QSaltLake October 27, 2011 Transgender Battles by QSaltLake Magazine

Utah’s News & Entertainment Magazine for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community | FREE

salt lake Issue 192 October 27, 2011

Transgender Battles PHOTO: SETH BRACKEN

Pink Dot Utah AIDS Foundation Q Tattoos Tori Amos’ Photos Seasons Givings Christ-like Path

2 NEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

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what should we do this weekend?

i dunno. where should we look?

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ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

staff

publisher Michael Aaron editor Seth Bracken

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arts & entertainment editor/ofc mgr Tony Hobday graphic designer Christian Allred sales Robb Trujillo contributors Chris Azzopardi, Lynn Beltran,

Chef Drew Ellswroth, Kyle Foote, H. Rachelle Graham, Bob Henline, Gus Herrero, Tony Hobday, Christopher Katis, Annalisa Millo, Petunia Pap Smear, Anthony Paull, Steven Petrow, Ruby Ridge, Ed Sikov, A.E. Storm, Michael Westley, Ben Williams, Troy Williams, D’Anne Witkowski distribution Ryan Benson, Michael Hamblin, Nancy Burkhart publisher

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GENERAL ELECTION

EQUALITY VOTER GUIDE

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8

Take this to the polls with you!

EQUALITY UTAH PAC Political Action Committee www.EqualityUtahPAC.org

EQUAL IS RIGHT EQUAL IS Be a part of EQUALITY. R I G H T EQUAL IS RIGHT Equality Utah Political Action Committee (PAC) is Utah’s LGBT organization focused on electing fair minded candidates to office. We are working to change our state one office at a time. Our endorsed candidates have gone through a rigorous process to assess their position on issues that are important to you: non-discrimination, equal access to healthcare, and relationship recognition.

Find your polling place: Vote.utah.gov

HELP ELECT THESE FAIR MINDED CANDIDATES WHO CAN HELP US ENACT EQUAL RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS FOR LGBT UTAHNS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

SUPPORT EQUALITY UTAH PAC’S ENDORSED CANDIDATES: share this information with your family, friends, and coworkers. Together we can elect people to office who will work for a fair and just Utah!

Be a part of the moment. Be a part of movement.

Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Equality-Utah/356191376920

Ralph Becker Salt Lake City Mayor

EQUAL IS RIGHT EQUAL IS RIGHT EQUAL IS FAIR-MINDED CANDIDATES VOTE pollsIwith FOR Take this to the R Gyou!H T Kyle LaMalfa

Luke Garrott

Mike Caldwell

Rick Storrs

Salt Lake City Council District 2

Salt Lake City Council District 4

Ogden City Mayor

American Fork City Council

Alan Rogers Fillmore City Council

Alan Summerhays Draper City Council

Alan Anderson

Andy Beerman

Tara Dunn

Corey Rushton

Midvale City Council District 3

Park City Council

St. George City Council

West Valley City Coucil

4 NATIONAL NEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

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Quips & Quotes ❝❝

I think it’s a sin because of my Biblical beliefs. And although people don’t agree with me, I happen to think that it is a choice. That said, I respect their right to make that choice. You don’t see me bashing them or anything like that. I respect their right to make that choice. I don’t have to agree with it.” —GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain

❝❝It’s not okay. It’s a license

to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. (Sex) is supposed to be within marriage. It’s supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal, but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen… This is special and it needs to be seen as special.” —GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum condemning condoms and contraception

❝❝One cannot repent

of something that is unchangeable. I have gone through a tremendous amount of grief over the many years that I spoke of change, repentance, reorientation and such, when, barring some kind of miracle, none of this can occur with homosexuality.”

Please help QSaltLake continue to be your news and entertainment magazine Talk, tweet, post about QSaltLake Tell advertisers you saw them in Q! Ask businesses you use to advertise in Q Join the VIQ Card program Join the QVangelists Facebook group at facebook.com/qvangelists

—Former ‘ex-gay’ activist John Smid

❝❝I don’t understand it

(homosexuality). I am a heterosexual. I look at women. I don’t look at other men. But there are men who look at other men. These are citizens. To protect them and their clients from being infected (with HIV), you have to assist them to protect themselves. I don’t think by arresting them you help them.” —Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

NATIONAL Michael Mitchell to step down from National Stonewall Democrats

The longest-serving executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats Michael Mitchell will be stepping down. Mitchell, who was the first executive director of Equality Utah, will cede his position to Jerame Davis, currently the organization’s affiliate services director, as the interim executive director. The NSD is the queer political caucus of the party and networks more than 90 chapters around the nation. “It’s been my privilege to work for NSD the past two years and a distinct honor to have been able to work with our affiliates around the country who are doing the onthe-ground, necessary work of getting proequality Democrats elected,” Mitchell said in a press release. “It has been a particular point of privilege to work with such a dedicated and hard-working staff. “The decision to leave NSD was a difficult one for me, especially with a critical election coming up next year that will define us as a nation, but it was made easier knowing that our affiliates, staff and board are fully engaged in fulfilling the mission of National Stonewall Democrats.” Before his work with the NSD, Mitchell served as the advocacy and planning specialist for the Equality Federation and as the marriage campaign manager for the ACLU’s LGBT Project. He has also served on the national board of the Equality Federation, the national association of LGBT statewide advocacy organizations. He was the board chair for the NY Inno-

NEWS

Prop. 8 backers appeal to block financial donors, court video disclosure A battle over the disclosure of donors to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California, as well as the video recordings of the court hearings are headed to higher court. In two cases, federal judges denied the anti-gay groups ProtectMarriage.com and the National Organization for Marriage their requests to be exempt from laws that require the disclosure of the donors to the $40 million Proposition 8 campaign and the video recordings of the trial. The backers of the 2008 ballot measure claimed exposure would endanger their contributors. In both cases, the judges ruled that there was insufficient evidence that the supporters of the ban on gay marriage would face any discrimination or harm if their vative Theater Awards, which recognizes names are made public. Marriage equality the achievements of Off-Off-Broadway; he advocates are pushing for the release of served on the boards of the John Jasperse Dance Company and Center for Performance Research; and he was board chair of the Plan-B Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. Mitchell also chaired the Community Nearly half of Hawaiian voters support Advisory Board for Project ACHIEVE, a marriage equality for gay and lesbian coupreventative HIV vaccine study through ples, according to a new poll conducted by the New York Blood Center and the Na- Public Policy Polling. The poll found that 49 percent of voters support the legalizational Institutes of Health. “Michael has accomplished many great tion of same-sex marriages, while only 40 things while serving as our executive di- percent oppose the measure. Eleven perrector, not least of which was our success- cent of respondents were undecided. Hawaii was the first state to enter the ful ElectEquality program he established,” gay marriage fray when a constitutional said Craig Roberts, NSD board chair, in a amendment was passed in 1998 defining press release. “During his tenure, he has represented the organization incredibly marriage as a union between one man and well and built and solidified relationships one woman. However, the Hawaii Legislathat are integral to the work of NSD. To ture passed a bill earlier this year making know Michael is to know that he is incred- it the seventh state to legalize civil unions. “This bill represents equal rights for ibly committed to our organization and to electing pro-equality Democrats. I’ll miss everyone in Hawaii, everyone who comes working with him, but I know that he will here. This is to me the essence of the aloha continue to do good work in the next phase spirit,” Governor Neil Abercrombie said at a signing ceremony in February. “With of his life.” Mitchell said he plans on continuing his its signing, I want to say ‘welcome’ to the work in the social justice arena and taking world, come to paradise.” The poll also found that 77 percent supsome time off.

both the campaign donors and the videos, which would follow current federal and state laws. However, the suit insists that Proposition 8 supporters have been subjected to harassment, vandalism, hate mail, boycotts, assaults and death threats. “Some groups and individuals, certainly a minority, have resorted to advancing their cause by discouraging participation in the democratic process through intimidation,” James Bopp, a lawyer for Protect Marriage and the National Organization for Marriage, said in court papers. Current California state law requires the disclosure of the identity of the donor for any donation of $100 or more to a political campaign or fund. The two groups together raised approximately $43.3 million for the Proposition 8 campaign in 2008.

Gay marriage in Hawaii nears majority support

port some recognition, such as civil unions, for gay couples. The poll was a random sampling of 568 Hawaii voters and the margin of error is 4.1 Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie percent. Forty-nine percent of respondents identified as Democrats, 24 percent as Republican and 27 percent as independent. Gay marriage is now legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

6 LOCAL NEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

LOCAL Crowds come out for Pink Dot

DAVID NEWKIRK

Crowds of Utahns celebrated National Coming Out Day by gathering and forming an enormous pink dot on Oct. 11. The celebration at Spring Mobile Ballpark was the first such gathering in the United States and it followed a similar event in Singapore which attracted more than 10,000 people. Organizers of the event estimate 3,000 people gathered. Celebrity ambassadors Kurt Bestor and Fox 13 news anchor Hope Woodside both spoke at the event and introduced performers, including The Anser, a vocal group that competed on X Factor, a hit Fox TV show. The event was organized by the Support, Love, Courage, Campaign to offer a safe place for queers and their allies to gather and celebrate diversity. Organizers hope to make the Pink Dot an annual event to offer a safe place for queer people and their allies to organize and show love and support for one another. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is our life, nobody owns your happiness, and to the people who want to bring us down, I say beware. As a 5-foot-1-inch gay former marine, I am going to be there to fight you,â&#x20AC;? said gay rights activist Eric Alva. The crowd included young couples, families, religious leaders and even some local politicians, such as Ross Romero, who is running for Salt Lake County mayor.

SETH BRACKEN

ISSUE 192

OCTOBER 27, 2011

NEWS

not as I do Trouble brewing in New Jersey The Republican Party is facing scandal after scandal after Republican Senate candidate Phil Mitsch tweeted some interesting sex advice for women and Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers allegedly paying to have sex with a young man. Mitsch told his Twitter followers, “Women, you increase your odds of keeping your men by being faithful, a lady in the living room and a whore in the bedroom.” He later defended his remark calling it a “good tip.” Myers is denying allegations that he paid a young man from RentBoys.com to have sex with him. The young man published online photos of Myers in compromising positions. Both Republicans say they are advocates for “traditional marriage.”

y .

0 e

pSalt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill

PHOTO: HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS / ERIN BURNS

Utah hate crime laws useful, but not enough says district attorney

By Seth Bracken

Utah hate crime laws, while useful for ajudges and the board of pardons, is still not as effective as it should be, said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. Gill, along with Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, Valarie Lars abee, executive director of the Utah Pride Center, Julie Jorgensen a West Valley City police officer, Rep. David Litvack and Terri Busch, a social worker, spoke at a public town hall meeting on Oct. 12 at the Salt Lake Arts Center, concerning hate crimes in the queer community. After any crime has occurred, and police find evidence to suggest that it was motivated by hate and affects a larger community, not just an individual, judges and the board of pardons can increase the penalty of the crime. “The public harm resulting from the commission of the offense, including the degree to which the offense is likely to incite community unrest or cause members of the community to reasonably fear for their safety is what separates a hate crime,” Gill said. The current hate crimes legislation will also allow a judge to increase a class C misdemeanor to a class B and a class B to a class A when hate targeted toward a specific community is proven to be the motivator, Gill said. But this tool is rarely used and a judge would not have to increase the sentencing. Also, if the offense is already a class A misdemeanor, there is no increase made available for the judge. “Where this law becomes useful, and what you don’t hear about is how the board of pardons and judges will take this into consideration,” Gill said. “Four years will turn into six or seven and its practical application has probably been profound.” However, the public awareness that

comes with a sentencing is one of the most important avenues of preventing future crimes, Gill said. “We want to deter crime, but we also are demonstrating values we hold as a society,” Gill said. “That public assertion is so important to the soul of the community, that’s a part as a prosecutor, I look at and why I hold them accountable. “ In order to improve the laws, Gill said a minimum sentencing option should be made available to the judge for the category of hate crimes, without enumerating the different classes, such as race, religion and sexual orientation. The inclusion of sexual orientation is one of the most difficult hurdles to surpass in the Utah Legislature, Litvack said. The current law, which took years to pass and required significant work from community members, could have been passed much easier if sexual orientation was excluded, he said. “That was one thing we weren’t willing to change,” Litvack said. “I didn’t care how the wording was as much as ensuring everyone was included and protected.” Determining a hate crime has occurred involves interviewing the suspect and researching his or her background, including family members, friendships and internet history, Jorgensen said. If the crime is a felony offense, the FBI will be involved in the process and federal hate crime laws will come into play, she said. While derogatory names and slurs could be part of the investigation, they do not automatically constitute a hate crime, she said. Reporting the crime is the first and most important step that should be taken, Jorgensen said. Police will assist in sorting out the details, but until there is a crime reported, nothing can be done to move forward, she said. Q

Michele Bachmann verbally attacks protestors Tea Party favorite, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, was booed and heckled during

Utah GOP fights to remove voters Utah lawmakers endorsed a bill that would allow removing voters who miss four consecutive elections and fail to respond to a notice mailed to them. The bill will be considered by the general assembly during the next legislative session, despite fervent protests from the Democrats. Utah has the second-lowest voter turnout and Democrats argue the recent redistricting will disenfranchise more Utahns. GOP leaders say the bill will help strike a much needed balance to remove people from the voting records.

