Quorum Columbus February 2015

Mr. Pottymouth

With: Black History Month Rodney A. Brown World Radio Day Peg-A-Go-Go and More!

OC MAY 20142015 FEBRUARY

LOVE IS LOVE THANKALL YOUME JUDGE BLACK! STEAL --TIMOTHY i’M FREE! OR QUORUM COLUMBUS LGBTQA MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2015 6 TASTE BUDS Ristorante di Famiglia

16 SEXPERT Make a Date with Your Valentine!

30 COUPLE Kate Baldridge & Katie Rosenberry

8 SCENE On The Rise: The Year of the Phoenix Benefit

18 BARTENDER G. Jones, Southbend Tavern

10 SCENE LocalBar

20 FEATURE A Very Pottymouth Valentine’s Day

32 DEVELOPMENT World Radio Day: CD102.5 Sets Gender Equality Bar High

12 SINGULARLY SINGLETON My “Love Your Neighbor, as Yourself” Philosophy

25 FITNESS Prevent Winter Weight Gain

36 MOVIES Gay For Gold

13 SCENE Love is Love at Cray

26 PERSPECTIVE An Innovator: Rodney A. Brown

14 FROM THE ARCHIVES Craig Penn: “Peg “O” My Heart

28 SARA SHARES Just Choose Happiness

41 ADJOURN Black History Month: Equality For All – Chere R. Hampton

34 UPCOMING February Yes List

QuorumColumbus.com Quorum Columbus Magazine is published monthly by Qmunity, LLC. Quorum Columbus Magazine issues are FREE at distribution locations throughout the greater Columbus area. COPYRIGHT© 2015 Quorum Columbus Magazine. Reproduction without expressed written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. All rights in letters, manuscripts, photographs, drawings, illustrations, and artwork sent to Quorum Columbus Magazine will be treated as assigned for publication and copyright purposes and are subject to Quorum Columbus Magazine and Qmunity, LLC terms and conditions. All models are at least18 years of age. All photographs included are posed for by professional models or willing participants in Quorum Columbus Magazine except as otherwise noted. Neither said photographs nor accompanying editorial is indicative of sexual orientation. The publisher of the magazine does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers.

ALL CONTENT AND RELATED MEDIA ARE COPYRIGHTED © 2015 BY QUORUM COLUMBUS MAGAZINE. All rights reserved.

ENTERTAIN. ENLIGHTEN. ENGAGE. Quorum: noun \kwo r- m\ The number of members of an assembly, usually a majority, required to be present to transact business.

Quorum Columbus Magazine: We strive to be a broad, diverse representation, or quorum, of the Columbus LGBTQA community by representing the community’s supportive efforts, experiences, aspirations and victories. #JOINTHEQUORUM

On the Cover:

Model | Michael Gray AKA: Mr. Pottymouth Photographer | Ray Lavoie

2 0 % o f f Va l e n t i n e ’s S p e c i a l

Couples sessions for $199 (with promo code QA2015)

Sc he d ul e y o ur s e s s io n by p hon e o r e m ai l TODAY !

(614) 323-6314 me@ ray lavo ie.com 3 L o o ks a n d / o r lig h ti n g s in c lu d e d . A ll i m a g e s d e li ve r e d o n c d -r o m

Quorum Columbus Crew I saac B endele

M ickey J. H art

President & Publisher

Editor

P atrick B utler

A ngel L emke

E rik H ays

J erry T urnes

A my T annenbaum

Managing Editor

CFO

Multimedia Creative Manager | Graphic Designer

Columnist Photographer

JM R ayburn

H eather D oughty

Jeffrey Wise

C raig C hadwell

M ike M offo

Graphic Designer Illustrator

Graphic Designer Social Media Manager

Graphic Designer

Feature Writer

Columnist

Columnist Account Executive

S ara E rnest

M ichael G reenhouse

J ohn H enry , J r

A drian J ay N eil

T om Q ueen

S ile S ingleton

Columnist

Columnist

Columnist

Columnist

Columnist

Columnist

A llyson F ridley

K ris L ittler

J oshua M c C arty

P hotographer

C ontributor

D istribution C oordinator

Also on the Crew:

Ray LaVoie, Feature Photographer Tiffany Salter, Feature Writer Calvin N. Cooper, Columnist Clayton Walter, Columnist Clare Hughes, Graphic Designer Mari Ann Binder Futty, Account Executive Kari Jasinski, Photographer

This Month’s Contributor: Chere R. Hampton, Writer

CONVENE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE | MICKEY J. HART As we approach Valentine’s Day this year, my thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day 2016. With the Supreme Court of the United States considering the Sixth Circuit Court’s ruling on marriage equality, I am anxious to see how this will impact Ohio LGBTQ couples and families by this time next year. I predict a good, or at least interesting, outcome. Either way, love will prevail in time.

We welcome feature writer Tiffany Salter who brings us our Valentine-themed cover story on Mr. Pottymouth, AKA: Michael Gray. I met Michael many years ago through mutual friends and have enjoyed his artistry ever since. I trust you will love learning more about him, his mind and his pottymouth.

Our Taste Buds head to one of their all-time favorite eateries, TAT Ristorante di Famiglia, for an early Valentine’s dinner. Sexpert John Henry shares about ARC Ohio’s new couples testing option just in time for Valentine’s Day. To mark Black History Month, Adrian Jay Neil introduces us to one of his mentors, Rodney A. Brown. Chere R. Hampton reflects on the purpose of the month in our Adjourn column.

There is plenty more to love in this issue: JM Rayburn visits CD102.5 to discuss World Radio Day and gender equality. Sara Ernest fights the winter blues with happiness. Clayton Walter explores the queer content of the Oscar race. Tom Queen recounts the outrageousness and wit of Craig Penn, host of Peg-A-Go-Go. Happy Valentine’s Day! Mickey J. Hart Editor mickey@quorumcolumbus.com

#jointhequorum

PHOTO | RAY LAVOIE

TASTE BUDS

Ristorante di Famiglia | CRAIG CHADWELL & MIKE MOFFO

That’s Amore

COLUMBUS OFFERS MANY great options for Valentine’s Day dinner. What you choose will likely guide the remainder of your night. We have decided to break this down for you, and then leave you with our top suggestion.

One option is fast food, and on Wendy’s menu you are at least guaranteed a Frosty on Valentine’s Day. Be warned, though, if you choose to take your sweetie to one of these establishments, you should be ready to update your dating profiles since there’s a good chance you’ll be looking for love again…soon. But fear not, our cheap friend, you will have learned a lesson that will stay with you the rest of your life!

To avoid that lesson, we suggest you class up the night.

Jumping way up in class and romance points, we suggest one of the neighborhood LGBTQ restaurants.

Union Café and Level Dining Lounge stand out as great options! Your food will be delicious, the atmosphere will be fun, and if you want to sneak a smooch with the object of your affection, you will be able to do so without getting a strange look from an in-house passerby.

The service is equally great at either restaurant.

If, however, you are like your trusted TasteBuds, you will want to do something a bit different. For Valentine’s Day this year, we highly recommend our favorite old stand-by: TAT Ristorante di Famiglia.

This family-owned and -operated establishment is parked over at the corner of James and Livingston and has been a Columbus go-to since 1929.

Restaurants don’t stick around for 86 years unless they are worth it, and trust us, it is so worth it.

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At TAT, you will find traditional Italian fare: homemade egg noodles, stacks of lasagna, amazing breads and a homemade ragu that is second only to Grandma Moffo’s.

