QSaltLake Magazine - Issue 325 - July, 2021

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2021 guide to the

THE LIFE OF CHARLES LYNN FROST, AK A SISTER DOT TIE DIXON, RIP

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4 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | NEWS

Qsaltlake.com | ISSUE 325 | JULY, 2021

news 801-308-2050

www.jonjepsen.com

The top national and world news since last issue you should know

BY CRAIG OGAN

Gallup on S/S marriage The most current Gallup poll shows 70 percent of adults in the U.S. support same-sex marriage.

That’s up from 26 percent in 1996. Majorities in all age groups are supportive: 80 percent of young adults, 72 percent of middle-aged adults, and 60 percent of older adults. Politically, 80 percent of Democrats support it, unchanged for some years, but for the first time a majority of Republicans, 55 percent, report supporting S/S marriage.

RNC Pride earns slaps

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Can’t please everyone, especially Mitt Romney’s niece — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel. She tweeted her support for Pride Month and faced immediate slap back. She tweeted, “the Republican Party was proud to have doubled our LGBTQ support over the last 4 years” and said the party would “continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and balance protections for LGBTQ Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs.” An immediate slap came from mild-mannered Chasten Buttigieg, who said to, “Re-visit your party’s platform before you open your mouth about #pride.” From the other side, Tony Perkins, the head of Family Research Council, called on religious conservatives to boycott the RNC, writing, “If McDaniel was looking for a way to end her party’s record-breaking fundraising, she nailed it.”

Texas Bakery Good news on the LGBT/ bakery connection. “Confections,” a bakery in Lufkin, Texas, announced it would feature rainbow cookies for Pride Month.

After the announcement, the trolls on Facebook posted negative messages and some customers canceled orders. The bakery told its story on Facebook and users stepped up and did something nice. By the following day, Confections was inundated with messages of support from Lufkin and around the country. One non-Lufkin poster bought the canceled cookie orders and had them donated to LGBTQ charities and other nonprofits in the area. Locals flooded the bakery, A TV news drone showed video of people flooding Confections’ brick and mortar location. By the end of the day, Confections posted that it had sold out of its entire inventory of baked goods.

The ‘King disses hate chicken In a coup of “pride marketing,’, Burger King used Chick-fil-A’s founder’s history of LGBTQ-unfriendly donations as a reason to relaunch a fried chicken sandwich of their own and donate to LGBTQ causes this month (40 cents for every chicken sandwich sold at BK).

The announcement stressed BK will donate “even on Sundays,” an obvious slam against Chickfil-A’s observance of blue laws.

The founder of the purveyor of hate chicken, Dan Cathy, was revealed recently in the media to have donated to organizations pushing back on the passage of the Equality Act, encouraging state legislatures to pass transgender sport-inclusion bans, and filing lawsuits to expand religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws. Another chain, Popeye’s Chicken, jumped on the pride marketing bandwagon in June as well. Chicken has never been so popular in the LGBT community.

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DOD nixes Pride flags Though the U.S. State Department okayed flying the Rainbow Flag during June at U.S. embassies in countries that wouldn’t be offended, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin did not reverse the U.S. military’s prohibition of non-military or non-national flags and insignia at official military installations. Austin has introduced several LGBTQ-affirming policies, reversed other LGBTQ-unfriendly policies, and appointed LGBT persons to high ranks in the DOD. But this was a bridge too far, announcing the Pentagon “will maintain existing policy for the display or depiction of unofficial flags.” The White House has not responded to the decision but is expected to say something, as allowing the military to fly the Rainbow Flag was a promise made by the winner in the last presidential campaign

LGBT unfriendly towns targeted Consumer goods company Unilever has selected locales in the USA that scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index — Monroe, La.; Moore, Okla.;

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publisher/editor Michael Aaron

ASSISTANT editor Tony Hobday NATIONAL NEWS editor Craig Ogan designer Christian Allred sales Tony Hobday, 801-9979763 x1 sales@qsaltlake.com Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 ext 200 sales@rivendellmedia.com distribution Roger Cox

Clemson, S.C.; Florence, Ala.; and towns and cities in need of support in southwest Missouri — as subjects of its “United We Stand’ Pride campaign. HRC’s score measures non-discrimination laws in the U.S. and Unilever picked five communities to profile. A filmmaker, Tourmaline, will create content about life in these communities with an eye to “empower and amplify local LGBTQ+ communities, with this year’s supporting grassroots organizations,” RanaVerse, an advocacy organization working with Unilever explained. “Through careful assessment, we targeted five communities with little to no LGBTQ+ discrimination protections and diverse needs, and use those insights to shape the campaign.” Along with HRC, Unilever will feature and fund local LGBT organizations: Forum for Equality, Freedom Oklahoma, South Carolina Black Pride, the Knights and Orchids Society, and PFLAG Springfield, as partners.

NYPD out of NYC Pride Heritage of Pride, which organizes NYC Pride events has banned the NYPD uniformed police organization Gay Officers Action League from the parade and other Pride celebrations until at least 2025. Heritage opined that banning police will increase a feeling of safety. “NYC Pride seeks to create safer spaces for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities at a time when contributors Joshua Adamson Pickett, Diane AndersonMinshall, Chris Azzopardi, Paul Berge, Jeff Berry, Paul Campbell, Laurie Bennett-Cook, Roger Cox, Stephen Dark, Jennifer Dobner, Mikki Enoch, Jack Fertig, Greg Fox, Oriol Gutierrez Jr., Tony Hobday, Ashley Hoyle, Joshua Jones, Christopher Katis, Rock Magen, Sam Mills, Craig Ogan, Mikey Rox, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Petunia Pap Smear, Steven Petrow, Ed Sikov, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Ben ­Williams, D’Anne ­Witkowski

violence against marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC and trans communities, has continued to escalate. NYC Pride is unwilling to contribute in any way to creating an atmosphere of fear or harm for members of the community.” Private security and emergency services, using off-duty NYPD officers, will be used in place of police. NYPD will still provide traffic control.

GOAL sued the NYPD in 1996 to be able to use a police van and the department marching band at Pride events.

Religious discrimination defended by DOJ Delighting political enemies and confounding political friends, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will defend Christian schools’ religious freedom to discriminate against LGBTQ students. Thirty-three LGBTQ students have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Education, saying religious exemptions in Title IX of the DOE statute resulted in harassment, conversion therapy, expulsion, and humiliation. The DOJ, part of an administration supporting the Equality Act which proposes bans on religious businesses and organizations from using the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, says in a filing, “The administration and the Christian schools’ interests are identical to uphold the Religious Exemption as it is currently applied [in Title publisher

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IX].” The DOJ brief is in response to “The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities” attempt to intervene in the case, saying the DOJ wouldn’t provide a thorough defense and “may be openly hostile” to the cause.

Maybe judicial jujitsu on the part of the DOJ?

Soccer fans delay Denver game Referees and team ownership “paused” a CONCACAF Nations League soccer game in Denver because some fans were chanting “Puto” just before the game went into overtime. It took three minutes for officials to get the fans to stop chanting the word, considered an anti-gay slur. Rumors are that the chanting stopped after a Denver Drag queen stood up, faced the hecklers, pulled off her earrings, and yelled, “Don’t make me come up there.” In overtime, the U.S. team won the game 3–2. The CONCACAF Nations League is made up of national teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean and not affiliated with Major League Soccer. “Puto” is used as a slur, ESPN reported, by some fans at Mexican national games and games in other Latin American countries. CONCACAF rules call for a pause when fans use the chant. If the chanting continues, then the referee can send teams back to the locker rooms and even end the game. Q QSaltLake Magazine is a trademark of Q Media Group

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Salt Lake County bans most flags from government facilities Republicans in city and county councils, state legislatures, and the U.S. Congress are working to ban all flags other than federal, state, county, and city flags from being flown at government facilities.

Flags such as the Rainbow Pride, Black Lives Matter, and Juneteenth flags are forbidden to be flown under new ordinances and laws being passed in these bodies.

On May 25, the Salt Lake County Council voted along party lines to ban all flags on the grounds of county government facilities except the U.S. flag, the Utah state flag, Salt Lake County-related flags, flags representing the U.S. armed forces, other national flags as part of a dignitary visit or for historical and cultural purposes, and flags of vendors or contractors working on government buildings.

Flags in employee workspaces are to be handled by personnel policies, with consideration of First Amendment rights.

U.S. House Republicans have sponsored legislation, dubbed the “Old Glory Only Act,” to prevent any flags other than the American Flag from being flown over any U.S. embassy.

Ultra-conservative Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote in support of the legislation, “The federal government should only be flying the flag that represents ALL people, the American flag.

We need to bring back pride in our country and raise the Star Spangled Banner proudly. Old Glory represents our great American military and their sacrifices to ensure our freedom. This isn’t a political issue. This is about Patriotism, and we need more of it.”

Neither minutes nor audio of the County Council meeting has been made available, other than the final vote, which was along party lines with all Republicans voting to restrict flags on government property and all Democrats voting against the measure.

Schools part of the Salt Lake County

Pride flags fly during Pride Week at the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office Building, despite a new ordinance banning them being approved by the Salt Lake County Council May 25.

School District would be included as a government facility. Schools across the state and country have been flying flags for “Diversity Week” and other celebrations. Ultra-conservatives such as Eric Moutsos have railed against the display of Pride flags in schools in Salt Lake City.

“I explained to [Rose Park Elementary School Principal Nicole OBrien] as a former Salt Lake City Police officer, flying [Pride and Black Lives Matter] flags for little kids is very divisive and dangerous for those who disagree with the messages politically or religiously.

And the kids do not need this in school of all places,” Moutsos wrote in a Facebook call-to-action post in December. “She said ‘we represent all people’ and ‘This is a safe space.’ I asked her if I can bring in all various flags that represent even more people, for example, a straight pride flag, or a Christian flag with a cross, or a All Lives Matter flag? I then went into the history of the BLM movement and where the funding is going. She said she didn’t think about that when she put them up.”

Obrien left the flags flying at the school.

Three versions of Pride flags were flying during Pride Month at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s offices.

“We raise these flags for the month of June as a visual reminder to all members of the LGBTQ+ community: we see you, we care for you, and we join your fight for equality and justice under the law,”

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill wrote in a proclamation.

A Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony is scheduled on June 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake County Government building.

