QSaltLake Magazine | Issue 350 | August 2023

publisher/editor Michael Aaron

designer Christian Allred

sales Michael Aaron, 801-997-9763 x1 sales@qsaltlake.com

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national neWs editor Craig Ogan

contributors Joshua Adamson Pickett, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Chris Azzopardi, Paul Berge, Jeff Berry, Paul Campbell, Laurie BennettCook, Roger Cox, Stephen Dark, Jennifer Dobner, Mikki Enoch, Jack Fertig, Greg Fox, Oriol Gutierrez Jr., Tony Hobday, Ashley Hoyle, Joshua Jones, Christopher Katis, Alpha Mercury, Sam Kelly-Mills, Craig Ogan, Peter Reynolds, Mikey Rox, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Petunia Pap Smear, Steven Petrow, Ed Sikov, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Ben Williams, D’Anne Witkowski

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QSaltLake

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

by Craig Ogan

Hateful details

The Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD tracked 356 hate crimes in the U.S. for 12 months in 2022 to 2023. The survey does not include online harassment or speech. The report broke out the crimes this way: 305 harassments, 40 incidents of vandalism, and 11 assaults. Extremist groups committed 49 percent of the crimes. Crimes were reported in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. California, Florida, New York, and Texas had the highest total number of incidents. News trends drive the numbers, with 138 incidents relating to drag events and performers, 33 incidents relating to schools and educators, 23 incidents relating to healthcare facilities and providers, and 22 incidents relating to government buildings and elected officials. The most cited motive, with 191 incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault, made references to “grooming” or “pedophilia.” The groups found a crossover of racist and LGBTQ hate crimes, with 128 incidents also citing antisemitic actions and 30 incidents being racist in word or deed.

Key West gay men integrated

In what must be a deflating to the gay male community members who patronize Key West’s New Orleans House,

the Florida Commission on Human Relations ruled women must be admitted to all areas of the resort. The NOH is a gay gathering place with clothing-optional areas reserved for men. A woman, who the commission states, “identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” was denied access to the male-only areas of the club. She says it was discrimination. The club argued she had been to parties held in the clothing-only areas and was disruptive. New Orleans House attorney said the judge’s ruling, which is being appealed, “Trampled on the rights of male guests who wish to only be naked around other men.” Notice this is Florida, and the attorney did not “Say, Gay.”:

Methodist exit

With 6.5 million members, the United Methodist Church, the third largest Christian Denomination in the U.S., stands to lose one-fifth of its U.S. congregations due to differences over the denomination’s stand that, “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” The official policy does not allow out-gay or lesbian clergy or the performance of same-sex marriages. Many congregations do not follow the policies and will propose pro-gay and lesbian changes, voted down in years past, at the next general conference. Since 2019, over 6,000 U.S. congregations have left the UMC and joined the Global Methodist Church. The Reconciling Ministries Network, which advocates for full participation in the UMC, has more than 1,000 congregations.

Rapinoe retires

The variously colored-hair soccer phenom, Megan

Rapinoe announced she plans to retire at the end of 2023. The avowed lesbian “futboler” will play in the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Playing with the U.S. women’s soccer team since 2006, she has shown athletic excellence and been an advocate for equality of opportunity for LGBT people and for equal pay for women. Earlier this year, the athlete was named one of Time Magazine’s 12 Women of the Year this year. As she was retiring from the game, she took the opportunity to push for allowing transgender women on the women’s team. There’s little chance she will join the well-paying but LGBTQshy Saudi Arabian Football Federation with other retired greats like Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portland honors drag queen

Not often do the words “Portland, Drag Queens and good news” show up in a story but, Portland, Ore., is naming a public square for Darcelle XV, the legendary drag queen who died recently at age 92. The downtown PDX’s O’Bryant Square, bordered by recently designated Harvey Milk Street, was renamed Darcelle XV Plaza. Darcell ran a Portland nightclub called Showplace for more than 50 years. It is reputedly the longest-running drag club west of the Mississippi. Darcell was the character played by Walter W. Cole, Sr. The Showplace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the home Cole Sr. shared with his life partner, fellow

entertainer “Roxy,” nee Le Roy Neuhardt, also deceased. Cole’s son is continuing to operate Showplace. Darcell is on the Wall of Honor at NYC’s Stonewall Inn and was recognized by many local and statewide groups for philanthropic activities.

Georgia Pride not peachy

Organizers of Tbilisi Pride tried to put on a parade but were thwarted by a mob of anti-Pride protestors. Tbilisi is the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, located on the Black Sea. The parade participants were evacuated to safety when an anti-LGBTQ+ mob of between 2,000 and 5,000 protestors marched towards a park where the Pride event was held. News reports say protestors included Orthodox Christian clergy waving religious icons. Other protestors carried the red and white flags of Georgia. The mob fought with police, vandalized the stage, and burned Pride flags. No injuries were reported, unlike the last pride event in 2021, where 50 journalists and bystanders were beaten. Pride organizers criticized their police protection and said the violence was orchestrated by the Georgia Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Marriage equality gets high

Nepal is in the Himalayan Mountains and is home to Mount Everest. It is the latest country, and one of the few Asian ones, to support marriage equality. The country’s Supreme Court ruled that all same-sex marriages must be legally registered along with other non-traditional, opposite-sex unions while legislation authorizing marriage equality is permanently

passed. The first and only gay member of Nepal’s parliament, Sunil Pant, estimates that around 200 same-sex couples could register their marriages with this ruling.

Vatican Synod

The Fall 2023 Synod of the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican will include an American Jesuit who runs a ministry for gay and lesbian Catholics. Among those chosen is the Rev. James Martin from the United States, who has long been a prominent advocate of greater acceptance of marriage equality and non-discrimination in the Catholic Church, which officially teaches any sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful. Since marriage equality is not a Catholic rite, regardless of legal status, same-sex coupling is a sin.

The Vatican’s canvass prior to the synod found Catholics, worldwide, want steps to promote women to decision-making posts as well as an inclusion of the gay and lesbian people in the church. The Pope has decried laws that criminalize homosexuality and declared that “being homosexual is not a crime.”

Something in the water at Brown University

The proportion of students at Brown University identifying as something other than straight has grown from 14 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2023. The Providence, R.I. school asked students if their “sexual orientation” was heterosexual, homosexual (gay or lesbian), bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer, or questioning. When asked gender identity questions, 3.1 percent

of respondents identified as nonbinary and 1.8 percent as “genderqueer.” The proportion of those declaring LGBTQ identifying as gay and lesbian dropped from 46 percent in 2010 to 22 percent in 2023. More than half of the LGBTQ students identified as bisexual — 53.7 percent. Nationwide, 7.2 percent of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+, according to Gallup polls. The percentage is larger — 19.7 percent — among people aged 18 to 25.

Even Cary Grant wanted to be Cary Grant

Jennifer Grant, in her memoir “Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father,“ says she never saw any indication that her father, Cary Grant, was attracted to men. Jennifer Grant is the only child of the iconic film star when her father, at 62, and married

actress Dyan Cannon. She said If he ever had a same-sex relationship, she “hope[d] it made him happy.” Grant has been linked to another beautiful actor, Randolph Scott. The two lived together in the 1930s, and photos show the two men frolicking in swimming pools and on the beach and enjoying each other’s company in “domestic” settings. He was also linked, in a lambda way, to costume designer Orry-Kelly. A famous “Hollywood hustler,” claimed he serviced Grant when Grant could not get lucky on his own. Work of fiction?

Jennifer Grant is an executive producer of “Archie,” an upcoming British miniseries about her father, whose birth name was Archibald Leach. Jason Isaacs plays Cary Grant. Was Cary Grant gay? Who cares, he was Cary Grant. Q

Davis County School District bans Pride, BLM flags

In a move that has ignited a fierce debate over classroom culture, a school district in Utah has explicitly prohibited the display of LGBTQ+ pride flags and Black Lives Matter flags in its buildings. The controversial decision by the Davis School District in northern Utah aims to maintain a sense of neutrality on all issues, but it has triggered widespread backlash from community activists who argue that the flags promote inclusivity and a sense of belonging for marginalized students.

Chris Williams, the spokesperson for the Davis School District, defended the ban by saying the flags have become “politically charged.” As a result, the district has decided to allow only the display of the United States flag in its schools. Williams later clarified that unrelated flags, such as those representing sports teams or international countries, were permitted in some schools.

Conservative groups rallied behind the district’s ban, with ultraconservative Utah Board of Education member Natalie Cline declaring that classrooms should be free from “identity politics.” For these supporters, the ban represents a victory in their fight against what they perceive as the politicization of educational spaces.

However, community activists vehemently oppose the ban, contending that the display of pride and BLM flags sends a powerful message of welcome and acceptance to students from marginalized backgrounds. They argue that it is not about expressing political views but rather fostering a sense of community. There are concerns that minority students, such as Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ individuals, will feel less safe and visible within the school environment.

Amanda Darrow, the director of youth, family, and education at the Utah Pride Center, passionately defended the pride flag, emphasizing that it represents love and acceptance to the LGBTQ+ community. She lamented the lack of understanding from those advocating for its removal.

Although the Davis School District’s ban has been in effect for a few years,

it recently gained attention when an email reminder was sent to teachers and administrators. The email, which swiftly circulated on social media, stated that the ban extended to all decorations, including stickers and pins that teachers might wear. Rainbow pins and pins indicating pronouns were explicitly prohibited. The email emphasized that previous actions were irrelevant; the ban was to be enforced moving forward.

Williams justified the ban by stating that the district was merely following state law. While Utah law does not specifically address flag displays in classrooms, it instructs teachers to avoid expressing their political or religious views. The ACLU of Utah has also stated that educators’ freedom of speech is limited within the classroom. However, different districts interpret these instructions and statutes differently when it comes to determining what decorations are permissible alongside educational materials.

In stark contrast to the Davis School District, the Salt Lake City School District has taken a different approach. Principal Nicole Palmer of Rose Park Elementary School has embraced diversity by displaying various flags, including the pride flag and the Black Lives Matter flag, in the school’s atrium. Palmer aims to create a nurturing environment where students feel welcomed and acknowledged for their true identities.

Palmer’s decision has faced both support and backlash. Following a conservative activist’s sharing of a video showcasing the flags on social media, Palmer received numerous angry calls and threatening emails demanding their removal. However, she found solace in the support of the superintendent and the district community, who regard the flags as symbols of inclusivity and love rather than political statements.

The controversy surrounding flag displays has expanded beyond these two districts, leaving other schools in Utah unsure about which stance to adopt. Mark Peterson, spokesperson for the Utah Board of Education, has clarified that each district or charter school is

responsible for setting its own flag policy. The state board’s only requirement is for schools to display the American flag.

As the debate continues, questions arise regarding the line between political expression and inclusive environments within schools. Activists argue that school administrators wield too much power in determining what is considered political, often at the expense of marginalized students. They emphasize the profound impact that symbols like pride flags can have on the well-being and sense of safety of LGBTQ+ students.

While the Davis School District stands by its ban, citing the need to create a welcoming environment for all students, critics argue that the ban may inadvertently exclude and alienate certain student populations. As the discussion unfolds, Utah’s education system faces a crucial decision on how to strike a balance between neutrality and fostering a sense of inclusivity in classrooms.

