QSaltLake Magazine - 283 - Sep. 2018

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SEPTEMBER 2018 VOL. 15 • ISSUE 283 QSALTLAKE.COM

Fall Arts Guide TAYLOR MAC:

A 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC, ABRIDGED COMING TO KINGSBURY HALL PHOTO BY LITTLE FANG

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4 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE

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Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

TO WEST WENDOVER, Nevada Featuring the Matrons of Mayhem

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SEPTEMBER 2018 |

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QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 5

18

season

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artists of ballet west | photo by beau pearson

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6 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE

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Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

staffbox

publisher/editor Michael Aaron

“I found our plumber on qpages.com.

We’re staying”

ASSISTANT editor Tony Hobday designer Christian Allred sales Ken Stowe, 801-997-9763 x1 sales@qsaltlake.com contributors Joshua Adamson Pickett, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Chris Azzopardi, Paul Berge, Jeff Berry, Paul Campbell, Laurie Bennett-Cook, Mikki Enoch, Jack Fertig, Greg Fox, Charles Lynn Frost, Oriol Gutierrez Jr., Ryan Haymore, Tony Hobday, Joshua Jones, Christopher Katis, Rock Magen, Sam Mills, Mikey Rox, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Petunia Pap Smear, Steven Petrow, Ed Sikov, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Ben ­Williams, D’Anne ­Witkowski distribution Bradley Jay Crookston,

RJ Graham publisher

“I found our real estate agent on qpages.com.

We’re selling”

Q Media Group 222 S Main St, Ste 500 (by appt. only), Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 tel: 801-997-9763

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Online and at over 350 locations across the Wasatch Front We also have marriage counselors

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from the publisher

Fall into art

BY MICHAEL AARON, PUBLISHER

I’m

writing this while it is 97 degrees out, so it feels odd to be doing the “Fall Arts Guide.” But, the weekend this issue hits the streets it is forecast to be in the 80s. I don’t know if it’s age, but I’m looking forward to 70s and 80s outside, even though I haven’t completed many of my summer outdoor projects.

Once I hit send on the final page to the press, I’ll go out there and get the remaining done. After a mimosa. Or nine.

We are lucky to live in this city that has so many strong arts organizations. Some are world-renowned. Others should be. In fact, our arts community is so strong that, even with a large new theater downtown, many smaller organizations struggle for venue space.

We put Taylor Mac on the cover of this issue because he personifies so many of the arts. He is his own canvas for his incredible face art and costumes. He is also an actor and singer, a songwriter and playwright, performance artist and director. He received a Genius Award last year from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

He was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in drama last year.

I say all of this because I don’t think he’s as well known on this side of the country as his now-hometown of New York City. Born in Laguna Beach and raised in Stockton, Calif., he moved to the Big Apple at the age of 21

to pursue his arts.

And I’ve been misgendering Mac this whole article.

Taylor uses the gender pronoun “judy.” I think this shows two sides of judy’s personae — the jester and the forward-thinker.

I’m hoping judy’s show at Kingsbury Hall sells each and every seat and packs people into the aisles. This work is important to see.

Also, forward-looking art will be found at the Urban Arts Festival at the Gallivan Center the weekend of Sept.

15. The largest free arts event in Utah leans less towards art for the living room art and more towards the provocative edge. You’ll also see new media arts and virtual reality.

It’s well worth a day-drinking trip to downtown.

I’m excited to see Matthew Greene’s Good Standing at Plan-B Theatre Company after reading his very personal story on page 29 showing his growth as a gay man.

You will also find me, since I just flew home from Paris after visiting for the Gay Games and watched An American In Paris on the plane, at the Utah Symphony concert by the same name which features the work of George Gershwin complemented by a jazzy piano concerto by Ravel.

There! I’ve got your season’s arts all planned out for you. Now let’s go buy some fun Mac-inspired outfits to wear out on the town. Q

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8 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE

Qsaltlake.com |

news The top national and world news you should know from last month Big year for LGBT candidates Election 2018 finds more than 400 LGBT candidates running for office, The New York Times reports. Most are Democrats, some are running for federal seats, but the majority is running for state and local offices. Many are running in states far from liberal on the East and West Coasts. They include U.S. Senator Tammy

Baldwin running for re-election in Wisconsin; Jared Polis, for governor of Colorado; Kyrsten Sinema, running in the Arizona Senate primary and a Native American lesbian in Kansas. Out bisexual actress Cynthia Nixon is running for NY state governor. And an MTF transgender Democrat candidate for governor Vermont won the nomination.

Utah has six (that we know of) LGBT candidates, one for Congress and the three for the State Senate and two for the State House.

pushed the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, and was the LGBT columnist for the conservative Washington Times who signed a brief in support of same-sex marriage. Cooper introduced his partner at his confirmation hearing as “my incredible spouse”. The White House, Cooper, and Corker didn’t respond to inquiries about his gay bona fides, so it’s unclear whether they think being gay is a liability or he is embarrassed to have been part of LCR.

Nominee gay? Don’t ask us

Businesses declare “Open to All”

A former Log Cabin Republicans executive, R. Clarke Cooper, is nominated as an assistant secretary of state. Senator Bob Corker’s introduction of his fellow Tennessean and the official biography does not mention LCR leadership.

While running the group, he

Yelp, Lyft, Levi’s and Airbnb are joining the “Open to All” coalition, a new way for companies to signal they don’t discriminate. Companies place a window sticker with the moniker, or on yelp.com.

It was started by the Movement Advancement Project;

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

the initiative is supported by 1,200 businesses and nearly 200 advocacy groups. The coalition was “born out of” the Masterpiece Cakeshop case and the formation of the potentially anti-LGBT “Religious Liberty Commission” recently formed by the U.S. Attorney General.

NCLR sues over accommodation discrimination A married couple in Missouri, together for 40 years, was refused occupancy by a senior community because covenants specify that the Bible says marriage is “the union of one man and one woman”.

The two women, represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, and a Washingon, D.C. law firm are suing in federal court. “Why they want to live in such a

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place is beside the point,” the couple’s attorney said. “The denial of housing, for this reason, is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act.”

Delaware says “no” to conversion therapy Delaware banned licensed mental-health professionals from practicing conversion therapy on minors. It becomes the 14th state to prohibit the practice statutorily.

The ‘gay panic defense’ results in the death penalty for Ohio man The convicted murderer of a gay man is the 56th person to receive the death penalty in Ohio since its legalization in 1999. The prisoner met his victim at a Cincinnati gay bar then killed and mutilated the victim in the victim’s apartment. His defense claimed childhood abuse, and he also claimed “gay panic” when seeking clemency, saying he had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder while frequenting gay bars and robbing the patrons.

NYC MTA sued for stupidity A man found innocent of an indecency arrest in Grand Central Terminal is suing NYC’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. He is suing over police brutality and homophobia, saying the officer tried to induce him to have sex; and then arrested despite rejecting the officer. The undercover cop jumped him, shouting, “What are you doing, you fucking faggot?” and calling him a “dirty homo.”

The officer frog marched the man through the busy train and bus terminal shouting “another pee-pee case!”

Female superheroes get LGBT angle Batwoman character, Kate Kane, (airing on the CW network) is a lesbian. However, not finding a lesbian to play the role, producers have cast a self-described “gender-fluid” Australian actress, Ruby Rose, from Orange is the New Black. The CW has featured LGBT characters in other shows: Arrow‘s Curtis Holt (gay), Legends’ Sara Lance (bisexual), and Constantine (bisexual), and Supergirl‘s Pal Alex Danvers (lesbian). Also, Supergirl is currently casting a transgender actress for the upcoming season whose superpower is apparently laser-like personal outrage.

The group cited Cuomo’s record on LGBT rights as a reason for supporting him.

Cuomo signed no-brainer laws like same-sex marriage, housing for HIV-positive residents, and health care protections for transgender people. Nixon’s campaign said Cuomo lied about opposing anti-LGBT politicians, citing Cuomo’s supporting a Bronx Assemblyman who voted against marriage equality.

Abuse among same-sex couples comparable to heterosexuals A study published by the American Journal of Men’s Health found that 50 percent of same-sex relationships reported abuse from a partner — nearly equal to mixed-sex couples. Abuse includes controlling behaviors, emotional abuse, and physical or sexual violence. Stress factors, such as money, employment, and drug use accounted for the causes of these abuses.

California is the first state to recognize June as Pride Month, by law. “California has the largest LGBT population of any state in the union, and is home to over 40 LGBT Pride celebrations each year,” said bill sponsor and Assemblymember, Evan Low.

Nixon stonewalled in NY race

Once an English man, always a Freemason

Continuing the trend of LGBT organizations endorsing the straight candidate when there’s an LGBT opponent to an incumbent, New York Stonewall Democrats endorsed incumbent Andrew Cuomo over Cynthia Nixon.

United Grand Lodge of England informed the 200,000 Freemasons in the UK that “legal” males may become Freemasons, which includes transgender people. Transgender women who joined the Freemasons before they tran-

RUBY ROSE PHOTO MTV INTERNATIONAL

Rushing a masterpiece After the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission is going after Masterpiece Cakeshop’s Jack Phillips for declining to bake a cake for an MTF transgender person celebrating the person’s desire to present as a woman. A “Blue on the Outside, Pink on the Inside” cake was made then declined the day of the SCOTUS ruling. A few weeks later the CCRC ruled there was enough evidence the law had been broken. Phillips is countersuing, claiming it’s unconstitutional to target creative professionals for their religious beliefs.

Court rules for cisgender woman The Michigan Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling against a woman who sued Planet Fitness for revoking her membership after she complained about a transgender woman using the women’s dressing room. The court sent the case back saying the gym didn’t disclose its “no judgment” policy would cover, in the court’s language, “men who self-identify as women.”

Calif. becomes first Pride State

sitioned may remain in the society after transition (but still referred to as “Brother” in official greetings) because “a Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason.

Gay for gay in Alabama Openly gay former U.S. Marine Neil Rafferty won the Democratic run-off for an Alabama State House seat.

Patricia Todd, Alabama’s first openly gay legislator, vacated the seat. Unofficial tallies say Rafferty received 2,531 votes or 67.12 percent with 100 percent of the vote reporting.

Rafferty works as the director of research and development at Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

10 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | NEWS

Qsaltlake.com |

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Equality Utah Candidate Guide Equality Utah’s 2018 Voter Guide was developed to help voters better understand where candidates running for office stand on LGBTQ issues here in Utah.

The scores in this guide were generated from data collected through a digital survey. The survey consisted of twelve total questions, 7 of which were directly related to our policy priorities. Candidates were only graded on the questions that relate to our policy work and received either zero points, one point or a half point where appropriate.

SURVEY QUESTIONS The following questions were answered on a 1–5 scale from very unlikely to very likely: 1. It’s currently legal in Utah to deny service to an LGBTQ person in a place that provides service to the general public. Some examples include: restaurants, hotels, health care establishments, retail spaces. If approached with this legisla-

tion, or an opportunity to affect change on this legislation/policy. How likely are you to champion the passage of legislation that would extend public accommodations protections for sexual orientation and gender identity?

2. Transgender people are often denied benefits by their insurance companies for mental health or transitional related care such as hormones. If approached with this legislation, or an opportunity to affect change on this legislation/policy. How likely are you to champion the passage of legislation that will extend health insurance benefits to transgender employees and/or their family members?

3. Conversion therapy is the effort to change someone’s sexual orientation from gay to straight. If approached with this legislation, or an opportunity to affect change on this legislation/policy.

How likely are you to champion the passage of legislation that would prohibit conversion therapy for minors?

US HOUSE

UTAH HOUSE

ADAM DAVIS US House 1 davisforutah@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

JOSHUA HARDY Utah House 1 jgh191@yahoo.com SCORE: 93%

LEE CASTILLO, US House 1 info@utahisforeverybody.com SCORE: 97%

MARILYN MECHAM Utah Hse 3 marilyn@hot-shot.com SCORE: 86%

SHIREEN GHORBANI, US Hse 2 shireen@shireen2018.com SCORE: 100%

DAN JOHNSON, Utah House 4 danjohnsonhouse4@gmail.com SCORE: 82%

JAMES COURAGE SINGER, US House 3 campaign@jamessinger.org SCORE: 86%

US SENATE JENNY WILSON, ali@wilsonforsenate.com SCORE: 100% CRAIG BOWDEN admin@bowden4senate.com SCORE: 64% CALEB REEVE, calebdreeve@gmail.com SCORE: 54%

SL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SIM GILL, campaign@votesim.com SCORE: 100%

JOSH BRUNDAGE, Utah House 4 joshbrundage4utah@gmail.com SCORE: 86% DEANA FROERER, Utah House 8 deana@froerer4house.com SCORE: 96% KATHIE DARBY, Utah House 9 kjdarby@hotmail.com SCORE: 100% ADAM ALBA, Utah House 18 Adam.alba@gmail.com SCORE: 96% JOE SPECIALE, Utah House 19 jmspeciale@gmail.com SCORE: 71% AMBER CHRISTIANSEN BELTRAN, Utah House 22 amberbeltran22@gmail.com SCORE: 75%

4. How likely are you to support LGBTQ specific trainings within your local law enforcement and other government agencies?

5. Over the past 20 years, Utah’s hate crimes law has yet to convict a single offender. If approached with this legislation, or an opportunity to affect change on this legislation/policy. How likely are you to support our efforts to strengthen our existing laws by including categories of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity?

6. If approached with this legislation, or an opportunity to affect change on this legislation/policy. How likely are you to champion policy initiatives that would require government facilities to have single-occupancy gender neutral restrooms?

7. Do you agree with the following statement? I support a Transgender Utahn’s right to access restrooms that match their gender identity.

JEN DAILEY-PROVOST, Utah House 24 jdailey1725@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

DAVID N SUNDWALL, Utah House 37 david.sundwall@utah.edu SCORE: 61%

SCOTT ROSENBUSH, Utah House 24 scott@rosenbush4utah.org SCORE: 82%

EDGAR HARWOOD, Utah Hse 38 edgar@harwoodforhouse.com SCORE: 100%

JOEL BRISCOE, Utah House 25 joelfor25@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

STEPHEN PECK, Utah House 39 stephenlpeck@yahoo.com SCORE: 100%

ANGELA ROMERO, Utah Hse 26 angela.romero37@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

STEPHANIE PITCHER, Utah House 40 stephanie@electstephanie.com SCORE: 100%

BRIAN KING, Utah House 28 brian@briansking.com SCORE: 93%

WENDY GARVIN, Utah House 41 wgarvin@wendamus.com SCORE: 100%

KERRY WAYNE, Utah House 29 kerry.wayne@comcast.net SCORE: 96%

AMY L MARTZ, Utah House 42 amylmartz@gmail.com SCORE: 96%,

MIKE WINDER, Utah House 30 mike@mikewinder.com SCORE: 93%,

DIANE LEWIS, Utah House 43 votedianelewis@gmail.com SCORE: 96%

PATRICE ARENT, Utah House 36 SCORE: 100%

SHAWN CURTIS, Utah House 43 amaduli@gmail.com SCORE: 57%

CAROL SPACKMAN MOSS, Utah House 37 Carolspackmoss@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

ANDREW STODDARD, Utah House 44 SCORE: 100%

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NIKKI CUNARD, Utah House 45 SCORE: 79% MARIE POULSON, Utah House 46 marie.poulson@gmail.com SCORE: 100% LEE ANNE WALKER, Utah House 46 LAWalkerslc@gmail.com SCORE: 82% ANTHONY SUDWEEKS, Utah House 49 anthony.sudweeks@gmail.com SCORE: 82% MICHELE WEEKS, Utah Hse 51 mweeksutah@gmail.com SCORE: 71% DAN MCCLELLAN, Utah Hse 52 dan.mcclellan@gmail.com SCORE: 96% CHRISTOPHER JAMES NEVILLE, Utah House 53 chris@chris53.com SCORE: 86% MEAGHAN MILLER, Utah House 54 meaghan@votemiller54.com SCORE: 89% CHRISTINA HIGGINS, Utah House 55 christinasquirehiggins@gmail.com SCORE: 100% LYNN ZARITSKY, Utah House 58 lynnzaritsky58@gmail.com SCORE: 96% ERIC CHASE, Utah House 61 vote.eric.chase@gmail.com SCORE: 100% MATT STYLES, Utah House 61 mstyleshk@gmail.com SCORE: 100% MERLE TRAVIS WALL, Utah House 68 Merlewall4utah@gmail.com SCORE: 100% TIM GLENN, Utah House 69 timothy.aaron.glenn@gmail.com SCORE: 82% ROBERT GREENBERG, Utah House 70 bobgmoab@gmail.com SCORE: 96%

UTAH SENATE DEREK KITCHEN, Utah Senate 2 derek.kitchen@gmail.com SCORE: 100% CHASE WINDER, Utah Senate 2 winder4senate@gmail.com SCORE: 71% JANI LWAMOTO, Utah Senate 4 Iwamoto.jani@gmail.com SCORE: 100% KATHLEEN RIEBE, Utah Senate 8 mskriebe@gmail.com SCORE: 100% ALEXANDER CASTAGNO, Utah Senate 9 Votecastagno@gmail.com SCORE: 100% CHRISTIAN BURRIDGE, Utah Senate 11 christian.burridge@gmail.com SCORE: 100% ABRIAN B. VELARDE, Utah Senate 12 abrian4senate@gmail.com SCORE: 100% CLARE COLLARD, Utah Senate 12 electclarecollard@gmail.com SCORE: 93%, DANIEL THATCHER, Utah Senate 12 Danielwthatcher@gmail.com SCORE: 79% MIKE KEIL, Utah Senate 17 mike4utahsenate@gmail.com SCORE: 100%

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KEVIN L BRYAN, Utah Senate 18 info_servo@yahoo.com SCORE: 64% CATHY CALLOW-HEUSSER, Utah Senate 26 ccallowheusser@gmail.com SCORE: 86% MARK CHAMBERS Utah State Senate 28 mark@undertheeaves.com SCORE: 100%

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Qsaltlake.com |

So. Utah library faces backlash over removal of LGBTQ-themed displays Last month library workers in Southern Utah were pressured to remove Pride Month-themed displays featuring LGBT books and materials because a county official believed they were too controversial. Joel Tucker, the Washington County director in charge of eight library branches, had the displays at the Hurricane branch removed following apparent complaints from patrons.

