the pride ISSUE NUMBER 16, VOLUME 2 05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
| MAY 19 — JUNE 1 ‘17
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THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
QUEER YOUTH TO CELEBRATE LOVE AT PROJECTQ BALL FUNDRAISER
MORE ON PAGE 5
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05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
What is TRUVADA for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis)? TRUVADA is a prescription medicine that can be used for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection when used together with safer sex practices. This use is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This includes HIV-negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex, and male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV-1. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: u You must be HIV-negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. u Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: u You must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. u You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. u To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. u If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: u Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. u Serious liver problems. Your liver may become large and tender, and you may develop fat in your liver. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain. u You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.
u Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider. If your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking TRUVADA, they will need to watch you closely for several months to monitor your health. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.
Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you also take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: u Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA for PrEP. u Bone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. u Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking TRUVADA or medicines like TRUVADA. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? u All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. u If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Pregnancy Registry: A pregnancy registry collects information about your health and the health of your baby. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take medicines to prevent HIV-1 during pregnancy. For more information about the registry and how it works, talk to your healthcare provider. u If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. The medicines in TRUVADA can pass to your baby in breast milk. If you become HIV-1 positive, HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. u All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. u If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA for PrEP, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include ledipasvir with sofosbuvir (HARVONI). You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.
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LOS ANGELES
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Have you heard about
TRUVADA for PrEPTM? The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices. • TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. • You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.
visit start.truvada.com
3/15/17 2:58 PM
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LOS ANGELES
05.19 — 06.01.2017
05.19 — 06.01.2017 ENTRTAINMENT PROJECTQ BALL
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LOS ANGELES
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FROM THE COVER
⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA
PROJECTQ BALL CELEBRATES QUEER YOUTH, FOSTERS SELF ESTEEM Madin and Sabine Lopez’s ProjectQ is celebrating its legacy in style It’s not easy to find spaces that openly celebrate the lives of trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming folks even here in Los Angeles. For a young person, finding your community can be a years-long journey. Luckily, a few local entities are showing up for queer youth in a major way. This Sunday, ProjectQ, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, will host a formal ball to raise funds for homeless queer youth. The ball will take place from 6-9 p.m. outside the Los Angeles River Center & Gardens. Nia Clark, who heads the L.A. LGBT Center’s LifeWorks program, is set to host. The event is strictly formal, and it’s already sold out. “We’ve been doing ProjectQ now for about five years, and it pretty much started in the same vein as [fellow queer-owned East side operations] Everybody Gym and Folklore Salon,” said Madin Ray Lopez, who created ProjectQ with their wife Sabine Maxine Lopez. “Just having the knowledge of how important it is to have space for queer and gender nonconforming people. So many people can’t afford to have services done at all, never mind having it done in a space where they feel comfortable.” The project began as a way to offer haircuts and hair styling services for queer youth without access through the ProjectQ 'Hairstream' mobile salon, a 1950s trailer that serves as a self-esteem building vehicle (literally) for queer kids looking to come into their own.The ball is both a kick-off to L.A. Pride and a send-off for ProjectQ’s Pride tour, when the trailer – acting as both salon and “mobile safe space” – will go on tour across the country, starting in Los
Wikipedia Commons
A teen gets measured for a suit to wear to the ball.