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765 8 109 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 ST 9 E L I 11 G V A N INCE Q .M B E R S

a California fundraising speech where she attacked the Occupy Wall Street protestors. Calling the protests, “tremendously counterproductive,” the Republican presidential hopeful referenced a recent poll that stated 98 percent of Occupy Wall Street protesters believe in civil disobedience. When told that a similar poll for the Tea Party protestors indicated most believed in civil disobedience, she replied, “At least the Tea Party picks up their own trash.”

RD A C

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VIQ.ME

8 NEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

tional at first, it is possible Cameron was attempting to run away. “He did not want to go back to the school he was at, and this was an opportunity for him,” Burbank police Sgt. Darin Ryburn told KTLA. Police searched for the boy for about six hours before he was found. Cameron was trying to order a vodka and orange juice from The Abbey. Manager Nick Lambert, recognized the missing teen from local news reports, served Cameron plain orange juice and called the police. The founder of The Abbey, David Cooley, said he hopes that Cameron knows he is supported and loved by the gay community in Los Angeles. “This brave young man was in the process of being returned to the state of Utah where being gay is not tolerated. Cameron obviously fled to the Abbey because it’s renowned for being a safe haven for members of the gay community and my heart pours out to him during this difficult time in his life,” Cooley said in a statement. “I hope Cameron knows he has a family here A 14-year-old autistic boy returning to his return and all the passengers, including and that he touched our lives in a very Utah school wandered out of Bob Hope Cameron, got off the plane. powerful way today.” Airport in Burbank, Calif. on Oct. 19 and Surveillance video shows Cameron leavAccording to an unnamed aviation was found at The Abbey, a West Hollywood ing the airport and boarding an airport source, Cameron, who has high-functioniconic gay bar. shuttle and getting off at a nearby inter- ing Asperger’s syndrome, was flying alone Cameron James Smith’s parents took section. He borrowed money to take a bus and his parents did not pay the $100 fee him to the airport and helped him board to West Hollywood, according to KTLA TV to have him accompanied by a member of the plane, according to local news reports. News. the SkyWest flight team, as is required for The jet pulled from the gate, but had to Although it appeared to be uninten- minors.

Missing autistic Utah student found in West Hollywood gay bar

sanctity of marriage

evidence that any measure, including having children, could turn a high-conflict marriage into a low-conflict relationship.

82% of married Americans report large Wife faces charges in conflicts husband’s death after A new study released by Ohio State University found that 60 40 years percent of married Americans reported having moderate conflict and 22 percent reported high levels of conflict. Only 16 percent reported having a low-conflict marriage. The study followed participants over a 20-year span, and the data showed that couples who are in an unhappy union are unlikely to turn it around and will most likely end in divorce or separation. There was little

After more than 40 years of hiding from Texas authorities, 76-year-old Mary Ann Rivera is facing murder charges for dousing her husband in hot grease. Rivera is accused of killing her husband Cruz Rivera in 1970 and fleeing to Lake Park, Ga., with her three children. Police said she started a new life raising her children and working as a waitress at a local diner.

Rivera is now suffering from extreme health problems. No possible motive for the murder has been released.

Actor says he finally got it right with 4th wife Actor Kelsey Grammer opened up about his fourth marriage to Briton Kayte Walsh and said that he thinks he’s finally found ‘the one.’ The former Frasier star met his bride, who is 26 years his junior, on a flight while he was still married to his third wife, Camille. However, Grammer promises this time is the charm and this will be his final marriage.

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Man calls in bomb threat at Snowbird Oktoberfest to get boyfriend home Police say a man who called in a bomb threat to an Oktoberfest event at Snowbird was angry because his boyfriend went without him and he wanted him home sooner. P ro s e c u t o rs charged Daniel Ford Artley, 37, with a seconddegree felony count of making a false alarm. Artley told police that a Pakistani coworker Daniel Ford Artley had planted a device at the Oct. 8 event because of his dislike of Americans. The threat resulted in the evacuation of the festival’s pavilions, the Cliff Lodge and the Snowbird Center. Police traced the caller ID to Artley’s West Valley City residence where he told officers that he was “hurt that his boyfriend went to Snowbird without him,” and he called in the bomb threat “so his boyfriend would come home sooner and they could hang out,” according to the probable cause statement. If convicted, Artley could face up to 15 years in prison.

ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

Qmmunity Poinsettias for Sale Pre-order gorgeous poinsettias to benefit the People With AIDS Coalition of Utah. Plants are $10 each or $75 for eight. The plants are 15-19 inches tall and 15 inches wide, in a 6-inch pot. They are locally grown and can be delivered in Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Weber and Summit counties. WHEN: Order through Nov. 17 INFO: 801-484-2205 or pwacu.org

‘Born This Way’ Flash Mob The secret location will be posted on Facebook as the Born This Way Flash Mob draws near. The dance will feature beginner, intermediate and advance dance choreography, and everyone is invited to participate. The flash mob is a celebration of diversity and uniqueness. WHEN: Nov. 5, 1 p.m. WHERE: TBA INFO: tinyurl.com/slcflashmob

WSU Drag Show and Dance Join the Wildcat GSA at Weber State University for a drag show and dance called “She’s The Man, He’s The Woman” on Saturday, Oct. 29. The event is $5 with a $1 off with a can of food donation or old cell phone. WHEN: Oct. 29, 8 p.m. WHERE: Sheppard Student Union Building Ballroom B, WSU Cost: $5 INFO: Wildcat GSA on Facebook

Open Drag Contest Grab a fabulous wig and outfit and strut your stuff to Club JAM for an open drag contest. Bring a song on CD to perform. The winner will receive a cash prize and be entered, along with the winners from each month, in the year-end Drag Off contest. Audience votes via text, along with a panel of judges, will decide the winner. No drag experience necessary. WHEN: Nov. 4, 9 p.m. WHERE: Club JAM, 751 N. 300 West

Transgender Day of Remembrance Join the Utah Pride Center for the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a memorial for transgender community members who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Members of all faiths and beliefs are invited to participate. WHEN: Nov. 20, 6 p.m. WHERE: First Methodist Church, 200 E. 200 South INFO: UtahPrideCenter.org

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

NEWS

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Josh Newbury shows a basket received last year at the Utah AIDS Foundation Food Bank

UAF seeks donations for Seasons Givings program Food, personal care and hygiene items, and monetary donations are being accepted by the Utah AIDS Foundation for the Seasons Givings program to benefit people living with HIV and AIDS. The program, which has been supporting the community for more than 20 years, is designed to help alleviate some stress during the holidays, said Tyler Fischer, programming director at the UAF. “With the cutback in federal aid, budgets are tighter than ever for people living with HIV or AIDS,” Fischer said. “Co-pays are more expensive and the cost of medication is on the rise, so often there’s no room for other spending. The holiday meal you donate may be the only one the recipient will have.” The list of items needed is extensive and can be accessed at UtahAIDS.org. Some of the common donations of food include fresh fruit and vegetables, cake mixes, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, candies and condiments. Turkeys and hams will be pro-

vided by the UAF and food baskets need to be delivered to the UAF at 1408 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City, by Nov. 22 for Thanksgiving and Dec. 19 for Christmas and Hanukkah. Personal care collections can help lessen a financial burden and include items such as shampoo, razors, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, body lotion, tissues, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, deodorant and other hygiene products. The UAF will also have individuals and families that can be anonymously adopted. The wish lists available at the UAF will include basic items such as bedding, clothing and other household items. Adopting a family is a perfect holiday project for a family, church group or club. More than 100 families will receive assistance from the program. “This is a really terrific opportunity for everyone to get involved. Everyone can help in some way,” Fischer said.

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Play readings to benefit Equality Utah Readings of short plays about gay marriage will be staged by Plan-B Theatre Company simultaneously with other readings nationwide on Nov. 7, 6 p.m., at the Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple, as a fundraising event for Equality Utah. The event is in conjunction with Tectonic Theater Project and the off-Broadway production of Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. The plays will be read by Bill Allred, Brandie Balken, Kirt Bateman, Kim Blackett, Doug Fabrizio, Stephanie Howell, Jay Perry, Teresa Sanderson and Betsy West. The goal is to raise funds in communities to support steps toward marriage equality. Locally, the event goal is to raise $10,000 to support Equality Utah. The event will begin promptly at 6 p.m. because plays will be shown from performances in New York City. Tickets are free

and only 57 are available. To reserve a spot, go to planbtheatre.org. The national plays are written by an Alist lineup of writers who have earned two Pulitzer prizes, four Obies, one Emmy and three Tony nominations. “Be there as they offer their unique take on the moments before, during and after “I do.” Witty, warm and occasionally wacky, these plays are vows to the blessings of equality, the universal challenges of relationships and the often hilarious power of love,” the national organizers said in a press release. The plays being read are written by Jordan Harrison, Jeffrey Hatcher, Moises Kaufman, Joe Keenan, Neil LaBute, Wendy MacLeod, Jose Rivera, Paul Rudnick and Doug Wright. Jerry Rapier will direct the readings. For more information, go to planbtheatre.org.

November 4, 5, 8-12, 15-19 • 7:30 pm

2pm matinee: Nov 5, 12, 19

Eccles Theater, Val A. Browning Center $8/$11 • Dee Events Center Tickets • 1-800-WSU-TIKS •weberstatetickets.com presented by Weber State University Department of Performing Arts

10 VIEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

Dinner, silent auction to raise funds for Ogden PFLAG

After two years in operation, the Ogden branch of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is ready to expand. The group already attracts up to 60 people to the monthly meetings, and now a fundraiser is in the works to help expand the organization and start a scholarship fund, said Allison Black, the group’s president. The first fundraising dinner Ogden PFLAG President will be held Nov. Allison Black 10, 7 p.m. at Rovali’s, 174 25th Street in Ogden. Admission is $25 which includes dinner, a drink and dessert. Local businesses are also donating items to a silent auction. “Ogden PFLAG serves a very unique purpose. Along with all the parents and family members, we get a lot of LGBT youth at our

meetings,” Black said. “It’s one of the few places to go in Ogden where they can feel comfortable.” The monthly meetings usually include speakers or discussions, but the focus is always to keep an open dialogue where people can express opinions, Black said. Speakers are invited but don’t control the meeting. Instead, the group is used as a discussion area and avoids getting involved in politics, she said. Along with the scholarship fund, Ogden PFLAG has participated in other charitable projects, and last winter the group collected blankets for the women’s shelter. “We want to have a safe space for everyone to come and find out more information as well as be themselves,” Black said. “But without community support, we can’t do any of it.” Tickets to the dinner may be purchased at the event. For more information, go to OgdenPFLAG.org or email ogdenpflag@q.com.

‘Lead with Love’ reaches out to parents of gays, lesbians Finding a resource for parents who discover their child is gay or lesbian can be a difficult and intimidating task, said David Huebner, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Utah. Many parents are unsure how to behave and don’t necessarily feel comfortable joining gay-rights organizations, he added. But the film Lead with Love, is designed to help University of Utah professor educate and aid David Huebner parents and family members through what can be a difficult process, Huebner said. The film, released in December 2010, follows four families as they share their honest reactions when finding out their child is gay. There are interviews with psychologists, teachers and clergy to provide factual answers to parents’ most commonly asked questions, as well as a concrete guide to help parents keep their children healthy and safe. The film can be viewed for free at leadwithlovefilm.com. At just 35 minutes, it is an approachable medium for everyone, Huebner said. “I have been doing research on how discrimination affects people’s health for about 10 years. Many recent studies focus on LGBT kids and we’ve found, not surpris-

ingly, how parents respond can have a tremendous impact on the overall health of the child,” Huebner said. When parents reject their child because of their sexuality the child is eight times more likely to attempt suicide and three times more likely to experiment with illegal substances, Huebner said. The documentary’s balance of emotion and factual information was a challenge, but also a rewarding experience for director Jenny Mackenzie. “It was such a rewarding experience and I’m so proud of the film. My mother is gay, so it’s a very special piece to me as the daughter of a lesbian,” Mackenzie said. “I’ve always known that documentaries can create change, but what I love so much about this film is the steps it gives to parents. It’s so great to offer not just emotion, but a real way to implement it.” The feedback from viewers has been overwhelmingly positive and much of the success is due to creating a film void of politics, focusing instead on the real stories of normal families, Huebner said. “The film filled a void. We created something very approachable for everyone that can be viewed from their homes,” Huebner said. Lead with Love has been viewed thousands of times and the feedback from viewers has helped Huebner continue his research. View the film at leadwithlovefilm.com

QBA Anti-violence reward fund gala raises over $5K A fundraiser to benefit the anti-violence reward fund raised more than $5,000, and is being made available to a tipster that leads police to the arrest and conviction of suspects in the Dane Hall or Cameron Nelson attacks. The fundraiser, held on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, attracted more than 100 people and was sponsored by the Q Business Alliance, which is a group of Utah businesses owned and operated by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community and their allies. The fund shows, in a proactive role, that the queer business community has influence and power, said Michael Sanders, membership director of the Q Business Alliance and owner of Now & Again. “The reward fund sends a message to those that commit violent crimes against our community that we have money and resources to fight back,” Sanders said. “As more and more business owners come out and show their support for the community, our strength grows.”