Activist Isaac Higham attended the County Council meeting said through the debate on the policy, Republican council members commented that the policy was appropriate because the approved flags represent “everyone in our community.”

“But when I look at the flag of the State of Utah, I am reminded that I am still discriminated against in the state constitution; that bigotry has not been repealed, only rendered currently unenforceable by a single tenuous vote of the Supreme Court,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “When I see the flags of the armed forces, I’m reminded of the long history of LGBTQ people being victimized and discriminated against by the armed forces. I’m reminded of their Republican president victimizing Trans service members.”

“It’s easy for those who have lived their entire lives as members of the dominant, in-group, majority to feel like these state and national symbols represent ‘everybody’ because they have always represented and protected THEM,” he continued.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has the authority to veto the ordinance, though there has been no word from her office that she is considering such a move. Q

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Q mmunity Festivals, Fairs and Annual Events Return Here is our list of events returning this year:

RED BUTTE GARDEN OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES LINEUP TO BE ANNOUNCED EARLY JUNE Get ready for live music in the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre.

The full lineup announcement is promised in early June. Member-only presale will happen June 21 for members who join at the Garden-Flex level or above

by June 15. Tickets on sale to the public June 28. More info at redbuttegarden.org

LIVING TRADITIONS RETURNS TO SALT LAKE CITY The annual Living Traditions Festival, celebrating 35 years of fostering the preservation and inclusion of Utah’s diverse cultural landscape through presentations of dance, music, craft, and culinary arts, will take place JUNE 26 from 12pm to 9pm at Washington Square. Two stages and 14 international food vendors, along with a Pow Wow and martial dance will bring together cultures to the Square. More info at ­livingtraditionsfestival.com

DAMN THESE HEELS QUEER FILM FESTIVAL TO BE DRIVE-IN AND ONLINE Break out those heels and save the date for the 18th annual Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival! Come celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community through cinema at drive-in and online screenings JULY 9–18.

The annual festival explores LGBTQ+ issues, ideas, and art through showcasing fiction and non-fiction films from around the world.

Passes for Damn These Heels will go on sale May 24 and the films and schedule will be announced in mid June at ­utahfilmcenter.org

UTAH ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2021 DATES The Utah Arts Festival has announced that their annual event will take place AUG. 27–29 at Washington and Library Squares in Salt Lake City. More information at uaf.org

AVENUES STREET FAIR RETURNS The Avenues Street Fair is officially scheduled to be held on 9th Avenue between D and I Streets. Mark your calendarsfor SEPT. 11 9am to 6pm.

9TH & 9TH STREET FESTIVAL Held (almost) every year on the 2nd Saturday after Labor Day, the 9th and 9th Street Festival is our neighborhood celebrating our neighborhood!

It’s free, fun, kid friendly, pet friendly, music friendly, food friendly, art friendly, and best of all neighbor friendly! Learn about new things, enjoy a tasty treat and some great music.

Saturday SEPT. 18. Info at ­9thand9thstreetfestival.com

UTAH LGBTQ+ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES ANNUAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT DATE The Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce set the date for their annual Economic Summit for SEPT. 23. Further details will be made available on their website, utahlgbtqchamber. org. The Summit offers LGBTQ businesses tools and guidance on furthering their businesses and allows for mingling with other business owners.

EQUALITY UTAH SETS ALLIES GALA DATE Equality Utah, Utah’s LGBTQ political organization, has announced that Covid-willing, they are returning this fall to the Eccles Theater to celebrate 20 Years. The Allies Gala is scheduled for OCT 2.

Tickets and more details will be released this summer at ­equalityutah.org/allies. Q Want to get your organization’s events in QMmunity? Email editor@qsaltlake.com.

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Obituary: Charles Lynn Frost ‘worked well with others who listened’ Charles passed away at home during a nap after a valiant battle with colon cancer. The following history is written

by Charles himself and redacted by his friend Babs De Lay: Charles grew up in a loving family to Darrell and Zelphia Frost in Spanish Fork, Utah with four siblings: Colleen, Patsy, Lamar, and Kenneth. His parents were married during the Great Depression and he said, “My father could do anything, fix anything, make anything.

My mother was extraordinarily strong in personality and had a hard work ethic. As a child, I loved our garden, the trees, the animals, and the outdoors, and shadowing both my parents and my oldest brother.”

He was eight years younger than his oldest sister and 20 years younger than his oldest brother.

“I was raised practically as an only child. Needless to say, I did a lot by myself. I always wished for a little brother or sister, which I think should be a rule for parents: if you’re gonna have a mistake baby later in life then you damned well better have another!”

His niece Debra and nephew John played the role of little sister and brother to him, and their mother and Charles’ big sister, Colleen, acted as a second mother to him at times when he was young.

Charles was named after his grandfather who died before Charles was born.

His dad built their family home all by himself. It was the only home his parents ever knew, and they both died in the home, and both passed in Charles’ arms.

“A cherished two moments in my life.

It was a safe home, a home of love, a simple, yet almost perfect home to grow up in. My favorite room was the kitchen.

My mother was a phenomenal cook. Not a chef, nothing so ‘fancy as that’ (as she would put it). My love for good food I got entirely from her.” Sister Dottie S. Dixon, one of the many characters he played in life, was based a lot on Charles’ mother.

He remembers when he was three years old he let his sister talk him into putting him in the clothes dryer and turn it on.

“Halfway through I forgot to hold on and got kinda banged up. A good idea at the time but both butts were paddled.”

Charles loved to chase the chickens around the alfalfa.

“A 2-year-old kid in diapers chasing decapitated chickens, my God! No wonder I’m warped!”

Raised LDS, he went to two meetings on Sundays in his local Ward.

“I was a hellion in Church and once during sacrament meeting, I was getting taken out by my mom for my notorious-

ly bad behavior, and I yelled out to the whole congregation ‘I’ll be back after my spanking!’”

Sunday dinners were a ritual – roast beef, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, Jell-O salad, carrots, beets, and his mom’s famous cream pies (coconut and banana).

“My dad raised Bantam chickens. We had one extremely snarky rooster. He chased me as a little kid, pecked my arms and legs, and once sank both claws into my knee and hooked on for a ride. He scared the hell out of me. I would run and scream for my mom or dad and yell at that damned rooster. Sorry to say, I’ve been compared to a feisty rooster at times when I’m aggressive and I guess that bird’s traits transferred over to me.”

His first-grade teacher was Mrs. Ivory and the kids had nuclear drills to see how fast they could run home.

“Bell rings, doors fling open, hundreds of kids running their elementary asses off – racing to get home. Cops stopping traffic, parents and teachers with stopwatches. My God no wonder the Boomer Generation is so screwed up!”

Charles’ father, Darrell Frost, worked at Ironton, Geneva Steel, and was eventually a forest ranger.

“He worked very hard as a laborer most of his life – something I’m very proud of and admire tremendously. My dad was the hardest worker I’ve ever known. He was a man’s man. His love of nature is genetically mine. He brought me home many a surprise from the mountains as

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a child. My favorite was two pet chipmunks which I had for two years. Pets teach responsibility, accountability, and safety, not to mention caretaking. My pets once weathered a rainstorm by curling up in a coffee can which I used for their water. They were non-responsive when I found them. I cried and whaled.

My dad put them on a warm towel on the clothes dryer and brought them back to life. I thought he was magical!”

Mother Zelphia always worked to make ends meet.

“She was a lunch lady and then a seamstress. One of the perks of being in the lunch lady network was me winning the school drawing competition in first grade. The challenge was to draw and color a mint green lunch tray full of food.

I won and wondered if the whole judging wasn’t rigged.”

His father died of a heart attack when Charles was 17.

“I was always a rebel as a teenager – usually with a cause. When my father died, I then became pretty angry. My anger manifested in rebellious behavior. I’m sorry for the turmoil it caused my mother (a 50-something widow raising a creative and rebellious teen).”

His oldest brother’s fiancée and later wife spent time reading him bedtime stories and “She spoiled me horribly. I remember going to my first Saturday matinee with her, in the big city of Provo, at the Academy Theater. It was Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ It scared and fascinated me at the same time. I enjoyed my childhood home (I moved away at age 18) tremendously. However, having the home I grew up in located in Spanish Fork, Utah is another story altogether. I really hated Spanish Fork — the schools, the myopia, the predominant religion, the conservative, uneducated, narrow-mindedness.”

He was a Cub Scout but “Every time I put my uniform on, I got a nose bleed. I was a life scout with tons of merit badges – no Eagle though.”

His mom bought an upright piano and his sister Pat played very well. His mom decided Charles should play too and he hated lessons.

“I believe music is the pinnacle of shared emotional human experience. It is the most respected art by me.”

“I recall getting quarters for doing certain jobs as a kid. I may have started getting an allowance at around age 11. It

CHARLES LYNN FROST | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 9

was whatever amount my mom felt I’d earned that particular week. I would get to choose a small bag of hand-selected penny candy at Dick’s (Hawkins Market) for being a good boy. I ate dime fries with fry sauce and drank nickel lime Cokes (such excellent food with genetic heart disease – NOT!).”

His first job was selling nightcrawlers.

His father helped him bury an old fridge in the ground which they filled with peat moss, some coffee grounds for food, and lots of worms. Charles sold them for $.12 a dozen. He then worked as a stocker/ bagger at Franks Market on Main Street for $2.35 per hour.

His mother called the traveling homeless in their town “hobos.”

“We lived near fields and the railroad tracks. Oftentimes these men would come to our door and ask for food [in exchange] for work around our place. My mom always fed them and gave them a job to do.

Her generosity was always an example to me. One particular man came inside and ate lunch. I was both scared and fascinated. He was ‘a hobo’ after all but he seemed normal, but displaced. I’ve never looked at the homeless quite the same way after having shared my stack of baloney sandwiches with that one that day.”

In his very early years, Charles did not know that acting was a profession.

“When I was about seven or eight, I saw a transitionally pivotal production of ‘Carousel.’ After seeing that I knew it had to be the theater for me! My love of the theater only intensified until I met a huge change agent in high school: Mr. B Davis Evans, my high school drama teacher. He had an immeasurable impact on not only me but hundreds of other lives. I wanted to do the same, so I went into theater and education. In hindsight I should have just stuck with theater – I would have been rich! In high school, I won several acting and dramatic competitions and It’s where the real competitor in me was fully liberated and realized. I was known statewide and winning first-place trophies validated me and gave me solid self-confidence at a crucial time in my life. I loved being the last to perform in a competitive final round, and then bringing home a first-place trophy. This competitiveness unfortunately carried over too much into my more mature adult life. Humility is the mother of all principles, and integrity the father; a tricky balance.”

