The Pride L.A. 12.28.18

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019 ISSUE NUMBER 05, VOLUME 3

| DEC. 28, ‘18 – JAN 10, ‘19

LOS ANGELES

N I R A E Y

Review

Pages 5 – 11

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GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Urges for LGBTQ+ Rights Last week, by majority vote, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights urged the 116th Congress to prioritize civil rights issues with its oversight and legislative activity, stating an urgent need to restore national commitment to civil rights principles.

“For over sixty years, Congress has mandated that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights advise Congress, the President and the American public on matters of civil rights policy; that mandate is as pressing now as it has ever been,” a press release stated. “The Commission’s recent evaluation of issues ranging from voting rights, to education equity, to workplace protections for LGBT individuals, to access to justice, among other critical areas, shows that Congress can and should do much more to ensure that all Americans’ civil rights are protected.”

While the Commission pressed Congress to take up all the recommendations of the Commission, they prioritized six in particular, both for immediate oversight investigations as well as legislative actions.

Oversight Priorities • Congress should investigate habitability conditions for children and adults1 as well as alleged abusive labor practices at government

and privately operated immigration detention centers. In addition, Congress should investigate the status of family separation at the border, and what policies and practices are necessary to ensure that all separated families may be reunited.

• Congress should investigate the Department of Justice’s use of consent decrees and the impact on justice of the Department’s narrowing authority to use a civil rights enforcement tool that Congress has expressly provided to the Department. Congress should also investigate activity in the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office to determine whether that office is active in offering its services.

• Congress should investigate the status of the Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice, and how well it accomplishes the work led by that office. Congress should also investigate the degree to which the Department of Justice enforces equal access to justice following Attorney General Sessions’ rescission of civil rights guidance concerning potential unconstitutional practices in the imposition of fines and fees.

• Congress should investigate the impact on

Wellness and serenity for the body, mind, and spirit.

Photo: Getty Images.

justice following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s policy to site immigration enforcement agents at courthouses.

• Congress should investigate the potential civil rights impact of the Department of Commerce’s stated intention to place a citizenship question on the 2020 Census Questionnaire, including whether those potential impacts outweigh a Department interest in

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adding the citizenship question.

• Congress should evaluate the effectiveness of Department of Justice enforcement activity related to violent expressions of hate, to ensure respect for personhood remains a core component of the rule of law in this nation.

For more information, view the full U.S. Commission on Civil Rights memo at usccr.gov/press/2018/1207-Priorities-for-116th-Congress.pdf.

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019 COMMUNITY

WEST HOLLYWOOD

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LOS ANGELES

LOCAL FESTIVITIES

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Photo: Getty Images.

Sobering New Year

Go out with a BOOM in West Hollywood this New Year’s Eve. WeHo’s premier alcohol- and drug-free New Year’s Eve event theme is “House of #BOOM!” It is said to bring hundreds of people together for a “fabulous celebration, featuring DJ Eddie X, dancing, food, a photo booth, face and body painting and an alcohol-free midnight toast.” T here will be a costume contest for those wearing the most fabulous costume representing the theme of either Glamour; Lady Gaga vs. Madonna; Menage a Trio; Hot Mess; or Military. #BOOM! will take place on the evening of Monday, December 31, 2018, starting at 8 p.m. and will run until 1 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. #BOOM! is a free event.

Attendees must be 18 or older to attend.

Advance RSVP is encouraged, as #BOOM! has limited capacity. RSVP at www. boom2019.eventbrite.com.

“The holiday season can be a particularly challenging time for people with substance abuse or mental health issues,” a press release stated. “#BOOM! is a safe space for anyone who wants to celebrate the New Year without the presence of alcohol or drugs. The event is spearheaded by the West Hollywood Project, an initiative funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, to reduce alcohol and drug-related harms in West Hollywood.”

Substance use and addiction is often a significant problem in the LGBTQ+ community. People who identify as such are at a greater risk for substance use and mental health issues compared to those who identify as heterosexual.

More than twice as many LGBTQ+ adults compared to heterosexual adults reported using drugs in the past year, according to a 2015 report. Those who identified as LGBTQ+ were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and binge drink, and nearly twice as likely to have had an alcohol or drug problem in the past year.

Limited parking for #BOOM! will be available in the adjacent West Hollywood Park five-story parking structure, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The PickUp, West Hollywood’s Free Weekend Ride, will run along Santa Monica Boulevard in a sixmile loop with 15 stops in each direction between Robertson Boulevard and La Brea Avenue from 8 p.m. on Monday, December 31, 2018 until 3 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. It arrives at stops approximately every 15 minutes to transport revelers safely to and from their destinations, while music mixes by DJ Derek Monteiro play on board.

The City of West Hollywood will also be running a special schedule of its free shuttle service, Cityline, departing its stop near Hollywood and Highland every hour from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with stops at La Brea Avenue, Fairfax Avenue, and N. San Vicente Boulevard. Return trips from the San Vicente stop will begin at 8 p.m. and run approximately every hour with the final departure to Hollywood and Highland at 1:15 a.m. on January 1, 2019. #BOOM! is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood, the Institute for Public Strategies, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the West Hollywood Project, the Tweakers Project, and APLA Health. Admission is free but capacity is limited.

For more information, please visit www. boom2019.eventbrite.com.

(323) 244-7500 CALL TODAY!

(323) 206-0888

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ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTLIFE

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12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019

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GAY L.A.

Meet You On the Other Side – A Loss of Queer Spaces

Remembering L.A.’s last great piano bar.

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran a profile of Steve Ross, one of the city’s last great Cabaret artists. Ross has been playing at piano bars across the city since the 1980s, bringing the camp classics of the Great American Songbooks to newer, younger audiences at venues from the Algonquin to Birdland.

While New York has always had a history of small, intimate bars built around a piano, L.A.’s relationship to the classic queer cabaret bar has been different. While the

opening of Tramp Stamp Granny’s in Hollywood sparked a type of renaissance for that certain type of New York-style bar that’s so adept at mixing show tune singalongs with boozing and debauchery, there’s still nothing that can replace L.A.’s classic piano bar “The Other Side,” which closed in 2012.

Before Silver Lake was the collection hipster eateries and cafes that we know and love today, it was kind of a dive. It was also pretty gay. Back in the early 2010s, the Silver Lake community was composed of, according to writer Besha Rodell, “a couple of single mothers raising teenagers, older gay couples, a Perry Farrell-like dude named Adam who created and tended to the neighborhood’s famous chandelier tree... a neighborhood of artists and outsiders, people who had left small towns to find a home more suited to their needs for freedom and creativity.”

In Rodell’s recent article about “The Other Side” for Punch Magazine, she cites the bar as being the glue that held this small, queer community together.

When the bar first opened in 1967, L.A. had plenty of piano bars to speak of. Richard Little told Rodell that Silver Lake, at that time,

was like no other part of the city. “There was no place like it.” He said. “West Hollywood did not have the kind of diversity you’d find in Silver Lake. We ranged in age from old to young; various ethnic groups were welcomed.

West Hollywood was never like that.”

While this description might fit a broader swath of today’s queer L.A., there’s still something special about the memory of a place where queer folks could go not to be anonymous, but to be truly intimate. To coexist in the presence of other singing queers and a grand piano. While Silver Lake is still home to Akbar, one of the last historic gay bars in the city, nothing has come up to truly take the place of “The Other Side,” with its funky interior, community-oriented vibe, and frequent singalongs. There are many factors

Photo: Punch.

L.A.’s “The Other Side” was an Eastside hangout for queer folks and outsiders.

that may have contributed to this. Was it the fact that AIDS came along and laid claim to so many lives? Was it the creation of hookup apps that made it unnecessary to seek out human company? The rising cost of rent in the newly-hip neighborhood? Most likely a combination of all three.

Even in the midst of so many historic closures of gay bars across the country, L.A. hasn’t suffered nearly as much as some smaller cities. But during the holiday season, when queer folks want to drink, revel, and escape their relatives, it’s nice to remember a place where everybody sang your name.