The same form of censorship occurred last year at Ammon Treasure the same branch. At that time, Ammon Treasure, a part-time employee, felt compelled to argue the decision but also felt his position at the library wouldn’t permit it. But this year, Ammon did take his concerns to a supervisor and to human resources; and finally to The Spectrum & Daily News.

He noted that the employees who placed the displays and wore the buttons said they never received any complaints from patrons. And they believe their county higher-ups were being discriminatory.

“I take it from the perspective of the patron,” Tucker told The Spectrum. “What they see is we’re advocating for that point of view, and that we want them to read that. That’s not our intent, to drive people to support one ideal over the other or advocate for one position over another.”

“The intention behind the Pride Month displays was to show the library is a safe space to learn more about the topic,” added Ammon.

Library employees complied and changed the LGBT displays (and removed the buttons from their bodies) with new diversity-themed displays over a selection of books that read “libraries are for everyone.”

The new displays were a safer choice, Tucker said because the alternative would “give rise to or would be likely to give rise to disagreement.”

Equality Utah organized a community forum on the matter on Aug. 8. Former Springdale town councilman Mark Chambers, who is running for the Utah State Senate, Addressed Tucker directly in a heated exchange.

“You have made it controversial,” Chambers said. “You are advocating a side saying we don’t have a presence.”

Chambers went on to say that the “reasoning and decisions you are using hurts me and it hurts my community. You have created this controversy.”

Tucker answered that he is trying to keep the library a safe a neutral ground for all, no matter their background or ideology.

After the forum, Tucker said he had hoped more common ground could be found. He later announced that no LGBT displays would be allowed at any of the area libraries.

The National Coalition Against Censorship wrote a letter that called on public libraries of Washington County, Utah last week to reconsider a ban on LGBTQ displays. Joined by the National Council of Teachers of English, and LGBT civil rights group Lambda Legal, the letter warns that the current ban poses a serious threat to equal rights and freedom of expression and sets a dangerous precedent by perpetuating a culture of prejudice and intolerance.

“A culture of prejudice is toxic in any community forum, especially the library where everyone should be equally welcome and guaranteed freedom to read, think and explore new ideas,” the letter states. The ban, as the organizations point out, can also be seen as an impermissible act of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“As public institutions, libraries may determine the time, place and manner

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in which materials are exhibited, but they have a constitutional obligation not to deny access to material or otherwise discriminate on the basis of viewpoint,” the letter states. “Not only is suppressing LGBTQ displays likely to be a violation of the First Amendment, it further marginalizes a vulnerable minority group and would set a dangerous precedent of intolerance to purportedly controversial ideas.”

“Handling complaints about library displays can be challenging, but banning material just because some find it controversial is a violation of core constitutional principles,” warns Abena Hutchful, coordinator of NCAC’s youth programs. “A public library’s mission is to foster a culture of inclusion, open dialogue, and tolerance.”

The letter encourages Washington County libraries to establish transparent, viewpoint-neutral procedures for handling complaints about displays. The organizations offered to assist the county in developing such procedures.

The full letter can be read at QSaltLake.com.

Additionally, the Library Bill of Rights, a foundational document of the American Library Association, states that “library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background or views of those contributing to their creation,” and that “(m)aterials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”

“Our library system will be forming a committee to create new policies about displays — in which they will be working closely with state librarians experienced with the Library Bill of Rights and upholding intellectual freedom,” Ammon wrote on his Facebook page today. “I feel that they are doing their utmost to rectify our concerns.

“While I have not been assured yet that any LGBTQ displays will not be censored in the future, I’m confident that with new policies in place we will be able to negotiate their return. Thank you, everyone, for your support.” Q

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Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

Salt Lake man beaten, called fag as he walked past a gay bar after a movie A 36-year-old man walking past the Sun-Trapp, a gay bar at First South and Sixth West,

said he was beaten and called anti-gay epithets as he walked home from a movie at The Gateway Megaplex Theaters.

“I’m not one to post intense Facebook posts,” Mike Leyden wrote at 5:30 am on July 28.

“But this is what happens to ‘FAGGOTS’ when they innocently walk out of a movie and walk home. Yes, this happened to me last night..... the first time in my 36 years.

I wasn’t going to post, but everyone needs to see this and

share! The two men punched me, called me a fag because I was by the gay bar on my way home and then ran like the pussies they are. I’m not proud to be an American today. Today I want to go to a country that loves everyone......it’s not here. I’m going to wear these bruises proud! I’m going to tell everyone what happened to me. Fuck Hatred!!!!!!!”

After leaving the movie, he was returning to his home west of the freeway. His path took him past the Sun-Trapp where he said he was assaulted.

Many friends responded to his post, including the owners of the Sun-Trapp.

“I want to thank everyone for all of the kind messages, texts, and phone calls,” Leyden wrote on the 29th, saying he stayed away from social media for a few days to rest. “I am doing ok; the bruises will heal.

I’m lucky to have great people in my life.”

If anyone has any information on the two alleged assailants, you are asked to contact the Salt Lake City Police Department at 801-7993000. Q

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info@digitsas.com – 801-455-6683

September is Bisexual Awareness Month Nationally, September 23 is known as Bi Visibility Day. The 1-to-5 club of the Utah Pride Center celebrates all month with their B+ Awareness Month.

A kickoff potluck will be held at the Utah Pride Center, 1380 S. Mian Street on September 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.

A comix night will be held September 5 from 7–9 p.m.

A picnic at Liberty Park will take place on Sunday, Sept. 9.

On September 15 “When She Speaks” bar night will be at Campfire Lounge, 837

E 2100 South, beginning at 7 p.m.

The 4th Annual Queer Continuum Conference will be held September 22 at the Utah Pride Center.

Also at teh Center is the Coming Out Party from 7 to 9 p.m. September 28.

The group will also have their regular events, including their weekly Monday meetings, monthly coffee, and brunch. Q For more information, see the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/1to5ClubUtah.

First Wednesdays at 7pm at the Utah Pride Center 1380 S Main St Info at bit.ly/UGHS_Lecture Read ‘This Day in Gay Utah History’ at benwilliamsblogger.blogspot.com

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Provo, Logan, Moab and St. George pride events are in September Three of Utah’s corners and Happy Valley will be celebrating Pride this month.

Logan Pride Logan’s 3rd annual Pride Festival goes from noon to 7 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Willow Park. The festival theme is Rainbow Connections: Strength in Local Diversity.

There will be a family potluck on Friday evening before the festival also at Willow Park from 6–8 p.m.

On the week following their Pride, the LGBTQA+ Coalition of Cache Valley is holding a general assembly to discuss resources available in Cache Valley and asking for feedback. Light refreshments will be served. It will be held Tuesday, Sept. 4 from 7–9 p.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 930 N 400 West, Logan.

All Logan Pride Festival events are free and open to all who support or are interested in equality for LGBTQIAP+ individuals.

Information at loganpride.org

Provo Pride The sixth Provo Pride, with the theme “Pride Marches Forward,” will kick off with the Righteous Mx. Provo pageant on Sept. 9 at Third Space in Provo.

Monday evening, Enricle: LGBTQ and Family Resource Center will host a Queer Family Home Evening at the Encircle House with pizza, crafts, and a brief lesson on the history of Pride. Tuesday, Queer Meals will host an evening of tacos and fun. Wednesday, Brad Kramer and Peculiar Journal are hosting an evening of queer poetry and spoken word at Writ & Vision in Provo. Thursday there will be an interfaith service. We are also putting final details together for our annual Rainbow Run 5K. Provo Pride Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Utah County Historical Courthouse grounds, 51 S. University Ave, Provo, followed by an all-ages party.

Information is at provopride.org

Pride of Southern Utah Pride of Southern Utah in St. George will present performers from Broadway, Las Vegas, and future pop stars including

Aaron Young, Gabriela Carrillo, Frank Viveros, Sara Gallo, Josh Black, Noelle Hammond, Matt Ban and Brad Bradley With Musical Direction by Stephen Diaz.

With the theme, “Everyone Belongs,” the event starts on Friday, Sept. 21 with a drag and burlesque show at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1731 S Convention Center Dr, St. George, from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Pride Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 22 at Vernon Worthen Park, 300 S 400 E., St. George from 3 to 10 p.m.

The Festival is free, and a V.I.P. Rainbow Pass is available for $75 which gets you an invitation to the appreciation kick-off party, VIP seating at the LGBTQ+ Film Festival, priority access to the Drag & Burlesque show and special seating at the Festival.

More info is available at facebook.com/DiscoverPride.

Moab Pride Moab’s eighth Pride Festival is happening Sept. 27–29 with the theme, “Life is Better Together.”

On Thursday and Friday, after-school youth workshops will be held at the Moab Arts & Recreation Center, 111 E 100 North, Moab.

Also on Thursday, a burlesque show with the Diamond Lockettes will be held at the Helipad, 239 W Center St, Moab.

On Friday, a queer poetry slam titled “Spit Love” will happen at Historic Star

Salt Lake AIDS Walk 2018 starts at City Creek Center The Salt Lake AIDS Walk will be held Saturday, Sept. 15 from 8 a.m. to noon, starting at the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The two-mile route goes along 2nd and 3rd South, ending up at the Gallivan Center, where there will be entertainment and food trucks waiting.

The walk aims to reduce stigma while encouraging a healthier community.

This annual fundraiser event was created to benefit the Utah AIDS Foundation to benefit AIDS services, research, and outreach in the Salt Lake area.

Sign-ups are at saltlakeaidswalk.org and volunteers are needed. Email volunteer@utahaids.org

Griz and Mollie sporting pride wear with Scott Baird and Edward Quinlan at Logan Pride

Hall, 159 E Center St, Moab, followed by the annual Orange Party with Hue of Havens at Woody’s Tavern, 221 S Main St, Moab.

Saturday is the big day, with the Visibility March leaving from Swanny City Park at noon, the Festival at Swanny Park from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. That night is the All-Ages Moth Closet with Forbidden Fruits starting at 6 p.m. for all ages, and then 10 p.m. for 18+.

Information at moabpride.com

SAGE annual Fall Potluck Sugar House Park Lake Pavilion Sage Utah’s annual Fall Picnic Potluck in Liberty Park will be held Sept. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Sugar House Park Lake Pavilion. This will be a true potluck.

Attendees are asked to bring a dish based on thefirst letter of their last name: A–G: desserts, H–O: entrees P–Z: salads or side dishes.

Participants are asked not to bring anything with mayonnaise, seafood, eggs as it will be hot in the park.

SAGE Utah is a project of the Utah Pride Center which addresses the needs of the elder queer community.

More info at facebook.com/sageutah

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Sage Utah to hold ‘Happy, Healthy Aging for Gay Men’ workshop Why are gay men so afraid of aging? A specific question Sage Utah proposes and works diligently to end the vexation.

Many gay men feel that life ends at 40. There accordingly seems to be no place for older men in the gay male culture.

So is it a fear of losing looks, sexuality, endurance, desirability, fitness or all of them?

On Sept. 10, Sage Utah hosts “Happy, Healthy Aging for Gay Men,” a workshop featuring seven expert panelists in various areas to address the aging process, specifically for men who identify as gay, nonbinary, masculine, male.

Panelist DARA COHEN, Esq., whose expertise is in wills, and estate and legal planning says, “Without an estate plan, default laws will dictate who the heirs of your estate are, as well as who will care for you if you become incapacitated.

This default law may not align with an LGBT person’s wishes, especially if that person wants their estate in the hands of their ‘logical family’ and not necessarily their ‘biological family’.

“Estate planning is vital to provide for unmarried significant others and minimize disputes among blended families.”

“Aging can be a doorway to profound liberation. The man who stops caring so fucking much about what everyone else thinks — he’s free and happy,” says panelist FRED COYOTE, a sexologist. “He is no longer weighed down by the heavy psychological armor that he dragged around in his youth, which he thought was protecting him, but which actually kept him from reaching his full potential.

“And the Sage lives lighter and brighter because of it! He lives liberated, in the now.”

Panelist JERRY BUIE, LCSW, Pride Counseling explains: “I think of our queer community as in its infancy in this new surge of societal relevance and recognition. We enjoy more

freedoms and rights than our forebears before us.

“In this most recent incarnation, LGBTQ seniors have an opportunity for one last act of activism — claiming our place as the Wisdom Keepers, Sages, and Elders of our community.

To bear and share the history of our lives. We have the talent, skill, and tenacity.

“Our Queer community, in its infancy, has an interesting opportunity to change the narrative regarding aging for LGBTQ people.”

The workshop is divided into three sessions: Opening session — Each panelist will introduce themselves and talk specifically about their ideas of happy and healthy aging, especially for males who identify as gay, nonbinary, masculine, male.

Break-out session — Three or four break-out sessions with panelists leading an interactive discussion in their area(s) of expertise. Participants should ask questions about their fear of aging and areas of being prepared for their individual aging process.

Wrap-up session — Panelists and others briefly share break-out session discussions and what Sage Utah can do in future workshops and programs to continue to meet the needs of Utah’s aging gay male community.

Additional expert panelists: MATTHEW BRYAN MD, IHC — a physician with a particular emphasis on gay male health HANS HEATH, LGBTQ Financial — helping gay men be financially secure as they age TROY ANDERSEN, Ph.D., MSG, UofU School of Social Work — Gerontologist PAUL HOLBROOK, MA, Age Performance — fitness training for those over 50 years old Q The event will take place Mon., Sept. 10, 6–9pm at the SLC Main Library Auditorium, 400 S. 200 East

Equality Utah visit to Chick-fil-A groundbreaking draws ire A decision to post a photo of executive director Troy Williams attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a Chick-fil-A franchise created a backlash in the community so large for Equality Utah that they had to follow up with an explanation video.

“Troy attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Riverton Chick-Fil-A this morning. When we presume people are our adversaries we miss out on the chance to win new allies. Owner Becky Pickle welcomes everyone into her restaurant. We heal divisions when we reach out to each other,” the civil rights group posted on its Facebook wall.

“It’s never been about who is ‘allowed’ in the stores,” replied Michael Nielsen in one of the many negative responses to the attached photo. “It’s about the corporations giving millions to — and supporting— anti LGBTQ groups. Do your research and learn the truth before spreading harm!”

“This is not building bridges.

This is not an endorsement but it is a promotion. Come on Equality Utah you should know better. I was so confused why so many members of the LGBTQIA COMMUNITY dislike EU. Now I get it. This

is so awful,” wrote Genevra H. Prothero.

People in support of franchise owner Becky Pickle began responding, some becoming bitter and personal.