Walking into TAT is an experience in itself. The décor is very classic: they haven’t changed it much over the last 30 or so years. However, it somehow still works. The dining room is comfortable, and it still smells like smashed tomatoes, wine and all the interesting stories those wellpapered walls have seen.

We recommend the Fresh Veal Scallopine – sautéed with mushrooms, onions and green peppers, these little medallions of goodness melt in your mouth. Also, their Chicken Cacciatore is traditional, old-school Italian: chicken sautéed in olive oil and wine with mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic and tomato sauce. Note about the cacciatore – it makes for incredible warm-ups!

Their pastas are out-of-this-world! Homemade noodles, homemade ragu, homemade meatballs, homemade everything. Get a bottle of their house Chianti to go along with your pasta dish – they have paired it perfectly.

We have saved TAT Ristorante di Famiglia for a very special review as it is our long-time favorite. Valentine’s Day seems fitting since we love it so much! Even four thumbs up cannot describe how perfect this place is.

However, we hold all four sauce-covered digits sky high in hopes that you and your sweetie will give them a try.

Trust the TasteBuds – you will not be disappointed.

S uthBend "Still Your Favorite Corner Bar!"

Super Bowl XLIX Party Sun Feb 1 - 6pm Kickoff 630pm

O.C.C.O. Murder Mystery & Spaghetti Dinner Sun Feb 15 - 6pm

Steve Lily Sun Feb 8 - 6pm to 9pm

Donna Mogadero Sun Feb 22 - 6pm to 9pm

Valintine's Day Miss Southbend Pageant Sat Feb 14 - 5pm

Surprise Benefit Show for one of Ohio's Most Beloved Performers! (she doesn't know) Sat Feb 28 - 6pm

Hours: Mon / Sun - Noon to 2:30 Happy Hour: Mon thr Sat - Noon to 8 / Sun Non to 6 Nightly Events call for more info or visit us at facebook.com/SouthbendTavern 126 E. Moler St. Columbus, Ohio (614) 444 - 3386 Southbend@wowway.biz

facebook.com/SouthBendTavern

Free WiFi * Free Parking * Never A Cover

SCENE THE YEAR OF THE PHOENIX was an incredible collaboration, hosted by the fabulous Vivian Von Brokenhymen. The benefit opened with a video tribute to Leelah Alcorn, the transgender teen from southwest Ohio who tragically took her life on December 28. Kelly Mantle from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 6 and rapper Big Dipper headlined the event, and a cast of Columbus favorite performers took the stage, including Hellin Bedd, Britney Blaire, Betty Cracker, Deva Station, Mr. Pottymouth and the CGMC. Wall Street Nightclub was packed for this sold-out event that raised $6,500 for the You Will Rise Project’s efforts to combat bullying.

Learn more: YouWillRiseProject.BlogSpot.com

ON THE RISE!

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THE YEAR OF THE PHOENIX BENEFIT

Follow Vivian Von Brokenhymen this month: February 7 & 8 - Deva Station's Movie Star at Wall Street Nightclub February 20 - Southbend Traven with Hellin Bedd February 22 - Three Queen Drag Brunch at King Avenue 5 February 27 - Dirty Franks West

PHOTOS | RAY LAVOIE

SCENE

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PHOTOS | KARI JASINSKI

LOCAL BAR

Coming soon to Polaris Culinary crafts done right. (discover what Cbus foodies, wine lovers, and beer aficionados are all talking about)

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For more information & to schedule your private exam with our doctors,

call ( 614 ) 427-1680 now!

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SINGULARLY SINGLETON

The Birth of My “Love Your Neighbor, as Yourself ” Philosophy | SILE SINGLETON

WOW! A MONTH of 2015 has already passed. Who really knew—besides God, hollah!—that I would still be here, still questioning, still challenging the status quo and still practicing my plain old “love your neighbor, as yourself” philosophy? Last month, I was exasperatedly asked why I “get so involved in what’s wrong in the world.” Let me break this down for you.

I was born seven weeks and a Sunday shy of being labeled a bastard child. Had my twenty year-old mother not lied about morning sickness and stayed home from church instead of eloping with my father, a young man literally from the wrong sides of the river and pew, who knows whose tale you’d be reading.

If my folks had not “jumped that broom,” I would have been treated so differently than what I can attest to actually living through. Or so I like to think. But honestly, I know thinking like that just promotes a fantasy world… one I effortlessly slip into believing and acting out when I don’t remain focused on the relations and personal interactions that I have with flesh and blood.

Get me? This idea that I’m “better off” with two parents is supported by how folks still elevate themselves socially by pointing the finger and making whispered remarks that being born to an unwed mother makes a kid something to be pitied (and by default, not worthy of attention, support and loyalty). You quickly lose status by being the kid of a single parent.

Even today there are still full-fledged bug eyes by much of society over the choice to parent solo. Hell, even the gays look at you like you’re berserk, if you decide to have a kid “alone.” You have to admit in the case of “queers” parenting, the first response is usually WTF? What no more Jingle Balls Party at Axis or First Friday at Wall Street? Are you insane?!

You do see where I’m going, right? I feel blessed. The marriage was one less esteem-damning missile my queer child-self had out-maneuvered. Having two parents has always meant not being labeled as a total nig*3r, whig*3r, wetb*k and/or “piece of white trash.”

Sure the remark is crude; it is also the truth. I was not saddled with such a baggage-laden moniker.

That said, I am also a “from-the-womb wholistic Christian.” I’ve always considered energy/aura work, numerology, tarot reading, astrology and the like, while arguably esoteric sciences, valuable in bridging the gaps for me between heaven and earth. So it should be no surprise that I believe, because of my excruciatingly stressful pre-oxygen entrance (imagine eloping while eight months pregnant), that my nearly “rogue birth” has made me naturally hyper-aware of what the rules are, what I am supposed to do.

To be clear, I have no doubt that rules are surprisingly brittle, and are really meant for the particular moment in which they are drawn. When the heart leads the mind on the path of perceived justice, rules are relatively easy to dismiss.

My journey is one of an insistence to be recognized and realized as valuable to society. Naturally this permeates everything I am in and about. Can you hear the backing soundtrack to my life? “Baby, I was born this way!”

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SCENE

PHOTOS | KARI JASINSKI

FROM THE ARCHIVES

CRAIG PENN | TOM QUEEN ONCE UPON A TIME, two friends were sitting at the bar in a small dive of a place which stood smack dab in the middle of several downtown surface parking lots in Columbus. It was a Monday night, the event was called Peg-A-Go-Go, and it featured the talents of drag hostess Peg and several “male exotic dancers.” The hostess was a drag queen with a bellowing voice known as “Peg.” As an introduction to the next dancer (apparently an extremely “gifted” lad), Peg announced in her distinctive, bellowing voice: “Girrrrrrrrlllll, you can’t see the forest for the tree.”

The real person behind the Peg persona was a shy man named Craig Penn who came from the small nearby town of New Lexington in Perry County. Craig’s talents brought him to Columbus College of Art & Design, from which he graduated.

On his off-nights from bartending at various gay bars around the city, makeup and a wig would transform this shy man into Peg, a brassy broad with a white-trash edge, who pushed the limits of good taste with her unforgettable, twisted performances.

In perhaps her most well-known “number,” she appeared on stage as a proper housewife, holding a baby, to the tune of Somewhere That’s Green (from Little Shop of Horrors).