Angeles. For a lot of queer kids and teens, finding out who you are has a lot to do with figuring out how you want to look and present in the world. That means that the right cut, color, and style can be crucial to a growing kid’s self-confidence. The ProjectQ Ball is more than a fundraiser: It’s a way to offer a vision of the world in which trans and gender nonconforming folks thrive and prosper as adults. It’s also a glamorous and creative rebuke to the problem finding formal wear as someone whose gender falls outside the binary. “I first realized how hard it is when Sabine and I got married,” said Madin. “I had no idea what I was supposed to wear! I’m gender non-conforming, but I’m also stylish. I didn’t want to just wear a suit. I didn’t want to look too feminine.There’s just – and how was I going to wake up that day? What gender was I going to feel that day? Who knows!” One of the most rewarding aspects of the Ball, Madin explained, is watching the kids
themselves grow, be celebrated, and outfit themselves in the kind of clothes they might only have dreamed about. “We have about 10 youth from the center that will be able to attend, and we have an allqueer suit line that will get suits for the night,” Madin explains. “My wife Sabine took some of the more female-identified folks shopping for ball gowns. Some of them had never been inside a women’s dressing room before. A lot of these kids wouldn’t go in on their own. They wouldn’t be able to find them on their own.” The ball will also feature a reward ceremony to honor the ProjectQ youths who have stepped up the most. “We have four of the youth that we’ve just seen grow exponentially, over the years,” said Madin.“They’ve also turned around and started to help out kids younger than them. Even at their age and in their space, they realize that they can take whatever that they have, even if it’s just self-confidence, and pass that along.” Small businesses from L.A.’s queer com-
munity wasted no time in coming forward to partner with ProjectQ for the event, including Everybody Gym in Glassell Park, Folklore Salon in Echo Park, and Otherwild in Loz Feliz. “All our partners have a space that you know you can walk into, you know you won’t be judged,” added Madin. “It’s no questions asked, other than ‘what are your gender pronouns.” As for the special performance by stand-up comedian (and star of SeeSo’s “Take My Wife”) Cameron Esposito, well she heard it through the grapevine. “It’s a funny story,” explained Madin. “Cameron gets her haircut by Pony [Lee], who runs Folklore Salon, a queer salon in Echo Park. She’s been going to him for a long time, and she talks about queer hair a lot in her standup. Pony was a little birdie in her ear. And in true L.A. fashion, Cameron reached out and said, ‘Hey, can I help?’ It was so great that she was willing to be a part of it. And that she as a queer person, was like, ‘yeah, I understand how much this helps, and I want to have other queer people have what I have.’” ProjectQ is just a part of what L.A.’s eastside is doing to foster a positive sense of community for queer youth. By bringing people together to celebrate, emphasizing the positive, and giving voice to the importance of queer style, they’re reshaping what it means to be a queer adult for those to whom it matters most: The next generation.
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LOS ANGELES
6
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OPINION POLITICS
BAD BLOOD
⚫ BY DOUG MONTGOMERY
Trump Appointee Tries Hiding Homophobic, Sexist Trail
Once more undercutting his campaign promise to support the LGBTQ community, Donald Trump has appointed a notable anti-abortion activist with a long record of anti-LGBTQ statements. On April 28, Trump appointed Charmaine Yoest as the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.) Yoest currently serves as a senior fellow at American Values and formerly served as the president of Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion group that has pushed for stricter restriction on abortion on the state level. “Ms. Yoest has a long record of seeking to undermine women’s access to health care and safe, legal abortion by distorting the facts, and her selection shows yet again that this administration is pandering to extreme conservatives and ignoring the mil-
lions of men and women nationwide who support women’s constitutionally protected health care rights and don’t want to go backward," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. As soon as the appointment was announced, highly controversial statements began to disappear from Yoest’s blog. Critics accuse her of “scrubbing” her internet history of particularly problematic posts. For instance, one entry, apparently written by her husband Jack, entitled “Half Of Rape Allegations Are False,” makes the demonstrably false claim that “when it comes to rape, women tell the truth about half the time.” The post continues, arguing that police struggle to identify “who is the criminal the man or the woman? Either a rape has occured (sic.) Or a slander has occured (sic.)
The police officer could flip a coin to determine truth with equal statistical probability.” As long as she has been active in the public sphere, Yoest has promoted dangerous medical misinformation. In a 1994 appearance on CNN & Company, Yoest argued that it was “absolutely insane” to suggest condoms were “good protection against HIV” because they “can fail up to 17 to 20 percent of the time in preventing the HIV virus.” “It is unacceptable that someone with a history of promoting myths and false information about women’s health is appointed to a government position whose main responsibility is to provide the public with accurate and factual information,” added Dawn Laguens, executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood. In other posts, Yoest and her husband offer openly homophobic commentary on current events, criticizing Wal-Mart for “homosexual activism” and claim that Mc-
Donald’s promotes “the homosexual lifestyle,” for example. Even outside of the blog, Yoest has stood on an anti-LGBTQ platform, often citing discredited and false information to support her claims. In a discussion of same-sex adoption, Yoest wrongly claimed in 1997 that the “research is very clear that it is damaging psychologically to children to grow up in homosexual homes.” Years later, in 2006 Yoest doubled-down on this perspective, again incorrectly claiming that “two decades of social science research, ... from across the right and left continuum,” has “emphasized the fact that it really is critical for a child to have both a mom and a dad.” “It’s almost as if President Trump is trying to find people who say the most mean, spiteful, hateful things about transgender people to fill roles in his administration,” said Mara Keisling, the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