The group responded by copying and pasting the same message, causing more angst.

Rather than back off the controversy, the group made it a teaching moment with Williams making a video explaining that the group often aligns with those who may not share the community’s views.

The transcript of the video is in the views section on page 19. Q

LGBT groups in Provo Freedom Parade In June, Freedom Festival Parade organizers initially denied parade applications submitted by five LGBTQ organizations, including Provo’s community resource center, Encircle. The groups were then told they could resubmit their entries, of which four did. However, Encircle participated in the “pre-parade”, where groups were allowed to have more participants and

interact with the crowd, while Mormons Building Bridges with LGBT vets, PFLAG, and Provo Pride participated in the grand parade. The pre-parade ran only an hour, followed by the Grand Parade.

County officials threatened to pull $100,000 in taxpayer money from the privately-organized event until festival organizers struck a deal allowing the groups to participate. Q

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Meet Mr. and Ms. Utah Leather SL♥UT 2018 On May 20 at The Metro Music Hall, the inaugural Ms. Leather SL♥UT and the 2nd annual Mr. Leather SL♥UT competition were held following the first Utah Leather Pride Festival. Four contestants were competing for the Ms. Title, and three for the Mr. Title. The contestants completed judges interviews, pop questions, speeches, and entertained the crowd during the contest.

After the judges’ scores and crowd ballots were received and counted, Leftenant Fox was named Ms. Leather SL♥UT 2018 and Nicholas and Cendese was named Mr. Leather SL♥UT 2018.

“I’m still in a bit of shock,” Fox said. “I didn’t expect to win, only to convey my love of the community and my authentic self. I’m very happy and grateful for this title that affects the community I live in. I know that I’ve been entrusted with a community service title and I must make sure that’s honored by ensuring the communities I participate in are heard and empowered to serve their own authentic expression and radical self-acceptance. I want a better world and I want to create the space for everyone to accomplish that.”

Cendese added, “Winning the title has been a wonderful experience and has given me an opportunity to talk about our leather community to many others who may not know about us. My ‘vanilla’ life came out in major support, and what a wonderful feeling that I’m truly accepted and welcomed for who I am. Going to International Mister Leather on the heels of winning the title was an experience all its own — you have no idea of the real provocative power of Mr. Leather SL♥UT [sewn] on the back of your vest until people start calling out at you on the street.”

Nick Cendese It’s been two months or so since the competition, and it’s been exciting to see where things are going. Both Leftenant Fox, Ms. Leather SL♥UT 2018, and I have been making the rounds and working hard to show up for the many events going on in town. I know one of our primary goals for the year is to be visible and present in our community. By doing so, I know that people will see the pride we have in our leather identities and, hopefully, encouraged to embrace themselves fully.

Fox is working hard on some wonderful community health initiatives. But for me, I’m trying to take things one week at a time.

I’m currently working hard to launch a new group call GearUP SLC — a group open to everyone who loves gear of all kinds.

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The thought behind the group — open to all identities — is to get together once a quarter and head out on the town in our gear. I want to create events that show our gear-kink pride to the LGBTQ community in Utah and hopefully others, instigate conversations with non-kinky folks, and be out in the world as a group. I’m looking into launching the event as soon as the weather cools down. And hopefully, I can get local businesses on board and plan fun events that allow Salt Lake’s amazing kink/fetish/leather community to collide with the incredible arts and culture we have in Salt Lake City.

Kassie Robison “Leftenant Fox” On May 20, 2018, I was entrusted with the Community Service Title of Ms. Leather SL♥UT under the scene name of “Leftenant Fox”. It’s the first title for women of its kind in Utah history. I hope, throughout the following year, that my fundraising for local organizations will empower and better the LGBTQA+ communities of Utah.

What is Leather? A member of our community, Mina Hart, summed it up well, “Leather is about the freedom to express oneself authentically and without judgment.

Leather is about honoring oneself and others, keeping our history close to our hearts while forging on, creating new experiences and traditions. Leather is about integrity and holding on to your beliefs and values no matter what storms you may weather. And Leather is about respect for me, my community, and for the beliefs and traditions of others.”

To me, Leather is about wholehearted authenticity, awareness, and education. As a LeatherWoman, I’m contributing to a world of people not only encouraged but empowered to live their lives unabridged, unedited, and unencumbered by shame or hatred.

This title is a mechanism for me to elevate what I already choose to do. I will seek to unite sex-positive Utahns; I will pursue not merely tolerance of our differences but also acceptance and increased understanding of one another. And I will devote myself to promoting authenticity and love for people of all identities, titles, and labels.

I believe that genuine compassion and understanding comes through lives lived authentically. My thirst for knowledge drives me to improve every day. My devotion to empathy fuels my motivations for a meaningful network of support. And my volunteering and organizing among the pagan, LGBTQA, polyamory, and LeatherPeople populations are how I can affect and improve the well-being of individuals for the benefit of all. I will strive toward this better, more compassionate, unified, shameless future.

My mission, summed up in one word: Accessibility. Accessibility is being visible, participating, and being active at local LGBTQA+ and Kink events around Utah and the Intermountain West. This visibility will help the process of destigmatizing and normalizing the lives of so many genuine and honest people. Some of the goals I set are: Create LGBTQA+ volunteer groups to conduct service in the SLC community.

Co-host “Gear-up Salt Lake City” with Mr. Leather SL♥UT, Nick Cendese, where groups share a meal, attend various performances, and socialize as proud Leather individuals.

Support and network with Mr. Leather SL♥UT, The Royal Court of the Golden Spike, Rocky Mountain Person of Leather, Rocky Mountain Puppy and Trainer, Utah Bears, Inc., Transgender Inclusion Project, and other local and regional titleholders and organizations with their service goals.

Create increased accessibility to accurate STI, HIV/AIDs testing and education, plus sex and health education through partnerships with the Utah Aids Foundation, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Clinic 1A, the Transgender Health Clinic at the Madsen Clinic, and ARUP Volunteer Phlebotomists.

Created a “Gender Level-up Day” happening in November to build stronger, affirming communities by putting together Gender Affirming “starter kits” with gift certificates for accessories, clothing, and makeup, given away at the Gender Level-up events and the Youth/Trans support programs.

My ultimate mission is to create unity through accessibility in the LGBTQ+ and Sex-Positive communities of Utah. Because our most important work is never done alone. Q

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STDs top infectious diseases among Salt Lake County residents The Salt Lake County Health Department released its Infectious Diseases Morbidity Report 2017 in August, which provides demographic data for the most commonly reported infectious diseases affecting Salt Lake County residents.

The top five reported diseases in Salt Lake County are: Chlamydia Gonorrhea Hepatitis C (both acute and chronic) Influenza (hospitalized cases) and Tuberculosis (latent) “Sexually transmitted diseases continue to be our most frequently reported diseases in the county,” said Dr. Dagmar Vitek, SLCoHD medical director. “Besides chlamydia and gonorrhea at the top of list, syphilis and new HIV infections also make the top 20.

This is a big reminder that everyone who is sexually active should be tested for STDs.” Because not every instance of a reportable disease is reported to the health department (though it is supposed to be), the number of cases reported for each infectious disease is very likely less than the actual number of cases circulating in the community.

Since the 2016 report, cryptosporidiosis and shigellosis have dropped off the top 20 list, with hepatitis A (#13) and viral and aseptic meningitis (#19 and #20, respectively) entering the top 20 for 2017.

Utah law requires that the diagnosis or identification of over 80 infectious diseases be reported to public health for ongoing surveillance and investigation. SLCoHD Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Bureaus collect reportable data from laboratories, hospitals, medical providers and outpatient clinics, then investigate each report through patient interview

and/or chart abstraction and analyze the data. The health department uses the data to implement appropriate control and prevention measures; in 2017, the department investigated over 14,000 reports of disease in the county to determine the source of infection and interrupt transmission.

The full 2017 report is available at saltlakehealth. org, along with a weekly infectious disease surveillance report.

“These reports are a resource for healthcare providers, public health practitioners, community partners and the public at large,” said Vitek. “We must all work together to help control the spread of disease—and for the public, that primarily means getting tested.” Q

Obituary RUSSELL LYNN GRIFFIN was born in Brigham City, Utah, on July 10, 1963. He passed away peacefully on August 5, 2018, at Ogden Regional Medical Center surrounded by his family and friends.

Russell courageously battled endstage renal disease for 16 years.

Within the past year, Russell was diagnosed with numerous health problems. Despite his extreme will to live, he, unfortunately, succumbed to his ailments.

Our beloved husband, son, brother, father, grandfather, and friend was the fourth of four children born to Richard E. Griffin and Shirley M. Hall.

In 1990, Russell met the love of his life. It took 26 years of waiting, but Russell and Jeff were finally able to be legally wed on September 13, 2016.

Russell attended Box Elder High School and was the very first “Bee” mascot. He moved on to be employed by “a very large accounting firm” for over 30 years as a computer specialist/analyst where he made many friends nationwide.

Russell believed in “paying it forward.” He was always willing to help others in need and never missed an opportunity to surprise you with his clever and witty sense of humor. Russell was involved with two non-profit organizations known as the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah and the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire. He served as co-president for two separate one-year terms for the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah. Russell always enjoyed fundraising events with the organizations as he was full of life and no stranger to a good time.

Russell’s favorite place to visit was the “happiest place on earth,” Disneyland, where he could be close to Mickey Mouse for whom he had a profound love for. Russell had a goal to take his husband, daughter, and grandchildren to Disneyland sometime during the next year.

Russell was preceded in death by

his mother Shirley and is survived by his husband Jeff, father Richard, three brothers Rick (Rachel), Craig (Heather), Perry (Teresa), daughter Rachel (Blue), six grandchildren Blayke, Aevri, Daxon, Zayla, Eliotte and Maddyn, and his three very loved and spoiled chihuahuas Wiley, Beau and Bella.

We would like to thank Dr. Harry Senekjian, the many nurses and technicians of the University of Utah Dialysis program for all of the care and support over the years, Dr. Joan Balcombe and staff at Ogden Regional Wound Care for the compassion and care Russell received. A special thank you to Lindy from CNS Home Healthcare who became not only a care provider but a very dear friend.

Russell’s wish was to be cremated so that he and Jeff could be together again. A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 26 at the Harrisville City Park.

1350 N. Highway 89, Harrisville from 4:30–6:30 p.m.

In Lieu of flowers, the family would like to request that donations be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Utah in Russell’s name.

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views

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quotes “I’m done living in a world where I don’t get to be who I am. I deserve a great love story and I want someone to share it with.”

—Simon, Love, Simon

“Well, if you only knew how little I really know about the things that matter.”

—Elio, Call Me By Your Name

“You should just go to City College. You know, with your work ethic just go to City College and then to jail and then back to City College and then maybe you’d learn to pull yourself up and not expect everybody to do everything.”

—Marion, Lady Bird

“Bottom line is... we’re around each other and... this thing, it grabs the hold of us again... at the wrong place... at the wrong time... and we’re dead.”

—Ennis, Brokeback Mountain

“Oh my God, Karen! You can’t just ask people why they’re white!”

—Gretchen, Mean Girls

“Your church doesn’t like alcohol or homosexuals.

Hmm... Well, I definitely won’t be joining. Can’t imagine heaven without both.”

— Lila, Latter Days

“‘You look tired’ means ‘you look old.’ And ‘you look rested’ means ‘you’ve had collagen.’”

— Albert, The Birdcage

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guest editorial

Why I attended the Chick-fil-A groundbreaking in Riverton

BY TROY WILLIAMS, EQUALITY UTAH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How do

we create enduring

change in Utah?

We ask ourselves this question every day at Equality Utah. And we have embraced a very clear ethos: we reach out to those who hold a different worldview and invite them to consider ours. Our success has come from not just engaging the choir, the people who are already firmly on our side, but also inviting others to join us in song. In that pursuit, we are determined to win as many allies as possible, including those who have historically been at odds with our community.

It doesn’t always make us popular with those in our community who are only comfortable with the purity that polarized positions can maintain (and the threats to our staff from members of our own community this morning are evidence of this). Nevertheless, we persist.

We prioritize active dialogue with leaders of the LDS Church, the Republican Party, Eagle Forum, state and federal lawmakers, and yes, even historically conservative restaurant chains. We have hosted house parties for lawmakers to meet the transgender community in Pleasant Grove and we traveled to St. George to meet with Washington County Libraries to address discrimination.

We know that the only way to dispel the fears and mischaracterization of our

community is to introduce ourselves and make friends.

Harvey Milk laid out our directive: “If we are to live in harmony, we have to build bridges from community to community. They have to realize that we have a common goal, and that is to live and to enjoy life.”

That’s how allies are born.

That’s how progress is made.

In Utah, we see this phenomenon all the time with the emergence of Mormons Building Bridges, Mama Dragons and the Encircle House. We see it with our two signature pieces of LGBTQ legislation sponsored and passed by Republicans. We see it with 35,000 Utahns who came out to celebrate LGBTQ youth during LOVELOUD. These kind of events are not happening in other conservative states, but they are happening

in Utah.

It is how we create change.

Yes, we are grateful that in Utah there is a Chick-Fil-A franchise that is actively hiring, embracing and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Who would have imagined that would be possible back in 2007? This is a shift we’re choosing to celebrate. Hearts are opening and attitudes are changing – in Riverton!

So, yes, we traveled to the suburbs for the Chick-Fil-A groundbreaking to support an ally who has supported us. And we took the opportunity to meet several other franchise owners, city council members and their mayor.

Why? To introduce ourselves.

To go to the place where we might not be welcome, and to engage, persuade and win even more friends and allies.

It’s not because we agree with what has happened before,

it’s because we want to honor the change that is happening and encourage more for the future.

The work ahead of us is clear — reach out to those of different faiths and political beliefs in both the suburbs and rural communities across our great state. We challenge the notion that there are “us’s” and “thems” with the fact that we are all Americans, bound by the concept of e-pluribus unum: out of many One. We can build the bridges that Harvey foresaw and heal the divisions in our community. When people move toward us, let’s welcome them. It’s incredibly challenging work.

Sometimes we find common ground. Sometimes we fail.

But the work we are invested in compels us to take the risk and try. Q

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lambda lore

Community growing pains At the

BY BEN WILLIAMS

beginning of 1987, the topic of AIDS was the number one conversation in Utah’s gay and lesbian communities. AIDS prevention conversations became so repetitious that many in the gay men’s community complained about constantly hearing about it, even as the disease continued impacting lives and changing the gay culture.

In the ’80s, there were few straight allies and no government protection from discrimination, while homosexuals were coming to terms with the deadly plague. The gay and lesbian communities were afraid to draw attention to themselves.

We hoped to thrive out of Utah’s conservative religious spotlight that was condemning homosexuals as a public moral and health danger.

Elder Theodore Burton of the LDS Church gave an address at BYU the previous year calling homosexuals an abomination, which was the general position of the Mormon hierarchy.

Sexual acts of homosexuals, consensual and in private, were illegal in Utah.

The media, rather than providing positive news articles on homosexuals, continued to stereotype gays and lesbians as depraved, while at the same time trying to calm the public by reporting that heterosexuals were relatively safe from AIDS. Those heterosexuals who contracted AIDS were labeled “innocent victims.”

One of the most controversial bills passed by the state legislature in 1987 was one sponsored by Salt Lake Republican Senator Stephen Rees. His bill made it illegal for people with AIDS to marry.

The legislation, which became law, could invalidate marriages if a partner contracted AIDS. Several insurance lobbies which didn’t want to pay benefits to surviving family members backed the measure. The law was eventually overturned years later when AIDS activists Cindy Kidd and Peggy Tingey sued the state.

In this climate of ignorance and fear, AIDS Project Utah and the Salt Lake AIDS Foundation provided different services to the AIDS community. APU offered physical support for people infected and operated out of the Carriage House in downtown Salt Lake City.

SLAF, which was mostly a speakers bureau, focused on AIDS education and prevention.

Dr. Patty Reagan, SLAF’s founder and a health professor at the University of Utah, faced scrutiny by right-wing- elements for her AIDS education in high schools. She faced criticism for any mention of condoms, homosexuality, or premarital sex or any violation of Utah’s sex-education laws.

To try and stem the spread of HIV infection, volunteers from AIDS organizations regularly came to gay men support groups to demonstrate the correct way to put on a condom, often using a banana or dildo. Condom use wasn’t widely practiced at the time, and many didn’t know how to use them.