A two-year Justice Department investigation found “serious and widespread racial harassment” of Black and Asian-American students in district schools. The department’s Civil Rights Division cited persistent failures to respond to reports of race-based harassment by district staff and other students. The investigation began in 2019 and covered the period of 2015-2020. Q

SLCPD seeks tips after Pride flags burned

The Salt Lake City Police Department is asking for help identifying the person or people responsible for burning multiple Pride flags.

The investigation began at 8:02 a.m. on Monday, July 3, when officers responded to a home near 850 S. Washington Street (about 250 West) after the homeowner reported their Pride flag had been cut down and burned.

Officers learned that at least four other Pride flags in the area were vandalized. The vandalism is reported to have happened between 1 and 1:30 a.m.

Police are asking anyone living in the area to check home surveillance or doorbell cameras to see if they captured the suspect.

Anyone with information about the situation – and who has not yet already talked with an officer – should call 801-799-3000.

“The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes our responsibility to investigate hate crimes thoroughly and impartially to hold offenders accountable and ensure justice for survivors,” the department wrote

in a statement. “The Salt Lake City Police Department educates its officers and works with our community to recognize, and condemn, hate crimes and works to prevent them from occurring in the future. The effects of a hate crime can be devastating and long-lasting for both the individual victim and the larger community.”

Homeowner Paul Johnson posted on his Facebook page about the incident.

“[I] started today with a very heavy heart and tears in my eyes as I found out my neighborhood and my home were targeted in a hate attack early this morning. Someone came down my street and cut down at least 5 Pride flags, including mine, before setting them on fire,” he wrote. “Whoever did this is a coward, and I’m just sad for them.”

“Within 12 hours of this incident, some kind, anonymous person left a new flag with a note of love. It’s been a hard day, but I will sleep well tonight with my new Pride flag flying, in addition to keeping the remains of the damaged one,” he continued. “We will not be cowered by hatred and intolerance. It’s un-American and

will never be welcome in Salt Lake City.”

If you are the survivor of a hate crime or witness a hate crime, SLCPD says it is important to report it to the appropriate authorities so the case can be investigated, and support and resources offered.

• Call 9-1-1: If the crime is in-progress or there is an immediate threat to the safety of yourself or others.

• File a police report by calling 801799-3000 and asking to speak with an officer about filing a hate crime report.

• Request assistance from an SLCPD Victim Advocate. You can call 801-7993000 and ask to speak with a victim advocate or call 801-580-7969 24/7.

Voted ‘Best Attorney’ by QSaltLake Readers

Cancer’s a Drag features honoree Michael Aaron

Cancer’s a Drag is an inaugural event created by the American Cancer Society of Utah to provide support for the numerous LGBTQ+ community members living in Utah. This event will consist of 20 honorees who will participate in a fundraising competition culminating with a live drag performance at the event on Thursday, August 17.

There will also be an Allied Against Cancer on August 19 and 20 to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in partnership with the Utah Beer Festival at Granary Live. Music, Drag Queen Bingo, Silent Auction, over 200+ Beers and Ciders, and so much more!

Organizers say Cancer’s a Drag will feature entertainment from some of the best drag queens, a silent auction, dinner, and an amazing time you will not soon forget.

The focus of the event is health equity,

says event organizer Catina Struble.

“Unfortunately, so many of us have a connection to cancer, whether it be ourselves or someone we love,” Struble said. “Research confirms that the LGBTQ+ community carries a disproportionate burden of cancer, has distinctive risk factors, and faces additional barriers to accessing health care. We plan to change that and have fun doing it.”

Struble says money raised at this event will stay in Utah, with a focus on our Utah health initiative and breaking down the barriers that exist between the LGBTQ community and access to care.

One of the honorees is Michael Aaron, founder and editor of QSaltLake Magazine, now in its 20th year.

“Yeah — he didn’t think he’d last that long in a job either,” Aaron’s fundraising page reads. “He has been a leader in the

LGBTQ community for 40 years. He says he was two years old when he started. He has been a Matron of Mayhem since the troupe’s inception, back when they were called the Utah Cyber Sluts. He is a baritone in the Salt Lake Men’s Choir. Think Josh Groban meets a screeching cat. He loves to camp, garden, and sit in hot springs. Usually without pants.”

“Understanding that our community, especially our lesbian sisters, are disproportionately affected by cancer, and that two immediate family members are breast cancer survivors, provides my passion for the goals of Cancer’s a Drag,” Aaron said.

Sponsorships are available.

Cancer’s a Drag will take place Thursday, August 17 at Venue 6SIX9, 669 S. West Temple, at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at cancersadrag.org

Support Michael Aaron’s efforts to raise money for the charity at bit.ly/cancerdragmaaron

QSaltLake Lagoon Day 2023 set for Aug. 13

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters will take over the amusement park for the QSaltLake Day at Lagoon this year on Sunday, Aug. 13.

Supporters are encouraged to wear red shirts and stop by the QSaltLake pavilion — the Honey Locust Pavilion— to mingle with other queers and allies. The pavilion is open the entire day and is a popular place to have lunch and take a break.

Tickets at shop.lagoonpark.com with special code 2023QSL

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LoveLoud 2023 Tour will be in SLC, DC, Austin

The LoveLoud Festival returns to Salt Lake City for its fifth show dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth and teens. This year, the festival is hitting the road, expanding its reach beyond Utah.

The LoveLoud Foundation announced the festival will take place at the Delta Center on Friday, November 3, with the theme, “Unite the World through Music.” Artists currently named include Lauv, Mother Mother, Tegan & Sara, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, and Tyler Glenn.

According to their official Twitter account, festival organizers revealed plans for a “LoveLoud Tour,” with stops in Washington, D.C., on October 17 and Austin, Texas, on November 10.

Founded in 2017 by Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, LoveLoud was initially created to demonstrate support and solidarity for LGBTQ+ youth

in Utah. Over the years, the event has evolved into a day-long celebration featuring musical performances, LGBTQ+ speakers, and inclusive booths, fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and community.

The inaugural LoveLoud Festival took place in 2017 at the Brent Brown Ballpark in Orem. It then moved to Salt Lake City’s University of Utah Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2018, followed by the USANA Amphitheatre in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was put on hold in 2020 and 2021.

Making a comeback in 2022 at Vivint Arena, LoveLoud featured performances by Dan Reynolds and artists from Utah’s LGBTQ+ community, including former “American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta. Q

The show is presented by Live Nation, with tickets on sale through LoveLoudFest.com.

Utah AIDS Foundation is becoming UAF Legacy Health clinic

The Utah AIDS Foundation is rebranding and expanding into a full-service, LGBTQ-focused primary care clinic to help better meet the needs of queer patients.

The new “UAF Legacy Health” clinic will open in September and become the state’s first LGBTQ+ community health center, CEO Ahmer Afroz said. Its physicians will offer traditional care like any clinic would, and will also provide gender-affirming hormone therapy to patients with gender dysphoria, as well as offer pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP, which can reduce one’s chances of contracting HIV.

Previously, the foundation’s clinic simply provided testing for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and referred patients to outside clinicians for other services. Once the new clinic opens, it will continue its HIV/AIDS and STI testing and will provide other health care services in-house, alongside its support groups and mental health services.

Afroz said that the original intent of the Utah AIDS Foundation 40 years ago was more geared toward keeping people comfortable in the final stages of life, as there was no cure and no

treatment available for HIV or AIDS.

“Now there are robust treatments for the prevention of HIV,” Afroz said. “What we see now is a need for more medical care as there are gaps in LGBTQ people and people with HIV accessing care.”

“Frankly, he said, there currently is a lack of competent providers” for the LGBTQ community, he said. “There are a lot of health disparities that impact the LGBTQ community. The health concerns that impact the community at a disproportionally high level are not being addressed properly. There is a lack of knowledge by health providers.”

“There is also a level of fear that LGBTQ patients visiting other healthcare providers experience, causing them not to ask questions, not address concerns about sensitive issues,” Afroz continued. “These fears are reinforced through actual negative experiences.”

The foundation has been planning to expand health care services for more than three years, Afroz said, following what AIDS service organizations have done in other states. The Salt Lake County Council allocated $2 million in its budget this year for the expansion.

Afroz said the clinic is undergoing

“extensive renovations” to meet this goal and will include 10 exam rooms, five mental health therapy offices, and will employ three full-time providers, including Dr. Susana Keeshin, who will act as medical director, and Sally Bowen, a nurse practitioner. They are also being joined by Dr. Matt Brian, former associate director of LGBT health at Intermountain Health Care.

He added that the clinic aims to be paneled with as many insurance providers as it can, and would offer services to people without insurance.

Of the name change, Afroz said the Foundation was looking to honor its past and celebrate the next step in its services. He said that UAF Legacy Services honors everything that everyone who worked with the agency has done. It is also inclusive, protects someone’s identity, and is a safe space.

“Even in 2023, there is a stigma to the term AIDS, which keeps people from accessing our services,” Afroz explained.

The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law recently found that Salt Lake City’s LGBTQ population are 125% more likely to be unemployed, 64% more likely to be uninsured, 120% more likely to experience food insecurity and 63% more likely to make less than $24,000 a year compared to the non-LGBTQ population.

The clinic began seeing patients for PrEP in June, and is set to open in September officially. Patients can begin making appointments in August, Afroz said. It will be located at the current Utah AIDS Foundation site: 150 S. 1000 East, suite #200, in Salt Lake City. Q

New non-denominational Church of Fabulosity opens

A new church for those that want to “celebrate the divine fabulousness of life through ministerial acts of worship, marriages, blessing or how they choose to spread love and fabulosity” has now been recognized by the IRS and is ready to start business. They will provide free minister ordinations to all that come to them and live by their beliefs and vow to spread fabulousness, love, and kindness.

More info at facebook.com/TheChurchofFabulosity

Obama urges action against bans targeting LGBTQ+ books

Former President Barack Obama has called on Americans to take action against the rising trend of book bans, particularly those targeting LGBTQ+ literature. Recent studies have shown a significant increase in challenges to books, prompting Obama to raise awareness and advocate for the protection of diverse voices and perspectives.

Obama emphasized that many of the challenges specifically target books about the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups. In an open letter addressed to America’s librarians on Monday, he stated, “It’s no coincidence that these ‘banned books’ are often written by or feature people of color, indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, although there have also been unfortunate instances where books by conservative authors or those containing ‘triggering’ content have been targeted for removal.”

Obama’s letter called attention to the global significance of the issue, highlighting that other nations observe America’s commitment to freedom of expression. “If America, a nation built on freedom of expression, allows certain voices and ideas to be silenced, why should other countries go out of their way to protect them?” he questioned.

Although the former president did not single out any specific states or leaders, he expressed his belief that banning books is fundamentally misguided and contrary to the values that have made the country great. He directed his message to librarians, acknowledging

their crucial role in providing an open reading environment for all individuals.

“In a very real sense, you’re on the front lines – fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas available to everyone,” Obama wrote. “Your dedication and professional expertise allow us to freely read and consider information and ideas, and decide for ourselves which ones we agree with.”

A recent Ipsos and NPR poll conducted in May revealed that 65 percent of Americans oppose school boards banning certain books and removing them from classrooms. The majority of respondents also expressed opposition to lawmakers writing legislation that would ban specific books.

Across multiple states, Republicans have aligned themselves with far-right extremist groups, such as Moms for Liberty, which advocate for the removal of certain books from schools and public libraries. President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, recently announced new initiatives to counteract these measures, including the establishment of a Department of Education position for an agency coordinator tasked with monitoring and combating book bans.

