............................. 832/439-0224

3700 Buffalo Speedway.................713/418-7000

Martha Turner Properties

INSURANCE AGENCIES/AGENTS

TRAVEL/TRAVEL AGENCIES Aquafest

REAL ESTATE–MORTGAGE/TITLE

HOME REMODELING/PAINTING

Lane Lewis/Farmers Insurance

12220 Murphy................................ 281/575-8500

readingbyLA.com...........................832/856-2188

Karen Derr/Karen Derr Realty

Luria Construction

TELEPHONES/CELL/WIRELESS Premier Wireless

PSYCHIC READERS

LuriaConstruction.com................ 713/828-2155

LuriaConstruction.com.................. 713/828-2155

5922 Washington............theclassichouston.com

3414 Washington Ave.........feasturbaneats.com

U of H / Project Pride

uhcore@central.uh.edu................ 713/743-7477

The Classic Houston Urban Eats

PRINTING/COPY CENTERS

604 W. Alabama.............................713/520-1484

WEDDING SERVICES/PHOTO/VIDEO

Sienna Dermatology

507 West Gray.................................713/942-7546

Acadian Bakers

.......................................................... 832/771-8030

1902 Westheimer........................... 713/528-9020

Venture Pools

WEDDING SERVICES/BAKERS

Raising Cane’s

311 West Gray. Ste. B................... .832/491-0455

5403 Kirby...........................713/224-DRIP(3747)

7435 Highway 6., Ste. B................ 832/324-9700

Lake Charles

Melange Restaurant

Share Wellness & MediSpa/Dr. John Share

4011 Richmond Ave........................713/621-8200

Concierge Travel, Inc

Midtown Veterinary Hospital

• All the amenities of home.

VJ Tramonte/Joe Tramonte Realty

Calvin Upton/Anthony Upton Properties

• Ideally situated in the Montrose-Midtown area.

Andy Weber/John Daugherty Realtors

• Much more affordable than a downtown hotel room.

AnthonyUptonProperties.com.... 713/528-0050 520 Post Oak................................... 713/724-4306

Tom Fricke, Proprietor

RESTAURANTS/COFFEE/WINE BARS

Acadian Bakers

604 W.Alabama..............................713/520-1484

210 Emerson Street • Houston, Texas 77006 www.LEmerson.net

LEmersonad_May15.indd 1

Want to have your business listed here?

OutSmartMagazine.com | APRIL 2019 125

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CHURCHES

SUN. 10:00 AM: Worship Service WED. 7:00 PM: Bible Study 401 Branard : Houston, 77006

7700 Seawall #109 • 219,500 Breakers Condominiums 2 bedrooms, 2 baths Beachfront/ocean view 1923 Ave M • $649,500 Circa 1886 High Victorian 4/2.5/1 plus pool & apt.

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COMPUTER SERVICES

126

BILL O’ ROURKE

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Ch-ch-ch-changes Two strong planets reaching their peak means this is a month for metamorphosis.

pril is a month for decision-making. Our reality has been challenged, and we will feel more inclined to respond to it by creating a better path of safety and security. We are experiencing the alignment of two strong planets that will reach their peak in April and May. This alignment will have worldwide implications, and will continue the stress on our current economic environment. This energy has been building since last September, and we will have another alignment in July. Develop a good plan to respond to changing conditions! Mercury is direct on April 4, so you can now put all of your new plans and ideas into action! The New Moon on the 5th and the Full Moon on the 19th will be especially powerful, and make us more aware of our unconscious fears. • Good days this month are April 7, 14, and 15. Crazy days are April 2, 5, 10, 12, 13, 19, 22, and 27.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20)

You are spending time with friends, community organizations, and like-minded people as the month begins. You are more interested in finding ways to improve the neighborhood and find a common cause to unite the people you associate with. By midmonth, you are ready for a break and some personal time as you push your limits to the edge. At the end of the month you feel more renewed, but you are taking measured steps to move forward. You want more freedom in your life so you can express more of your true self. Restrictive relationships or overly demanding work conditions will have you looking elsewhere. Connect to your passion!

GEMINI (May 21–June 21)

This is a busy month, with emphasis on your work and connecting with friends. This month you are looking for projects that really call on your creativity. You are more than ready to step up and take a leadership role over the next month and a half. Friends and social organizations want your participation and leadership. If you are single, this is a good month to be meeting new people. 128

APRIL 2019

OutSmartMagazine.com

If you are involved, this is a great month to renew those bonds. You will need more time to yourself by the end of the month, but you’ll still have plenty of energy to focus on improving your health, taking care of old financial matters, and making sure you get a break from your routines. CANCER (June 22–July 22) You are feeling pulled in several directions at the same time this month. Work and home are demanding a lot of your energy, so where to set your boundaries is the $64,000 question. At work, you are calculating where you should focus to get the best results. You may be impatient and even judgmental with those who block your way. With relationships, you are either solidifying those connections or moving on. You are more creative at the beginning of April, and more businesslike in the latter half of the month. Friends and associates are more important in your life in the latter part of the month. Renew those positive connections.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Career is extra-stimulated this month. You can be looking at starting your own business, taking on a new project at your current job, or even retiring. You can easily be bored with your current situation as you look for something to attach yourself to. This is an important month to pay attention to your financial picture. There could even be unnecessary changes on your bills. You are looking for new mental stimulation, which may involve going back to school, going on vacation, or doing a study on spirituality and metaphysics. Business associates can be very supportive and helpful with any project that you are working on!