The family had an RCA black-andwhite TV until Charles was eleven when they upgraded to a Zenith color TV with remote control.

“My favorite program was ‘I Love Lucy’ because of the excellent comic timing of Lucille Ball. I also remember ‘Queen for a Day’ which my mom watched a lot. We faithfully watched ‘Bonanza’ on Sunday nights, the ‘Kennecott Family Movie,’ and ‘Nightmare Theater.’ TV had a HUGE part in making up my adult sense of humor. I also remember ‘Father Knows Best,’ ‘Leave It To Beaver’ (Wally!), and ‘My Three Sons.’”

He credited the following with individuals who had the greatest impact on his life: “My father – his strong, quiet manner.

He taught caution, thinking through any situation, and self-reliance. My brother LaMar – he taught me fun, love of nature, and how to love children. My sister Colleen – she taught me patience, kindness, and non-judgment. Mormon church leaders were always inaccessible to me — too formal, too structured, too emotionally and socially awkward.”

Charles didn’t go on an LDS mission “Because it wasn’t the right thing for me. Pressure, some guilt, some real tension for a 20-year-old. It was my first foray into being authentic. I should have embraced that authenticity much more thereafter. I didn’t. Now it is my second most important value, only behind integrity. Integrity to me is when your values and your actions are aligned. Authenticity to me is being who your soul tells you, you truly are.”

His Bishop had asked him if he had feelings for men and he said he did. He was advised not to go on a mission and to get married.

“Religion and spirituality are not the same things. Neither is gospel and religion. Jesus Christ is not the only messiah, and the golden rule should be, but rarely is, actually practiced by practitioners of religion. It wasn’t a religious or church person who had influence over me.

Others did and I wanted a religious leader to inspire me – I truly did. But one never came into my life. There have been many, many spiritual heroes and examples in my life after age 40. It was around that same time that I forsook religion. The universe won’t send you something powerful or meaningful until you make a space for it.”

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6UBI T /FXT &OUFSUBJONFOU .BHB[JOF GPS UIF (BZ -FTCJBO #JTFYVBM BOE 5SBOTHFOEFS $PNNVOJUZ ] '3&&

Bridge. Utter and complete mortification!”

After a few years together Charles and Kelli began having children. They had four: Ryan, twin boys Aaron and Joel, and daughter *TTVF %FDFNCFS Rachel. %06#-& *446& “We talked about it before we were even married.

Having kids was always a priority, a dream, and indeed the greatest blessing four times over. Being parents was our greatest collective roles.” and Charles met Kelli when he was a college sophomore.

“She was very loud and somewhat bossy when I first met her. Later we were in a play, ‘Mask Club,’ together at BYU and it was QUEER GUIDE TO SUNDANCE PULLOUT then that we started dating seriously. I was attracted to He began college at Southern Utah Uniher rebellious and spontaneous personalversity on an acting/theater scholarship. ity and character. She was very feisty and “Cedar City, being the armpit of Utah, outspoken, plus she was a Californian. made me change quickly. I transferred to Her intelligence to date is keen, and BYU after one semester. They re-issued that’s what drew me towards her.” a scholarship to me that I’d previously He missed the draft for Vietnam by declined. Out of the frying pan and into three months. the proverbial fire! If I’d never gone to “Thank God for Richard Nixon, the only BYU, how different my life might have goddamned Republican I ever voted for!” been. How splendid and yet how void of Their first apartment was in North so many, many things that bring me utter Orem. joy in my adult years. Next time around “Birth control pills and mood swings I’ll choose Berkeley or Stanford!” too. Yikes! After the pills went away, so Charles graduated with a BA and MFA did we – having moved to Provo. We lived from “The BYU.” below Evilene, the fat landlord from the In 1975, Charles married Kelli Jimison. ‘she Wiz.’” “It was a very exciting and fun day.

He knew he was gay and a devout MorI was only sad to know that my father mon at the same time. As practicing memwasn’t there and that Kelli’s father had bers of the faith would do, he turned to to spend the wedding in a motor home his bishop for spiritual advice and was told (since he was not approved to go into that if he married Kelli his gay thoughts the Temple) – something I would sadly would go away, and if they had children, experience myself many years later at my his gayness would disappear faster. He optson Aaron’s wedding at the Salt Lake City ed to stay married and have children.

LDS Temple. Exclusion, conditions, how He graduated from BYU with a master’s sad, how wrong. We ate our wedding day degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in dinner at a restaurant called The Nut Tree Film and Theater Direction, Instructional between Sacramento and San Francisco. I Design, and Adult Learning and taught drank too many large soft drinks at dinner, drama at Payson and Mountain View High and I didn’t want to wait in a long men’s Schools. Students under his direction won room line to pee. Needless to say, and many statewide drama competitions. He a long drive later, I peed a 3-piece navy concurrently produced community theater blue wool suit about a half from the Bay in Utah County by directing shows such as

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“Big River” and “Annie.”

His marriage to Kelli was happy but Charles did not feel he was being authentic.

After twenty years of marriage hiding his homosexuality, he divorced Kelli so that “I would never live a lie like that again.”

“Living through 1993 was the hardest and possibly bravest thing I ever did. In one year, I came out of the closet, left Mormonism, changed professions, got ex-communicated, divorced, and held my mother as she died.”

He left teaching, moved to Salt Lake City, and was employed by Franklin Covey and then later, a life coach. His choice to live closer to more live theater landed him roles at the Salt Lake Acting Company and regional productions like “Greater Tuna,” “A Tuna Christmas,” “God’s Country,” “The Foreigner,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Semmelweiss,” “The Imaginary Invalid,” “Ah Wilderness,” and “Prisoner of Second Avenue.” He will be remembered for the role of evil Roy Cohn in “Angels in America.”

Charles was also the founder and artistic director of Provo Theater Company and for 10 years he directed such plays as “Oleanna,” “The Boys Next Door,” “Big River,” “Peter Pan, ” “Godspell,” and “Lend Me a Tenor.”

He was president, vice president, and board member for the Educational Theater Assn., where he was given the prestigious President’s Award, and is in the EDTA Hall of Fame.

He was involved as an actor, board member, and committee member with The Sundance Playwright’s Laboratory, The Utah Arts Council, The College Board, The Kennedy Center Educational Arts Advisory Board, and the Getty Foundation.

He worked well with others who listened.

“Listening is most important; people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Listening builds trust/ trustworthiness. Candid honesty is also crucial, nothing worse than a passive/aggressive team member.

Standing up for one another is essential, too. Not being duplicitous. Vision, energy, passion, and engagement around common purpose must all be discussed and infused for a good team to become a great team.

Taking responsibility for your choices and actions also goes a long way.”

JULY, 2021 |

ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

Charles was a celebrated actor, director, and activist who created the famous persona of Sister Dottie S. Dixon, an LDS mother who fiercely loved her gay son. “Sister” appeared on KRCL and KXRK’s “Radio From Hell” for years and sold out theatrical performances at the Salt Lake Acting Company. She would appear at fundraisers for the Utah AIDS Foundation and the Utah Pride Center, often touting her homegrown Utah wisdom and sharing vile recipes of Jell-O salad with carrots and celery, candy bar salad, and of course, her secret to funeral potatoes.

In 2011, Charles’ portrayal of Sister Dottie S. Dixon in “The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon, Second Helpings” won him the Mayor’s Artist Award at the Utah Arts Festival. That same year, Salt Lake City’s First Unitarian Church gave him the “Fairly Free Thinker Award” and Sister Dottie was the grand marshal of Moab’s first-ever Pride festival. He was on the cover of QSaltLake Magazine as Person of the Year in December.

It was a big year for Charles as he married Doug Lott, followed up with a legal marriage in Utah on December 26th, 2013 during the 17-day window when a judge’s ruling in the Kitchen v Herbert case made same-sex marriage suddenly legal in Utah. They divorced several years later.

As a leader in the LGBTQ+ community, he served as president, board member, and chair of the Mission Values and Leadership Development Team for the Utah Pride Center, as well as a board member for Equality Utah.

In writing notes in his last days, Charles reflected on his favorite memory of his mother.

“My dear mother is a collection of memories. Many are very real today as I’m dealing

with death, loss, and disease.

I’m writing this literally as my last entry. It is also the hardest for some odd reason. I’m going to select my childhood memories of my mom. For it was in those years she seemed most fulfilled, happy, and satisfied in her hard life. My father was her utter center and reason for living. My memories of my mom working for her family – cooking and cleaning, completely sacrificing in every possible way. All five of us children never doubted for one single moment that she would give her life for ours.

My parents’ love was a very strong and powerful influence and example in retrospect.

Ultimately a true shaper of who I am as a father, lover, partner, companion, and now grandfather.”

“My father was a man who believed in justice and fairness, which are certainly anthems of mine as well. He was FOR the working man, and I am more and more socialist each year I grow older.”

Charles has passed and is somewhere out in the ether with his beloved mother and siblings. Although he did not believe in organized religion, Charles was a very spiritual man and followed the principles of Tao and Native American tribes.

Parents: Darryl Jarvis and Zelphia Frost (deceased); Siblings: LaMar, Colleen, Patsy (all deceased), Kenneth; Children: Charles Ryan (Alisa) Frost, Aaron Jarvis (Sarai) Frost, Joel Jarvis (Mandi) Frost, Rachel Frost (Ryan); Grandchildren: Demeree Frost, Naomi Frost, Charles Tobin Frost (deceased), Joceline Frost, Audrey Frost, Ryan Connor Frost, Owen Frost, Jorel Frost, Fynn Frost, Freya Frost, Cormac Frost. Q A public Celebration of Life was held on June 5th, from 4–6 PM at Neil O’Donnell Funeral Home in Salt Lake City.

CHARLES LYNN FROST | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 11

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views

Qsaltlake.com | ISSUE 325 | JULY, 2021

quotes “Humility is the mother of all principles, and integrity the father; a tricky balance.”

—Charles Lynn Frost

“Missing my friend/teacher/ mentor Charles Lynn Frost.