Obama expressed his gratitude to librarians for their unwavering commitment to the freedom to read in a tweet, accompanied by his letter. He and his wife, Michelle Obama, recognize the librarians’ vital role in upholding the principles of a democratic society. Q

whatever mike to headline Utah Trans Pride

INTERVIEW BY

BY MICHAEL AARON

In2015, whatever mike signed to S-Curve/ BMG Records as Michael Blume and released their debut single, “Manufactured Love,” which rose to #6 on the Spotify Viral chart. Between 2015 and 2020, they gained over 20 million streams, toured nationally, and released several projects with the label.

They spent the pandemic writing “Word to the Trees” in the Yucca Valley desert. During this time, they became a dedicated meditator and had a series of spiritual awakenings that led them to come out as a trans person and write “Word to the Trees,” their first release as an independent artist.

whatever mike says “Word to the Trees” is a celebration of being and a meditation on oneness — a wake-up call to live now. To be whatever we are – all the things we are – and we are everything – now. “Word to the Trees” laments humanity’s devastation of the planet while holding space for the possibility of new beauty and healing. “Don’t fuck with my hope.” With sonic and lyrical textures reminiscent of Frank Ocean, Francis and the Lights, and Sam Smith, “Word to the Trees” blends pop musicality and soulful vocals with queer spirituality and vulnerability.

whatever mike is headlining Utah Trans Pride in August and we were able to get some of their thoughts.

How did you succeed in attracting a major label when you first made a splash with your music? I like to think it’s cuz I made honest music that resonated with folks! The labels don’t really know anything; they just follow what people are liking, so when they saw that my music was gaining some traction, they reached out. What did you see as your future during that time? I’ve been working in music for ten years and have had some amazing experiences traveling the world and sharing music in so many spaces with all kinds of folks. I think ten years ago I was more attached to certain outcomes. As I’ve embraced my spirituality and my queerness and my transness, I’ve become much more attuned to the perfection of the present. To the fact that right now, I have everything I need, and I am exactly where I need to be. The work for me is remembering that truth!

Then Covid happened, and you went into quarantine. Tell us what that looked like, where you were, and how you filled your days. The pandemic gave me a chance to start exploring the question of “who am I” in new ways. I left my record label, left NYC, moved to the desert, developed a meditation practice, and started exploring my spirituality with new intention. I started seeing that I don’t have to be who or what the world (and subsequently I myself) told me to be. I started waking up to the magic that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I can literally be whatever mike. I can change all the time, every day, every second. I believe that’s what it is to be alive. To transform. We are magic! I am an artist, musician, performer, human, and divine being. So, you’ve just come out of a three-year hiatus with a new EP after a major revelation in your life. Tell us about the process of coming out trans, and what that means to you. To me, to be trans is to be honest. Honest about the fact that the gender binary is simply a delusional tool of white supremacy used to subjugate femmes, trans people, women, non-binary people – and really femininity itself. I have always been gender non-conforming, but my own internalized misogyny and transphobia blocked me from seeing and understanding my own transness. As I become closer with trans folks in the last 10 years and became part of a community of trans artists, healers, and activists, I started to understand my own transness as a thing that had always been there, though I wasn’t ready to see it. For me, transness has to do with my gender and my presentation, and it also has to do with my spiritual identity. We are literally magical beings on a rock in space. We are 70% water. We flow. We transform. White supremacy wants us to be statues and “define” ourselves, but the reality is that to be human is to “trans-form” at every single moment. How has coming out trans changed your life and your music? It’s allowed me to be so much more honest about my humanity! I think for a long time (and I am still working to unlearn this), I felt pressure to be legible, define-able, and recognizable. Even as a trans person, I sometimes catch myself feeling like, “ok, well, how do I be trans the ‘right way’?” And, of course, that is in and of itself my

own transphobia. There is no right way to be trans. My transness is a testament to the fact that we can change every day, every second. We owe nothing to anyone. We get to be what we are – we get to define ourselves. We get to be part of this ever-evolving, ever-changing Earth. And trans people, particularly black and brown trans activists, have always been at the forefront of this movement toward liberation. This movement that sense let’s dare not to make sense. We don’t need to make sense. Make sense to whom? I am so grateful to be part of such an honest community.

What does being part of Utah Trans Pride mean to you? I stand with queer and trans people everywhere in saying that we have ALWAYS been here, and we are going nowhere. Pride festivals are now more important than ever as our community has become the target of so much hatred. I believe that the TRUTH is the GRACE, and when we show up in our truth as queer and trans people, we are doing god’s work. I also want to add that we must lead with compassion. We cannot do what the fascists do. The politics of “us” vs. “them” keeps us stuck in the illusion of separateness. I am interested in exploring ways to FIGHT for freedom while also refusing to reproduce the division and dehumanization that has led to the current hell we are in.

What would you tell other people evaluating their expression and their gender? There is nothing to get right or wrong!! There is no arrival point. There is no, “and now I am this.” Or maybe there is for you! Everyone’s journey is perfectly their journey. There are ultimately as many genders as there are people! Your journey, your gender, your queerness, your transness. You owe no one anything. You owe no one consistency. You only owe yourself YOUR TRUTH. Anything else you want to tell QSaltLake readers? I’m excited to be playing a bunch of new music from my EP, “Word to the Trees,” as well as some of my older music. Audiences can expect Queer Church vibes! Haha. Grateful, present, soulful, community energy. Can we be honest about the pain we all are living through? Let’s heal together! Q

Info on Genderbands and Utah Trans Pride Festival can be found on the website, genderbands.org/utahtranspride

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHATEVER MIKE

Utah Trans Pride is one of only three in the nation

BY BLAIR HOWELL

festivals are regularly enjoyed in more U.S. cities than can be counted. But there are only three exclusively transgender-focused annual festivals.

Sponsored by the nonprofit charity Genderbands, Utah Trans Pride addresses the unique needs of the trans community amid the ever-increasing number of states limiting transgender rights, such as vital health care. While produced virtually during the pandemic, the Aug. 12, 2023 festival will be the organization’s fourth consecutive event.

Utah Trans Pride, like many other Pride gatherings, will have a variety of vendors and food trucks, with a large array of popular live performers, assuring the event will be enjoyed

beyond the transgender community.

Allies are encouraged to support this small, underserved subset of the queer community — an even smaller subset of society as a whole. (According to a study by the Williams Institute at UCLA, about 1.6 million people 13 or older in the United States, or 0.6 percent, identify as transgender.)

Headline performer queer artist whatever mike is recognized as an inspirational and captivating singer-songwriter who blends genres like indie pop, electronic, and hip-hop with a spiritual twist. To promote their latest project, the EP release of “Words to the Trees,” the artist has toured nationally with AJR and Lawrence and played many popular festivals, including Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball, and

major pride events across the country.

Joining whatever mike on the festival stage will be singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and visual artist Marqueza. Their music ranges in genre, but recurring themes in Marqueza’s songwriting center around affirmation, self-love, healing, and growth as a queer artist of color and is influenced by a wide range of styles ranging from r&b, jazz, rock, pop, punk, experimental, electronic and Japanese city pop.

“I’m very excited about the lineup we have for this festival,” said entertainment director Oakley Fielder. “Almost all of our performers are Utah locals and identify as trans or have group members who are trans.”

The scheduled entertainers also include DJ Snowdragon, Somebody/Anybody, Zaza Van Dyke & Something Special,

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY GENDERBANDS

Cheer Salt Lake, Lavender Menaces Brass, MTNT CLRY, and Bomba Marilé.

There will also be many popular entertainers at the afterparty at The Rise in downtown Provo. Doors will open at 8 p.m., with performances beginning at 9 p.m. Opening the show at the 21+ party will be DJ Conceptualmilf, with go-go dancers and local drag performers, and drag troupes. Tickets are $10 each and are only available for purchase online.

The evening will end with a performance by Talia Keys, whose latest album, “Lessons,” from Talia Keys & the Love, unveils a kaleidoscopic vision of the artist. She has performed with recording artist/actor Billy Porter, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, and Neon Trees’ Tyler Glenn.

While based in Utah, Genderbands supports the transgender, gender-nonconforming, and other gender-diverse communities in the northern states in a variety of ways, largely by assisting with transition-related costs. The services include medical and non-medical grants, free binders, and social and educational activities.

What sets apart Utah Trans Pride from other major festivals is the main event is free, along with being family-friendly and completely accessible.

“There are two things I’m most excited for at Utah Trans Pride this year: having such a massive gathering of trans and non-binary folx and having an accessible festival.”

Emphasis will be made on breaking down barriers that might prevent anyone from participating in Trans Pride. Some of the accessibility steps being taken are affordable vendor fees, putting booths by sidewalks for wheelchair access, food for people with dietary restrictions and allergies, as well as a sensory-friendly “chill zone” space to decompress, along with a freebie/resource booth and “pay it forward” opportunities.

Along with the Aug. 12 festival at Provo Memorial Park from noon to 6 p.m. and the after-party, another fun event is scheduled the evening before. On Friday, Aug. 11, proceeds from a Matrons of Mayhem Bingo Night at the First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City will be donated to Genderbands. At

the family-friendly, general-admission evening, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and bingo beginning at 7 p.m., $5 bingo cards will be available for purchase.

“Aside from when we are protesting for our lives or gathering in remembrance of our lost trans family, I can’t think of another time there’s been this many trans people in one spot,” Genderbands founder and executive director Ian Giles explained. “It will be amazing to be able to be together to celebrate instead of mourn.”

“Utah Trans Pride is put on by and benefits Genderbands, which serves North America,” added the genderqueer/non-binary/trans-masculine Giles. “It’s wonderful to think about the local queer community coming together to lift up trans people in multiple countries. One person really can make a difference, and every person that attends Utah Trans Pride or its other activities is helping make a difference in a transgender person’s life.”

Entertainment

whatever mike (THEY/THEM)

The project “Word to the Trees” is a celebration of being and a meditation on oneness. The project is a wake-up call to live now. To be whatever we are – all the things we are – and we are everything – now. “Word to the Trees” laments humanity’s devastation of the planet, while holding space for the possibility of new beauty and healing. “Don’t fuck with my hope.” With sonic and lyrical textures reminiscent of Frank Ocean, Francis and the Lights, and Sam Smith, “Word to the Trees” blends pop musicality and soulful vocals with queer spirituality and vulnerability. Previously signed to S-Curve/ BMG Records as Michael Blume. Their debut single, “Manufactured Love” rose to #6 on the Spotify Viral chart, and between 2015 and 2020, they gained 20M+ streams, toured nationally, and released several projects on the label. Mike spent the pandemic writing “Word to the Trees” in the Yucca Valley desert. During this time, they became a dedicated meditator and had a series of spiritual awakenings that led them to come out as a trans person and write “Word to the Trees,” their first release as an independent artist.

Japanese-Venezuelan singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, and visual artist Marqueza has been a natural performer and creative force since childhood. Identifying as gender-fluid and genre-fluid, they are influenced by a wide range of styles ranging from r&b, jazz, rock, pop, punk, experimental, electronic, Japanese city pop, and more. Mostly self-taught, Marqueza writes intuitively through improvisation, utilizing a pitch-perfect ear and natural sensitivities to sound and to create gently flowing and emotional soundtracks. Their music ranges in genre, but recurring themes in their songwriting center their experiences around affirmation, self-love, healing, and growth as a queer artist of color.