The fundraiser included a silent auction and Iron Florist competition, which pitted some of Utah’s best florists against each other to make amazing arrangements onsite in a 30-minute time period. More than $25,000 worth of in-kind donations were donated and the majority of those products and services came from people who wouldn’t normally identify as allies to the queer community, Sanders said. “We may not always agree with each other, but the one thing that all Utahns can come together on is that violence is never the solution,” Sanders said. “Our donors all saw the need to speak out against violence.” The Q Business Alliance was formed in 2010 as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally chamber of commerce and is a project of QCares Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization. For more information or to become a member, go to QBusinessAlliance.com.

QSALTLAKE.COM

ISSUE 192

OCTOBER 27, 2011

NEWS

Midvale City Council candidate not hindered by recent conviction Midvale District 3 candidate Paul Hunt is leading the race against openly gay candidate Alan Anderson despite his being on parole for using a company credit card for personal expenses. In February, Hunt pleaded guilty to wrongful appropriation of more than $30,000 from Infobase Media Corp., his former employer. Hunt was charged with a second-degree felony, but he pleaded the charge down to a class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced with suspended jail time, a fine and two years probation. The Utah County prosecutor’s office said Hunt has paid $200 of the $30,000 he owes. Hunt currently serves on the Midvale Planning Commission. Hunt was the front-runner in the primary election and received 166 votes to Anderson’s 60. Hunt touts his conservative

credentials and his LDS religion. Anderson, in a previous interview, expressed his desire to see Midvale improve and is not making the election about his sexuality. “I love my city. I love my neighborhood and I really do think it is the hidden gem of the valley,” Anderson said. “I am really interested in running not because I am gay, but because I care about my neighborhood and I want to see it develop.” Anderson has been involved politically on several levels, and while the race is officially nonpartisan, he has held several leadership positions within the Democratic Party. He was a precinct and legislative chair within the party and he has been involved in grassroots activism for different Paul Hunt Democratic candidates.

Study: Gay sex doesn’t equal anal sex most of the time Gay sex does not always equate with anal sex, and only 35 percent of respondents to a comprehensive study of the sex habits of gay men reported having participated in anal sex during their last encounter. Nearly half of those that said they participated in anal sex said they used a condom. The study documented the sexual behaviors of 24,787 gay and bisexual men between the ages of 18 and 87 in the U.S. and was conducted by George Mason University, Indiana University, and Online Buddies, Inc. The study tried to “document the sexual behaviors that gay and bisexually identified men report during their most recent male-partnered sexual event and to describe the situational characteris-

Qiggles

tics and participants’ evaluation of these events.” According to the study, gay sex does not always include anal sex and a much more common practice, around 75 percent of respondents, was giving and receiving oral sex. “Of all sexual behaviors that men reported occurring during their last sexual event, those involving the anus were the least common. There is certainly a misguided belief that ‘gay sex equals anal sex,’ which is simply untrue much of the time,” said lead author Joshua Rosenberger. The study also found that 18 percent of gay men had sex with a boyfriend or partner, 19 percent with a casual or dat-

ing partner and 17.3 percent with a friend. These findings are similar to another study which documented the sexual habits of heterosexual couples. According to the study, men who have sex with men are most likely to engage sexually at their own home or their partners’ home, approximately 77 percent. Of those that reported having anal sex, 45 percent reported using a condom. Most sexual events included between five and nine sexual activities and the most common combination included “holding their partner romantically, kissing partner on the mouth, solo masturbation, masturbating partner, masturbation by partner and genital-to-genital contact.”

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ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

snaps & slaps SNAP: NC State University fights for marriage equality Following the vandalism of the LGBT Resource Center at North Carolina State University, the student government issued a resolution calling for the defeat of a ballot measure to constitutionally define marriage between one man and one woman. In a 29-6 vote, the student senate passed the resolution urging students to vote down the measure and support marriage equality for gays and lesbians. The words “fags burn” and “die” were spray-painted across the door of the resource center. There are no reports on who is responsible for the vandalism.

from the editor Occupy Salt Lake celebrates diversity of opinion By Seth Bracken

he number of tents pitched in Pioneer Park seems to be growing daily as the Occupy Salt Lake City movement gains more traction. The protest of Wall Street financiers, bankers and big money controlling politics started in New York and has spread to more than 60 locations across the nation. “I just came down here to check it out. I don’t know what I’m angry at either, but there are so many problems with our nation. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. Isn’t that enough reason to be pissed off and protest?” a woman known only as Miss Jane asked me as she tried to pass me a hit of her cigarette. Critics of the movement argue that there’s no cohesive message or unifying principles to the protests. But that’s just not an issue for Miss Jane, a 32-year-old entrepreneur with an English degree and dreadlocks. “The Tea Party protests the government, as if the politicians listen to us. It’s the money of the top 1 percent that con-

trols Washington. Why not protest that? And who gives a damn if the message isn’t totally perfect, we’re an angry, frustrated group of people, not a college essay. We don’t need a cohesive and organized thesis statement,” she said as she leaned into me and took a long, slow drag on her cigarette. The Occupy Salt Lake City movement is a constantly changing organization with people coming and going. But all of them have a different reason for marching through Utah’s capital city, remaining outside the Salt Lake City Branch of the Federal Reserve and participating in other acts of civil disobedience. Finding solutions to a system where the 400 richest Americans have a net worth greater than the bottom 150 million, and the top 1 percent have more wealth than the entire bottom 90 percent is difficult, if not impossible. But the challenge is inciting the 99 percent to action. For a 37-year-old Salt Lake City resident who wanted to be identified only as Will, the protests are about the inequality he

sees in the financial system. He comes down to the park on his lunch breaks and free time. The real kicker though, is that Will is a married father of two beautiful kids, the bishop of his Mormon ward and an investment specialist. “I guess you could say I’m in the closet about being a liberal. All my friends, family and coworkers would be totally shocked to find out I support the Occupy movement because I think most associate it with hippies and drug addicts looking to cause some trouble. They don’t know middleaged white guys like me support it,” Will said. “Having been on the inside of the banking system, I just see a need for some serious, institutional change. Things just aren’t getting better and unless something changes, we’re all going to be in trouble. This isn’t about race, religion, age or sexual orientation. We’re kind of a melting pot here and that’s what makes this movement so strong. It’s the diversity of opinion and background.” With almost nothing in common, Will and Miss Jane are the Occupy movement. They are the 99 percent. Q

QSaltLake welcomes your letters to the editor. Please send your letter of 300 words or less to letters@qsaltlake.com. We reserve the right to edit for length or libel if a letter is chosen for publication.

SNAP: More gay parents The number of same-sex couples who adopted children nearly tripled over the past decade, partly because of eased state restrictions, according to a new study. The study released by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute found the highest number of gay people adopting children are in Massachusetts, California, New York and Texas. Second-parent adoptions are not permitted in Utah and it is one of two states that does not allow same-sex couples to jointly adopt. About 60 percent of U.S. adoption agencies welcome applications from gay parents. SLAP: Gay-rights protestor arrested Minnesota Rev. Bill Freeman was released from jail after he was arrested at Holland City Hall protesting the city’s refusal to pass an ordinance to protect gays and lesbians in the workplace and housing. Freeman, minister of Interfaith Congregation, has been lobbying the city council to expand the nondiscrimination laws to protect gays and lesbians. In a 5-4 vote, the council voted against the protections and Freeman refused to leave City Hall. Police took him to the Ottawa County Jail where he posted a $100 bond and was released.

QSALTLAKE.COM

ISSUE 192

VIEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

the straight line Election Day By Bob Henline

ell folks, the day has finally arrived (nearly). By the time this column hits the streets the 2011 election cycle will be almost over. The actual get-your-butt-to-the-polls date is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Many of you (I hope) will have already voted by mail or through early voting. If not, get your butt to the poll or send in that vote that is hanging out in that stack of mail you’ve been ignoring. I know, I’ve been beating this horse into the ground of late, but this is important. In Utah our state legislature is nothing but a criminal conspiracy run amok. Look at how this redistricting process has played out. We spent a million dollars of taxpayer money to “gather public input” and then they rushed out of closed-door caucus at the 11th hour with a “brand new” map and jammed it through. If we want to see real change in how our government operates,

We’ve elected many crooks in this state and in this country we need to start with the people at the municipal level. We need to elect people that are sympathetic to our goals and have the best interests of the people at heart. The candidate in focus for today is Alan Anderson, running for Midvale City Council. Alan is the treasurer of the Utah Stonewall Democrats and was instrumental in working with Midvale’s existing city council to pass nondiscrimination ordinances last year. He has not only been endorsed by the incumbent, but also by the candidate that he defeated in the primary, Neil Whicker. He’s been employed by the same insurance brokerage for 25 years with a proven track record of integrity and fiscal responsibility. When the final vote count was released, Alan came in second in total voting by roughly 100 votes. The other candidate in the general election is Paul Hunt. Hunt’s campaign Facebook page touts his Mormon and Republican credentials, but here’s the part his website and Facebook page overlook: Hunt pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor account of “misappropriat-

run until April 2013. Yeah, he’s currently on probation and he wants the people of Midvale to put the city in his hands. I mention the religious and political affiliations because Hunt does. This isn’t intended to be a slam on Republicans or Mormons or even Mormon Republicans, but the simple fact is that this man is going to use his religion and his “conservaing” the resources of his former employer, tive” politics to attempt to win election after committing a serious crime. I would Infobase Media. Spin this how you will, expect that rational Republicans and rabut what it boils down to is that Hunt stole tional Mormons would be aghast at the from his former employer, ended up finally actions of Hunt. Yet using those LDS and copping a plea, and got off with some res- GOP credentials, he’s pushed himself into titution, suspended jail time and 2 years of a position to possibly be elected to the Midprobation. That probation is scheduled to vale City Council.

creep of the week John Boehner By D’Anne Witkowski

he Defense of Marriage Act makes John Boehner weep. Not because of how sadistically cruel it is to gays and lesbians, nor how unconstitutional. No, DOMA makes him weep because he’s in love with it. I dare say that Boehner wants to marry DOMA. But he can’t. Because that’s not legal. However, Boehner can live in sin with DOMA so long as it’s still on the books. And he’s fighting like hell to keep it there. You may recall that President Obama declared that DOMA was unconstitutional and that his administration wouldn’t defend it in court. Boehner went bananas and decided that if Obama wouldn’t defend his beloved DOMA, then he would. Not by himself mind you, but with the help of a Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group. Don’t let the name fool you. There’s nothing bipartisan about this group. It has a decidedly pro-DOMA Republican majority telling House lawyers what to do. The two Democrats in the group are basically window dressing. On Oct. 8 Boehner graced the stage of the Value Voters Summit, one of the most antigay conventions in the United States. “I’ve raised my hand to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and the laws of our country,” said Boehner. “And if the Justice Department was not going to defend this act passed by Congress, well, then we will. And we have defended the law that the Congress passed.” Boehner and company’s latest legal maneuver is to argue that because gays and lesbians have political clout they don’t deserve the kind of legal protections that, say, racial minorities receive. Oh, got it. Since homosexuals aren’t downtrodden little match girls, they’re on

their own. The government isn’t going to step in and protect them from discriminatory laws. Also, the pro-DOMA congressmen argue that DOMA isn’t bothering anybody.

Since homosexuals aren’t downtrodden little match girls, they’re on their own “There is nothing intrusive in the least about DOMA,” they said. “It is simply a definitional statute that defines, for federal law purposes, marriage and spouse.” Got it? It’s just a simple little definition.

