QSaltLake Magazine | Issue 343 | January 2023

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

BY CRAIG OGAN

Griner released from Russian jail

WNBA star Brittney Griner, imprisoned in Russia on a drug charge, has been released from custody and is back in the arms of her wife, Cherell. In what may be the most publicized trade in WNBA history, she was released in an exchange for Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout. Known as the “merchant of death,” he was in a U.S. prison. Griner traveled to Russia to play hoops for a local Russian team. She pleaded guilty to having a small amount of high THC-content cannabis oil in her luggage at a Russian airport. She said she had a prescription for the hash, but Russian law still prevailed. Griner’s wife lobbied the U.S. government to argue Griner’s detention was wrongful detainment. This release still leaves U. S. Marine veteran, Paul Whelan, detained on espionage charges in the Gulag.

World Cup gay stuff

Qatar, the host of the World Cup football games (aka soccer in the USA) was not chosen as host for its lesbianand gay-friendly culture. Already reported was the interference by Qatari security with protests by gay activists outside the stadia. The governing body of the World Cup, Fédération Internationale de

Football Association, worked to keep lesbian and gay activism off the field. It took the threat of “yellow card sanctions” to stop Europeans from wearing a “OneLove” armband during the games. The armband features a heart striped in rainbow colors. Still, the rainbow reared its unwelcome message when an activist interrupted a match by running on the field with a Rainbow Flag and wearing a tee shirt emblazoned with the “Superman” shield and the words “Save Ukraine.” Fans wore rainbow-themed tee shirts. Some were asked to remove or cover the shirts. One fan claimed to have been detained for wearing the shirt. The final insult — no beer in the venue. Oh, the humanity. Good news? Ahmed Al Reyahi, a Jordanian “baller,” emerged as a nice bit of eye candy.

Respect for Marriage

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 258 to 169 to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. The president will sign the bill, setting a national standard for same-sex and interracial marriages.. Every House Democrat voted for it. The number of Republican votes, 39, was lower than the first passage in the Summer, even though the House accepted the religious and conscience exceptions the Senate added to the bill. The Democratic House Progressive Caucus had heartburn over the Senate amendments. Proponents believe the amendments will help the law survive the, sure-to-come, legal challenges. RMA repeals the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. It also requires states to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages from other states. Both types of marriage were already “legal” and recognized after separate

Supreme Court rulings. The abortion ruling, “Dodds,” this Summer gave rise to fears that SCOTUS may reverse those rulings, thus denying at least one and maybe two marriages by sitting court members legal recognition in states, like Utah, with laws against them.

‘Hate’ speech on Twitter

The New York Times says it’s up; Elon says it’s down. The Times reported on a study from Center for Countering Digital Hate showing an increase in what it defined as “hate terminology” on Twitter since Musk took over. According to the report, slurs against Black people went up 202 percent from 1,282 before Elon took over to 3,876 after he bought the company. Anti-gay slurs against gay men rose 58 percent. Antisemitic slurs rose 61 percent. Anti-transgender rose 68 percent. The data was gathered using “Brandwatch,” a media analytics tool, which looks at words and not context. Musk says that the service took steps to lower the visibility of the speech. The CDDH said fine, but there’s still more since Elon laid-off moderation staff and opened the gates of Hell. For context, according to analyst David Sayce, ”Every second, on average, around 6,000 tweets are placed on Twitter, corresponding to over 350,000 tweets sent per minute, 500 million tweets per day and around 200 billion tweets per year.”

Kolbe, RIP

Jim Kolbe, a longtime Republican congressman from Arizona who stopped hiding his sexuality in 1996, died Saturday at age 80. His public announcement was spurred by outrage over his vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA was passed and signed into law, but

it has since been invalidated by the Supreme Court. After discussing his gay life publicly, he changed his tack and was a cosponsor of legislation to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military, opting for “non-discrimination.” The legislation never passed the Democrat- and then Republican-dominated House of Representatives in the 1990s. The governor of Arizona ordered flags to fly at half staff. David Cicilline, chair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in the U. S. Congress memorialized, “As an out gay man, Jim affirmed to the American people and gay men across the country that there was a place for them in the halls of Congress.”

‘Strange World,’ strange claims

In the fever swamps of the internet, Disney is being accused of intentionally tanking its holiday animation offering, “Strange World.” Critics claim it is, perhaps, an effort to get into the good graces of Florida’s re-elected governor. The $180 million production, which included LGBT characters and themes, only took in $18.6M during the traditionally good-forticket sales Thanksgiving weekend. The conspiracy theorists say that weekend was bad timing for this movie, that Disney did not promote it enough with social media, advertising, and merchandise tie-ins at fast food restaurants. The trade media reports 2022 Thanksgiving movie revenues were off from previous years. This year’s ticket sales were $95 million against previous years revenues of over $200

million. The movie will go to Disney’s streaming service and may recoup some of the costs. Critics complained that Disney downplayed the movie in the face of other, “LGBTQIA” themed, low performing movies like “Bros” and the latest iteration of “Toy Story.”

Million+ same-sex households in the U.S.

The number of same-sex couple households in the U.S. has surpassed 1 million for the first time, according to recently released government data. There were more than 1.2 million same-sex couple households across the country in 2021, up from 540,000 in 2008, an increase of 120 percent. The data, taken from the census bureau’s annual American community survey and does not report whether they are having sex with one another.

Japan and Singapore

A Tokyo court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, but warned, “A lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights.” Japan’s constitution joins Utah in defining marriage requiring both biological sexes as the only legal marriage. Japan remains outside the mainstream of marriage equality in the economic and policy organization of democracies with well developed economies, the Group of Seven.

Singapore’s parliament has decriminalized sex between men, It also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that may lead to marriage equality. It reserves the power to allow marriage equality to the executive or the legislature. Oddly, media reports from Singapore do not mention anything about

female-to-female sex. So, keep on keeping on, girls.

Covid masked HIV rise in Europe

The World Health Organization has released a report that shows Europe has seen a rise in undiagnosed HIV infections. Since 2018 there have been more HIV infections than diagnoses, leading the WHO computer models to predict a dire situation until 2030. WHO blames the COVID pandemic for suppressing testing for HIV. The full report shows that testing rates fell during COVID. A model used to predict the estimated number of infections compared that to testing data from 46 of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region. The model estimated that one in eight people living with HIV in those regions remain undiagnosed.

Kirk Cameron book tour dissed by Libraries

A grown-up child actor from “Growing Pains,” on TV from 1985 to 1992, now identifies as a Christian actor and is an evangelical minister. Kirk Cameron recently gave an interview promoting a movie saying, homosexuality is “unnatural” and “detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.” The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation immediately branded the interview as hate speech. He has now written a children’s book titled, “As You Grow,” which uses some biblical themes but is mostly about a tree growing in the forest. He wanted to do a book tour but libraries are not giving him a venue to read his books to children audiences. Q

Community leaders on Club Q mass shooting

Organizations and political leaders across the coiuntry and in Utah released statements regarding the mass shooting at Club Q which left five dead and about 25 injured in Colorado Springs.

LGBTQ Organizations

ONEPULSE FOUNDATION, founded after the Orlando, Florida shooting at Pulse Night Club:

“We are deeply saddened and horrified by the mass shooting at the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs that killed five people and wounded 18 others. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims and their families, as well as the wounded and those affected by this tragedy. We are grateful to the brave patrons whose heroic actions undoubtedly saved lives and to the first responders who rushed to the scene. While details will emerge in the coming days, violence directed at members of the LGBTQIA+ community must come to an end.”

A man with the same name as the suspect was arrested in June of 2021 for a bomb threat at a Colorado Springs neighborhood. He had a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition at the time of his arrest last year. Police will not confirm that he is the same individual.

EQUALITY UTAH:

“We are watching the news unfold from Colorado with horror and anger. Our hearts are breaking, once again, as our community is being targeted by a senseless act of hate and violence. We send our love to the victims and their families. This tragedy

has unfolded on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance when we honor those who have died by violence around the world. Violence of this magnitude does not arise in a vacuum. For the past two years, we have watched our community face a new wave of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation designed to generate moral panic. Politicians have given an audience to these fearmongers, and have stoked hysteria throughout the country, falsely asserting that transgender children would “destroy” women’s sports, and that drag queens are “grooming” children. This dangerous rhetoric is alive here in Utah as well, and it needs to stop now. To the good people of Utah, we implore you to recognize that LGBTQ are your family members, your neighbors, and your co-workers. When extremists ratchet up hysteria, they are endangering the people you love. We call on Governor Cox, President Adams, and Speaker Wilson to use their power and influence to tap down the hysteria in Utah. Do not give an audience to those who lie and distort LGBTQ lives.

“To LGBTQ Utahns, you have so much beauty to contribute to the world. We will not allow another act of violence to make us cower and hide. We will take our anger and focus it into strength. We will work tirelessly to ensure that the next generation of queer children can live a life free of fear and shame. They will rise triumphant to share their gifts with the world.”

GLAAD — the Gay and Lesbian Alliance

Against Defamation:

“You can draw a straight line from the false and vile rhetoric about LGBTQ people spread by extremists and amplified across social media, to the nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year, to the dozens of attacks on our community like this one,” GLAAD’s president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, said. “That this mass shooting took place on the eve of on Transgender Day of Remembrance, when we honor the memory of the trans people killed the prior year, deepens the trauma and tragedy for all in the LGBTQ community.

HUMAN RIGHTS

CAMPAIGN FUND:

“We are absolutely heartbroken by last night’s deadly shooting at an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs. We know anti-LGBTQ+ hate is on the rise and gun violence impacts our community at devastating rates. We are also observing Transgender Day of Remembrance today and over the last 10 years two-thirds of the more than 300 fatalities we’ve tracked involved gun violence. We must rise against hate in the strongest possible terms, we must stand together in solidarity and love with our LGBTQ+ family in Colorado Springs and demand an end to this epidemic of gun violence. From Pulse to Colorado Springs to so many other lives stolen from us — this has occurred for far too long. HRC mourns the lives taken at Club Q last night and extends our deepest strength, love, and condolences to the loved ones impacted.

ENCIRCLE

“The tragedy in Colorado Springs has left us shocked, saddened, and truly heartbroken. Every day, and on this #TransDayofRememberance, we stand with our

local LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ communities across the country and world. Together we send our love to everyone at #ClubQ and in Colorado impacted by this senseless act of violence.”

Political Leaders PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

“While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years. Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing. We saw it six years ago in Orlando, when our nation suffered the deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQI+ community in American history. We continue to see it in the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women – especially transgender women of color. And tragically, we saw it last night in this devastating attack by a gunman wielding a long rifle at an LGBTQI+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.

“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often. We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate.

“Today, yet another community in America has been torn apart by gun violence. More families left with an empty chair at the table and a hole in their lives that cannot be filled. When will we decide we’ve had enough? We must address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms. Earlier this year, I signed the most significant gun safety law in

nearly three decades, in addition to taking other historic actions. But we must do more. We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets.

“Today, Jill and I are praying for the families of the five people killed in Colorado Springs last night, and for those injured in this senseless attack.”

FORMER PRESIDENT

DONALD TRUMP

Colorado congressional candidate ADAM SCHIFF, who recently conceded to Colorado Rep. Loren Boebert, tweeted:

“Sickened and horrified by the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. The LGBTQ+ community is once again the target of the most terrible violence. And devastating attacks like these will only become more common if we don’t fight back. It must stop.”

COLORADO GOV. JARED POLIS:

“This is horrific, sickening, and devastating,” Polis said in a statement. “My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting. I have spoken with Mayor Suthers and made it clear that every state resource is available to local law enforcement in Colorado Springs. We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman likely saving lives in the process and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands

with our LGTBQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn together.”

CONGRESSMAN DOUG LAMBORN, R-COLORADO SPRINGS

“I am saddened to hear of the senseless loss of life in the shooting last night. Law enforcement and first responders are to be commended for their rapid response. All people should pray for the victims and their families.”

NANCY PELOSI

“Tragedy has once again struck the LGBTQ+ community — sadly, on #TransDayOfRemembrance when we mourn trans people killed by bigotry. The horrific shooting at Club Q is a call to mourn victims, thank heroic responders, and take more actions to disarm hate and end gun violence.”

CONGRESSIONAL LGBTQ+ EQUALITY CAUCUS

“I am horrified and devastated by the news out of Colorado Springs this morning. LGBTQ+ clubs are often a place of refuge and affirmation for our community, yet once again what should have been a safe space became the target of a violent and deadly attack. My heart is with the victims of this horrific shooting, their family and friends, Club Q’s staff and patrons, and the entire LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs and around the country,” said Chair Cicilline.

“As we mark Transgender

Day of Remembrance today, we are further reminded that deadly violence against members of our community is sadly not new. We know the toxic combination of hate and access to guns in this country leads to deadly results. We must honor the lives lost in this shooting and all LGBTQ+ lives lost due to violence with action—action to address the twin epidemics of hate and gun violence in this country.”

UTAH GOV. SPENCER COX

“Abby and I are deeply saddened by the senseless tragedy in our neighboring Colorado. We add our prayers for those impacted and plead for kindness, love and unity with our LGBTQ community.”

SALT LAKE CITY MAYOR ERIN MENDENHALL

“To our Trans and gender non-conforming community: you are loved, you are seen

and you are embraced by your City, which is a better place because of you. We remember those murdered in anti-trans violence + we continue our commitment to making this City a safe place for you.”

“Devastated, just devastated to read about another horrific act of violence targeted at the LGBTQ community. Salt Lake City mourns with our friends in Colorado Springs, and stands with the LGBTQ community everyday.”

UTAH LT. GOV. DEIDRE HENDERSON

“I was devastated to wake up this morning to news of the horrific mass shooting last night at Club Q in Colorado Springs. I stand as an ally and condemn all hate and violence directed toward our friends in the LGBTQ+ community. Please, please, let us all love our neighbors.” Q

Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act. What it does

President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law in a ceremony on the White House South Lawn, joined by political leaders and, yes, two representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. General Authority and executive director of the Public Affairs Department Jack Gerard and former Area Seventy Gordon Smith attended the ceremony.

“We extend a heartfelt thank you and our congratulations to all who played a part in the passage of the amended Respect for Marriage Act,” church leaders said in a statement. “Their efforts to protect religious freedom as Congress sought to codify the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision are both historic and commendable.”

The statement went on to reiterate the church’s beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Many wonder if the new law is a “good thing” or just what the purpose was since same-sex marriage was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.

One need only look at the ramifications of the Court reversing Roe v. Wade to see why there was a push to codify same-sex and interracial marriage. Laws remained on the books in several states, and legislatures across the country put laws into place that would only be recognized if and when the Court overruled Roe

Utah Law

Attempts to change Utah’s state constitution and laws on the books to remove gender restrictions on marriage after the Obergefell decision were ignored by legislative leaders. Laws that restrict marriage to “between one man and one woman” are throughout the Utah Code and in its constitution. Should the Court ever overturn Obergefell, those laws would go back into effect.

Utah’s constitution, Article I, Section 29, currently states, “Marriage consists only of the legal union between a man and a woman.

“No other domestic union, however denominated, may be recognized as a marriage or given the same or sub-

stantially equivalent legal effect.”

Title 30 of the Utah Code is labeled “Husband and Wife” and states: “It is the policy of this state to recognize as marriage only the legal union of a man and a woman as provided in this chapter.”

“Except for the relationship of marriage between a man and a woman recognized pursuant to this chapter, this state will not recognize, enforce, or give legal effect to any law creating any legal status, rights, benefits, or duties that are substantially equivalent to those provided under Utah law to a man and a woman because they are married.”

Other parts of the code also reference “between a man and a woman,” as well as “husband and wife.”

2016 BILL WOULD CHANGE UTAH LAW

In 2016, then-Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Park City, introduced HB 299, Marriage Revisions, to “make technical corrections throughout the code to the terms husband and wife.” Terms such as “the male or female” would be struck and replaced by “either party.” “Fathers and mothers” would have become “parents.” And “husband and wife” would become “husband and wife or other married spouses.”

The bill was never brought forward by legislative leadership. Powell was named a district court judge later that year.