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019 COMMUNITY 2018-2019

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Ye ANGELES LOS ar in

YEAR IN REVIEW SPECIAL!

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GOODBYE 2018: A Year in Review

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his past year was filled with arduous times for the LGBTQ+ community — specifically for transgender people. The Trump administration attempted to roll back a plethora of policies protecting, or promoting the advancement of, the LGBTQ+ community. However, this past year was also filled with triumph — thanks to effective resistance — for the community at the international, national and local level. The Pride LA has compiled some of the victories that the LGBTQ+ community witnessed in 2018.

1. Chilean government upholds transgender rights Although the United States’ current presidential administration has contributed significantly in the marginalization of the country’s transgender community — Chile’s government made great strides for the country’s transgender population in 2018. In September, officials in the Latinx country passed a motion allowing transgender people the right to update their name and gender marker on their birth certificates and passports, according to Reuters.

Similar to the Gender Recognition Act and the Name and Gender Act that went into effect in California the previous month, the new Chilean law defines gender identity based on a person’s choice and not by their genitals at birth.

Unlike the Trump administration — which aims to define gender as a biological condition — this motion effectively solidifies the transgender community’s stance in Chile.

2. Jared Polis: United States’ first openly gay man elected to governorship During the 2018 midterm elections, the U.S. witnessed a “rainbow wave” of LGBTQ+ officials running in elections across the country — 157 to be exact, according to The New York Times. Jared Polis, who made his gay pride unmistakable on the campaign trail, not only won the Colorado governor’s race but he, simultaneously, became the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the country’s history, according to Vox. Polis’ forward-looking platform includes highlighting the importance of medicare-for-all, promoting stronger gun laws and establishing universal full-day preschool in Colorado. And, on an important side-note, more LGBTQ+ people voted in 2018 midterms than in any other recorded election, according to NBC News.

3. India decriminalizes homosexuality India has long had a reputation for being a country plagued by anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

This is probably because the majority of the country is populated by extreme social-conservatives, according to The New York Times.

However, in September, “India’s Supreme

Court ruled to abolish Section 377 of the Penal Code, a colonial-era law that criminalized anal and oral sex. It was argued that this law not only criminalizes homosexuality, but is an invasion of privacy as well,” as reported by The Pride LA. This step to decriminalize gay sex is a monumental moment in the long, and uphill, history of India’s LGBTQ+ community.

4. Long Beach passes “Preferred Name and Pronoun” policy In November, Long Beach City officials, specifically Councilmember and Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, in partnership with the Long Beach LGBTQ+ Center, passed “The Preferred Pronoun and Name Policy.” The policy upholds the advancement of the city’s transgender, and gender nonconforming, workforce by giving them the right to choose which name and/or pronoun they prefer to be identified with at their workplace. “I have to give credit to The [LGBTQ] Center [of Long Beach] because they really worked to change the culture at city hall for a long time to where now leaders like myself really have the support necessary to lean on issues that are important to people,” Richardson said.

“If it hadn’t been for the groundwork laid by The Center we wouldn’t be in the position today to have this conversation.”

Together, Richardson and Executive Director for the LB LGBTQ+ Center, Porter Gilberg, built a framework for a relationship that would help create safe, inclusive spaces for community members throughout Long Beach.

“While the federal government has shown itself to be a hotbed of anti-LGBTQ extremism, this year our city has fully prioritized ensuring all LGBTQ people are treated with fairness and dignity,” Gilberg said. “I am especially proud of the leadership of Long Beach City College and Long Beach City Council for each passing legislation to create preferred name and pronoun policies to protect transgender students and employees, respectively. Additionally, our City Council demonstrated exceptional leadership in passing a resolution to formally oppose the Trump Administration’s efforts to redefine gender by excluding transgender people.”

5. Long Beach confronts Trump Administration Yet another win for Long Beach’s LGBTQ+ community; however, this one is aimed directly at resisting the Trump Administration’s anti-transgender rhetoric. Long Beach City officials, specifically Councilmember Lena Gonzalez, with guidance from the LB LGBTQ+ Center, passed a motion allowing Long Beach citystaff to send opposition letters to the Trump Administration whenever the Administration further deprecates LGBTQ+ people through non-inclusive policy making.

“As a city, we’ve taken a stance, which was

[also] unanimously voted and supported by my colleagues [at the Long Beach City Council],” Gonzalez said in regard to Trump’s proposed revisions to Title IX. “We can’t sit on the sidelines of the Long Beach community, which is inclusive and diverse, and just allow this to happen under our nose. We absolutely said, we need more inclusivity for the transgender community — we will ensure to include them in all of our state and federal legislative issues.”

Gonzalez said that she hopes to send a “signal” to President Donald Trump through these letters, promoting transgender rights and visibility, as well as resistance against bigotry.

6. Alaska voters reject antitransgender bathroom bill To say the least, the Republican stranglehold on Alaska’s presidential elections has been profuse. “The Last Frontier” has predominantly voted for Republican candidates in elections since statehood — which is bad news for Alaska’s LGBTQ+ community.Yet, in April — a mir-

acle of sorts for the transgender community of Anchorage, Alaska. Voters in the city, with a population of nearly 300,000 people, defeated Proposition 1, which “would have required everyone in Anchorage public spaces to use the locker room and bathroom that aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth,” according to Vox. This anti-transgender bill would have prohibited transgender people to use facilities which align with their gender identity. It is small victories such as this that can create significant ripples nation-and-worldwide.

Of course, these weren’t the only LGBTQ+ achievements in 2018. Over the next several pages, we have selected some of the biggest moments from each month this past year. As we reminisce about the soon-ending year, let’s look forward, hoping this new year rings in plenty of more triumph for LGBTQ+ community members situated all across the world. Happy 2019!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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NEWS

POLITICS

JANUARY 26, 2018

⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

Hippocratic Oath Under Threat In Trump’s America

As the Trump Administration commits to giving healthcare workers a legal way to opt out of performing services for women and LGBTQ+ patients, the line between conscience and prejudice gets blurred.

On Thursday, January 18, two days after a new “Religious Freedom Day” was declared by the government, the Trump administration announced that religious rights protections would be increased for healthcare workers who decline to practice procedures that they are religiously opposed to, such as abortions and gender confirmation surgeries. Sensing the inherent conflict between this promise and the basis of the Hippocratic oath that all healthcare professionals are made to take to ensure a non-biased approach medicine, writers, activists, and medical professionals took to Twitter to protest the decision. “.@realDonaldTrump's proclamation for Religious Freedom Day specifically says that no American should have to obey the law if it conflicts with their religion. Ahistorical and danger-

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ous,” wrote the American Atheists account.

A nurse based in Fishers, Indiana tweeted: “I didn’t become a nurse to pick and choose who I will provide care for. If you have a true servants heart it shouldn’t matter if the patient is black, white, gay, straight, Muslim, Atheist, transgendered and so on. #treatallpatients.”

Meanwhile, Republicans like Virginia Senator Richard Black and Texas Congressman Michael McCaul referenced Jefferson’s 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom as a historical, and thus legitimate, precedent for Trump’s decision.

Like the infamous Masterpiece Cake Shop decision before it, in which a religious business owner refused to make a gay couple a wedding cake on religious grounds, the controversial choice to pit religious integrity against occupational neutrality creates a confusing, extremely divisive counter to the idea that human rights and religious rights are separate, unequal entities.

By placing them together on the same plane, the Trump administration has begun to treat religious doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals as a protected class. Healthcare workers and medical establishments in general are also, under the new decision, being treated more like private businesses, which are by law entitled to bias, rather than public service institutions.

But does the choice to tie church, state, and hospital together go against the very basis of the medical profession?

The first statute of the original Hippocratic

Photo: Thinkstock.