Talia Keys (SHE/HER, THEY/THEM)

A genre-crossing multi-instrumental musical force of performing art brings her brand of soul-funk-rock n’ roll. If Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix had a musical child together, they’d no doubt be an artist like Talia Keys. This Salt Lake City “musical powerhouse” is known for sourc-

Marqueza (THEY)

ing big rock n’ roll energies reminiscent of the bluesy rawness of Janis and the fire of Jimi. Groovin’ on that old soul vibe with new school sounds, best described as “blistering,” having been “struck by her talent, stage presence, and refreshing candor.” An award-winning songwriter and filmmaker, Talia is on a mission to bring balance, fierce advocacy for the underrepresented, and provide relevant content that connects to her listeners.

DJ Snowdragon / SnowDragon

Tolman (SHE/HER)

Born and raised in Utah, DJ Snowdragon has mixed music online for 15 years and now does regular karaoke in the Ogden and Layton area, as well as weddings, parties, and events for the last four years. She came out in 2018 after living as society wished for 46 years. She is now living her authentic self and working to educate others about what it means to be transgender, as well as helping those still closeted or newly out to find their path, and doing so by being completely open about who she is and un-offended by any honest question and desire to understand. There are no wrong questions, asked honestly, other than the question unasked.

Somebody/Anybody

A high-energy indie/alternative rock band born and raised in Utah. With MJ Grey singing vocals, Kendra Jones on bass, Hillary McDaniel on drums and Moon Ray on lead guitar, the upbeat songs and catchy riffs get people moving and the good vibes flowing. Their sound is rooted in 90s-style grunge and alternative rock with a modern pop flair, danceable beats, and lyrics that might get stuck in your head (in the best way). Their message is one of positivity, community, perseverance, and friendship. Somebody/Anybody

knows how to bring the fun, and they promise you’ll leave our show feeling more joyful than when you arrived.

Zaza Historia VanDyke & Something Special (ZAZA: SHE/HER)

Zaza Historia VanDyke is a poc, trans femme, parent, performer, songwriter and artist from Ogden, Utah. You can find zaza anywhere she can be loud and proud with an instrument in hand, either playing upright bass for “The BackYard Revival” or playing guitar and singing her own original music. She’s the girl at every campfire and party, singing and playing acoustic guitar, In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find Zaza without a guitar close by. Zaza’s greatest inspirations are the people surrounding her in life, who’ve pushed her and supported her music, and her love of the world and atmosphere around her. With her band, something special, they are a rock trio with drums, bass, and guitar/vox.

Lavender Menaces Brass Collective

A new Salt Lake City-based performance artist collective dedicated to the

Cheer Salt Lake

Established in 2011, Cheer Salt Lake is the only adult, charitable cheerleading team in Salt Lake City. As a proud founding member of the Pride Cheerleading Association, Cheer Salt Lake raises money and cheers for the advancement of LGBTQIA+ causes in the community.

empowerment of women, non-binary and trans people. Our community welcomes all marginalized artists to freely express their creative talents as we break society’s expectations for who is allowed to take up space by fiercely and unapologetically bringing high-energy brass music and visual arts to the streets and our community.

Kaden “MTNT CLRY” Bailess (HE/HIM)

A transgender man from Salt Lake City who grew up playing the piano. Some of his best memories are from playing Christmas music in the old Cottonwood Mall every year. Always being around DJs and music producers as an adult, Kaden caught the EDM bug and submersed himself into any and all genres of music. He bought his first DJ controller during Covid as a way to cope with the lockdown. He currently has a monthly residency at Millcreek Common, has played at Boomerang’s Down Under, and has been hired for multiple private events.

Bomba Marilé

Established in November 2017, Bomba Marilé shares Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of bomba music and dance with the greater Utah community. Since their initiation, they’ve organized bomba workshops with visiting instructors, social events including dominos and picnics,

and educational activities, including showing documentaries discussing issues related to Puerto Rico. Bomba Marilé has had the opportunity to perform at various cultural events throughout Utah, including the Living Traditions Festival, West Side Dance Cinco de Mayo Festival, Mondays at the Park, and the Utah County Fair. They are grateful for the opportunity to highlight their musical traditions from Puerto Rico and to share them with those who support the cultural arts.

Matrons of Mayhem

A camp drag queen troupe dedicated to raising money for various charities, Matrons of Mayem sponsors Third Friday Bingo each month at the First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, raising tens of thousands of dollars a year for various charities. They also sponsor smaller events at Club Try-Angles on the first Sunday of the month, where they can let their mouths be a bit more loose. They are the hostesses with the mostesses for the Big Gay Fun Bus running from October through April. You also might find them walking the streets of Park City during Sundance, QSaltLake Day at Lagoon, the Utah Pride Festival, and anywhere else elegant people may be in number. They’ve also been known

P R I D E Festival estival T R A N S U T A H

to pop up at fundraisers for Salt Lake Acting Company, Equality Utah, Planned Parenthood and other fabulous charities.

About Genderbands

As a largely volunteer-run organization, Genderbands relies on donations from individuals, merchandise sales, sponsors, and funds raised at Utah Trans Pride. The vast majority of the vendors at the festival are trans- and non-binary-owned small businesses.

One-time donations can be made at donorbox.org/donate-to-genderbands. Recurring donations at donorbox.org/ gbfriend. For more information, visit genderbands.org/utahtranspride. And follow Genderbands on Instagram at @ genderbands, @utahtranspride, and @ genderbandsutah — and on Facebook and TikTok at @genderbands. Q

Full information on Genderbands and Utah Trans Pride Festival can be found on the website, https:// www.genderbands.org/utahtranspride.

Returningfor its ninth year, Ogden

Pride is once again downtown at the Ogden Amphitheater at Ogden Park near the beautiful art deco municipal building on Historic 25th Street.

With the theme, “The Future is Inclusive,” the event is free to festivalgoers and runs Sunday, August 6 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Over 120 vendors and food vendors are participating this year.

There are two events for LGBTQ+ youth to participate —a Friday night Youth Outreach Pride and a Kid Zone on Sunday.

On Saturday, a fundraising concert will take place titled, “The Inclusive Revolution: A Rock & Rokk Affair.” Tickets are just $15 with gates at 4 p.m. and the show at 5 p.m.

Headliners of the concert are Shecock with A Vengeance and Ginger and the Gents. Misters of Ceremonies are Eddie Broadway and Kristofer Inez Onyx.

For more information on Ogden Pride, go to ogdenpride.org or their Facebook page at facebook.com/YourOgdenPride

Schedule:

Friday – August 4th

FREE! YOUTH OUTREACH PRIDE NIGHT Support LGBTQ+ youth and their talents as they showcase their amazing authentic selves through diverse art forms on the stage! They have got singers, drag entertainers, magicians, and more.

After the talent showcase, they’ll “kick out the ‘rents” and give the youth a safe space to kick off pride with their own youth-only dance!

Gates: 5pm, Show: 5:30 – 7

Dance: 7 – 10pm

Ages 12-18 Free!

Saturday – August 5th

THE INCLUSIVE REVOLUTION: A ROCK & DRAG AFFAIR

Ogden Pride’s first concert and drag show. With local talent and entertainers, it’s sure to be a rockin’ time!

Local bands SHECOCK WITH A VENGEANCE and GINGER AND THE GENTS are kicking off Pride Saturday night. Drag performers Mr. Trans USA 20/21

EDDIE BROADWAY, Mr. Phoenix Pride 2017 KRISTOFER INEZ ONYX, Mr.

Utah USofA MI 2009 SEAN LIQUÉ, the cast of KING’S KIKI — Salt Lake City’s all kings show, Drag Queens and Kings of the IMPERIAL COURTS OF UTAH like Empress 16 Lady Delish and Empress 10 J’Lee, Emperor 46 Devon Aire. More entertainers are still being added.

This is Ogden Pride’s largest fundraising event that helps run their programs all year. This show is all ages. Parental guidance suggested.

Gates: 4pm, Show: 5pm $15 a person

Sunday – August 6th

9TH ANNUAL OGDEN PRIDE FESTIVAL: THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE FESTIVAL : 11am – 8pm

Two stages of Entertainment*

Kids Zone is back — Activities and prizes with a secure area for families with kids. Over 120 vendors, Food, Family Friendly, Free

Entertainment

SheCock with A Vengeance

When Sofia Scott first came out trans, she went to her first drag show, Miss City Weekly event and immediately started working a Rock Princess identity. And, voila, Shecock & the Rock Princess was born.

Ginger and the Gents

Dirty rock and soul resting on a bed of heavy blues, with a twist of nostalgic classic rock, is one way to describe the music of Ginger & The Gents. Grit, soul, and Rock ‘n Roll is another.

Ogden Pride’s 9th year is inclusive

Mr. Trans USA 20/21 Eddie Broadway

Eddie Broadway/Elijah Palles is an HIV activist, drag entertainer, social worker, therapist, artist, and more, and loves every second of it. As Eddie Broadway, he has won two national titles — Mr. Trans U.S.A. in 2020 and 2021 — and two local titles.

Mr. Phoenix Pride 2017

Kristofer Inez Onyx

Kristofer Inez Onyx was Mr. Phoenix Pride in 2017, has served on the board of directors of Phoenix Pride and was Emperor XIV of the Imperial Court of Arizona.

Mr. Utah USofA MI 2009 Sean LiQué

Sean LiQue was to founder of drag king troupe Salt City Kings and won the title of Mr. Utah USofA MI in 2009. He has been president and the director of operations for Ogden Pride since 2018. He was Emperor XVII, earned the title Citizen for Life, and has been on the board of directors of the Imperial Court of Northern Utah since 2012. He was awarded the Community Heroof 2023 by the Crossroads of the West Regional Rodeo

King’s Kiki

Salt Lake City’s monthly all King show at Why Kiki bar.

Empress 16 Lady Delish

Lady Delish reigned as Empress XVI of the Imperial Court of Northern Utah.

Empress 10 J’Lee

J’Lee reigned as Empress X of the Imperial Court of Northern Utah

Emperor 46 Devon Aire

Devon Aire reigned as Emperor XLVI of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, and was Imperial Father to Empress XXIII of the Imperial Court of Northern Utah

More at ogdenpride.org

views

quotes

“Thanks so much — really appreciate it!!!! And no, I’m not straight ��.

—British actor Alexander Lincoln in response to a fan asking if nongay actors should play gay characters

“When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know.’”

— Noah Schnappon TikTok

“That was my last time coming out the closet I promise.”

—Lil Nas X on Twitter

“Someone would call me ‘she’ or ‘her’ and I would think about it, but I knew that if someone called me ‘he’ it was a bit exciting”

—Actor Bella Ramsey to the “New York Times

“Like everybody else, I have my strengths, I have my weaknesses, I have my family, I have my friends. Like everybody else, I also want to live my life in freedom. Without fears. Without prejudice. Without violence. But with love. I’m homosexual and I no longer want to hide myself.”

— Czech professional soccer player Jakub Jankto

“I’m sure I’ve gotten a blowjob from a guy before. For sure. 100 percent, yeah”

—Diplo during a March interview on Emily Ratajkowski’s High Low podcast

A reminder of why we must protect trans people

BY JUAN MICHAEL PORTER II

We should

fight for the rights of transgender people because it is the right thing to do and because trans rights, like Black rights, queer rights and HIV rights are human rights — point blank, period.