SEN. DEREK KITCHEN

In June, Sen. Derek Kitchen warned that Utah has a “trigger ban” on same-sex marriage and announced he would open a bill file to address changes to Utah’s marriage laws.

Kitchen was defeated in his re-election race and, to date, no other legislator has announced their intention to move forward with a bill.

SEN. STUART ADAMS

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams indicated he would support the state trying to overturn Obergefell

“I believe strongly that states ought to have the right to pass legislation and that the states ought to be where these issues are determined,” Adams said of the abortion decision.

Asked if he would support Utah joining with other states in hopes that the court would take another

look at same-sex marriage, he gave an unequivocal “yes” answer.

Other states

Thirty-five states currently ban samesex marriage in their constitutions, state law, or both, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and Stateline research.

All were invalidated by the Obergefell ruling. But should the now-more-conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturn the right to same-sex marriage, those state laws and constitutional amendments would kick in.

DOMA

The biggest thing the RMA did, federally, was to remove the wording of the Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA. Passed in 1996 under then-President Bill Clinton, DOMA allowed states to refuse to recognize valid civil marriages of same-sex couples.

It also carved all same-sex couples out of federal statutes, regulations, and rulings applicable to all other married people — thereby denying them over 1,100 federal benefits and protections.

Cross-state recognition

The RMA established that “place of celebration” is the standard of recognition for federal benefits of same-sex marriage. It also requires that, even if a state has laws or constitutional prohibitions of same-sex marriage, it still must recognize same-sex marriages that occur in states that do recognize it.

Under the RMA, marriages, adoption orders, divorce decrees, and other public acts must be honored by all states consistent with the Full Faith and Credit clause of the U.S. Constitution. This adds additional protection for married couples and families.

Biden:

“Marriage is a simple proposition: Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that,” Biden said. “The law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves without government interference.” Q

How Utah representatives voted on the Respect for Marriage Act

The Respect for Marriage Act passed the U.S. House today with bipartisan support. Three of Utah’s delegation voted in favor of the bill, and Burgess Owens voted “present.” The bill is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. He has championed the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

In a statement, Rep. Chris Stewart said he “proudly” voted for the bill in July and was proud again to vote in favor of “protecting our LGBTQ and religious friends and neighbors.”

“As a man of faith and a conservative, ensuring the religious liberties of people in Utah is absolutely essential. This bill not only guarantees that protection, but simultaneously expands the rights of those in the LGBTQ community,” Stewart wrote. “The alternative to this bipartisan solution – the Equality Act – is hostile to religious liberty and would exact a heavy toll on religious Americans. Additionally, same-sex marriage is already legal in the United States, and the Respect for Marriage Act did not change that. It simply expands current religious freedoms and LGBTQ civil rights.”

“Civil rights are not a finite resource; we do not have to take from one group to give to another. The intent of our forefathers in the Constitution was to strike a balance that protects fundamental religious beliefs with individual liberties. I believe this bipartisan legislation effectively does just that,” Stewart concluded.

Rep. Burgess Owens, who voted for the bill in July, called his “present” vote a “beacon.”

“While today is undoubtedly a giant step toward religious liberty, my lone ‘present’ vote signals a warning beacon that the war is far from won,” Owens said. “Religious freedom cannot prevail until and unless individuals and small business owners practicing their sincere religious beliefs have explicit protection under the law. By protecting churches and religious organizations, we are only scratching the surface of the full scope of our First Amendment rights.”

Rep. Blake Moore released a statement after the vote.

“Today, I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act with strengthened religious freedom protections. The Supreme Court has already required all states to recognize same-sex marriages. It is my personal religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, but our nation must see that Congress is capable of coming together to overcome our differences in a way that respects our sincerely held beliefs. As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states, we must uphold religious freedom protections while respecting the right to samesex marriage,” Moore said.

Rep. John Curtis said the majority opinion of the Supreme Court “clearly stated” that the court has no intention of reversing any decisions respecting the right to marriage in the Constitution.

“That said, I am proud to have voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act that codifies these protections which are important to many Utahns,” he said in a statement. Q

Utah, Idaho petitions target drag shows as ‘sexualizing children’

A petition started by Utah Tech University adjunct professor Alexis Ence calls upon the Utah Legislature to take action “to protect children from sexualization in our shared, public spaces,” which, she says, means drag shows in “public spaces.”

Saying she is one of the “concerned moms all over the nation,” Ence posted that she realized that the drag show hosted in St. George this summer meant “Utah was not immune to the child-sexualization we see happening all over the United States.”

Because, she wrote, Utah created a “Pornographic and Harmful Materials and Performances law” to “protect children from pornographic/sensitive materials in schools,” and because Utah law requires “blinder racks” to cover 2/3 of a magazine cover that might be offensive, “Clearly, Utah and the U.S. have established precedents for protecting children from sexualized/harmful materials, so why does live, interactive entertainment, like a drag show, get a pass?”

“It shouldn’t,” she surmised.

“Shared, public spaces in Utah’s communities should be safe spac-

es for children, unencumbered by adult entertainment (from any sex/ gender/preference),” she wrote.

Over 1,300 people have signed the petition as of press time.

Idaho

A similar petition in Idaho bases its reasoning on the debunked accusation that a drag performer exposed their genitalia onstage at Coeur d’Alene’s “Pride in the Park.”

“There, onstage in the heart of the public park, a drag performer danced provocatively in women’s panties and high heels while grabbing his crotch,” the petition alleges. “

“Some observers reported the drag queen exposed his genitals to an audience that included many children. The local prosecutor refused to bring charges, insisting that the alleged unlawful activity was not captured by videographic and photographic evidence.”

Indeed, Coeur d’Alene police reviewed an uncensored video from a post that went viral that blurred the groin area of the performer, and a second video

as well, and found that “allegations of indecent exposure or other crimes cannot be supported by the evidence.”

The Idaho Family Policy Center insists they saw genitalia in the video.

“Parents need to understand that cross-dressing is often an erotic fetish for drag performers who become sexually aroused when they imitate sexualized behaviors of the opposite sex in public,” the unsigned petition states. “With that in mind, it becomes clear that public drag shows exploit children and other audience members for the depraved purpose of sexually gratifying the performer. Let me be clear: these creeps are using our children as pawns for their perverse sexual desires.”

“To protect our children, the Idaho Legislature must update state laws to address these vile sexual exhibitions in places where children are present,” the petition concludes. “Our children’s innocence — and public virtue — must be protected. Please update state laws to ensure children are not exposed to sexual exhibitions like drag shows in public places.”

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Provo’s Celebrate Therapy receives ‘Queer to Stay’ grant

Provo, Utah-based, Celebrate Therapy, was named as a recipient of Human Rights Campaign and SHOWTIME’s “Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative” to support and uplift small businesses that focus on LGBTQ+ people of color, women and the transgender community who continue to be impacted by economic setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year, on top of economic setbacks from COVID, we’ve seen a disturbing rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and attacks, including harm to some LGBTQ+ small businesses. That’s why it is critical to uphold affirming, welcoming spaces and services for our LGBTQ+ communities,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “This initiative celebrates and supports our community by putting funds directly into the hands of multiply marginalized LGBTQ+ owned, and serving, small businesses around the country. We’re excited to partner with Showtime once again to ensure that LGBTQ+ patrons, employees, and business owners continue to occupy spaces freely and without exception as their authentic selves.”

Celebrate Therapy is a therapy clinic owned and operated by a team of queer clinicians who support individuals in “discovering confidence” in their identities. The clinic has rapidly grown during its tenure, and in its first year grew from four to eight psychotherapists and provided 2200+ sessions of therapy. Owner and Clinical Director of Celebrate Therapy, Lacey Bagley, said she hopes

to put the grant money towards opening a second location in Salt Lake City so that they can reach more LGBTQ+ people throughout the state.

“Even with eight therapists, we keep a waitlist of potential clients,” said Lacey Bagley, owner and clinical director of Celebrate Therapy. “From a business perspective, this growth and security is positive and means success. Being a member of the queer community, I see this impact differently. I see that success is measured in healing and not net income and that the number of people on our waitlist only indicates how many are not getting their needs met yet.”

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the inaugural “Queer to Stay” initiative awarded funds to 10 LGBTQ+ businesses across the country. Since then, it’s been reported that LGBTQ+ businesses were less likely to receive COVID relief funds. At the same time, some LGBTQ+ small businesses have been the target of outrageous, extremist anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and attacks. With many LGBTQ+ businesses continuing to struggle in the economic aftermath of the global pandemic, HRC and SHOWTIME scaled up the initiative to include 25 businesses this year – five more than in 2021 – with a funding pool of $250,000.

“Supporting LGBTQ+ businesses combined with all the LGBTQ+ representation in Showtime programming, Queer to Stay has made a major impact all over the country,” said actor Jamie Clayton, star of The L Word: Generation Q. Q

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Utah ‘LGBT’ Republican group opposes Utah AIDS Foundation funding

The Salt Lake County Council approved a 2023 budget that includes a tax increase, but not before Utah Log Cabin Republicans, a group that claims to represent “conservative LGBT voices in Utah,” called on them to reject it, in part, because it allocates funding to the Utah AIDS Foundation.

“The 2023 comprehensive budget provides historic support to health, quality of life initiatives, homeless system assistance, and environmental sustainability investments,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson testified at the Council’s meeting. “Additionally, all of the county’s priority deferred maintenance was funded, including much-needed improvements at parks, recreation centers, and buildings throughout the county system.”

Wilson said that much of this was able to happen because of good economic recovery and pandemic-related cash from the federal government. She called this a “once-in-a-generation” chance for one-time capital spending projects and improvements.

Mental health improvements of $3.5 million went to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the establishment of the Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center in South Salt Lake.

Another $2 million was allocated to a tiny home village operated for the area’s homeless by The Other Side Village.

But it was a $2 million line item for covering the capital costs of a new community health center for the Utah AIDS Foundation that the group spent most of their release against.

“There is currently no LGBTQ+ community health center in Utah,” Wilson said. “The Utah AIDS Foundation will use this funding to renovate their building, transforming it into a space where comprehensive mental and physical healthcare will be provided.”

“Members of the LGBTQ+ community suffer from excess mental and physical health disparities compared to the rest of the population,” Wilson’s initial proposal reads. “The Utah AIDS Foundation will use this funding to renovate their building, transforming it into a

space where comprehensive mental and physical healthcare will be provided to the LGBTQ+ community in Salt Lake County. Renovations are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.”

ULCR disagrees with the need for its own community.

“Finally, we are concerned about the $2,000,000 proposed contribution of taxpayer money to the Utah AIDS Foundation,” newly installed ULCR president Goud Maragani wrote to the county council. “Neither the County Mayor nor the Utah AIDS Foundation has presented sufficient evidence about what unmet need this proposal will fulfill.”

Maragani said that services are “already being provided” by Community Health Centers and the University of Utah Healthcare.

“To date, no one has provided evidence showing that this facility will fulfill an unmet need in Salt Lake County that is not already being provided or could be provided by the County Health Department or another organization. Without that evidence, we cannot support this proposal,” Maragani wrote.

He said that UAF’s public presentation about the need for its health center lacks sufficient data for a need to specifically cover LGBTQ health. He also asks if the Salt Lake County Health Department is “discriminating against or providing” discriminating against or providing inadequate care to members of the LGBTQ+ community” because of the statistics UAF gave.

ULCR’s move to the ultra-right

In early 2021, Ryan Woods, aka “Lady Maga,” took over the Utah Log Cabin Republicans group and steered it dramatically to the ultra-right. One of his first moves was to be interviewed by Utah Eagle Forum’s Gayle Ruzicka about how he and the group supported

Utah House Bill 92, which would have made it illegal for a doctor to treat a transgender child with hormone therapies or gender-corrective surgeries.

“This has nothing to do with an LGBT issue,” Woods stated, “This has to do with protecting innocent children from procedures that have irreversible and very serious consequences.”

Woods said children are “pushed into declaring themselves to be transgender” by “Social Justice Warrior parents” and “LGBTQIA school curriculums.”

ULCR’s Facebook page and group suddenly were flooded with some of the most ultra-right memes, comments, and members from across the country. Among them are Utah State Board of Education Natalie Cline, who seeks to remove LGBTQ books from school libraries, and white nationalist group Utah Patriots.

Woods spent much of his time denouncing services to transgender youth, calling it “the castration and sterilization of children;” drag story hours, calling them “evil drag queens of the left;” and Democrats in general, saying, “the Democrat party is of Satan.”

Prior to Woods’ reign as president, ULCR was an integrated part of Utah’s LGBT community. The group was invited to several annual evenings with two Utah governors.

Maragani was elected without fanfare at a November meeting of the group at his Riverton house.

He ran this year for Salt Lake County Clerk, losing to Lannie Chapman with 42.84 percent of the vote. He was criticized for statements made on social media before he was a candidate that he believed that Democrats “cheated” and the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, for calling Democrats “Marxists,” and saying Democratic calls for mask requirements were an “indoctrination program to turn your children into commies.”

Maragani is a frequent commenter on Twitter with an incendiary style.

He is a veteran and an attorney who spent much of the past decade as a trial attorney in the U.S. Justice Department, Tax Division in Dallas, Texas, and judge advocate with the U.S. Army. He moved to Utah in June of 2020 to become a compliance attorney at a software company. Q

Goud Maragani

Salt Lake City, Park City get high rankings for LGBTQ equality. Others get ‘F’

Salt Lake City received its second 100 out of 100 rating from the Human Rights Campaign 2022 Municipal Equality Index. The MEI is a nationwide evaluation of 506 cities on how inclusive a municipality’s laws, policies, and services are of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Park City received a score of 70, second place for the state. Other cities in the state received the equivalent of an “f” grade, with Ogden at 58, West Valley City at 48, Provo at 40, and West Jordan and Orem at 36.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City was able to achieve a rating of 100 by getting “Flex Points,” similar to extra credit at school. For anti-discrimination laws, the capital city received 20 out of 30 points, getting credit for nondiscrimination laws for employment and housing, but lacking a law protecting from LGBTQ bias in public accommodations. As an employer, the city was credited for having a non-discrimination policy in city employment, transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits, and an ordinance requiring nondiscrimination policies for its city contractors. The Salt Lake Human Rights Commission earned the city five points, as did an LGBTQ+ liaison for the mayor’s office. Law enforcement received a perfect score for having an LGBTQ liaison and for reporting FBI hate crime statistics.

Flex points were given for having openly LGBTQ elected leaders, city employee domestic partner benefits, the state policy that forbids conversion therapy for youth,

and city services for a variety of LGBTQ demographics.

Park City

“Park City has a well-established reputation as a welcoming town for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Mayor Nann Worel. “And we remain committed to listening, learning, and working with the LGBTQ+ Task Force toward continuing to expand inclusivity in our community.”

Park City’s LGBTQ+ Task Force was formed in 2020 to advise on how the City could better reflect its values around inclusivity. In the past year, the LGBTQ+ Taskforce has worked to raise community awareness and visibility on the Wasatch back by hosting a Living Library event, organizing a two-session DEI Training for City staff and local stakeholders with Equality Utah, participating in the 4th of July parade, wrapping the Main Street Trolley in “Ride with Pride” branding for Pride Month, placing progress pride flag banners on Main Street, organizing a Utah Pride Parade entry, and hosting the Queerski event.

“Park City is engaging in the ongoing work of fostering an environment where the LGBTQIA+ community feels included and valued in the community. Although there is still room to grow, this score is something to be proud of, and it personally makes me excited to be a part of PCMC,” said Task Force liaison Browne Sebright.

Ogden and West Valley City

Both West Valley City and Ogden City had similar scores

for municipal non-discrimination laws as Salt Lake, but lacked transgender benefits for municipal employees and an ordinance requiring city contractors to maintain an LGBTQ nondiscrimination policy. City police do not have an LGBTQ liaison. Ogden does have at least one openly LGBTQ elected official and has a human rights commission, earning it 10 more points than WVC.

Provo, West Jordan, Orem

The bottom three cities received points only because the state of Utah has nondiscrimination policies and protects children from socalled conversion therapy. Q

views quotes

“To the politicians and activists who accuse LGBTQ people of grooming children and being abusers: Shame on you... As leaders of our country, it is your obligation to represent all of us, not just the ones you happen to agree with. Hate speech turns into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life from me at 25 years old. I beg you all to consider your words before you speak them, for someone may use those words to justify action — action that may take someone’s life.”