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Charmaine Yoest, assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
05.19 — 06.01.2017 NEWS
GOVERNMENT
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LOS ANGELES
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
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⚫ BY ANNETTE SEMERDJIAN
Phyllis Frye is Still Opening Doors America’s first openly trans judge is to thank for a new era of trans visibility Since first coming out as trans in 1976, Phyllis Frye has been a driving force in the trans rights movement. Frye’s law degree and military experience helped her crush hate acts and discrimination in her home state of Texas, and her spirit helped rally other activists in a 1979 March on Washington. LGBT activist Ray Hill and feminist Lucia Valeska were partners in activism with Frye. Hill told The Advocate, “her ‘trans advocacy’ would give birth to a movement and she used the march organizing as a means of [achieving] that. The state of our collective movement in 1979 was one of uneven development of its component parts. Gay men were not taking the evolution of political potential seriously. The lesbian movement was more politically advanced thanks to the women’s music tours and [the first lesbian national magazine] The Ladder. The trans movement did not exist
except for Phyllis’s advocacy.” The lack of trans visibility in the ‘70s was an issue that Frye personally took on by starting annual International Conferences on Transgender Law and Employment Poli-
cy on top of her activism in 1992. She began a law firm for criminal justice which provided jobs to other LGBT lawyers. Shortly thereafter, in 2010, Mayor Annise Parker appointed Frye to a judge for the Houston
area, which is when Judge Frye became the first openly trans judge in America. Frye has seen the journey America has made from barely recognizing trans identities to wider coverage in understanding the trans experience, and she’s been there moving things forward the whole way. The born-again Christian and former Eagle Scout told the New York Times in 2015 that she thought Caitlyn Jenner’s televised coming-out was “old hat” to her. Although, it should come as no surprise that a woman who has been fighting for trans rights since ‘76 in law and politics would pay much mind to media sensationalism. Now, with her wife of over 40 years, Trish Frye, by her side, Judge Frye continues to make waves in the water as much as she did in decades prior. Living in Trump’s America proves that we still very much need Frye as a Texas judge and advocate, and she doesn’t plan on tapping out anytime soon. She told The Advocate, “While I plan to live a long time, my wife knows that if she outlasts me, I want the following on my tombstone: ‘She opened doors.’”
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05.19 — 06.01.2017
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05.19 — 06.01.2017 NEWS
POLITICS
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LOS ANGELES
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LOCAL PATRIOTISM
⚫ BY DOUG MONTGOMERY
Los Angeles Calls for Impeachment Probe With echoes of David and Goliath, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution calling for an investigation into possible high crimes or misdemeanors committed by Donald Trump sufficient for impeachment. Specifically, the May 5 resolution focuses on Trump’s financial dealings and whether he has violated the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. A virtually unknown section of the founding document prior to his election, the clause prohibits elected officials from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” As a billionaire with a vast portfolio of international holdings, the businessman-turned-president has fielded criticism for not divesting himself of his businesses. Experts claim that as a result, Trump has received gifts and benefits from foreign leaders and states in the form of financial gain. This, critics argue, constitutes a
breach of the Emoluments Clause. “If he is not going to come clean and show the American people that his hands are clean of potentially illegal foreign money in investments, then we must demand that Congress use their power to investigate the situation,” said Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who introduced the resolution. “With this resolution, the city of Los Angeles calls on our Congress members and senators for the good of the country to investigate Trump’s international finances, and make sure that he is actually working on behalf of the American people and not his own pocketbook.” The resolution passed by a 10-0 vote. Councilman Mitchell Englander, the council’s solitary Republican who represents parts of the San Fernando Valley, was nowhere to be found when the votes were cast. He was in the chamber immediately before and after the vote.
EDITOR
Henry Giardina
⚫ BY DOUG MONTGOMERY
LAUSD Sets Restrictions on Immigration Officials in Schools The Los Angeles school board sought to reassure parents and students on Tuesday by strengthening restrictions against federal immigration officials on campuses. In a resolution titled “Reaffirmation of Los Angeles Unified School District Schools as Safe Zones for Families Threatened by Immigration Enforcement,” LAUSD laid out a comprehensive set of guidelines for dealing with the growing threat of deportation to immigrant populations. “Ensuring that our schools are safe and inviting for all students and their families will facilitate the physical safety and emotional well-being of all children in the District, and is paramount to students’ ability to achieve,” the resolution states. Fears of deportation have grown among the overwhelmingly Latino school district – 76 percent according to LAUSD – since the uniquely severe rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign. The community’s anxieties seemed confirmed in February when a local father, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, was arrested after dropping off one
of his children at school. The arrest was caught on video by Avelica-Gonzalez’s daughter, Faitma Avelica, who was still in the car when two black, unmarked vehicles surrounded the car. Among the guidelines ratified by the board, the resolution states that immigration officers will be denied access to campuses without clearance from the school superintendent, even with a legally valid subpoena. “L.A. Unified is basically saying fear stops at [our] door,” said board member Ref Rodriguez, who co-sponsored the resolution. The guidelines elaborate on an earlier, much shorter resolution passed in February last year, offering a more detailed plan for protecting students and families. According to Monica Garcia, a board member who sponsored the resolution, the guidelines offer greater detail on “commitments we have already made.” The resolution was developed by the American Civil Liberties Union over the last several months.