Trump’s latest decision privileges religious rights by undermining the hippocratic oath.

oath is: “To place the good of the patient at the center of my professional practice and, when the gravity of the situation demands, above my own self interest.” The problem is that a term like ‘good’, or even the phrase “self interest,” becomes increasingly subjective and vulnerable to re-definition. If the idea of bias belongs to everyone, it’s possible that everyone can claim themselves to be part of a protected class. But how can you be protected against the promise you yourself made to protect and serve without bias?

The Hippocratic oath wasn’t always seen as a mandatory part of the job for healthcare workers. However, in recent years, it’s become more common, and more crucial, for students to enter the profession by guaranteeing non-biased treatment to patients from all walks of life.According to an article in Georgetown University’s Jour-

nal of Health Sciences, in 2012, “100 percent of medical school graduates in the United States swear to some variation of the Hippocratic Oath (as opposed to just 24 percent in 1928.)”

The attitude toward religious freedom protection for healthcare workers has yo-yoed back and forth since 1973’s Roe v Wade victory, with Republican-led governments usually favoring religious protections and Democrat-led administrations scaling back those same protections.

The “Church Amendments” were introduced in the 1970s, at the start of Roe v. Wade, to allow medical practitioners to ‘opt out’ of performing abortions if it conflicted with their religious beliefs. Since that time, gender confirmation surgeries have been added to the list of procedures that healthcare workers can choose not to perform due to religious conflict. In 1996, a new act, titled Public Health Service Act 245, underwrote these protections by stipulating that the federal government would not fund hospitals or practices that “discriminated” against workers who refused to perform abortions.

The use of the word ‘discrimination’ as it applies to, in this case, the original discriminating party, is interesting in light of Trump’s recent decisions regarding transgender individuals in the military and healthcare in general. As the question of what makes a protected class grows murkier, Americans find themselves having to choose between personal morality and collective democracy.

FEBRUARY 23, 2018

⚫ BY SAMUEL BRASLOW

Bathroom Complaints Flushed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos does away with Obama’s preexisting protections.

It hardly bears mentioning at this point, but remember when Donald Trump said he would protect LGBTQ rights? Smash cut to now: He lied.

Months after the issue was thrown into question, the Department of Education has announced that it will not protect the right of transgender children at public schools to use the correct bathroom. Prior to the announcement, the exact policy of the Trump Administration remained in a kind of limbo.

In February, the Department of Education,

headed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, rescinded the Obama-era guidelines that ensured public school children the right to access facilities that matched their gender identity. It took until now – prompted by weeks of questioning by a BuzzFeed reporter – for the department to make clear that it will reject all restroom-related complaints made by transgender students.

At the center of the debate is a 1972 federal civil rights law called Title IX. The law states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

In May 2016, President Barack Obama issued a memo clarifying “sex” to include gender identity.

Even while the language of the law itself is vague, critics attacked the decision as over-broad.

The current Department of Education has seized this ambiguity to justify its rollback of protections. Although some cases of transgender discrimination may be investigated, the department will not look into any instances of bathroom complaints, according to Liz Hill, a spokesperson for the agency.

“Where students, including transgender students, are penalized or harassed for failing to conform to sex-based stereotypes, that is sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX,” Hill told BuzzFeed News. “In the case of bathrooms, however, long-standing regulations provide that separating facilities on the basis of sex is not a form of discrimination prohibited by Title IX.” Advocates for LGBTQ rights have been quick to point to a string of high court rulings declaring the opposite. Although lower courts have been split on the question, federal appeals

courts for the 6th and 7th Circuit have both sided with transgender students.

In May 2017, the 7th Circuit ruled in Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District that a “policy that requires an individual to use a bathroom that does not conform with his or her gender identity punishes that individual for his or her gender non-conformance, which in turn violates Title IX." “The department’s failure to act conflicts with the law in multiple jurisdictions, including federal circuits,” Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement, “and further emboldens those who seek to discriminate against transgender students. Once again, Secretary DeVos proves she is not interested in protecting transgender students and instead is choosing to advance the dangerous Trump-Pence anti-LGBTQ agenda.”

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L.A. Leather Pride Contestants Soak Up SoCal Presenting the half-naked bar crawl to end all bar crawls…

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But in these parts, the end of March brings a parade of bears strutting their stuff on the SoCal streets.

From Long Beach’s Eagle 562 to Studio City’s fabled Oil Can Harry’s, all the way down to DTLA’s Bearacuda, the streets of SoCal were aflame on Saturday, March 10, as L.A.’s finest Leather Lovers crawled their way down the coast to kick off L.A. Leather Pride. A time-honored gay tradition in Los Angeles, Leather Pride allows fans of the fabric (as well as the proudly kinky lifestyle) to don their finest leather duds in public from March 18 to the 25. March 10’s SoCal pub crawl, featuring all 11 winners of the “feeder” category (don’t ask – or do!) across Southern California leather bars, was a kick-off to the proper start of the celebration, as contestants moved from bar to bar to celebrate their victory. However, we won’t know the winner of Mr. Los Angeles Leather Pride until March 24, when the lucky man is crowned King at the Globe Theater.

Until that time, we can enjoy the beauty of bears in their finery to see out the rest of March in style.

Photos: Facebook.

L.A. Leather Pride gave bears and otters alike a chance to strut their stuff on the streets of Los Angeles.

> WeHo Mayor’s Sexual Harassment Case COMMUNITY

WEST HOLLYWOOD

APRIL 6, 2018

West Hollywood citizens are questioning John Duran’s leadership abilities.

A recent Op-Ed published on Wehoville.com calls West Hollywood to task for supporting its Mayor Pro Tempore, John Duran.

In the article, a recently-settled sexual harassment case involving Duran is shown as exposing outdated ideas about gay masculinity on Duran’s part.

“Both in the press and before a jury in a related case, Duran rationalized his conduct; gay men are different he said, you can’t hold us to the same workplace standards as heterosexuals,” wrote Steve Martin, the author of the Wehoville Op-Ed. “Sexually charged conduct that would be deemed inappropriate anywhere else was totally acceptable in West Hollywood as simply an expression, indeed celebration, of our gay sexual orientation.

Gay men expect this sort of conduct from each other, said Duran; we certainly should not be penalized for simply being who we are.”

In an L.A.Weekly article from 2017, the specifics of the case were laid out.“Duran invited the new-

to-town, twentysomething Owens into his circle of friends and even loaned Owens money for his rent at one point, according to testimony. In August 2012, when Owens was unable to find work and about to move home to Stockton, Duran offered him the position as his council deputy.” Despite the scandal, Duran was re-elected in March of 2017. However, West Hollywood citizens like Martin are still asking questions about how Duran handled the event. Larry Block, who runs the popular WeHo store “Block Party,” wrote an account of his personal relationship to Duran, as well as a recap of the scandal, for Wehoville in 2016, in an opinion piece titled:“Should John Duran Resign?”

“I wanted to dedicate the south end of Santa Monica Boulevard as Boystown, but he saw that as his turf. I wanted to put a rainbow flag on City Hall, but the flags were his domain. I thought it was nuts to pour water in Stoli bottles down the street and stood on the opposite side of the cameras. He would not say hello. When I didn’t want to take sides in one election and put his sign in my store window he took offense.”

Duran has also gone on record as a “strong supporter” of Wells Fargo, whose contract West Hollywood has been encouraged to cancel by LGBTQ+ citizens due to alleged NRA ties. Wehoville has also pointed out that Wells Fargo has donated funds to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, of which Duran is a part. Duran cites the

bank’s history of LGBTQ+ activism as a reason to continue the city’s contract. “Wells Fargo has been at the forefront of contributing to LGBT causes longer than I’ve been on this body.” He told the Beverly Press this February. “I’m not saying that forgives the recent activity on the fraudulent accounts. And people are paying the price, and they’ve been firing executives left and right, and taking care of that internally. But I think if you’re going to evaluate people based on the mistakes they made, you also have to give tribute to the good things that they did.”

Photo: Wikipedia.

West Hollywood is beginning to question City Councilmember John Duran’s politics.

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MAY 18, 2018

April Showers Bring Gay Proms Two LGBTQ+ Prom Events.