—Club Q survivor Michael Anderson

“The hateful rhetoric we’ve heard from elected leaders is the direct cause of the horrific shooting at Club Q... We need elected leaders to demonstrate language that reflects love and understanding — not hate and fear.”

—Club Q survivor James Slaugh

“We are being slaughtered and dehumanized across this country in communities you took oaths to protect... LGBTQ issues are not political issues. They are not lifestyles. They are not beliefs. They are not choices. They are basic human rights.”

—Club Q owner Matthew Haynes

“To my fellow LGBTQ community, events like this are designed to discourage us from speaking and living our truth,” he said. “They are designed to scare us from living openly, courageously and proudly. We must not succumb to fear. We must live prouder and louder than ever before.”

—Club Q survivor Michael Anderson

BY BRIAN FEMMINELLA

Itwas 7:15 a.m. and I had just landed after traveling across the country from working with my military unit. My phone started ringing. “Did you see it?” and “How are you feeling?” were the messages that started pouring in. Then I saw the news: “Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Club Q Shooting.” I was struck with the same feeling I had seeing the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting — fear and horror.

In 2016, I was still struggling with finding enough self-love to share my sexual identity. I vividly remember watching my parents’ television as the details of the shooting rolled in. I felt like coming out would put me at risk for further hate and unfathomable violence. For those who do not have a strong support system, small online acts of hateful rhetoric can deter someone from their journey to acceptance and happiness. At that moment, I was too young to understand the full extent of these actions but one thing was perfectly clear — the LGBTQ+ community is hated for simply existing.

I’m a soldier in the U.S. Army. I choose to put on the uniform to help protect the people of our country and at times, the hateful actions committed by fellow Americans has made me feel powerless. The idea of a “war zone” should only be familiar to soldiers like myself, not children in a school or people looking to have a fun night with their friends at a bar or club.

A few times over the past 24 hours, I found myself pondering the same question: “How can the sheer existence of queer and trans people be viewed as such a threat to others that they resort to murder?” The simple answer is that our society has allowed for this type of rhetoric to receive attention and sometimes even praise. As a result, five people in Colorado Springs were killed and 25 injured at an LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q. In a heroic attack, two unarmed citizens inside the club stopped the gunman to protect others. These men were not armed with

heavy weaponry, but rather a will to live and bravery in their hearts. If these civilians were able to act so quickly here, I wonder why the police had to wait for more than an hour to intervene in Uvalde.

Many Americans are now numb to the news of gun violence. For the past few years, we have watched our lawmakers stand impotently and choose their political party over protecting human beings. Sandy Hook seemed unimaginable and like a bad dream. When we saw that there

safety and existence of those who are simply trying to be themselves.

In the recent midterm elections, candidates ran on anti-LGBTQ platforms, categorized members of our community as “groomers,” and directly invalidated our existence. Although they did not pull the trigger, these politicians have ignited bigotry and homophobia to the point where their words are now weaponized. These survivors are now going to be faced with mental health struggles, likely including post-traumatic stress, which will directly affect their daily lives. Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to work with those struggling from traumatic experiences by using sound bytes to

was little action taken by lawmakers in the wake of six-year-old children being slaughtered in their elementary school classrooms, my heart was shattered. Today, nearly a decade later, there has been little to no movement on legislation to combat horrific gun violence. Instead of Congress taking action, American people have witnessed more than 27 additional mass shootings in schools alone and thousands more injured and/or killed.

From Pulse, to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ remarks on Obergefell vs. Hodges, to book bans (including one in my hometown), to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill being proposed nationally, I am worried that we are being pushed backwards in time. More than 340 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced this year and there have been more than a dozen attacks on our community.

This mass shooting came on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, directly threatening the

counteract feelings of fear and anxiety. Through my work in this field, I know the mental journey that these Club Q survivors are about to endure. I hope that anyone who is struggling knows that there are resources out there to help.

Today, I use my voice as an activist to work with victims of gun violence and those in the LGBTQ+ community who have been affected by hateful actions to remind people that we are human — just like them. The families of gun violence deserve better. The LGBTQ+ community deserves to feel safe from hate and violence. Children’s families deserve better. We as humans deserve better. We want effective policy and change over “thoughts and prayers.” The louder we resist, the weaker hate and fear become. Q

Anti-LGBTQ politicians ignited bigotry & homophobia; now their words are weaponized and 5 are dead at Club Q

Brian Femminella is a Gen-Z LGBTQ+ activist and tech entrepreneur. He is an outspoken voice in the queer and trans community, including through his work in the military as an Army Officer. This letter first appeared in Washington Blade.

PHOTO: TREY DEABUENO

Proud Boys

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

You know what the scariest thing about drag queen story hour is? The part where hooded men wearing body armor show up with assault rifles.

That’s what happened at a holiday themed storytelling event featuring drag queens on Dec. 3 when the Proud Boys showed up to protest

Anti-queer protest has become the Proud Boys’ new thing, giving them something to focus on besides worshipping disgraced former President Donald Trump and reliving their Jan. 6 Capitol riot by watching the footage they posted of themselves engaging in this act of terrorism on social media. After all, they’re the Proud Boys, not the Smart Boys.

According to Newsweek, “The far-right extremist group has appeared at a host of LGBTQ events across various states, threatening violence outside a drag brunch in Texas, protesting a Pride event at a public library in North Carolina and disrupting a drag show in California.”

And we can add Columbus, Ohio to their nationwide tour when the private Red Oak Community School was scheduled to hold a holiday fundraiser. That the Proud Boys would show up is not a surprise, as they announced it on Facebook as early as Nov. 15.

“The Columbus Proud Boys would like to announce that we will be attending the Holi-drag Storytime … on December 3rd!” they posted. “We look forward to meeting all of the attendees and welcome Americans from all over to join us. It’s gonna be wild! Stand by for details…”

Note their hat tip to Trump with their language. As you’ll remember, Trump urged people to join him in D.C. on Jan. 6 with the promise that it would “be wild” and urged the Proud Boys to “stand by” during a debate with Biden when Trump was asked if he would disavow such groups.

The good news? No one was shot at the Holi-Drag event. The bad news? The Proud Boys succeeded in

getting the event canceled. Because people were afraid of violence. Because the Proud Boys were there. With guns. Threatening violence.

That, my friends, is terrorism. Which is, of course, the point. They want you to be so scared that you don’t live your life. And the fear is real. The Club Q shooting is fresh in everyone’s minds right now. This isn’t hypothetical violence. This isn’t LGBTQ+ people acting hysterical.

“If you look at the history of the way in which organized violence works, it can often start with protests, can often start with fights or fistfights, but very quickly then can become armed events,” said TransLash Media CEO Imara Jones, in a Newsweek article. “What we are seeing overall right now is the transition and the legitimization of increasing violence and targeting of trans people by these groups.”

Equality Ohio urged people to stay away from the area and the organizers of the event canceled. Some believed the police would not protect them.

And it seems those instincts were right.

Columbus Police Sergeant Steven Dyer was seen high-fiving a Proud Boy at the event. When confronted, he claimed the brief camaraderie happened after he was complimented on his mustache and that he did not support any particular side.

This made some people very upset, but, I mean, who among us hasn’t high-fived an armed terrorist after they’ve said something complimentary about our facial hair?

Law enforcement is slow to catch up when it comes to who the “good guys” and the “bad guys” are in so-called culture wars. Police don’t exactly have a great history regarding the LGBTQ+ community, and there are no doubt more Proud Boys in their ranks than drag queens.

But the Proud Boys are listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They hate immigrants, Muslims, transgender people, women and Jews. While this is probably not an exhaustive list, the group claims they aren’t racist, but they do protest Black Lives Matter marches, so… yeah, they’re racist.

Imagine thinking that a drag queen is more dangerous to have around children than a group of men who are having some big feelings about their notion of masculinity being threatened while holding guns. Drag queens slay; guns slay. One is figurative and fun; one is very literal and deadly. The difference could not be more extreme. Q

D’Anne Witkowski is a writer living with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBTQ+ politics for nearly two decades. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

PHOTO: ANTHONY CRIDER

who’s your daddy

Change is good

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

Earlierthis month, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 8404, better known as The Respect for Marriage Act, which guarantees federal recognition of same-gender and interracial marriages. This new law, in part, repeals the infamous Defense of Marriage Act, which codified the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. DOMA was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support — including a yes vote from then-Senator Joe Biden — and the enthusiastic backing of President Bill Clinton.

RFMA also passed with bipartisan support, albeit shallower than that for DOMA. Three of Utah’s four House members and Sen. Mitt Romney voted “yes.” Rep. Burgess Owens, who voted for the bill originally in July, voted “present,” often considered a protest vote. Naturally, Sen. Mike Lee was opposed, but only after his amendment to further guard against conservatives’ favorite non-existent boogeyman, attacks on religious freedom, failed.

Now I’m cynical enough to think that the Utah Congressmen’s votes for RFMA aren’t a new-found sense of justice and equality for all. I think they may be teeing up for the activist uber-conservative U.S. Supreme Court to start repealing gay rights. See, DOMA was actually declared unconstitutional in 2013. Since it was widely based on a broad definition of “liberty,” which the current SCOTUS basically invalidated when it overturned Roe v. Wade, it would’ve been possible to overturn Windsor and reinstate DOMA.

RFMA does not codify the other important marriage equality SCOTUS case Obergefell v Hodges, which ruled that the 14th Amendment requires every state to license same-gender marriages and to recognize those performed in other states. With Roe out of the way, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested revisiting other pesky court rulings about contraception, same-gender relationships, and same-gender marriages in which “liberty” played a role. Cases like Obergefell. (He conveniently left off Loving v. Virginia, which

legalized his own interracial marriage!)

The new law requires all states to recognize same-gender marriages, but it doesn’t require all states to license them. That means if Obergefell is felled, Utah laws against “gay” marriages that were never removed from the books would be back in place, while Utah would still have to recognize those marriages performed in other states.

Unlike previous attempts to offer legislative support for same-gender marriage, RFMA enjoyed support from several religious organizations, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Hindu American Foundation, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, the Mormon Church supported a law positively impacting same-gender marriage.

Honestly, I don’t really care what the LDS Church, nor the Lutherans, Hindus, or even my own religion think about proposed legislation. I don’t believe any religious organization should support, oppose, have an opinion, or comment on legislative matters. I’m a steadfast believer in a strong separation between church and state. Nevertheless, perhaps there is a silver lining when it comes to the Mormon hierarchy’s support of RFMA.

You see, according to an index compiled by the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, in partnership with the Legatum Institute, when it comes to “LGBT relationships and parenthood recognition,” Utah is tied for dead last with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. (Connecticut and Maine are tied for first.) That was down five spots from ten years ago — before both the Windsor and Obergefell rulings. Utah has also slipped several places from 23 to 30 in “LGBT non-discrimination laws.”

I can’t speculate as to why the LDS Church decided to publicly support the bill. But perhaps by offering its support for RFMA, even while stating that it continues to believe that marriage is between one man and one woman (which is its right), the guys on North Temple can affect positive change in those rankings. And change is good. Q

WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE

• Talking about wanting to die

• Looking for a way to kill oneself

• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose

• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain

• Talking about being a burden to others

• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs

• Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly

• Sleeping too little or too much

• Withdrawing or feeling isolated

• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge

• Displaying extreme mood swings

The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. Warning signs are associated with suicide but may not be what causes a suicide.

WHAT TO DO

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide:

• Do not leave the person alone

• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt

• Call the U.S National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 9-8-8 or 800-273-8255

• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional

THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE 9-8-8

A free, 24/7 service that can provide suicidal persons or those around them with support, information and local resources.

TheSundance Film Festival returns to Park City and Salt Lake City in January with in-person options for the first time in three years.

Organizers announced 101 feature-length films, many of which will premiere at the festival, and 64 short films, and four indie episodic projects.

The festival will kick off Jan. 19 with, “Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance,” honoring “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, “Nanny” writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, and United Shades of America” comic/host W. Kamau Bell.

“A Taste of Sundance will raise crucial funds for the essential work Sundance Institute does year-round — grants, mentorships, critical resources, and hosting the Festival where new voices are discovered and launched — all made possible from the generosity of our donor community,” organizers said in a statement.

Online and in-person passes are now available, and individual film tickets will go on sale January 12.

PREMIERES

The Deepest Breath

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: LAURA MCGANN

A champion freediver and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards — and inescapable risks — of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.

LAURA MCGANN is a documentary filmmaker from Ireland. She started making films and producing theater when she was 15 and went on to study film in Ballyfermot, Dublin, before pursuing her master’s at Liverpool Hope University. Laura has worked in Ireland and abroad, shooting and directing numerous documentary projects for RTÉ, Sky, PBS, BBC, Lonely Planet, and UTV.

Cassandro

DIRECTOR: ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS, SCREENWRITERS: WILLIAMS, DAVID TEAGUE, JULIÁN HERBERT STARRING: GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL, ROBERTA COLINDREZ, PERLA DE LA ROSA, JOAQUÍN COSÍO, RAÚL CASTILLO.  Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.

Director ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS is an Oscar, Emmy, Webby, Peabody, and NAACP Image award-winning director, producer, and writer and the first African American director to win an Academy Award with Music by Prudence. His company, One Story Up, produced the acclaimed projects High on the Hog, Civil: Ben Crump, and Master of Light Cassandro is his first scripted feature film.

Drift

DIRECTOR: ANTHONY CHEN. SCREENWRITERS: SUSIE FARRELL, ALEXANDER MAKSIK

STARRING: CYNTHIA ERIVO, ALIA SHAWKAT, IBRAHIMA BA, HONOR SWINTON BYRNE, ZAINAB JAH, SUZY BEMBA. Jacqueline, a young refugee, lands alone and penniless on a Greek island where she tries to survive, then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with a rootless tour guide, and together they find the resilience to forge ahead.

Director ANTHONY CHEN is an award-winning writer, director, and producer from Singapore. His debut feature, Ilo Ilo (2013), won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes. His sophomore film, Wet Season (2019), was nominated for the Platform Prize at TIFF. In 2021, he contributed a short to the anthology film The Year of the Everlasting Storm, which premiered at Cannes. Drift marks his English-language debut.

Eileen

DIRECTOR: WILLIAM OLDROYD, SCREENWRITERS: LUKE

GOEBEL, OTTESSA MOSHFEGH

STARRING: THOMASIN MCKENZIE, ANNE HATHAWAY, SHEA WHIGHAM, MARIN IRELAND, OWEN TEAGUE.  Set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret — throwing Eileen onto a sinister path. Based on Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning novel. Director WILLIAM OLDROYD is best known for directing the critically acclaimed TIFF 2016 breakout Lady

Macbeth Starring: Florence Pugh. The film garnered rave reviews at the BFI London Film Festival, won the FIPRESCI Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and earned a DGA Award nomination. Oldroyd is a revered UK theater director who held a directing residency at the Young Vic Theatre in London.

Fairyland

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: ANDREW DURHAM

STARRING: SCOOT MCNAIRY, EMILIA JONES, GEENA DAVIS, CODY FERN, ADAM LAMBERT, MARIA BAKALOVA Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s, chronicling a father-daughter relationship as it evolves from an era of bohemian decadence to the heartbreaking AIDS crisis. Based on the best-selling memoir Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father by Alysia Abbott.

Director ANDREW DURHAM is a graduate of USC Film School who went on to work for MTV Networks as a producer and Fox Television Studios, where he served as Vice President of Production. Leaving television to pursue photography, Durham has shot for Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and Vogue, and taught photography at Art Center College of Design and Otis College of Design.

Invisible Beauty

DIRECTORS: BETHANN HARDISON FRÉDÉRIC TCHENG

Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity.

Director BETHANN HARDISON is an advocate, model, and muse with a career spanning over five decades, from working in New York City’s Garment District to founding her namesake agency, where she guided the careers of some of the most prominent models in the world. She has received many awards in recognition of her decades of advocacy work.