I wish every directionless kid could have a teacher that would take enough interest to change their life trajectory. I’m forever grateful.”

— Val Rowley

“He fought the battle for what was right, in every endeavor. His passion for life, made a Mark on everyone who knew him. He was a brilliant director of theatre, and his masterful work with young people was without comparison.”

— Bob Johnson

“Charles Lynn Frost appeared in my life when I needed guidance the most, in the mid-80’s as a teenager in Muncie, IN at the International Thespian Conference. It was his instant charm and wit that won us all over, but it was his amazing friendship, support, and compassion that shone brightly over the years and really made a difference in my own personal journey.”

— Kevin Steele

JULY, 2021 | ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

who’s your daddy

VIEWS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 13

Summer LGBTQ reads

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

Kelly and I

recently got together with some good friends for the first time in close to a year. During the course of the evening, we asked their daughter what she planned to do this summer. I was so happy to hear her say “read.”

I’m a big proponent of reading, and there are now a growing number of kids’ books for all ages featuring two-mom or two-dad characters. So, I reached out to ask some folks across the country what titles they’d recommend for a good summer read.

Holiday House Publishing has some great new titles for kids. “Tuesday Is Daddy’s Day” by Elliott Kreloff is a great reminder that family comes in many forms – like one that includes Daddy’s partner, Harry. For older kids, there’s “The People We Choose” by Katelyn Detweiler in which a teenage girl seeks to find her sperm donor dad, and discovers family is both the one she’s born into and the one she chooses to make.

“Adventures with My Daddies,” from Peachtree Publishing, written by Gareth Peter and illustrated by Garry Parsons, sees daddies and their little one battling dragons, dodging dinos, and zooming to the moon.

Jia Le Lim of Simply Family Dog, which helps people better understand

their pups, suggested a couple of fun books. First is “Stella Brings the Family”

by Miriam B. Schiffer and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown. It’s from the viewpoint of a little girl whose class is having a Mother’s Day celebration. The only problem is that Stella has two dads! She also added Michael Joosten’s classics “My Two Dads and Me” and “My Two Moms and Me” board books that celebrate same-gender parents.

Eric Sanders, the founder of iActivation, whose goal is to make technology work for everyone, told me about Christy Tyner’s great book “Zak’s Safari.” It’s the story about the donor-conceived kid of a two-mom family.

My dear friend Amy Palmer, who is always giving me fabulous book ideas, told me there are two books for older kids that I absolutely had to include. The first is “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley. Gay Uncle Patrick has to step in and be the primary caregiver to his niece and nephew when tragedy hits their family. The second book is “Cool for the Summer”

by Dahlia Adler. It’s all about Lara finally getting somewhere with the boy of her dreams, only to realize she can’t stop thinking about a romantic and confusing summer spent with another girl.

In the latest addition to Quirk Books’ travelogue series, “Little Kid, Big City!: London,” author Beth Beckman and illustrator Holley Maher allow the reader to explore the British capital as they follow the adventures of a young girl and her two moms.

If graphic novels are more the kids’ style, TidalWave Comics has new offerings in their FAME series, including

“FAME: Pride.” In it, the young adults in your life can learn about gay dads like Anderson Cooper, Tom Daly, and Ryan Murphy, as well as Sec. Pete Buttigieg and the late and beyond great Freddie Mercury. Their latest “Female FORCE: Pride LGBTQ+” includes awesome women like Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart, Jane Lynch, and lesbian mom Rosie O’Donnell standing up for who they are and what they believe in.

Don’t let the kids and teenagers in your life sit around bored all summer. Encourage them to be like our friends’ daughter and grab a book! You should be able to find all these books and many other great titles at The King’s English Bookshop. If they don’t have it, they’re glad to order it for you if they can. Q

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14 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | VIEWS

creep of the month

Qsaltlake.com |

ISSUE 325 |

JULY, 2021

Gigi Gaskins

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

I remember

it like it was yesterday: Trump supporters flying flags that said, “Fuck your feelings,” wearing “Suck it up, Buttercup” T-shirts and making fun of safe spaces.

Now, these same people are demanding that we stop teaching about racism in U.S. schools because it hurts their feelings and that transgender people not be allowed into public restrooms because it makes them uncomfortable. These are the same people who literally stormed the Capitol because their candidate lost the election.

The biggest deadly temper tantrum in modern history.

THEIR president told them that COVID-19 would disappear like a miracle.

So the audacity of public health professionals saying, “Hey, lots of people are dying, so wear a mask” and government officials mandating masks in the middle of a pandemic was just too much. Once the vaccinations rolled in, people who didn’t want to get one for “reasons” lost their minds completely.

If you can’t spew virus particles in your local supermarket to your heart’s content, then is American even FREE anymore?

NO! And now these patriots are screaming that America asking people to get vaccines is the same thing as Nazi Germany demanding that Jews wear yellow stars.

Wait, what? That can’t be right. Even the most brainwashed Q-Anon Trump cult member wouldn’t equate vaccines — something people are doing during a deadly pandemic so as to stop the spread of a virus — to wearing a yellow star in Nazi Germany — something that was forced on Jewish people who were taken from their homes, put into concentration camps and murdered by the millions.

And they certainly wouldn’t, like, make yellow stars that say “Not Vaccinated,” and offer them for sale in their hat store in Tennessee and post this publicly on Instagram.

Oh, wait, they would.

Gigi Gaskins, owner of hatWRKS in Nashville posted a photo of herself on

Instagram with a yellow star that read: “patches are here!! they turned out great. $5ea. string adhesive back … we’ll be offering trucker caps soon.”

If you look through the hatWRKS Instagram you will see an explosion of rightwing fever dreaming and Trump-worshipping. It seems that the 2020 election is what really sent Gaskins over the edge (yes, she believes it was stolen). Prior to that, the posts were mostly, well, photos of hats and people wearing hats. You know, like what you might see on the Instagram account of a hat store.

Things really heated up with COVID-19. Gaskins has quite a few posts that compare public health guidelines to Nazism. So that idea has been in her head for a while. There are also a lot of racist posts about Black Lives Matter, an anti-trans post where she refers to Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine as “this dude,” and lots of warnings about how America is on the fast track to fascism now that Trump isn’t president. That is wild. We tilted so far toward fascism during Trump’s disaster of a presidency and still have the entire Republican party trying to throw Democracy in the trash.

Democrats are, while not perfect, not what fascism looks like. And if they want to keep it that way, they need to ABOLISH THE FILIBUSTER. Now, damn it.

Gaskins got a lot of angry responses to her post, to which she responded: “People are so outraged by my post? but are you outraged with the tyranny the world is experiencing? (sic) if you don’t understand what is happening, that is on you, not me. i pay much more respect to history by standing up with the fallen than offering silence and compliance. (that is the worse crime. it was then & is now. i will delete your disgust and hope you put it where it belongs.”

Not sure if by “the fallen” she means those murdered during the Holocaust or those who’ve died from COVID-19 or those who have had to wear masks. Probably the last one.

The “disgust” includes the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, which weighed in stating, “Using the yellow star or any Holocaust imagery or symbols for another purpose is beyond reprehensible and a disservice to the memory of the 6 million Jews who were systematically murdered in the Holocaust.”

And then companies like Stetson and Bailey Hats announced that they wouldn’t be doing business with hatWRKS anymore. And all of a sudden, she was sorry. Kind of.

“In no way did I intend to trivialize the Star of David or disrespect what happened to millions of people,” she wrote on Instagram. “I sincerely apologize for any insensitivity.”

That’s all it was. A little insensitivity.

That said, she still thinks she’s in the right.

“I was willing to put my business on the line to stand up for the freedoms that we still have in our country. What I didn’t expect is being accused of the very things I was fighting against.”

That’s because she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.

But this is the store that put up a billboard a while ago reading, “Cancel cancel culture before it cancels us all” and another reading, in part, “One thing for certain you will not cancel me!”

And it’s true. We didn’t cancel her.

Congratulations, hatWRKS, you canceled yourself. Q

JULY, 2021 |

A&E | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 15

ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

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damntheseheels

queer Film Festival Fifty films

— 25 feature films and 25 short films — are set to screen July 9–18 during Utah Film Center‘s 18th annual Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival were announced Tuesday. This year audiences have a variety of ways to experience the Festival through online streaming, in-theater screenings at Rose Wagner, an Opening Night drive-in at the Fairpark Fairgrounds, and an outdoor lawn-seating event at Liberty Park for Closing Weekend. Tickets are available now at DamnTheseHeels.org. Additional off-screen conversations and workshop information will be shared in late June.

The longest-running queer film festival in the Mountain West will open this year with “My Name is Pauli Murray,” screening at a pop-up drive-in at the Utah State Fairpark.

Organizers say there are films for a wide swath of the LGBTQ community.

“Damn These Heels is a celebration of queer art, queer stories, queer love, and an opportunity to see and be fully seen. I hope that in coming together around the films we have selected, our community can create some collective joy, questions, and conversation,” Ash Hoyle, director of programming, said, “I am so proud that this year’s program provides such a well-rounded look at the LGBTQIA+ spectrum from all angles. Themes of resilience, unearthing history, and boundary-pushing are at the forefront this year.

There is truly something for everyone in this program.”

Two films are being presented as world premieres, three are North American premieres, and one is a “sneak preview.”

legendary Leonard Bernstein when she was nine years old. At that moment, she knew what she wanted to be in life: a conductor. Told that girls can’t do that, Marin struggled against enormous prejudices and institutional obstacles for decades to become one of the world’s most renowned classical music conductors.

Feature films:

CURED

DIRECTED BY BENNETT SINGER, PATRICK SAMMON

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

DIRECTED BY JEN RAININ, CO-DIRECTOR RIVKAH BETH MEDOW

The story of one of the most influential women in lesbian history you’ve never heard of and the impact her work continues to have today. Growing up, Franco Stevens never saw any representation of queer women — she didn’t even know it was possible for a woman to be gay. When she realized she was a lesbian, it changed the course of her life.

The story of the activists who brought about a pivotal but little-known victory in the movement for LGBTQ equality: the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses.

DRAMARAMA

DIRECTED BY JONATHAN WYSOCKI

In 1994, a closeted teen struggles to part ways with his 4 high school drama friends at their final slumber party before they leave for college.