Soon after, the music would segue into Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill, the apron and dress would come off to reveal an S&M outfit,

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and the doll she had been coddling (secretly filled with roast chicken) would become a “finger lickin’ good” meal fit for a queen.

Peg lived in the challenging 1990s, when so many friends had succumbed to AIDS in a very short time. She chose to use her talents to help in countless fundraising efforts for AIDS-related charities around the city. For years, she was also the witty co-host of Bat ‘n Rouge. Never being one to have piles of money, Peg would create outfits from whatever materials she could buy on the cheap. Peg’s motto was: “Give a queen a glue gun, and she can change the world.”

Her longtime friend Tim “Action” Blanton recalled to me a story of when the two were headed to a party, with a quick stop at the Victorian Village Big Bear grocery store (now Giant Eagle) to pick up some beer.

When Action returned to the car, the door of Peg’s beater of a Yugo fell off in to the parking lot. With priorities in true order, the everpractical Peg jumped out of the car in full drag, raced around to the other side, slammed the door back in place, and off they went for an evening of shenanigans!

On another occasion, Peg was hired to promote a party at a bar in the Short North. She was taking a “smokie break” outside, when along came the youth minister from her former church in New Lexington, with his two children in tow. Not missing a beat, Peg immediately stomped out the cigarette, more concerned that she be seen with a “bad habit” than being in full drag.

Peg A-Go-Go moved around to various venues in Columbus over the years, finally landing at the former Columbus Eagle by 1998. Peg was hosting the Monday-before-Thanksgiving show that year. After several high-energy drag performances onstage, Peg retreated to the dressing area, proclaiming: “I’m getting too old to do this” (at the age of 33). Peg suddenly keeled over due to a massive heart attack. The emergency squad came and wheeled her out of the venue, still in full drag. She didn’t survive the trip to the hospital.

The Columbus gay community came out in force to pay tribute to their dear friend with a barnburner of a memorial show at The Garage, the center of Columbus’ gay nightlife at the time. Countless friends (many of whom never dreamed of doing drag) threw on wigs and makeup to reprise many of Peg’s beloved drag numbers. The benefit raised the funds to pay for the funeral expenses of their fallen comrade. The youth minister from her hometown even attended and spoke at the memorial service.

PEG’S MOTTO WAS: ‘GIVE A QUEEN A GLUE GUN, AND SHE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.’ I’m greatly indebted to Barbara Havens, Donald Printz, and Jonathan “BB” Massie for reminiscing with me about our dear friend. I’m sure that Peg might find it amusing that we are still talking about her like this years later, but this was one person whom we’ll never forget.

SEXPERT

means. Couples HIV Testing and Counseling offers clients an opportunity to explore the dynamics of their relationship, discuss potential risks and make mutual agreements to keep each other safe in the future. In addition, couples learn of each other’s HIV status together.

I want to stress that this new testing approach is not for every couple. As an HIV test counselor, I had initial reservations about disclosing someone’s HIV status to anyone but that individual.

However, for some people, one-onone counseling with a stranger is more intimidating than the possibility of learning their HIV status with someone they care about. Additionally, those necessary conversations that I mentioned before can be a little easier with an unbiased sexual health professional keeping the conversation focused and clarifying any misinformation.

You have to decide which testing approach works best for you. Whichever way you decide to get informed and know your status, the important part is that you do. Even if the new couples testing is not right for you, you can still set a date to get tested on the same day with separate counselors. I can’t think of anything more romantic than showing you care for each other’s health and well-being.

Have a happy, informed, safe and sexy Valentine’s Day!

| JOHN HENRY, JR TRADITIONALLY, HIV testing has been a very private matter. Given the strong stigma associated with HIV and the individual needs of people who may be at risk, many prefer the opportunity to discuss their sexual behaviors and learn of their HIV status on their own. However, some people in relationships have long expressed the desire to test with their partner(s). With Valentine’s Day being celebrated this month, I felt it was an opportune time to announce that ARC Ohio now offers this option.

An important part of any healthy relationship is having difficult conversations about boundaries, needs and desires. Many, and I would argue most, tend to default to the idea of monogamy within relationships. However, we know that some couples prefer a more open relationship or may have a creative interpretation of what monogamy

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To learn more about Couples HIV Testing and Counseling, testing in general or to schedule an appointment, call 614-340-6720 or email JohnHenry@ARCOhio.org.

SCENE BARTENDER

G. Jones G. (GERALD) JONES has been warmly greeting patrons of Southbend Tavern for over three years. G. says, “I welcome everyone as if I have known them for years, because I believe there are no strangers, just friends I haven’t met.”

G. likes to have fun with patrons, and fun is easy to come by at the tavern.

Southbend hosts a wide-range of weekly entertainment, including lively drag shows, musical guests, karaoke and Untwisted Tuesdays, Columbus’ longest running open stage, hosted by Mari Jane and Brent Fabian.

PHOTO | JOSHUA MCCARTY

This month the entertainment lineup features the Miss Southbend Pageant, Oldtimers Club of Central Ohio’s Murder Mystery event and singer Donna Mogavero.

G. enjoys how Columbus makes everyone feel welcomed and a part of our diverse community. If you want to make a new friend this month, head to the south side to have a drink and say, “hello” to G.

COCKTAIL:

FUN FACT:

The Hulk – Raspberry Vodka, Blue Island Pucker + Pineapple Juice

G. attended clown college and was once a professional clown.

Southbend Tavern 126 E. Moler Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43207 614.444.3386 Facebook.com/SouthBendTavern

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PHOTO | JOSHUA MCCARTY

GREAT FOOD

Open Sunday Drink Specials Daily Live Music Fridays Music Trivia Saturdays

Mill 94Street

Gahanna

9 pm-1am

signaturesmillstonetavern.com

144 N Hamilton Rd Gahanna

1154 S High St Columbus

3732 Fishinger Rd Hilliard

FEATURE

A VERY ` VALENTINE’S DAY 20

FEBRUARY 2015

PHOTOS | RAY LAVOIE

M ichael G ray B C S rings

haracter to the

| TIFFANY SALTER YOU MIGHT NOT think so at first, but Valentine’s Day is Glamazon Mr. Pottymouth’s favorite holiday. “I love the kitschiness of it. It’s all about sex and chocolate.” For a lot of people, Valentine’s Day is all about performance – wooing a new cutie or doing something special for the steady – but for this performer, the holiday is all about keeping it simple. For Valentine’s, she says, “I want a cute boy who’ll take me on a date to McDonald’s. I’m a cheap date. We’ll get some beer afterwards. Have sex.” Sounds good to us.

Michael Gray, the performer behind Mr. Pottymouth, vacillates between keeping things simple and creating high-drama, high-camp genderfuck drag art with his stage persona. Super sweet and personable with charisma to spare, Michael is invested in collapsing male/female, butch/femme binaries in his personal life and on stage.

IT ALL LEADS TO AN AESTHETIC THAT IS EQUAL PARTS CAMPY, TRASHY AND AVANT-GARDE. When asked what gender pronouns we should use for Michael Gray and for Mr. Pottymouth, he says, “Honestly, it’s super fluid….The girls in my troupe call me Pottymouth, and some of them refer to me as he or she.

[Some] refer to me as ‘My brother-sister,’ but that was all part of my character. I wanted to be that in between.”