Director FRÉDÉRIC TCHENG is a French-born filmmaker based in Brooklyn. He co-directed Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, and his award-winning directorial debut, Dior and I, premiered at Tribeca in 2014. Halston, with CNN Films and Amazon Studios as executive producers, premiered at Sundance in 2019.

at Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto. Araki created/directed Starz’ Now Apocalypse and has directed episodes of TV shows including Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, 13 Reasons Why, Red Oaks, and American Crime

MIDNIGHT

It’s Only Life After All

DIRECTOR: ALEXANDRIA BOMBACH

Blending 40 years of home movies, film archives, and intimate present-day vérité, a poignant reflection from Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls. A timely look into the obstacles, activism, and life lessons of two queer friends who never expected to make it big.

Director ALEXANDRIA BOMBACH is an award-winning cinematographer, editor, and director from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her feature documentary On Her Shoulders, following Yazidi activist and Nobel laureate Nadia Murad, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival — where Bombach won the U.S. Documentary Directing Award — and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and shortlisted for an Academy Award.

Passages

DIRECTOR: IRA SACHS, SCREENWRITERS: SACHS, MAURI-

CIO ZACHARIAS

STARRING: FRANZ ROGOWSKI, BEN WHISHAW, ADÈLE EXARCHOPOULOS

An intimate examination of attraction and emotional abuse between men and women.

Director IRA SACHS is a filmmaker whose features include Frankie (Cannes), Little Men (Sundance), Love is Strange (Sundance), Keep the Lights On (Sundance), Forty Shades of Blue (Sundance Dramatic Grand Jury Prize), and The Delta (Sundance). A 2013 Guggenheim Fellow, Sachs is the Founding Director of Queer|Art, created in 2009 to support LGBTQ+ artists in film, performance, literature, and visual arts.

Rotting in the Sun

DIRECTOR: SEBASTIAN SILVA, SCREENWRITERS: SILVA, PEDRO PEIRANO

STARRING: JORDAN FIRSTMAN, CATALINA SAAVEDRA, SEBASTIAN SILVA

After filmmaker Sebastian Silva goes missing in Mexico City, social media celebrity Jordan Firstman begins searching for him, suspecting that the cleaning lady in Sebastian’s building may have something to do with his disappearance.

Director SEBASTIAN SILVA is a writer-director based in Mexico City. Sebastian’s eight films have featured in festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, and Sundance. His debut, The Maid, won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema, and Crystal Fairy won Sundance’s Director Award: World Cinema Dramatic. Sebastian is currently developing two television series with Ari Aster and A24.

FROM THE COLLECTION

Birth/Rebirth

DIRECTOR: LAURA MOSS SCREENWRIT-

ERS: MOSS AND BRENDAN J. O’BRIEN

Birth/Rebirth is a psychological horror film about motherhood and creation, inspired by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” A single mother and a childless morgue technician are bound together by their relationship with a little girl they have reanimated from the dead.

Director LAURA MOSS is a filmmaker from New York City whose work has screened at Tribeca, Rotterdam, and SXSW. Their short film Fry Day is featured on the Criterion Channel. They directed the sci-fi/comedy pilot “eureka!,” which won Best Director, Comedy Pilot at Seriesfest. They were a 2020 Sundance Screenwriters/Directors Labs fellow. Their award-winning screenplay Gordon, co-written with Brendan J. O’Brien, is in development.

The Doom Generation

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: GREGG ARAKI

STARRING: JAMES DUVAL, ROSE MCGOWAN, JOHNATHAN SCHAECH, PERRY FARRELL, HEIDI FLEISS, CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT, SKINNY PUPPY, JULIE TEWES, CRESS WILLIAMS. Jordan White and Amy Blue, two disenfranchised suburban teens, pick up a mysterious drifter, Xavier Red. Together, the trio embark on a sex-filled joyride through a surreal American wasteland of QuickieMarts and ultraviolence.

Director GREGG ARAKI earned an MFA in Film Production from USC. His features, including White Bird in a Blizzard, Kaboom, Smiley Face, Mysterious Skin, and The Living End, have screened

My Animal

DIRECTOR: JACQUELINE CASTEL, SCREENWRITER JAE MATTHEWS

STARRING: BOBBI SALVÖR MENUEZ, AMANDLA STENBERG, STEPHEN MCHATTIE, HEIDI VON PALLESKE, CORY LIPMAN, JOE APOLLONIO Heather, an outcast teenage goalie in a small northern town, falls for newcomer Jonny, an alluring but tormented figure skater. As their relationship

deepens, Heather’s growing desires clash with her darkest secret, forcing her to control the animal within.

Director JACQUELINE CASTEL is an internationally award-winning director and screenwriter based in New York City. Her short film work has screened at Sundance, SXSW, Rotterdam, Sitges, and Fantasia. She has written for and directed cult auteurs John Carpenter and Jim Jarmusch, and collaborated on a short film with David Lynch. Castel’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Nowness, and on Shudder.

NEW FRONTIER

NEXT

L’Immensità

DIRECTOR: EMANUELE CRIALESE, SCREENWRITERS: CRIALESE, FRANCESCA MANIERI

Kokomo City

DIRECTOR: D. SMITH

Gush

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: FOX MAXY

STARRING: MICHEL SAYEGH, RUTH FISH, SERGIO MEJIA, LITTLEBEAR SANCHEZ, NO’AASH

ISWUT PELTIER, SUAVITEL PAPER

An embodied rumination of both male and female power, healing and haunting, all within an apocalyptic world. A transformation that courses from unknown terror to untamed collective joy.

Director FOX MAXY is a filmmaker whose work has been screened at MoMA, LACMA, Rotterdam, and BlackStar Film Festival, among other places. In 2020, COUSIN Collective supported the director with her first grant. In 2022, Fox was named Sundance Institute’s Merata Mita Fellow. She’s also a Vera List Center Borderlands Fellow. Currently, Fox is working on a film about mental health.

Four Black transgender sex workers explore the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves while confronting issues long avoided. NEXT Director D. SMITH is a two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer who produced and is featured on “Shoot Me Down” from Lil Wayne’s 8x platinum album Tha Carter III and wrote/produced the No. 1 Billboard dance single “Love Yourself” by Billy Porter. She made history as the first trans woman cast on a primetime unscripted TV show. This is Smith’s directorial feature film debut.

SPOTLIGHT

STARRING: PENÉLOPE CRUZ, VINCENZO AMATO, LUANA GIULIANI, PATRIZIO FRANCIONI, MARIA CHIARA GORETT, PENELOPE NIETO CONTI

Clara has relocated to Rome with Felice and their three children. From their new apartment, Clara sees a city in transition: an old society washed away by an emerging middle class. The paint is fresh, and the appliances are new, but expectations around family, desire, and gender remain as traditional as ever.

Director EMANUELE CRIALESE is an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is a native of Rome and studied filmmaking in New York City. In 2022, he came out as a trans man while presenting L’immensità at the 2022 Venice Film Festival about the relationship between a trans boy and his mother in the 1970s. Crialese said the film was inspired by his own experiences

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Joyland

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: SAIM SADIQ

STARRING: ALI JUNEJO, RASTI FAROOQ, ALINA KHAN, SARWAT GILANI, SANIA SAEED, SALMAAN PEERZADA. As the Ranas, a happily patriarchal joint family, yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theater and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story illuminates the entire family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.

Director SAIM SADIQ is a Pakistani director who won the Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and the Canne Queer Palm award for directing the drama film “Joyland,” the first Pakistani film to be selected at Cannes.

The Disappearance of Shere Hite

DIRECTOR: NICOLE NEWNHAM

Shere Hite’s 1976 bestselling book, “The Hite Report,” liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Her findings rocked the American establishment and presaged current conversations about gender, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. So how did Shere Hite disappear?

Director NICOLE NEWNHAM is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning

documentary director and producer and four-time Sundance alumnus. She co-directed Crip Camp (2020) with Jim LeBrecht. Crip Camp was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Nicole’s other documentary directing credits include the Emmy-nominated films The Revolutionary Optimists, Sentenced Home, and The Rape of Europa

the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

Director ALEJANDRA VASQUEZ is a Mexican-American filmmaker. Raised in rural Texas, Vasquez directed the short films Folk Frontera, winner of the SXSW Texas Shorts Jury Award, and When It’s Good, It’s Good, co-produced with Latino Public Broadcasting. Going Varsity in Mariachi is her first feature film.

Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

Intimate vérité, archival footage, and visually innovative treatments of poetry take us on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary queer poet Nikki Giovanni as she reflects on her life and legacy.

Director JOE BREWSTER is a media-maker who believes in the healing power of stories. Brewster left his medical practice to create immersive, narrative, and documentary stories that provoke, challenge, and inspire. He is an Independent Spirit Award and four-time Emmy nominee, a jury prize winner at Tribeca and Sundance, and a Guggenheim fellow.

Director MICHÈLE STEPHENSON is a platform-agnostic artist who pulls from her Haitian and Panamanian roots to create stories centering on the lived experiences of the Black diaspora. She is a Guggenheim fellow and Creative Capital artist. Stephenson lives in Brooklyn with her creative and life partner, Joe Brewster.

Going Varsity In Mariachi

DIRECTORS ALEJANDRA VASQUEZ, SAM OSBORN

In the competitive world of high school mariachi, the musicians from

Director SAM OSBORN is a filmmaker of Mexican-American descent. His debut feature-length documentary, Universe, was awarded Best Music Documentary at the 2021 IDA Documentary Awards. His short film Folk Frontera received the Texas Shorts Jury Award at SXSW 2022 and premiered on The Latino Experience on PBS. Going Varsity in Mariachi is his second feature-length project.

Little Richard: I Am Everything

DIRECTOR: LISA CORTÉS

This celebration of Little Richard reveals the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Through archival and performance footage, the revolutionary icon’s life unspools with all of its switchbacks and contradictions.

Director LISA CORTÉS is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer and director renowned for creating challenging, visionary stories. The film Precious, which she executive produced, received the Sundance Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama. All In: The Fight For Democracy, which she directed with Liz Garbus, chronicles the battle waged by Stacey Abrams against voter suppression.

The Stroll

DIRECTORS: KRISTEN LOVELL, ZACKARY DRUCKER

The history of New York’s Meatpacking District, told from the perspective of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell, who walked “The Stroll” for a decade, reunites her community to recount the violence, policing, homelessness, and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights.

Director KRISTEN LOVELL has been an advocate in the trans community for over 20 years. As an actress, she appeared in Random Acts of Flyness, and she was co-producer of the award-winning feature The Garden Left Behind. The Stroll is her directorial debut.

Director ZACKARY DRUCKER is an artist and filmmaker whose work has been shown at museums and galleries, including the Whitney Biennial, MoMA PS1, and the Hammer Museum. Zackary was a producer on the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning series Transparent. Her directorial debut, The Lady and The Dale, recently premiered on HBO.

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Fancy Dance

DIRECTOR: ERICA TREMBLAY, SCREENWRITERS: TREMBLAY, MICIANA ALISE

STARRING: LILY GLADSTONE, ISABEL DEROY-OLSON, RYAN BEGAY, SHEA WHIGHAM, AUDREY WASILEWSKI

Following her sister’s disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child’s white grandparents and sets out for the

state powwow in hopes of keeping what is left of their family intact.

Director ERICA TREMBLAY is an award-winning writer and director from the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. Her short film Little Chief premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She is a Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab fellow and an SFFilm Rainin Grant recipient. Tremblay was the Executive Story Editor on Dark Winds, an AMC series produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. She is the Executive Story Editor on season two of Reservation Dogs at FX and also directed an episode. Together with Sterlin Harjo, she will be co-writing and Executive Producing a series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellow Bird for Paramount+. Tremblay lives on Cayuga Lake in upstate New York, where she studies her Indigenous language.

Mutt

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: VUK LUNGULOV-KLOTZ

STARRING: LÍO MEHIEL, COLE DOMAN, MIMI RYDER, ALEJANDRO GOIC. Over the course of a single hectic day in New York City, three people from Feña’s past are thrust back into his life. Having lost touch since transitioning from female to male, he navigates the new dynamics of old relationships while tackling the day-to-day challenges of living life in between.

Director VUK LUNGULOV-KLOTZ is a Chilean-Serbian filmmaker raised between Chile, New York City, and Serbia. He is an alum of the Sundance Institute Labs, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative Program. As a transgender storyteller, he hopes to expand queer narratives. His work focuses on intimate moments we often miss if we’re not looking. Mutt is his debut feature film.

The Persian Version

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: MARYAM KESHAVARZ

STARRING: LAYLA MOHAMMADI, NIOUSHA NOOR, KAMAND SHAFIEISABET, BELLA WARDA, BIJAN DANESHMAND, SHERVIN ALENABI.

When a large Iranian-American family gathers for the patriarch’s heart transplant, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past. Toggling between the United States and Iran over decades, mother and daughter discover they are more alike than they know.

Director MARYAM KESHAVARZ is an Iranian-American writer, director, and producer. Her first narrative feature, Circumstance, won the Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Participant Media. Maryam’s sophomore feature, Viper Club, Starring: Academy Award-winner Susan Sarandon, had its world premiere at TIFF 2018 and was released by Roadside Attractions. The Persian Version is Maryam’s third feature.

Shortcomings

DIRECTOR: RANDALL PARK, SCREENWRITER: ADRIAN TOMINE STARRING: JUSTIN H. MIN, SHERRY COLA, ALLY MAKI, DEBBY RYAN, TAVI GEVINSON, SONOYA MIZUNO. Following Ben, Miko, and Alice as they navigate a range of interpersonal relationships and traverse the country in search of the ideal connection.

Director RANDALL PARK is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who is best known for his role as Louis Huang in the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, for which he was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series award in 2016.

Theater Camp

DIRECTORS: MOLLY GORDON, NICK LIEBERMAN SCREENWRITERS: NOAK GALVIN, BEN

STARRING:

When the beloved founder of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York falls into a coma, the eccentric staff must band together with the founder’s crypto-bro son to keep the camp afloat.

Director MOLLY GORDON recently wrapped on her feature directorial debut Theater Camp. She’s currently filming the second season of Adam McKay’s HBO series, Winning Time. Other credits include: Shiva Baby (John Cassavetes Award), Booksmart, Good Boys, Life Of The Party, and Ramy. Upcoming: Netflix’s You People, Starring: opposite Julia Louis Dreyfus, Jonah Hill, and Eddie Murphy.

Director NICK LIEBERMAN is a Los Angeles–based writer-director. He has made music videos with a variety of artists, including Ben Platt and Remi Wolf, and his commercial work includes projects with Samsung, Billboard, and Fendi. Theater Camp is his feature directorial debut.

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Is There Anybody Out There?

While navigating daily discrimination, a filmmaker who inhabits and loves her unusual body searches the world for another person like her and explores what it takes to love oneself fiercely despite the pervasiveness of ableism.

PLATT, GORDON, LIEBERMAN

MOLLY GORDON, BEN PLATT, NOAH GALVIN, JIMMY TATRO, PATTI HARRISON, AYO EDEBIRI

Director Ella Glendining is a writer-director dedicated to telling authentic disabled stories. She has written and directed short films with backing from Film4, the BFI, Arts Council England, Screen South, and the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. Ella was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow 2020. She is currently writing a feature fiction film called CURIOSITIES OF FOOLS for the BFI.

in contemporary art and experimental folk music. Having deep roots in the distinct culture of South Estonia, Anna’s second home is in India. As an active dumpster diver, Anna’s short documentary For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives initiated public discussion and the growth of new grassroots movements against food waste in Estonia.

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Milisuthando

DIRECTOR: MILISUTHANDO BONGELA

Set in past, present, and future South Africa — an invitation into a poetic, memory-driven exploration of love, intimacy, race, and belonging by the filmmaker, who grew up during apartheid but didn’t know it was happening until it was over.

Director MILISUTHANDO BONGELA is an award-winning writer, editor, cultural worker, and artist living in Johannesburg. Her career began in the fashion industry, but the last 15 years have seen her traverse the worlds of music, art, media, and film — continually turning towards Indigenous knowledge. Sundance-supported Milisuthando is her first film.