CICADA

DIRECTED BY MATT FIFER

After a string of unsuccessful and awkward encounters with women, Ben goes “back on the dick.” CICADA follows Ben, a young bisexual man, as he comes out to the world and develops an intense relationship with Sam, a man of color struggling with deep wounds of his own. As the summer progresses and their intimacy grows, Ben’s past crawls to the surface.

THE CONDUCTOR

DIRECTED BY BERNADETTE WEGENSTEIN

Born in New York, Marin Alsop first saw the

FLEE

(DENMARK/FRANCE/SWEDEN/NORWAY) DIRECTED BY JONAS POHER RASMUSSEN

The story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soonto-be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, he tells the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan.

Closing Weekend film is a collaboration with Sundance Institute to offer free screenings to the community. The screening is outside at Liberty Park and reservations are required.

JULY, 2021 |

DAMN THESE HEELS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 17

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A collection of Utah-made short films will precede this feature film

GENDERATION (GERMANY)

Alexandre is a transgender person who has lived with his girlfriend, Marie, for more than seven years. Because of the mark “female” in his passport and his trans identity, Alexandre cannot find a job and must lead a secret life.

The violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity bring the couple to decide to leave their homeland.

To afford this exodus, Marie signs a contract to be a surrogate mother.

DIRECTED BY MONIKA TREUT

When director Monika Treut set out at the end of the 1990s to make a film about the emerging phenomenon of ‘trans’ (transgender, transsexuality), it was to San Francisco, the epicenter of the trans scene, that she headed. With her 1999 documentary, “Gendernauts,” she created a cinematic tribute to all the fascinating artists she met during her journey through the land of the new genders. Treut portrayed gender-mixers and sexual cyborgs, who changed their bodies with new technologies and biochemistry and thereby questioned the very existence of ‘male’ and ‘female.’ The gendernauts traveled through the worlds of gender and sexuality like cosmonauts traveling through space.

When asked, “Are you a man or a woman?” the gendernauts would reply, “Yes.”

MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY A surprise reunion in southern France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.

The body of Madalena, a trans woman, is lying in a field of soy. Though they don’t know each other, Luziane, Cristiano and Bianca start to create a bond, guided through Madalena’s spirit, hanging over the town.

International Centerpiece Screening.

NORTH BY CURRENT

MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURVIVAL

Five scrappy queer comic book artists journey from DIY work and isolation to the cover of Time Magazine and the international stage, offering a fascinating window into everything from the AIDS crisis and workplace discrimination to the search for love and a good haircut. Their work and personal stories are sure to make you laugh but also make you think about the challenges and triumphs encountered and overcome along the way.

DIRECTED BY ANGELO MADSEN MINAX

DIRECTED BY BETSY WEST AND JULIE COHEN

(GERMANY), DIRECTED BY YANA UGREKHELIDZE

NO STRAIGHT LINES

DIRECTED BY VIVIAN KLEIMAN

MADALENA

Fifteen young dancers of different origins and horizons are on tour with ‘Crowd,’ Gisèle Vienne’s epic dance piece exploring the 90’s rave scene. From theatre to theatre, the work mutates into strange, intimate relationships. Is the stage contaminating real life — or the opposite? A disturbing journey exploring our nights, our parties, our loves.

An in-depth look at the life of musician and trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Complicated, beautiful and historically unrivaled, this groundbreaking film shows what is possible when a community collaborates to honor the legacy of an unlikely hero.

DIRECTED BY MARION HILL

(BRAZIL) DIRECTED BY MADIANO MARCHETI

IF IT WERE LOVE (SI C’ÉTAIT DE L’AMOUR) (FRANCE), DIRECTED BY PATRIC CHIHA

NO ORDINARY MAN

DIRECTED BY AISLING CHIN-YEE AND CHASE JOYNT

A look at the life and ideas of Pauli Murray, a non-binary Black lawyer, activist, and poet who influenced both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall. Opening Night film presented at the drive-in at the Utah State Fairpark. This screening will be preceded by a drag show.

A visual rumination on the understated relationships between mothers and children, truths and myths, losses and gains. After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, preparing to make a film about a broken criminal justice system. Instead, he pivots to excavate the depths of generational addiction, Christian fervor, and trans embodiment. Lyrically assembled images, decades of home movies, and ethereal narration form an idiosyncratic and poetic undertow that guide a viewer through lifetimes and relationships.

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Qsaltlake.com |

ISSUE 325 |

JULY, 2021

Naomi, Kris invites her to dinner to catch up on their complicated lives, relationships, and Kris’ transition. Over the course of a onenight encounter, they engage in a series of increasingly intimate and vulnerable conversations before a shocking revelation is unveiled.

No matter how much you change, a part of you will always stay the same.

POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA

DIRECTED BY WES HURLEY

Lena and her 9-year-old son, affectionately called Potato, use American films to escape the harsh reality of their native Vladivostok after the fall of the Soviet Union. Swept up by the fantasy of a better life, Lena decides to become a mail-order bride so she and Potato can go to the US. When they arrive in Seattle circa-1990 to live with Lena’s new husband, Potato and Lena both realize some things in America are even more different than they first appeared.

REBEL DYKES

(UNITED KINGDOM) DIRECTED BY HARRI SHANAHAN AND SIÂN A. WILLIAMS

A rabble-rousing documentary set in 1980s post-punk London. The unheard story of a community of dykes who met doing art, music, politics, and sex, and how they went on to change their world.

SHIT & CHAMPAGNE

DIRECTED BY D’ARCY DROLLINGER

SAINT-NARCISSE

DIRECTED BY BRUCE LA BRUCE

PS BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE

DIRECTED BY MICHAEL SELIGMAN, JENNIFER TIEXIERA

A box of letters, held in secret for nearly 60 years, ignites a 5-year exploration into a part of LGBT history that has never been told.

Set in 1972 Canada, Saint-Narcisse follows Dominic, a handsome, narcissistic young man who discovers the existence of his twin brother, living in a remote monastery led by a depraved priest. Dominic sets out to save him and reunite once and for all. The two beautiful, identical brothers are soon embroiled in a strange web of sex, revenge, and redemption.

After her fiancé, Rod, and her adopted halfstep-sister, Brandy (the world-renowned calf model) are both brutally murdered, Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White (a divorcée and exotic dancer from the wrong side of the tracks) uses “all the right moves” to single-handedly take on the largest sex, drug, and back-to-school clothing ring in the country — Mall-Wart.

SUBLET

(ISRAEL) DIRECTED BY EYTAN FOX

SEDIMENTS

(SPAIN) DIRECTED BY ADRIÁN SILVESTRE

RAW! UNCUT! VIDEO!

DIRECTED BY RYAN A. WHITE, ALEX CLAUSEN

A love story about fetish porn that chronicles the rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio Palm Drive Video and explores how a devoted couple helped battle a devastating health crisis by promoting kinky sex.

A New York Times travel writer comes to Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. The energy of the city and his relationship with a younger man brings him back to life.

Six trans women travel to a small town in León where they will explore unusual landscapes, and the ins and outs of their own personalities.

Looking for answers about what connects them as a group, they learn to deal with their differences. Sneak Preview Screening

WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR

DIRECTED BY JANE SCHOENBRUN

SEE YOU THEN

DIRECTED BY MARI WALKER

A decade after abruptly breaking up with

Alone in her attic bedroom, teenager Casey becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, wherein she begins to document the changes that may or may not be happening to her.

JULY, 2021 |

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ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

Short films

shocking turn as wounds are exposed, revelations are made, and the past resurfaces. Over one tense evening, Cynthia learns that some things can never be unsaid. An emotionally bold and uplifting story about truth, love, and finding the strength to move on.

THE BEAUTY PRESIDENT

ALL THOSE SENSATIONS IN MY BELLY (CROATIA), DIRECTED BY MARKO DJESKA While transitioning from male to female gender, Matia struggles with finding a genuine intimate relationship with a heterosexual man.

DIRECTED BY WHITNEY SKAUGE

“If a bad actor can be president, why not a good drag queen?” In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk made a historic bid for the White House as one of the first openly queer write-in candidates. Today, Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, reflects on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis.

DREAMER

DIRECTED BY STEPHANIE OSUNA-HERNANDEZ

For Fran, Los Angeles is where dreams come true. In his mind, it is where he will be allowed to pursue his passion for makeup and fashion.

As he saves enough money for the move, he documents his journey through YouTube.

However, Fran learns that following one’s dream is a privilege not everyone has.

BABYDYKE

(DENMARK) DIRECTED BY TONE OTTILIE

A heartbroken teenager goes to a queer techno party to win back her first love.

CYNTHIA

(IRELAND) DIRECTED BY JACK HICKEY

A dinner party with old friends takes a

“To someone who is considering this program and team for care, I would say go for it.”

T R A N S G E N D E R H E A LT H P R O G R A M

AL L GENDER JOU RNEYS WELCOME. ALL IN A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT.

TAYLOR

SWENSEN, Patient she/hers

“As health care professionals, we think we know what’s best, but we need to design care with patients, not just for patients.”

LEARN MORE AT:

UOFUHEALTH.ORG/ TRANSHEALTH

CORI

AGARWAL,MD, Medical Director she/hers

“I love that the Transgender Health Program is constantly trying to grow and do better and spread this growth and push for intersectionality and inclusion.”

ALEX

FLOCH, Advisory Board Member they/them

20 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | DAMN THESE HEELS

DUET

HEAVEN REACHES DOWN TO EARTH

Qsaltlake.com |

ISSUE 325 |

JULY, 2021

MARLON BRANDO (NETHERLANDS)

DIRECTED BY SHAE XU

(SOUTH AFRICA), DIRECTED BY TEBOGO MALEBOGO

DIRECTED BY VINCENT TILANUS

An unspoken romance inevitably resurfaces when a high school music teacher meets an old colleague again and decides to perform together for the first time as piano duet partners after they’ve long since drifted apart.

After Tau comes to a realization about their sexuality, it sets in motion a cascade of thoughts and emotions in Tumelo — nothing will ever be the same between them.

In the last weeks as high school students, Cas and Naomi, both out of the closet, prefer to spend their days together. As “brother and sister” of other parents, they experience security and love that they cannot find elsewhere. But when their plans seem to drive them apart, their relationship will be put at risk, and the affectionate Cas must dare to be alone.