Photos: BuzzFeed.

BuzzFeed’s 2nd annual queer prom will take place on June 1.

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Two gay prom events are slated to take place this summer to allow LGBTQ+ kids from all over the country to celebrate their love on the dance floor. BuzzFeed’s second annual prom will take place on June 1 in New York’s Meatpacking District, while L.A.’s The Princess Project, a charity that provides low-income teens with formal wear, will host its first LGBTQ+ prom in Santa Monica for queer teens. Prom is on Friday, May 18 and doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for prom alone, or for prom and an amazing makeup experience with Benefit Cosmetics Beauty Bar consultants and stylists. Teen Vogue will be

on hand for interviews and photography.

BuzzFeed’s queer prom is currently accepting applications from kids across the country.

The prom will feature “interactive experiences, dancing, special appearances by celebrity allies, BuzzFeed talent and much more.” The event will be hosted by BuzzFeed Creators Curly Velasquez and Jazzmyne Jay Robbins.

“BuzzFeed’s audience represents a diverse array of people from around the world and we strive to give a voice to underrepresented groups through identity-based content,” said Velazquez and Robbins in a statement. “We are so excited to bring back Queer Prom for the second year in a row to give a night of inclusivity and pure acceptance to LGBTQ+ high schoolers and amazing content to show the rest of the world.”

JUNE , 2018

Turning Up Before Being Turned Away

Thousands of wouldbe attendees were turned away from this year’s L.A. Pride Festival – that didn’t stop us from partying in the street.

With chart-topping pop stars like Kehlani and Tove Lo headlining this year’s L.A. Pride Festival, no one could have been surprised by an unusually high turnout. However, during this year’s Pride, the City of West Hollywood, along with the Pride organizers of Christopher Street West, saw an unexpected number of ticket sales and flooded streets on Saturday, June 9, causing parade-goers to be turned away by the thousands.

No one saw it coming. Especially not the ticket holders who showed up from all around the country to participate in the legendary Pride festival. Alisha Broome came out from Florida to attend.

“It was my first time coming to Pride. I came out over two years ago,” Broome said over the phone. “It was really exciting. We purchased the tickets way in advance. When we got there, we were told it was sold out, they weren’t letting anyone through. Once we got up to the front of the line, we were told it was a fire hazard. They were at full capacity.

There was no information given about how we would go about getting refunded.”

Before any of the performances began, helicopters circled in the sky, and thousands of ticket-buyers were being told by the L.A. Fire Department that the venue was full.

“There was no direct contact information to get ahold of anyone in regard to ticket sales or refunds,” said Broome.“It was just a lot.”

Other would-be Pride participators agreed.

After the festival began turning people away, Twitter blew up with angry responses from ticket holders who were left with no information about how to get their money back or how to move forward.

“F*** LA Pride.” Tweeted user @OCNew. “They took our money, said you could pick up tix at will call.You couldn’t. Cops saying leave or get locked up. Then Pacific Design Center charging $25 for parking and giving no refunds. Sooooo I paid all that money just to drive to WEHO!” “LA Pride was so horrible.” Another user, @mkygod, tweeted after being denied entry.

“Waited almost 2 hours in line only for the line to stop at the gate due to full capacity.Then they made people wait another hour before telling everyone in line to go home via helicopter.”

Some attendees found that the disorganization of Pride created not just unpleasant, but outright dangerous situations of the same type that Christopher Street West and the LAPD were trying to prevent.

“Extreme ticket overselling, dangerous overcrowding, police with pellet guns, and a scary

near miss with a girl attempting to jump off the parking structure (which went unnoticed by authorities,)” tweeted @wondermIm. “#lapride should. have. done. Better.”

Even pop star Kehlani, one of L.A. Pride’s headliners, spoke out about her disappointment in regard to the festival’s organization.With Pride being advertised and sold more like a music festival than a community event, West Hollywood and the Pride organizers quickly had trouble on their hands.

On Monday, June 11, the City of West Hollywood put out a statement addressing the overbooked festival. Estevan Montemayor, CSW/LA Pride Board President, later spoke on the un-

precedented event, stating: “The LA PRIDE festival sold out both nights for the first time in our nearly 50-year history.

The event has grown from a small community gathering into something completely unique: A safe and inclusive space where tens of thousands of people can gather to embrace everyone for who they are. With the obvious increase in demand for the LA PRIDE festival, we will be working with the City of West Hollywood and the community to continue to improve and evolve the festival.”

Attendees who were denied entry are urged to request a refund by emailing help@seetickets.us or calling 323.908.0607.

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PLAYING DANGEROUS GAMES Hollywood exec’s partner dies when S&M play goes wrong.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me,” Rihanna explains in her hit song, “S&M.” But as in a recent case of fetish play gone awry, plastic wrap and gaffer’s tape, it turns out, can kill you.

A newly released autopsy report sheds light on a death that took place at the home of a Hollywood agency executive in November of last year.

According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, Duncan Gilbert, 48, died on Nov. 19 in the home of Skip Chasey, an executive at the talent agency William Morris Endeavor. Gilbert and Chasey were engaged in “recreational mummification bondage.”

Chasey and Gilbert were play partners and regularly engaged in various types of consensual fetish play, according to The Hollywood Reporter, who spoke with a romantic partner of Gilbert with whom Gilbert had an open relationship.

Photo: Facebook.

Duncan Gilbert died at the age of 48 during a bondage ritual.

Gilbert, who was also known as Doran George, was originally from England. Early in his life, he worked as a child performer and later received a Ph.D. from UCLA in somatic dance training. He remained in L.A. as an instructor at CalArts, UCLA, and UC Riverside, according to an online memorial.

“Words can never express the cumulative sense of shock and devastating loss felt by so many people at his untimely death, but photographs can bring some comfort,” wrote his mother, Ann Gilbert, on a separate memorial page.

William Morris Endeavor only learned of the death this week after it was first reported on journalist Mark Ebner’s podcast, “The Grey Zone.” The agency will not be pursuing any course of action against Chasey as the autopsy did not conclude any foul play.

“While we were unaware of the circumstances surrounding this personal matter until now, we understand that the police file is closed and no charges were brought. If other facts develop, we will re-evaluate the situation and determine any appropriate action to take,” the agency said in a statement.

Chasey has been an established member of the leather and BDSM community for years, going by the pseudonym “Master Skip.” Chasey has never sought to hide his role in the kink community, leading an open double-life of negotiating agreements for A-list talent like Aaron Sorkin and Peter Berg, and leading workshops on the spiritual benefits of “leathersex.”

Chasey and Gilbert would typically play in Chasey’s Los Feliz residence, which was “fitted out as a BDSM-style dungeon,” according to the coroner’s report. This included “padded floor tiles, a St. Andrews Cross, a ladder back chair,

a padded examination table, and a metal cage,” in addition to other kinky miscellany (floggers, paddles, crops, canes, etc.). In the mummification ritual itself, Gilbert was covered “head to toe in plastic wrap and gamer’s tape, with small breathing holes at the nose and mouth.”

Even while Gilbert ultimately died in a basement retrofitted with BDSM gear, he had participated in art performances very similar to the mummification play throughout his career.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, his performances would often entail being encased in confined spaces. In one instance, he was enclosed within a “brick tomb” in a London mall.

In another, he was cocooned and suspended inside duct tape against an art gallery wall, emerging as if from a chrysalis.

Chasey is represented by John Duran, a lawyer and the mayor of the City of West Hollywood.

“It’s been very sad and traumatic for Skip,” Duran told Variety. “It’s someone he had an ongoing relationship with. Nobody expected it to end this way.”

Duran also noted that the coroner’s report did not conclude that the mummification was responsible for Gilbert’s death.

> PUTTING AN END TO GAY CONVERSION THERAPY NEWS

CALIFORNIA

AUGUST 24, 2018

Though conversion therapy for children has been banned in California for the past five years, State Legislature just recently declared adult conversion therapy a fraudulent practice.