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Renewing the bond with your partner is very important this month. Your partner helps you see the bigger picture, since you can get caught up in the details. If you are single and interested, this is a good time to meet new folks. You have extra confidence this month, and this boost of self-assurance is especially strong at the workplace. You will want to take on a leadership role or help promote your company’s goals. You have a very direct approach this month, and that may be too

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

With this being your birthday month, you are reviewing your history of the last year and looking forward to new goals and adventures. There is a lot of focus on career and your role in the family. You will be making some major decisions in these areas. You are still very self-reflective as the month begins. You are trying to balance your time between work, home, and your partner—and still have some time left over for yourself. The early part of the month is a good time for a short vacation, but by midmonth, several things will need your full attention. In the latter part of the month, you are attempting to free yourself from financial obligations. Your self-confidence is stronger at the end of the month!

much for some. If your boss or coworkers feel threatened, they may block your path. Words have power this month!

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 23)

Your work environment and your coworkers continue to be strong in your horoscope this month. There may have been confusion generated last month that is finally being cleared up in April. You’ll have no patience with those who leave their work or responsibilities to others. Relationships are highlighted by midmonth. This is a good time to renew those bonds and make sure you have the same goals. Home and family are very important this month as well. You could be remodeling or moving, and midmonth will be the time to make a decision about that. Keep working on freeing yourself from debt—that will be a big motivation for you throughout the year.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24–Nov. 21)

Your views on relationships are going through a big revision. Restrictive relationships will have you looking elsewhere. This is a time of major renewal. In ongoing business or personal partnerships, this is a time of getting clear about what we need now. That will bring a sense of renewal, and those partnerships that can’t adapt will be coming to an end. You are paying attention to details and your daily habits this month, with an eye on improving how you use your time. This is a good time to begin a diet or exercise regimen. April can be a time when some of you are starting your own business, even if it is just part-time. The need to be in charge of your own reality is very strong. This is a month of big decisions for Scorpios!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

With Jupiter, your ruling planet, visiting Sagittarius until November, this should be a positive, busy, and upbeat year! Relationships are the hot topic for April. If you are involved, you will need to put some energy into your partnership to renew those connections. If you are single, this is an excellent month to put yourself out there. Your magnetism is very strong! This is also an excellent time for a business partnership as well. However, you will have little patience with those who can’t keep up. You are reassessing your finances and investments, and looking for conservative, safe investments. Your home is a place of retreat, and you may not let others in if they don’t know the password. By the end of the month, you are ready for some play time!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

April is a major month for you! On the surface level, you are re-evaluating everything you do and everyone you are connected to. At the beginning of the month you are more introspective with your views, but by midmonth those views are coming to the surface. Some of the changes that are occurring are bigger than you, but you’ll still have to adapt to them. You could be moving, relocating your career base, or even retiring and learning to live off the grid. This is a very good month for an exercise program. You are more motivated than you have been in a while. Toward the end of the month, you will need time to relax and be playful, or to spend time with your children. CONTINUED ON PAGE 115

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On February 23, The Mystery and Fantasy Mardi Gras Party 2019 was held at Rich’s. Pictured are Scott Miller, Clifford Dotson, Jaime Zelaya (costume contest winner), Robert Harwood, and Ed Bradshaw.

On February 24, AssistHers held the annual Decadent Desserts and Dancing fundraiser at Neon Boots. Pictured are Nina Lombardo, Christopher Loera, Meleah Jones, Kevin Avery, and Jody Stevens.

Judge Jason Cox Investiture was held on February 28. Pictured are Judge Guy Herman (seated), Jason Cox, Jason Terrell (holding Bible) and Judge Amy Parsons administering the oath.

On February 28, The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce held a happy-hour event at Waterman Steele Real Estate Advisors, celebrating the Chamber’s third anniversary. Pictured are Gary Wood, Tammi Wallace, Tiffany Tosh, and A.J. Mistretta.

The Red Dinner Rhapsody Fundraiser was held on February 28 at the Moores Opera House. Pictured are Dr. Jorge Gonzales, Dr. Nathan Grant Smith, Dean Andrew Davis, Dean Leonard Baynes, Dean Bob McPherson, Dean Alan Dettlaff, Kevin Hamby, and Brian Waddle.

On March 3, The AIDS Walk 2019 was held at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston. Pictured are members of the Lazarus House walk team.

Justice Charles Spain Investiture was held on March 7. Pictured are Bruce Dunkel, Zodie Spain, Justice Jerry Zimmerer, John Adcock, Jeff Spain, Justice Charles Spain, Judge Phyllis R. Frye, and Justice Tracy Christopher.

The Montrose Center held the Super Gayla Table Captain Brunch on March 23. Pictured are (back) Kennedy Loftin, Seleste Flores, Ray Halliburton; (front) Colby Remsing, Matt Wilhoit, Sallie Wyatt Woodell, Carol Wyatt Woodell, Meleah Jones, and Arty Garcia.

Pride Houston Volunteer Appreciation Event on March 9 at the Montrose Center. Pictured are some of the board members and committee chairs.

ActOut at The Alley Theatre was held before the production of The Humans on March 3. Pictured are Chris Cantu, Brandon Weinbrenner, James Spear, Lauren Pelletier, and Tina Berry.

On February 2, the Houston Pride Band performed its On the Red Carpet concert with host St. John Flynn at MATCH. Pictured are members of the band.

130 APRIL 2019 | OutSmartMagazine.com

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