This is the kind of thing that happens, folks, when we don’t pay attention and we don’t get involved. We’ve elected many crooks in this state and in this country, simply because we haven’t paid attention to who and what they are before we cast our ballots. Or even worse, we don’t bother to cast our ballots so our votes don’t oppose these people. On Nov. 8 you have a chance to make a difference, even if you don’t live in Midvale. You can get out and vote in your own municipal elections. Look at the candidates closely, look at their histories and their statements, and then make an educated choice for who you think is better suited to represent you and your community. Q

No harm, no foul. Unless, of course, you consider what falls under “for federal law purposes.” If a gay couple married in, say, Massachusetts moves to, say, Michigan wants to file a joint tax return, no dice. Social Security survivor benefits? Nope. Need an I-130 visa so your immigrant spouse isn’t deported? Too bad, so sad. But hey, that’s not intrusive at all. “A spate of recent news stories only confirms the conclusion that homosexuals are far from politically powerless,” the filing says. “Accordingly, gays and lesbians cannot be labeled ‘politically powerless’ without draining that phrase of all meaning.” In other words, “Quit yer whining, homos. Sure you’re still discriminated against, but you’re not discriminated against as much. Any less discrimination and you’d practically be full-fledged citizens worthy of respect and protection under the law.” And that’ll happen as soon as monkeys fly out of Boehner’s (totally not gay) butt. If only gays and lesbians were “politically powerless.” Ah, to go back to the preStonewall days. Actually, Boehner and his boys are right. If it weren’t for Stonewall and the brave gays and lesbians of that era there probably wouldn’t be a DOMA at all. DOMA was, after all, a reaction to the growing visibility and political savvy of homos. And once homos stopped letting themselves be loaded into police vans, and started fighting back, it was hard to argue that they were weak and pathetic. The strength of gays and lesbians has only grown. No wonder Boehner’s afraid. Q

Thank you for being a friend. Facebook.com/ QSaltLake

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QSALTLAKE

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The hypocrisy of the ‘right’

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(and what we can do about it)

By John Hales

used to think it was only certain (not all) religious conservatives who were a bit hypocritical when it came to doing “What Would Jesus Do” in their holy war against homosexuals. But now it appears that even strictly political conservatives — sans the “religious” label — are guilty of a hypocrisy all their own. Last month, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner tripled the amount the House had originally approved to pay for defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court. Back in April, the House’s three leading Republicans decided, more-or-less unilaterally, that the House would pay up to $500,000 to a private law firm to defend DOMA. But on Sept. 29, after months of harping about the size of federal budgets and stonewalling important matters in order to make their point — even bringing the country to the brink of economic ruin during the debt-ceiling crisis to do so — Boehner upped that amount by another $1 million. Now, in the grand scheme of the federal budget, a million-and-a-half bucks ain’t hardly a grain of sand on the beach. (If my math’s correct, it’s about 2.4-millionths of the budget.) But in a little twist of the “widow’s mite” metaphor, it’s huge. Conservatives in Congress keep saying the U.S. is out of money: “Cut, slash, guillotine the budget,” they cry. So, if the “widow” (read, “U.S. budget”) has absolutely $0 to spend, where did the other $1.5 million come from? (Try doing the math on that one to find out the percentage increase of 1.5 million from zero). It’s a political hypocrisy similar to the hypocrisy of the religious right, which Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report illustrated somewhat brashly — some would say blasphemously — but effectively in 2009, when the Washington, D.C. City Council was considering legalizing same-sex marriage. Colbert said: “If a same-sex marriage law passes as expected, the Catholic church has announced that it will be unable to continue the social-service programs it runs for the city, including the shelters that serve one-third of Washington’s homeless people. “I mean they have no choice. After all, Jesus said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Unless a couple of dudes register at the Pottery Barn. In which case, fuck the poor.’” (As a side note, the only thing I think Jesus said about defending “traditional mar-

riage” was to denounce divorce and place exactly one condition under which divorce was acceptable. The passion of traditional-marriage defenders is curiously silent about that). Both these religious and political hypocrisies beg the question: What does it say about the supposed adherents of politics or religion when they so easily jettison basic, fundamental tenets in order to fight for something that has no practical impact upon themselves or anyone else — except those against whom it discriminates? Their prejudice is apparently stronger than their faith in their own principles. But while such hypocrisy is discouraging and often maddening, we cannot petulantly insist that the hypocrites rid themselves of their hypocrisy. The burden of eradicating intolerance does not rest solely upon the shoulders of those who hold and express it. That responsibility belongs also to us. Certain people will never be free of hypocrisy. Others already recognize it and, with us, fight it. There are many more people somewhere in the middle, and we can influence them if we’re smart. This is the important question: What can I do in my own life to give the people I interact with a reason to resist intolerance and not give ear to those who continue to preach it? There is no single answer. Each of us must respond to the question for ourselves, and each of us will come up with a different, personally appropriate answer. I offer one. It’s been shown that harsh opinions toward homosexuals are moderated as families, friends, business associates and even casual acquaintances get to know us. As those opinions change, prejudice will diminish and tolerance — even if not fullblown acceptance — will take its place. But this means we have to let people get to know us as homosexuals. That doesn’t mean we have to be all up in their faces about it. We just have to continue to be ourselves while allowing — not forcing — others to get to know just what that means. We don’t have to be activists; we just need to be active in our associations and society. We don’t have to wrap ourselves in a rainbow pride flag; we just need be proud of who we are. We don’t have to be “out there;” we just have to be out — naturally, casually and confidently out. It happens one person at a time, but as we change minds within our own sphere of influence, we gradually change the mind of the world sphere as well. Q

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ISSUE 192

VIEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

lipstick lesbian Occupy Taylorsville

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fter seeing Footloose, both the new and the old versions, I thought I could make a difference. I believed I could change laws and create a movement. For starters, I could prove a religious need to take away all dancing. Mostly just because I’m saving people from being subjected to my dancing. OK, maybe dancing isn’t something I want to mess with. It has to do with freedom of movement and I don’t want to take that away from anyone. Besides, who would I laugh at when I see people even more rhythmically challenged than yours truly? Dancing stays where it is. As I spent time thinking for a better way to change the world, I walked the Jordan River Parkway. I remembered exactly where a few people I’d met over the summer lived. They resided in different places in the parkway; one old and one young. But they both lived in tents hidden in the bushes, trying to survive. I wanted to learn what it was like for them and become a more understanding and open-minded person; if that’s possible for a spoiled suburban girl who’s never wanted for food, clothing or shelter. So I collected the warmest blankets I have, pepper spray, bug spray and a pillow. I didn’t have a tent or sleeping bag, but luckily it was still pre-winter time. The hard mud and rocks weren’t the least bit comfortable and everywhere I looked there were mosquitoes ready to drain me alive. Drop after drop. About an hour or two later, well maybe it was 20 minutes, a shadow in the distant approached. I jumped out of my blanket and screamed in a high-pitched-horror-movie kind of way. It was only my neighbor, a young teen who had just turned 18. I apologized for freaking out and he took off back to his tent. But there were only minutes left of my Occupy Taylorsville experience. Another encounter with noises and shadows and I was driving back to my apartment to see how many mosquitoes bites managed to penetrate my spray. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night in my apartment feeling hopeless and useless. I want to be heard, as everyone does.

My disastrous night gave me a new respect for those who can sacrifice things like a good nights sleep. Occupy Wall Street is a movement I highly respect and admire. I’m glad that they are standing up to the rich, who probably think rarely about people forced to sleep on the Jordan River Parkway. I agree wholeheartedly the government needs to find a better way to represent all the people and not just the few or we’ll never move forward to a better existence. People won’t have equal opportunity in the workforce, government or anywhere in their lives. For example, the sick and poor will continue to budget a few hundred dollars a month after rent and bills, while getting ridiculed because their illness forces them to rely on the government. The ones I’ve talked to don’t enjoy living off anyone, but they do want to live. In addition, the working poor will continue to work 80 hours a week in three jobs, and still have no benefits because their employers will work them an hour under what is required by law. Who will speak for us? Who speaks for us now? A person who often doesn’t know us isn’t able to fully care. This soul may not have any idea what it’s like to live in poverty or to have their voice unheard. I’m not saying there aren’t good representatives out there, I’ve met some of the best right here in Utah, people I wish represented my home city. Maybe it’s time we appointed representatives who not only speak for the poor but who are the poor. But even the electoral process alone requires one who runs for office to have money or financial backers, which is hard to have if you don’t have a job. Sometimes I feel being a liberal in Taylorsville is about as useless as going to the dentist when I have no money or insurance. I will continue to vote and support fairminded candidates, and congratulate Occupy Wall Street for their remarkable and brave efforts. After all, it’s possible their efforts will save me from living with bugs on a more permanent basis. Q

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night in my apartment feeling hopeless and useless.

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lambda lore Promote LGBT History Month

“You cannot change the problem with the same mind that created it” –Einstein

• • • • •

ISSUE 192

By Ben Williams

was talking to a young friend who didn’t know who Matthew Shepard was. Taken aback, I realized that this man was born in 1989 and was only 9 years old when Shepard was beaten and left to die on a cold October day near Laramie, Wyo. We are failing our youth by not teaching about the significance of Stonewall, or Harry Hay, Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings and Harvey Milk in our public schools. However, in Utah it is illegal to promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, so it will be decades before we are as progressive as California. In July of this year Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill making California the first state in the nation to add lessons about gay people to social studies classes in public schools. While there are many queer-straight alliance clubs in our high schools throughout the state, I wonder how many schools promote October as LGBT History Month? Are the QSA club advisors making certain that our local schools are aware that October is LGBT History Month, and requesting to celebrate it just as they would celebrate other history months around the year? I doubt it. Heterosexuals cannot be relied upon to examine and explain us. We must be the interpreters of our own realities. We need to tell and preserve our stories. We can do a lot of things for our gay youth outside the confines of schools. Request that a local library order books on queer history. Make certain that libraries are aware that October is LGBT History Month and ask for a display of books. Request the Chelsea House teen series on “Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians,” A series for teens which includes the following subjects: James Baldwin, Willa Cather, Marlene Dietrich, Rock Hudson, John Maynard Keynes, T. E. Lawrence, Liberace, Fed-

erico Garcia Lorca, Martina Navratilova, Sappho, Gertrude Stein, Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde. The idea for LGBT History Month was first proposed in 1994 as a way to increase appreciation for our own history and as a way of making clear to our friends and fellow citizens the contributions we have made to our common culture. Too often we are portrayed in the media as buffoons or villains, the victims of some crime or even a social threat. Seldom are we treated as “a community growing into selfconsciousness, making a contribution to the common culture.” We can change that and it can start with one person. Rodney Wilson, a high school social studies teacher in Missouri, was just one person who thought schools should teach gay history and promoted the idea of a LGBT History Month. The idea quickly drew the attention of a small group of advocates who promoted it and wrangled endorsements from major organizations such as the Human Right Campaign, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Later that year, official proclamations from sympathetic political officials were given. In 1995 the governors of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Oregon, as well as the mayors of Boston and Chicago declared October as National LGBT History Month. In July of the same year, the National Education Association passed an amendment supporting the month to be modeled after, and similar in purpose, to Black History Month and Women’s History Month. October was selected as LGBT History Month because it didn’t conflict with the more celebratory pride events of June and

We are failing our youth by not teaching about the significance of Stonewall, or Harry Hay, Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings and Harvey Milk in our public schools

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VIEWS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

it falls during the academic calendar year, nwhen educational institutions are able to participate in related activities. National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11), which was a eproduct of the 1987 March on Washingston, also provided an additional reason for choosing October. e Coincidentally, the original Utah Gay Libeeration Front was formed in October 1969 by a hardy band of radicals and the Gay and sLesbian Historical Society was founded by Connell “Rocky” O’Donovan and Ben Wil.liams on Halloween, 1998. The Historical Society was later revived by Williams and the late Chad Keller in October 2002 as the Utah Stonewall Historical Society. What can you do for Gay History Month? Read books on lesbian, gay and trans history. Now would be a great time to begin tkeeping a journal, writing your memoirs or organizing your memorabilia. Talk to someone older or younger than yourself about queer history. Remember, you are a time traveler and you need to keep a pa,per trail, as well as photographs to know where you have been and where you want to go. - Promoting LGBT History Month will be controversial, but as freedom fighter TFrederick Douglass stated, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet renounce controversy are people who want crops without plowing the ground.” Q

Selected readings for LGBT History Month:

, nJohn Boswell: Homosexuality, Intolerance, and k Christianity tGeorge Chauncey: Gay New York: Gender, Urban - Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male

World, 1890–1940 John D’Emilio: Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940–1970 Martin Duberman: Stonewall eJudy Grahn: Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, n Gay Worlds Richard Plant: The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals Randy Shilts: The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk yMerlin Stone: When God Was a Woman eStuart Timmons: The Trouble with Harry Hay: d Founder of the Modern Gay Movement

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ıîįG ĤĲįG æ íŉ ğ į, ŉP Q Join QSaltLake’s irreverent Ruby Ridge on the most raucous bus to West Wendover, Nevada

ĲįIíĽğį?qÕ ıĥį,íŊ BIGGAYFUNBUS.COM, 1-800-838-3006, Club Try-Angles, or QSaltLake, 1055 E 2100 S

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Ãµ PŎ Ľç Ľĥďqíà BROUGHT TO YOU BY Q

OCTOBER 27, 2011

18 FEATURE

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Trans community fights unemployment, health care battles By Seth Bracken

oming out of the closet can be a difficult and traumatic experience. The confusion, questions and disappointment from friends and family is often palpable. But after coming out of the closet twice, once as a lesbian and once as a transgender man, Dayne Law is now an expert. “Coming out as trans, or gender nonconforming, is different and in a lot of ways more difficult,” Law said. “I couldn’t slowly come out as trans or only tell some people; my beard kind of gave me away.” Law, the transgender program coordinator at the Utah Pride Center, began hormonal and other treatments in June 2010, and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. “I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I take better care of my body and I am just at home. I finally found where I feel at home,” Law said. However, the transition has not always been simple and Law said he still faces discrimination - institutionalized and subtle. And he’s not alone. According to a study released by Equality Utah and the Williams Institute at UCLA, 67 percent of transgender people in Utah have faced discrimination in the workplace, 37 percent fear discrimination on a daily basis and 20 percent said they experience transphobia or harassment daily. “Although things are slowly getting better for us, there are a lot of really important issues out there; health care, employment discrimination and homelessness are all really affecting our community right now,” Law said. Finding health care practitioners and insurance to cover trans health issues can be extremely difficult. Before trans people can receive medical care such as hormonal treatment, they have to receive a mental diagnosis of a gender identity disorder, Law said. The diagnosis is controversial at best, and considered offensive by many, but even with the diagnosis, insurance providers are not required to cover trans-related care, he said. “I myself am faced with a huge dilemma. I need a procedure that would only be performed on a woman, but my insurance company only knows me as a male. If I submit the paperwork for this operation, it will be automatically denied,” Law said. “And if I try to appeal the decision, then they will stop covering my hormones. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.” Despite the difficulties, Law said he is grateful for a job where he can access insurance because too many trans and queer people face discriminaUtah Pride Center Transgender Program Coordinator Dayne Law

PHOTO: SETH BRACKEN

tion in the workplace. Unemployment, transphobia and expensive medical costs lead to a high rate of homelessness within the trans and gender-queer community, Law said. Nearly one-third of openly transgender people in the United States make less than $10,000 a year and 29 percent are unemployed, according to a study conducted by the Washington Transgender Needs Assessment. “Trans and gender-queer people are faced with unemployment, underemployment, job discrimination and have a difficult time finding adequate health care and insurance,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the national center for transgender equality. “Compounding the deplorable employment situation, trans people are often hounded out of school and forced onto the streets by family. There are so many challenges facing the trans community right now.” The Utah Pride Center offers various programs and services for trans and gender-queer people, and the annual gender conference, which will be held Nov. 11 at Westminster College, is one of the best resources available. The free conference will have Yoseñio V. Lewis, a trans activist, as keynote speaker and other workshops and programs for all queer people and their allies. “The Center offers so many resources that are available to everyone,” Law said. “We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable, and we especially want to reach out to our gender nonconforming brothers and sisters that are also racial and ethnic minorities.” Programs and outreach offered by the Center and other groups are making a real impact, and the general quality of life and opportunities for trans people are improving, Keisling said. “There is still so much work to do, but the work is very exciting. Change is happening so fast and things are improving for the trans community,” Keisling said. Despite the difficulties he’s faced, Law said his emotional well-being and quality of life have vastly improved. “There’s just something about finally feeling comfortable in my own skin and learning to love myself and my body,” Law said. “The programs at the Center and support from others have helped so much.” Q For more information about the gender conference or the programs offered by the Center, go to UtahPrideCenter.org.