I recently spelled that out to a former friend and fellow same-gender-loving man who asked why I kept getting “distracted” by supporting transgender folks. This person felt that I should stay in my lane and focus on HIV instead. He insisted — erroneously — that our trans siblings “don’t have it as bad as we did back in the day,” and were therefore less deserving of support.

It was almost as if he had transformed into a conservative commentator and forgotten about the existence of intersectionality — the overlay of existing discriminations that oppress various groups — and that we are all in this together.

BIGOTRY BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL BIGOTRY

After reminding him that he was mirroring the same coded language that xenophobic bigots have long used to deny aid to immigrants, I told him that I’d been hit with similar rhetoric from people who should’ve been standing in community with me: queer folks who have told me that people living with HIV “mess it up for gay people,” heterosexual artists who have claimed that my homosexuality was a perversion or that the only reason I was successful was because I am Black, and supposedly liberal — but actually racist — white gay men who’ve insisted that Black people “don’t have it as bad as [gay people] do and need to sit down.”

Not that the fight for collective liberation needs to be a case of the oppression Olympics, but it is obtuse to ignore the reality that if neo-Nazis show up, they are going to target Black folks first. Reductive comparisons aside, I speak of racism because the foundation for oppressing others in this country is rooted in anti-Blackness — equating the richness of one’s skin with “dark evil,” all while connecting the notion of “pale superiority” with purity — and that this same ideology has been seized by homophobes to associate queerness and especially transgender existence with negativity. Hence the rush by right-wing extremists, such as the so-called Proud Boys, to target drag performers, who they equate with trans people.

What it all comes down to, I told my no-longer friend, is that there will always be a reason to hate people who are different — especially when it helps one to divide and conquer. Or as the activist and artist Qween Jean recently put it, “How are we fighting for Black liberation while denying it for our queer and trans siblings? The assignment was to dismantle the master’s house — not move into the guest house.”

But moving into “master’s guest house” — by becoming white supremacist adjacent and allowing proxy wars to turn us against each other — seems to be the name of the game for some people. And what’s it all about? Ultimately, the collective eradication of anyone who exists outside of white Christian patriarchy’s ideal.

ARGUING FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT WHILE PROMOTING GENOCIDE

Following our fractious discussion, I told my former friend that our relationship was over, at which point, he suggested that I was the actual bigot because I was judging him for holding a different opinion. I responded, “Harriet Tubman would have left you,” and walked away. Snappy retort and calm exterior aside, I felt sadly about this breakup. I got over it by reminding myself that while I respect one’s right to disagree with me, I refuse to share my time with anyone who argues for the invalidation of another person’s right to exist — or who peddles anti-liberation talking points.

The most recent rush of anti-liberation (and decidedly anti-queer) hate seems to have broken past years of anti-trans bathroom and sports legislation and found a new standard bearer in the governor of Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law — which forces educators to out children who might be queer to their parents. The genesis for that law can be tracked to the Helms Amendment, which was introduced in 1987 by then-Republican Sen. Jesse Helms. That “no promo homo” law prohibited any funds provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from supporting HIV prevention materials and advocacy that might “promote or encourage, directly or indirectly, homosexual sexual activities.” This included mentioning anal sex.

Though Helms could be called the modern day progenitor of recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, its original blueprint was laid by a group of people who fled religious persecution in England, only to oppress others

in this country — all while enshrining the rights of white Christian male landowners to eliminate Indigenous people, enslave and medically experiment on kidnapped Africans, and oppress their descendants. Presently, there is a move to erase this history because it might make white kids feel badly — all while ignoring how global majority children might feel or the fact that such history could inspire white youth to feel positively by aligning themselves with collective freedom.

DRAGGING US BACK IN TIME

These efforts to legislate global majority and queer people out of existence are part of a multi-pronged attack to deny historically marginalized people access to sexual health or basic care, are the literal manifestation of “Silence=Death,” and have disastrous implications for all people — because what affects one will eventually affect all.

Though there has been some racial and sexual progress over the last two decades, with this year’s introduction of over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills, it seems that conservative activists have returned to saying the quiet part out loud. To wit, the conservative commentator who — during the Conservative Political Action Conference, held earlier this month — stated, “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”

This brings us back to Helms who, during his arguments against funding HIV prevention, stated, “Some senators believe the AIDS epidemic is so bad that we should disseminate whatever materials anyone wants to produce regardless of content. But I still flinch when I hear the word condom on television... We’ve got to call a spade a spade and a perverted human being a perverted human being, not in anger but in realism... I just want the American taxpayer’s dollars to be spent in a moral way.”

By 1993, Helms’ morals had contributed to HIV becoming the leading cause of death among people aged 25–44 years in the U.S. Though he was considered extreme in his day, he still held the ear of Pres. Ronald Reagan and was able to push forward his amendment with a vote of 94-2. As Lori Behrman — then-spokesperson of Gay Men’s Health Crisis — foresaw, “This kind of amendment only sets a precedent that will come to haunt everyone at a later date.”

That date is now. And if we aren’t all in this together — if we don’t support transgender people who currently bear the brunt of these attacks, even as they fight for our collective right to thrive — we will be taken down piece by piece until there is no one is left. Q

Juan Michael Porter II is a senior editor at TheBody and TheBodyPro. He has been living with HIV since 2015. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, Q Syndicate, and QSaltLake Magazine.

Anti-Queer Right Wing

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

Iwas shopping at my local Kroger, something I do at least once a week, and all of their Pride merchandise was on clearance. T-shirts were $1.80, rainbow garden flags $2. They had a shopping cart overflowing with it all. Honestly, I doubt they sold any of it during June. There was never a display, just a pile of gray and black t-shirts on a shelf. The only reason I found the shirts during actual Pride Month at all was because there was a display of Pride Skittles above them. (You know, Pride Skittles, when they make all of the candies this wan gray color because they’re letting LGBTQ+ artists use the rainbow to make art for the Skittles bags. It’s weird to me that this lasted past the first year. Pride Skittles are the saddest Skittles. It’s like a Skittles mausoleum. That said, they’re still delicious, and they were on clearance, so you bet I bought them. Even for $1.80 I didn’t buy any Pride shirts, though. They were honestly just ugly.)

Maybe Kroger’s lack of display was intentional. It could just be that grocery stores aren’t well equipped to display t-shirts, a type of merchandise they rarely have for sale. Or maybe Kroger saw what happened with Target and decided to keep their rainbow march on the down low. Hard to say.

LoveLoud 2023

Wait, did I say what happened with Target? My apologies. I meant, what is HAPPENING with Target. Because the ghost of Pride Fest Past continues to haunt them. If by ghost, I mean a

bunch of Republican attorneys general from around the country threatening Target with a letter warning them that their Pride merchandise might well have broken “our States’ child-protection and parental-rights laws.”

In a letter dated July 5 to Target’s CEO Brian C. Cornell, attorneys general of Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Carolina wrote that they were “concerned” by Target’s Pride merchandise and accused them of selling “obscene matter” to minors as part of a ”comprehensive effort to promote gender and sexual identity among children.”

The letter cites discredited sources and repeats all of the lies that right-wing media has been screaming about, lies that I won’t bother repeating here, because they’re lies. (Note to mainstream media: See? It isn’t that hard.) The whole letter is really embarrassing. Or it should be. The signers most likely are very happy to see their names scrawled at the bottom.

The letter writers aren’t just mad that Target dared to sell Pride baby onesies; they are mad that Target cost shareholders money. The letter makes clear that the only reason for a company to exist is to make money for shareholders and that anything that isn’t expressly for that purpose is something the company should not be doing. Caring about people is wrong, damn it.

It’s an interesting argument. The anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing echo machine stirred up the whole Target Pride controversy. Target has had a Pride display

for years, and it wasn’t a BFD. But once the conservative media and extremist politicians decided to make homophobia and transphobia their main agenda, Target was an easy, um, Target because their displays are so visible and consistent. So the AG argument is basically, “You did a thing that we didn’t like, so we threw a temper tantrum and told people not to shop at Target because Target turns babies trans and sacrifices them to Satan, and then people listened to us, and then Target’s shares dropped a bit, and then we lost money, and now we’re so mad because this is all your fault.”

Target shares dropping was solely because the straight brigade rose up against the corporate rainbow monster. Target’s early capitulation to the right-wing hysterics about their Pride collection pissed off a lot of LGBTQ+ people and allies. I know I didn’t set foot in a Target the entire month of June.

But also, as CBS News reports, “Like many retailers, the company is struggling with a pullback in consumer spending because of high inflation, which has weighed on its profits.”

Funny that the letter doesn’t mention anything about, you know, market forces beyond the outsize force of the gay agenda.

What this letter makes clear is that the right-wing concentration on dismantling as many of the gains that LGBTQ+ people have made as possible is really just beginning. They can’t and won’t let this go because they believe it will help them keep and gain power. And plenty of dumbdumbs will fall for it. They always do.

Practicing self-care from now through November 2024 is going to be really important. Fight like hell, but rest like hell, too. We’re all going to need the strength. Q

D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

Camels in needles

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

Lastmonth,

the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Colorado website designer could refuse to build a wedding page for gay couples based on her deeply held religious beliefs. SCOTUS believed that the state law barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ people violated the woman’s First Amendment rights — her religious freedom.

That is utter bullshit.

Religious freedom means that the government cannot establish a national religion, say, like the Church of England, so Americans are free to hold whatever faith they want. Nor can the government determine doctrine. That’s why Muslims and Jews can ban pork, Catholic priests aren’t allowed to be married, and Mormons can refuse marriage rights to whomever they wish.

Here’s the nutty twist to their ruling: the groundwork for it was laid nearly forty-five years ago — before the plaintiff was even born. It all started when the “religious right” mobilized as a political force to support Ronald Reagan’s White House bid. Since then, evangelicals have been an important constituency for every Republican presidential candidate — including Donald Trump in 2016, who went on to appoint three members of SCOTUS, all of whom sided with that plaintiff.

Leading the way was the Rev. Pat Robertson. His influence was so widespread it led him to his own presidential run in 1988. He even carried four states in the GOP primaries.

His power stemmed from the Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded, and its flagship television show, The 700 Club. As its long-time host, Robertson spouted homophobic vitriol that some would argue was hate speech.

His greatest hits included saying gay people caused natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes, marriage equality was the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that trans rights would lead to

nuclear war. Apparently, facts weren’t of any concern. He claimed that poz men in places like San Francisco wore sharpened rings to intentionally spread HIV to others when they shook hands. Yeah, like gay men in San Francisco shake hands. He even tried blaming us for 9/11.

It’s tough enough to hear lies about yourself, but the kids of gay parents hear it too. It tells them that their parents are terrible people, and their families illegitimate.

According to Learning for Justice, the educational arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, straight kids are also negatively affected by homophobia. The group says it can strain family and community relationships; it can cause teens to become sexually active before they are emotionally and physically prepared; it can prevent kids from forming tight relationships with friends of the same gender; and it can even irreparably damage friendships.

I remember when our oldest was in middle school, and we threw him a birthday party. A kid our son had considered a friend wasn’t able to come to our house because of his family’s deeply held religious beliefs. Of course, our son was welcome in their home any time. Kelly prevented me from calling the parents and telling them our deeply held religious beliefs kept our kids from visiting the homes of hateful, ignorant bigots. Instead, I apologized to our son. He told me we’d done nothing wrong.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Pat Robertson managed to parlay his homophobic hatred into a cash cow. At the time of his death, he was estimated to be worth $100 million.