Michael has always found the in-between to be particularly beautiful. He tells of seeing Annie Lennox in The Eurhythmics video for Sweet Dreams at age six one morning after church: “I didn’t know if she was a boy or a girl, but I [said] ‘She is beautiful’, and I wanted to be her.” Since that young age, he has sought to keep things ambiguous, especially on stage. ` Michael spends a lot of time working on costumes for Mr. Pottymouth, often collaborating with costume designer Larry Conroy. And when Michael is conceptualizing outfits for stage shows or photo shoots, he says, “I always struggle. ‘How can I look in-between?’ If I start to look too masculine, what can I do to start looking more femme?” Sometimes people even take Mr. Pottymouth for a drag king, which she loves. It bolsters the work she is doing: “There are a lot of drag queens out there who do things much more beautifully than I would ever do or would ever want to do. But that’s not what interests me. [It’s] the in-between… that I find to be so attractive and so interesting.” She leaves “pretty” for others in the troupe.

tage

FEATURE Mr. Pottymouth joined The Glamazons drag troupe last year when she won the troupe’s Project GLAMAZON 2014 competition. Every year, The Glamazons add one more to their troupe after drag performers compete on stage. Before competing and winning last year, Michael had not really considered becoming a performer. “I never thought I was going to be a drag queen or do any kind of performing on stage.” But Jody Krevens, a long-time friend who had been a judge for Project GLAMAZON the year before, encouraged him to compete. (Michael considers Jody his drag mother even though she is a cis-woman.) So Michael looked into The Glamazons, drew on his background, and went for it. The night that Mr. Pottymouth won was the fourth time that she had ever performed on stage, but the persona was a long time in development.

Michael comes from a visual arts background and moved to Columbus about 7 years ago to attend Columbus College of Art & Design. The name Mr. Pottymouth initially belonged to a character Michael created in art school—a rabbit in a sailor outfit who had a pottymouth, was a vile and unhappy person, and went through a lot of the same situations Michael was going through in his own life. Since Michael identified so much with the character of Mr. Pottymouth, he started taking selfportraits under that name, and before long, friends and exes were referring to him as Pottymouth.

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At the same time, Michael began promoting parties at the old club Outland. He was very much part of the club scene and would spend a lot of time making and wearing complicated, over-the-top outfits for his nights out.

Michael started taking some pictures of his outfits and then working with Columbus-based Laura Dark Photography.

One look at Mr. Pottymouth’s photos on Facebook reveals that in addition to blurring gender lines, she is interested in pushing against other conventions of drag. A lot of her work pushes into the macabre. One picture features Mr. P. in a green wig, mustache and bra as well as a pic of Mr. Pottymouth’s version of a zombie warrior princess. There’s even a nightmarish and funny black-and-white clown persona, complete with black pearls, ruffled collar and butcher’s knife. In fact, you can find a lot of genderbending clowns on Pottymouth’s Facebook page – Halloween is Mr. Pottymouth’s other favorite holiday.

Michael takes inspiration from everywhere and says, “I daydream a lot.”

He also finds inspiration in music – Siouxsie and the Banshees, Goldfrapp, Eurhythmics, Coco Rosie and Swedish electronica and audiovisual artist Iamamiwhoami – all artists who are as much visual as they are sonic.

It all leads to an aesthetic that is equal parts campy, trashy and avant-garde. Since he had such a long time to let the persona develop naturally, Michael knows precisely who he wants Mr. Pottymouth to be.

PHOTOS | RAY LAVOIE

2015 FEBRUARY

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FEATURE

For now, Michael is looking forward to Valentine’s Day. He just wants to find a nice boy who will make him laugh: “I love people who make me laugh … I love boys who have a great sense of humor. They have to because look at the fucking shit I do. Haha.

Weird as shit. I know that I’m weird.” And if Mr. Pottymouth handed out Valentines to classmates, she says they “probably wouldn’t even be Valentines. They’d probably just be mini sex toys. Here’s cock rings for everyone! … Or awesome mixed-media Valentines with porn. A girl with multiple eyes and four dicks.

And she’d be like ‘Respect me for my mind on Valentine’s Day.’” Well, we respect you for your mind, Mr. Pottymouth — your beautiful, weirdo mind.

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PHOTOS | RAY LAVOIE

In fact, when Mr. Pottymouth won Project GLAMAZON, the Glamazons said to Michael, “You really knew who your character was.” And Michael says that he tries to do something “a little more thought-provoking with some sort of message.” Mr. Pottymouth sees the Glamazons as a great place to grow and is looking forward to this year’s Genderfuck Glamorthemed Project GLAMAZON 2015 in March. She says “I have heard on the wind some of the girls who might be competing this year, and I’m like ‘Whew! Glad I competed last year!’”

FITNESS

PREVENT WINTER WEIGHT GAIN

| MICHAEL GREENHOUSE WITH THE GREAT outdoors potentially less inviting and the cold weather continuing, the stage is set for winter weight gain. Don’t give up hope and dive into a bulky sweater just yet. A few simple shifts in behavior can make it easier to prevent the dreaded winter weight gain.

Problem: It’s cold and miserable outside.

Solution: It’s not cold and miserable; it’s just cold — well

maybe a little miserable with the wind. Make a promise to yourself and everyone around you to stop complaining about the weather. Honestly, we all know that it’s cold. It’s all in your mindset. If you go into anything believing it will suck, then I guarantee you it will. People often complain about the cold because they are poorly dressed for the season. Dress for, rather than blame, the conditions.

The winter sky and air are more refreshing and clear, and with no leaves on the trees, you can get a better sense of the curves of the terrain. Hiking trails and beaches that are free from annoying crowds can make taking a walk in snow a peaceful, serene experience. When you decide to find positive things to focus on, you’ll be less miserable.

Give it a try. Go outside for 15 minutes, dressed for the occasion, and commit to not being miserable while finding something positive to enjoy about the outdoors this winter.

Problem: We get less vitamin D in winter.

Solution: Eat fatty fish, nuts and other foods high in vitamin D and/or supplement your diet with vitamin D. Your body needs sunlight to synthesize vitamin D, but in winter there are fewer daylight hours. Plus, the daylight is less strong because the sun doesn’t’t rise as high in the sky.

Preliminary studies suggest that people with low levels of vitamin D store more fat, though the precise mechanism has yet to be identified. It appears that lack of vitamin D reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage, so the calories consumed are stored in fat cells rather than used for energy.

Problem: The winter “blahs” cause us to seek comfort foods.

Solution: Plan social gatherings with friends and

schedule time doing activities we enjoy, using natural and true mood enhancers rather than food-based mood enhancement as a quick-fix. In winter, we can develop a low-level dissatisfaction (not depression) that we can get when it’s cold and dark. When this occurs, we are twice as likely to use comfort foods as a pick-me-up than we would under more temperate conditions. In winter, we go for energy-dense, calorific foods, which tend to be sweet or have high fat content. We know that food itself is a comfort as far as mood goes because it actually impacts the same circuitry of the brain that mood-altering drugs do. The sense of true enjoyment and connection we derive from planned social activities will last longer and help us avoid the health-eroding effects of junk foods.

Win This Winter With a little understanding of the subtle shifts that can add up to winter weight gain, you can stop blaming yourself and instead start working against the factors that promote weight gain. Don’t just survive the winter — get more fit, make progress and start spring with a physical and mental head start.

2015 FEBRUARY

25

PERSPECTIVE

AN INNOVATOR

| ADRIAN JAY NEIL FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH, and we mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day this month as well. I can’t think of a more fitting time to share the story of one of my mentors, Rodney A. Brown.