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

20 FEATURE

Transphobia in the workplace By Seth Bracken

s she walked into her Las Vegas real estate office in a pair of pumps, a short, tight black skirt that showed all the right curves and a low-cut, black blouse, Amy Johanson was determined to show her colleagues that she was a strong and powerful woman. She cleaned out her desk and attracted stares from everyone. “You should’ve seen them stare,” Johanson said while laughing slightly as she sipped her quad-shot vanilla latte and shielded her view from the sun. “I was hurting inside so badly, but I wasn’t going to let them see that. I wanted them to see me as the determined woman that I am, even if my body didn’t always reflect how I felt inside.” Johanson, a petite 37-year-old black and Latina transgender woman, began her transition from male to female just after her 34th birthday. “I always knew I was different and something was wrong with the way my body looked on the outside. When I began the hormone treatments

and finally had enough to pay for my ‘twins,’ I started to finally feel so unbelievably happy,” she said as she looked down at her body, and shook her head, almost in disbelief that it belonged to her. “But my former employer wasn’t so excited about all the sudden changes to my appearance.” No one verbally or physically assaulted her at work. No one told her what she was doing was immoral or that God disapproved. But no one invited her for drinks after work anymore. Her invitation to the holiday party was suspiciously absent and she quickly became persona non grata. “My work ethic only improved after my transition. I did everything I could to be the best possible employee. I had too many medical bills and expenses to lose my job. But when my annual review came around, I was put on suspension,” Johanson said. “It’s impossible to describe the absolute shame and embarrassment I felt as they told me I would be fired soon if I didn’t

improve. But they couldn’t tell me anything I needed to do. We all knew that I was being fired because of my transition.” Three weeks later, Johanson lost her job. After searching unsuccessfully for six months, she moved in with a cousin in Salt Lake City. Eventually, Johanson found a job and now shares a studio apartment with Wilcox, her Dachshund. Johanson said she enjoys her low-profile life and is happy to be able to pay her bills, but the fear of losing her job because of her identity still haunts her. And she’s not alone in that fear. According to a study released by Equality Utah and the Williams Institute at UCLA, 67 percent of transgender people in Utah have faced discrimination in the workplace, 37 percent fear discrimination on a daily basis and 20 percent said they experience transphobia or harassment daily. Nearly one-third of

TRANS FOLKS, QUEER FOLKS, ALLIES TOO...

Special Guest

Yoseñio V. Lewis social justice activist

TRANSACTION IS A PROGRAM OF THE UTAH PRIDE CENTER

health educator speaker writer performer trainer facilitator & spiritual hugger spi

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openly transgender people in the United States make less than $10,000 a year and 29 percent are unemployed, according to a study conducted by the Washington Transgender Needs Assessment. While there are some legal protections for trans and gender non-conforming people, many don’t know how to access the resources or feel too ashamed, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “The situation can be pretty dire,” Keisling said. “Things are getting better, but there is still so much room for improvement.” Johanson doesn’t want to be an activist. She doesn’t want to log complaints against her employer and she doesn’t want to be seen as a martyr. “I just want people to treat me with the respect I deserve. I just like to mind my own business and do my own thing,” she said. Q

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transgender groups TransParent Support Group Meets first and third Thursdays, 5–6:30 p.m., in the Utah Pride Center Multipurpose Room. This is a support group for parents and family members who have a young person who is transgender or questioning their gender. Find support with other families sharing their experiences and find resources from the UPC and the talented facilitators.

Kids Like Me Meets first Saturday of each month, 2–3:30 p.m. in the Utah Pride Center Middle Meeting Room Kids Like Me is a play group for gender exceptional children and for children with gender exceptional caregivers. The purpose of the group is to provide a welcoming environment for kids and families to meet each other and to share resources. Accepting kids who are toilet trained, up to age 10.

TransAction

Kurt Bestor

Meets Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. in the TINT at the Utah Pride Center TransAction is a youth-led advocacy group that organizes social events, activism, education, and outreach for the transgender community and allies. TransAction is an inclusive group open to people of all identities and age.

One Silent Night

Transgender Adult Support Group Meets Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m., in the Utah Pride Center Multipurpose Room This group is for adults 18+ who identify as transgender or gender variant. Intake is required before joining the group. Contact Breeze Hannaford at breeze.hannaford@ va.gov or Hilary Madsen at hilary.madsen@ gmail.com for more information.

Nov. 11-12

Transgender Youth Support Group

Dec. 24-25

Judy Collins

Meets Thursdays, 5-6:30 p.m., in the Utah Pride Center Middle Meeting Room Support group for all identities of gender variant youth up to age 21. Come explore the various issues facing young trans people. Intake is required before joining the group.

American Icon

Transtastic Meets Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Transtastic is a social group for trans folk of all gender variant identities and all ages.

Transgender Variety Show Join Westminster’s Alphabet Soup for a Johnny Carson-style variety show with drag performances, music, poetry and other fabulous displays of talent. The event is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 22, 7 p.m. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/westminstersoup.

Transgender Movie Night Join Westminster’s Alphabet Soup for a movie and discussion. The date and time will be posted on tinyurl.com/westminstersoup. The Utah Pride Center is located at 361 N. 300 West. For more information about the programs, contact Dayne Law at dayne@utahpridecenter. org or 801-539-8800 ext. 17.

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Annual gender conference expands T

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he third annual ‘Beyond the Binary’ gender conference, to be held Nov. 11 at Westminster College, is expanding and attracting queers and allies from around the region. The free event, sponsored by the Utah Pride Center, will feature Yoseñio V. Lewis, a transgender man and activist, as the keynote speaker, as well as workshops and discussion groups for gender variant people, their friends, family and other interested community members. The conference is held each November in honor of Transgender Awareness Month and will include presentations and speakers from the community. It’s open to the public and topics ranging from health care to relationships will be covered. “We want this conference to be available for all people and you don’t have to be trans to participate or learn,” said Dayne Law, the transgender program coordinator at the Utah Pride Center. “We’re going to be exploring ideas and topics that are applicable to everyone, especially queer people.” Gender identity and expression concerns more than trans people, and the conference is designed to attract as wide of an audience as possible, Law said. “Some gender non-conforming roles include men who are just considered more feminine and women who are considered more masculine or

butch,” Law said. “Many of the issues we discuss will affect them as well. We really want this conference to be open to everyone.”

For more information and to register for the conference, go to UtahPrideCenter.org.

Yoseñio V. Lewis, a transgender man and activist, who will be the keynote speaker at the “Beyond the Binary” conference at Westminster College.

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Oct. 30 – NFL Sunday Funday, $10 Breakfast Buffet, $2.00 Bloody Marys & $2.00 Mimosas Oct. 31 – Our Famous Open Blues Jam @9pm w/ The West Temple Taildraggers Nov. 1 – "FREE" Texas Hold'em @7pm Nov. 2 – Whiskey Dick Wednesdays w/ Retro Dance, Music by DJ Birdman @9pm & "FREE Texas Hold'em @7pm Nov. 3 – Terence Hansen Trio Nov. 4 – Rage Against The Supremes Nov. 5 – Urban Blue Nov. 6 – NFL Sunday Funday, $10 Breakfast Buffet, $2.00 Bloody Marys & $2.00 Mimosas Nov. 7 – Our Famous Open Blues Jam w/ the West Temple Taildraggers @9pm Nov. 8 – "FREE" Texas Hold'em @7pm Nov. 9 – The Trivia Factory @ 7–9pm, Retro Dance Party with DJ Birdman Nov. 10 – Gamma Rays

OCTOBER 27, 2011

24 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Q tattoo

ISSUE 192

Scott Perry This is the Hopi clown “Koshare.” He’s known for his practical joking and he represents gluttony and clumsiness.

We’ve always known that QSaltLake readers are true beauties and works of art. But for this special Q tattoo feature, we asked for the most fabulous body art and here are some of our favorites.

Tyler Young I decided to go with something other than “Born this Way.” I’m going to get it finished with rainbows.

Dennette Oram When I came out as a lesbian, I realized a lot about family, and who honestly knew what the true meaning of the word was. I was disowned by half my family. The other half of my family was very supportive and happy as long as I was happy.

Rob Darke This “family” armband is the first initial of all my family members and some friends that are like family done in Vehmic runes.

Amber Draper This is my pride and joy. A true expression of my astrological sign, the Pisces.

Ann Clark Ganesh would do anything to protect his mother, including stand up to his father, who cut off his head not knowing it was his son. After his mother became so upset, the father replaced his head with an elephant head.

salt lake

QSALTLAKE

KINGSBURY HALL PRESENTS

George Q. Morris Foundation

November 8 Photo by Sharon Bradford

November 1 & 2

Tickets: 801-581-7100 | www.kingtix.com Tickets starting under $20 | U of U Discounts Available TM

OCTOBER 27, 2011

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The Big Small World Show

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

See Nov. 5

gay agenda

Gold lamé: The fabric of our lives By Tony Hobday

Well mummify me in gold lamé and call me Fonda Dixx’s brassiere ... she has a nice rack, just sayin’. Anyhoo, this Halloween weekend will be full of gay ghouls and goblins. I don’t want to give the costumes away but I’ll throw a hint or two: Michael Aaron’s will involve fermenting his monstrous grapes; Gene Gieber will have a “fowl” odor; Miss Piggy is going to want QQ Throughout the holiday weekend to mount Dennis McCracken; and yours truly will be The Trapp is hosting a number of ghoula sexy 90-year-old in a gold lamé track suit, of course. ish events including tonight’s fundraiser

thursDAY — According to the adorable and magnificent Jerry Rapier, Aden Ross’ Lady Macbeth “skewers” William Shakespeare. In this world premiere “mashup,” Ross has taken eight characters from six Shakespeare plays and whipped up a unique new comedy. Full of mistaken identities, gender-bending cross-dressing, near-death experiences, unexpected reunions, character transformation and, of course, a play within a play, this is sure to be a phenom.

8pm, Studio Theatre, Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. Broadway. Tickets $20, 801-355-ARTS or arttix.org.

QQ The UofU’s Performing Dance Company’s Fall Concert, Deeply Human, Insightfully addresses the mysteries and complexities at the heart of human relationships. This profound concert features works from Modern Dance faculty members Juan Carlos Claudio, Abby Fiat, Pamela Geber, Sharee Lane, and a piece by award-winning guest artist Johannes Wieland. Times vary, through Nov. 4, Marriott Center for Dance, 330 S. 1500 East, UofU. Tickets $7–10, 201-581-7100 or kingtix.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS Nov. 13 Jay Brannan @ Urban Lounge

Nov. 24 Pride Center Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner

8friDAY — Well obviously, since Halloween is just a few days off, all the world’s doing Rocky ... the whore, not Stallone. You can catch the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a number of venues this weekend: Peery’s Egyptian Theater in Ogden (costume and dance contest); Club Try-Angles (hosted by Fonda Dixx); Tower Theatre (go dressed in full Rocky Regalia, live pre-show). I just wish Chord Overstreet in gold lamé short-shorts was going to be here ... waaa! Peery’s Theater: 8pm, $12 at smithstix.com; Club Try-Angles: 9pm, 801364-3203; Tower Theatre: Hours vary through Oct. 31, $10, 801-359-5158.

QQ If you’re not into Rocky ... the whore, then join the Speedo team at QUAC’s Halloween Party. The theme is The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ... that’s boobilicious! I’m a dork. Be sure to wear feathers, frills and mustaches. I just wish Burt Reynolds in a gold lamé Speedo was going to be there ... waaa! 8pm, Club JAM, 751 N. 300 West. Free, quacquac.org.

sundaY — In awareness of breast cancer, the indie electropop duo, Uh Huh Her, is on their Keep A Breast Tour. Girlfriends Leisha Hailey (The L Word) and Camila Grey make a stop in Salt Lake City tonight to entertain all you lesbians and lesbians-in-gay-boybodies. I just hope the girls aren’t flying into our fair city on Southwest Airlines. 9pm, Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East. Tickets $13 Adv/$15 Day Of, 801-4678499 or smithstix.com.