“This is an important opportunity for LAUSD to be a model for the state and for the nation,” Sylvia Torres-Guillén, director of education equity for ACLU of California, told the Los Angeles Times. The rationale behind the document is entirely educational, not political. Donald Trump’s name does not appear once throughout the text. “Immigration arrests, detentions, and deportations affects families every day, and indications that deportations will increase dramatically has created a climate of heightened fear and anxiety for many students and their families,” the resolution states. Furthermore, even President Barack Obama’s policies receive critical treatment by the resolution. “The record number of deportations in recent years has tragically broken apart loving families, devastated communities, and caused widespread fear among immigrants and their family members,” the school board writes.
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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 redistributed. All contents (c) 2017 The Pride L.A. THE PRIDE L.A. is a registered trademark of MIRROR MEDIA GROUP. T.J. MONTEMER, CEO 310.310.2637 x7
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⚫ CULTURE FOOD
05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
⚫ BY ANNETTE SEMERDJIAN
Silver Lake’s Botanica Dishes Up a New Kind of Healthy Los Angeles locals are always looking for new ways to stay healthy, often following the guidelines of vegan or gluten-free lifestyles. Silver Lake’s newest restaurant and market, Botanica, provides healthy, feel good meals without the (often constricting) rules of health lifestyles. It’s simple: there are no refined sugars, processed foods, or products of industrial agriculture and aquaculture. All the dairy, veggies and fruits are locally grown, the meat is sustainably raised, and the seafood selections are wild catches. Botanica’s larders have the highest standards of upkeep in order to frequently serve dishes that are fresh and colorful for diners to enjoy guiltfree. Aside from the cookbooks and other products made purchasable at Botanica, there are also guidelines to start cooking better meals at home, such as the recipe for Roasted Eggplant with Jeweled Herb Salad showcased in the first issue of their namesake publication, Botanica Magazine. If that doesn’t get you, you can save your appetite for some of the more exotic restaurant offerings, like Asparagus Tortilla Española, Cast-Iron Pimenton Clams, and Shaved Roots & Fruit. The co-founders of Botanica, Heather Sperling
and Emily Fiffer, have spent years of their friendship in the kitchen. Sperling has over 20 years of experience experimenting with all things culinary. She was also an editor of multiple food and restaurant focused publications. Fiffer used to be the editor for DailyCandy before it got the ax in 2014, as well as a contributor to several other publications. She began her journey as a chef in London at Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nopi and Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro. The two found L.A. to be the perfect place for the opening of Botanica after experiencing some of the fresh produce a local farmer’s market had to offer, according to an interview for LAist. "All the food we're serving in the restaurant will appear online. Nothing is secret, there is no proprietary information. We want to share. Our dream was to have a home cook in Sweden find our recipes online, and then one day come visit LA and try our food in the restaurant,” Fiffer said. Although the organic market and food industry in Los Angeles have taken full advantage of trendy labels like “vegan” and “gluten-free,” it’s good to know the people behind Botanica are genuinely serving food for health-conscious Angelenos.
⚫ BY GENNA RIVIECCIO
A New Documentary Goes in Depth on James Beard’s Life, Sexuality Most of us have heard of the world-famous James Beard Foundation Awards, which annually highlight a ‘ who’s who’ of innovation and talent in the cuisine and restaurant world. Fewer of us know about the man behind the award. A trailblazer in every way, James Beard was even the first to have his own cooking show all the way back in 1946, a fifteen to thirty-minute series aptly titled, I Love To Eat. And through it all, of course, were his cookbooks, of which he authored over twenty in his lifetime. A new documentary on Beard, titled “America’s First Foodie”, will have its LA premiere on May 19th, shining a light on the somewhat underexposed legacy of the influential gay chef. The ‘gay’ point, is notable. In most of the discussion surrounding Beard, there is rarely any mention of his sexuality. Not that it should be a factor when considering the breadth and innovation of his work, but it’s a bit like not addressing the elephant in the room during an era when Liberace was suing British tabloids for libel for suggesting he was gay. It also can’t be said that Beard’s sexual orientation didn’t at least somewhat play into his knack for styling food and relishing it for its decadent potential. This is precisely what one new written biography about the legend--the first to be released since 1994--will play up in a way that’s never been done before. The book, currently in the
process of being penned by Beard Award-winning food writer John Birdsall, will accent how Beard’s sexuality affected his career trajectory in being an offshoot of his focus on aesthetics at a time when no one else was, or even thought that such an approach could or should matter. Fast forward to now, when every LA restaurant worth its salt (pun intended) spends time making sure each dish is as much an aesthetic experience as a gustatory one. Hitting his stride at a time when beige food of a canned nature and TV dinners still reigned supreme in America, Beard’s influence was as epic as Julia Child suggested when she said: “In the beginning, there was Beard.”