I take no joy in his death. But I do find it ironic that a man who claimed that LGBTQ+ people were bound for Hell seemed to ignore one of Christ’s most famous parables: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Q

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

Onmy way

to Ford Field in downtown Detroit for the first night of Taylor Swift’s brilliant and breathtaking Eras Tour on June 9, I joked with my concert mate that he’d have to remember the show for me, even though that was my job. That is if, of course, he wasn’t about to literally lose his mind, too.

I’d read about the Taylor Swift “amnesia” phenomenon — Swifties reporting that the experience was so overwhelming they felt guilty they couldn’t remember more of it — and I wondered, would the pop magic, all 44 songs, go poof at 11:15 p.m. when Taylor popped off stage? Should I interview 20 Swifties about what happened just in case my mind went blank? What if they couldn’t remember all too well, either? Would we all wander around like Dorothy in Taylor’s Oz, Technicolor-dazed and too far from home?

This is how three hours and 20 minutes of Taylor Swift live in Detroit all started — my wild, out-of-body experience during what has been called “the tour of her generation.” Based on the light research I’d done before the show, I knew the first Detroit Eras Tour stop I attended would serve Big Taylor Energy

with a stylish, over-the-top pageant feel that rivaled anything I’ve seen before (including decades of big pop spectacles from gay icons like Madonna, Cher, Janet and Mariah), so overwhelmingly massive and magical that I could barely take notes. I only took three, so that tells you a lot. But contrary to what I’d been warned about regarding Swift amnesia, my mind isn’t exactly the blank space I thought it might be. I actually remember so much! Most of my memories include, naturally, the queerest parts of the show.

I distinctly recall “Vigilante Shit,” performed during the final “Midnights” portion of the show, when the queer person next to me shouted something that was certainly on my mind and must’ve been on the mind of many other LGBTQ+ Swifties: “Happy Pride Month to me!” She was specifically referring to Swift and her incredible troupe of diverse dancers doing a burlesque-style chair dance on a tiered video pedestal stage. Some were women, but dancers Sam McWilliams and Kevin Scheitzbach, who were on either side of Swift in heels, exuded queerness in a way that made me appreciate the ambiguous expression of gender happening onstage during the show’s sexiest number, in front of a multigenerational

crowd of nearly 60,000 people. If I were a little gay boy seeing that, I might be titillated, yes, but mostly I’d be like, “Mom, get me a sparkly one-piece right now.”

Though Swift’s Ford Field shows were just down the street from where Motor City Pride took place in Hart Plaza, she didn’t make any Pride-specific mention on Friday like she did in Chicago the week before at the beginning of Pride Month, when she essentially used her powerful platform to call out anti-queer legislators. Like her casting of Laith Ashley, the trans male model who played her lover in the video for “Lavender Haze,” Swift’s support of the LGBTQ+ community in Detroit was expressed entirely artistically. For instance, it was only four songs in when she sang her gay anthem “You Need to Calm Down,” which got her pro-queer message across loud and clear when a stadium full of fans shouted her “shade never made anybody less gay” zinger, a line Swift ensured stayed in the truncated live version.

Queer energy ran heavily through a lot of the “Midnights” section, actually. Sure, it began with “Lavender Haze,” which, naturally, has sparked conversations among her lesbian fans — lavender, after all, has historical roots as lesbian

TAYLOR SWIFT makes strong case for gay icon status during Eras Tour

iconography. But after that song came “Bejeweled” and “Karma.” Seeing those bops come to life in the most exuberant live setting made both songs — the former about still shimmering in the face of ugliness, the latter a kitschy clapback — seem even more Taylor (er, tailor)-made for a drag stage near you. During “Karma,” Swift and her dancers had jackets on, their collective colors resembling a shiny rainbow. If you’re a boomer, you might imagine this kind of delightfully camp-level excess at a Cher show. And if Swift wanted to go one step further, she might consider producing the kind of all-access concert movie that captured Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, which, alongside overt feminist themes (of which there are many during the Eras Tour), is fondly remembered for showcasing queer visibility.

So yes, I will remember a lot about the Eras Tour — Swift amnesia, be damned. I got a friendship bracelet from the person whose new Pride anthem is rightfully “Vigilante Shit,” an example of the surprising sense of community I felt at this show. I didn’t expect to get a bracelet, especially from someone else who’s queer, but it had me reflecting on being in this overwhelmingly joyous space after a couple of years of pandemic isolation.

It was 2020 when “Folklore” came out, and there was so little to look forward to. I have a feeling a lot of Swifties at that show might’ve felt like I did that year — scared, depressed, more hopeless than I’d ever been. I clung hard to those songs like they were magic, and then the magic was happening right in front of me. When I heard Swift’s spoken-word version of “Seven,” which opened the “Folklore” section of the show, it briefly took me back to that difficult stretch of isolation. Then I looked around, tens of thousands of light-up bracelets shining like distant stars all around me. The Eras Tour is special in that way — for a night, it brought us together to remember not just the night, but the journey we took to get there. 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.

Brandon Scott Jones just wants to help young queers feel seen

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

Thisyear, Brandon Scott Jones is showing up in the most random of places. There’s his series regular role in “Ghosts,” portraying the spirit of American Revolutionary officer Captain Isaac Higgintoot, who is gay. There’s his part as Drew’s BFF Curtis on “The Other Two,” HBO’s abundantly queer absurdist comedy, which just announced that its latest, third season would be its last. And earlier this year, he could be seen on the big screen alongside Nicolas Cage’s Dracula in the horror-comedy “Renfield,” now streaming on Peacock.

The Maryland-born actor, who has also appeared in “Isn’t It Romantic,” “The Good Place” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” recently chatted about the niche queerness of “The Other Two,” finding comfort in LGBTQ+ media in his youth and how he hopes that his latest projects are doing the same for others.

“The Other Two” really is so perfectly stupid and yet so moving at the same time. Let’s make that the tagline. Wild how they strike that tone. It’s cool.

It’s not an easy thing to pull off, but this show does. When was the moment you knew you could make a career out of being funny? This isn’t going to sound funny, but I remember I was on a family vacation and my mom, dad, sister and I were driving through deep Georgia on our way to Florida, and it started to torrentially downpour, and my mom started screaming at my dad to pull

off the road, and my dad kept gripping the steering wheel, screaming that he couldn’t see. He’s like, “I can’t see!” And I remember thinking to myself and turning to my sister and we’re like, “We’re going to die.” And thinking to myself, “This is terrifying,” but very funny to see my parents do this in front of their children.

I can see this as a sketch on a comedy series I can 100%. Literally, there’s no chill in the back, and my sister and I were just sitting there, stone-faced, like, “Oh god.” I have a memory of being like, “Oh, I want to write about this.” So that was the first time I thought, “Oh, maybe I enjoy comedy.” I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve gotten to work with people in my past doing lots of comedy that have brought me in to do other projects that maybe more people were able to see, and then also just trying your hardest to put yourself out there. And I remember the first time I put my comedy writing live on stage, and to see the reaction to that, then the reaction on the business side to that, was really, really encouraging.

When you got the script for this season of “The Other Two,” what was the scene you couldn’t wait to shoot? Oh, god, there’s a couple. One, I think you get to see some different levels of Curtis where he’s sort of been very silly in a lot of fun ways and a good friend. We got a little taste of his good friendship with Cary last season, but this year we had two separate moments that Drew [Tarver, who plays Cary] and I both called “the hard scenes,” and we called them the hard scenes

because they’re definitely a little bit more emotional for the two of us. I think in addition to all the comedy that we get to play, there’s a scene or two toward the end of the season that we were both excited to really sink our teeth into.

“The Other Two” really does know queer culture inside and out. What’s it like to be able to go so deep into niche LGBTQ+ culture within this show? It’s really fun. It is a very queer focused, queer-forward show in a lot of ways. I mean, for example, last season when Cary had this hole pic come out. I think the idea of taking a picture of your hole to send someone and then accidentally blasting it to the world is a thing that starts out as something very relatable, but is also probably a fear we all have, a little bit.

I think trying to stay involved [and in] that world and understanding also the lens through which we look at it — which is sometimes through the entertainment industry — I know me and Drew, as queer actors, you get to see all of these little nuances of [how] people want you to be a certain way, they want you to act a certain way, and that usually corresponds with pop culture. While doing this interview, it’s hard not to think about the first episode of this current season — navigating the promo of a TV show. That must seem very meta to you right now. Who’s the person on your shoulder as you go through this today? It is funny to be doing interviews or hosting things on TV and also then doing them in real life. There is that meta element

to it. It’s almost… I’m the person on my shoulder; it’s still this constant back and forth that I have with myself of, “Am I being enough of the person that I want to be? Am I not being enough of the representation?” And you kind of feel the weight of it a little bit, not to add self-importance or self-indulgence, or some sort of ego to it, but I think there’s people that have inspired me and there’s so many different people that you want to be like, and I think you just wonder if you’re falling short sometimes.

Can we get a spinoff of the “Gay Minute,” your show within a show this season? Do you want a full half hour of “The Gay Minute”? I would totally do it. Just a sad, real-time show of this person trying to film it.

As someone who’s aware of the representation you bring to the TV and films you’re in, what media helped you feel seen? When I was younger, I really loved “Will and Grace,” and I didn’t know, necessarily, a world outside of that. It was really fun to see those characters come up, but

then a lot of the stuff that I really, really identified with, I didn’t even recognize to be queer culture. I was a big Madeline Kahn fan. I was a big Rosalind Russell fan. I would watch these madcap heightened movies — “Clue” or “Bringing Up Baby.” And all of these things that I now recognize as an adult, it’s like, “Oh, wait, I wasn’t alone in liking those things.” Do you remember “Me and My Shadows,” the Judy Garland TV movie? Yeah. You thought you were the only person who saw it? I thought I was the only person who sat there and saw it. It was a two-night event, and I did not miss either night. It’s this thing that, as you get older, you find other people that also did that, and you’re like, “Oh, all of this.” I sank myself into these things, and I was doing it for a reason, even if I didn’t fully know what it was. And it becomes so personal. Looking at your career as a whole, when did you understand that the roles you choose are important and they matter? I don’t know if there’s ever been one point, but I know that it’s been really nice

between this show and “Ghosts” to see the fan reaction on Twitter of people either recognizing queer moments or, on “Ghosts,” I have a coming out [arc], which it’s been very nice to see the reaction to that. So I don’t necessarily know if I personally have that following, but I know that you still want to put out the authentic version of yourself for that person that might find you and might identify with who you are. I think that my experience of coming out, and as I was growing up and getting older, it can be lonely, and I used to sink myself into film and television to quell that, and so you hope that whatever performance you’re giving, whatever interview you’re doing, there’s an authenticity there and that you’re bringing that experience to hopefully help others as well. 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.