Assembly Bill 2943 is on the California Assembly floor as of Wednesday, Aug. 22 for a concurrence vote. The bill passed on the California Senate Floor with a 25-11 vote last week.

“We as legislators have a responsibility to protect Californians from harmful and deceptive practices,” author of the bill Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) said. “All Californians should be celebrated, cherished, and loved for who they are. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for affirming their support for those in the LGBT community who need it most by voting for this bill.”

Conversion therapy aims to change a patient’s sexual orientation through counseling, hypnosis, or in some rare cases, electric shock treatment. The American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers and the American Medical Association all oppose the practice on the basis that it is not

evidence-based and potentially harmful to the patient’s mental health. The practice also contributes to social stigma by characterizing homosexuality as a mental illness, a view that has been discredited for decades, according to a press release regarding AB 2943.

“For far too long, LGBTQ Californians have been psychologically abused by sham therapists who are supposed to be caring for their emotional well-being,” Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur said. “We're deeply grateful to Assemblymember Low, Senate Pro Tem Atkins and Senators Wiener, Lara and Galgiani for their leadership today — and to every member of the Senate who voted to protect LGBTQ Californians from these dangerous, harmful practices."

In 2012, Senate Bill 1172 was signed into law to prohibit licensed mental health providers from performing sexual orientation change efforts with a patient under the age of 18. Violating this law subjects the provider to discipline by the provider’s licensing entity.

AB 2943 would declare conversion therapy a fraudulent practice under the Consumer Legal Remedies Act. Doing so would extend certain consumer protections to individuals

States Where Gay Conversion Therapy for Children is Banned 10. WASHINGTON

Effective: June 7, 2018

5. VERMONT

Effective: July 1, 2016

3. OREGON

Effective: May 18, 2015

14. NEW HAMPSHIRE** Effective: Jan. 1, 2019

8. RHODE ISLAND

Effective: July 19, 2017

7. CONNECTICUT

Effective: May 10, 2017

1. NEW JERSEY

9. NEVADA

Effective: Jan. 1, 2018

4. ILLINOIS

Effective: Jan. 1, 2016

Effective: Aug. 19, 2013

12. DELAWARE

Effective: July 23, 2018

13. MARYLAND

Effective: Oct. 1, 2018

*2. CALIFORNIA Effective: Aug. 29, 2013 6. NEW MEXICO

Effective: April 7, 2017

* California is the ONLY state to declare all Conversion Therapy (including on adults) is a fraudulent practice under Assembly Bill 2943.

11. HAWAII

Effective: July 1, 2018

** New Hampshire law will be effective next year

Inphographic by Amy Patton.

States where Gay Conversion Therapy for Children is banned. California is the only state to ban the practice on dults.

harmed by sexual orientation change efforts.

The bill is co-authored by all members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus and supported by Equality California, the Human Rights Campaign, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the Sacramento LGBT Center, the Trev-

or Project, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Stonewall Democratic Club, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the California Medical Association, and the Consumer Attorneys of California.

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COMMUNITY LONG BEACH

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

Church Chain to LGBTQ: Just Pray the Gay Away The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God claims that an AfroBrazilian spirit possesses Queeridentifying people.

Religious clerics who are part of The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God believe members of the LGBTQ+ community may be possessed by either a demon or, worse, a legion of demons.

If you are a homosexual, or bisexual member of the community, the church’s clergymen have a name for the specific demon possessing you — the Pomba Gira, a female-devil spirit, whose roots lie in Afro-Brazilian culture, popular amongst practitioners of a syncretic religion named, “Quimbanda.” Sound confusing? For newcomers, a Friday night service at this neo-pentecostal congregation may be exactly that.

Pastor Bruno, a religious leader at one of the

church’s Downtown Los Angeles locations, said that God didn’t make man for another man. “He made man for woman.” He added that homosexuality is a “desire” — one that does not align with what’s written in the Christian Bible.

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God was founded in Rio de Janeiro,in 1977 by Bishop Edir Macedo (on whom the movie “Nothing to Lose” on Netflix is based). The Church has grown to be one of Brazil’s most lucrative neo-pentecostal church franchises. The church’s founder, who is also an author and television personality, has an estimated net worth of $950 million, as reported by a 2013 Forbes article.

Far from a single, neighborhood church, The Universal Church has hundreds of locations across the world. In California alone, there are 79 of these churches, 28 in Los Angeles County. Each one of these locations holds a weekly Friday service focusing on the expulsion of demons, or dark spirits, from the lives of attendees, including those “possessing” members of the LGBTQ+ community.

At this ritualistic service of so-called “deliverance,” pastors and religious clerics rally up church members to the front of the church and attempt to perform a mass exorcism on the congregation.

A usual Friday service begins with a pastor

(in this case, Pastor Bruno of Downtown Los Angeles) walking through a crowd of church members shouting through his microphone for the demons, which he is convinced are possessing people, to surface.

He begins praying over certain people — but this prayer is far from orthodox. He, for example, shouts through his microphone while intensely gripping over a woman’s head, “Manifest! Come on! Manifest now!” The woman becomes noticeably agitated by the pastor’s harsh approach to praying for her. She begins shaking her head fervently — almost as if she’s attempting to shake off the pastor’s hand gripping over her.

A few moments after the pastor initially began praying over the woman, the church-goer begins convulsing and shouting herself. The pastor has successfully made the alleged demon within her emerge. The woman, now in a trance-like, exorcised state, begins to wrestle with the pastor. He refuses to let go and continues shouting through the microphone, “The boss! I want the boss to manifest!” Pastor Bruno aims to exorcise the “boss” demon within the woman. In the same prayer he shouts that the curse she inherited from her mother or grandmother. “Come on! The spirit attempting to lure her away from this church,” he addresses the alleged demon. The exorcised woman continues struggling against the religious cleric.

According to Pastor Bruno, there are some people who are victims of spiritual possession as a result of an ancestral curse. A curse, the pastor is convinced, is acquired from one of their parents.

“It’s a curse from a pombagira,” Pastor Bruno said.

An interview between the pastor and demon – through the woman – ensues after the demon’s supposed initial manifestation. The pastor questions the demon for the entire congregation to hear. Church attendees await for this paranormal conversation in silence.

The pastor asks the woman in an exorcised state whether people’s souls goes to the cemetary with the bosy once someone dies. “No,” the demon responds. The woman’s voice sounds like her own — only deeper and more aggravated.

“Then, where does the soul go?” asks the pastor. “Either, heaven or hell,” asserts the demon in a ill-tempered tone of voice. Many members of the congregation — those who were not exorcised — seem clearly startled by the exchange between the two.

Although some churches sternly oppose homosexuality, many religious leaders apart of The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God believe that a member of the LGBTQ community is possessed by a demonic entity.

Pastor Bruno’s interpretation of homosexuality aligns with the ideology of the Universal Church’s founder, Bishop Edir Macedo. In a book, written by Bishop Macedo named “The Secrets of the Occult,” Macedo writes, “Prostitutes, homosexuals and bisexuals are always possessed by pombagiras (maria-mulambo, cigana, etc.).”

According to a website, run by self-proclaimed witches, named “Tribe of the Sun,” this spirit is also associated with “bars, especially

Photo: Facebook.

A view from inside one of the 28 Los Angeles County Universal Church of the Kingdom of God chapters.

strip bars, brothels, sex clubs and dungeons, and cemeteries.” As result of the spirit’s alleged ability to manifest in multiple forms, Pomba Gira is often referred to in the plural form, pomba giras.

When asked if the Pomba Gira possesses homosexuals, pastor Bruno confidently stated, “Yes.” The clergyman is convinced that the only way to remove this demon is by “looking for God” at The Universal Church. He firmly believes that homosexuals must be liberated from this spirit through the ritualistic services provided at the church on Friday evenings.

Yet, Pastor Nathan, a different clergyman at one of the Church’s Long Beach locations, seemed hesitant to label homosexuals as being possessed by an Afro-Brazilian spirit. He, himself, a Brazilian national, believes that members of the LGBT community have the ability to become heterosexuals if they simply “change” their minds. Furthermore, he added that God cannot bless an LGBTQ person’s life if they don’t follow God’s “word.”

