16 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | NEWS
Qsaltlake.com |
Issue 334 |
APRIL, 2022
Ogden’s Own announces the 2022 class of ‘Five Husbands’ Ogden’s Own distillery, which produces Five Wives Vodka, announced its fifth year of “Five Husbands” for 2022. This year’s label will feature five Utah “husbands” who represent an array of backgrounds deeply representative of the LGBTQ+ community. Selecting the five was quite the task. “It was a very difficult decision as we were very fortunate to receive more responses than we anticipated for this year’s label,” said Mark Fine, president and CEO of Ogden’s Own Distillery. “In selecting the Five ‘Husbands’, we didn’t just want it to be about a person who specifically identifies as a ‘husband’, but a person who is authentically themselves and part of the rich tapestry that makes up the LGBTQ+ community.” The husbands chosen (left to right) are: MADAZON CAN-CAN, a non-binary transmasculine human who has been terrified for most their life, being filled with rejection or pure disbelief that one could be possibly both feminine and masculine. “I have been involved in the community primarily through work as a burlesquer and drag king, which also allows me to raise awareness through performance art. I teach drag king classes, inspiring others to develop a new skill, but to also facilitate a band of brothers who would support each other building a community of authenticity and offering a variety of drag in every gendered and non-gen-
dered expression,” states Madazon. BRYCE JACKSON, who moved to Salt Lake City from Kansas five years ago. and is a co-founder of Stonewall Sports. With over 1,300 members, Stonewall Sports SLC is an LGBTQ+ not-for-profit sports league which includes kickball, sand volleyball, dodgeball, and bowling. “This adult league brings back memories for many of not feeling included in sports growing up but now taking ownership and having fun. Many of the teams meet up outside of the league for dinners, movie nights, and just good old-fashioned fun,” Jackson said. MATT EASTON, a Utah native and seventh-generation Mormon who came out during his 2019 valedictorian speech at Brigham Young University. “My speech gathered a lot more attention than I initially thought it would and I ended up going on the Ellen Show, The Ru Paul Show, and Good Morning America to talk about my experience being gay at BYU. It allowed me to springboard into the world of LBTQ+ activism, working on improving the treatment of queer people at BYU and the Mormon church,” Easton said. Easton is currently attending Berkley and working on a PhD in political science. “My first alcoholic experience was actually drinking Five Wives Vodka and cranberry!” Easton laughs. CHEF BRYAN WOOLLEY, a celebrity chef, TV personality, operatic singer, and host of “Cooking with Bryan” on KUTV. “If I could inspire and save just one person in knowing that being who they are is fine, then this is a success. I am passionate about my career as a chef and have made many friends, allowing me to travel and speak with wonderful people with shared interests,” Wooley said. CHRISTIAN HARVEY, better known as “Hoe
Shi Minh,” Salt Lake City’s only Vietnamese performer. Hoe Shi Minh hosts numerous LGBTQ+ shows inspiring others to enjoy life and be proud of who they are. “When I attend Asian-American functions I represent the queer community, and when I am involved with LGBTQ+ events I represent the Asian community. I am proud to be part of both,” Harvey said. “These are not just ‘Five Husbands’, but truly ‘Five Stories’ and ‘Five Messages’ that I hope many people will relate to and support who one is or who one wishes to be,” Fine said. Ogden’s Own has served as the official alcohol sponsor of the Utah Pride Festival for several years and is a long-standing ally of Equality Utah and the Utah Pride Center. In 2019, Ogden’s Own introduced Five Husbands Vodka for the first time as a Pride Month special release, however the expression was met with so much enthusiasm and customer demand that the distillery immediately decided to make it a year-round offering, representing its support for LGBTQ+ community each day of the year. A portion of the profits of Five Husbands Vodka are donated to support LGBTQ+ causes. The 2022 Five Husbands Vodka bottling is expected to hit shelves in Utah, select additional markets and through online retailers in May, just in time for Pride Month 2022. Q