05.19 — 06.01.2017
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LOS ANGELES
05.19 — 06.01.2017
$1,799,000 | 7932 W 80th Street, Playa del Rey | 4BD/3BA Laura Kellam | 310.748.5344
$1,599,000 | 6174 Mulholland Hwy, Hollywood Hills | 3BD/3BA Dayna Campbell | 818.634.9404
$1,249,000 | 718 N Croft Avenue #101, Mid City West | 3BD/3BA Richard Burt | 818.203.9797
$975,000 | 2445 N Janis Drive, Palm Springs | 3BD/2½BA Richard Burt | 818.203.9797
$895,000 | 1219 Sunset Plaza Drive #5, West Hollywood | 2BD/2BA Tom Tostengard | 323.872.4710
$695,000 | 6735 Yucca Street #104, Hollywood | 2BD/3BA Tom Tostengard | 323.872.4710
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©2017 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Sellers will entertain and respond to all offers within this range. CalBRE 01317331
05.19 — 06.01.2017 ENTERTAINMENT CARS
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LOS ANGELES
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A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
⚫ BY GENNA RIVIECCIO
The Lowrider is A Little Higher A new film dives deep into LA lowrider culture
of this element of Mexican-American tradition. And yet, as de Montreuil states, “A lot of times you run from your background because you don’t want to be associated with it. The beautiful irony of it is that when you grow older, you realize that the most valuable thing you own is who you are and where you come from.” And, more often than not, the only reason you don’t want to be associated with is because of the uninformed masses who want to judge and brand you as something you’re not based on a falsely negative archetype. Hopefully, “Lowriders” will aid in working toward a more appreciative perception of this unique vehicle, an artform in cultivation and upkeep unto itself.
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JUNE 2, 2017
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The history of the lowrider car belongs to L.A. Specifically the youths of the barrio that would often take sandbags and put them in their trunks to get the desired effect, starting in the late 1940s and reaching new heights (or lack thereof) in the postwar 50s. This era of America, with its boatsized cars, made the Mexican-American youths of Los Angeles want to truly ride “slow and low” to showcase the beauty of the machinery. As Hollywood continues to admit to its need to diversify and tell stories about cultures and subject matters so long unaddressed, the arrival of “Lowriders,” directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, comes at a particularly poignant moment in time. The stereotype of the lowrider car has, as you’ve probably already preconceived, usually been one associated with crime, gangs and a generally menacing aura. The intent behind this unprecedented film is to debunk the myths that have so long surrounded lowrider culture. With help from the two executive producers, Cartoon a.k.a. Mark Machado and Estevan Oriol, that have given their decades of insight on the matter, de Montreuil has brought us the first major film to put a positive and historical spin on the lowrider life. Centered around the plot of a young street artist named Danny (Gabriel Chavarria), “Lowriders” tells a common coming-of-age tale – one in which the protagonist fights against acknowledging his heritage while struggling to come to terms with it. His lowrider-obsessed father highlights the rich and longstanding history
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ENTERTAINMENT LIFE
⚫ BY STAFF WRITER
05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
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A TALE OF TWO PRIDES
Venice Beach and Long Beach Go All Out for Pride VENICE PRIDE
After last year’s calamitous closing of Roosterfish – Venice’s one and only gay bar – Grant Turck decided it was time to step up. He organized the first annual Venice Pride, a chance for LGBTQ Venetians to come together and celebrate on their home turf. This year, with the opening of the West Side’s newest gay bar The Birdcage, Venice Pride’s second annual celebration has even more pep in its step. From June 2 to June 3, the streets of Venice will be ablaze with neon rainbows and topless men. The celebration
will kick off with the Venice Pride sign lighting (and block party) at 5 pm on the 2nd, featuring rainbow-colored light bulbs that community members have ‘adopted’ beforehand to color the night sky over Venice Beach. Afterward,Venetians will make their way to the beach for a “Gaywatch”-themed after party DJ’ed by Victor Rodriguez.The next day the cleanup begins: Venice Pride will team up with Heal the Bay for a big, sexy beach cleanup, featuring prizes for the most trash hauled and—of course—for the best costume. Last year, Grant Turck spoke to the crowd about Venice’s unique place in SoCal culture: “For 100 years Venice has welcomed LGBTQ Bohemians, beatniks, poets, artists, hippies, surfers, body builders, musicians, actors, designers, filmmakers, and all of us who simply expressed our own sexual and gender identities. So, as we still struggle for equality, it is appropriate that we celebrate our uniqueness, here in Venice Beach, a place that celebrates differences!” This year is an extension of that promise, as Venetians from all over come together to light up the night together and honor the new, much-needed tradition of Venice Pride.