Spooky Halloween Feast. The menu, I believe, includes bat tongue, pickled brains, beer-battered toenails and your choice of skewered eyeballs or apricot bisque. Yuummmy! Proceeds benefit the RCGSE. 5pm, The Trapp, 102 S. 600 West. Donation $5, 801-531-8727 or thetrappslc.com.

thursday — A couple of aging,

grumpy vaudevillians make up The Sunshine Boys. Maybe the old

bastards should hook up with The Golden Girls ... oh wait, that’s kinda perverse. Anyhoo, Neil Simon’s Tony-nominated comedy is being produced by The Pinnacle Acting Company and is directed by Lane Richins. The play takes place in the 1970s, and who doesn’t miss the seductive ’70s? 7:30pm, through Nov. 19, Midvale Performing Arts Center, 695 W. 7720 South. Tickets $13–15, 801-634-5802 or pinnacleactingcompany.org.

QQ Pygmalion Productions opens the season with an unforgettable story. I’m such a dork, and you’ll know why in a sec. Julie Jensen’s Last Lists of My Mad Mother is a hilarious, often touching look at the toll Alzheimer’s disease takes on a parent-child relationship. A wicked sense of humor helps Dot maintain her own sanity as caring for her afflicted mother becomes exhausting. Times vary, through Nov. 19, Black Box Theatre, Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. Broadway. Tickets $20, 801-355-ARTS or arttix.org.

QQ Westminster College presents Blake Edwards’ lavish comedy, set to Henry Mancini’s music, the regional premiere of Victor/Victoria. Penniless soprano, Victoria, and gay cabaret performer, Toddy, create a scheme to disguise Victoria as a man named Victor, who entertains as a female impersonator known as Victoria. But when a Chicago mobster gets the hots for

Victoria, mayhem ensues. I bet the stage will be puking gold lamé. 7:30pm, through Nov. 12, Courage Theatre, Westminster College, 1840 S. 1300 East. Tickets $10, 801-832-2457 or westminstercollege.edu/ campusevents.

saturday — This event sounds

fabulous enough for a gold lamé tutu. Just sayin’ ... I own one. Anyhoo, the B Utah Arts Alliance and the Grand Theatre present The Big Small World Show. Performances include: Samba Fogo (Afro-Brazilian dance and music), The BBoy Federation (hip-hop, break and a street dancing), Electric Brae U t (Scottish Highland dance) and f others.

7pm, Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State St. Tickets $5–15, 801957-3322 or the-grand.org.

t Y c s tuesday — Founded o by former Alvin Ailey stars Y Dwight Roden and Desmond B

Richardson, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, based in New York City, proudly transcends the boundaries of traditional dance, celebrating different styles, cultures, and music to entertain and engage audiences.

W m b h g I I

7:30pm, Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, W UofU. Tickets $19.50–29.50, 801-581-700 or

o A wednesday — The 10-time It Oscar-winning film West Side Story a returns to the silver screen in a C special engagement event. The 1961 I

kingtix.com.

film starred Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno. The West Side Story 50th Anni- H versary Event opens with a new produc- a I tion featuring a discussion with producer i Walter Mirisch, Oscar-winning actor George s Chakiris (who played Bernardo) and Natalie a Woods’ voice double, Marni Nixon. 7pm, in select theaters. Tickets $9.50–11.50, fathomevents.com.

r t

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It’s the uniqueness of the show that’s so attractive. Really, the performers are musical athletes. The show is just really high energy. What role do you play in the production? I am a tuba player. I play some percussion. Everyone does a little bit of everything. The more you do the more you’re in the show. But primarily tuba.

nspired by performances on athletic fields across the nation, BLAST! is a completely unique show that celebrates music, art and movement. The Emmy and Tony award-winning production will be rolling through Utah, Nov. 1-2 at Kingsbury Hall. BLAST! brings together 35 brass, percussion and visual performers in an explosion of music and theater. Jason Moncrief started touring with the Broadway show after graduating from Youngstown State University in 2002. The musician and performer has been featured as a tuba soloist, and has traveled to England and Japan on an international tour. Moncrief, now a New York City resident, talked with QSaltLake about Blast! and life on the road.

in your bag. Don’t be close-minded to think that one style or one path is the only path. In this day and age people want to know if you can do a few things. Grow a lot of ways musically. Stick with it and keep going. It can be hard, challenging and stressful, but in the end it is so rewarding.

Do you identify as gay? And if so, how is it What are some of the biggest challenges of being gay and performing? Yes, I am gay and the production? There it’s not really an issue. I are a lot of musical and physical challenges. You’re don’t use it as something moving while playing the to make it into a big deal. I BLAST! horn, not just sitting and am open and honest about Kingsbury Hall swaying, but really movUofU President’s Circle my life. There are so many ing. It’s a physical, cardio beautiful things about me, Tuesday, November 1, 7:30PM challenge. And there are

Blast! performer talks challenges of a musical without words

By Seth Bracken

Wonder and Rihanna to Beyoncé. So many people inspire me and I love so many types of music. What is Blast! and why should people go see it? People should go see it because it’s completely unique and completely different. The musicians come out of the pit and onto the stage. The entire show is music. We use acting, music and movement to tell a theatrical story.

Wednesday, November 2, 7:30PM and being gay is just one a lot of different musical styles in the show that can Ticket Information: part of me. take some time to master. $44.50 orchestra pit Do you have any advice We rehearse for about six $37.50, $27.50, $17.50 for young queer people weeks to do this producU students - $5 with valid ID. tion. We start everyday at 9 living in a conservative 801-581-7100 a.m. and rehearse until 10 environment? My advice at night. It’s a very involved is just stay strong through show. There are so many it all, no matter what hapthings to do and master because there’s no pens. Stay strong, stay true and stay honest. spoken text in the show. Although we may get a lot of backlash for who Do you have any advice for young people that we are, remember how fortunate we are because want to follow a similar career path? My best advice for young aspiring musicians is just to be things are so much better than they used to be as diverse as possible. Have a couple of tricks

and they’re just going to keep getting better. Q

Will this be your first time in Utah? It will be my first time. It’s one of the few states I haven’t been to. I don’t know anything about Utah, I’ve heard of Salt Lake City and I’ve heard it’s really gorgeous. I love doing outdoorsy activities, so I hope there are some fun things I can do while I’m in town.

Where are you from originally? I’m from Ohio originally. I was raised just outside of Cleveland. After college, in 2002, I started doing the show. I lived in Los Angeles for three years where I taught school, played with an opera orchestra and toured with the show. Now I live in New York City. I’ve been there for the past three years and I love it.

How did you first become interested in music and performing? It’s kind of funny because I first started playing when I was going to an inner-city Catholic school. This guy wanted to start a band in the school, so he would come by and help us rehearse. As for my musical tastes, I have such a wide range. I was trained classically but I love all types of music. Everything from Mozart to Stevie

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28 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How do you feel about the disappearance of the singer/songwriter from mainstream, because you were born out of that? I was born out of that, and I’m still that, but I needed to take the singer/songwriter by the hand and say, “Honey, we gotta expand.” This French journalist said, “Are you willing to be honest and admit that what you really are is a conceptualist and you’ve been disguising yourself as a pop star?” (Laughs) And I said, “Well, geez, I love contemporary music, I love pop music and I love the idea of the singer/ songwriter. That’s part of my sou. But maybe there is another part that needs to expand — a composer in me.”

PHOTO: VICTOR DE MELLO

Gay icon on Christian phonies, being OK with a lesbian daughter and why “It Gets Better” isn’t enough By Chris Azzopardi

How do you celebrate a new release? That’s a really good question. We’ll probably have a glass of champagne tonight. Some of the team that put so much energy into it is with me, so we’ll gather and show gratitude. With alcohol, naturally. Well, champagne. You know, a toast is a toast. It’s more about the camaraderie.

QSALTLAKE

would’ve looked at me and said, “Tori, what ar’ you doin’?”

The teachings of Tori ori Amos doesn’t do anything straight. Regarded as one of the premier singer/songwriters of our time, the gay icon’s veered off every which way — into babe-pounding-piano rock and baroque-influenced orchestrations — not to mention seasonal songs, straight-up pop, adult contemporary and gender-bending covers. Night of Hunters, her 12th album over several decades, taps into 400 years of classical music for the backdrop to the musician’s conceptual damsel-in-distress narrative. It’s some of Amos’ finest work in years. On the album’s release date, Amos called in to chat about the if-you-were-lesbian talk she had with her daughter, her message to anti-gay Christians and how “It Gets Better” might not be the best way to prevent suicide among gay youth.

ISSUE 192

Do you still travel with a wine cellar when you tour? You know it. You’ve said, “I knew more about shoes than classical music.” What was your crash course in 400 years of classical music like? I don’t know if it was a crash course. I was at the conservatory for five, six years studying only classical music. I wanted to be a composer. I knew that I was not going to be a concert pianist for all kinds of reasons, but you have to really be dedicated and devote your whole life to playing, for the most part, someone else’s ideas and thoughts and feelings. I felt much more that I had the soul of a composer than the soul of an interpreter. I felt closer to the sonic architects than I did to the Horowitzs of the world. It sounds a lot like an extension of your last album, Midwinter Graces. Did working on that project inspire this one? I think it did inspire me, because working with carols and doing variations on them was kind of me cutting my teeth on how to approach the idea of variations on a theme and to expand upon an original theme from another time. I did gain some experience by doing that, but I must tell you, hand on my heart, I did not think about going up to

(classical record label) Deutsche Grammophon and saying, “Uh, excuse me, I’m gonna mess with the masters. Will you all pay for this?” It’s not something you do. It’s like calling up Black Ops and saying, “Hi, can I blow some shit up? I’m available!” It doesn’t really work like that. But they approached me with the idea and I thought it was pretty bold, and I found them to not be reticent about it but saying, “We’ve studied your work and we think you’re ready to do this. We know you’ve been working on the musical (The Light Princess) so you should understand narrative to a degree.” And then they said, “You know what, how about a 21st century song-cycle based on classical themes?” And I said, “How about a drink?” Do you think this is a project you would’ve even considered 20 years ago? Oh, are you kidding? I think having worked on the musical now for 5,000 years I’ve learned a lot. (Laughs) I’m working with these incredible creative minds and that has really pushed me as a creative force to expand my ability as a composer. In the pop field, the composition form is quite regimented. I can see it right now: If I had turned in almost 10 minutes to one of my favorite people in the whole world, (record label exec) Doug Morris, he

Does having your 11-year-old daughter, Natashya Hawley, on four tracks mean you’re trying to turn her into a gay icon, too? (Laughs) Well, I don’t know if I’m trying to turn her into anything! She’s turning herself. She helped me develop “Annabelle” (a character on Night of Hunters). I designed it, but she helped develop the character. She’s been pushing me about the musical and she realized she was too young to play any of the girls and she said, “Look, I could stuff my bra!” And I said, “Stop stuffing your bra!” So Tash is very proactive. She’s grown up with gay people in our life. We have people from all walks of life on our crew — gay women and gay men that we work with. She’s been brought up in it. She had no choice — look at her mother. Yeah, I know! (Laughs) But she knows very well what I think. I had a chat with her once that if she ever came home and said she was a lesbian then that’s her choice. And she said to me: “Mom, I’m not a lesbian. Black guys are hot.” You’re from North Carolina, which has previously banned gay marriage and is now seeking to amend that to the state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. How do you feel about this legislation, as it affects such a huge part of your fan base? What I think is so strange. It is. (Laughs) If anybody calls themselves a Christian, I don’t see how you can ban consenting adults. I just don’t understand how you can see yourself as Christian and have no compassion for another person’s path. It goes against the Christ-like energy and light that I was brought up with. My mother and father, they’re both Southern, have opened up, especially my dad. He had to really stretch as a Methodist minister, but he’s embraced the idea that gay people deserve rights. I’m really proud that, as a Methodist minister, he was able to make that shift and see that he did need to see it differently. He took me to a gay bar when I was 13. He’s