Seven years ago, I was honored to meet Rodney as one of my dance instructors at the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s school. Like many other students, I admired him instantly. He was very encouraging and believed that every student could do something great, whether it was in dance or another field. Rodney is the type of choreographer and teacher to push his students to explore movements that they would never have considered. He now shares these lessons and more at OSU, where he joined the dance faculty in 2012; prior to that he served as artistic director of dance at Santa Fe College. All these years later, it comes as no surprise that he’s doing amazing work in Columbus.

As we spoke recently, it became clear that storytelling, dance, race and HIV education are strong themes in Rodney’s life. Rodney was born in Dayton in1981, which was the same year that the first AIDS cases were reported. To this day Rodney has memories of when he used to dance on his mother’s feet with her at family gatherings. Despite his success as a choreographer and dancer, dance was not what he had originally envisioned as a career.

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Growing up, Rodney had many talents and passions, but his interest in storytelling stood out most. Rodney attended Dayton’s Colonel White High School, a performing arts school, where he was a part of drill team as a drummer and then eventually as a dancer and a part of the show choir. After high school, Rodney entered college to study English as a means to explore his interest in storytelling. Soon he realized that he could tell his stories through movement and dance, so he auditioned for the Oakland University Dance program.

Based on this talent, he was accepted into the program, but moved on before completing the program.

Rodney then made the bold decision to move to New York City to take classes at the world-renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Center.

While in New York, Rodney had the opportunity to grow not only as a dancer but as a man. Being surrounded by other African American dancers provided him with a community that fostered his talent. His time in NYC ended a few months after the September 11th attacks, when Rodney moved back to Dayton to dance with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II. He eventually returned to Oakland University and earned a B.F.A. in 2005 becoming the first African American male to complete Oakland’s dance program.

To continue his interest in choreographing and creating stories, Rodney attended the University of Michigan’s graduate dance program. It was at the University of Michigan that Rodney began to soar. There he met one of the most inspiring professors of his educational career, Dr. Nesha Z. Haniff. She taught his Homophobia in the Black World course. Rodney’s interest in social justice, race issues and LGBTQ people of color grew, as did his interest in the innovative teaching approach of his professor. Dr. Haniff is the founder of a teaching approach call Pedagogy of Action (POA) that provides opportunities to students to explore their own ideas and empowers ordinary people to act in their community to address its pressing problems.

While on a study abroad experience to help local people learn the tools to provide community HIV education

Rodney came to a deeper understanding of HIV and AIDS in the African American community when a close friend disclosed that he was HIV positive. It was at that moment that Rodney wanted to make a difference and educate communities, especially those disproportionally affected by HIV. Through his dance company, The Brown Dance Project, he created a piece dedicated to his friend, entitled Loving Lloyd, that still receives praise to this day.

in South Africa, Dr. Haniff told Rodney something that would stick with him forever. She said, “You leave the skills with the people rather than leave with the skills.” It was a humbling experience for Rodney and opened his eyes to how HIV and other issues were afflicting different parts of the world. Once Rodney returned to the states, he focused on the lack of knowledge many people in the U.S. had related to HIV and AIDS. Rodney also realized that he could infuse the POA approach with dance and movement.

By infusing the POA module into his dance company, Rodney teaches HIV education through movement. He includes non-dancers in works and allows them the creative freedom to interpret HIV in their own way. In the end they are able to take the information they learned and teach it back. That’s the purpose of the module: to be able to share with the world.

The POA was another way to teach HIV education and provide awareness in a simple manner that does not assume that all segments of the public automatically are educated about all aspects of the HIV. The POA breaks down the education of HIV in a way that that allows community members to take responsibility for themselves if given the right tools to learn and allows them to become able to teach back.

The Brown Dance Project was established in 2006 and incorporated in 2008. It’s a unique company in that group of dancers doesn’t have a set group of dancers. Instead he calls on dancers from all over and also those who had minimal to no dance training. Rodney has created many works under his company that relate to HIV.

Rodney is an artist in every way possible. Alvin Ailey once stated, “Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.” Rodney A. Brown is doing just that though his own style of teaching and storytelling.

SARA SHARES

Just choose Happiness | SARA ERNEST HEY, YOU! YEAH, YOU. Do you want to know a secret? As we head into the season of the winter blues, I can tell you the secret to happiness. Are you ready? Here it is: Just be happy.

Ah, but there’s the rub: just. I despise that word in this context. It always makes things sound easy. Just one more rep, after you maxed out two reps ago. Just one more time through this song, when your fingers started bleeding three justs ago. My least favorite word in all my years of ballet lessons was just. Nevermind that someone’s toe pad shifted or that someone else’s ribbons worked loose, we just had to do it one more time.

I think that there is a reason that the word “just” is so deceptive. It’s a way to trick ourselves into doing that one thing that seems insurmountable in that moment.

Just is a challenge. It allows us the opportunity to make a choice. We can choose to give it one last push, or we can take the easier option and not try. It’s also individual, related solely to each of us and our ability to make the choice and make the effort. No one else can make us do anything. They can push us through, but ultimately, the doing is up to the person.

SHE CHOOSES THE LIGHT OVER THE DARKNESS SO THAT SHE CAN GO ON.

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Take, for example, my friend Agnes. (No, that’s not really her name.) She was the victim of a horrible tragedy involving the unexpected deaths of her husband and kids. By rights, she could have retreated inside herself and lived in a world of misery and despair, succumbing to the anger and grief that surrounded this horrible event. No one would have judged her. Everyone expected her to do this anyway.

It made me so angry when I would talk to people who would say, “She’ll never be OK.” I would rage about the people who clearly didn’t know this woman.

They didn’t understand that what they should have been saying was, “She’ll never be the same.”

Agnes is one of the strongest people that I have ever met. I think that what made me so angry was that the people who pitied her because they couldn’t see that she had already started making choices that would promote her future happiness. I know that she grieves every day over the loss of her beautiful little boys. It would be unrealistic to say that she’s not still, to this day, angry about the manner in which they were removed from her life. She dug deep, though.

She drilled down into the well of her strength and pulled up the bucket that held just enough for her to get through the first day, then the next day and then every day since.

My friend made a choice, and every moment of every day, she chooses the light over the darkness so that she can go on. Just one more day. Hell, just one more moment. She took just and made it her bitch.

I had a realization one cloudy day when I was on an airplane.

It can be the most dreary, gray, depressing day on the ground, but once the plane gets through the clouds, the sky is still blue. I liken the search for happiness to searching for that beautiful blue sky. Some days, all we have to do is look up. Other days, we have to fight the laws of gravity and work with fluid dynamics and physics to get to the magnificence of the open blue sky. The same goes for our personal journey to happiness. Sometimes all we have to do is open our eyes. At other times we have to choose to just be happy.

SCENE

OUT AND ABOU T TOWN

PHOTOS | ALLYSON FRIDLEY

COUPLE

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FEBRUARY 2015

Kate Baldridge & Katie Rosenberry

PHOTOS | AMY TANNENBAUM

| AMY TANNENBAUM AT FIRST GLANCE, Katie, Kate and their son appear like any other family with two moms in their German Village home – they are his parents, and he is their son – but due to laws in Ohio that prevent them from adopting together, they can only foster. Until the laws evolve to recognize LGBTQ families, J is legally their foster child, though they continue to love and care for him as their son.