LONG BEACH PRIDE
From May 20-21, the streets of Long Beach were taken over by a parade of LGBTQ Pride marchers and their allies. Since 1984, the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival & Parade has been a way for Long Beach citizens, groups, and non-profit organizations to come together and celebrate under the banner of Pride. This year, the talent lineup was even more impressive
than usual, featuring performances by the legendary Chaka Khan, Monica, and Taylor Bennett (aka Chance the Rapper’s younger, extremely talented brother.) Lisa Vanderpump held this year’s title of Celebrity Grand Marshall. At 10:30 a.m. on Ocean and Lindero Ave., the Long Beach Pride Parade kicked off, heading west and ending at Alamitos Blvd. where the headliners performed on the festival grounds.
05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
THE BEST GOINGS-ON AROUND AND ABOUT LA
EEEEEATSCON WHERE: Barker Hangar WHEN: May 20, 12pm-9pm WHAT: Eat great food, listen to music, and chill in Santa Monica all day. WHY: The Knocks and Lizzo will be in attendance. Beggars of Life/Diary of a Lost Girl WHERE: The Egyptian Theater WHEN: May 20, 7:30 pm WHAT: Two of Louise Brooks’ finest silent-era performances presented on the big screen at the beautiful historic Egyptian theater WHY: If you’re above seeing Lulu up close, your heart has truly hardened beyond recall East LA Comic Con WHERE: El Gallo Plaza WHEN: May 20 WHAT: East LA’s very first annual comic con kicks off, fronted by “Nostalgic Books and Comics” owner Peter J Mellini. WHY: It’s about time East LA represented on these streets. The California Strawberry Festival WHERE: Strawberry Meadows, Oxnard, CA WHEN: May 20-21 WHAT: Exactly what it sounds like. A festival celebrating one of the most beloved fruits of all time. WHY: You’d prefer a blueberry festival? Beverly Hills Art Show WHERE: Beverly Gardens Park, across Santa Monica Boulevard from Rodeo Drive to Rexford Drive WHEN: May 20-21, 10 am to 6 pm WHAT: An outdoor craft fair featuring arts and crafts by local Beverly Hills artists WHY: Who doesn’t love traveling from stall to stall admiring local wares? Plus, there will be a beer and wine garden.
(MORE ON P.18)
West Coast Premiere
Alexandro Segade’s
FUTURE ST.
Desire. Surveillance. Resistance.
June 1 + 2 | 8:30pm Tickets at thebroad.org
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ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION
⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA
05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
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THE REVIEWS ARE IN ...
“I Love Dick” is an Almost-Comic Almost Masterpiece
About 20 minutes into the pilot of “I Love Dick.” the new Amazon show from “Transparent” creator and showrunner par excellence Jill Soloway, I sat up and said to myself: “Is Soloway trying to be funny?” This is really the question I have about all things Soloway, from her brilliant work on “Six Feet Under” to “The United States of Tara” to “Transparent” to “Dick,” the latest messed up kid in the family. In between the insufferable characters and the hilariously small, myopic worlds they find themselves in, there is a thin
strain of comedy that seems not to entirely want to be there. The other side of this question, of course, is, “Is Soloway taking herself too seriously?” Let’s say she is. Let’s say Soloway isn’t trying to poke fun at try-hard, effortlessly pretentious academics, self-important feminists who wear the term ‘artist’ a bit too readily, and spouses who don’t seem to consider the prospect of a non-monogamous marriage until after the first betrayal. If Soloway is trying to expose these archetypes for the fools that they are, “Dick” is her comic masterpiece. In “I Love Dick,” an adaptation of feminist artist Chris Kraus’s 1997 pseudo-biographical treatise, “Chris” (Kathryn Hahn, aka Rabbi Raquel from “Transparent”) follows her scholar husband Sylvere to a fellowship in the isolated
town of Marfa, Texas. There, she meets “Dick” (Kevin Bacon) and becomes sexually obsessed with him. But they don’t have sex. And Sylvere knows all about it. Well, practically. In between the primary plot of Chris – DickSylvere, there's a cast of new characters that did not appear in Kraus’s book. These are the kind of Jill Soloway stock characters most viewers will recognize from “Transparent.” Brilliant, pretentious, and achingly frustrating young queer people who believe that sexual freedom (howsoever it comes) will eventually translate into actual freedom. Eventually. They’re the ones who are mostly obnoxious to watch, while Hahn bears the comic brunt of the piece, raging and blustering through every scene with exceptional comic timing. As a comedy, it couldn’t have been pulled off without Hahn. The show even goes so far as to align Hahn’s visions of Chris with her visions of what art is. We see increasingly absurd shots of Bacon, first carrying a lamb through the center of town, Christ-like, then sitting on the couch, legs wide, his genitals barely covered by a brightly-colored tapestry blanket. We also see, as a kind of prologue to each episode, footage from female artists past, most of which exposes sexual acts for what they are: Completely absurd.