Holy Cross Hospital was the only medical institution treating people with AIDS in Utah. Their staff physician, Dr. Kristin Ries, was the AIDS doctor for Utah.

During Gay Pride Day 1987, Dr. Ries received the first Community Service Award for her work with AIDS patients. The award was named in her honor.

When Jeff’s Gym, a gay men’s bathhouse, closed in March, after deciding not to contest efforts on the part of the city to close it down, a reporter wrote, “The decision of Salt Lake City officials to close that institution is a clear sign that AIDS has inalterably affected gay life — not only medically but politically and socially as well.” However, by agreeing not to contest the city’s license revocation, the move deprived the court of the opportunity to set a precedent by labeling gay meeting places as “public nuisances.” An adverse court decision, in effect, could have shut down the bars and social organizations in Utah.

In 1987 Utah’s department of health decided to exclude the gay community from safe sex AIDS information. Gay activist Graham Bell was on a crusade to expose the state epidemiologist’s refusal to use federal funds for AIDS awareness and prevention within the gay community. Bell informed any organization that would listen that the state epidemiologist misinformed the Centers for Disease Control about what was being done for the gay men’s community by the state. Bell took it upon himself to be a media spokesman for the gay community. He went on various local talk shows and formed a connection with the Salt Lake Mayor Palmer DePaulis’ office.

By September, The Utah Department of Health had established a 30-member advisory board to develop policies and strategies to deal with the AIDS crisis, two years after APU and SLAF were formed by members of the gay men and lesbian communities.

By 1987, the HIV virus had been identified as the cause of AIDS. AZT was the only approved treatment for HIV, and it was difficult to take as it caused severe side effects. The annual cost per patient for AZT was $8,000–10,000. As there was no other treatment, death occurred within months of di-

agnosis for those who couldn’t afford the drug.

With the lack of affordable treatment, various forms of metaphysical support groups appealed to at-risk populations.

They were mostly based on methods promoted by Louise Hays, a self-help guru out of California. John Gatzmeyer facilitated the “Loving Yourself” support group which met at the Holy Cross Hospital. Gatzmeyer was a disciple of Hays and was a proponent of positive reinforcement thinking in the fight against AIDS infection or if HIV positive living longer.

The Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists invited AIDS activist David Sharpton to speak at the UofU in October. Sharpton came to Utah from Texas because he was associated with an LDS counselor named Alan Gundry. Initially, Sharpton hoped to work as a bridge between the gay community, the People With AIDS Coalition of Utah that he founded, and officials of the LDS Church. His arrogance and brashness were off-putting to some, but later he became the most dynamic proponent for AIDS education and activism in the state.

At the end of October, Rosanne Barr performed a benefit performance for AIDS Awareness Week at Abravanel Hall. The Salt Lake Men’s Choir and a local drag group called The Lovebirds had the distinction of being the first openly gay groups to perform at what was then Symphony Hall.

By year’s end, the Utah Department of Health’s AIDS Advisory Committee had recommended “a contact tracing process of sex partners,” which was difficult for any to comply with, since many casual sexual encounters were anonymous.

Also, there was the fear of being on an official list, as someone who has sex with other men. Q

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

VIEWS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 21

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

who’s your daddy

Splitsville

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

Last month

I wrote a personal column celebrating Kelly and my 30th anniversary. This column is not about us! Whereas we’re still happily married, other LGBT couples are dealing with divorce. Navigating a divorce is always difficult, and kids certainly complicate the situation.

Chris Wharton, a family law attorney at Wharton O’Brien, reminds clients that when kids are involved, the court always aims at the child’s welfare. At times, he says, desperate parents try to use negative LGBT stereotypes against their soonto-be ex. “Legal factors for determining custody” don’t include sexual orientation and gender identification. In fact, courts consistently overrule decisions on custody based solely on those reasons.

“Judges aren’t impressed with who can do the most damage to the other,” Wharton advises. “They expect parents to act like adults and make every effort to protect the children from conflict.”

Psychologist Carolina Castaños, Ph.D., LMFT, and founder of Movingonhelp. com, an interactive program designed to help people overcome heartbreak, echoes the advice. “The way parents deal with divorce, how they talk about it with their children, and what they do once one of the parents has moved out is crucial.”

Dr. Castaños also notes that gay parents face a plethora of difficult challenges that straight parents don’t. Unless there’s a double adoption — as in the case of our kids — only one parent is the legal parent.

Wharton adds, “It is critical to understand that having your name on the child’s birth certificate or raising the child for any number of years does not necessarily guarantee parental rights. Under current Utah law, there must be a biological relationship or adoption to secure full parental rights to the child.”

He warns that stepparents have no parental rights after a divorce — an important factor when you consider the number of kids in LGBT families in Utah, whom one of the parents brought from a previous heterosexual union. Personally, I can’t imagine how incredibly painful it would be to end our relationship and then lose the children, who are such an important part of my life.

It’s not surprising that taking care of yourself is the best move you can make to help your child. Dr. Castaños suggests allowing yourself to heal, be kind to yourself, sleep well, eat well, exercise, and most importantly, find a friend or family member with whom you can share your feelings — never rely on your child for that role.

One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to retain a competent and experienced lawyer. It isn’t a boxing match, as Wharton says, the courts want civility.

It’s not about who can punch the hardest.

The Gay Family Law Center suggests finding an experienced attorney in these kinds of cases. Plus, look for an affordable attorney but also one dedicated to your case and skilled at creative solutions.

Too often divorcing parents look to their children as a protector and ally.

Dragging kids into the mud will only cause unnecessary hurt and disappointment. Instead, encourage a positive relationship with both parents. Dr. Castaños says, “Kids learn through observation. If you continue having a peaceful relationship with your former partner and can reach agreements, your kids can internalize that people divorce and things will be fine.”

That’s a message about divorce that we can all stand behind. Q You can reach Chris Wharton at 801-649-3529 or chris@ wolawutah.com. Find Dr. Carolina Castaños at movingonhelp.com.

GAY WRITES

A DiverseCity Series writing group A program of Salt Lake Community College’s Community Writing Ctr. The group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, 6:30-8 pm, Salt Lake City Library Square, 210 E. 400 South, Ste. 8, Salt Lake.

Everything from Angels to Zen

12896 S Pony Express Rd Suite 200 in Draper (just north of IKEA) 801.333.3777 www.ilovelotus.com

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22 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | VIEWS

creep of the month

Brett Kavanaugh

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

Imagine

that you are applying for a job. Your prospective employer asks to see a resume, references and a cover letter laying out how your experience matches their needs.

But you say to the employer, “I’ll give that to you, but only after you hire me.”

The employer would show you the door. Rightly so.

That’s not the way getting a job works.

Unless, of course, you’re Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Republicans are rushing to get this guy confirmed

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THE TRANSCENDING GENDER PROJECT TR A N S C E N D I N G G E N D E R .O RG CREDIT: @EMOPRETEEN

before his records are released to the Senate. In other words, the GOP wants to give a lifetime appointment to a guy who hasn’t shown them his resume.

Oh no, Republicans say, We aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. This is TOTALLY NORMAL and Democrats are being whiny babies for wanting to properly vet Kavanaugh. It’s just not fair, Republicans say. We’d never do anything like that to a SCOTUS nominee named by a Democrat.

Except they did. Actually what Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans did was steal a U.S. Supreme Court seat from President Obama. Merrick Garland should be sitting on the bench right now. Instead, we have Neil Gorsuch, nominated by Trump. And now we’re just one justice away from the very real possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade and scrapping marriage equality.

No wonder the GOP is all “damn the torpedos” on this.

It’s worth noting that crowding this travesty out of the news cycle is the release of fired White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman’s tell-all book. Trump’s busy calling her “wacky” and a “lowlife” on Twitter, claiming that she can’t be trusted.

Keep in mind this is a woman who has worked for him for many years, and that Trump claimed he only hired “the best people.”

As law professor and author

Qsaltlake.com |

Jennifer Taub wrote on Twitter, “Seriously? Trump hired Omarosa, Mike Flynn, Carter Page, George Papadopolous, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and Rob Porter. Now he wants Senate Dems to blindly accept his nominee for a LIFETIME appointment to the Supreme Court for Brett Kavanaugh?

No. Release the documents.”

But the GOP is like, “Nah, we’re good.”

People who for some reason think that the Republican party has a conscience are often puzzled as to why so-called members of the Christian right have embraced Trump even though Trump is the epitome of all they’ve claimed to stand against over the years.

But this is it. The Supreme Court has always been the goal. And if Trump can deliver the Supreme Court to them then he can literally do no wrong.

It should worry you that people who hate LGBTQ people can’t heap praise on Kavanaugh fast enough.

“President Trump promised a constitutionalist – someone who will call balls and strikes according to the Constitution,” said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, an anti-LGBTQ organization.

“We trust the president that Judge Kavanaugh will fit this mold as a justice.”

By “call balls and strikes” I’m pretty sure Perkins is making a thinly-veiled reference to penises because for Perkins, everything always comes back to penises. Specifically, gay penises. Those are his least favorite kind.

Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage said, “With this nomination,

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

the balance of power on the Supreme Court could shift dramatically in our favor. For the first time, since marriage was illegitimately redefined by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2015 Obergefell ruling, we have a clear path forward to restoring marriage to our nation’s laws.”

It bears mentioning that Brown is also talking about penises here since he believes in one penis plus one vagina marriages only. It also bears mentioning that Brown would be super excited to see LGBTQ families torn apart and stripped of legal protections.

And so I ask you to call your Senators. Call them and tell them that you do not want to see Kavanaugh confirmed. Tell them why.

Tell them what scares you.

You might not change their minds, but they need to hear from you.

Some pundits are saying Kavanaugh’s confirmation is a foregone conclusion, and that Democrats aren’t going to bother fighting this.

Well, the destruction of my family is not a foregone conclusion. Stripping a woman of her right to an abortion is not a foregone conclusion. And these things are worth fighting for. Demand that your Senators fight. You too, must fight. Don’t take your eye off the balls. And by balls I’m making some kind of sports metaphor, obviously. But, hey, whatever motivates you to pick up the phone. Q D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @ MamaDWitkowski.

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

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VIEWS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 23

mr. manners

Legacy

BY ROCK MAGEN

I recently

visited my best friend in NYC, and after seeing the closing night performance of The Boys in the Band, our discussion centered on how one goes about leaving a legacy. During the show, each of the characters had a defining moment where we as the audience had a mere glimpse into what would potentially be their legacy or lack thereof. As gay people, we get to choose our families, and that can play a vital role as we work to leave something meaningful for those we love.

The idea of leaving a legacy is the need or the desire of remembrance for what you have contributed to the world. In some cases, that contribution can be so extraordinary that it unalterably changes the universe.

However, for most mere mortals walking this earth, they will leave a more modest legacy that doesn’t necessarily change the world but does leave a lasting footprint.

You hope your life matters in some way. I know I do.

I have spent my life doing things that small-minded people claim to be impossible. Every time I chased a dream, I tried to leave a path for others denying the nay-sayers to follow.

When you review your life’s journey, several ideas may come to mind: Did you grow and perhaps transform your

life, make changes when you needed to, find your truth, inspire others, become a leader or influence others?

Touching lives and exemplifying a correct path is paramount to living a joyful and purposeful life. Your legacy will live on.

Your passions are your legacy. Passion comes from an outpouring of the interests and ideas that make a difference in your life. Finding and pursuing your passion allows you to see your destiny.

That’s what happened to me with yoga and dancing tango.

I can attest that life won’t be any fun if you don’t pursue your passions to the fullest.

It’s contagious. It’s religious.

And don’t miss the opportunity to pursue your passions and then continue to look for new adventures. While you may never be revered in the eyes of the world, the adventures you experienced lives on with those who witnessed you living your destiny.

Leaving a legacy is an essential part of your life’s work. A legacy develops from a life dedicated to self-reflection and purpose. A truthful and value-driven body of living is revealed and endured.

So what does all this mean?

It means to be bold and fearless — not limiting yourself.

Now, the time has come to ask yourself, “What will be my legacy?” Q

Find Allies in Utah There is only one place in the state you can find allies to Utah’s LGBT community, and know with whom to do businsess. Give your hard-earned money to those who work hard to show you they are on our side.

Need a plumber, a cake for your wedding, an attorney?

Use the QPages!

Find them all at QPages.com or in printed directories you can find at over 300 locations across the Wasatch Front.

Support those who support you!

To advertise, call 801-997-9763 x1

24 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | FALL ARTS GUIDE

Qsaltlake.com |

Fall Arts Guide Our picks for what you shouldn’t miss:

The interdisciplinary sonic art installation incorporates field experiments investigating very-low-frequency radio emissions, unmanned aerial vehicles, and impromptu sound art performances transmitted to remote listening stations.

Ruehlen uses aerial technology as a courier system and an “acoustic prosthetic” that utilizes the quadcopter as a tool for capturing the auditory potential of the atmosphere with the aid of extended, ground-to-sky antennas. He describes this as a psychogeographical project with the objective of demonstrating an aesthetic listening experience, which illuminates natural materials hidden from human perceptual faculties.

Grand Theatre Company Presents:

The Wonderettes

AUG. 16–SEPT. 8, ­GRANDTHEATRECOMPANY.COM GRAND THEATRE, SLCC

Follow four girls, with voices as big as their hair and personalities as kooky as their crinoline skirts, from prom night to their 10year reunion. Learn about their lives and loves as they serenade classic hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.”

Featuring over 30 classic 1950s and ‘60s hits, you’ll smile ear-toear with this musical trip down memory lane.

Utah Museum of Fine Arts Presents:

Marisa Morán Jahn: Mirror / Mask

AUG. 16–DEC. 9, UMFA.UTAH.EDU UMFA, UOFU

Mirror/Mask is a project by New York City-based artist Marisa Morán Jahn (Studio REV-) whose work uses mirrored masks to explore how we see ourselves reflected — or distorted — in others. It delves into ideas of

identity, presentation, and self-reflection through an immersive exhibition in the ACME Lab as well as works juxtaposed with UMFA objects in the permanent galleries. Jahn cites her interest in Asian, African, and Greek rituals and dramaturgy masks as influences for the artwork.

Jahn’s interventions of sculpture, performance, photography, moving GIFs, and video into the museum’s permanent collections of European portraiture, Egyptian funerary objects, and African works raise questions about how we present ourselves (whether in painting or selfies) and imagine the other.

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art Presents:

exceptional sculptors. The exhibit includes new work by Jim Jacobs, John Hess, Brian Christensen, Anne Gregerson, Seth Fairweather, Dahrl Thomson, Ed Pogue, Ryoichi Suzuki, Darl Thomas,and Kraig Varner.

Ballet West Presents:

Beer & Ballet

SEPT. 7, BALLETWEST.ORG JEANNE WAGNER THEATRE ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Ballet West presents their annual Beer and Ballet — a yearly event where balletomanes knock back bottles of Blue Moon then drink in the ballet dancers ballon about the stage. It’s a great time!

Utah Arts Alliance Presents:

Urban Arts Festival

SEPT. 15–16, UTAHARTS.ORG/URBANARTS-FEST GALLIVAN CENTER

The Urban Arts Festival is the largest free community art event in Utah. It’s a two-day celebration of Salt Lake’s urban and artistic culture for the community, art lovers, and families. The festival features artists, music, dance performance, automotive arts, projection art, virtual reality and new media arts, street basketball league, fashion, live street art and mural painting displays, and more.

Utah Repertory Theatre Company Presents:

Afterglow

SEPT. 21–OCT. 7, UTAHREP.ORG BLACK BOX THEATER SORENSON UNITY CENTER

A Gallery / Allen+Alan Fine Art Presents:

Ryan Ruehlen: Georythymic Drift Music

Sculpture

Ryan Wade Ruehlen’s Georhythmic Drift Music project is part of his research on deep listening.

1321 S. 2100 East, SLC View and procure dynamic three-dimensional works by some of the regions most

AUG. 17–NOV. 3, UTAHMOCA.ORG CODEC GALLERY UMOCA

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

AUG. 31–SEPT. 29 (ARTISTS RECEPTION SEPT. 21), AGALLERYONLINE.COM

Afterglow is a raw, one-act play exploring the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men and the broader implications within their relationships. Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, invite Darius one night to share their bed. When a new intimate connection begins to form, the three men must come to terms with their definitions of love, loyalty, and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken, and commitments are challenged.