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Rock & Doris

ACROSS

1 Dumbo’s “wings”

5 It may be rough

10 Sweet spot

14 Respond on one’s knees

15 What to scan in poetry

16 Architecture, to Philip Johnson

17 1964 movie of Rock & Doris

20 Yoko of “Double Fantasy”

21 Harley Quinn and Batgirl

22 U-turn from NNW

23 Bruce Wayne kept his Dick in one

25 Ethnic suffix

26 Emulated Neil Patrick Harris

28 Win ___ nose

30 Where the Dutch girl stuck her finger?

32 With 35-Across, 1959 movie of Rock & Doris

35 See 32-Across

37 Cheese from Gide’s country

39 You might pick one up in an alley

41 “West ___ Story”

44 Animated dog

45 It can make hair straight

47 No to Rimbaud

48 Fictional Italian town

50 “Barney Miller” actor Jack

51 Erect

53 Most likely to use a condom

55 Red Guard members

57 1961 movie of Rock & Doris

60 Wang in fashion

61 Oral performances

62 Part of an old Madonna bra

64 Steamed up

65 Italian sauce

66 Apple that isn’t a fruit

67 Culture Club’s “___ Miracle”

68 Check for electronic bugs

69 Anderson Cooper’s area

DOWN

1 Race site in Auden’s land

2 Gladiator area

3 Was excessive with the mouth

4 “Providence” lead role

5 Some Feds

6 Poet Vivien

7 Water molecule threesome

8 Flew in the face of

9 Gardner of mystery

10 Left in the field

11 “___ my case!” (Perry Mason close)

12 What Shakespeare wrote in

13 Made less difficult to bear

18 Streep of “Silkwood”

19 Port in the land of samurai

24 Off-Broadway prize

27 Disney frames

29 Errol Flynn’s “The Sun ___ Rises”

31 Agenda listing

32 Dress namesakes of an opera ship

33 Picks out, with “for”

34 Home of the Baylor Bears

36 Part of a TV archive

37 They’re tops on the beach

38 “The enemy will soon come upon us!”

40 Rose to Dorothy, on “Golden Girls”

42 Non-S&M “Beats me”

43 They may be split

45 Part of a vacuum that sucks

46 It may be removed in SRS

49 Burning Man state

52 Vitamin B acid

54 Cops flirting in a tearoom

56 Fable fellow

58 Your first mate, and others

59 River to the Seine

60 Caesar’s lucky number?

63 Playwright Albee and others, for short

‘What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator’

BY BARBARA BUTCHER. C.2023, SIMON & SCHUSTER, $28.99, 288 PAGES

Dead men don’t tell tales. Their voices are forever silenced; their fingers will never point to what happened to them or why. Their eyes will never widen in fear or anticipation, or glance in the direction of the guilty. Dead men don’t tell tales, but, as in the new book “What the Dead Know” by Barbara Butcher, they leave clues that can speak volumes.

Throughout most of her teen years, Barbara Butcher

q scopes

AUGUST

BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS

ARIES March 20–April 19

Your advantage is knowing what to do when you’re willing to put in the work. Something has been on your mind lately, and you need to learn to deal, learn to like it, or simply get rid of it. If you’re feeling adventurous, take a chance!

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20

Ever feel like someone is watching? It’s very possible they are! But it’s likely pure admiration due to a job well done. Take pride, and don’t be afraid to show the world what you’ve got. Even if it’s been a while, enjoy the attention.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

Whoever called the end of summer vacations a drag didn’t count on your love of the seasons. It’s going to be

says she was miserable. She suffered from depression and anxiety, the fact that she was a lesbian was dawning, and she felt awkward. When a high school friend introduced her to the “fun” of drugs, sex, and alcohol, though, everything changed. Butcher’s life was suddenly all about getting high.

After a work supervisor saw potential and urged her to attend college, Butcher landed a great job as a hospital administrator. Still, love eluded her, addictions nagged at her, depression hit, she thought about suicide, and everything fell apart. Once she hit bottom, she started attending AA, which led to a vocational and rehab course and an aptitude test that gave her two options: veterinarian or coroner. She chose the latter.

Working as a medicolegal investigator at New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was an exciting and interesting job. Butcher

hot for a bit, but the promise of cooler weather is already calling to your soul. Make the best of what is going on but prepare.

CANCER June 21–July 22

As time goes by faster due to having fun, so is your patience. While it’s not like you to rush, the activities are driving the desire for more. Keep up with the pace in your heart, and your head will follow. Just don’t get mental whiplash.

LEO July 23–August 22

The most frightening thing for you is losing control. That’s not to say that a good ride isn’t tempting, but something could be getting in the way of your security. Hold on tight to what matters and push forward. It’s going to be fine.

VIRGO August 23–Sep 2

It’s been a while since you really let go of inhibition and gave pure fun a chance. Whether it be with friends or a new group — parties and celebration are at hand.

was, at first, the OCME’s only female MLI in a pool of several male MLIs who immediately tried to test her by showing her detailed, gruesome photographs of real accidents and murders. Scaring her off didn’t happen, and soon she was working with people she admired, running her own shifts, and going out to investigate the worst that New Yorkers did to one another.

There were bodies in picnic coolers. There was a suicide that wanted to take someone with him in death. There were car accidents, shootings, people dead on sidewalks and abandoned hovels, and jumpers. Every one of them taught Butcher one thing.

“Dead men do tell tales. You just have to listen.”

Weak-stomached readers, you can stop right here. You’re going to want to steer clear of this book because it’s not for you. True crime fans, though — look, why are you waiting?

“What the Dead Know”

Get out there, and don’t be afraid to dance with somebody with rhythm.

LIBRA Sept 23–October 22

A mindless game is going to annoy you, but there’s hope for the future. Get out of a situation that makes you fret and change your activities for the better. A financial matter could require attention. Security leads to glee.

SCORPIO Oct 23–Nov 21

It’s easy to forgive when you get what matters most. What that thing is depends on you, but be fair with casting judgment. While your feelings say one thing, the head knows the best way to find peace. Go easy on a tired friend.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22–December 20

The thought of falling behind is on your mind, but there’s always time to catch up. Don’t let a family matter drag you into a place you can’t cope with. The best way to find inner peace is through figuring out what really matters to you.

starts out with an edge-ofyour-seat investigation that ends in up-the-spine chills. Even the setting is ubercreepy, described in minute, water-dripping, rats-on-thefloor detail. The opening pages give you a glimpse of what you’re in for.

And yet, author Barbara Butcher knows when to let her readers take a gasping breath, and her story quickly and immediately flips after the opening to become a biography with its own dark feel. Don’t get too comfortable, though: you’ll have a chance to relax your shoulders, but the elevator with your adrenaline inside will continue to glide to the top floor before dropping back down again and again.

This book can be somewhat grisly in places, but certainly nothing worse than any other true-crime story or Hollywood movie. If you love that genre, then you’ll want this. “What the Dead Know” is a very good tale. Q

CAPRICORN

Dec 21–Jan 19

Even if you had time, it wouldn’t be good to rock the boat. Stay steady and hold on to your wits. A family member or partner needs your help, and giving is always better than receiving. Be the rock and let emotions flow around you.

AQUARIUS Jan 20–Feb 18

Something is going to get others talking about you if you play your cards right. Giving back is something you are often good at, despite your inner rebel. Take charge and show the world that you can be the boss. You’re electrifying!

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19

Nothing and everything is happening at once. Figure out what to hold to and what to walk away from. Even if it takes a while, you know the way back home. The heart is calling for you to make a change back to form. Answer the call.

Good News/ Bad News

BY JOSH JONES

Ramen Bar

has closed (It was recently voted as the 5th best ramen in Salt Lake County. If you’re hankering, Ramen 930 is also on the same list at 45 East Broadway). The good news: LOS TAPATIOS TACO GRILL has signed a lease for the space, between London Belle and Whiskey Street, and will bring their tasty birria-style taco to a block that brims with the beefy stew, including Santo Taco, and Monarca. Word is that Los Tapatios will be open late to satiate the boozy bar patrons on that block.

I’m BAACK!

After an extensive reno, BAMBARA at Hotel Monaco reopens this week. The restaurant is once again comfortable

and gorgeous, and Chef Patrick LeBeau‘s new modern bistro menu is filled with local flavors and ingredients. Bambara has always been a trendsetter, and with this reopening, a new era begins. In the fall, the bar will reopen, expanded, and with a dedicated entrance on 200 South.

Power Lunch is Back

Up the block, AQUA TERRA has comfortably warmed into their new and stylish home inside City Creek Center. Ascend Hospitality is the Washington-state restaurant group that also owns Famous Dave’s BBQ. This is their fifth high-end concept and their first in Utah. We’ve been asking them to open for lunch, and … tada … today we got word that it has happened. Highlights

include SLC Steak Frites with bison tips, chimichurri sauce, and pickled vegetables; and Rocky Mountain Melt: a bison patty with caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, and swiss cheese on marbled rye. YUM! Check out the full menu.

CLAYPOTS CARIBBEAN GRILL (a business incubated at the Downtown Farmers Market) has opened a brick-andmortar shop in one of the most unique spaces downtown. Walk through the door at 268 S. Main Street… nope, don’t go to Vape On Main downstairs. Don’t enter the People’s Bar upstairs… head through the tiny bodega Market on Main. Up the ramp in the back, you’ll find Chef Michelle and

her two kids serving simple island fare at down-to-earth prices. You’ll be pleased by the food … and the experience.

We’ve been interested in what is happening in the former Ginger Street space at State and Broadway. Rumors of something truly unique for SLC have been swirling. Today, Gastronomic has more details: SAYONARA , from the owner of Tradition by Liberty Park, wants to replicate the feel of a back alley Tokyo bar with a highly themed restaurant and lounge … intriguing.

Kelly Howard has signed a lease for the Bourbon

House space, in the basement of the Walker Center. Howard owns Prohibition in Murray and plans to call this location REPEAL . A full remodel is in the works for a kitchen-focused concept. Wanting to spend less time at the bar, and more time at the barre? THE GYM AT CITY CREEK is moving into the newly renovated 175 building on West Temple. It’s easy to overlook this building, but with ample onsite parking and City Creek Dental onsite (our fav), we think downtown residents are going to get to know the corner well. Q

Updating your HIV treatment could open op a whole new world

BY PLUS EDITORS

Ifyour HIV meds are working well without any significant side effects or issues — that’s great! But if you are suffering from side effects or struggling with adherence, it’s typically safe to switch from one HIV regimen to another. With more options than ever before, including the new long-lasting injectables, it can be challenging to choose which treatment might be right for you — which is why it’s important to talk to your doctor or health care provider. Start the process by reading the following list on sensible reasons to switch gears on your regimen.

If you are worried about drug resistance

Some drugs offer more protection against resistance developing. Darunavir (a component of both Prezista and Prezcobix) stops the virus from mutating, and thus developing resistance. A three-year study of those taking Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide) found no drug resistance. If you do develop a drug resistance, other HIV meds can still work for you. For example, long-acting injectables Trogarzo and Sunlenca can help fight multi-drug resistant HIV when added to a previously failing antiretroviral regimen.

If you want to reduce the number of meds you take

Although three-drug regimens were once considered essential in preventing drug resistance, two-drug regimens have proven to be just as effective. Their advantages include fewer side effects and a reduction in toxicity associated with long-term drug therapies. These days, there are several one- and two-drug regimens that are highly effective and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

If you take your meds without food

A lot of HIV drugs not only must be taken with food but must be taken with a specific type of food (with protein or a hearty meal, rather than just a snack). If you don’t eat big meals or prefer to take your

meds at bedtime instead, or if you often forget to take your meds when you go out or while traveling, you should consider a drug that has no food intake requirements, such as Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide) or Triumeq (dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine).

If you also have Hepatitis C

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 25% of people with HIV in the United States also have hepatitis C. There are new, curative hep C treatments available, but some HCV drugs interact with HIV drugs, so it’s important for your doctor to carefully consider which medications you can take while treating them simultaneously.

