The Pride L.A. 5.31.19

5.31 – 6.13.2019

The ULTIMATE 2019 Guide to Everything Los Angeles Pride!

LOS ANGELES

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ISSUE NUMBER 16, VOLUME 3 | MAY 31 – JUNE 13, 2019

TOGETHER, #UNITED WE WON’T BE DIVIDED

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: } Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. } Have any other health problems. } Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: } Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. } BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at

MyDailyCharge.com

BVYC0103_BIKTARVY_B_10x11-7_ThePrideLA_KeepPushing2_DR4_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

(bik-TAR-vee)

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: 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, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. 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.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY. HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION } This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. } Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. } If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP PUSHING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0103 02/19

5.31 – 6.13.2019

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e

es

h, r

ut t

m

HAT’S es.

KEEP PUSHING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

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PRIDE

LOS ANGELES

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

` ⚫ BY AMY PATTON

Why the LGBTQ+ Community Should #Unite at Pride

The theme of L.A. Pride this year is #JustUnite. While the concept of including a hashtag in a theme is cringe-worthy, the intent behind the message is perfect for the queer community, and for the Los Angeles community too. The Pride L.A. newspaper decided to similarly theme our Pride Guide

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“Together #United, We Won’t Be Divided,” a popular slogan chanted at various LGBTQ+ rallies and protests.

The first time I heard the chant live was at a TransLatina-organized rally in response to the DHHS’ attempt to narrowly define gender back in October 2018. The power that came from the unity in that chant has stayed with me. It is that night that I often think of when I think of unity and its power in the LGBTQ+ community.

Yes, we have a come a long way socially and politically since L.A. Pride was created, but it is not enough. It is too easy to keep a people oppresssed and marginalized when the mainstream cannot see them. “They have healthcare and parades, what more do they need?”

When you think of it this way, LGBTQ+ individuals congregating at, say perhaps L.A. Pride, is a form of protest and a necessary freedom.Yes, we can now get married, but our Black trans sisters are being struck down dead in cold blood almost daily. A lesbian couple can only get citizenship for one child. Someone is being fired for no particular reason.

The Trump Admisnistration is constantly revoking human rights from the queer com-

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munity, particularly our gender non-conforming family. So, while YOU may feel safe, there are so many out there who are not protected physically, politically, professionally, you name it. It is STILL a dangerous time to identify as not straight.

So, by uniting – whether at parades, rallies, social clubs, where ever – we are stronger as a group; our voices are louder. We Can’t be ignored.

We are so, so lucky in Southern Califonia – so it is our job to be the voices for those who cannot speak up. If there is a moment during Pride weekend in which you feel this is all so trivial, just remember that by being there, you are #Uniting with the greater good.

We are the voice of the voiceless, and it is a lot louder together.

Why do you attend Pride events? The Pride L.A. newspaper is looking for submissions. Email us at amy@thepridela.com to let us know. Make your voice heard!

Photo: Amy Patton.

The TransLatina-organized rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall in October 2018.

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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 (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

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

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MORE POPULAR THAN EVER

Solving Last Year’s Over-Capacity Issues at L.A. Pride

With chart-topping pop stars like Kehlani and Tove Lo headlining last year’s L.A. Pride Festival, no one could have been surprised by an unusually high turnout. However, during last 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.

Before any of the headlining 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. Fast-forward to next weekend: the festival is as popular as ever and the headliners are equally as thrilling. This leaves attendees wondering if the trek will even be worth it, or will they be turned away at the gates again.

The Pride L.A. spoke with Madonna Cacciatore, CSW Executive Director about the subject. So if you plan on attending the festival this year, keep on reading!

Why were guests being turned away at the gate last year?

The venue hit capacity and our main priority is the safety of our guests. We had to prioritize safety above all else and accept responsibility for all the issues it caused at the door.

Did the event sell out? Was it over capacity?

The LA Pride festival sold out for the first time in the nearly 50-year history. Many attendees arrived early and stayed all day which has never happened before.

Why does the Pride Festival get so crowded?

The event has grown from a small com-

munity 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.

What steps is CSW taking to assuage crowd control this year?