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Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

buy your season tickets at ririewoodbury.com/seasontix

Broadway at the Eccles Presents:

Waitress

SEPT. 25–30, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG DELTA PERFORMANCE HALL GEORGE S. AND DOLORES DORÉ ECCLES THEATER

Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna — a waitress and expert pie maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses provide her with their recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her life solely.

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company Presents:

Splice

SEPT. 27–29, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG JEANNE WAGNER THEATRE ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

This dynamic repertory program will include the return of four compelling dances: “Star Mark” (2016) by Joanna Kotze, “Prima Materia” (2015) by Adam Barruch, “Construct” (2014) by RDC Artistic Director Daniel Charon, and “Strict Love” (1994) by Doug Varone.

Kingsbury Hall Presents:

Monica Bill Barnes: Happy Hour

SEPT.27–28, KINGSBURYHALL.UTAH.EDU KINGSBURY HALL, UOFU

Happy Hour comes to Salt Lake in this fun and subversive show that “breaks all the rules of theater.” Dressed in a pair of everyday men’s suits, Monica Bill

Barnes and Anna Bass crash an after-work office party playing two instantly familiar guys.

With microwave popcorn flying through the air and dollar store décor, Happy Hour offers two options: a karaoke version that is all ages, and a more traditional Happy Hour with beverages for a 21 and older crowd. No matter which you choose, it’s challenging, hilarious, relevant, and mostly a whole lot of fun.

September 27-29, 2018

April 18-20, 2019

February 1 & 2, 2019

Utah Symphony Presents:

An American in Paris SEPT. 28–29, USUO.ORG ABRAVANEL HALL

Grab your passport and travel Untitled-10 back 90 years to the streets of Paris with blaring taxi horns and bustling crowds that inspired George Gershwin’s An American in Paris — a piece that delights today just as it did audiences at its debut. A perfect complement follows with Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Deeply infused with jazz idioms and harmonies, the work begins with a whipcrack and continues to use other elements reminiscent of Gershwin.

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Utah Museum of Fine Arts Presents:

Site Lines: Recent Work by University of Utah Art Faculty

(801) 957-3322

1575 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115

grandtheatrecompany.com

SEPT. 29–JAN. 6, UMFA.UTAH.EDU UMFA, UOFU

Lines, one of the most basic elements in art and a foundation of mark making, feature prominently, both conceptually and through the skillful employment of materials, in this exhibition by

Know who WANTS your business

26 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | FALL ARTS GUIDE

UofU art faculty. These lines and marks tackle diverse ideas about borders, brinks, divisions, paths, and dualities across different sites — from the natural landscape to manmade structures to the human form. In a more abstract sense, each artist tackled the complexity of how we get from point A to B — how we experience the world, how our memory and perception shape it and going forward, how we will construct it.

Grand Theatre Company Presents:

The Rocky Horror Show OCT. 4–27, ­­ GRANDTHEATRECOMPANY.COM GRAND THEATRE, SLCC

When a newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet, innocently set out to visit an old professor, a thunderstorm and a flat-tire lead them to seek help at the castle of the alien, transvestite scientist, Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter.

As Brad and Janet are swept up into Frank ‘N’ Furter’s latest experiment, the night’s misadventures cause them to question everything they’ve known about themselves, each other, love and lust. This humorous tribute to the classic “B” sci-fi films and horror genre, with an irresistible rock’n’roll score, is a wild ride that no audience will soon forget.

Repertory Dance Theatre Presents:

Spirit

OCT. 4–6, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG JEANNE WAGNER THEATRE ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Spirit includes the historical masterpiece “Rainbow Round My Shoulder” by the late Donald TAYLOR MAC PHOTO BY IAN DOUGLAS

McKayle, as well as the work of Japanese national Michio Ito. Alongside these historical dances are two groundbreaking commissions by Tiffany Rea-Fisher, artistic director of Elisa Monte Dance, and Utah’s Natosha Washington, artistic director of The Penguin Lady.

Pygmalion Theatre Company Presents:

Tigers be Still

OCT. 19–NOV. 11, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG BLACK BOX THEATRE ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Sherry Wickman finds herself unemployed, overwhelmed, and back at home after earning her master’s degree in art therapy.

When Sherry gets hired as a substitute art teacher, things begin to brighten up. Now if only her mother would come downstairs, her sister would get off the couch, her first therapy patient would at least do one of his take-home assignments, her new boss would leave his gun at home, and someone could catch the tiger that escaped from the local zoo, everything would be hunky-dory. It’s a comedy about depression.

Pioneer Theatre Company Presents:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

OCT. 26–NOV. 10, PIONEERTHEATRE.ORG PIONEER THEATRE, UOFU

“I was what some would say a virgin to Sweeney Todd. So before I attended my first production of Benjamin Barker’s legendary and bloody reign of terror on the dark, damp cobblestone streets of 19th century London,

Qsaltlake.com |

I had certain expectations,” wrote QSaltLake’s Tony Hobday.

“I had painted Barker as a purely evil psychopath with absolutely no emotion or sense of morality.

But much to my surprise, Barker a.k.a. Sweeney Todd is a mild-mannered man turned unhinged by his surroundings.

Not to say I agree or even comprehend with which he attempts to balance justice in a selfish, uncouth world, but honestly, how evil is a man who’s pushed into a sea of predators?”

Kingsbury Hall Presents:

Taylor Mac: A 24-decade history of popular music, abridged NOV. 3, KINGSBURYHALL.UTAH.EDU KINGSBURY HALL, UOFU

Back by popular demand, the luminous Taylor Mac returns all decked and bedazzled in gloriously irreverent regalia for a night that is “startlingly unique…a must-see for anyone who wants to see a kinder, gentler society”. The abridged version of Taylor’s transformative “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” is a captivating, community-building experience that reflects our nation’s diverse and sometimes dysfunctional story to reinvigorate a distinctively American sense of possibility.

Told from the perspective of groups whose stories are often “forgot, dismissed, or buried,” the show highlights various musical styles and artistic voices ranging from murder ballads to disco, Walt Whitman to David Bowie, and beyond.

Broadway at the Eccles Presents:

Come From Away

NOV. 6–11, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG DELTA PERFORMANCE HALL GEORGE S. AND DOLORES DORÉ ECCLES THEATER

The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Kingsbury Hall Presents:

SALT Contemporary Dance: The Bridge

NOV. 8–10, KINGSBURYHALL.UTAH.EDU KINGSBURY HALL, UOFU

During the height of the Civil War, a young man awaits his hanging for attempted arson.

As his mind races to his family and ideals, his battle for survival becomes a battle for self. This genre-bending dance and music performance — created by Salt Lake City natives Andrew Maxfield and Stuart Maxfield (singer/bassist of Fictionist) — retells Ambrose Bierce’s classic short story.

Utah Arts Alliance Presents:

Illuminate Salt Lake

NOV. 9–10, UTAHARTS.ORG/ILLUMINATE-SALT-LAKE THE GATEWAY

The 2nd annual Illuminate Salt Lake Light Art and Technology Festival invites the community to explore the city in entirely new ways and to see it in a whole new light, by illuminating the culture and community through art and technology. The festival features installations by more than 30 artists, live music and performances, kids activities, kids short film fest, interactive light art demonstrations, virtual reality arts displays, after-glo parties, food trucks, local brews and spirits, and more.

Repertory Dance Theatre Presents:

Mosaic

NOV. 15–17, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG JEANNE WAGNER THEATRE ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Utah is home to a rich and diverse culture that can trace its origins to almost every country on earth. We celebrate our diversity in movement inspired by rituals, work and warrior dances, and steps performed at gatherings for centuries. The production features RDT along with guest artists performing traditional works from Utah’s ethnic communities.

DAVID SEDARIS PHOTO BY ADAM DETOUR

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

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Broadway at the Eccles Presents:

An Evening with David Sedaris

NOV. 18, ARTSALTLAKE.ORG DELTA PERFORMANCE HALL GEORGE S. AND DOLORES DORÉ ECCLES THEATER

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. He is the master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition.

Beloved for his personal essays and short stories, David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, and others.

An Other Theater Company Presents:

Perfect Arrangement

NOV. 30–DEC. 22, ANOTHERTHEATERCOMPANY. COM

An Other Theater, Provo In Topher Payne’s biting comedy, Perfect Arrangement, it’s 1950 and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. The twist: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap I Love Lucy sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two “all-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door, confronting the same struggles facing society today. Q

paws on the patio approved! bring your doggies & have a fresh juice cocktail fri 11am-11pm, sat 10am-11pm, sun brunch 10am-3pm | 275 s 200 w salt lake city | zestslc.com

28 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ANNUAL EVENTS At its core, the MARMALADE JAM FEST strives to “highlight the neighborhood’s long and colorful history of fruit trees as well as the delicious products created from that fruit” by holding a fruit preserves competition. Local vendors and sponsors such as Mountain West Cider and Redrock Brewery return for the 3rd annual event. The day includes live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and a 35-foot mobile greenhouse — educating on the endless opportunities for urban agriculture, the Fruit Share program, and how you can register your Marmalade fruit trees so others can benefit from the fruit you’re not harvesting.

Tony’s 22 Gay CONCERTS Agenda

SATURDAY — MARMALADE JAM FEST

The Garten, Mountain West Cider, 417 N. 400 West, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Free

BY TONY HOBDAY

THE AQUABATS are a superhero band clad in blue spandex suits with the letter A emblazoned on the chest. They’re oddly sexually enticing — maybe I’m Hester Prynne’s illegitimate offspring, I’m about the right age. Anyhoo, Aquabats’ music is also enticing and comedic. Check out MC Bat Commander, Crash McLarson, Jimmy the Robot, Ricky Fitness and Eagle Falconhawk, the greatest crime-fighting new wave and pop-punk music league.

“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”, “Time (Clock of the Heart)”, “Church of the Poison Mind”, “Karma Chameleon”, “Victims”, “It’s a Miracle”, “The War Song”, “Move Away”, and “I Just Wanna Be Loved” — need I say more about BOY GEORGE AND CULTURE CLUB, I think not, betches!

BECK is one of alternative music’s most introspective minds whose tunes typically conjure a solemn ambiance, but his 2017 album Colors is so full of life it’s refreshingly infectious. So, after this concert, you may need to run out for a prescription for Lithium. Note: I said “run out for a prescription”, not “run out to a street peddler or a Mormon housewife”.

IRON & WINE is the musical project of singer-songwriter SAM BEAM. The 2002 debut album, The Creek Drank the Cradle vaulted Iron & Wine into the spotlight of the burgeoning indie-folk/Americana scene where over the years he developed into one of its prolific songwriters. Beast Epic is the sixth proper full-length record released August 2017.

The album was nominated for Best Americana record at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Beast Epic takes the listener on a ride through the 15-plus years of Iron & Wine while still offering up a new and contemporary sound.

PHOTO: THE PRESETS - GRANDSTAND MEDIA

Qsaltlake.com |

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

THE PRESETS are an Australian dance duo, Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton, who met in college, where both were studying classical music. They both had an interest in dance music and set about creating some of their own. They have performed at San Francisco’s infamous BDSM and leather event Folsom Street Fair more than once, and for Moyes, they’ve been memorable occasions. The Presets have indeed been a fixture at LGBTQ events for years now. Their sound on chart-topping tracks like My People has cemented their status as Australian music icons and garnered them a huge gay following, despite Moyes and Hamilton being openly straight.

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SATURDAY — THE AQUABATS

The Depot, 13 N. 400 West, 6 p.m. Tickets $23 Adv/$25 Day Of, smithstix.com

FRIDAY — BOY GEORGE & CULTURE CLUB

Maverik Center, 3200 Decker Lake Dr., WVC, 7 p.m.

Tickets $49.50–149.50, smithstix.com

SATURDAY — BECK Maverik Center, 3200 Decker Lake Dr., WVC, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $39.50–69.50, smithstix.com

SUNDAY — IRON & WINE

Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25–35, arttix.org

SUNDAY — THE PRESETS Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 9 p.m. Tickets $22 Adv/$25 Day Of, 24tix.com

DRAG SHOWS RC Events presents CHAD MICHAELS, a well-known celebrity impersonator, notably Cher. Cartel Chameleon, The Whore of ‘94 (aka Monica Lewinsky?), Savannah Van Cartier, Janice Janice Janice, Derronda, Georgia DeMoan, DJ Justin Hollister, and DJ Shutter host the night.

1

SATURDAY — CHAD MICHAELS Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 9 p.m. Tickets $15 Adv/$20 Day Of, 24tix.com

THEATRE

KIRSTIN CHAVEZ has performed CARMEN throughout the world for nearly two decades, and in this intimate portrait of Bizet’s iconic female heroine, she creates a one-woman tour de force of spoken monologues, choreographed Flamenco dance, and soulful singing. With limited seating on the stage, the audience will experience an intimate view of Carmen’s lust for life and freedom that ultimately led to her need to embrace death. Interact with the living, breathing Carmen “beyond opera, beyond music… where theatre and truth meet”.

& AE 13

THURSDAY — CARMEN INSIDE OUT

Kingsbury Hall, 1395 Presidents Cir., UofU, times vary, through Friday. Tickets $20, Utahpresents.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nov. 18, DAVID SEDARIS, liveattheeccles.com Dec. 7–9, SALT LAKE MEN’S CHOIR, saltlakemenschoir.org

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

Local playwright shares his life following a ‘personal renaissance’

BY MATTHEW GREENE

It’s

A&E | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 29

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

possible that if I hadn’t spent so many years in the proverbial closet, I never would’ve become a writer. It’s the oldest story in the book, isn’t it? Creativity born out of private pain. I spent my days playing the perfect Mormon, slipping that ill-fitting costume on over the self I’d learned to loathe and trying my best to walk a path that was, frankly, killing me. My solace in those dark days was the pen and the page. In the fictional worlds I crafted, nothing could stop me from exploring the tantalizing gray areas and questioning tenets of belief that were supposed to be gospel.

I was an undergrad at Brigham Young University (that’s right, Mormon Mecca) when Proposition 8 rocked California and, in turn, the world. Desperate to make sense of the divisive and disturbing rhetoric I heard every day, I wrote a play called Adam & Steve and the Empty Sea, exploring what the gay

marriage debate did to two friends, one openly gay and the other openly Mormon.

After nearly getting me kicked out of school, the play received its world premiere at Plan-B Theatre in 2013.

People were quick to identify with Adam, the devout church member, as my onstage stand-in, but who, they all seemed to ask me, was the inspiration for Steve, his gay best friend who wanted simply the freedom to love? I capitulated and talked around the question, not wanting to reveal the truth: the heady, emotional conflict taking place between these two characters onstage was a reflection of the debate constantly running through my confused, closeted head day and night.

Years have passed since then, and I’ve changed the narrative quite a bit. I’m now an outand-proud gay man who made the choice, in a moment of crisis, to love himself no matter what. I worried, though, as I crawled out from under the weight of religious expectation if I’d lose the drive to write

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYWRIGHT MATTHEW GREENE

now that I felt so liberated, so unburdened. It turns out, once again, that I was naive. Taking a step (or two or three) toward authenticity didn’t make the world any less complicated.

Allowing myself to indeed fall in love (surprise, surprise) led to more emotional tumult than I’d ever imagined. And stating emphatically all the things I didn’t believe in could only go so far in helping to make sense of this murky mess of a world.

The truth is, life is tricky even after you’ve gone through a “personal renaissance” and my new play Good Standing is proof of that. But unlike Adam & Steve, I’ll own up to the real inspiration behind the script’s central figure: it’s me. The man onstage torn between love and belief was born out of the internal debates I’m still having. There’s no way to untangle the threads of identity that have

made me who I am, and I have Mormonism practically woven into my DNA. I treasure the new life I’ve crafted for myself, but I mourn the loss of innocence I knew within comfy church walls and regret the pain I’ve caused to those who love me.

Life didn’t magically become easier when I finally admitted that I, like Curtis in this play, dreamed of finding a husband, not a wife. What’s different, I guess, is an enhanced ability to feel joy and to claim it as my own. But the search continues for meaning and purpose and for the light I know is out there. Good Standing is another step in that ongoing journey, a love letter to uncertainty and complicated, problematic faith. Q Playwright Matthew Greene’s Good Standing opens Plan-B’s 2018/19 season Oct. 18–28 and will also play the United Solo theatre festival in New York. Tickets and details at planbtheatre.org.