Bad Behaviour

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: ALICE ENGLERT STARRING: JENNIFER CONNELLY, BEN WHISHAW, ALICE ENGLERT, ANA SCOTNEY, DASHA NEKRASOVA, MARLON WILLIAMS. Lucy, a former child actor, seeks enlightenment at a retreat led by spiritual leader Elon while she navigates her close yet turbulent relationship with her stunt-performer daughter, Dylan.

Director ALICE ENGLERT is an Australian New Zealand actor and filmmaker who came on the scene in Sally Potter’s Ginger & Rosa and featured in 20 films and series. Alice has made two shorts, The Boyfriend Game, which premiered at the 2016 Berlinale, and Family Happiness (2017). Bad Behaviour is her feature film debut as a writer-director.

growing up threatens the boundaries of their tenderness and forces Grace to reckon with a past she struggles to forget.

Director ADURA ONASHILE is an award-winning Glasgow-based artist. In 2020, she wrote and directed her screen debut, Expensive Shit, a BAFTA Scotland-nominated short produced by barry crerar, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2020. Girl is her feature debut.

Mamacruz

DIRECTOR: PATRICIA ORTEGA SCREEN-

WRITERS: ORTEGA, JOSÉ ORTUÑO

With the help of her newly emigrated daughter, a religious grandmother learns how to use the internet. However, an accidental encounter with pornography poses a dilemma for her.

PATRICIA ORTEGA , the founder of Mandrágora Films, graduated in Social Communication from the International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños EICTV (Cuba) in the specialty of direction (2003-2005). She also graduated from the Filmakademie in Ludwigsburg (Germany) in the specialty of documentary direction (2006). She directed her first feature film in 2018, entitled Yo, Imposible.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion.

Director ANNA HINTS is an Estonian film director with a background

Girl

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: ADURA ONASHILE

STARRING: DÉBORAH LUKUMUENA, DANNY SAPANI, LE’SHANTEY BONSU, LIANA TURNER Eleven-year-old Ama and her mother, Grace, take solace in the gentle but isolated world they obsessively create. Ama’s

Slow

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: MARIJA KAVTARADZE

Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy.

Film director and scriptwriter MARIJA

KAVTARADZE is considered to be one of the most talented upcoming filmmakers in Lithuania. She graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Film Directing studies, in 2014. Her debut feature film, Summer Survivors, premiered at Toronto IFF 2018, was well-received at international festivals and received three Lithuanian Film Academy awards.

SHORT FILMS

Bigger on the Inside / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER:

ANGELO MADSEN MINAX

Through snowy stargazing, flirting with guys on dating apps, taking ketamine (or not), and watching YouTube lecture videos, outer and inner space collapse — to draw a warped cartography of desire and distance.

Christopher at Sea

/ FRANCE, U.S.A, U.K

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: TOM

CJ BROWN, SCREENWRITER: LAURE

DESMAZIÈRES

CAST: JOCELYN SI, ANDREW

ISAR, FLORIAN DESBIENDRAS

Christopher embarks on a transatlantic voyage as a passenger on a cargo ship. His hopes of finding out what lures so many men to sea sets him on a journey into solitude, fantasy, and obsession.

The Dalles / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER:

ANGALIS FIELD,

CAST: JOSHUAH MELNICK, AUGUST ACKLEY. Cam is used to seeing the same customers while working at his family’s cherry stand. After a handsome cyclist passes through and asks for directions to a local cruising site, Cam takes it as an invitation to follow him. WORLD PREMIERE.

fur / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: ZHEN LI

A crush gone moldy…

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Headdress / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER

TAIETSARÓN:SERE ‘TAI’ LECLAIRE

CAST: LECLAIRE, SEAN REIDY, RACHEL MCKAY STEELE, SAMI GRIFFITH, AUSTIN POHLEN. When a queer Native is confronted by a non-Native wearing a ceremonial headdress at a music festival, he retreats into his mind to find the perfect response from various versions of his own identity.

WORLD PREMIERE

Pipes / SWITZERLAND

DIRECTORS: KILIAN FEUSI, JESSICA MEIER, SUJANTH RAVICHANDRAN, PRODUCERS: GERD GOCKELL, JÜRGEN HAAS

CAST: TOM VON ARX, DAVE STRIEGEL. Bob is a plumber hired to fix a broken pipe. He lands, to his surprise, in a gay fetish club. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.

Tender / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: SAMM

HODGES

CAST: WILL BRILL, LOUISA KRAUSE, ALEXANDER HUBBLE, DAINA GRIFFITH. A missing wallet threatens to destroy a teenager’s life. WORLD PREMIERE

Thriving: A Dissociated

Reverie / CANADA

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITERS:

NICOLE BAZUIN, ANDREA WERHUN, SCREENWRITER: KITOKO MAI

CAST: KITOKO MAI, DUSTIN HICKEY, MYFANWY CHARLESWORTH, MORGAN BARGENT, GRACE

MCDONALD, ANDREA WERHUN

A surrealist exploration of dissociative identity disorder based on the lived experience of a Black, nonbinary, disabled artist and former sex worker. WORLD PREMIERE

Troy / U.S.A.

DIRECTOR: MIKE DONAHUE, SCREENWRITER: JEN SILVERMAN

CAST: ADINA VERSON, MICHAEL

BRAUN, FLORIAN KLEIN, DYLAN BAKER, DANA DELANY.

Troy has loud sex. Troy has loud sex 24/7. Troy shares a wall with Thea and Charlie.

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Queer Guide to Slamdance 2023

For 28 years, Slamdance has been the “Jan” to Sundance’s “Marsha.” They have dubbed themselves the festival “By Filmmakers For Filmmakers,” though other film lovers will enjoy their lineup as well.

Slamdance organizers say 2023 offers “an intimate festival experience in championing and discovering emerging artists who will shape our cultural future.”

“The Festival this year is a showcase full of raw and innovative filmmaking,” organizers said in a statement. “We’ve created a strong track record for showcasing breakthrough artists. Filmmakers who first presented their work at the festival are now amongst the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Alumni include Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Ari Aster (Midsommar), Gina

Documentary Feature Competition

Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King), The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), Lynn Shelton (Little Fires Everywhere) and Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk).”

This year, Slamdance will take place in-person from January 20–26 in Park City and Salt Lake City, and virtually from January 23–29 with 19 Unstoppable Shorts, 11 Animated Shorts, 18 Narrative Shorts, 13 Documentary Shorts, 5 Experimental Shorts, 5 Episodes, and 9 DIG Showcases to the lineup. Exploring themes of grief, religion, cultural roots, memories and more, the films in these programs challenge our current perception of cinema.

Here are some of the queer offerings QSaltLake found in their lineup:

discuss their experiences of polyamory. Diomysus asks the question — are we (the audience) more open to taboo ideas if unconscious bias is eliminated?

Unstoppable Shorts:

CISCO KID — (U.S.) U.S. Premiere

DIRECTOR: EMILY KAYE ALLEN

In a queer portrait of the contemporary American West, Eileen — a young, solitary maverick–forges a life among the discarded remnants and lingering memories of a desert ghost town called Cisco.

Documentary Shorts

ALEEYA — (India, United States)

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: NINA MAHESH, CAST: NITHU RS Aleeya follows a transgender woman as she embarks on a day-long journey to buy a gift for her lover while attempting to persevere through India’s societal inequities and prejudice, as well as the growing rape culture of male youth.

Experimental Shorts:

YACE SULA; PRODUCER: YACE SULA

CAST: YACE SULA

A nonbinary visual artist contemplates their relationship with darkness and its hold on their complexion, trauma, and queerness.

DIG (Digital, Interactive, and Gaming):

DIOMYSUS — (Wales, UK)

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: EMILY MORUS-JONEZ

CAST: RUBY RARE, LAURA BACON, ROBBIE BELLEKOM, EMILY MORUS-JONES

A comedy-documentary where a group of mice (voiced by members of the UK polyamorous community whose identities are masked using puppetry)

ELE OF THE DARK — (U.S.)

DIRECTOR: YACE SULA; SCREENWRITER:

GLITCHBODIES — (Austria)

DIRECTOR: REBECCA MERLIC; SCREENWRITERS: MERLIC, HANNAH JÖCHL

CAST: MONIKA FREINBERGER, ALEXANDRU COSARCA ,JUDITH KRANZ, MARIE-LUISE LEHNER, KLITCLIQUE, ANTHEA, ANNEMARIE ARZBERGER, NUH PEACE Portals of Glitch suck you into an eternal loop of experiencing bodies, minds, and thoughts to respond to the very male-dominated world of video games by creating an interactive digital space, a fluid journey through infinite individuality, gender, and realities.

Narrative Shorts:

OUR MALES AND FEMALES — (Jordan)

DIRECTOR: AHMAD ALYASEER; SCREENWRITERS: AHMAD ALYASEER, RANA ALYASEER

CAST: KAMEL EL BASHA, SHAFIQA TALL

A father and mother are faced with the painful task of washing their deceased transgender daughter, but when no one agrees to wash her, how far is the father willing to go to make sure his “son” is washed?

For more information and for tikects, go to slamdance.com

Maddy

Founder, @CafeMaddyCab

A familiar place to be

cation at all when they’re taken hostage.

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

Thisis Ben Aldridge’s moment, and that’s no spoiler alert. The Los Angeles Times already made that call in a recent profile of the 37-year-old English actor, writing that Aldridge is “on the cusp of stardom.”

And so it seems, as Aldridge, an established London theater actor who came out publicly as gay in 2020, thrusts himself into leading-man roles in two major studio films after a recurring role in “Fleabag” and a more substantial part, as Thomas Wayne, in HBO’s “Pennyworth.”

On the big screen, the actor can currently be seen in the new romantic tragicomedy from Focus Features, direc-

tor Michael Showalter’s “Spoiler Alert.” In the film, Aldridge portrays Kit Cowan, a photographer whose romantic relationship with real-life pop culture journalist Michael Ausiello, played by Jim Parsons, is suddenly challenged when he’s diagnosed with cancer (the film is based on Ausiello’s 2017 memoir of the same name).

In early 2023, Aldridge will try his damnedest to survive M. Night Shyamalan’s apocalyptic horror film “Knock at the Cabin,” portraying another gay character, this time alongside “Looking” actor Jonathan Groff. Aldridge ad Groff lead the Universal Pictures project, out Feb. 3, as gay dads vacationing at a remote cabin, which ends up not being much of a va-

From the Park Lane Hotel in New York City, Aldridge spoke about how it feels “invigorating” being a gay actor playing gay characters, his reaction to Sally Field portraying his onscreen mother and the “wave of progress” in LGBTQ-led content. What was it like to tell such an emotional story that really happened in “Spoiler Alert”? I think exactly that. I think it was emotional. It was intense, but kind of intensely wonderful. I feel like this is the kind of acting role and piece that you dream of doing. From falling in love, to the diagnosis, to the tragedy of Kit’s passing, it’s really a full life lived over 14 years in the film. And that’s kind of a dream come true, to be able to play someone that experiences all of that. I felt really honored, and sometimes daunted and overwhelmed, that I had been given the responsibility of telling the portion of Kit’s story in the film. It was a privilege from start to now. Still

‘Spoiler Alert’ star Ben Aldridge came out in 2020. Now he’s the leading gay man in two big studio films.

talking about it feels like a privilege. I imagine that you and Jim had a lot of work to do between the two of you to really make this feel authentic to Michael and Kit’s story. I really felt like my performance wouldn’t have existed without Jim’s. I felt so informed by him at all times and so much empathy for them as real people. But then that kind of just concentrated itself into me feeling specific empathy for Michael and Jim playing Michael that it just really felt like everything I did was influenced by everything he did the whole time.

In terms of chemistry, we just started emailing. So as soon as the film came together and I was signed on to do it, Jim emailed me and the subject header said, “Let’s start.” We just started this pen pal-ship of these long letters. Sometimes about the project, but not very often; mostly just about ourselves to get to know each other. And we’d ask each other questions about acting, maybe, but more about our lives and our partners and all sorts, really. And there was still a leap of faith in that. We were very lucky that we’ve formed a real friendship, which I think definitely helped us just to know each other and trust each other in the scenes. And I think it helped with that chemistry.

Our guide really was the material in the book and it is so detailed, and it’s so rich, and so full. It was always tethering it back to that. And Michael Ausiello was there on set as an exec and had really lived this. So I think we were just really lucky. I read that you used Kit’s actual camera in the film, and then I wondered what kind of role Michael had in helping you portray Kit. Had he shared with you some details about Kit that brought you closer to who he was to play him? Yeah, he did. As soon as I finished reading the book, I emailed Michael and he then emailed me back and just made himself a very open resource for anything Kit-related, him-related, relationship-related, including artifacts and specific things. It felt very powerful to hold that camera on set and to think that I was doing the

thing that Kit did with it. There was something just very sacred in the object itself. Other things I asked him questions about, and that really helped me.

He has an active Kit Cowan Archives on Instagram and also his Flickr account. I’m surprised at how much that gave me an insight into the way he viewed the world. And he was a documentarian, so just very quirky observations. There’s a lot of humor in his work. The things that he captured were very specific to the way he saw the world. And Michael told me that, really, Kit’s camera was Kit making sense of the world and of himself. He also took a lot of selfies, probably in a time where not many people did, but lots of famous photographers have done that as well. I just really enjoyed poring over the photographs. They helped me in a way that I didn’t think they would. There’s the moment where there’s this de-gaying of Kit’s place right before his parents come over. It’s funny because I feel like that’s relatable to every gay person. Did you relate to that particular experience? Yeah, definitely. I think something the film does very subtly is show us the journey of… as gay people, until the moment our parents find out about our true selves, we are very used to managing their handle on the truth and what they know about us. And I think it can keep a distance between you and your parents, and certainly I could relate to that. What happens in the film, once [Kit’s parents] Marilyn and Bob know and are accepting, there’s just such an honest exchange. I think it just deepens the parental relationship for them to really know who you are. I did really relate to that. And I think the de-gaying of the apartment, I can relate to almost de-gaying

myself a little bit when going home when I was younger, and maybe potentially dressing differently or just being more conscious of that. I’m glad that element of the book is represented in the film. I love that Kit had “Beaches.” And not just “Beaches” on DVD, but the special edition. Those DVDs are very specific. Sara K. White, the [production] designer, [made] everything in the apartment so specific to the book. But then things outside of the book, we shared several emails back and forth about what I wanted there. Certain books and art books. If you look at all those films, they all make a lot of sense. And again, there were things of Kit’s in there. So yeah, it was very cool. What was your initial reaction when you found out that Sally Field would be playing your mother? So she was attached

before I became part of the conversation, before I met Michael [Showalter] and Jim. So I knew that was always the deal. But of course, I was so excited. But also definitely a healthy amount of intimidation, just to think that I would be looking into her eyes and saying lines and hoping that she believed me. And yeah, that was a good nervous energy. But it was wonderful, and I could just marvel at her.

All of us were really free to improvise and she did a lot of improvisation. And sometimes I’d be just in a scene, of course acting with her, but being a bit

like, “Wow, she’s so amazing.” And Bill [Irwin, who plays Kit’s father] too. Such wonderful actors. And they both have gay children themselves. So I think there was a real understanding and a real care. They had so much care over us and over playing parents to gay children. I just really felt that from them. They’re both wonderful in the film as well.

Was “RuPaul’s Drag Race” actually on in that scene with Sally? Did you really watch “Drag Race” with Sally Field? Definitely knew we were watching “Drag Race.” I can’t remember if it was actually on the screen. Because there’s a funny thing about actually playing stuff [on TVs] and filming, so I don’t know. But we definitely knew we were watching it. But also, Kit at that moment is so almost in and out of consciousness. It was a really special moment because, I mean, I never watched “Drag Race” with my parents, and I wonder if they would understand it or not. But I just love that in our story that they sat down with their parents. It was just a really nice moment, cuddled up next to Sally Field. There was something really tender and gentle about [that].