But let’s consider the other side of it: Perhaps Soloway, in adapting the legendary Chris Kraus novel for the screen, didn’t actually find any of it funny. Let’s say she wanted to go at it with the pure heart and fierce intelligence that she brings to everything, without skewering the book’s vision, without calling out any of the bullshit. Let’s say that was the point all along. Well, that’s more complicated. Happily, “Dick” is the kind of TV show that can easily house more than one “point.” It can be obnoxious and hilarious at once. A viewer can be rooting for the characters while laughing hysterically at their obliviousness. One can see oneself in Kathryn Hahn’s Chris, while truly feeling that this woman – this manic, desperate creation – could never actually exist. That’s the beauty of it. “Dick,” for all its flaws, is a complex show. There was never any doubt that it would be: It’s Soloway, after all. What’s good about it is that it’s building on an idea that this culture has just started to take seriously: The idea that women have sexual and emotional agency, no matter what their relationship to men. What’s great about it is that it’s a kind of rough draft.You can see someone else years from now picking up “I Love Dick,” seeing what it started to sketch out, and turning that sketch into a full, brilliant masterpiece.
05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
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05.19 — 06.01.2017
LOS ANGELES
WHAT’S HAPPENING
THE BEST GOINGS-ON AROUND AND ABOUT LA
(CONTINUED) Jeffrey Tambor Discusses “Are You Anybody?” WHERE: Skylight Books WHEN: May 24, 7:30 pm WHAT: Tambor, the Arrested Development and Transparent star (also owner of Skylight) will read from his new memoir. Be sure to show up early—there’s bound to be a crowd. WHY: Tambor’s book features the word ‘chutzpah’ prominently. Pride Comedy Festival WHERE: Various Locations WHEN: May 23-24 WHAT: An oh-so-secret comedy lineup of LA’s finest LQBTQIA comics WHY: It’s only $20, and all proceeds go toward local LGBTQIA charities Confluence X Ace present a Dinner in Support of Tehachapi Grain Project WHERE: The Theater at Ace Hotel WHEN: May 26, 7 pm WHAT: A dinner to raise funds for Southern California farmers to build an heirloom grain belt. WHY: Find out what on earth heirloom grain belt is. “How to Kill a City” WHERE: The Last Bookstore WHEN: May 30, 7:30 pm WHAT: Journalist Peter Moskowitz reads from his new novel on gentrification in LA WHY: It’s something we could all stand to learn more about
> Tattoo Artist to the Stars CULTURE TATTOOS
BODY ART
⚫ BY ANNETTE SEMERDJIAN
Hip hop’s favorite tattoo artist is the one and only Mr. Cartoon from the City of Angels. Some of his A-list clients include Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, YG, Method Man and even Beyonce. He also created some logos for artists such as Cypress Hill and Eminem. He even designed some of the gang writing for everyone’s favorite video game, “Grand Theft Auto.” Mr. Cartoon has taken everything LA culture and put it into his widespread designs. Many people turn their bodies into works of art by showcasing their life experiences and aspirations through the inked images on their skin. From the struggles to the good fortune, people scar themselves out of their own volition as a marker of their identity. As Mr. Cartoon puts it, “through our tattoos, we tell our own personal story of our past experiences and also of our dream life.” Mark Machado a.k.a. Mister Cartoon grew up in the Los Angeles Harbor Region. His Mexican-American heritage influences much of his fine line black and gray work. His designs have roots in graffiti art and airbrushing t-shirts before becoming a tattooing legend. "What distinguishes L.A. and its art scene is its history and its personal story – from the Zoot Suit era to the romance and violence of the stories of the streets,” Mr. Cartoon told Vice. Zoot Suits were sported mostly by Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles as they took
the signature style to stand out in the city that was erupting with violence against Chicanos during the 1940s. Mr. Cartoon also talked about the immense level of pride in representing the neighborhoods of L.A. where there is also a love of classic cars. In a recent trip to New York for a show by Tequila Cazadores, he brought the life and culture of L.A. to the Meatpacking District. The theme was “Never Forget Where You Came From” and Mr. Cartoon spray-painted a visual story of the Day of the Dead. The canvas he chose was none other than a paleta cart, which many L.A. residents have a enjoyed an ice cream or two from. “I took something that’s rough from the streets and polished it like a diamond,” he said about working on the paleta cart in his interview with Vice. The other pieces he worked on captured the essence of SoCal and its Lowrider culture. L.A. black and gray tattoos are very popular, and when Mr. Cartoon’s skills hit the tattooing scene, his work eventually found prominence among Hollywood’s biggest names. His Downtown L.A. tattoo shop is pretty hard to find and quite exclusive as Mr. Cartoon’s popularity grows. Even as he ventures into the automotive business with his designs, he makes sure to keep his art and himself an Angeleno for life.