30 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | A&E

Qsaltlake.com |

Salt Lake-based nonprofit fosters literacy through affiliate programs

BY DAVID MICHAEL, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LIVE LITERATELY

Live Literately

was founded to fight the rising tide of illiteracy in the U.S. and (eventually) beyond. As a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, the hope is to foster literacy by offering free tutoring to persons of all ages through our network of Affiliates and volunteers across the globe.

In the United States alone, 36 percent of adults had either rudimentary or “below basic” document literacy.

Meaning they either struggled or failed to complete a basic job application. The number jumps to 43 percent regarding “prose” literacy, which is defined as “the knowledge and skills needed to […] search, comprehend, and use continuous texts.” Examples given by the National Center for Education Statistics in their National Assessment of Adult Literacy include reading editorials, news stories, brochures, and instructional materials.

These are not numbers I could sit idly by and ignore.

The formation and eventual launch of Live Literately was a long time coming. I knew something needed to be done; I just didn’t know what or how to make it happen. Then I woke up one day and told myself, “David, you have the network to make this happen now. Stop making excuses and just do it.”

So I gathered a board — a veritable collection of superheroes as far as I’m concerned, comprised of authors, editors, teachers, accounting executives, IT gurus, lawyers, and, most impor-

tantly, parents — and we made a plan.

We officially launched in May of 2018 to the tune of 136 volunteers in six different countries. The result was far more than I could have hoped for and, to this day, I’m still not sure how we managed to pull it off.

I guess we struck a chord with the public. We’re not the only people who understand the importance of literacy, and for that, I am deeply moved and eternally grateful.

WORKPLACE LITERACY Through curriculum developed by our Education Committee and distributed to our network of volunteers, we run adult literacy programs explicitly targeted to literacy in the workplace.

The importance of being able to understand an application, an employee handbook, or an insurance benefits package is paramount to being an employable, successful adult in today’s workplace.

Population(s) served by these programs are adults who are unemployed, underemployed or dislocated.

REMEDIAL LITERACY Through a combination of traditional teaching methods and custom-built tutoring curriculum, our volunteers run tutoring sessions for adults to provide a broad-spectrum education concerning literacy.

These sessions are provided, free of charge, to those who test at a “basic” level of literacy or below to bring them to an “intermediate” level of literacy by the standards of the U.S. Department of Education. The program will be expanded to include school-aged individuals in our second year of operation.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM As an Affiliate of Live Literately, an invitation to sign at a minimum of one of the signings each year is a promise.

Due to the organization being headquartered in Salt Lake City (and the lack of other signings in

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

the state) one of the events will be hosted here, in May, every year to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the organization. In the event of an additional signing, the location for that signing will be determined based on the concentration of our Affiliates to provide you with an opportunity closer to home.

You also will gain access to additional marketing tools for new releases, sales, giveaways, etc., including our network of Affiliate blogs and a listing on the organization’s Affiliates page on our website.

In addition to the above-listed benefits, Live Literately is working hard to build partnerships with several of the book signings around the country to offer you discounted table fees at them as well. More information will come out on this part of the Affiliate Program at the beginning of 2019.

The cost of being an Affiliate of Live Literately has been set at $100 per year, and we ask that you spend a minimum of one hour per month volunteering within your community (reading at a library, running a creative writing workshop, teaching cover photography, cover modeling tips, cover design, book formatting, editing, blogging, etc.). We feel this is an exceptional value for the signing alone and hope to provide even more value to our team in the coming years.

One of the many literary events we hope to sponsor every year is the Live Literately Literacy Summit. It will be a signing coordinated and sponsored by the organization on an annual basis, and we will add an extra signing to our lineup for every 125 Affiliates we have at the beginning of each year.

If you are interested in becoming an affiliate of Live Literately and attending our first LLLS in Salt Lake City on May 18, 2019, please visit www.liveliterately.org to complete the Affiliate/volunteer interest form. Q

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

A&E | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 31

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

gay writes

Dev

BY THOMAS CUSHMAN

‘Dev’

taught high school math for his gap year back in Sri Lanka before he moved to the U.S. in 2012 to start college. He now has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a graduate degree in Information/Business Systems. The first degree he completed in three years, the second he finished in one year, at night school, while he worked full time during the day. No doubt about it, Dev is intelligent and he is driven. But he is not staying in the U.S. “This place is not worth my prime time,” he says, which is not quite how a native English speaker might phrase it but is nonetheless a perfect expression of what he means. “With everything that’s going on now? They don’t want us here.

That’s clear.” Dev’s deep-set, dark emerald eyes flash as he says this with hints of anger, frustration and resignation blend in his voice. He has dark brown hair and light brown skin with thick black eyebrows. His eyebrows threaten to overwhelm those green eyes, which are never at rest and which have an intensity that can be a bit discomfiting.

“Why should I give this country the best years of my life? They don’t want me here; they don’t want people like me.”

And when he says “people like me” he is not talking about smart people or educated people or driven people, he means people with brown skin.

While Dev was working full time during the day and finishing his graduate degree at night, he also started a business with a high school friend from back home. They met at a rather exclusive and rigorous boarding school they both attended. The two of them now have a Sri Lankan-based company with a few dozen full-time programmers. “We’re not going to get a lot larger,” Dev says, they’ll add just another 10 to 15 workers before they stop growing. “I just don’t think we should get bigger than 50 employees.

Too hard to manage. That’s clear.” “That’s clear” is one of his favorite English phrases.

The entire business was created and operates without Dev ever traveling back home, not even once. “We just skype and

call and text, we’re pretty much talking all the time.” In fact, he hasn’t been back to Sri Lanka since he finished his undergraduate degree. Not because he doesn’t want to visit but because he is on a student visa. Student visas come with a three-year allowance to stay and work after graduation. But if the holder leaves the U.S. at any time during those three years — maybe for a sister’s wedding or a grandparent’s funeral — the worker might not be allowed back. So Dev didn’t take the risk of leaving.

We tend to think of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant propaganda as all about Mexicans coming across the southern border. Or Muslim refugees being potential terrorists. That is bad enough. But a lot of other collateral damage is being done as well. All immigrants, regardless of their origin or why they came here, are getting the message that they are not welcome.

It’s not just rhetoric either, even without passing legislation the Trump administration is revising policies and re-writing regulations to make it tougher to get just about every category of immigrant visas. Each year more than a million foreign college students and highly-trained temporary workers who want to stay in the U.S. vie for just 120,000 permanent visas.

“I have four friends from home who were working in high tech in the Bay Area, they all went back, too,” Dev told me. “No one wants to stay, now. But the people at home — they’re moving to Germany, France, and Australia. Those countries want us.”

That too is clear — crystal clear. Other

countries are making a play for the immigrants we are pushing away. France has started a new visa program for high tech workers, expanding immigration in this category. Last year, when the U.S. said it would stop processing premium H-1B visas for six months, Canada announced it would expedite them.

Donald Trump and his administration are intentionally sending away the very people who have made America great.

Immigrants are just 12 percent of the American population, yet they founded or co-founded half of all Silicon Valley start-ups. One-quarter of U.S. global patents are awarded to technology created or co-created by immigrants. Half the people working in science or engineering with Ph.D.’s are immigrants.

Dev has already bought his one-way ticket home. He’s spending the next two months traveling the U.S., visiting those places he hasn’t yet seen. Then he’s taking his intelligence, his drive, and his startup, and going home.

Brain drain is only one category of damage Trump’s war on immigration has brought us. We won’t see the extent of this damage until Trump is long gone and long after Dev and his friends have also left. So when the next Google (co-founded by Russian immigrant Sergey Brin) starts up in France or China or Sri Lanka, we’ll know why. Q Gay Writes is a DiverseCity Writing Series writing group, a program of SLCC’s Community Writing Center. The group meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, 6:30–8 p.m., 210 E. 400 S., Ste. 8, Salt Lake.

Statistics and background information from: Reuters, Sept. 20, 2017; McClatchy, Dec. 31, 2017; Pew Research Center, Feb. 26, 2018; CNBC Website, April 9, 2018; Vivek Wadhwa, “America’s Loss is the World’s Gain”

32 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | SEX

Qsaltlake.com |

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

sex in salt lake city

Sex Positivity

BY DR. LAURIE BENNETT-COOK

Sex

positivity is a term that floats around often these days. People speak freely, sharing their sex stories or stating how kinky, poly, casual, etc., their interests are and all the while believing they’re sex-positive.

Unfortunately, clarity in what is or isn’t sex positivity isn’t easily found.

What it isn’t: LIKING SEX OR THINKING EVERYONE SHOULD There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the act of sex. I encourage it. I like to consider myself a great sex enabler, and if there is any way I can help someone achieve a place where they feel their best sexual self, I’m all about it. However, finding pleasure in various sexual activities, and feeling positive about them, is not the same as being sex positive. Many love the act of sex and yet still judge others who do sex differently than they do. The fact is, it’s possible for someone to be extremely sex-positive and at the same time not be interested in any sexual activity at all.

NOT HAVING BOUNDARIES Everyone has boundaries. Everyone. When someone makes the statement they don’t have boundaries they’re either assuming that the person has the same sexual interest as they do. Or they haven’t yet been in a situation where a

boundary of their own has been recognized. One of the most amazing things about sexuality is how varying tastes are for people. It’s easy to consider that no two people like the same toppings on their pizza. Usually, we’re open to sharing our food preferences.

Sex is no different. Like our varying taste palettes, our sexual palettes differ as well.

Everyone would fair better to have a conversation about boundaries before bringing out any floggers or whips or inviting your partner to a swinger party. Without such a conversation one can never be sure if scenarios are hard limits or hell yes’s.

The beauty of sex positivity is that everyone gets to decide what works best for them individually. Each person should feel safe and shame-free to make an empowered choice, whether enjoying casual sex with multiple partners, committing to a monogamous lifestyle, or living in chosen celibacy.

BELIEVING SOME SEX IS BETTER THAN OTHERS Some people are kinky. Some people are polyamorous. Some people are swingers. Some people are queer. Some people are monogamous. Some people are straight. Some people enjoy fetish play. Some people are vanilla. Some people prefer solo sex with porn. Some people prefer group sex. The

list could go on, and we’d never see the end of it. Judging and shaming others because they find their pleasure differently is not sex positive. Sex positivity celebrates the different ways people sexually express themselves whether its of personal interest or not.

disclose STI status and be clear about the intentions each person has when engaging sexually. One person may be seeking a casual encounter while the other is seeking a relationship.

Both are valid, but it’s important to be clear.

What it is:

To be sex-positive, one would need to feel good about the fact that others have interests that are different from their own and recognize those interests are equally valid.

Sex positivity is a state of mind. Being sex-positive is honoring and accepting that human sexuality is diverse, fluid, and subjective. Sex positivity invites us to acknowledge that there is no hierarchy in sexual interests, sexual orientation, gender identity, or relational configuration.

Sex positivity is honoring that everyone has agency over their sexual preferences. The spectrum of sexual interest is as varied as humans are overall. To promote sex positivity is to accept various forms of consensual sexual expression whether they are of personal interest or not. To be sex-positive is to be kind. Q

CONSENSUAL Sex positivity is consensual between all parties involved whether that be one person alone or a group of several people. Those involved each have the agency to choose what level of activity works for them. Sex positivity is free from coercion and shame.

BEING ACCOUNTABLE I believe in erring on the side of caution when it comes to accountability. Being proactive in getting tested regularly, being honest with a partner(s), and being honest with oneself regarding interests and desires — sometimes this means participating and sometimes not. It’s important to recognize that either is okay. It’s sex-positive to have conversations about when and when not to use barriers;

RESPECTFUL OF DIFFERENCES

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

FOOD & DRINK | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 33

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34 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | COMICS

Qsaltlake.com |

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

PUZZLES | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 35

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

Power Couples

Each Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution which can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits 1 through 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit, as must each column and each 3x3 square. Qdoku

Q doku Level: Medium

4

7 4

1 7 5

9

8

7

9

3 6

6 8 5

9 3

8 1 6 7

8 4 9 5 4

7

1

5

7

9 3 5

9

4

6 5 9

2 7 4 1 3 8

7 8

3 5

1 2 3

4

7

1

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

18 The A in GLARP (abbr.)

22 Torso in a MapACROSS plethorpe pic, e.g.

1 Large openings 24 Tendency towards 5 Disconcert chaos 10 Allen Ginsberg’s 26 Suffix with “dream,” affirmative on Broadway?

14 Warhol pal ___ 27 Wolfe or Woolf, e.g.

Sedgwick (abbr.)

15 Coastal city of 29 Caesar’s city Portugal 30 Fair-to-middling 16 Give up what 31 Sergei of The Opposounds like sperm? site of Sex 17 Partner of Alex 32 Emperor role of Niedbalski Charles Laughton 19 Processes wine or 33 Gus, partner of cheese Matthew Wilkas 35 What a hoar!

20 Prepared it for safe 36 Perfect serves from intercourse Mauresmo 21 Turn tail DOWN 23 Eager beavers 1 Sounded like Sneaky 39 Bill settler 43 Like a family pole 24 Evasive maneuver by Pie 45 Kushner’s ___ in a bottom?

2 Hersey’s bell town America 25 Like Machu Picchu 3 Recoil from too 47 Word after fish, in 28 Visitors at much S&M slang advocate.com 4 David of Naked fame 49 Takes out of the 31 Makes tats 5 Altar spot text 34 Defeated George 6 Gay Priest author 50 Not quite erect Frenn Malcolm 52 One of the Flint37 Kanga’s baby 7 Where to find a bear stones 38 Turtleneck alterpair 53 Like a sweet bird of native 8 Like a master, to a youth 39 Middle name of slave 54 Leases out Harris, partner of 9 Cheated, slangily 55 Wham’s ___ It Big David Burtka 10 Greek victim of 56 Give ___ of approval 40 Ambulance letters “Wax on, wax off”? 57 Former Cub Sand41 Cartoon prince’s son 11 Ellen, partner of berg 42 Vidal essay collection Portia de Rossi 58 Cockpit predictions 43 Poet ___ Wu 12 Head output 61 “Love Story” composer 13 Story of valor 44 “Forget about it!”

46 It goes on top in a trattoria 48 At a future time 51 Like rival divas 55 Ann-___ of Grease 57 What teams do when balls are kicked at them 59 Poker pot input 60 Partner of Jane Wagner 62 Cleopatra’s eyeliner 63 Writer Dykewomon 64 “___ the end of my rope!”