“Your life changes when your mind changes,” Pastor Nathan believes.The clergyman said that all people, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, are welcome to attend the church’s daily services. However, he added that although they may see some blessings as a result of attending the church, they would never entirely be blessed by God as long as they continue being LGBTQ+ people.

As detailed by the Universal Church’s website, the congregation provides what they consider “spiritual help” for its members who may be afflicted by “negativity, anger, constant fear, inability to rest, self-harm tendencies, lack of motivation for life, suicidal thoughts.”

The church draws an abundant amount of inspiration from Brazilian folklore and culture — this inspiration often intertwines with the church’s overall ideology. One of The Universal Church’s main focus is to liberate people from curses and demons drawn in by occult practices.

The church’s founder has seen significant financial profit from this focus on “deliverance” from evil.

Editor’s Note, Pastor Nathan and Pastor Bruno agreed to be interviewed for this article under the stipulation that absolutely no audio, video-recording, note-taking or photography would be permitted. The information documented in this article is from the writer’s first-hand experience attending a Friday exorcism and talking with the pastors of The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.”

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First LGBTQ+ Church Celebrates 50 Years

For many religious members of the LGBTQ+ community, accepting oneself can mean rejecting the Church. However, for Reverend Troy D. Perry, it meant there was an space to fill within the community with the word of God. And thus, the Metropolitan Community Church was born.

After being kicked out of his church in 1968 for coming out to his wife and clergy, Perry was at a loss.

“I felt like I had failed the Lord,” Perry said.

Yet, later that year he created a revolution within a revolution, when he advertised in the Advocate magazine for a gathering in his home as a church service for gays, lesbians, bisexuals

and transgender people. This small gathering of 12 people quickly grew into multiple churches around the country and eventually the world.

“God spoke to me,” Perry said.“I was called to preach, and that is what I did.”

It was no easy path though. Despite fire bombings of its sanctuaries and murders of its clergy, Perry led a movement and expansion of the denomination to become one of the world’s largest LGBT organizations with hundreds of churches in countries around the world. Only two months after founding the church, he began conducting what is considered to be the first same-sex wedding ceremony in the United States.

> DTLA Trans Rights Rally in NEWS

NATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Response to DHHS Memo

In response to the Trump Administration’s latest consideration to repeal basic civil rights for the trans community, the TransLatina Coalition organized a rally in Downtown L.A. last week.

“Trump is yet again planning a dangerous attack against our community on a federal level,” the Facebook event page reads. “But, like we always have, we are going to fight back for the rights and respect that we deserve. Trans and gender non-conforming people are deserving of equal treatment to those that are cisgender and we must stop being defined as 'Other' or mentally ill.”

The New York Times reported on Oct. 21 that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is “spearheading an effort to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX.” DHHS argued in a memo that the NY Times reportedly obtained that government agencies needed to adopt an explicit and uniform definition of gender that’s based on a biological basis that’s grounded in science and is “objective and administrable.”

“Sex means a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth,” the department proposed in the memo, as reported by the NY Times. “The

sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”

A law such as this would essentially eradicate and discredit the estimated 1.4 million Americans who recognize themselves as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth.

“As Mayors we value the unique contributions and basic humanity of all our constituents,” Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination, a nonpartisan coalition, said.“Transgender people are our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members, and they deserve to live their lives with dignity and respect.This proposal flies in the face of our nation’s values and poses a very real threat to the safety and wellbeing of transgender Americans across the country. We denounce this mean-spirited attack and stand with our transgender neighbors on behalf of fairness, respect, and freedom for all.”

The NY Times reported that a law such as this would be the “most significant” move in a series of decisions attacking queer civil rights granted during the Obama Administration era.

“What we are experiencing today, many of us have experienced it before and throughout history,” The DTLA rally event page reads. “Do not get discouraged, but this is a wake up call to solidarity.”

50 years later, the Los Angeles LGBTQ community will honor Perry on the 50th anniversary of his founding the first welcoming spiritual home for LGBTQ people, with a Gala event to be held on October 6 at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.

Perry is a renowned international LGBTQ human rights activist and a pioneer in social equality, legal protection and spiritual justice for LGBTQ people. From those early days in the struggle for LGBTQ acceptance, he led the first historic protests and marches throughout Los Angeles and around the U.S. He has continued to lead the way in building a worldwide

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movement and played a critical role in paving the way for marriage equality. He conceived the world's first Gay Pride Parade and co-founded the Christopher Street West organization to launch the first LA PRIDE event in 1970. He most recently led a rousing call to action at the LA PRIDE 2017 Resist March.

“We refuse to go back to 1970,” Perry said.

“We will resist all hate.As we chanted in 1970,‘an army of lovers can never be defeated.’ ” For more information regarding the celebration and gala event, contact John Boswell at 310.766.5868 or john@ourpride.org.

DECEMBER, 2018

It’s a Drag to Give

The fourth annual “It’s a Drag to Give” charitable event hit the stage on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

This special one-night event brought together the community for an unforgettable night of drag to support the important work of four local Long Beach, nonprofits: Beacon for Him, The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition and WomenShelter of Long Beach.

Hosted by Jewels of Long Beach’s Hamburger Mary’s and community activist Ron Sylvester, this year’s performers included Tonya Martin, the right hand woman to Senator Ricardo Lara; Cory Allen, the Chief of Staff for Long Beach Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez; Tim Patton, the Long Beach Mayor’s Administrative Deputy; Isa Rached the founder of “It’s a Drag to Give” & CEO of the successful “B” Room Salon; and many more.

“This event brings people form different groups together to celebrate diversity, inclusion, love,” Rached said. “It brings our community together and three some of our beneficiaries are counting on us to keep their doors open to help people in need.”

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LOS ANGELES

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019 CULTURE THEATRE

` ⚫ BY BEVERLY COHN

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LOS ANGELES

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CENTER STAGE

REVIEW: “Dixie’s Tupperware Party” Scores 100+ on Laugh Meter

Most people of a certain age might remember that iconic quote from “All About Eve” “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” Well, as it applies to the award-winning, x-rated “Dixie’s Tupperware Party,” on stage at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, it could be revised to: “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be an evening of non-stop laughter.” The hijinks or boisterous carryings-on include hilarious stories, free giveaways, and audience participation.

A delightful one-hander written by Kris Andersson, produced by Down South LLC, and meticulously directed by Patrick Richwood, an evening with Dixie will undoubtedly alter your opinion of Tupperware forever.

On entering the lobby, audience members were given name tags, and shortly after taking their seats, and before the invisible curtain went up, they were welcomed by the imposing Dixie Longate, costumed in a red checked dress and a large bouffant red wig. She worked the audience by passing out candy, chatting, flirting, posing for photos, giving hugs, and smiling the whole time as she walked up and down the stairs on audience left and right. Whatever was on your mind and perhaps weighing you down disappeared and you knew that a funny, entertaining evening awaited you. Before beginning the actual play, she gave the usual spiel about turning off cell phones and “In case the building bursts into flames,” she shouted “Get out!”

The scripted and unscripted storyline revolves around Dixie, a statuesque southern belle who apparently left her children in a trailer park in Mobile, Alabama and travelled across the country selling Tupperware. The action takes place on a simple set (not credited) brightly lit by Richard Winkler with complimentary sound design by Christopher K. Bond.

There is a Christmas tree and a table piled high with an assortment of colorful Tupperware products, which Dixie refers to as “crap. ” Four ladies were chosen to occupy the two couches on either side of the stage, one of whom was designated a Lesbian and became fodder for Dixie’s hilarious, profane one-liners throughout the evening. The young lady was a great sport and although she blushed every now and then, laughed as heartily as the audience.

Drinking is definitely part of Dixie’s character, who quite casually alluded to having served time in prison, and was annoyed that she eventually had to take her kids back. She drinks scotch from a sippie cup which one of the ladies on a couch poured for her. “When the straw comes out, it seals up like a vagina.”