EGG SHELLS (BULGARIA)

DIRECTED BY JUSTICE JAMAL JONES

DIRECTED BY SLAVA DOYTCHEVA

On Easter day, when her girlfriend picks family over her, Nevena dyes two red eggs and sets on a journey to meet her own estranged father.

FARAWAY

DIRECTED BY AZIZ ZOROMBA

After being estranged from his family for his homosexuality, we observe a young Arab man over four seasons and from far away as he navigates his solitude — all the while attempting to reconnect with his mother.

FRANKIE

DIRECTED BY JAMES KAUTZ

Frankie, a non-binary trans person, crashes their ex-partner’s men-only 12 step meeting, determined to be heard… no matter the cost.

HOW TO RAISE A BLACK BOY

An experimental fairytale dedicated to the modern black boy, in which four boys disappear one night, as many black boys do, and find themselves on a fantastical journey to break the curses of black boyhood.

IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN’S NAME, DIRECTED BY EM WEINSTEIN Michael, a young trans man, returns home to the rural American West after years of estrangement from his parents. Explores trans identity, masculinity, and the prices we’re willing to pay for acceptance.

THE NIGHT TRAIN (SWEDEN)

DIRECTED BY JERRY CARLSSON

Oskar is on the night train heading home after an interview in Stockholm. With a long night ahead of him, he makes eye contact with Ahmad.

OF HEARTS AND CASTLES

(USA / SPAIN), DIRECTED BY RUBEN NAVARRO

Marcus has recently broken up with his boyfriend. One night out, he meets Angel, an attractive and attentive man, who will make Marcus live an emotional experience that will spark a breakthrough, and set him on the right path to get over the breakup.

THE LETTER

DIRECTED BY MEREDITH MORRAN

A film about letters: individual letters, epistolary letters, letters addressed to friends, to fathers, to neighbors, to lovers, and to passengers on that airplane, the one currently flying above your head. World Premiere

PERSONALS

DIRECTED BY SASHA ARGIROV

An unexpected connection during an anonymous encounter pushes two socially anxious

JULY, 2021 |

DAMN THESE HEELS | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 21

ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

loners to risk vulnerability and find the intimacy they both yearn for. North American Premiere.

Rae grapple to return to an emotional place that’s just beyond reach. North American Premiere.

THANKSGIVING

TORCH SONG (AUSTRALIA)

trans woman who went missing.

A VOICEMAIL TO TRY AND MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER

DIRECTED BY VAN B. NGUYEN

DIRECTED BY STEPHEN LANCE

DIRECTED BY RHEA BOZZACCHI

Follows a Vietnamese mother who prepares for Thanksgiving and faces a situation she never expected when her son brings home a man.

An XXY adolescent is rejected by his father at a suburban burning man ceremony. North American Premiere.

Weeks after a brutal breakup, Sam receives a voicemail from his ex-boyfriend, Aaron, reading a poem he has written to him.

TRUE MOTHER

UNFOLD

WHILE WE STAYED HOME (ISRAEL)

(ISRAEL) DIRECTED BY ROTEM GABAY

DIRECTED BY DANIEL ANTEBI

DIRECTED BY GIL VESELY

Maya won’t give up on her daughter despite losing child custody to her ex-wife. World Premiere.

Fragments of a lost relationship come alive after a glance.

Boy meets Girl meets Covid-19. Q

TALK SOON

UNLIVEABLE

DIRECTED BY JOEY MASSA

(BRAZIL) DIRECTED BY MATHEUS FARIAS AND ENOCK CARVALHO

During the course of an overnight visit, Sasha and

Marilene searches for her daughter Roberta, a

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AS: Household Online Pass, July 9–18, $75 Rose In-person Pass, July 10–11, $60 VIP for above, add $100, includes listing on pre-festival reel, drive-in ticket.

All Access VIP $650, includes online and Rose passes, listing on pre-festival reel and as Utah Film Center supporter, reserved drive-in spot, festival basket Tickets are available now at DamnTheseHeels.org.

Additional off-screen conversations and workshop information will be shared in late June.

When you need to sell or buy property, keep your money local ... and support independent, LGBTQ+ owned business BABS DE LAY, Principal Broker/Owner “Utah’s FIRST OUT REALTOR!” URBAN UTAH HOMES & ESTATES 801.201.8824

22 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | COMICS

Qsaltlake.com | ISSUE 325 | JULY, 2021

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: Easy

9 8 1 9 5 2

5 1 9

6 1 5

2 3 5 9

1 5 4 3 6 3 7 5 9

1 8 2

5

5 7

5

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

5 7 7 9

1 2

3

9 8 2

9 8 5

7 6 1 9

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

5 3

4 1 9

2 6

5 5

4

6 8 9 1

6 9 7 1 4 3

3 4 2 5 2

1 6

5 1 8 7

9

5 1 9 8

PUZZLES | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 23

JULY, 2021 | ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

First-time Exam, Bite-wing X-rays, Cleaning

Dr Josef Benzon, DDS www.alpenglowdentists.com

Salt Lake 2150 S. Main St 104 801-883-9177

The gospel according to Leslie

24 “You ___ to Be in Pictures” 25 “Guilty” for Leopold and Loeb 28 Prick ACROSS 29 David Hyde Pierce, 1 Insert from an alien, to Yale perhaps 30 “Once Upon a Mat6 Date that you don’t tress” prop dress up for?

32 Harvey Milk portray10 To some extent er Sean 14 Son of Uranus 33 Tequila source 15 Islamic leader 34 Sacred song 16 “Peter Pan” pooch 35 That is, to Caligula 17 Jane Rule’s “Desert 37 Need for three men of the ___” in a tub 18 Olin of Chocolat 38 Ambient rocker 19 Guy under Hoover Brian DOWN 20 Start of a quote 39 Montgomery Clift’s 1 “Poppycock!” about faith from “From Here to ___” 2 U.S.P.S. employee’s Leslie Jordan 43 Birthplace of Socrabeat 23 Like a lonely bottes 3 Plug attachment tom?

44 Troubadour’s tune 4 Big yellow fruit 26 “Family Ties” mother 5 Cultural anthropolo- 45 Like a Lucy Liu 27 Peter the Great and painting gist Newton more 46 Check for electronic 6 Aids 28 Parenting couple, bugs 7 US citizen sometimes 47 French textile city 8 Boy of Kahlo’s coun31 “___ a Kick out of 48 Opportunity for try You” Billy Bean 9 Military color 32 Loads 49 Nightclub employee 10 Langston Hughes 33 Marcel Proust’s 51 Barry Humphries’ “___ Wings” Dame friend 11 Representative 52 Property right 36 More of the quote Baldwin 53 Nonheterosexual 40 Heteros, on Planet12 Bi diarist Nin conception Out? 13 Saint-Saen’s “___ 57 Hunter films of the 41 Caligula’s year Macabre” ‘50s 42 Jodie Foster’s “Little 21 Sink-trap shape 58 Maugham’s “Cakes Man ___” and ___” 22 Rock-bottom 43 Compensate 59 Neither companion 44 “Frasier” actress Jane 23 Not novel 46 Log Cabin list, e.g.

49 Pink Floyd’s Syd 50 End of the quote 54 River in Roehm’s country 55 Conn of “Grease” 56 Split end of Tennessee, e.g.

60 Zip 61 Not even once, to Dickinson 62 Writer Calvino 63 Puppies and pussies 64 Like 1-Across 65 Type of space for online sex

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 26

Bountiful 425 S. Medical Dr 211 801-397-5220

New patients only. Limitations and exclusions may apply.

Not valid with any other offers.

To schedule an appointment, please call 801.878.1700 Evening and Saturday Appointments Available Most Insurances Accepted

ree days after he was murdered, Richard Pratt began to feel much better...

Park City native Wess Mongo Jolley brings you an epic tale about a man trying in the afterlife to save his husband and the city of Salt Lake from their pending doom.

A sweeping supernatural thriller about love, loss, regret, and redemption Available on Patreon and Wattpad in text and audio at wessmongojolley.com//ction

24 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | QMMUNITY

Qmmunity Groups BUSINESS

LGBTQ-Affirmative Psycho-therapists Guild of Utah  lgbtqtherapists.com * jim@lgbtqtherapists.com Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce  utahlgbtqchamber.com * info@utahgaychamber.com LGBT & Allied Lawyers of Utah  lgbtutahlawyers.com * lgbtutahlawyers@gmail.com Utah Independent Business Coalition  utahindependentbusiness.org 801-879-4928 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

Utah AIDS Foundation  utahaids.org * mail@utahaids.org

1408 S 1100 E 801-487-2323 Weber-Morgan Health Mon., Weds 1-4:30p 477 23rd St, Ogden Appt 801-399-7250 HOMELESS SVCS

VOA 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

RELIGIOUS

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

LEGAL

SOCIAL

Rainbow Law Free Clinic

1 to 5 Club (bisexual)  fb.me/1to5ClubUtah

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

Peer Support for Mental Illness — PSMI Thurs 7pm, Utah Pride Ctr

Utah Libertarian Party

Planned Parenthood 654 S 900 E 800-230-PLAN

Utah Log Cabin Republicans

Salt Lake County Health Dept HIV/STD Clinic 660 S 200 E, 4th Floor Walk-ins M–F 10a–4p Appts 385-468-4242

Qsaltlake.com | ISSUE 325 | JULY, 2021

6885 S State St #200 888-957-8824

 bit.ly/logcabinutah

801-657-9611 Utah Stonewall Democrats  utahstonewalldemocrats.org  fb.me/ utahstonewalldems

 1to5club@

utahpridecenter.org 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 2nd, 4th Mondays, Community Writing Ctr, 210 E 400 S Men Who Move  menwhomove.org

OWLS of Utah (Older, Wiser, Lesbian. Sisters)  bit.ly/owlsutah qVinum Wine Tasting  qvinum.com 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 Venture OUT Utah  bit.ly/GetOutsideUtah SPORTS

QUAC — Queer Utah Aquatic Club  quacquac.org  questions@ quacquac.org Salt Lake Goodtime Bowling League  bit.ly/slgoodtime Stonewall Sports SLC  fb.me/SLCStonewall  stonewallsaltlakecity. leagueapps.com 385-243-1828 Utah Gay Football League  UtahGayFootballLeague.com  fb.me/UtahGayFootballLeague Venture Out Utah  facebook.com/groups/ Venture.OUT.Utah SUPPORT

umen.org

Alcoholics Anonymous 801-484-7871  utahaa.org LGBT meetings: Sun. 3p Acceptance Group, UPC,1380 S Main