Is this your first gay character? No. I

played a gay character on stage in a play called “The Lyons” in my 20s. And then I had done a UK detective series [“The Long Call”] just before filming this where it was apparently the first ever gay detective on UK screens. But yeah, that was very, very personal. I’m not a detective, but it really reflected my own life. And it’s been really nice over the last three years, and something I’ve craved and wanted to do is to play people that I really identify with. My 20s [as an actor] was about escaping. I was playing lots of straight romantic parts, which I love doing. But it was about escaping something. I think more recently I’ve wanted to do a deeper dive on myself and meet myself in the projects that I’m doing and really emotionally understand. We’re in a wave of progress where there’s more quick content, and I feel really excited and privileged to be getting to play these characters.

To see your identity reflected in these characters on screen in kind of a big way, what does that mean to you? Yeah, it’s a very personal experience. It’s strangely relieving to be on a set and being witnessed by a crew. It kind of feels like taking

your skin off a little bit and being the most unguarded you’ve ever been. Even though you are still playing something, it feels invigorating, it feels life-affirming, it feels emboldening. And as someone who really struggled with their identity and a lot of shame in my teenage years and throughout my 20s, there is something... I feel very privileged to be doing it. And I feel like I’m part of riding a wave of progress. And I’m very pleased to be there and really glad that we’re getting more stories about ourselves that are not just connected to tragedy in the way that we’ve been represented before.

Love is at the center of [this] film. And yes, tragedy strikes, but it’s a real story that really happened. We’re not immune to the reality of life. What we should be calling for is real reality and real stories about us. And that also should contain the spectrum and the breadth and diversity of our community as well. Q

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi. is interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Founder, onePULSE Foundation

Lily Tomlin remembers the magic of Allee Willis

Acting legend looks back on her dear late friend as Willis’ inaugural Night of Wonders launches

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

The“ClassicLily” tab on Lily Tomlin’s official website is, today, barely operational. It looks like it was created at the dawn of the internet and never updated.

The reason for this might be, simply, the same reason why, when we lose someone we love, it’s impossible to let go of what they left behind. Updating it means erasing a special footprint on that site — that of Tomlin’s friend Allee Willis, who years ago (“quite a while ago, I can’t even recall,” Tomlin says) made that webpage.

Willis, who sometimes went by the name Bubbles, created the page with “dignity and taste,” as noted in the signature seen at the bottom. Willis was a Broadway composer, a multimedia visual artist, a graphic artist, a songwriter and, says Tomlin, “an all around fantastical person.” She famously wrote the “Friends” theme song and was the only woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

“She was so involved in video and did so many things and had mastered it,” Tomlin said. “And of course I was totally fumble floozy. Couldn’t do anything.”

Tomlin believes this was the beginning of a wonderful, enduring friendship as the two artists, both gay and from Detroit, bonded instantaneously. Though Tomlin couldn’t pinpoint exactly what brought them together, “once you [were] exposed to her, she just became a fixture in your life.”

Recently, Tomlin, 83, attended the L.A. launch event for the Willis Wonderland Foundation, called Night of Wonders — a fitting tribute to the magical mind of Willis, who died suddenly in 2019, at age 72, after suffering a cardiac arrest. The foundation supports the education and advancement of songwriters and multimedia artists, notably those in underserved communities.

Tomlin was eager to talk about the foundation, her friend and the event, which RuPaul also attended. So eager she and Willis’ partner, Prudence Fenton, tried to contact me on their own, unprompted, one recent Saturday evening, without a publicist involved, but were met with a voicemail. Prudence left a message. That’s just how important Willis was to Tomlin.

I’m sorry that you couldn’t get through to us, but I really appreciate the fact that you two looked up our business line and tried. Because it just says how much you want to talk about Allee. Clearly, she was a very special friend in your life. Allee was so amazing. I think this Willis Wonderland Foundation is a wonderful, multi-level idea in keeping with Allee’s legacy.

She just blew me away, really. She was a total original. And all the people around her were always like a part of her family and they were so devoted to her, and the foundation plans on so many ideas and practical extensions of who Allee was. And her house. I mean, her house is going to be the headquarters for the foundation. That magical, ideal ’50s house that’s filled with art. Have you been there? I haven’t been there. Can you walk me through it? Well, it’s just an incredible, typical ’50s suburban house with ’50s cars parked in the driveway. Old Chryslers and things. I have a ’55 Dodge Royal Lancer myself. She’s got seven bowling balls in the front yard. And then in the back she has a beach blanket around her pool. And then in the house itself, it’s totally magical. She had an alter ego, Bubbles the artist, that she never admitted to being, but she managed Bubbles. And Bubbles created all this porcelain dinnerware and display pieces. And I have several pieces myself with Ernestine’s [Tomlin’s famous telephone operator character] image on it.

She testified before the Congress on behalf of the songwriters in fighting for their access, their right to their material, and not being ripped off by the media in certain ways. And her wardrobe alone was a visual statement. Her massive wardrobe alone. Her haircut. Everything about her, she was tireless. Just constantly had a big audio visual setup that she worked. The way you’re describing her, and from what I know about you and your work, it just makes all the sense in the world that you two would be friends. I’m so grateful for her friendship. She was a terrific person. I can still see her up in the middle of the aisle at [historic Hollywood restaurant] Musso and Frank. She talked at the top of her voice no matter what she was talking about. She had something to say about everything and just telling it to you in really big ways.

Do you remember a time when something made her that passionate? I remember that one of the last times I saw her at Musso’s was, I’d gone to the theater to see some production or something at the Pantages [Theatre] and she had a little party there at Musso’s. She was standing up outside the booth and as soon as she saw me, “Oh, Lily!” and then blah, blah, blah. I can’t even possibly recreate it. It was just… she was excited about everything. Excited and interested and bigger than life. And her death was sudden, just like that. It shocked all of us. Did living in Detroit have anything to do with your friendship? I think it really does. I think so many people, especially from our era, were from Detroit. But you didn’t actually meet Allee here in Detroit? No, I didn’t meet her in Detroit. Not that I’m aware. I was looking at her bio and her awards on the internet. And she came to L.A. in ’69, which is the year I’d just gone to California to be on [the TV series] “Laugh-In.” Did you two ever bond over Detroit? Oh yeah. If you’re from Detroit, I mean, it’s in your blood. You just don’t turn away from it. It’s imprinted. I thought it was the greatest city in the world. It was gritty, it was hardcore, it was political. I mean, I lived in that kind of neighborhood. And then, a very short distance for me were the rich sections like Sherwood Forest and Palmer Park, Palmer Woods and then I was aware of Grosse Pointe. And my first character was a Grosse Pointe matron. I did it in a college show. Wait, really? Yeah. It was just about the time that Grosse Pointe had found out that it had a merit system where it rejected sales of ownership to anybody of questionable origins. Which meant not Waspy. Kathy Ford became a good friend of mine, and she was Henry Ford’s third wife. And I’ve had so many connections. When I was doing “9 to 5,” she was stopped in the car with Henry when he said [his famous line], “Don’t complain, don’t explain.” We were on the same page in Time Magazine when they had those old news items, and Kathy and I were both there. And I renewed my friendship with her around that time.

Aside from the website, what else did you work on with Allee professionally? She would do things at the gay center [Los Angeles LGBT Center] and I would present her, or I would present Bubbles. And she would hang her China on the walls. One time she did a plate of me and my partner, Jane [Wagner]. Separate plates. And they were so outrageously funny. When I walked in and I saw those plates on the wall, I started laughing. I just was overcome with laughter. What did these plates look like?

I have this big red, smiling mouth and stringy looking hair, but you knew it was me. And then Jane was really stoic, blonde, passive, soft smile. You want me to send you a photograph of them? You’ll get a kick out of them. I’m sorry. I’m forcing all this stuff on you.

Oh, are you kidding me? Nothing is being forced on me. I want to see those plates, Lily. I should start taking them on the road with me! Anyway, I know I was older than Allee. I was five or six or seven years older than she was. But she went to Mumford High School, which was almost in my neighborhood. But I wound up going to Cass Tech because I was in the northern district, and Northern High School was a really tough high school. And so, a lot of kids went over to Cass Tech. And it was supposed to be where the smart kids were anyway. And I was happy to play that role and fell right into it. They weren’t all that smart, believe me.

[Publicist chimes in with a heads that we have five minutes left.]

Oh my god. Wait. And so, the best part was … I grew up in a Black neighborhood. I couldn’t stand the Beatles. I mean, not the Beatles, but whoever would be the big stars of… They were ’64, I was already out of high school. But like Pat Boone or some … don’t say any denigrating stuff. Even Elvis. I didn’t think Elvis was so hot because I liked all the Black artists and dancing. It was so much cooler. Before we wrap, I’d like to ask you about the Night of Wonders event. It sounded magical. And it also sounded very queer to have you and RuPaul there. What was that like? It was wonderful because everybody was so devoted to Allee. They’re all freakish, anyway. And they have great fun and they love to dress up. And they’re running

back and forth on the stage and carrying signs. It was filled with artistic joy. Lastly, Lily, what do you have coming up? Well, Jane Fonda and I, right after “Grace and Frankie,” like a month later, we went into this movie with [director] Paul Weitz. I’d done a couple of movies with him before and I really like him. It’s called “Moving On.” It’s a very small, intimate little movie. And I know they’ve sold it and they’re negotiating the distribution, but that’s all I know. And we had great fun doing that. And then about a month after that we did “80 for Brady” with Jane [Fonda] and I, and Sally Field and Rita Moreno. And Tom Brady. You have to know Lily, but that cast right there is a queer man’s dream. It is, right? My god. Something appeals! But Tom Brady is… it was just none of us knew anything about football. But it was great fun; we had fun with the director. We had fun doing the project. In fact, they’re having a screening today and a few people are going. I’m not going. The first time I see it, I don’t want to have to be with other people. Do you like to watch your movies by yourself first? Yeah, or with just people I know real closely. It’s going to be at the agency and there’ll probably be a lot of agents there. I’m not as brazen and outgoing as I might appear.

You and Jane have spent a lot of time on screen together over the last decade. What’s that feeling like to know that you are so beloved on your own, but also so beloved together, especially by LGBTQ+ fans? I’m so grateful that I have an audience in the gay community. And it doesn’t compute to you that you’re anything. I realize that people like “Grace and Frankie,” or enough people liked it. And I know that over the years I’ve had hardcore fans that I’ve really enjoyed being with and relating to, because I’ve kept the stories of my characters going all those years.

To contribute to the Willis Wonderland Foundation, visit the official site at one. bidpal.net/williswonderlandfoundation Q

Chris Azzopardi is the editorial director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

What a Feeling!

1 Fit to be tied

8 Hay for a stallion, perhaps 15 Blatant deception

16 “Fifty Frenchmen”

17 Insurrections

18 NASA used to shoot them off

19 Title song of Irene Cara’s 1982 debut album

43 Pop music’s Lobos 44 Stretches the truth 45 Loads of erotic activity?

48 Puts into piles

50 Hebrew letter after lamed

51 “I Could Danced All Night”

55 Irene Cara song from “All Dogs Go to Heaven”

59 Noah Webster, for one

10 Titanic sinker, and more

11 Narrow passage

12 Like a one-incher, in Dogpatch

13 B.D. Wong memoir “Following ___” 14 Part of Q and A (abbr.)

1 Haul ass

2 “To own self be true” (“Hamlet”)

3 Emma Stone’s beard movie

4 Melodic, to Bernstein

5 “Death in Venice” author Thomas

6 Jumping-off place

7 Paint a picture of

8 Bearse of “Married ... with Children”

9 Jagger feature in art

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

Peer Support for Mental Illness — PSMI

Thurs 7pm, Utah Pride Ctr

Planned Parenthood

 bit.ly/ppauslchiv

654 S 900 E

801-322-5571

Salt Lake County Health

Dept HIV/STD Clinic

660 S 200 E, 4th Floor

Walk-ins M–F 10a–4p Appts 385-468-4242

Utah AIDS Foundation

 utahaids.org

* mail@utahaids.org

1408 S 1100 E

801-487-2323

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

LEGAL

Rainbow Law Free Clinic

2nd Thurs 6:30–7:30pm

UofU Law School, 383 S University St

POLITICAL

Equality Utah

 equalityutah.org

* info@equalityutah.org

175 W 200 S, Ste 1004 801-355-3479

Utah Libertarian Party 6885 S State St #200 888-957-8824

Utah Stonewall Democrats

 utahstonewalldemocrats.org

 fb.me/ utahstonewalldems

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

SOCIAL

1 to 5 Club (bisexual)

 fb.me/1to5ClubUtah

* 1to5club@ utahpridecenter.org

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

Flaming Man

 menwhomove.org

OWLS of Utah (Older, Wiser, Lesbian. Sisters)

 bit.ly/owlsutah

qVinum Wine Tasting

 qvinum.com

Seniors Out and Proud

 fb.me/soaputah

* info@soaputah.org

801-856-4255

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

 fb.me/UtahGayFootballLeague

Venture Out Utah

 facebook.com/groups/ Venture.OUT.Utah

SUPPORT

Alcoholics Anonymous

801-484-7871

 utahaa.org

LGBT meetings:

Sun. 3p Acceptance Group, All Saints

Episcopal Church, 1710 Foothill Dr

Tues. 8p Live & Let Live, Mt Tabor

Lutheran, 175 S 700 E

Wed. 7p Sober Today, 1159 30th St , Ogden

Wed. 7p Bountiful Men’s Group, Am. Baptist Btfl Church, 1955 Orchard Dr

Fri. 7p Stonewall Group, Mt Tabor

Lutheran, 175 S 700 E

Crystal Meth Anon

 crystalmeth.org

Sun. 2:30pm

Clean, Sober & Proud

LGBTQIA+Straight

Alano Club, 5056 Commerce Dr, Murray

Genderbands

 genderbands.org

fb.me/genderbands

LifeRing Secular Recovery

801-608-8146

 liferingutah.org

Weds. 7pm, How was your week? First Baptist Church, 777

S 1300 E

Sat. 11am, How was your week? First Baptist Church, 777

S 1300 E

LGBTQ-Affirmative Psycho-therapists Guild of Utah

 lgbtqtherapists.com

* robin@lgbtqtherapists.com

Gay Men’s Peer Support Group

Tues, 6:30pm

 utahpridecenter.org/ mental-health/mens-sg/

* Therapy@ utahpridecenter.org

Parent & Caregiver Support Group

Mon 6:45pm

 utahpridecenter.org/ youth--programs/

Survivors of Suicide Attempt

 utahpridecenter.org/ mental-health/sosa/

Trans & Nonbinary Adult Support

Thurs, 6pm

 utahpridecenter.org/ programs/lgbtq-adults/

* tnbsupport@ utahpridecenter.org

TransAction

Sun, 1:30pm

 utahpridecenter. org/adult-programs/ transaction/

Sundays 2–3:30pm

Women’s Support Group

Wed 6pm

 utahpridecenter. org/mental-health/ womens-sg/

* womensupport@ utahpridecenter.org

Youth Support Group ages 10-14, 14-20

 utahpridecenter. org/youth-programs/

YOUTH/COLLEGE

Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Ctr

 encircletogether.org

fb.me/encircletogether

91 W 200 S, Provo, 190 S 100 E, St. George 331 S 600 E, SLC

Gay-Straight Alliance Network

 gsanetwork.org

The OUT Foundation

 theout.foundation

 fb.me/theOUTfoundation

Salt Lake Community College LGBTQ+

 slcc.edu/lgbtq/

University of Utah LGBT Resource Center

 lgbt.utah.edu

200 S Central Campus

Dr Rm 409, M-F, 8a-5p 801-587-7973

USGA at BYU

 usgabyu.com

 fb.me/UsgaAtByu

Utah State Univ. Access & Diversity Ctr

 inclusion.usu.edu/ lgbtqa

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

Weber State University LGBT Resource Center  weber.edu/ lgbtresourcecenter

801-626-7271

Westminster Diversity Center

Bassis 105, M-F 8a-5p

 estminstercollege. edu/diversity

Youth Activity Night ages 10-14, 14-20

 utahpridecenter.org/ youth-programs/

REVIEW BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

‘All the Broken Places’

BY JOHN BOYNE, C.2022, PAMELA DORMAN BOOKS, $28, 400 PAGES

It shall not pass your lips. No, That Thing You Do Not Talk About is off-limits in all conversation, a non-topic when the subject surfaces.