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

J O I N

busine aiance

come a long way, let’s put it that way. So I think there’s hope for people who are judgmental, but what they have to say themselves is, how can they call themselves a Christian and then insist that gay people don’t have the right to be married? Then gay people shouldn’t have to pay taxes in the state of Carolina! Is there hope for Michele Bachmann or people like her? I don’t understand people. Again, I’m a minister’s daughter, I was brought up in the church; I do know the political side and how it works. If I could sit down with these people you’re mentioning, I’d say, “I thought Jesus was about love and not about judgment and damnation. I thought Christ came to question the judgment of a very harsh God.” I just find it completely against Christ’s message. I don’t know what they’re representing, but they’re as far away from Christ as my Bible teaching taught me and, you know what, I was brought up in the church! I’ve gone to church enough for almost every woman in America! (Laughs) With all the bullying and suicides among LGBT teens in the news, have you considered writing a song about that? Could you send me some information about that? I’m not aware of all that you speak about. There’s been a series of suicides among gay youth in the last year due to bullying, with 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer being reported most recently. The “It Gets Better” project was launched to give kids hope and remind them that it’s not the end of the world. But it is the end of the world to them. When you are being bullied because of who you are, the shame of that is so great that it does seem like the end of the world and like they’re not accepted in this world — and they’re not being accepted by part of this world. And yet, the people that are not accepting them and bullying them call themselves Christian, and that is a lie. You are not a Christian if you treat people like that. I don’t care what office you’re running for. You just are not. That is not the definition of walking the Christlike path. When artists say it’s not the end of the world, I don’t know if that’s the approach. I think the approach is acknowledging what they’re feeling and hopefully creating a space where people feeling bullied can go to. This next election, it’s so important the gay community become very aware of what’s going on and be very proactive about their rights as human beings. The fact that gay people are not treated as if they’re human beings by some of these people who are running for office, it’s barbaric. Whatever you think I am, I would like to be in a society where we’re enlightened, and I just find it all very primitive and that we’re regressing mentally. Q

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30 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

Comedian Anjelah Johnson welcomes her gay following By Seth Bracken

ost people don’t catch a fish on the first cast or strike it rich with the first shovel load of a gold dig. But Anjelah Johnson’s first joke performed as a standup comic went on to collect 25 million YouTube views and launched her comedic career. Her story about a visit to a nail salon where a Vietnamese woman helped her was pure, comic gold. “I never really sought out comedy,” Johnson said. “It came after me. My dream was to be an actress, and the comedy thing just sort of started happening.” Since the hilarious bit was uploaded to YouTube, Johnson created another viral sensation, gathering another 50 million views with her MADtv character, Bon Qui Qui, an outrageous ‘King Burger’ employee. “I am a story comic. I tell stories and hopefully they’re stories people can relate to,” Johnson said. “Generally people take my jokes in stride and laugh. It’s not mean spirited, it’s observational. You yourself have probably observed the same thing and that makes it funny.” Some of her favorite comedians include Ellen DeGeneres, Brian Regan, Joe Coy, and the first comic CD she purchased was a George Lopez album. Johnson, who is of Latin and Native American decent, said George Lopez, and other story comics, have a huge influence on her and she has tried to shape her craft in the

same style. And something about that style has attracted a large gay following, and she couldn’t be happier about it. “I am blessed to have the gay community on my team. I am blessed that we’re able to laugh and live together,” Johnson said. “I definitely feel like I gravitate toward the gay community. I am jus surrounded by gay, and maybe my fans can feel that. I have gay aunts, uncles, cousins and even my brother is gay.” Johnson said her brother, who is a successful and fabulous hair stylist in Los Angeles, is one of the main inspirations for her Bon Qui Qui character, who is, “just ghetto fabulous.” Johnson’s stand-up routine makes the rounds with observations about racial stereotypes, ethnicity and religion. “It’s not about offending people, I’m not calling names and it’s not mean spirited,” Johnson said. “My first joke writing class was even at a church.” Her successful stand-up career has segued into movie roles on Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Marmaduke and Our Family Wedding, as well as roles on the TV shows Ugly Betty and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Along with auditions, Johnson said she’s focusing mainly on her stand-up career and is preparing for an hour-long Comedy Central special. Johnson will be performing at Kingsbury Hall, Nov. 5. Tickets are available through KingsburyHall.org.

U ‘ l

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ISSUE 192

OCTOBER 27, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Coast premiere of the musical It’s a Wonderful Life, the original production of Inaccurate Information at the Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles, the new version of Nunsense A-Men at Open Stage West and tours of Forever Plaid, An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Godspell. His production company produced Journey of a Jacket that was screened at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, the television series The Club, which was written by Palmer, and released his fourth solo CD Songs for Souls for The Homeless Children’s Charity Project. Palmer lives with his husband of 21 years and their two children, Aaron, 14, and Haley, 5. Q

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honor roll

for everyone; gay, straight, queer, old, young. Even if you don’t know who all 19 divas are, the songs are still very funny and you might be surprised how many you recognize,” Palmer said. Palmer, an Ogden native, is touring the country with his new show, and his previous and similar production, Fabulous Divas of Broadway, was well-received by fans and critics.

4 7 6 3 9 1 2 8 5

udy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Joan Crawford and 16 other divas will walk onto a Utah stage in a fabulous parody and impression performance. Alan Palmer, in a one-man traveling show, will have a limited engagement of Fabulous Divas of Hollywood, Nov. 18-19. “The show is just a great time. It’s funny

3 2 5 6 4 8 1 9 7

By Seth Bracken

9 8 1 2 7 5 3 6 4

Utah native brings ‘Divas of Hollywood’ to life in new production

At a young age, Palmer was interested in theater and performing, but until his diva shows, he’d never done drag. Growing up in Utah, he participated in all the local theater and productions he could find, but eventually he moved to Chicago to look for more opportunities. He followed his performing dreams to Broadway where he landed the leading role in the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Aspects of Love. He even played an alien Power Ranger on the popular children’s TV show for a season. “Even though I wasn’t raised Mormon, I still participated in a lot of the road-show performances and other productions and I have to thank them for all the training I received. It was the Mormons who helped me nourish my love for acting and performing,” Palmer said. But his latest show impersonating 19 famous women is perhaps his biggest challenge yet. “There are so many fast costume and voice changes, songs and a script I follow,” Palmer said. “It can get a little wacky, but it’s just so much fun for everyone. We don’t print programs on purpose. We want it to just flow and be a surprise for the audience. You never know what’s going to come next.” Along with diva impersonations, he’s also an award-winning director and choreographer. His impressive list of credits includes the 50th anniversary production of Oklahoma! for Broadway-Grand Opera, the West

Fabulous Divas of Hollywood runs Nov. 1819, 7:30 p.m., One Mind Studio, 216 W. Paxton Ave., Salt Lake City. Tickets are available through OneMindStudio.com or at the door on the day of the performance.

OCTOBER 27, 2011

32 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Gay TV

46 Carbon compound 47 Mississippi riverboat Across 49 Word-for-word 1 It gets a gel hard 53 Comedy in which Lily 5 Suffix with Smurf has two dads 9 Jack on the card table 55 Kind of bear 14 Major or minor, to 58 Mapplethorpe’s Man Jerry Herman in Polyester ___ 15 Lo follower 59 May be seen now 16 Desi’s daughter 60 Taper off 17 Got on one’s knees 61 Triangle ratio and asked for it 62 Give for a while 18 Fruit cover 63 Still in the closet, 19 Out-and-out perhaps 20 Series with an out gay 64 Estimating words guy named Max 65 ___-highs (drag 23 With the waterworks on queen’s hosiery) 24 Margaret Mead interDown viewees 1 Theater opening for 28 Trick Greeks? 29 New Deal org. 2 Word on a map of 30 Colette, to herself Israel 31 Smile self-consciously 34 MTV show with a gay 3 Highly skilled 4 Ingredient for a Susan lacrosse player Feniger dish, perhaps 36 Tale opening 5 Hans Christian 37 Before, in verse Andersen’s naked 38 Jabba the ___ of Star marcher Wars 39 Program set in Toronto 6 Itty-bitty 7 Was active in B&D with a transgender 8 One no longer subject character to DADT 42 Is noisy in bed 9 Jack of The Odd 44 Art, these days Couple 45 Log Cabin member, for short 10 Crackers or bananas

11 Dramatic division 12 Go head to head 13 Always, to Byron 21 Jodie Foster’s alma mater 22 Church section 25 Illicit love affair 26 Streisand’s Prince of Tides costar 27 Separates, as flour 31 Parts of floats 32 Not potent 33 Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby ___” 34 More than bi35 Well-integrated Harvey? 37 Oral pleasure with a foamy head 40 With thick plates 41 Rank Billie Jean, e.g. 42 Brandy sipper’s glass 43 Bene beginning 46 Bad weather culprit 48 Place for a G-string 50 Out of bed 51 Dress with a flared bottom 52 Paul of Hollywood Squares 54 Screw royally 55 Butter portion 56 Tie for Madame Butterfly 57 On the ___ PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ARE ON PAGE 31

anagram

An anagram is a word or phrase that can be made using the letters

from another word or phrase. Rearrange the letters below to answer:

name the Oscar-winning film celebrating its 50th anniversary

it weds oysters

____

_____

ISSUE 192

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QSALTLAKE.COM

ISSUE 192

OCTOBER 27, 2011

español expres Walking in the winter wonderland by Gus Herrero

veryone must be thinking, “what is wrong with this man?” (Everything. But that’s another topic that I may approach sometime in the future) I know it’s not even winter, but it is coming, whether we like it or not. A few days ago we experienced some low temperatures and also snow in the mountains and even in Sugar House. This not-so-strange phenomenon made me pull out my iPhone and put my favorite Christmas album, Home for Christmas by Amy Grant, on replay. I suddenly found myself singing Christmas carols while driving to school, humming while walking through the corridors of the building and my boss caught me trying to whistle “Rocking around the Christmas tree.”

Caminando en Winter Wonderland by Gus Herrero

odos ustedes estarán pensado, “¿cual es problema de este tipo?” (Absolutamente todo. Pero ese es otro tema que tocare en un futuro no muy lejano) Se que no es siquiera invierno, pero todos sabemos que ya se acerca, muy independientemente si nos agrada o no. Algunos días atrás experimentamos temperaturas bajas, también algo de nieve en las montanas y no yendo tan lejos, en Sugar House. Este no tan extraño fenómeno en nuestro estado, me hizo sacar mi IPhone y poner mi álbum favorito de Navidad, Home for Christmas por Amy Grant, claro con el replay correspondiente. De pronto me encontré cantando canciones navideñas mientras me dirigía a la Universidad, tarareando mientras caminaba por los pasillos de la escuela y finalmente mi jefa me descubrió tratando de silbar “Rocking around the Christmas tree.” Si, nuestra bella Sión se convertirá en nuestra pequeña winter wonderland en mucho menos

Yes, our beautiful land of Zion will become our own little winter wonderland very soon. Yes, the icy temperatures can be tortuous, but we must enjoy all the wonderful seasons that Mother Nature has to offer. That very same day, my so-kind-hearted boyfriend agreed to drive me to Snowbird for Oktoberfest. The view from the road was exquisite. Rays of sun were filtering through the leaves of the snow-covered trees. The blanket of snow reminded me of the sound of my boots make while walking through the cold temperatures of winter. While I was in the midst of daydreaming, my phone vibrated, someone posted something on Facebook: “I hate this cold weather.” I instantly replied, “If you don’t like the weather, move out. There are many states where the temperature doesn’t go down to freezing temperatures.” I know, I was a little mean, but seriously, it seems that we are always bitching about something. In the Summer, “it’s too hot.” In the Fall, “there so many leaves to rake.” In the Spring, “I have allergies.”And in the winter, “It’s so effing cold!” Why don’t we all take a break and enjoy what the world has to offer? And remember, if you don’t like Winter, just remember that Spring is just six months away. de lo que esperamos. Si lo se, las bajas temperaturas pueden parecer para muchos una carga muy difícil de enfrentar. Pero debemos de sacar provecho a todas las estaciones que la Madre Naturaleza nos tiene por ofrecer. Ese mismo día, mi tan buen intencionado novio se comprometió en llevarme a Snowbird para el Oktoberfest. La vista desde el camino era exquisita. Los rayos del sol se filtraban por en medio de las hojas de los árboles, todas cubiertas de nieve. La capa de nieve me recordó el sonido de mis botas al caminar por la nieve. Mientras estaba en medio de mis pensamientos, mi teléfono vibro, alguien comento en su estatus de Facebook: “Como odio este clima.” Yo instantáneamente respondí, “Si no te gusta el clima, múdate. Hay muchos estados en los que la temperatura no es tan helada.” Lo se, fui un tanto rudo, pero se me conoce por decir lo que pienso, y me vale … Pero en realidad, parece que siempre estamos poniendo a parir sobre cualquier cosa. En el verano, “que hace calor.” En el otoño, “que hay muchas hojas de los árboles y yo no las levantare.” En la primavera, “que tengo alergias” y en el invierno, “que frío del demonio!” ¿Por que no relajamos y disfrutamos de lo que el mundo tiene por ofrecernos? Y recuerden que, si es que no les gusta el invierno, la primavera esta a solo seis meses.

G E T YO U R V I Q C A R D AT

VIQCARD.COM

NIGHTLIFE

Q scopes Don’t be shy, Pisces! By Jack Fertig

Venus and Mercury dancing into Sagittarius crank up sociability and charm. The challenge is to back that up with substance and accomplishment.

ARIES (March 20–April 19) Secrets about your sex life could be revealed. Treat it as a coming-out, or with a sense of humor; it can work out for the best. Friends might goad you into over-indulgence. Know your limits–and reconsider some of those friends!

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) You could talk a bee out of her stripes, but your charms could lead you into more than you expected. A little adventure is good for you. Getting outside of your comfort zone will teach you to appreciate new comforts.

GEMINI (May 21- June 20) The trick to wining in litigation or in love is to be a good listener. Your mouth could get you into trouble, but you need to say something! Just pay attention and think ahead. Then, and only then, trust your instincts.

CANCER (June 21- July 22) Erotic impulses should feed your creativity, but can now be a distraction. Getting sexually creative is one way to reconcile that, but impulses to experiment can get you in over your head. Be careful, know who you’re with, and have a safe word!