Tues. 8:15p Live & Let Live, Mt Tabor Lutheran, 175 S 700 E Wed. 7p Sober Today, 375 Harrison Blvd, Ogden Fri. 8p Stonewall Group, Mt Tabor Lutheran, 175 S 700 E Crystal Meth Anon  crystalmeth.org Sun. 1:30pm Clean, Sober & Proud LGBTQIA+Straight USARA, 180 E 2100 S LifeRing Secular Recovery 801-608-8146  liferingutah.org Sun. 10am Univ. Neuropsychiatric Institute, 501 Chipeta Way #1566 Thurs. 7pm, USARA, 180 E 2100 S, #100 Sat. 11am, First Baptist Church, 777 S 1300 E Men’s Support Group  utahpridecenter. org/programs/lgbtqadults/  joshuabravo@ utahpridecenter.org Survivors of Suicide Attempt  bit.ly/upc_sosa  sosa@ utahpridecenter.org Trans Adult Support  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/lgbtq-adults/  lanegardinier@ utahpridecenter.org

Youth Survivors of Suicide Attempt  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/youth-familyprograms/  youthsosa@ utahpridecenter.org YOUTH/COLLEGE

Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Ctr  encircletogether.org fb.me/encircletogether 91 W 200 S, Provo, 331 S 600 E, SLC Families Like Ours (ages 2-10)  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/youth-familyprograms/ Gay-Straight Alliance Network  gsanetwork.org The OUT Foundation  theout.foundation  fb.me/theOUTfoundation 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  usgabyu.com  fb.me/UsgaAtByu Utah State Univ. Access & Diversity Ctr  inclusion.usu.edu/ lgbtqa

TransAction  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/transaction/ Sundays 2–3:30pm

Utah Valley Univ Spectrum  facebook.com/ groups/uvuspectrum

Women’s Support Group  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/lgbtq-adults/  mariananibley@ utahpridecenter.org

Weber State University LGBT Resource Center  weber.edu/ lgbtresourcecenter 801-626-7271

Youth Support Group ages 10-14, 14-20

Youth Activity Night ages 10-14, 14-20  utahpridecenter.org/ programs/youth-familyprograms/

 utahpridecenter. org/programs/youthfamily-programs/

BOOK REVIEW | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 25

JULY, 2021 | ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

the bookworm sez REVIEW BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir

BY BRIAN BROOME C. 2021, HMH BOOKS, $26, 272 PAGES

Little kids have it so easy.

Somebody feeds them when they’re hungry, does their laundry, buys them toys, and plays with them. Somebody escorts them everywhere and sometimes, they even get carried. Yep, life is good when you’re a little kid except, as in the new memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods” by Brian Broome, when it’s not.

He called Corey his “best friend,” but Corey was no

q scopes JULY

BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS

ARIES March 20–April 19 With great desire comes a sense of passion. There may be a project on your requiring attention. Find some time to get your creative juices flowing and get right on it. There could be a muse willing and able to help out. Show gratitude.

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20 Focus on a problem and blast it out of your life.

While there could be distractions, nothing feels better than taking matters into your own hand and finding some peace. Even if the world isn’t perfect, there are great moments in store.

GEMINI May 21–June 20 A mighty force is bound to knock the wind out of you. Be prepared for the worst but don’t fret.

friend to ten-year-old Brian Broome. Sure, things were sympatico at first but it didn’t take long for Corey to sense Broome’s insecurities, or to start pummelling Broome, or to humiliate him. Broome’s father hoped that Corey might act as “a form of therapy” for a boy who played with girls too much; Broome endured the abuse and didn’t complain to the adults because he was a little in love with Corey.

As if Corey’s thrashings weren’t harsh enough, Broome’s dad beat Broome for a multitude of reasons, from a pink shirt to frustration over unemployment to racism: he said he’d rather kill his children himself than to let a white person do it.

Broome. in fact, often wished that he was white like the people on TV, so he’d have the benefits of it. White parents really seemed to love their kids…

Broome dreamed of moving far away from the tiny

working-class Ohio town of his birth, to a larger city where he believed he could avoid the bullying and teasing, leave his life behind, and escape the embarrassment of his parents’ ramshackle existence. He did leave once, for college, but he was deeply humiliated by the racism and homophobia of his roommates. He called his mother then, and she came to get him.

She was one of a handful of Black women who saved him.

Being a man isn’t easy. Being a Black man in America is harder. Being a gay Black man led Broome to drugs, alcohol, and away from his family – although, he says, “… yes, I was loved. Just not in ways that I could understand.”

Be prepared to be messed with here. Your emotions may never be the same.

There’s a tighly-coiled, ready-to-strike fist wrapped in melancholy and a miles-long

people-watching incident in this book, both giving aptness to its title. “Punch Me Up to the Gods” refers to author Brian Broome’s father’s second-favorite words before the beatings began, and they’ll hit you hard, too. You’re not embarrassed, in fact, to be seen carrying a book around, are you? Because you will, this one.

Happily, there are moments of humor, too, as Broome recalls things that occurred in his youth, or maybe just a few years ago. He surprises readers with similes that are sobering, in the middle of laughter. He steps back sometimes, to pick at something else, turns it over twice to examine it, and pulls it into his tale.

For this, you won’t regret picking this wonderfully companionable, startingly gracious and compelling memoir. “Punch Me Up to the Gods” is a don’tmiss, devouring it is so easy.

Dust off and keep going. While the problems you face are jarring, they aren’t lasting or impactful. New days are guaranteed (probably).

wherever you go. Search for meaning in the form of a relationship or family bond.

world would be hard to accept. Stay grounded and do your best.

CANCER June 21–July 22 Delve into an adventure and get into the grove this season. Now is a great time for a trip or long-term R&R session. Take a friend along or simply go solo. There is no wrong way to celebrate as long as you’re doing it with a big smile.

LEO July 23–August 22 Whatever it takes to find a sense of purpose, do it. As long as no one gets hurt, there is no task or desire that can’t be fulfilled.

The way to get ahead is to look inward. A team could be on standby to help, so enlist some help soon.

VIRGO August 23–Sep. 2 Dive into the abyss of mystery and learn things you didn’t know about before. While the world seems vast and complicated, there are common threads

LIBRA Sept 23–October 22 Leap toward the future with a sense of hope. Even if there is a lot still to do, nothing feels better than spending time with people you love and care about. A relationship is going to grow or change for the better.

Anything is possible.

SCORPIO Oct. 23–Nov. 21 No one seems to notice that you are going through something. While it is not in your nature to complain, it would be prudent to share your feelings with someone you like. It can solve your emotional turmoil and make for good times.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22–December 20.

Never mind that the world isn’t perfect right now for you. The fact that it is flawed could bring you comfort. After all, without having a problem to dwell on, the perfect

CAPRICORN Dec 21–Jan 19

A new project can bind you to the sense of meaningful work you seek to accomplish. Even if no one is around to celebrate, enjoy the satisfaction of doing creative work. Stay on task and get a job done nicely. The world awaits.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20–Feb. 18 Doors are opening faster than you can walk through them and it’s starting to feel like you can’t slow down. The desire for a break isn’t presenting itself. Keep on going and figure out how far you can keep things going. Very exciting!

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19 You don’t have to start at the beginning. Jumping to the end of a process is a great way to figure out the goal. Find ways to break the mold and do what feels right. You might not get it now, but great things are coming soon. Q

26 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | FOOD&DRINK

Qsaltlake.com |

ISSUE 325 |

JULY, 2021

First and Main meandering

BY JOSH JONES

Michael

Aaron has gnawed at me for years to turn in my column before deadline … or turn it in at all. (Sorry!) He has had to lay out the column in sections other than food, for fear of offending advertisers. (Again, sorry.) He has dealt with restaurateurs, angry that my column disparaged their ‘cuisine’.

(Only kinda sorry.) Michael has been an incredible editor — allowing his writers to come and go and cover gay culture with carte blanche. As a publisher, he has also been a salmon swimming upstream but never stopped fighting to bring this community together.

I’m at Beerhive Pub, looking onto Main Street, and you can always tell a Goldman Sachs guy. I’m convinced that Sachs is hiring based on looks. They are dressed two shades better than anyone else on Main and in the same perfectly tailored trademark blue pants. I’m sure Utah is Goldman’s MTC — most of them have the same air of superiority and urgency. I wonder where they eat? If they eat?

I’m eating a vegetarian burrito. Scarfing it down, really. Feeling a bit insecure as I celebrate a birthday, which firmly stakes me in my 40s. Should I have another glass of wine with this burrito? If I’d tried harder in my 20s, could I be working for Goldman Sachs? Should we have had kids? The question is immediately answered when a family tries to enter the Beerhive with a tween. They don’t get in. The parents’ faces say it all, “Why do we have kids?”

This burrito is from La Estación Del Taco, the taco cart planted on Main and 100 South, in front of the old Zions Bank.

The burrito is filled with red, green, and orange grilled bells and squash with rice, refried beans, and cheese. The fluffy flour tortilla is so stuffed, it tests the tensile strength. It’s the size of a small baby, but tastes better.

A couple of days after Pride, a few remnants of the weekend are still strewn about — a couple of tourists, a woman with a pink triangle shirt, a rainbow flag at a bar that I know doesn’t like gays. A homeless man whose butt I’ve seen too many times meanders by with his pants about to fall.

Time moves so slow in this heat.

Sylvia owns the taco cart. When she is not prepping the best asada or carnitas, she’s reading the Bible. She continued setting up the cart during the Pandemic and fed the homeless and skateboarders.

That’s about all there were down here.

Through her red and green (limited quantity) tamales, I slowly got to know her and fell in love. She recently told me that her son called her.

“Do you know what he said?”

“He’s gay?” I guessed.

He lives in Mexico City but was going to visit Salt Lake with a partner. “I’ve seen the way you and your friends are, and I’m going to love him the same.” Her English is better than my Spanish, but I think this is what she said.

A few minutes later, Rayaan orders a

taco al pastor. He works at Goldman Sachs.

I had met him a few days earlier at Oh Shucks. He’s a cute young kid from India.