As a same-sex couple they initially were worried about their ability to get a foster child placed in their home. But their agency assured them that their sexual orientation would not be an issue. “They told us love is love to kids,” says Katie. “It doesn’t matter if it’s from gay or straight parents. And these kids need love.”

“When our son came to live with us, I think he thought Kate was a male,” recalls Katie, citing Kate’s masculine attire and love of sports. “We did have to explain to him that we were both girls, and that we loved each other very AS A SAME-SEX COUPLE THEY INITIALLY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO GET A FOSTER CHILD...THEIR AGENCY much. His response was: ‘OK, group hug.’

ASSURED THEM THAT THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION WOULD NOT Don’t you just wish BE AN ISSUE. everyone’s response was like that?”

“We show our son affection toward each other just like any other couple with children would,” says Katie. “He loves his two moms.”

Kate, born and raised in Findlay, Ohio, moved to Columbus after graduating college in 2008. She had just come out, and she wanted a fresh start in a big city. Only one year later, she met Katie, a Columbus native who grew up in Bexley. Unlike Kate, whose parents have to “agree to disagree” on her sexual orientaton, Katie grew up in a home where judgments stopped at the door. “I always knew my parents would love and accept me no matter what, but I was still nervous to come out to them,” says Katie, “and to no surprise, they were very accepting.”

Through Kate and Katie’s journey since they met in 2009, their relationship has only grown stronger. “Katie is my very best friend,” gushes Kate. “I can say without hesitation I love her more every single day.” Kate calls Katie beautiful, smart and someone who knows her completely and keeps her grounded.

“She is the total package, and I am so very lucky.” Katie—no surprise—still finds Kate hilarious all these years later. “She has

Kate and Katie met through a mutual friend who was Katie’s co-worker and Kate’s roommate. Kate’s roommate began bringing Katie over to their condo, and the three of them began hanging out over dinners, games and drinks. Kate was attracted right away, and Katie found Kate so funny that she often found herself laughing to tears.

Soon they began texting, and one day Kate invited Katie over to go swimming.

They enjoyed the day and ended up laughing so hard that neither of them wanted the evening to end. “I asked her to stay for dinner,” says Kate, “and she hasn’t left yet!”

A couple of years ago, Kate and Katie made a decision together to become treatment foster parents, and over a year ago began taking classes toward that goal. They both work with children in their careers, and they both wanted to be parents. Because Kate and Katie can’t legally adopt in Ohio at this time, they are currently fostering. They foster children with unique backgrounds who need extra care. While Kate and Katie face the problems that most parents encounter, they emphasize love, acceptance and an embrace of differences in their parenting.

“Our foster son knows that it is more typical to see a woman and a man together, and has asked us questions along the way,” explains Kate. “We are honest with him and try to get on his level so he can try to understand. He knows Katie and I love each other and we don’t hide it.”

a great sense of humor and is so easy going. People just gravitate to her,” says Katie. “But what I really love about Kate is that she is her own self. She is true to who she is, and I really admire her for that.”

Kate and Katie are currently engaged and hope to get married in the future, but they are waiting for Ohio’s laws to catch up first. Katie explains, “It is important to me to be able to hold a document that says, yes, by law she is my wife.” Kate adds, “It won’t be long, I hope! As much as I can’t wait to be able to call her my wife, she has my heart and my commitment is to her, and she knows that.”

DEVELOPMENT

WORLD RADIO DAY: CD 102.5 SETS GENDER `EQUALITY BAR HIGH PHOTOS | COURTESY OF CD 102.5

| JM RAYBURN FEBRUARY 13 MARKS World Radio Day — a day to celebrate radio as an important form of communication and to promote gender equality within the industry. As radio continues to evolve in the digital age, it remains the form of communication that reaches the widest audience worldwide. As such, it is an important medium to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is behind World Radio Day. You may ask, “Why is gender equality and women’s empowerment important in the radio industry?” One reason is that media plays an important role in shaping our thoughts and behaviors, including our perceptions of gender. As it stands today, only 24 percent of people interviewed, heard or seen in media are women.

And yet women outnumber men worldwide.

Creating gender equality in the radio industry raises many questions. How do we get the balance right? How do we encourage the radio industry to promote freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves? How do we eliminate stereotypes and promote multidimensional portrayals in radio? Most importantly, how do we build radio skills for youth radio production, with a focus on young women as producers, hosts and reporters?

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The bad news is these are tough questions, often without easy solutions. The good news is that Columbus is home to a radio station that sets the bar for gender equality. It’s locally-owned and -operated. It also turns 25 this year.

I’m talking about CD 102.5, The Alternative Station.

I recently had the esteemed pleasure of interviewing two inspiring women from the radio station: Lesley James and Leslie Edwards.

What are your titles and roles at CD 102.5?

Lesley James (above): I am the program director (PD)

and handle afternoon drive on-air duties during the weekdays, 3 p.m to 7 p.m. As PD, I am responsible for all the music that is played on CD102.5, and I manage a team of on-air personalities.

Leslie Edwards (Right): I am the general sales manager.

Essentially, I am responsible for all of the incoming revenue for the station. Because we are a commercial radio station, we rely on advertising and sponsorship revenue to cover our operating costs, licensing fees and so on. I manage a team of account executives who work with our advertising partners on a daily basis.

How long have you been in the radio industry, and how long with CD 102.5?

LJ: CD 102.5 has been my only radio gig. As of this month, I have been with CD102.5 for 10 years!

LE: I kind of got started in this business when I was a senior

in college (Back in 1998 - wow, that’s hard to say.), and I did an internship in the promotions department at QFM 96.

When I found out that there was a position open at [this station] on the sales team, I decided to go for it! That was in October of 2004, and I’ve been working here ever since.

Why did you gravitate to CD 102.5?

LJ: I grew up listening to the station, and the passion that

the on-air personalities demonstrated for not only the music, but also the local community, only enhanced my drive to want to be apart of it. Also, working for truly one of the few remaining locally-owned and -operated radio stations in the country played a key role too. The small, independent and family-like aspect appealed to me greatly.

LE: I really got to know and love the station from

and promotions that are led by females. Let’s continue to acknowledge and promote women who work hard, lead by example and have earned the respect of their colleagues.

LE: Keep listening to CD 102.5! On a serious note, I think just

helping to bring fresh talent to the industry and then helping to recognize and promote women to positions like general sales manager and programming director helps all of us.

What advice can you offer to those who are considering a career in radio?

LJ: Passion and persistence can go a long way. Keep knocking on doors, have an open mind to learning new things and ask questions. Get started by becoming involved in college radio and internships. Find your true passion and be tenacious!

LE: It’s a really competitive industry. Be prepared for that.

Also, the industry is changing quite a bit with increased competition and capabilities from technology, so I think someone who is willing to learn and adapt would be a great fit.

my time at CAPA. A smaller, community-minded and creative company appealed to me.

Let’s end with your musical favorites. What are your top five favorite bands/artists? What is your most memorable concert?

Would you encourage other Columbus women (and LGBTQ youth, for that matter) to consider work in the radio industry? How can they get started?

LJ: My all-time favorite bands are Oasis, Joy Division, New

LJ: Yes. I can honestly say I love what I do, and I am

living a dream. Get involved! We offer plenty of internships in the programming and promotions departments. Over the years, several job opportunities have blossomed from interning at the station. Check out CD1025.com, and send us your resume.