05.19 — 06.01.2017 NEWS
PERSON PROFILE
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LOS ANGELES
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THE ROAD BEHIND
⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA
Jacob Dekema, Who Designed California’s Freeways, Dies at 101 Try, if you can, to imagine LA as a different city: Fewer cars, winding roads, and the kind of city planning that even Waze might have a hard time simplifying. Oh, and no highways. Can you picture it? Neither can we. Thanks to 20th-century transportation icon Jacob Dekema, we don’t have to. The former district director for Caltrans passed away at the age of 101 last month, leaving behind a legacy that shapes the way we think about travel in Los Angeles. Much in the way that Robert Moses controversially re-shaped Manhattan transportation by introducing bridges and highways leading into the city, Dekema created the backbone of what would become the national interstate highway system, not to mention the most iconic part of the California landscape. Known alternately as “Mr. Freeway” and “Mr. Caltrans”, Dekema graduated from USC in 1937 and went on to lead a brilliant, sometimes controversial career as head of San Diego Caltrans from 1955 to 1980. During his tenure, he made decisions that would radically shape the rest of the state, crucially the city of Los Angeles. His ‘50s sketches became the basis of the Interstate Highway
System. His first task, back in 1936, was to help design the first freeway in the West-the then-named Arroyo State Parkway, now known as the Pasadena Freeway. At Dekema’s insistence, the highway, originally conceived as a four-lane structure, was expanded to six lanes, an addition no one else thought would be needed. His time as district director was not without its struggles. Detractors felt that Dekema was building too many freeways, while Dekema lamented the impossibility of building more in his lifetime. His designs were focused on creating more abilities for through-traffic without constricting the potential for beautiful cityscapes. He was also mindful of running freeways through the heart of the many smaller communities that make up most California cities. In the ‘20s, the first U.S. Numbered Highway system was adopted in California, replacing a number of confusing “national auto trails” leading from East LA to Santa Monica. It was the first attempt at the kind of grand organization Dekema hungered after--a way to ride through and supersede the more sprawling parts of the Los Angeles landscape without crushing its character. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was passed by Eisenhower in the same spirit. Eisenhower’s desire to connect the nation through highways was of a piece with Dekema’s vision for his home state. His idea of the future was of a vast, scenic web of land connected by smaller, snaking pathways and through-ways. Dekema designed his work to reflect, and take advantage of, California’s stunning beauty. He was also thinking about how Californian city-dwellers live and work. In a San Diego Magazine interview from 1980, he predicted that: “the worse the traffic gets, the faster the electronic revolution develops. It may well be that mass commuting will no longer be needed. People will be able to stay home and work, or they’ll work in small offices, spread out all over the city and countryside, linked by computers and sophisticated
communication systems.” In 1982, the I-805 at Sorrento Valley was named affectionately after him. Dekema passed away in La Jolla of natural causes. He is survived by his daughter Pamela, his wife Shirley, and his son Douglas. Oh, and the massive, living achievement of the California
highway system. It’s nearly impossible to imagine was LA culture would be without its freeways. From the length and structure of the daily commute to the opening scene of ‘La La Land’, Angelenos owe more than they know to Jacob Dekema.
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05.19 — 06.01.2017
T:10 in
© 2017 Cedars-Sinai
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Sometimes I underestimate. Sometimes I search it. Sometimes I put it off. Sometimes I freak out. But, I trust my Cedars-Sinai doctor every time.
cedars-sinai.edu
1-800-CEDARS-1
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Sometimes I overreact.
B:11.7 in
Sometimes I just ignore it.
S:11.7 in
Sometimes I self-diagnose.