LEO (July 23–August 22) Problems at home could blindside you by the end of the week. “Keeping things nice” with family or roommates only delays the worst. Turn that charm to diplomacy to uncover what you need to deal with.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22) People are enjoying your loquacity, perhaps because you are revealing more than you should. The trick is to give just enough to get others to reveal their secrets. All this is best applied with family members to unearth old stories and secrets.

(prospective) partner. People who scare easy aren’t for you anyway.

[

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–Dec. 20) Your hard work behind the scenes will soon get noticed and should pay off. Expect some constructive criticism and pay attention even if you don’t like it! Time out with your partner can help nip any problems in the bud.

]

CAPRICORN (December 21–Jan. 19) You can be an effective spokesperson for your favorite charities. Raise money or organize friends to help out. Charity begins at home so give yourself a break now and then. Down time alone is important, and doesn’t have to be _all_ alone.

AQUARIUS (January 20–February 18) You want to come out fighting for what you believe in, but what would that be? An indirect approach, improving your image at work–always best done by doing your best work–will make you a better advocate for your causes.

PISCES (February 19–March 19) Don’t be shy about your accomplishments, but be careful not to go overboard either. A few words in the right ears will get people singing your praises. One can be too sympathetic. Consistent boundaries and some tough love are in order.

Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is available for personal and business consultations in person or online. He can be reached at 415-864-8302, starjack.com and QScopes@qsaltlake.com.

“You cannot change the problem with the same mind that created it” –Einstein

Aﬃrmative C u el g

LIBRA (September 23–October 22) Your flirtations can either draw you a surprising candidate for love, or trigger a surprising reaction from your partner. The same charms that started the crisis can also resolve it. Make-up sex, or any other kind, can re-kindle the romance.

• • • • •

Lee a M er

SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) Discussing hard issues can help you to deepen your relationship or start one. Don’t shy away from questions of basic values, what really matters to you, and your

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

34 FOOD & DRINK

Q doku

Each Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution which can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits 1 through 9 into the Each Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution which can be reached logically spaces. Every row must contain of each digit,Every as must withoutblank guessing. Enter digits 1 through 9 into one the blank spaces. row must contain oneand of each as mustQdoku each column and five each 3x3 each column eachdigit, 3x3 square. is actually square. Qdoku is actually five separate, but connected, Sudoku puzzles. separate, but connected, Sudoku puzzles.

Q doku

Level: Hard

7 3 9 5 6 9 1 4 8 1 5 8 2 6 5 4 5 2 6 6 7 5 8 2 3 8 7 6 4 2

5 6 3

3 1

5 1

5 4 7 4 1 8 5 8 1 9 2 4 9 3 4 9 1 8

2 3 9 6 3 1 4 3 5 7 8

Cryptogram

4 6 8

6 7 7 1

Anagram

A cryptogram is a puzzle where one letter in the puzzle is substituted with another. For example: ECOLVGNCYXW YCR EQYIIRZNBZN YZU PSZ! Has the solution: CRYPTOGRAMS ARE CHALLENGING AND FUN! In the above example Es are all replaced by Cs. The puzzle is solved by recognizing letter patterns in words and successively substituting letters until the solution is reached.

This week’s hint: A = G Theme: Openly gay actor Zachary Quinto in reference to the recent suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer.

QSALTLAKE

cocktail chatter The TinaTini

9 8 5 3 7 1 7

cryptogram

1 2

2 3 7 4 8 4 9 2 5 1 8 3 9 5 7 4

1 7 3 9 5 6 9

2 1 9 5 4

ISSUE 192

By Ed Skiov

he housemates season just got to me, along with a few of my last cocktail du weekend du season, which I invented minutes before Unhappy Hour began. The words “beware of dog” were written all over my face. I’d had it with everyone but Dan — Jack Fogg and his ego, Sammy and his perfect little body, Phil Levine and all the fawning Asian geisha boys who’d passed through the house for the last four months. .... I was sick of myself, too — the humiliating blend I’d become of one of the losers at open-mic night at some comedy club: the Little Red Hen, Max the bartender and Shirley Booth as “Hazel.” It was too breezy for the beach, but the deck was sunny and protected from the wind, so there they were, all lined up on chaises like Atlantis boys with body hair. (Question: Do you really have to wax everything off to go on an Atlantis cruise?) My creation was simple: Absolut Pears with a little ginger liqueur mixed in. I added a touch of homemade ginger syrup, but it would be fine without it. But what would I call it? As housemate after housemate trooped past wearing Speedos, in my half-inebriated state I became aroused, then angry. So I belligerently rejected all their naming suggestions, which were uniformly based on the suffix “tini.” This abomination drives me crazy. Just because a drink is vodka-based and destined for a classic cocktail glass does not mean it must be called, in this case for example, a Gingertini. Then Jack Fogg brought up the rear (so to speak) and redeemed every snotty thing he ever said by violating my strict anti-tini law and dubbing the new ginger cocktail The TinaTini in honor of Tina Louise.

The TinaTinis tasted better and better the more of them I consumed. At the end of the main course, I made a little joke at Phil Levine’s expense: “And who would like a nice bowl of homemade ginge’ rice queen ... I mean ginger ice cream!” There were giggles from Jack and Sammy, a glare from Dan, and a lawyerly, eye-toeye stare-down from the victim of my petit bon mot, bulldog Phil. “Why is my attraction to Asian men so hilarious to you?” he asked me point-blank. “Do you think it’s about girly-boy guys with 28-inch waists as if I’d really like 11-year-old white kids but make do with legal-age Asians or is it the old dick-size canard, ’cause I tell you what, you asshole, I’ve had Asian guys with dicks bigger than yours, a lot, ha.” “I’m slorry, Phil,” I squealed. “I guess I don’ know’nough’boudit.” I offered my hand in drunken friendship. Did he really refuse to shake my hand? I let it sort of wave in the air, just like the late Queen Mum. I was in no shape for back talk. “I’smorry again, Philip,” I managed to get out, “but now’s not the time for shoshiography ... shoshilogy, I mean.” At which point, I am told, I leaned back in my chair and fell asleep.

The TinaTini 1 oz. Absolut Pears 1 tablespoon Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur Ginger syrup to taste (optional) For every ounce of Absolute Pears you pour into a shaker full of ice, add one tablespoon Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and, if you have any, ginger syrup to taste. Shake. Serve. Q

Arv wosi gbbs xp ixph woyyoga xtbdibynbi zbermib xtbv rjb drsb xp qbby upjxtybii zv ejmby rgs jbybgxybii zmyyvoga. ___

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ISSUE 192

OCTOBER 27, 2011

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

36 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

she culture Art met fashion By Annalisa Millo

magine a fundraiser, spearheaded by women, staffed by women, featuring women, for the benefit of a non-profit women’s organization. If the sound of that doesn’t make you giddy for feminism, I’m not sure what else will. The third annual Art Meets Fashion event was held Oct. 15 in a warehouse in the up-and-coming industrial Granary District of Salt Lake City, proceeds of which went to the Young Women’s Christian Association, and was organized by some of the city’s best assets: Heidi Gress and Anne Cummings-Anderson of Aperture Marketing. From what I’ve seen, Aperture is doing some of the best work around to raise the bar for a more vibrant, more cultured Salt Lake City, by providing the general public exposure to some of our state’s best and most talented designers, artists and performers. It is exactly what this town needs to help cultivate the arts and fashion industries in our own backyard. The event featured a runway showcasing local fashion designers, mostly women, including Shelly Huh, the fashion design team from Salt

Lake Community College, Andrea Hansen of Pretty Macabre, Andrea Black of House of Black, DesNeiges Gregory of Modscene Swim and Whiskey Kissed Lingerie, Roberto Leone of Leone Collection, Danny Nappi of Nappi Clothing and Mary Rino of Lily Bride Designs. The runway show was juxtaposed with visual art pieces and installations from local visual artists, performances by local musicians, poets, dancers, performance artists and even trapeze artists. Custom lighting and décor wowed everyone, the staff donned sharp, all-black attire and the attendees were a refreshingly diverse crowd – jeans and T-shirts among three piece suits and a few evening gowns. I was impressed by how approachable the event was; it’s easy for a fashion show to quickly turn into a pretentious affair, leaving many of the guests feeling uncomfortable. The general vibe at AMF was exciting and pleasant, aesthetically delightful, and, aside from a couple (I’m assuming) unpredictable and unfortunate technical glitches, the crowd seemed to overall thoroughly enjoy the event.

We look forward to what all the artists, designers and performers have in store for us in the future, and we’re all anticipating the next superior event from the folks at Aperture.

ISSUE 192

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

38 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ISSUE 192

QSALTLAKE

the climacteric Long, lofty love By A.E. Storm

xcitement lit up inside me like a Griswold family Christmas tree as my phone buzzed, the screen indicating that a wet, surprised Charlie emerging from my shower was calling me. He had not been amused when snapped the picture. It’s been an excruiciating two hours since I had left him the voicemail, apologizing for putting him on the spot about moving in with me. I felt like a heel— okay, a shithead; he had waited to hear from me, probably in the same pain, for two days. Before I snatched up the phone I hesitated for a moment—I hate confrontation and I felt it coming. Thankfully I was wrong, but was no big surprise. “Hello, Tommy.” Charlie’s voice warmed me. “Hi!” An awkard silence ringed in my ear. Did I clean them today? “I’m glad you call—” he then started to say. “Yeah, I—,” I stuttered an interruption. “I— sorry I took forever to call you back. I got—well, I got your messages but I was pissed and—” “Wait, stop!” His turn to interrupt. How inconsiderate. “It’s okay, I understand why you were upset and I should be the one to say I’m sorry.” Aah, he apologized, how considerate—wait, did he apologize? “Can we meet?” The words jumped out of my mouth before I even considered them, “Yes, of course!” Isn’t the mind strange. Charlie chuckled, of course. “Okay, great.” “Where are you?” I asked. “At my mom’s.” Oh great, Lovey, the skanky Scrabble scholar. I love alliteration. I wonder how hard could it be to speak in it all the time. “Oh, you want me to come over—” I tried to ask. “God no!” He bellowed, like I had just skinned his cat—if he had one. “Meet me at the Olive Garden in Sugar House?” I involuntarily rolled my eyes. For weeks I had been trying to ween him of god-awful chain restaurants like Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Applebee’s, but I guess he’s prone to loud, clanky eyesores and food that tastes like a six-year-old made it. Actually, it’s odd that at my age I’m not prone to early-bird, cafeteria-style eateries with bottomless five-cent iced tea, like maybe Chuck-A-Rama, Coachman’s or Sizzler. Gag! I’d never tell Charlie, but I love the ocassional jaunt to Betos (a local chain of sorts, but with slightly altered names: Albertos, Los Betos, Dos Betos, What’s in a Betos, etc.). It’s my dirty little secret—well, that and late-night dancing to “Beach Blanket Bingo” in a polka dot bikini. “I guess,” I replied. “But wouldn’t you’d rather go to The Dodo?” I heard murmuring in the background. “No Tommy, you do.” The bite on that told me

he is pissed that I hadn’t call him back sooner, or maybe Lovey was prodding him with her talons. “Okay, fine. Give me thirty minutes.” “Great, goodbye Tommy.” I clicked the ‘end call’ button without response. I could feel the top of my head heating up like a hotplate. When I arrived at the shopping center fifty minutes later—yes, I am that juvenile. I squeezed my Nitro through the parking lot, coming dangerously close to running down Mormon housewives wistfully walking to their cars, earto-phone and Michaels shopping bags swinging at their hips. If only I had a better lawyer. I pulled into the only stall I could find, in front of Payless Shoes, about a football field away from the restaurant—yes, I do know the length of a football field—I watch Tiger Manning and the New York Concords every chance I get. As I weaved in and out of mindless drivers skirting through the lot, simultaneously texting their hairdresser or escort or bishop—or more likely all three, I practiced greeting Charlie through alliteration: ‘Hi Charlie, we should go to Charlie Chow’s for Szechuan Chicken with chopsticks.’ Naw. ‘Cheese and cherries Charlie, I could chow a chunk of chocolate.’ Boy, it’s harder than I thought. I gave up by the time I reached his table. “Hi.” Silently he stood and hugged me, his whole beautiful being enveloping me, as always. He released me and pulled out my chair. What a gentleman! We sat down and his expression made my stomach churn; he was about to break up with me—at Olive Garden. Bitch! As I reached for a glass of water he said, “So listen, I found a place to live.” I knocked the glass over, pooling the table. We scrambled to unwrap the napkins from the silverware to mop up the water. “Oh shit, sorry.” I said sulking in disappointment. We had most of it soaked up by the time a waitress arrived with a towel. She, Grace by her name tag, quicky wiped the table dry and refilled my glass. “Thank you Grace,” Charlie said. “Will you give us a few minutes?” “Sure thing,” Grace said, breaking a flirtatious smile at him. Utah women are so dim. My discontented gaze followed her as she walked away, noting that she’s got a great ass. “Tommy,” Charlie directed my attention, “I bought a loft in your building.” My jaw dropped to the table—I mean if that was possible. “What?” I choked on the question. “I bought that loft on the fifth floor that you love—for us to live in together.” Q

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OCTOBER 27, 2011

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