Truly, there are just certain things that are nobody’s business, and in the new novel, “All the Broken Places” by John Boyne, some secrets must last a lifetime.

She hated the idea that she would have to adjust to new neighbors.

Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby wasn’t so much bothered by new people as

q scopes

JANUARY

BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS

ARIES March 20–April 19

A new start is always a great idea, and even more so when it is on everyone’s mind. Be diverse and show that you can be whatever you want to be. Express yourself and be stylish.

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20

Focus on finances and get your head in the game of being a true adult. It might seem like a thankless task, but the rewards are abundant. Peace of mind leads to pieces of bliss.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

The worst way to get your way is to give in to the pressures of others. Even though you want to make everyone happy,

she was by new noise. She hated the thought of inuring herself to new sounds, and what if the new tenants had children? That was the worst of all. Gretel never was much one for children, not her own and certainly not any living below her.

Once, there was a time when Gretel could imagine herself with many children. That was nearly eighty years ago when she was in love with her father’s driver, Kurt. She thought about Kurt through the years — he had fallen out of favor with her father and was sent elsewhere — and she wondered if he survived the war.

Her father didn’t, nor did her younger brother, but Gretel didn’t think about those things. What happened at the “other place” was not her fault.

She hadn’t known. She was innocent.

That was what she told

it is not really worth it sometimes. Deal with a firm hand.

CANCER June 21–July 22

You are always down to celebrate and this time is a good opportunity to dance and be merry. Look forward to what’s to come with open arms and a big heart. No shame in happiness!

LEO July 23–August 22

The best possible outcome may come with some compromise. Stay true to your method and beliefs, but enjoy hearing the perspectives of others. In the end, diversity is a pleasure.

VIRGO August 23–Sep 2

You aren’t convinced that change is really happening, but that’s not to say you can’t prioritize. Consider friends and personal matters you want to improve and get to work. It’s a good time!

herself as she and her mother fled to Paris. Gretel was fifteen then, and she worked hard to get rid of her German accent, but not everyone was fooled by her bad French or her story. She was accosted, hated. As soon as her mother died, she sailed to Australia, where she lived with a woman who loved other women until it became dangerous there, too. She practiced her English and moved to London where she was married, widowed, and now she had to get used to new neighbors and new sounds and new ways for old secrets to sneak into a conversation…

Okay, clear your calendar. Get “All the Broken Places” and just don’t make any plans other than to read and read and read.

The very first impression you get of author John Boyne’s main character, Gretel, is that she’s grumpy, awful, and nasty. With the

many bon mots, she drops, however, the feeling passes and it’s sometimes easy to almost like her — although it’s clear that she’s done some vile things in her lifetime, things that emerge slowly as the horror of her story dawns. Then again, she professes to dislike children, but (no spoilers here!) she doesn’t, not really, and that makes her seem like someone’s sweet old grandmother. ’Tis a conundrum.

Don’t let that fool you, though. Boyne has a number of Gretel-sized roadside bombs planted along the journey that is this book. Each ka-boom will hit your heart a little harder.

This is a somewhat-sequel to “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” but you can read it alone. Do, and when you finish, you’ll want to immediately read it again to savor anew. Indeed, “All the Broken Places” should not pass your fingertips. Q

LIBRA Sept 23–October 22

Whatever you do, you can’t go wrong with being thankful for what you have. Perfection is an illusion, but can also be a reference point. Don’t worry about flaws as they add charm.

SCORPIO Oct 23–Nov 21

There could be some confusion regarding a relationship, but that’s okay. As long as fun is at the heart of your interactions, nothing else matters. Slide into the present and enjoy!

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22–December 20

Don’t get stuck on ideas that hold you back. Even if you don’t fully understand, you can appreciate what works and what doesn’t. Go with the flow and learn new techniques.

CAPRICORN

Dec 21–Jan 19

You might be feeling left out, but it’s simply a space you can occupy and thrive. Career and hobbies are calling for you to make a difference. Figure out a path you like and proceed.

AQUARIUS Jan 20–Feb 18

Exhaustion is overtaking you, so take time to rest. Some meaningful stimulation is bound to help with the healing process. The soul needs the body to get on the same page. Enjoy yourself.

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19

The most complicated of situations have simple solutions. Take your feelings into account and find stimulation in doing the right things. There is no better time to adopt new habits. Q

BY ROMEO SAN VICENTE

Ben Platt and Noah Galvin go to ‘Theater Camp’

The big news is, of course, that “Dear Evan Hansen” star Ben Platt and “The Good Doctor” star Noah Galvin, friends for years, then a couple, have gotten engaged, so congratulations to them. But the two are also helping to create the new film “Theater Camp,” alongside fellow writers Molly Gordon (“Booksmart”) and music video director Nick Lieberman. Gordon and Lieberman will co-direct from the four-way script (their feature directorial debut) and alongside Emmy-nominated composer Mark Sonnenblick (“Spirited”) the gang of five will produce original music to be featured in the movie. It’s the story of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York (think back to the mid-2000s indie “Camp” that starred young Anna Kendrick) and how the eccentric staff has to figure out how to keep it going. If you hadn’t already guessed by now it also stars Gordon, Galvin and Platt among a cast that includes

Amy Sedaris, Patti Harrison (“Together Together”), Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) and Jimmy Tatro (“The King of Staten Island”). Theater kids, and you know who you are, keep an eye out for this labor of love coming sometime in 2023.

Jen Richards stirs up trouble in ‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’

The late Anne Rice’s trilogy of novels, “Lives of the Mayfair Witches,” is coming to TV just in time to wish you a spooky new year. The series, “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” centers on a neurosurgeon (“White Lotus” star Alexandra Daddario) who learns that she comes from a family of witches. As one might guess, this changes her life fairly drastically as sinister forces swirl around. Daddario will be joined by Tongayi Chirisa (Netflix’s “Another Life”), “Doom Patrol” star Hannah Alline, the great character actress Beth Grant (name a movie or series, she’s probably in it), Jack Huston, Harry Hamlin, and one of our favorite rising trans actors, Jen Richards (“Framing Agnes,” “MK Ultra”). Now, the novels go deep into some wildly taboo subjects, all of it framed by demonism and that signature Anne Rice gothic darkness. In other words, exactly the sort of entertainment we want to help shake off Christmas. It drops on AMC in January, so light a black candle and summon your coven for a viewing party.

‘Pose’ star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is going to play a car in a movie

This just makes our whole day: the wonderful shining light of “Pose,” Michaela

Jaé Rodriguez, is in the new “Transformers” movie. It’s called “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.” It’s the seventh of these absurd and monstrously loud films, and it’s about… well, we don’t know, other than the usual bit where giant robots become giant cars and they fight and people get crushed by them, which is always fun. (Don’t try to be cool and pretend you’re not into it.) Anyway, the great MJR will play a Terrorcon (we have no idea either) named Nightbird who transforms into a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, a racy yet sensible machine. The rest of the cast? Anthony Ramos (“In The Heights”), Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Pete Davidson (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”), Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh and Peter Dinklage. It lumbers into theaters next June, just in time for Pride. Trans representation makes the leap to big dumb blockbusters and we will be there for it, beaming like Nicole Kidman.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is not the ‘Cocaine Bear’

He may usually have a beard but “Modern Family” alum Jesse Tyler Ferguson is not the bear we’re talking about this week now that the internet is abuzz with news of the upcoming dark comedy “Cocaine Bear,” a film that marks actor-director Elizabeth Banks’ next step as a filmmaker. Instead, it’s the true-ish story of a real bear that ingested a lot of smuggled cocaine and went on a rampage, poor thing. The bear in the film will be computer generated — it’s a little difficult to train a real bear to act like it’s eaten bricks of coke and then maul people to death on cue, and we’ve seen the trailer and he looks real, so no worries — but there will be plenty of human victims in his path, including Ferguson, Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Margo Martindale and the late Ray Liotta. If you’re old enough to remember the pleasures of the late ’70s giant-bearas-“Jaws” horror film, “Grizzly,” you’ll automatically understand the appeal of something like this, the revenge of nature we all deserve, giving you no Winnie the Pooh vibes in February 2023. Q

Romeo San Vicente loves all bears.

Nerdvana in the heart of Salt Lake: The Legendarium

BY ALPHA MERCURY

InSalt Lake City, at the northeast corner of Harvey Milk Boulevard and Blair Street (345 East), is a two-story converted residence. Above the entrance, flanked by hanging banners depicting the White Tree of Gondor from The Lord of the Rings and the Rebel Starbird emblem from Star Wars, is a sign reading “LEGENDARIUM.” Upon entering, one finds themselves in a science fiction, fantasy, and horror bookstore and role-play gaming café that is a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people, with a curated selection of books and merchandise specifically for them and other under-represented communities. Some might say Legendarium is an LGBTQ+ genre fan’s dream — a hybrid of a magical forest with new discoveries waiting around every corner and a friendly inn that Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Rangers, and Warrior Princesses would frequent.

wanted to create a space that felt like it was first and foremost a community-safe space for people to go to,” Raelle said. “All members of the family are welcome.”

Sisters Stephanie and Raelle Blatter are the owners and proprietors of Legendarium. I sat down with them recently to talk about the need for places like this. They relayed that in their experience, authors and publishers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books and RPG games have become increasingly more forward-thinking, inclusionary, and willing to highlight underrepresented voices. However, some traditional retailers that offer those books and games have been less welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. “We

Being a safe space for queer youth is very important to the Blatters. “We’ve made it clear to any young person that needs a place to go after school, to do homework, to hang out, just to feel safe — is welcome here, and they don’t have to make purchases. There are no caveats for them being here,” Stephanie said. Growing up as a queer fan of these genres herself, Stephanie wished she had seen herself in these kinds of stories. “I felt like I was alone,” she told me. “The first time I read a science fiction book that challenged gender and had queer characters, I just devoured it.” Legendarium opened its doors at the end of August 2022 and has seen success so far, including hosting a growing community of repeat (sometimes daily) customers and new ones every day. “Seeing that people consistently want to return to this space, that feels like victory right there,” Stephanie says.

A brick-and-mortar bookstore offers a more personalized experience for customers than an online retailer.

“When you specialize in a genre like this, you can really highlight interesting reads that people may not even find on Amazon or Goodreads through searches because they wouldn’t pop up,” Steph-

anie said. “You wouldn’t be able to have a conversation about it. That’s the most exciting part is when someone comes in, and we can just nerd out about this unique, fabulous, life-changing book. Then they get excited about it … we have such a beautiful community that wants to see small businesses thrive.”

Legendarium not only stocks a selection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, graphic novels, young adult and middle-grade books for LGBTQ+ readers, arts and crafts by local artists, café offerings; it also hosts weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, local author events, and writer’s groups. They’ve even had D&D birthday parties. The sisters also informed me that, although they only stock genre books in-store, they can order any book for customers that’s currently available.

“We’re not trying to compete with Amazon in terms of price or anything,” Raelle says, “we’re just trying to create a space that the community needs and that the community can keep around.” Q

The Legendarium is located at 349 E. 900 South. Reach them at 801-474-6159, info@legendariumbooks.com, their website, Legendariumbooks.com, Instagram @legendariumbooks, Facebook: @ thelegendarium, Twitter: @legendariumbook, Discord: discord.gg/BrRe4Mf9

Alpha Mercury has been a science fiction, fantasy, and horror fan since he watched the Rankin/Bass animated adaptation of The Hobbit on television in 1977. He was eight years old. Alpha Mercury lives with his family in Salt Lake City. Write to him at kink@qsaltlake.com.

PHOTOS BY ALPHA MERCURY

Hot buns,

BY JOSHUA JONES

Everyfew weeks when I write an On The Street column, I think, ”Well, that is it. Won’t need to do that for a while.” Yet here we are with a slew of new, exciting F+B concepts in the downtown pipeline.

But first, a moment of silence for the blue cheese and house-made potato chips at Hotel Monaco. Twenty-three years ago, you came into our lives and delighted us every time we visited BAMBARA Alas, Chef Patrick LeBeau has reinvigorated the menu with some great fall flavors like scallops a la plancha, quinoa, pomegranate, and mint yogurt. We’ll see you soon, Chef!

HOT BUNS! Let’s try to keep this professional, Ok? Ryan Lowder opens HOT BUNS! on Edison Street — steamed bao buns sold from a walk-up window. Remember Plum Alley — Ryan’s inventive Asian eatery — named one of the top new restaurants by Bon Appétit? We hope that some of our favs from that menu return; certainly, the steamy pork bun and illegally rich juicy pork bellies are shoe-ins … right Ryan? The sign is up but look for an early spring opening.

Washington State-based Ascend Hospitality knows their way around steak and sushi, so we’ve got our chopsticks and steak knives ready for a VIP reception for AQUA TERRA at City Creek Center. They will continue to pay homage to the Pacific Northwest with the fresh-

est fish and aged steaks.

At The Gateway, Chef Marc Marrone’s highly-anticipated ITALIAN GRAFFITI had a very successful opening. The space is gorgeous and modern, and Marrone has publicly stated he wants to be the best Italian restaurant in Utah. Word is they’re already scouting locations in Vegas.

Lehi-based Wags Cap Foods, owner of 30 restaurants across the country, has huge expansion plans for The Gateway’s shuttered Medici space. ELECTRIC FISH will be a new sushi/nightclub restaurant. We’re imagining something akin to Vegas’ TAO or Sushisamba. The presser promises a high-end experiential concept unlike anything else in Utah, with private poker rooms, card trading, and even a candy shop and cryptocurrency ATM.

With two locations on the west side of the valley, THE BREAK SPORTS GRILL plans to open in the Hyatt House, across from Vivint and the new West Quarter. From chicken tenders to poke bowls, this will be a great place for a group that can’t decide how to please everyone.

THE LOCAL , the food hall on 400 South at 300 East plans to open in early January. We’ve been looking forward to this space for over a year and are eagerly anticipating Chef Akhtar Nawab’s culinary collection of offerings over 7,500 sq ft on the ground floor of Avia.

We like to break ‘scoops,’ and fans of the column know our eternal longing for ice

cream, so we were surprised when ROCKWELL OLD FASHIONED ICE CREAM CO. stealthily opened on Regent Street. Now, as a regular, we can direct you to salted caramel, s’mores, and snickerdoodle as our favs.

The Bagel Project’s Bagel and Greens didn’t last long enough in the US Bank Building on 200 South and Main Street. It’s a beautiful, sun-filled space, so we are glad that another local favorite is about to move it. SEÑOR POLLO, a small fast food chain that specializes in Sinaloan-style chicken–

imagine, drink in hand, being on a beach in Mexico and the smell of juicy marinated chicken being laid on a charcoal grill. It is coming soon to downtown Salt Lake.

If you’ve made it this far, here is a teaser to whet your thirst. Imagine an authentic tiki lounge with interactive animatronic cartoon figurines. The concept, coming downtown, makes our imagination ping pong between Walt Disney and Hunter S. Thompson.

More to come! Q

Joshua Jones is the director of communications and marketing at the Downtown Alliance at downtownslc.org.

a half-dozen new eateries, and a final tease is def worth the read

PrEP advocate Damon L. Jacobs gets real (and naked) in splashy web series

BY NEAL BROVERMAN

‘What do you like about your body?”

That’s typically one of the first questions that therapist, life coach, author, PrEP promoter, and longtime HIV activist Damon L. Jacobs asks his guests on his YouTube show, “Tub Talks With Damon L. Jacobs.” This query is posed while Jacobs and his guests (mostly men, but sometimes women, too) are naked and sitting inches from each other in a sudsy bathtub.

The series allows people like a U=U proponent [Randy Davis], a sex writer [Alexander Cheves], a “thickfluencer” [Alex Borsa], a journalist and ACT-UP legend [Liz Highleyman], and even one of President Obama’s HIV experts [Greg Millett] to talk about everything from self-esteem to self-care to substance abuse to sex positivity.

“Tub Talks,” now with dozens of episodes available, is the latest feather in Jacobs’ cap, a New York-based marriage and family therapist who first became known in HIV circles for his early support of PrEP and U=U knowledge. Jacobs spoke to us recently about the origin of “Tub Talks” and why so many people let loose when their clothes come off.