Switching to wine later in evening, she held up two bottles of wine and said, “Something for the car.” There’s even a sing-a-long with the lyrics flashed on the upstage screen, “I’ve Got That Tupperware Feeling Inside.”

Actors refer to their bodies as their physical instruments, which includes being able to use the voice in a variety of ways. Dixie possesses an extensive vocal range, which runs the gam-

ut from snorting, mumbling, swallowing lines, lowering her pitch to a whisper, and tossing out improvised barbs in rapid succession.

Now remember, this is a Tupperware party so in between the banter, when she finally gets around to actually trying to sell one of her pieces of “crap,” she modulated her voice, machine-gunning the description of a particular item much like the old-fashion television pitchmen, except on speed. Laughter was continuous as Dixie spat out her one-liners like a non-stop out-of-control bullet train. She held up one of the pieces listed in the catalog sheet inserted in everyone’s program. The number 469 was flashed on the screen to which Dixie commented, “I love that number.” She “struggled” with the pronunciation of Chanukah, finally referring to it as Chaka Khan and riffed on the baking soda in everyone’s frig which, “Should have been changed when Nixon was president.” She also offered one of her double-entendre descriptions of mushrooms, “Brown and slimy and when I have that in my mouth, it doesn’t taste good.”

You might be wondering why audience members received a name tag, well each one was numbered and if your number was picked, you would win one of the Tupperware products on display. But, before you received that coveted prize, you had to run through a gauntlet of questions. One young lady who had a winning number was greeted on stage by Dixie who asked “How long have you been married?” “30 years.” “So, all the magic is gone!”

Dixie then launched into an x-rated demonstration of how to get excitement back into her marriage, stroking a tiny ball attached to a key chain as it applies to a specific part of the male anatomy. Due to the loud laughter in the audience, you could barely hear the dialogue, but understood the visually graphic display.

The other winner was a young lady who is a kindergarten teacher. Dixie quips, “Well we know they won’t amount to anything.” At that point, she does a jet-propelled monologue about the day in the life of a kindergarten teacher, resulting in gales of laughter.

Dixie has performed her uproarious show 1,300 times worldwide and yet it’s as fresh as though it was the first time, which is largely due to the lightening speed in which she engages the audience that changes nightly. For this particular show, an unsuspecting theatergoer named Brian good-naturedly took the brunt of her insults and sometimes sexual word play.

Coercing him to come on stage, she handed him a complicated can opener and with her standing next to him, he made many failing attempts to open the can. Trying to give him some hints, Dixie patiently demonstrated how to do it using her arms and legs and when he finally succeeded, this good sport was given a huge round of applause.

On one of the few serious notes, Dixie talked about a single mother from the Midwest named Brownie Wise who, in 1948, stumbled

Photo: Bradford Rogne.

Holding her “sippy cup” filled with booze, Dixie shows some of the items available from the Tupperware catalog.

upon the idea of making plastic food storage containers and how she changed the lives of thousands of women who were now able to earn money for their families after their husbands returned from fighting in World War II. The other more serious moment was when she talked about loving yourself and never giving up, much like pep talks given at tier-marketing rallies. Dixie herself is the mother of three children and started selling this “plastic crap in 2001” and within one year became one of the top sellers in America saying, “I have never had so much fun drinking for free in my life.” After spending this unique evening with Dixie, you’ll probably never look at Tupperware in quite the same way.” By the way, need I have to say to leave the kids at home for this one?

Kirk Douglas Theatre 9820 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232 Run: Wednesday-Friday: Saturday: 2:00pm & 8:00pm Sunday:1:00pm & 6:30pm Closing: Sunday, December 30, 2018 Tickets: Start at $35.00 HYPERLINK "http://www.dixiestupperwareparty. com"www.dixiestupperwareparty.com Phone -- 213.628.2772

Group Sales -HYPERLINK "mailto:Groups1@CTGLA.org"Groups1@CTGLA.org; 213.972.7231 Parking: First three three-hours free parking at Culver City, City Hall with theatre validation. $1.00 for each 30 minutes thereafter. Enter on Duquesne Ave.

PRODUCTION MANAGER AMY PATTON

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sam Catanzaro

VP OF ADVERTISING

JUDY SWARZ | judy@smmirror.com

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Frankie Morales | frankie@thePrideLA.com

Please call (310) 310-2637 for advertising rates and availability.

BUSINESS MANAGER MAX MONTEMER max@smmirror.com

NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING Rivendell Media / 212.242.6863

DISTRIBUTOR: distribution@mirrormediagroupla.com

Century City/ Westwood

NEWS

CenturyCity-WestwoodNews.com

THE PRIDE L.A., The Newspaper Serving Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender L.A., is published by MIRROR MEDIA GROUP. Send all inquiries to: THE PRIDE L.A., 2116 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA. Phone: 310.310.2637 Written permission of the publisher must be obtained before any of the contents of this paper, in part or whole, can be reproduced or (c) 2017 The Pride L.A. redistributed. All contents THE PRIDE L.A. is a registered trademark of MIRROR MEDIA GROUP. T.J. MONTEMER, CEO 310.310.2637 x7

⚫ 14

COMMUNITY COLUMN

` ⚫ BY AIDAN PARK

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019

LOS ANGELES

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DEAR AIDAN

My Boyfriend Has a Secret Girlfriend?

Q: Hi Aidan! I started seeing a guy casually over the past two months and things are starting to get serious! But last week we went out and he confessed to me that he had a girlfriend already, but will be breaking up with her to be with me. I asked if she knows about us yet and he said “NO.” What should I do?

Follow Aidan on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter @AidanParkShow and check out his upcoming comedy shows on his website AidanPark.com

RED FLAGS, RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE. RED FLAGS! OMG, Gurl. So many problems in this scenario that you need to consider before moving forward! Now, there is always the 1 percent chance that you guys are each other's soulmates, but... odds are... consider the following: 1. He’s a guy who is willing and capable of lying to his “loved ones” The fact that this is the kind of man who is not only willing, but CAPABLE, of lying to his girlfriend for two months is a serious problem! If he is capable of doing that to her, he is capable of doing that do you.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW HE IS TELLING YOU THE TRUTH?!

2. He is not a direct communicator

He and his girlfriend are obviously having issues, but from the sound of it, he is not addressing the problems in the relationship head on.

If he were the type of person to do so, they would have either worked out whatever issue they are struggling with, or would have broken up already! People like this are DANGEROUS. Because these are the type of people who do stuff like steal stuff from their work because the boss underpays them, and so instead of finding another job or talking to their boss, they will steal and solve all their problems in indirect and dishonest ways. Remember he can do the same thing to you!

If at any point he feels like he is being treated unfairly by you, chances are good that he could not give you an indication that he is having a problem, and instead go around and take matters into his own hands. Just like he has done with his girlfriend 3. He has already betrayed you You say you were dating “casually” and that thing are starting to get serious. Would you have started dating casually if you had

known that he already had a girlfriend? I would bet the answer is “no” (Although, if someone is really infatuated someone, they would lie to themselves and say, “well maybe.” We all know that this is bull crap.

Please.) He lied to you and HAS BEEN lying to you about his relationship status for the past two months and he got you to believe him. That should scare the living crap out of you because clearly this is a person who is very pursuasive and has a tendency to lie.

Those three points should be enough to scare anyone off, but my experience has been that if someone really wants to stay in a relationship, they won’t listen to relationship advice… So – should you choose to continue this relationship – I would recommend proceeding with EXTREME CAUTION. “Dear Aidan” is a reoccurring advice column written by Aidan Park. Questions for Aidan can be submitted via social media or at amy@ thepridela.com. Follow Aidan on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter @AidanParkShow and check out his upcoming comedy shows on his website AidanPark.com

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019 SEE 68-ACROSS

BY ELIZABETH A. LONG / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS

1 ____ aisle, part of a church 5 Prayer books 12 Bit of baloney 15 Rep 19 Two, in Toulouse 20 Neighbor of New York 21 Pesticide ingredient 23 Still a contender 24 Cousins of jaguarundis 25 City in Los Angeles County 26 Leave in the dust 28 European eruption site 29 Search engine failure?