LE: Absolutely! I can honestly say that I love my job

and that there is nothing else I’d rather be doing on a daily basis. I think a great way to get involved with the station is through the internship program. Kara Jones, our promotions and marketing director and Antonio Arellano, our assistant promotions director, do an amazing job running that department, and I think that would be an excellent way to get your foot in the door and learn a bit about how it all works.

What can members of the community do to support you and other women in radio?

LJ: For years, radio was primarily a male-dominated

field, but over the past three to five years, we’ve seen more women holding key management and on-air positions. CD 102.5 is a perfect example of this. We have five female on-air personalities, as well as management positions including programming, sales and marketing

Order, Depeche Mode and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Most memorable show? That’s a big question. I have been blessed to see so many amazing gigs for 15 plus years. One of my favorites was my first concert in 1995 with R.E.M. and Luscious Jackson at Polaris Amphitheater. I’ll never forget during R.E.M.’s encore: it starting pouring rain while the band was playing It’s the End of the World. It was a magical, unforgettable moment!

LE: David Gray, U2, Cold War Kids, The Killers, Depeche Mode . . . I could go on and on but that’s five, right?

I think my most memorable show was seeing U2 on the Elevation Tour at Nationwide Arena.

UPCOMING

Featuring 6 Not-To-Be-Missed Columbus Events in February

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D: Saturday, February 7 T: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

L: Saxbe Auditorium, Moritz College of Law, OSU campus $: Free

D: Wednesday, February 11 T: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

L: Columbus Public Health Auditorium, 240 Parsons Avenue $: Free E: DASteward@Columbus.gov

D: Friday, February 13 & Saturday, February 14 T: Doors at 8:00 p.m./ Show at 9:00 p.m.

L: Wall Street Nightclub $: $10 at the door / $50 - $70 reserved tables C: Reserve a table by calling 614-464-2800

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D: Saturday, February 14 T: 8:00 p.m.

L: Ohio Theater $: $25 - $68 W: ColumbusSymphony.com

D: Sunday, February 22 T: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

L: Stonewall Columbus, 1160 N. High Street $: Free E: ErinUpchurch@Gmail.com

D: Sunday, February 22 T: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

L: Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High Street $: Donation / $50 VIP package W: GatewayFilmCenter.com

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day A Night of Artistry, Expression and Education and Awareness

ABBA the Concert with the Columbus Symphony ABBA tribute group performs the iconic band’s greatest hits.

Improving Healthcare for LGBTQ Communities of Color A community conversation to help shape the LGBTQ Health Initiative

Clothes Swap for Trans*/Gender Non-Conforming Youth (4 – 18 years) Donations accepted on Sat., Feb. 21at the same times and location below.

The Vagina Monologues VDAY Columbus’ 6th annual production of Eve Ensler’s play.

Academy Awards Celebration at Gateway Film Center Watch the Oscars on the Big Screen and support the Great Columbus Film Commission

Say Yes, Columbus: Tweet your ideas to @QuorumColumbus and use #YesListColumbus

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MOVIES

GAY FOR GOLD PHOTO | BLACK BEAR PICTURES

| CLAYTON WALTER IT SEEMS THAT every year at least one queer film makes its way into the Oscar race. Playing a queer character can be a fast track to a trophy—or at least a nomination. In recent years, Sean Penn, Natalie Portman and Christopher Plummer have taken home Oscars for playing sexual minorities, while plenty of others have been nominated.

Films like The Kids Are All Right, Milk and Brokeback Mountain all contended for top honors, with mixed results.

It’s tempting to paint the Academy’s apparent fascination with straight actors “playing gay” as subtly homophobic, as if it must be so difficult to pretend to be attracted to the same sex. I don’t think that’s the case. The performances that get singled out are deserving, not because of the characters’ sexual orientation, but because of the characters’ humanity, complexity and astounding journeys.

This year, after a banner year for LGBTQ cinema, the film that looks to carry the rainbow banner into the Dolby Theater is The Imitation Game. One might wonder how such a bland period piece is the one to make the grade, rather than the uplifting Pride, which managed a Golden Globe nomination, or the acclaimed Love is Strange, featuring a pair of beloved actors and backed by an awards-friendly distributor. How is The Imitation Game the one that made it all the way?

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The film has two main factors working in its favor. First, it’s the sort of quasi-inspirational historical picture that Oscar voters can’t help but lap up. Some accuse latent homophobia as being the reason Brokeback Mountain lost to Crash ten years ago, and perhaps that’s the case.

THOSE WHO CRITICIZE THE FILM FOR NOT BEING GAYER ARE MISSING THE POINT OF THE FILM But The Imitation Game won’t have to worry about it either way, as it isn’t that gay. We don’t see Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) engaging in any sexual acts; rather, we see him struggling under the weight of his dangerous secret while he tries to crack the Enigma Code during World War II. Those who criticize the film for not being gayer are missing the point of the film: the irony of a man with a big secret working in secret to break a secret code.

As is the case every year, the important thing to remember on Oscar night is that the best films are rarely represented. This is especially true for queer films, which are still very much crammed into a niche where most viewers will never see them. Enjoy the glitz and glamour for what it is – a bunch of millionaires giving each other prizes – and rest in the knowledge that a lack of awards doesn’t diminish the power of a great film.

PHOTO | CALAMITY FILMS

Second, and more importantly, The Imitation Game is backed by the all-powerful Harvey Weinstein, who has brought Oscar glory to films like The Reader, The King’s Speech and The Artist. This year, The Imitation Game is Harvey’s (he’s important enough in the industry to be referred to by only his first name) prized horse, as seen by the campaign ads pandering to the tech community and, more problematically, to the queer community. A recent ad has leaders from various queer groups praising Turing and basically amounts to: “The gays like our movie, so you should, too!” Perhaps more troubling is the subtle message that an Oscar win could help make up for the injustices Turing faced in his day, including the chemical castration he faced in response to his homosexuality.

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DRINK.

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4 Club 20 Old North Columbus 20 E Duncan Ave 614.261.9111 8 Exile Italian Village 893 N 4th St 614.299.0069 10 Wine on High Short North 789 N High St 614. 294.8466 13 Local Bar Short North 913 N High St 614.670.8958 14 Slammers Downtown 202 E Long St 614.221.8880

2 Axis Short North 775 N High St 614.291.4008 22 Wall Street Night Club Downtown 144 N Wall St 614.464.2800

EAT + DRINK. 11 12 21 23 25

La Fogata Grill Short North 790 N High St 614.294.7656 Level Dining Lounge Short North 700 N High St 614.754.7111 Union Short North 782 N High St 614.421.2233 MOUTON Short North 954 N High St 614.732.4660 Cray Eatery & Drinkery Italian Village 697 N 4th St 614.745.1693

SHOP. 9 The Garden Short North 1186 N High St 614.294.2869 18 Torso Short North 772 N High St 614.421.7663 19 Torso (in Exile) Italian Village 893 N 4th St 614.299.0069

ENGAGE. 5 ARC OHIO Clintonville 4400 N High St 614.299.2437 24 ARC OHIO Medical Ctr + Pharmacy Short North 1033 N High St 16 Stonewall Columbus Short North 1160 N High St 614.299.7764

MERION VILLAGE

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24 Explorers Club Merion Village 1586 S High St 614.725.0155

Cavan Irish Pub Merion Village 1409 S High St 614.725.5502 Club Diversity Brewery District 863 S High St 614.224.4050 Columbus Fuel Bar Merion Village 1312 S High St 614.725.0130 South Bend Merion Village 126 E. Moler St 614.444.3386 The Toolbox Saloon South Side 744 Frebis Ave 614.670.8113 Tremont Brewery District 708 S High St 614.445.9365

DRINK + DANCE. 1 A.W.O.L. Bar + The Barracks Olde Towne East 49 Parsons Ave 614.621.8779

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MUNITY RESOURCES

LOCAL & STATE ORGANIZATIONS

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Stonewall Columbus 614-299-7764 www.stonewallcolumbus.org This local community and resource center serves the Central Ohio LGBTQ community by providing programs and services that enhance the well-being and visibility of a diverse

GLAAD www.glaad.org A national organization that promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive media representations of LGBTQ people. as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Additionally, Stonewall Columbus hosts the annual Pride Holiday.

Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.com The nation’s largest gay and lesbian political organization.

ARC Ohio 800-252-0827 www.arcohio.org Fights the spread of HIV, works towards reducing its transmission, stigma and the resulting discrimination through education and awareness, and provides quality services to BRAD (Buckeye Alliance of the Deaf ) membership@gmail.com www.bradohio.com Protects and promotes the interests and well-being of deaf and hard of hearing LGBTQ people while increasing awareness about the needs of Deaf and hard of hearing community.

BRAVO (Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization) 614-294-STOP www.bravo-ohio.org Works to eliminate violence perpetuated on the basis of prevention, advocacy, violence documentation and survivor services.

Equality Ohio 614-224-0400 www.equalityohio.org A statewide lobbying organization working to secure equality for LGBT Ohioans.

FreedomOhio 614-246-3807 www.freedomohio.com The Freedom to Marry Ohio movement is dedicated to ending marriage discrimination in Ohio.

Kaleidoscope Youth Center 614-294-5437 www.kycohio.org Provides advocacy, education, support and a safe environment for LGBT youth in Central Ohio.

P-FLAG Columbus 614-806-8025 awareness and understanding for Central Ohio’s LGBT citizens and our families, friends and allies.

Rainbow Sisters www.rainbowsisters.info A social and community-oriented group for lesbian women age 40 and over.

NGLTF www.thetaskforce.org The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a leading progressive civil rights organization that has supported grassroots organizing since 1973.

The National Coalition for LGBT Youth www.outproud.org A wide range of resources available for youth and educators.

ARTS & MUSIC Capital Pride Band of Columbus 614-325-1590 www.cappride.org A statewide LGBTQ organization of instrumentalists promoting the joy of music, friendship, and personal growth.

They provide a variety of performances each year.

Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus 614-228-2462 www.cgmc.com Singing out since 1990, this chorus presents a series of concerts each year. Open auditions held prior to rehearsal for each show.

Evolution Theatre Company 614-233-1124 www.evolutiontheatre.org A semi-professional theatre company that presents musicals, dramas and comedies that have not been seen in the area well as new works and world premieres.

Imagine Productions 614-398-1110 www.imaginecolumbus.com entertaining and educating community stakeholders. They recognize that empowerment and growth occurs for both the audience and performer.

Wexner Center for the Arts 614-292-3535 www.wexarts.org Internationally known contemporary arts center at OSU, programs, as well as a store and a café all under one roof in an architectural landmark.

COUNSELING

Sisters of Lavender

614-445-8277

A social/support for women 40 and over. S.O.L. is the oldest lesbian organization in Columbus.

A center for psychotherapy and growth with a long history of working with LGBTQ clients.

TransOhio 614-441-8167 www.transohio.org Serves the Ohio transgender and allied communities by providing services, education, support and advocacy.

Randi Cohen, LPCC-S 614-267-1993 www.randicohen.com Helping adult clients to create a strong sense of self, learn good communication skills, and gain a clearer sense of how others see you.

Why Marriage Matters Ohio www.whymarriagemattersoh.org A marriage equality education campaign supporting the right for any loving, committed Ohio couple to marry.

Shawn D. King, PhD., LISW 614-655-3554 www.shawnkingphd.com Providing individual, family, and group counseling services to the LGBTQ community. Specializing in relationship issues, anger management and mental health services.

HEALTH & WELLNESS AHF Wellness Center & Out of the Closet Pharmacy: 614-732-5947 Wellness Center: 614-223-1532 www.aidshealth.org The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) operates Out of the full-service pharmacy, and HIV testing at the corner of N. High St., Suite 350.

CHOICES 614-224-4663 www.choicescolumbus.org Since 1977 they have provided counseling, shelter, crisis intervention, education and community and legal support and advocacy to central Ohio residents facing domestic violence.

Columbus Public Health LGBTQ Health Initiative 614-645-1493 www.publichealth.columbus.gov As part of the department’s mission to protect health and cultural competency trainings to health care and other service providers. Additionally, their LGBTQ Health Advocate manages The Crystal Club 614-214-4828 www.thecrystalclub.org female impersonators, and other transgender individuals.

Huckleberry House 614-294-5553 www.huckhouse.org Established in 1970 to provide a safe place for runaway youth homeless or runaways.

NetCare 614-276-CARE www.netcareaccess.org Provides 24 hour mental health and substance abuse crisis intervention, stabilization and assessment for Franklin County Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio, Inc. 614-224-2235 www.plannedparenthood.org The nation's oldest and largest sexual and reproductive health care organization.

Trevor Project 866-4U-TREVOR www.thetrevorproject.org Determined to end suicide among LGBT youth by providing nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline.

ADJOURN

BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

Equality for All

| CHERE R. HAMPTON DURING THE MONTH of February our nation observes Black History Month. I’ve always been a big believer that no matter the race, gender or orientation, we should all celebrate each other and the great and positive things that we have all accomplished throughout history.

Black Americans have played a vital and crucial role in the history of this country. While it is wonderful that there is a month established to pay tribute, it is important to recognize and appreciate the accomplishments of these Black individuals, not only in the month of February, but year round.

Many of these Black Americans have also been members of the LGBTQ community. Consider the progress of just the past year; 2014 was an incredible year of achievements.

We saw Laverne Cox become the first out transgender person nominated for an Emmy award. Michael Sam became the first openly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL, and Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in the NBA. Lesser known, but equally significant, was the fact that two Black LGBTQ judges, the honorable Darrin Gayles of Florida and the honorable Staci Yandle of Illinois, were confirmed to the federal bench.

Last year was a crucial one for race relations in this country. As we acknowledge the achievements and accomplishments of Black Americans throughout history this month, it’s also important to pause to look deeply at the current state of affairs in the world today. Hundreds of protests have taken place around the world against police brutality and the murder of unarmed Black citizens by police officers. Just as all LGBTQ people are rising and standing up for the right to marry, people are rising and standing up for their right to simply exist, without harassment or profiling.

The voices of the protesters should be heard and acknowledged. There are some strong commonalities in these two efforts. They deserve to be heard, for the sake of equality for all, which is something that we all strive for.

As we celebrate the incredible achievements of Black Americans this February, we need to also appreciate the struggle for equality, which is real, palpable and vital to us all. I encourage you to take some time this month to think about where we’ve been, where we are headed and how you will help us all get there.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Chere R. Hampton was born in Toledo and moved to Columbus to attend OSU. She double majored in English and African American & African Studies. Chere works for United Healthcare Community Plan of Ohio. She is an active community volunteer who enjoys writing and spending time with family and friends.

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614-594-0230