65 Fruit-flavored ice cream maker 66 Digs for pigs 67 Pink-slips

36 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | MARKETPLACE

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38 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | QMMUNITY

Qmmunity Groups ALCOHOL & DRUG

Alcoholics Anonymous 801-484-7871  utahaa.org LGBT meetings: Sun. 3p Acceptance Group, UPC, 255 E 400 S Mon. 7p Gay Men’s Stag (Big Book Study), UPC, 255 E 400 S 8p G/Q Women’s Mtg, Disability Law Center (rear), 205 N 400 W Tues. 8:15p Live & Let Live, UPC, 255 E 400 S Wed. 7p Sober Today, 375 Harrison Blvd, Ogden Fri. 8p Stonewall Group, UPC, 255 E 400 S Crystal Meth Anon  crystalmeth.org Sun. 1:30pm Clean, Sober & Proud LGBTQIA+Straight USARA, 180 E 2100 S Thurs. 1p Unity In Sobriety, 175 S 700 E LifeRing Secular Recovery 385-258-3788  liferingutah.org Sun. 10am Univ. Neuropsychiatric Institute, 501 Chipeta Way #1566 Mon. 5pm, First Unitarian Church, 569 S 1300 E Tues. 7pm, 6876 S Highland Dr Wed. noon, 2319 Foothill Dr, #120 Weds. 6:30 pm, Univ Neuropsych Institute, 501 Chipeta Way #1566

Thurs. 5:30pm, USARA, 180 E 2100 S, #100 Fri. 7pm, 2212 S West Temple #29 Sat. 11am, First Baptist Church, 777 S 1300 E BUSINESS

LGBTQ-Affirmative Psycho-therapists Guild of Utah  lgbtqtherapists.com * jim@lgbtqtherapists.com Utah Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce  utahgaychamber.com * info@utahgaychamber.com Vest Pocket Business Coalition  vestpocket.org 801-596-8977 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 YWCA of Salt Lake  ywca.org/saltlakecity 322 E 300 S 801-537-8600 HEALTH & HIV

Peer Support for Mental Illness — PSMI Thurs 7pm, Utah Pride Ctr Planned Parenthood 654 S 900 E 800-230-PLAN Salt Lake County Health Dept HIV/STD Clinic 660 S 200 E, 4th Floor Walk-ins M–F 10a–4p Appts 385-468-4242 Utah AIDS Foundation  utahaids.org * mail@utahaids.org 1408 S 1100 E 801-487-2323

Qsaltlake.com |

Weber-Morgan Health Mon., Weds 1-4:30p 477 23rd St, Ogden Appt 801-399-7250 HOMELESS SVCS

Volunteers of America Homeless Youth Resource Ctr, ages 15–21 880 S 400 W 801-364-0744 Transition Homes: Young Men’s 801-433-1713 Young Women’s 801-359-5545 LEGAL

Rainbow Law Free Clinic 2nd Thurs 6:30–7:30pm UofU Law School, 383 S University St POLITICAL

Equality Utah  equalityutah.org * info@equalityutah.org 175 W 200 S, Ste 1004 801-355-3479 Utah Libertarian Party 6885 S State St #200 888-957-8824 Utah Log Cabin Republicans  bit.ly/logcabinutah 801-657-9611 Utah Stonewall Democrats  utahstonewalldemocrats.org RELIGIOUS

First Baptist Church  firstbaptist-slc.org * office@firstbaptistslc.org 11a Sundays 777 S 1300 E 801-582-4921

BUT WITH A CAPE

Sacred Light of Christ  slcchurch.org 823 S 600 E 801-595-0052 11a Sundays Wasatch Metropolitan Community Church  wasatchmcc.org 801-889-8764 Sundays except the 2nd Sunday, 11:15a at Crone’s Hollow, 3834 S. Main SOCIAL

1 to 5 Club (bisexual)  fb.me/1to5ClubUtah The Bonnie and Clyde’s Social Group  bit.ly/BonnieClydeSG Alternative Garden Club  bit.ly/altgarden * altgardenclub@gmail.com blackBOARD Men’s Kink/Sex/BDSM education, 1st, 3rd Mons.  blackbootsslc.org blackBOOTS Kink/BDSM Men’s leather/kink/ fetish/BDSM 4th Sats.  blackbootsslc.org Gay Writes writing group, DiverseCity 6:30 pm Mondays Community Writing Ctr, 210 E 400 S Ste 8 Get Outside Utah  bit.ly/GetOutsideUtah Men Who Move  menwhomove.org OUTreach Utah Ogden  outreachutah.org OWLS of Utah (Older, Wiser, Lesbian. Sisters)  bit.ly/owlsutah Queer Friends  queerfriends.org

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

qVinum Wine Tasting  qvinum.com  fb.me /QVinum/ Sage Utah, Seniors  fb.me/sageutah  sageutah@ utahpridecenter.org 801-557-9203 Temple Squares Square Dance Club  templesquares.org 801-449-1293 Utah Bears  utahbears.com  fb.me/utahbears  info@utahbears.com Weds 6pm Raw Bean Coffee, 611 W Temple Utah Male Naturists  umen.org  info@umen.org Utah Pride Center  utahpridecenter.org  info@utahpridecenter.org 1380 S Main St 801-539-8800 SPORTS

Pride Community Softball League  fb.me/utahpride. softballleague  pcsl@prideleague.com Q Kickball League  fb.me/qsaltlake. kickball Sundays, 10:30, 11:30, Sunnyside Park QUAC — Queer Utah Aquatic Club  quacquac.org  questions@ quacquac.org Salt Lake Goodtime Bowling League  bit.ly/slgoodtime

Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah  fb.me/stonewall. sportsofutah Venture Out Utah  facebook.com/groups/ Venture.OUT.Utah YOUTH/COLLEGE

Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Center  encircletogether.org fb.me/encircletogether 91 W 200 S, Provo, Gay-Straight Alliance Network  gsanetwork.org Salt Lake Community College LGBTQ+ 8 slcc.edu/lgbtq/ University of Utah LGBT Resource Center 8 lgbt.utah.edu 200 S Central Campus Dr Rm 409 801-587-7973 USGA at BYU  fb.me/UsgaAtByu Utah State Univ. Access & Diversity Ctr  usu.edu/ accesscenter/lgbtqa Utah Valley Univ Spectrum  facebook.com/ groups/uvuspectrum Weber State University LGBT Resource Center  weber.edu/ lgbtresourcecenter 801-626-7271

Embracing the health & resilience of our community Utah’s Inclusive Aquatic Club since 1995 BEGINNERS WELCOME EVERYONE’S INVITED

umen.org

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

BOOK REVIEW | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 39

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

book review

REVIEW BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

The Boys of Fairy Town

BY JIM ELLEDGE C.2018, CHICAGO REVIEW PRESS, $29.99, 290 PAGES

Dates, times, and old dead guys.

When you were in school, that’s all history was to you: a list of years and names to memorize and then forget, 20 minutes after Finals Week. So maybe now it’s time to find a history book that’s relevant to you — a book like The Boys of Fairy Town by Jim Elledge.

Because Chicago was considered a “largely male frontier city” when established in 1837, the Windy City has always maintained a substantial population of gay men, cross-dressers, and male sex workers.

Here, Elledge tells the stories of some of the ones who might otherwise have been forgotten.

Take, for instance, John Wing who says Elledge, “was a sodomite.”

That’s the word many post-Civil War Chicagoans would have used for Wing, although most people then only had a vague idea of what was a sodomite. They knew it was something bad, though, even as Wing did something good: he was a faithful diarist and left his volumes for historical posterity.

Female impersonators were tolerated in Chicago in the latter 1800s, but sometimes only barely. Those who were most accepted were men who put their feminine side to work as entertainers; for others, the desire for women’s clothing occurred strictly during private times. For families, such things

were often an embarrassment: Elledge cites a story of “Mrs. Noonan,” who worked at a nearby military fort. Despite her final wishes, the “women at the fort”, while preparing her body for the funeral, discovered that Mrs. Noonan was a man. Her third husband swore that he hadn’t known but he was ashamed and killed himself.

Gay men posed nude for other gay men in perfectly respectful and artful ways that went mainstream. Newspapers reported on same-sex love — sometimes kindly, sometimes scandalously. Gay lectures were open to the public; entire neighborhoods became hubs of openly gay life; and living as another gender was easy until, alas, the tide started to turn in the 1940s and to be openly gay could suddenly get a man arrested.

At first blush, it may seem like The Boys of Fairy Town is just another historical tome.

Dates, times, old dead guys, but look deeper, and you’ll see why you should want to read it: it’s bursting with stories that are irresistible.

In his introduction, Elledge explains how he chose the tales he shares in the book, and why recording the stories for public consumption is absolutely essential. In addition to being lively and ever-relevant, the tales show an interesting historical arc of acceptance and persecution, displaying a youthful America that’s just dipping her toes into the pool of difference and duality. Readers are lent a feeling of pride but may also be particularly affected when Elledge shows the tide turning.

The Boys of Fairy Town contains nudity, but also the delight you feel when you come across old newspapers in Grandma’s attic: it’s quaint, informative, and entertaining.

It’s totally worth your time. Q

Gay Mormon Dad

A MEMOIR CH AD ANDER SON

Available Now on Kindle or in Paperback at Amazon.com

Chad Anderson grew up gay in a large Mormon family. After years of trying to conform to religious standards, which promised a cure for homosexuality, he married and had children before finally coming out of the closet. Gay Mormon Dad is his story of finally learning to love himself in a complicated world. Chad currently resides with his two sons in Salt Lake City, where he works as a social worker and a writer.

Order now at bit.ly/GayMormonDad The Capitol Hill Neighborhood Council Presents

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Saturday Sept. 22 10am–6pm

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40 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | Q HEALTH

positive thoughts

Qsaltlake.com |

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Viral Basics

BY ORIOL R. GUTIERREZ JR.

Carl W.

Dieffenbach, Ph.D., is director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

He oversees a staff of more than 150 federal employees and a global HIV research portfolio of more than $1 billion.

He is responsible for managing DAIDS programs, which include basic laboratory research and clinical trials to develop therapies to treat HIV and related infections and diseases, as well as to develop vaccines, microbicides, and other HIV prevention strategies. He has restructured the DAIDS-supported clinical trials research network and has fostered collaboration across agencies and sectors.

Dieffenbach joined DAIDS in 1992 as chief of the preclinical therapeutics group.

He became DAIDS director in 2008. Previously, he was director of the DAIDS Basic Sciences Program since 1996.

Tell us about the role of DAIDS and its scientific programs. Think about the unanswered questions about HIV today. What does it take to get a safe, effective and durable HIV vaccine? What does it take to cure HIV infection? And what is it we don’t understand why there is residual immune activation after effective HIV therapy?

Those are the types of primary questions that DAIDS is supporting research to address domestically and internationally.

The Basic Sciences Program is somewhat self-explanatory. What does HIV do, and how does it do it? How does the virus hijack the human immune system? What is happening with HIV at the atomic, macromolecular, cellular and tissue level, as well as the population level? We’re looking at what is happening at a mechanistic level as HIV interacts with the body.

The Therapeutics Research, the Vaccine Research, and the Prevention Sciences programs tackle each of those areas in a similar manner. The vaccine and prevention programs evaluate the

same populations, but they differ in the types of clinical trials that get done. In the vaccine work, you’re doing a lot of immunology. In the prevention work, you’re looking at infection.

Where possible, the two groups collaborate. Where they work together beautifully is on the evaluation of broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies.

What we’re doing collectively as a field is producing these antibodies in a way that they can be used as medications, which is challenging.

What are the remaining questions to be answered for a cure and, in the meantime, for improved treatments? Let’s look at where we are now. The HIV replication cycle delineated in the 1980s and ’90s.

That led us to the key enzymes — reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase — and to the entry process, which uses CD4 and CCR5 receptors [to allow HIV to enter a cell].

Those are the targets for current HIV drugs, which are highly effective. Here’s the last big related unanswered question: How do we deal with a provirus [a virus that integrates into a host cell’s DNA]?

Why can we cure the hepatitis C virus today? The primary reason is that HCV does not integrate into the host genome ever. The hep C drugs are effective in stopping replication. The difference with HIV is that essentially it becomes a gene in the human genome.

That is the source of all things related to latency [where the virus lies dormant] and what we still need to understand.

How does HIV lie dormant, what does it take to reactivate it, and what does it take to prevent the virus from causing disease if you stop therapy?

As for treatment, it’s so much safer and easier than it was two decades ago. We’ve gone from a high pill burden to one pill a day. Now it’s a matter of improving adherence. Can we evolve therapy, so there are long-acting formulations? Can

we have combinations of drugs and monoclonal antibodies that continue to improve safety?

In addition to keeping people healthy, an undetectable viral load means having effectively no risk of transmitting the virus. Since 2016 the “Undetectable = Untransmittable” campaign, or U=U, has promoted this message. Why were you an early supporter of U=U? The concept of treatment as prevention has been around for a long time. However, over the first decade of this century, some studies made an even stronger case. The HPTN 052 study sought to demonstrate the extent to which full virologic suppression could prevent HIV transmission.

While there were transmissions in the 052 study, we were able to demonstrate that the HIV-positive partner who transmitted the virus in every case had a detectable viral load. It was the first substantial evidence that durable suppression to the point of having an undetectable viral load could prevent infections.

As more data over the years came out, it became clear that being undetectable meant the risk of transmission was negligible to a point where it was not worth worrying about. Bruce Richman, the founder of Prevention Access Campaign, which promotes the U=U message, understood the importance of these data.

He believed that people could help fight HIV stigma with this information.

They could live without this cloud over them that they’re putting people at risk for falling in love. To me, U=U is a strong way of helping the community to come together. It also helps us move down the road toward a point of equality for people who are HIV positive.

Some people continue to say that statistically there still could be some transmissions, but even these individuals acknowledge that the fact is that we have observed no transmissions from those who are undetectable. Q

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

PETS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 41

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

Pet Month of the Holy Holly

If you’re on the search for the cutest combo of cuddle and adventure, then Holly girl just might be the match for you!

She enjoys nylabones, couch cuddles, face kisses and a good nap from time to time. She has done well with dogs both large and small. We don’t know much about her past, however she is currently living the high life in a foster home where she’s proven herself to be a wonderful companion. Her ideal home will be feline-free and make sure she gets tons of love, daily exercise and spoil her silly!

For more information, go to Best Friends Animal Society–Utah, 2005 S 1100 East, or call 801-574-2454 or go to bestfriendsutah.org

q scopes SEPTEMBER

BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS

ARIES March 20–April 19

Stress factors into a big decision begging to be made. Family and friends are putting a lot of pressure on you to make a choice, and none of the options are particularly thrilling. Creating new options is never discouraged, and you’re bound to do better by tapping into creative thinking. Someone out there will applaud you.

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20

An epiphany will come during this time period regarding your finances. The longer you try stretching funds, the harder they are to hold onto. Temptation to spend will be strong, so the time has come to make some big decisions. Don’t do anything that cannot be undone if life throws a curveball. Staying grounded is vital.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

Limp and tired are things you feel often, but don’t be surprised if you catch yourself in a low mood this month. It’s the calm before the storm, Gemini. A time of adventure

and fun is right around the corner.

Try some meditation or research a much-loved subject. Prepare for the time when flying high will dominate your life.

CANCER June 21–July 22

Don’t be ashamed of an embarrassing moment.

The likely result is good attention in the end. An associate will provide some unexpected amusement. A key relationship will change, leading to questioning of priorities. You’ve never been the type for free and loose, but this month, there’s a chance you will end up this way.

LEO July 23–August 22

The inclination to drop everything and go will be strong and hard to resist. Doing so might not be a bad idea if your affairs are in order.

Take a trip or do something thrilling in order to center yourself. The world seems to be calling to you. A strange sense of duty will emerge regarding a significant person you should help.

VIRGO August 23–Sep. 22

Finding the hidden meaning of a message will lead to an awesome discovery. A gift has been hiding in a place deep, but not out of reach.

Be prepared to stretch but don’t let go of what keeps you grounded. Money

October 13 | Noon – 4 p.m. | Liberty Park Register today at strutyourmutt.org

matters are a worry, but a period of financial freedom is coming. Don’t take it for granted and spend wisely.

LIBRA Sept 23–October 22

Find an obvious solution to a complicated problem. Many times, success comes from the slightest of adjustments. A friend may offer you help in areas you didn’t know were needed. Don’t be afraid to accept but be aware of the price. No good deed is offered for free, especially friendly ones. The time for caution is now.

SCORPIO Oct. 23–Nov. 21

Stuffing yourself to the point of busting is not a good idea. You will have a tendency to do that this month. Take a moment to re-evaluate current needs and desires. Focus only on tasks that allow for the acquisition of what really matters. There is always time for what is important and never enough for things that are not.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22–December 20.

Dig deep into your mind and conjure a memory that brings joy.

There is a lot going on right now which troubles you. With a little history lesson from your own past, methods to cope will be learned. Control over the present seems impossible, but you can be happy. Spend some quality time

alone and rejuvenate.

CAPRICORN Dec 21–Jan 19

End a long chapter in life and go out with a bang. A much-deserved good time is definitely overdue, so enjoy. What happens next is totally up to you, but remember some family obligations require attention. With the seasons changing, a good feeling is bound to occur. Things will be running smoothly, no need to force it.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20–Feb. 18

This will be the perfect time to snatch a long desired catch.

You’ve been mulling over making a move for a long time. The real question to ask is “what do I have to lose?” Getting past this means moving into other areas of interest. A career move could be in the works, especially by putting yourself out there. Take charge.

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19

Hugs are always appreciated, but something more meaningful is preferred. Express inner desires and something wonderful is most certain. Matters involving a child or pet will leave you shaken, but will pass. The ground beneath your feet is level but you feel off-balance. Ask yourself whether adjustment is needed.

Adapt. Q

42 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | FRIVOLIST

5

tips for dealing with social media stress and sadness

BY MIKEY ROX

When

social networks first gained popularity — back in the days of AOL chat rooms — it was exciting, fun, and a generally positive experience. For LGBT people, it existed as an outlet where we could be ourselves without fear of discovery and ridicule from the outside world. But as time has trudged on, social media has evolved into a dark and depressing vortex of negativity — mostly attributed to our outrageous political climate — which, if you’re not careful, can suck the life right out of you.

It’s hard to quit social media altogether — I’ve tried myself and failed — but if you’re experiencing a sense of sadness and despair as a result of your time spent on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, it may be time to reevaluate your priorities and implement ways you can make the experience and your overall life better. Here are eight ways how.