If you are pregnant

Some HIV medications may increase risks of birth defects and the effect of others, like cabotegravir, on fetuses haven’t been well studied. In updated guidelines, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Panel on Treatment of HIV During Pregnancy and Prevention of Perinatal Transmission recommend dolutegravir-based regimens for pregnant people, irrespective of trimester, and for people who are trying to conceive. Based on additional data, the panel now also recommends tenofovir alafenamide as a preferred NRTI for antiretroviral regimens in people who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

If you have kidney or liver problems

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), brand name Viread, is a component of drugs including Atripla, Truvada, Stribild and Complera and has been linked to kidney problems in susceptible individuals. Those with kidney issues might consider regimens that instead use tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), like Biktarvy, Genvoya, Odefsey or Descovy. Juluca has fewer overall side effects, but has seen some users develop new or worse liver problems.

If you can’t deal with the side effects

Every medication has potential side effects — some minor, some life-threat-

ening. Not everyone taking a certain medication will experience the same side effects, and some people experience them more intensely. Only you can decide if the side effects aren’t worth the benefits you’re getting from a particular medication. With so many treatment options now available, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you feel side effects are negatively affecting your daily life.

If you are a person of color

A sad truth is that few drug trials test the impact of a treatment on people of color, especially women. That’s what makes 2020’s BRAAVE study so remarkable. It involved 495 self-identified Black or African-American HIV-positive people (32 percent were cisgender women) who switched to Biktarvy from a variety of regimens. Virtually all of those who switched maintained viral suppression.

If you are concerned about gaining weight

At CROI 2021, researchers shared more data confirming that some HIV drugs lead to weight gain. Taking integrase inhibitors (dolutegravir or raltegravir) was previously associated with greater weight gain than taking nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Recent studies indicate, however, that tenofovir alafenamide, an NRTI, is linked to weight gain. Weight gain can also raise your risks of diabetes and heart disease, so if these are concerns of yours, remember to discuss them with your doctor.

If you want to stop taking pills all together

In 2021, the FDA approved Cabenuva (rilpivirine and cabotegravir), making it the first complete antiretroviral regimen that comes in an injection form. Doses are administered every two months at your doctor’s office. Q

Q mmunity 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

610 S 200 E, 2nd Floor

Walk-ins M–F 8a–5p

Appts 385-468-4242

Utah AIDS Foundation

 utahaids.org

* mail@utahaids.org

150 S 1000 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

LEGAL

Rainbow Law Free Clinic

2nd Weds 6–7:30pm probono@law.utah.edu

POLITICAL

Equality Utah

 equalityutah.org

* info@equalityutah.org

376 E 400 S 801-355-3479

Utah Libertarian Party Mail address: 129 E

13800 S #B2-364

Draper, * chair@ libertarianutah.org

866-511-UTLP

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

Alternative Garden Club

 utahagc.org/clubs/ altgardenclub/

1 to 5 Club (bisexual)

 facebook.com/ groups/1to5clubutah

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

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

 fb.me/utahmalenaturists

* 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. 7p 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,

1915 Orchard Dr, Btfl

Fri. 7p Stonewall Group, Mt Tabor

Lutheran, 175 S 700 E

Crystal Meth Anon

 crystalmeth.org

USARA, 180 E 2100 S

Clean, Sober & Proud

Sun. 1:30pm

Leather Fetish & Kink

Fri. 8:30pm

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

Survivors of Suicide Attempt

 utahpridecenter.org/ mental-health/sosa/

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

OUT Foundation BYU

 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. Inclusion Ctr

 usu.edu/inclusion/ Utah Valley Univ Spectrum

 instagram.com/ spectrum.uvu

Weber State University

LGBT Resource Center

 weber.edu/ lgbtresourcecenter

Shepherd Union Suite 323 Dept. 2117 801-626-7271

Westminster Diversity Center

Bassis 105, M-F 8a-5p

 westminstercollege. edu/diversity

JOIN OUR GROUP OF ACTIVE OUT SENIORS

Our Vision is to reduce social isolation and loneliness, improve the health and well-being of older adults and to empower them to lead meaningful and connected lives in which they are engaged and participating in the community.

Our Mission is to reimagine aging by empowering older adults to live life to the fullest potential guided by these five pillars:

• Cherish the Journey

• Encourage the Body

Recent events: Snowshoeing, Bingo, Valentines Pot Luck & Dance, Movie Night, Walking Groups, Theater groups

• Inspire the Mind

• Nurture the Spirit

• Empower the Future

Find us at SeniorsOutAndProudUtah.org and Facebook.com/SOAPUtah

Utah Pride Center

Weekly drop-ins and activity nights held at the Utah Pride Center, 1380 S Main St. Some require registration at utahpridecenter.org/ programs/

ADULT & SENIOR

Silver Pride Senior (50+) Mon 2–4 pm, in-person.

Neurodivergent

Support & Social Club, Mon 6–7 pm, Inperson & virtual Bi+Pan Support & Social Club, Mon 6:30–7:30 pm, Inperson & virtual registration req’d Trivia Night (21+ Mon 7:30–9 pm, in-person (no more than 6/team).

Health Insurance

Help From Take Care Utah, Tue 3–5 pm, inperson, 18+.

Gay Men’s Peer Support Group, Tue 6:30–8 pm, in-person, 18+ * billblevins@ hotmail.com

Pride in Recovery, 18+ Tue 7–8 pm, in-person

Gay Men’s Sack Lunch, Wed, Noon–1 pm, in-person, any gay male-identifying humans 18+.

Women’s Support Group, Wed, 6–7 pm, in-person & virtual, registration req’d

LezBee Honest Support & Social Club, Wed, 7–8 pm, In-person & virtual, registration req’d

Trans/Nonbinary Support Group, Thurs 6–7:30 pm, In-person & virtual, registration req’d

Queer People Of Color Support & Social Club, Thurs, 6:30–7:30 pm, In-person & virtual, registration req’d

Parents & Caregivers

Support Group, Thurs 6:30–7:30 pm, In-person & virtual, registration req’d Game Night, 18+ Fri 5:30–9 pm, in-person, Families Like Ours, Sun 3:30–5:30pm, inperson

YOUTH & FAMILY

PROGAMS

Youth 10–13 Support Group, Tue 5–6pm pm, registration req’d Youth 10–13 Activity Night, Thu 5–6 pm, registration req’d Youth 10–13 Free Time Hours, Tue/Thu 3–8 pm, reg. req’d Teens 14–17 Support Group, Mon 5–6 pm, registration req’d Teens 14–17 Activity Night Wed 5–6 pm, registration req’d Teen 14–17 Free Time Hours, Mon/Wed 3–8 pm, registration req’d

The tale of fat-bottomed girls

BY PETUNIA PAP SMEAR, 4 MINUTE READ

I’m so excited about the upcoming Gay Day at Lagoon, officially named “QSaltLake Day at Lagoon,” on August 13th. This is one event where I can squeal and shriek all day long and not be called a sissy.

I think that it’s a great idea that we are all encouraged to wear red, so as to be able to help identify each other and feel the strength in our numbers. I remember on one of the former Gay Days how exhilarating it was for me to look down from the Sky Ride and view the veritable ocean of red shirts frolicking along the midway.

The red-shirt concept is a great idea, especially for me, since I have noticed that as I get older, the accuracy of my Gaydar has measurably decreased. It was explained to me that as a queen ages, their Gaydar accuracy is a function of their naturally increasing Troll Quotient juxtaposed against the inevitable decreasing cuteness threshold of any stud in question. Said more simply, my “You must be this cute to ride this ride” threshold gets lower and lower with each passing year and each additional pound.

Most of my friends love wild and woolly roller coasters and thrill rides, whereas Puff the Little Fire Dragon is more my speed. You just can’t imagine the carnage done to beehive hair from a ride on Wicked and the roller coaster. It resembles the Florida coast after a category five hurricane — desolate, smashed flat, lifeless, and hanging only by a scrunchie. There is not enough Aqua Net in the universe to adequately secure the structural integrity of the beehive against such forces. Not to mention the damage done to my Lee Press on Nails while gripping the safety bar for dear life.

One time on Gay Day, my friend “Dave” talked me into riding together on the Wild Mouse. As you may know, I am no “Slenderella.” In fact, I am

what they refer to in polite society as “Circumferentially Gifted” or having an “Aisle Blocker Physique.” My friend is likewise “Heroically Proportioned.”

While waiting in line, we both observed all the other people fit two in each car. When it became our turn, the adorably cute twink in his tight-fitting ride operator uniform (I’m a sucker for a guy in uniform, any uniform), timidly asked if we wanted separate cars. Anxious about the upcoming thrill of the ride, we excitedly rushed past him, and both jumped into the same car. With both of us being “Bodus Rotundus,” together we could not fit our “Voluptuous Bottoms” onto the seat. Dave’s left cheek was halfway up the side, and my right cheek was similarly skiwompus. Embarrassedly, Dave whispered, “We shall never speak of this again, to anyone!”

The car had already begun to move before we came to the realization that not only would we be uncomfortable, this might be a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad idea. We could not fasten the seat belt around us both. In desperation, we put it around Dave, and I instructed Dave to grab onto me if I started to fly out. Thank goodness I was not wearing my pinwheel boobs, which would have added to my aero dynamicity.

As the car left the gate and began the agonizingly slow, torturous climb to the top, we could hear the creaks and groans of metal being stressed to its near-breaking point. I swear that in the distance, I could hear Freddie Mercury and Queen singing “Fat Bottomed Girls.” Oh, the indignity! As our faces were pointed heavenward during the ascent, all I could think about was me showing up at the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter questioning me. “You are here early. What happened?” And I would have to admit that I was too “Rubenesque” for the Wild Mouse and flew out of the car on the third turn from the top. Since I was not a Catholic Nun, I could not fly like Sally

Field, and thus plummeted 100 feet to the ground, crushing a churro kiosk. The coroner would have to go to great lengths to explain to the investigators why the deceased had received a churro enema.

As we reached the top and began the descent, the fully loaded car became a speeding “Blubbernaught” of death, careening along the track at supernatural velocity. I gripped the crash bar on the car more tightly than if I had a hold of Jeff Stryker’s “Manhood.” With each bone-jarring hairpin turn, certain that our massive “Hippoglottamus” inertia would rip us from the track and send us shooting into space, I screamed so high only bats and dogs could hear. Fortunately, we were wedged into the car tighter than my muffin top in a girdle, and no movement within the car was possible. The “Juggalo” packing had the effect of being even more restrictive than a seat belt. Likewise, the structural integrity of the track and car survived against our combined “Gravity-Enhanced” momentum. Miraculously, we lived to tell the tale, and a severely traumatized Dave and I pried ourselves loose from the car, swearing never to ride together again. Like always, these events leave us with several eternal questions:

1. Does the Grinder App contain a Troll-to-Twink translator?

2. Should I investigate the financial feasibility of a churro enema franchise?

3. Should Dave and I change our names to “Buffet Queen” and “Sumo Boy”?

4. In addition to the minimum height requirement, should a maximum Butt Size limit exist?

5. Should I adopt “Fat Bottomed Girls” as my theme song?

6. Is packing the bodies tightly where the idea for car airbags originated?

7. Should Dave and I have received the patent for airbags?

These and other important questions are to be answered in future chapters of The Perils of Petunia Pap Smear

Theroad to Lagoon is fraught with danger and excitement.