On the sidewalk, I tell him my theory on Sachs guys wanting to leave SLC, and with a firm accent, he says, “You are right, but I love it here. Utah is beautiful.”

Over the next few days, I see Rayaan (who is straight) with his friends, going to a Pride event, coming out of a restaurant, returning from a climb. I never see him in blue.

There are many morals to this story, most of which will fade away and I will have to re-learn. Sachs guys don’t always wear blue, is one. I am sentimental that we did not adopt. Sylvia’s tacos are magical, made with love, and bring strangers together.

And, finally, thanks for letting me write what I want, Michael — what a gift.

LA ESTACIÓN DEL TACO, 125 South Main, Salt Lake City. Tamales $2.50, Tacos $2.00, Veggie Burrito $7.00

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. – Khalil Gibran Still OPEN for takeout and delivery at 15TH & 15TH DINE-IN COMING SOON DELIVERY THROUGH GRUB HUB, DOORDASH MAZZACAFE.COM

1515 South 15th East – 801-484-9259

JULY, 2021 |

FOOD&DRINK | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 27

ISSUE 325 | Qsaltlake.com

THE SUNTRAPP HOSTS

BEARVASION SALT LAKE CITY, UT

JULY 15 . 16 . 17 CELEBRITY GUEST CHRIS GRACE

SPECIAL GUEST HUNTER HARDEN

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TICKETS INCLUDE: LUAU MEET-N-GREET HAWAIIAN-THEMED PIZZA PARTY BOWLING WITH THE BEARS BARBECUE THE COWBOY PROM (WESTERN-TH (WESTERN-THEMED) BEAR BRUNCH MR. & MS. BEARVASION LEATHER-GEAR CONTEST SUDS-N-STUDS FOAM PARTY $20 DRINK VOUCHERS 10 RAFFLE TICKETS EVENT SWAG

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10627 S Redwood Rd. South Jordan

801-627-1920

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bearvasion.com

28 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | SEX

sex and salt lake city

Back to normal.

Or not.

BY DR. LAURIE BENNETT-COOK

After

nearly a year and a half of the world being in some variation of closed, June arrived, and we got to experience Pride here in the great city of Salt Lake! Personally, I couldn’t imagine a better way to come out of the past land of Covid restrictions than dancing in the streets with hundreds of others while waving banners and flags that represent acceptance, joy, and love.

However … my reality was different than what I imagined the day would look like. Looking around, I could see I was not the only one struggling with the physical nearness and masklessness of others. I hate to admit it, but it’s almost as though I’d forgotten how to be comfortable in large social situations.

Logically, I know that since I, and all those in my social circle, are vaccinated, our chances of contracting this nasty virus that’s been haunting us all these many months is highly unlikely. I’m also aware that those who are not vaccinated at this point are more than likely not vaccinated by choice.

So, despite my fears, I coaxed myself to dance the day away. But, apparently, a full day spent in a maskless crowd, shouting, singing, and dancing wasn’t enough to overwhelm me. Me being me (which means one who often believes I’m more capable of handling situations than I am), I impulsively set off

that same night of Pride to a swinger party. The party, of course, was at a gorgeous, poolside location. Populated with happy, beautiful people in various stages of undress.

Drinks and food were being served everywhere. Tiki torches burned. The night air was neither too warm nor cool. And … not a single mask was in sight. It’s a situation I’ve been in countless times pre covid. But yet again, I was surprised with my newly discovered personal discomfort. Once again, as though it’s some new mantra, I had to keep reminding myself I’m vaccinated.

Sporting a pocket full of condoms, I had come to play.

And I was determined to do so. If for no other reason than to get over my fear. Many others had come to play. We’d all been joking that we were going to celebrate coming out of this pandemic in the spirit of a Summer of Lust and Love! I flirted and talked a good game with several different people, never quite ready to fully sexually interact with another, but feeling internal pressure from myself to just get over it and get … Back to Normal.

As nice as it would’ve felt to completely rush back into “things are back to normal,” that just isn’t what happened for me. And as it turns out, for most of the others in attendance as well.

As the evening unfolded, I realized within myself that as much as I wanted to, I was not going to play that night. As it

Qsaltlake.com |

ISSUE 325 |

JULY, 2021

turned out, very few people got undressed completely.

Most lingered around the pool. Most only physically interacted with the partner they came to the party with.

And nearly everyone I spoke to shamefully stated, “I’m just not ready yet.” I get it. Not only did I get it, but I was relieved to know I wasn’t the

feelings do little to soften my disappointment. I am disappointed that there really isn’t a way to come out of this unscathed. We’ve all been affected on some level. Some of us have lost loved ones or watched them struggle through this virus. Some of us have been sick ourselves.

Some of us have provided care

only one to feel that way.

This past year and a half has done a real number on the social capabilities of many of us. I’m a believer in science.

My partner is a medical provider, and I trust their insights regarding medicine and the risks of transmitting disease. Logically, I should be feeling safe from possible infection. But the reality is — I just don’t. Yet. And I have to remind myself that it’s okay to ease back into the way things were. There’s a chance I may never play as freely as I once did. That, too, is okay.

But all the while, these assurances to normalize my

for those who’ve been sick.

Some of us have lost work, friends, family, and on and on. Getting “Back to Normal” isn’t as easy as a change in mindset. It’s going to take a change in how we express compassion for ourselves through patience, love, acceptance, and, yes, Pride in how we hold ourselves going forward.

So with kindness and gentleness, I’m cutting myself a break from the pressure to just Get Back To Normal. Q Dr. Laurie Bennett-Cook is a Clinical Sexologist with a private practice. She divides her time between Salt Lake City and Palm Springs, Calif. She can be reached at DrLaurieBennettCook@gmail.com

JULY, 2021 |

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Qsaltlake.com | ISSUE 325 | JULY, 2021

the perils of petunia pap smear

The tale of the salt of the Earth

BY PETUNIA PAP SMEAR

The road

back out of quarantine is fraught with danger and excitement.

As the state of Utah began loosening pandemic restrictions, it was with great excitement and anticipation that the Matrons of Mayhem began to plan our return to drag queen bingo in this, the city of salt. I thought that our first post-quarantine bingo extravaganza should be to resurrect our usual BBQ drag bingo and beer church events at Club Try-Angles.

After all, Gene and the Try-Angles staff have been courageously remaining open, at great personal cost, as a resource for our community all through the dark, lonely, and despondent quarantine times.

On the appointed Sunday morning, I awoke extra early and descended into my basement lair to begin to prepare myself.

As I sat in front of the mirror and began to draw on my glitter mustache, I realized that it had been 14 months since I have put on the beehive wig and strapped on the breasticles, and I was greatly out of practice, and the damned thing was even more lopsided than usual. Also, during quarantine, not having any reason to leave the house, I have gotten into the slothful habit of sleeping late. Thus, not only did I have to contend with lopsided glitter, but I also had to discover new and imaginative ways to disguise my sleepy eye boogers.

After several hours and many attempts to re-apply, I just gave up, said “Screw it!” and went out to get into Queertanic to drive to Try-Angles. To my horror, as I exited Chateau Pap Smear, I realized that it was a blisteringly hot day. Oh! My! God! I don’t handle heat well, especially when in full queen plumage.

When planning the day, I seriously wondered if anyone would even show up, but as I drove into the Try-Angles parking lot, I was astonished to see a substantial line of people waiting patiently in the hot sun to enter the bar.

The BBQ burgers were just as delicious as I had remembered. I didn’t recall how

difficult it is to eat a plate of food while negotiating everything past my breasticles. Out of necessity, I have taken to balancing plates of food on top of the breasticles like a TV tray, thus freeing up both of my hands so that I can shovel food with my right hand while simultaneously fanning myself with the left hand.

It’s like having two extra limbs. Vishnu, eat your heart out! The greatest danger in this procedure is when I pick up the burger from the plate, it becomes unbalanced and tends to slide down off the breasticles like a toboggan and land in my lap. My closet contains many a stained caftan as proof.

After my attempts to wipe the fallen food off my dress, it was time to play bingo. I began to introduce the other queens to the audience, and it had been so long that I forgot Adora Belle’s name.

Oh, the shame!

I was very tired, sweaty, and semi-melted after spending the hot afternoon playing bingo on the Try-Angles patio.

Of course, when the games were finished, I joined the rest of the Matrons to celebrate the success of our return.

Those of you who know me know that I’m not too fond of the taste of most alcohol and that, for me to like an adult beverage, it must be disguised to look and taste similar to a Kool-Aid-flavored slushie.

Well, as you can imagine, when drag queens celebrate, alcohol begins to flow.

At the height of the festivities, someone purchased a round of shots. I looked up from sipping my Diet Pepsi and declined the offer, stating that I wouldn’t like it.

Of course, Moeisha Montana assured me that it was something fruity that I would like. The Matrons formed a circle around me and began chanting drink, drink, drink. In a pathetic attempt to avoid the response of “Okay Boomer” from that circle of millennial bitches, I downed the entire shot in one gulp. It burned, and burned, and BURNED all the way down.

Oh, My, God, it was that damned Rumpelstiltskin drink (Rumplemintz). The

rest of the Matrons all guffawed mightily, having been in on the prank. After a good five minutes of gasping for breath, I finally was able to utter, “Damn you, Moeisha!

Are you bitches trying to kill me?”

Still choking and snorting, I stood up and turned to snap my fan and glare at Moeisha, but I was astonished to realize that I couldn’t move. Just like Lot’s wife in the Bible, I suddenly became immobile and turned into a pillar of salt. It turns out that a river of salty sweat flowing down from my breasticles in the heat of the afternoon had pooled and congealed, forming a substantial crust on my caftan, rendering me immobile. Eventually, Contasia VonClappe took pity on me and struck the crystallized salt with a tire iron, and just like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz, I was able to move again.

That was my cue to exit, stage left.

This story leaves us with several important questions: 1. Shall I develop a line of makeup to cover eye boogers and call it Petunia’s Booger-Be-Gone?

2. Would people buy breasticle TV trays?

3. Instead of helping me be able to move, should the Matrons have just trucked my immobile ass out to the Bonneville Salt Flats like a statue and parked me by the Tree of Utah sculpture?

4. Could I harvest the crust of salt from my Caftan?

5. Would the State of Utah buy the salt to use in the winter to de-ice the roads?

6. Can I send Moeisha Montana to Hell for trying to kill me?

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

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