1

Maintain a balance between online life and real life

Spending too much time on any one thing is not a good thing, especially if it’s causing unnecessary stress and anxiety.

You wouldn’t actively throw yourself into a lion’s den of radical political foes in real life, so why put yourself through that online? Certainly there’s the appeal of being able to voice your opinion without much consequence — we’ve all been keyboard warriors at some point — but what good has it done? Has anyone changed their mind based on what you’ve commented?

Chances are slim, and all you got from it was a headache. Thus, the first way to take back your life from the stronghold of social media is to maintain a balance, or tip the scales even. If you’re spending a lot of time online, power off and seek out the positive real-life relationships you have and plan activities you enjoy doing.

2

the frivolist

Quit a platform or two If the idea of quitting social media completely causes anxiety, there’s a

compromise: Get rid of one or two platforms that you can live without. For me, it’s hard to quit Facebook because I use it for business and I like the convenience of having it attached to other app-based accounts that allow me to log in effortlessly using Facebook (really one of the more brilliant moves that Facebook made to keep us from straying), but I can live without Twitter because I don’t see the point of it anyway. I look forward to the day that I don’t have a business that requires social-media (which may never come, sure), so I can deactivate Facebook, never to be heard from on that platform again. A boy can dream, at least.

3

Stop the comparisons to the social media ‘highlight reel’

One of the major contributors to social media sadness, which is a legitimate disorder, is comparing your life to the ‘highlight reel’ of others you follow.

You may be part of that façade yourself; I know I am. We purposely push the great content out there — the beautiful restaurants we eat in, the luxurious places we go, the expensive clothing we wear — because we want to elicit the envy of our friends, family, and perfect strangers, whether we’ll admit it or not. And then we look at other people’s feeds and judge our own success, happiness, wellbeing, and wealth by those fantasies.

Not healthy, says psychotherapist Dr. Judi Cinéas.

“People follow a lot of things online that create an illusion of reality that they try to emulate,” she explains. “When their lives fail to follow that path it can cause some dissatisfaction. Instead, follow things that are more in line with your life and the goals that you are working towards. Seek out things that inspire and motivate you to pursue your own goals.

Social media houses enough content to build you up and tear you down in the same split second. It’s up to you to determine what you allow.”

Qsaltlake.com |

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Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

Limit your social media use and remove the temptations

Cut back on the time you spend endlessly scrolling Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by practicing discipline. Allot yourself a certain amount of time per day and stick to it — an hour and a half, for example. Break it down throughout the day by checking in when you wake up, on your lunch break, and while you’re unwinding on the couch after dinner. Stay off it completely when you’re in the company of real people, too. Sticking your face in your phone during actual human interaction defeats the purpose of that interaction.

You might as well have stayed home.

Another tactic I use is to delete apps I’m spending too much time on from my phone for periods of time. While I have a hard time shunning Facebook altogether, I do sometimes take a hiatus when I feel like it’s challenging my productivity and replacing it with procrastination.

You have to recognize that problem first, though, which is half the battle.

5

Think about what triggers you — and how to improve upon it

When your anxiety and stress level starts climbing because of a social media post, take a minute to ask yourself why. What about it has triggered these feelings? Are you browsing pictures of a happy couple while you’re experiencing loneliness? Are you reading about someone’s wild weekend as you struggle with your own sobriety? All you’re doing is punishing yourself here, but for what?

Bianca L. Rodriguez, a psychotherapist in Santa Monica, Calif., offers advice on how to make lemonade out of your rotten lemons.

“Looking at social media and wallowing in self-pity is not constructive,” she says. “I recommend you investigate what feelings are surfacing, allow yourself to experience them and then devise a solution that supports your wellbeing.

It’s always helpful to speak with a trusted friend, therapist or your partner to gain some perspective and support.”

More tips are on qsaltlake.com. Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He spends his time writing from the beach with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.

BOOK REVIEW | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 43

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

Community Church

TRANSFORMING OURSELVES AS WE TRANSFORM THE WORLD

Reclaim your faith with MCC—the world’s oldest and largest LGBTQ+ church!

Join us at our new location at Crone’s Hollow, 3834 S Main St, SLC Gathering every Sunday (except the 2nd Sunday) 11:15am–12:15pm

wasatchmcc.org

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Evan Fallenberg is a National Jewish Book Award-winning translator and author of the critically-acclaimed novels Light Fell and When We Danced on Water. His new novel, The Parting Gift, will release Sept. 4, 2018, through Other Press, otherpress.com.

WASATCH Metropolitan

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in a savagely sexual relationship for close to a year, the nameless (hence, every man) narrator of The Parting Gift walks ... well, bulldozes through an animalistic affair with an older Israeli man in the small coastal town of Kritmonia, north of Tel Aviv.

The third novel by Evan Fallenberg weaves an all-too-humanistic story, albeit rarely presented openly, of unbridled lust, jealousy, and our darkest thoughts that occasionally pop up and then quickly and horrifyingly snub out.

The narrator writes a letter to his friend Adam, who sits feet away, completely unaware as if a moot point.

While on vacation, the narrator and his “foodie” friends take a day trip to a respected spice merchant named Uzi. When the narrator revisits the moment he sets eyes on Uzi, he writes: This man standing in front of me, though, his smell was meaty, truly pungent and ripe. I was drawing it in through my nostrils and holding it there letting it shoot straight into my limbic system, that ancient part of the brain where memory and emotion and lust and smell get entangled.

And his limbic system

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Emboldened

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BOOK REVIEW BY TONY HOBDAY

didn’t untangle for many months, slowly changing him, confusing him, then ultimately and sinisterly avenging him.

Along with the turbulent relationship between the narrator and Uzi, Fallenberg adds several supporting characters; some also entangled in their limbic systems. One, in particular, is Rinat, Uzi’s eldest and socially awkward teenage daughter, who has an affair with an older man. Befriending Rinat early on, the narrator soon becomes annoyed by the girl, an offshoot of his annoyance with her father: How childishly gullible she looked in that moment, with her candy-apple nails and her baby doll clothes and her round, round face and her lopsided hair (she would shear off whole clumps, indiscriminately, when in certain foul moods).

As The Parting Gift nears its final climax (but trust me there are several), Fallenberg’s pro-antagonist reaches an interesting epiphany: Things I’d read recently flooded my mind, the connections sizzling like live wires: how men needed to spread their seed as far and wide as possible; it was only biology after all, and here was Uzi, a man as close to nature as men get. Nature’s imperative was causing him to fuck, to fuck, to fuck again. Or this one: that autism is an extreme form of maleness and shares many of its characteristics.

Fallenberg’s The Parting Gift is a succinct tale of a grimacing truth of the male species.

One rarely heard with incredible frankness; whether gay or straight, Israeli or Palestinian or American, or otherwise. Q

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‘The Parting Gift’

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SEPTEMBER 2018 |

44 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | SPORTS

Qsaltlake.com |

Gay UofU alum runner chases success at U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

BY ADAM DALTON

PHOTO: BETTYMAYA FOOTT

My legs

are crying out in pain and I am barely cognizant as I approach the 26-mile mark at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

Looking up at the official timing clock, I see 2:17:45 and calculate I must run nearly a quarter mile in 75 seconds in order to get the B standard and qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

As I near the finish line, I see the clock tick upward, 2:18:32, 33, 34. Unbridled excitement fills me as I realize I will reach the standard in my marathon debut. At that moment in June, my entire running career flashed before

my eyes. My path to becoming an elite runner has been far from straightforward.

For the majority of my life, running has been an unhealthy crutch for me.

Once I realized I was gay at age 11, I began my years-long goal of fashioning myself into an elite athlete. At the time, I considered athletics as the ultimate way I could validate and prove my masculinity to myself.

Since I was too gangly, uncoordinated and weak to succeed at most sports, I went all-in on running during high school. My training was obsessive and I directly tied my self-worth to my success in running.

Ironically, as I blossomed

from a mediocre runner to become an All-State athlete in Iowa I could not enjoy it. I desperately needed validation via success on the course. I relied on attention from my athletic achievements to balance out the severe depression I faced owing to my struggles as a closeted athlete attending a tiny Catholic school in small-town Mason City, Iowa.

As high school came to a close, I considered the only non-harmful way to address my sexuality was to give myself a fresh start by attending a college where I did not know anyone so I could finally begin to live authentically.

Therefore, I enrolled at Grinnell College in Iowa where I joined the school’s cross-coun-

Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

try and track teams.

Unlike other athletes, my coming out story is rather mundane. Owing to Grinnell’s status as one of the most liberal colleges in the United States, roughly 25 percent of the men’s cross-country team identified as queer when I joined. Therefore, no one batted an eye when I disclosed my sexuality to the team my first semester in college.

Ironically, I had feared coming out for nearly a decade and if anything, my disclosure likely gave me heightened social status on the team and at school, since as a blond-haired, blue-eyed, financially stable cis-male I was otherwise the epitome of privilege.

After coming out, I was finally able to reshape my relationship with running into something I enjoyed organically as opposed to something I required for my baseline level of self-worth.

Running no longer remained a quest for me to beat others and instead transformed into a journey of self-improvement and a way to connect with others. I became a multi-time Midwest Conference cross-country and track champion and served as both a track and cross-country captain during my senior year at Grinnell College. However, injury and school demands prevented me from being nationally competitive and I failed to make nationals in cross-country and track.

Following graduation from Grinnell, I attended graduate school at the University of Utah, where I put competitive running aside for nearly a year. Ultimately though, I rediscovered my love for

SEPTEMBER 2018 |

SPORTS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 45

Issue 283 | Qsaltlake.com

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high-level running, buckled down and began marathon training seriously, beginning in August 2017.

The support I have received during my tenure as an out queer athlete in the elite distance running community has never ceased to amaze me.

Luckily, while in Salt Lake City, I was able to meet a diverse and talented training group who was willing to take me under their wing. I attribute much of my recent improvement to the training advice and motivation they provided me with. Honestly, the support I have received during my tenure as an out queer athlete in the elite distance running community has never ceased to amaze me; in college and post-collegiately I have never been harassed or discriminated against by any runner.

Pivoting to today, shockingly after less than a year of intensive training, I was able to hit the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon Standard. What makes my story even more unlikely is the fact that from August 2017 onward I entirely self-planned and self-funded my training as I lacked access to coaching or sponsorships.

It is my hope that by sharing my story I am able to inspire the next young queer athlete in rural America.

Growing up, many of my idols were athletes. However, there were simply no out queer male athletes I could look up to who could reassure me that I could indeed be a successful athlete, openly gay and happy.

Even today, all major U.S. male sports leagues (aside from MLS) lack a single openly gay athlete; therefore, I want to show others that

while your sexuality is an important part of your personal self, it has no bearing on your ability to achieve your dreams athletically.

On a broader note, I want to stress the importance of believing in yourself. Over the course of my running career I have gone from a 22:46 5k runner to a U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier.

Aside from myself, my parents and a few select coaches and teammates, no one believed I could accomplish what I have athletically. When applying to colleges, I sent letters to nearly every Division I and Division II cross-country program in the United States and was ignored by essentially all of them.

More recently, I have had people laugh in my face when I told them I was aiming to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. However, I have learned to follow my dreams regardless of what others say and would strongly advise all athletes, queer, straight, etc. to follow their passions wholeheartedly.

While it sounds cliché, once you are able to accept yourself for who you are, find something you love, work diligently towards your goals and think for yourself, things have a way of falling into place. Q Adam Dalton, 24, is a 2016 graduate of Grinnell College where he majored in Chinese and Economics and was a member of the men’s cross-country and track teams.

He currently works for an environmental non-profit in Tucson, Arizona, is the lead singer in a punk band, and is slated to run in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. He is actively looking for sponsorship and can be reached at m.adamdalton@gmail.com and @runindamc on Instagram.

This story was originally published in OutSports.com and is used with Dalton’s permission.

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Issue 283 | SEPTEMBER 2018

the perils of petunia pap smear

The tale of Petunia phones home

BY PETUNIA PAP SMEAR

The road

from the auto repair shop to Chateau Pap Smear is fraught with danger and excitement.

During summer months, largely due to my “personal expansiveness”, I extremely overheat, and it’s not a pretty sight. I go to great lengths to attempt to stay cool.

An eon ago, during the Ford administration, I drove my first Queertanic that had air conditioning. Shortly after that, I moved into a trailer house with a swamp cooler on the roof. Oh, sweet relief from my misery. And in the words of Scarlet O’Hara, I swore, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be in ‘heat’ again!”

Swamp coolers, it turns out, need a lot of maintenance. Now mind you, it’s not a pretty sight to watch me climbing up a ladder to the roof, and wouldn’t you know, there would invariably be a herd of the trailer park munchkins hanging out at the base of the ladder, to look up my bloomers.

And customarily, once on the roof, the wind would pick up and catch my clothing like a kite and whirl twirl, we’ve got “The Flying Nun.” The children in the trailer park then ran home to their mothers yelling about the sudden eclipse of the sun.

After many years of dealing with a series of swamp cooler-equipped abodes, we moved to Salt Lake City and into Chateau Pap Smear which gratefully has central air. Praise be to Saint Willis Carrier for inventing the damned thing.

7pm, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Jan. 21 First Baptist Church, 777 S 1300 E fb.me/matronsofmayhem

So last month, the dog days of summer came and bit me in my substantial “Bodus Rotundus.” Queertanic overheated. The impudence! Apparently there was a substantial leak in the cooling system. So on the way home, to alleviate heat from the engine, I risked melting my mascara and turned off the AC, opened the windows and turned the heater on high. Now, drag queens don’t sweat, we glisten. Let me say, “A river ran through it.”

So on Monday, thinking it was just a loose hose clamp, I drove Queertanic to an auto repair shop nine blocks from our house. I waited 90 minutes in the “waiting area” on a hard chair, all the while, being growled at by a sniveling schnauzer of another patron. Then came the bad news, Queertanic needed a new radiator, and I would have to leave the car overnight.

It was now two o’clock in the afternoon.

The summer sun was blazing at 100 degrees.

I phoned Mr. Pap Smear to pick me up. But he didn’t answer his phone. I tried every five minutes. After an hour, I attempted to download the Lyft app on my phone, but for some reason, because I had been a Lyft driver before, it would only download the driver version to my phone. I tried downloading it three times before I gave up. So, I guessed I had to walk.

Now those of you who know me understand that I have difficulty walking a long distance, or standing for more than 10 minutes. In fact, when I go to Wendover on the Big Gay Fun Bus, I use a walker (just like they use at Shady Pines) to get around the casinos. Of course, I decorate it with a fabulous boa. Well, wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t have my walker in the car that day, so I was left “sans walker!”

I made it one block and found a rock to sit on. I phoned home. No answer. So I trekked another block and to sit on a bus bench, but a scary homeless person arguing with an invisible person occupied it, so not to be rude, I moved on and found a stump to rest. I phoned home. No answer.

The sweat began to pour down my

busty chest, creating a veritable waterfall between my breasticles. I journeyed another block and found a car to rest my “Bottomus Maximus.” I phoned home.

No answer! Mascara had melted into my eyes. I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk and nearly dropped my purse before I found some shade from a tree and sat on the curb to rest. I phoned home. NO ANSWER! Another block, and finally I found an empty bench, but it sat in the blazing sunlight. At that point, I didn’t care. I phoned home. NO GOD DAMNED ANSWER! Finally, after an hour of the torture, I was one block away from home, when my phone rang. It was Mr. Pap Smear. He timidly asked, “Shall I come get you?”

“Don’t bother, I’m almost home,” I said heatedly, as I staggered to the back door which, to my chagrin, was locked. Of course, I left my keys with the car. So I rang the doorbell. When Mr. Pap Smear opened the door and beheld the red-faced melting queen, oozing all over the patio, he knew he was in dire trouble!

The following week, I drove past the intersection by the repair shop and there on the corner were seven electric scooters to transport people, just waiting for riders. Timing is everything!

This story leaves us with several important questions: 1. If I had fallen off the roof onto the trailer park children, would someone write a fable about me similar to Jack and the Beanstalk?

2. Did the planetarium ever record my “solar eclipse”?

3. Would I have earned extra “princess points” if I crushed the most obnoxious kid?

4. Can those new electric scooters hold a “Quantum Maximus” queen?

5. How long before I should let Mr. Pap Smear out of the doghouse?

These and other eternal questions to be answered in future chapters of The Perils of Petunia Pap Smear. Q

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