30 Is able to translate what was heard on the wall?

32 Thwart 34 Choler 35 Not stay the course?

36 Gin, lime and soda combo 38 Things that are bought and soled 40 Arizona tribe 43 Scotland’s longest river 45 River through Russia and Kazakhstan 46 Is expecting 48 Oddity 50 More in order 52 Dole (out) 53 Tactic in a war of attrition 54 It goes after go 55 Mattress tester’s compensation?

61 Word after big or oil 62 Suggestion of what to do, slangily 64 Opposite of ennemies 65 Basics of education, briefly 66 Super superstar 68 Supercilious sort … or the title for this puzzle 72 A bushelful 73 Make faces in front of a camera 74 European capital named after a saint 75 “____ your head!”

76 Monster.com posting 77 Dress code requirement for the Puritans?

80 Peak in Suisse 83 City on the Erie Canal

NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

86 Tops 87 Goads 89 Test-prep aid 90 Dark beer 92 France’s ____ Noël 93 What may follow a school period?

95 Connect, as picture with sound 96 Annual CBS awards broadcast, with “the” 97 Playoff matchup 99 Years ago 101 “Mudbound” director Rees 102 Actress Rowlands 103 Hoped-for conclusion by someone with sore knees?

108 Make a really long-distance call?

113 Rani’s raiment 115 Matador’s foe 116 Infamous Chicago bootlegger 117 Mediterranean resort island 119 “____ go bragh!”

120 Swimmers with flippers 121 Rufous ruminant 122 Census datum 123 Sp. miss 124 Follower of hi or lo 125 Slips into at a store, say 126 Louver

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

12

20

21

23

24

25

27

28

30

40

31

41

42

43

48

32

44

49

50

53

66 73

69

45

46

90

55 63

70

79

86

87

56

101 110

111

80

81

82

83

88

98

94 99

103 113

104

105

114

115

122

125

126

124

H O P Q U I S I E R I C O M U G P R I M A P O R T O N Y D E E P H O N E M A L C A P O S E A L I O S R T A R

I S S A N T A R C E L O E T N F L Y R G A Y U N E A T K A R T R E A M E D F I A L O R S E E R P E S E R I G E N A R S N E M N S R E S T

L I T A F I R E C R U G R E A S I E R

S O S

F U T B I O I L M L E A L R S L U A M O P P S E A L P G S O E E S E A A R I N O R D D E I E S

I R O N

60 What mos. and mos. add up to 63 French vineyard 66 Devilkin 67 Apt rhyme for “grr” 68 Everybody’s opposite 69 New York Titans and Dallas Texans, in ’60s sports 70 Mine, in Milano 71 Plains tribe 72 Lackadaisical sorts 74 Glaswegians, e.g.

76 Protrude 78 With 77-Across, red, blue and yellow 79 Welcome at the front door 81 “The Oblong Box” writer 82 Witch’s home 84 Against 85 Electrical connection?

88 Like fried food vis-à-vis grilled food, typically 90 Fey’s co-star in “Baby Mama” and “Sisters”

T A M M I E E N D O R C E O

B C R E T H A R R A N G E R R I S H O W A I T E T E B E R P E S R R L O J O B U T I T U T U S Y N C E L Y A M E L T O A E R R R A N S L

107

100

121

M O O U N K S E E T K E G N S O C O O N T E S

106

95

120

E X T R A V I R G I N

85

89

ANSWERS S U I T E

84

72

117

29 With 29Across, surprise in the mail 31 With 30-Across, is blunt 33 Khayyám and others 36 Left only the exterior of 37 Green of the L.P.G.A. 38 Fills 39 24 heures ago 40 Central command spots, for short 41 Sénat affirmative 42 Polish dumpling 44 Senate affirmative 47 Big brand of grills 49 Gunpowder holder 51 Overdue amount 56 Things that might be grabbed by someone in an argument 57 Authority on diamonds?

58 Uprightness 59 With 55-Across, big sleepover

60

65

116

123

P E N U P

58

93

112

This Week’s Sudoku Puzzle A D I O S

57

76

102 109

59

39

64

92 97

18

47

71

78

96

108

38

75

91

17

52

74

77

16

34 37

62 68

15 22

36

54

67

14

33

51

61

13

29

35

1 “Hasta la vista” 2 Corral 3 Software package 4 Like high-quality olive oil 5 Nighttime event in the western sky 6 Business magazine 7 Resolve 8 Coarse, as language 9 Elvis ____ Presley 10 Engaged in arson 11 Request for aid 12 Pointless 13 Go over one’s wardrobe?

14 Titanic’s undoing 15 Burn a little 16 Went wild 17 Added numbers 18 Many mowers 22 Number of i’s in “Sicilia” 27 Hula accompaniment, for short

11

19

26

DOWN

10

E N C O R E S

D E E R E S

A Y R R T S C A O R N C E R I C A

N O N E T

118

119

91 Simple variant of baseball 92 Part of Potus: Abbr.

94 Break, as a habit 96 QB’s feat 98 Way out 100 Threedimensional fig.

103 Wear down 104 Buenos ____ 105 End of story?

106 With 103Across, simple furniture style 107 Schubert’s “Eine Kleine Trauermusik,” e.g.

109 Lion queen in “The Lion King” 110 Prefix with dermis 111 Anchor 112 With 108-Across, not talking loudly on a cell, e.g.

114 “The King ____” 117 “D.C. Cab” co-star 118 Board hiree, for short

⚫

LOS ANGELES 15 STAR GAZING

By Samuel Prince

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries will not immediately realize that the five-day working period has finally almost ended. You will not have a plan ready on how to spend this evening, and therefore you will willingly support all the initiatives of your best friend (aka second half).

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Taurus on this day will be very picky about the little things in your current project. For this task, you work longer than you expected, but it will bring you tangible benefits.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Gemini today will be caught unaware by some sensational news. You will not be emotionally prepared for the fact that your former boss resigned from his position, and that another person will soon take his place. However, when you see your new leader, you will breathe a sigh of great relief.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Cancers on this day will be able to perfectly relax body and spirit. Immediately after work, you will go to a party at the home of your best friend, and a little later this event will move to the nearest sauna. You will return home by midnight, collapse on the sofa, fall asleep and sleep like a rock.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) To Leos, this Friday will bring both pleasant and exciting experiences. You will be delighted with the report cards of your children (or the children of one of your relatives). At the same time, you will not like the news that the school is organizing another fundraiser for some “important” event.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Virgos on this day should not be too hasty in making important decisions about their family’s future. Do not reject the idea proposed by your partner in marriage, since you will gain more from this move than lose.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Libras will find Friday to be extremely uneventful. Your day will be limited to a few obligatory affairs and poor rest in front of the TV. Somewhat dissipating the dull atmosphere of this day is the visit of one of your close neighbors.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Scorpios will require universal obedience. Demonstrating such despotism, you will not achieve what you so eagerly sought. In order to get others to fulfill your requests, you must behave not as a tyrant, but as a diplomat.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarians will delve deeply into a subject that is not related to their main profession. Perhaps it’s about some newfangled trend, which you will be introduced to by the Internet, or about a new hobby.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Capricorns today will not think about what impression their appearance makes on others. You will put emphasis not on beauty, but on the convenience of your wardrobe, knowing that you will have to work in very crowded conditions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Aquarius will have a chance to win at the casino or by betting on the lottery. You will immediately have a powerful temptation to go and spend all your winnings on a bunch of small purchases.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Pisces on this day will not resist the temptation to spend a little more than their budget allowed them. You will find yourself within a luxurious entertaining establishment, and you will be accompanied by a person who you do not want to look stupid in front of.

⚫ 16

LOS ANGELES

12.28.2018 – 1.10.2019