Tell us about your work as a therapist and the kind of folks you specialize in helping. I have been proudly serving the LGBT community as a psychotherapist since 1996, in private practice in New York City in 2010. My work

utilizes facets of cognitive behavioral therapy, Buddhism, and a little bit of Cher, to help people experience peace, power, and pleasure in their daily lives. How did you get connected with the HIV-positive community? I came out as a teenager in the 1980s, at a time when AIDS was devastating our community. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1990, where I loved and lost several friends, coworkers, lovers, clients, roommates, to AIDS. It seemed incumbent on me to challenge my training as a traditional “therapist,” i.e., the kind that sits on their ass in an office all day. If I was going to take my role seriously as a healer, it means standing up, getting out, acting up, fighting back, and doing something, anything, to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. I started volunteering to facilitate “Rubberward Parties” on college campuses in 1991 and have just continued to work/volunteer in HIV prevention in some capacity ever since.

Your “Tub Talks” series is incredible. Where did the idea spring from? Thank you! I originally got the idea from a friend of mine in San Francisco, Mike Enders, who did his own bathtub series in the early 2010s. I got to be a guest on one of his last shows, and it was the most fun interview I ever had. I thought — what a wonderful way to talk about ideas, hopes, dreams, and struggles, by sitting naked in a bath-

tub with another person! Around that same time, I was talking with my friend Matt about his work as an escort, and how often most of his sessions centered around a naked man telling him his inner thoughts and fears. I realized that as a sex worker, Matt’s clients were often more open and trusting with him than many of my clients were with me — that people, in general, are so much more honest and vulnerable when they are naked than when they have their clothed defenses on.

When I turned 50 years old in 2021, I wrote an online series about the 50 lessons that helped me to get older with power, purpose, and pleasure [50lessonsof50.com]. It was while writing this series that Covid vaccines became widely accessible, rates were coming down, and I was reminded that New York City is home to some of the most interesting individuals in the world. Actors, activists, healers, leaders, educators, entertainers, AIDS historians — wouldn’t it be interesting to capture their experiences and words of wisdom on video? Wouldn’t it be fun to listen to their experiences of aging, healing, grieving, celebrating sexual empowerment, and creative expression while taking a bath together? In the summer of 2021, I asked a few friends if they would be willing to come take a bath with me, and almost all said yes. I started airing these interviews on September 13, 2021, and from there, the momentum went forward.

Yet another source of inspiration was the fact that I continuously go to HIV conferences where people sit around and say, “Why can’t we get people to use PrEP? How do we get people to learn about U=U?” And I’m like — maybe it’s time to try to not do the same thing over and over again and expect different results! What if we communicated and taught about sexual health and pleasure in creative ways that aren’t being done by hundreds of other people? That was part of it as well — could I deliver education and information in a way that is innovative and entertaining? I’m trying!

Have to ask: Have all your guests actually been naked? Yes. Except for one. Do conversations flow easier while folks are squeezed together with little to no clothes on? Conversations flow so much more naturally when we are naked! Whether it’s in a bathtub, on a beach, by

a pool, or in a bed. People’s minds and thoughts are so much freer when they are not encumbered by clothes. I have done so many bullshit interviews in my time — I used to do some red-carpet stuff at the Daytime Emmys and at the GLAAD awards. Those are absolute piffle — they rarely contain any meaning or depth. It’s three minutes of me asking people how they’re feeling and who they are wearing. So I reevaluated during COVID — if I ever was to do interviews again, they have to be real, not fake. They have to contain sustenance, not verbal masturbation. When people are naked, they are real. When people are open, they are able to share words of insight and wisdom that can help change people’s lives. Those are the only kinds of interviews I want to do anymore.

Talk a little about how different life is now than two years ago — you’re hosting a bathtub series now and in 2020 we couldn’t even be in the same room as strangers. Right, so this is one of the reasons I waited until 2021 to start filming. I really wanted to start the series back in 2018, but at the time, I was too busy with my private practice and traveling/teaching about PrEP to commit adequate time to the tub. Then COVID hit — and that clearly was not an ideal time either. But by the time I started shooting the first episodes in the summer of 2021, everyone had access to the vaccines. So shooting interviews in 2022 is delightfully different from anything we could have done safely in 2020, and I’m just so grateful that science and technology made it possible for us to connect and take baths together again. “No masks, no underwear.”

Do you think the worst of monkeypox is behind the LGBTQ+ and HIV+ communities? The data suggest that the worst of monkeypox is behind us. And to me, that makes sense — it’s not like we had to reinvent the wheel here. Effective vaccines were already developed, and the science was already available. It was just a matter of the government and health departments using them — and that has been the biggest disappointment for me. In New York City, the monkeypox vaccine distribution is a complete embarrassment, especially because they just did the same thing with COVID vaccines. They created a system that perpetuates racial disparities in vaccine

access. It’s not like we didn’t see this one year earlier with COVID. And I’m skeptical anyone learned their lesson from MPX, either. But yes, I do think that thanks to the eventual vaccine distribution happening now, we are on the other side of what could have been so much more painful and traumatic. How are you feeling about the state of HIV right now, especially with World AIDS Day this month? Are you hopeful with some of the advances, like injectables and Covid research, or discouraged that we’re not yet at a vaccine or cure stage? I don’t get discouraged so much, as I’m a realist. I’ve been working in this field for 31 years. It was dubious then that we would ever have a vaccine or a cure for HIV, and it’s pretty dubious now. Are there strides forward? Yes. Are there incredible people working their asses off to make that happen? Yes. Is there sufficient money and funding to make it happen? As far as I know, yes. But HIV is a very tricky virus to cure, and I’m not sure I’ll see a cure or an effective vaccine in my lifetime. Meanwhile — injectable PrEP allows you to reduce your risk of acquiring HIV by nearly 100 percent, and all you have to do is get a shot every eight weeks. What is the effective difference between that and a vaccine?

My hope rests more in people understanding and utilizing biomedical interventions to embrace sexual health and pleasure. We have three FDA-approved ways of using PrEP now and more than 50 FDA-approved medications that help someone living with HIV become undetectable. Some of those drugs only have to be taken once a day. When someone is undetectable, they are untransmittable, meaning they cannot give HIV to their sexual partners [“U=U”]. When I see people organizing, celebrating, and connecting around their joy of sexual empowerment, that is where I feel hope. That is where I’ve witnessed substantial change. Q

Tub Talks with Damon L. Jacobs is at youtube.com/user/DamonLJacobs/ Neal Broverman is the editorial director of Plus magazine. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, Q Syndicate, and QSaltLake Magazine. Visit their websites – thebody.com, hivplusmag.com, positivelyaware. com, and poz.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

Everything from Angels to Zen

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

www.ilovelotus.com

Go hopefully and resist kink-shame in 2023

BY ALPHA MERCURY

Anew year is upon us. We greet 2023 with a mixture of optimism and dread. Republicans and right-wing forces increasingly try to push our nation into fascism. These same people continue to ban books that affirm the humanity of LGBTQ+ people and books that acknowledge the existence of racism. A political-agenda-driven Supreme Court has ruled that women have no rights over their own bodies and seeks to strip American citizens of still more rights. In a time when hunger and homelessness are rampant, some Republicans act as if drag shows that raise money for charities are Public Enemy #1. Yet, gas prices are going down, no “red wave” materialized in the midterm elections, legislation is in the process to enshrine interracial and same-sex marriages, and many movies and TV shows now have the most inclusive and diverse characters and casts ever in the history of the mediums.

Of course fascists are worried. Of course they’re fighting like mad to preserve their dying way of life. Because they know they’re losing the so-called “culture war.” In their minds, the only people truly human and deserving of fundamental rights are those who check all the boxes on their narrowly-defined checklist of what a legitimate person is: male/female, straight, white, fully abled, Christian, and American-born. But what becomes more apparent every day is that more people do not check all or any of their boxes. Humans do not fit into boxes. There are more choices than they offer. We are not binary. We are a spectrum of infinite variation. And each of us is entitled to the basic human rights of dignity, education, healthcare, being treated with respect, and the opportunities to create happy and successful lives for ourselves and our families.

Are you thinking this is pretty heady stuff for a column about kink? Stay with me. What did Jedi Master Yoda say? “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

The root of all the right-wing’s ferocious attacks on LGBTQ+ people, racial minorities, Jewish people, the neurodiverse,

and everyone else that doesn’t fit their image of what a person could/should be, whether the attacks are verbal, physical, political, or legislative…is fear. Marginalized people are standing up, demanding their rights, and taking them. That terrifies the fascists. Because the old ways are dying. The world the fascists live in, the one they want eternally, is crumbling.

The way humans respond to the unknown is through fear. We’re animals, after all. Anyone who thinks we’re a civilized species need only look at the events in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, or the fact that Republican politicians continue to put children’s lives in jeopardy for the chance to secure votes from their base to realize that we’re savages — all of us. The unknown is scary. We fear it, and the easiest way to deal with it is to externalize it into hostility toward whatever we don’t understand or is not familiar.

A straight friend told me once, “I just don’t understand how you could be attracted to a dude.” Instead of answering the obvious way by saying, “I don’t understand how you could be attracted to a woman,” I answered this way: “You not understanding my experience gives you no right to invalidate it.” Over-reaction? Probably. But true. Because many Republican politicians do not believe that transgender is real, they have proposed and passed more anti-trans laws in the past few years than in the entire previous history of our country. They don’t understand what being trans is, so they’re afraid of those who do, so they feel entitled and empowered to punish trans people with despicable laws that dehumanize them, demonize them, and seek to strip them of the small amount of societal progress they’ve made in the last few decades.

Just because we don’t understand something doesn’t empower us to dismiss or attack it. This brings us to kink-shaming. Kink-shaming is when someone who doesn’t share or approve of someone’s fetish or kink ridicules, mocks, diminishes, or otherwise attempts to shame the person for having that fetish or kink. Some people even try to kink-shame the entire kink and fetish com-

munity, saying that kink and fetish in its entirety is sick, perverted, unhealthy, immoral, and unnatural. Sound familiar? The fact that these charges are identical to those historically (and currently) being made against LGBTQ+ people in general, and the hypocrisy of that, doesn’t seem to register with people in our own community who level them at the kinky members of our community.

Internalized kink-shaming, which has the same strangling effect on a person that internalized homophobia, transphobia, or any other emotional self-harm has, is rampant within the kink community. And like internalized homophobia and transphobia, internalized kink-shaming doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It occurs in an environment where people receive constant messaging that parts of themselves, details of their core identity, are somehow bad, wrong, shameful, and must be hidden.

But here are the facts. Everyone has kinks and fetishes, and most of them are harmless. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you and themselves. And no one’s kinks and fetishes are more legitimate than any others. Any kinky activity that happens safely between consenting adults — or alone — is no more shameful than the good old-fashioned missionary position. So lighten up, people! Don’t try to shame someone for their kink. What if they find out about yours? As one of my favorite authors, Roger Ebert, once wrote: “…there is nothing quite so ridiculous as someone else’s sexual fantasies, and nothing as fascinating as our own.”

So as you greet the new year, look to the future with hope and resolve. We will get through this. Things are getting better. However much some people want to freeze time and turn it backward, it continues forward. The future happens. And with the future hopefully comes empathy, understanding, and either realization and acceptance of, or resignation to the fact that we’re all human and all deserve the same rights, dignities, and opportunities. And that we’re all kinky.

Happy New Year! In Kink We Trust. Q Have thoughts, questions, or comments about this column or anything to do with Kink? Write to me at kink@ qsaltlake.com, and I’ll print them and answer them in an upcoming column. Be safe, and have fun out there! Alpha Mercury has been an out and proud member of the Kink/ Leather/Fetish/BDSM community his entire adult life. He has a degree in film production from the University of Southern California and is an author of erotic fiction. Alpha Mercury lives with his Leather family in Salt Lake City.

Puzzle Solutions

the perils of petunia pap smear

A tale of snow angels

by Petunia Pap Smear

Theroad to Sundance is fraught with danger and excitement. Before the pandemic shut everything down, The Matrons of Mayhem and I traveled to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival.

Anticipating that Park City would be much colder than Salt Lake, I planned my outfit more carefully than an Arctic explorer. Golden glitter snow boots, insulated tights, several thick heavy long skirts, and at least four tops. I chose to wear my lighted breasticles so as to better attract the attention of any wayward and lost Hollywood stars. I couldn’t find a warm coat that could accommodate my lighted breasticles, so I just threw on a fur-lined Christmas Tree Skirt as a cape, and voila! It ended up that I was wearing so many layers that it was difficult to move. Much like the little brother Randy in the movie, “A Christmas Story.”

We arrived in Park City, and after much frustration and many swear words, we finally found a parking space miles away from downtown. We got on the free shuttle bus. I had to crouch low and stay stooped over because my beehive hair was too tall to fit. The bus was crowded. I was pressed up against several people. There was a very attractive gentleman to my left side whom I didn’t mind. However, my attention was focused on trying desperately not to poke some children’s eyes out with my breasticles. In the confusion, I think my buttockus maximus may have been groped by wandering hands. I couldn’t really be sure because of the thickness of all my clothing but hope springs eternal!

The bus arrived downtown. I’m not quite sure what happened, but as I stepped off the bus, my glitter boot missed the curb, and I stumbled, losing my balance and tumbling head over heels. Luckily, because of my gravity-enhanced aisle-blocker physique, I’m basically a ball of blubber and very padded,

so I just sort of rolled without much damage. I came to a stop when my breasticles propped against the sidewalk like a couple of bicycle kickstands. My wig had flown off and landed in the gutter about ten feet away. Lying in the snow like a beached walrus, I quickly looked around to determine just how many people had witnessed this unladylike display. Fortunately, the bus and a city map sign were obscuring most of the scene, so only a couple of people noticed.

I expected the Matrons to run to my aid, but they just bent over laughing at me. Bitches! The handsome man had pity for me and graciously helped me up. He then reached into the gutter to retrieve my wig. Luckily, due to the three cans of Aqua Net I used to style it, the hair was undamaged and retained its style. He sheepishly tried to hand my wig to me. In a desperately horny and calculated attempt to retain his attention, I breathlessly (worthy of Marilyn Monroe) exclaimed that since I was wearing gloves, I was unable to place it back on my head (a total lie) and would he please do the honors. Thus, I was able to draw this handsome stud within the valley of my breasticle cleavage almost nose-to-nose with his big strong hands gently caressing my head and neck. I was suddenly feeling warmer.

Once I was all put back together, I thanked him, and we headed to Main Street. We were only able to proceed about five feet at a time between being asked to pose for photos with the people on the street. Now, Main Street in Park City is on a rather steep incline, and this out-of-shape gym-avoiding queen, found it difficult to keep up. Luckily, we were right by the metal bench that has a brass sculpture of a bear seated on it. So, gasping for air, I plunked my ass down beside the bear and asked the Matrons to gather around to pose for photos.

It became colder as darkness fell, and my lighted breasticles became beacons

attracting like moths to a flame, passersby including some Hollywood stars. After many, many photos, I became hungry. It was time to eat. My caboose must have gotten wet when I tumbled because when I tried to get up from the metal seat, my ass was frozen solidly to the bench. Again, the Matrons were of no actual assistance due to their laughter. Relying on the kindness of a couple of strangers, they were able to pry my bounteous booty from the bench.

Now upright and mobile, we decided to go to the closest eatery for a snack. And by snack, I mean a full-course meal with appetizers, second helpings, and dessert. The warmth of the restaurant felt good when we first entered, but just as the appetizers arrived at our table, I began to feel the full effects of my warm winter wardrobe. I was dying from the heat. By the time the main course arrived, I was ready to put on a strip show. I was so hot that I actually skipped dessert and rushed outside, back to the bench, and snuggled up to the freezing brass bear to cool down enough to be able to ride the shuttle bus back to Queertanic. This story leaves us with several important questions:

1. Did one of the Matrons trip me on purpose?

2. In order to make my tripping look on purpose, should I have remained lying on the sidewalk and made a snow angle?

3. Should I reduce the size of my breasticles to accommodate closer intimacy?

4. Could my lighted breasticles function as a beacon for folks lost in a blizzard?

5. Should I install warmers in my breasticles so hunky stars may stick their hands inside my cleavage to avoid frostbite?

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