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. We are working to continue adding more programming for our guests to participate in. This year, we have added a free block party called “Pride on the Boulevard” which allows guests to gather and watch local performers on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The block party will be located on Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson Boulevards and is a great place for people to unite and celebrate together.We have also added a new free Friday night program that will feature an official Opening Ceremony and a combination of entertainment including a Weho Vogue Ball and Drag Show, music from local DJs and special surprise guests. For our 21+ guests, we are offering two new beer gardens located in the Koontz Hardware parking lot and next to The Factory.

LA Pride is also implementing the below to help create a more seamless event experience: • Ticketing and guest services relocated to Santa Monica Boulevard, between Palm and Hancock Avenues, to expedite entrance into the festival grounds and reduce wait times • New and additional street closures to help improve the flow • Increased and improved security teams with specialized training for the LGBTQ+ community • Improvements to ADA implementation

and accessibility for all guests, with extra focus on safe access and space throughout the festival for those guests requiring additional assistance. All ADA compliance and improvements will be overseen by Accessible Festivals.

How will the expansion onto Santa Monica Boulevard help?

The expansion onto Santa Monica Blvd allows for additional opportunities for the community to engage with the festival and each other.

How can guests ensure entrance this year?

We encourage guests to plan accordingly and arrive earlier in the day to ensure entrance this year.

LA Pride is organized by nonprofit Christopher Street West Association, Inc. This year’s festival is help on June 8-9 and the parade will be on June 9.

For more information and tickets, visit lapride.org

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PRIDE

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` ⚫ BY AMY PATTON

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

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MEET THE MAYOR

WeHo Mayor D’Amico’s Favorite Part of Pride Weekend

Nothing short of traditions, LA Pride is almost here, bringing together old faces and new friends. Sworn in as mayor on May 13.

John D’Amico will experience the Pride seasom for the first time as the mayor of West Hollywood. Always a jovial time for the City, D’Amico is looking forward to the entirety of the Pride season. How will his perspective on the event change as the head of the City? The Pride L.A. spoke with D’Amico about the upcoming festivities. Check it out: Are you excited for LA Pride?

Of course, every year is different and exciting. This year promises to be one for the record books.

What do you prefer — the parade or the festival?

I enjoy the entire weekend. The amount of love and happiness in West Hollywood during Pride Weekend is nothing short of amazing. Just walking around seeing everyone enjoying our city, living their authentic lives, thinking about how West Hollywood has made actual life a reality for so many people – what’s not to love?

What are you most looking forward to this year? Anything new?

Looking forward to One City One Pride arts festival – so much to see and do and experience. The richness of the events is not to be missed. The newest thing is an old favorite – our free Friday night celebration with the dyke march and this year’s special event with Paula Abdul will kick this off in a big way.

What has the City of West Hollywood recently done to help the LGBTQ+ community?

Our city’s ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ rights will never waiver. In light of the recent drug use and overdose tragedies West Hollywood has a renewed commitment to young men of color – understanding how we can play a more productive role in promoting healthy living and targeted HIV messages. And to trans people – helping with jobs and housing and developing messages that resonate and promote the lives of trans folks in our community. These are two of my priorities for the coming year.

What is the significance of Pride events? Why host LA Pride in West Hollywood?

LA Pride in West Hollywood is an institution that is worth protecting and nurturing.

Photo: Courtesy City of WeHo.

We will always have a Pride celebration in West Hollywood – it is part of our DNA. And it has been passed from generation to generation – someone reading this might be part of the next generation to take the reins? Welcome aboard.

What kind of message about the City do you hope people take away

from Pride weekend?

We’re here to make the safe container for LA Pride in West Hollywood, what you fill that with is your choice.

What does Pride mean to you?

Everyone has a role to play, I wake up every day and live my life to fullest, I demand my rights and I’m grateful for the love I have.

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GOING LIVE

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED For the first time ever, the L.A. Pride parade will air on live television.

When the first Los Angeles Pride parade hit the streets of Hollywood in 1970, the world was experiencing a crisis of contradictions. When it came to gay identity, things were changing. The Stonewall Riots of the year before gave way to protests all across the country, led by people who were sick of being treated like second-class citizens. The Black Cat demonstration in L.A. in 1967, along with the Cooper Donut riot of 1959, laid the groundwork for a new generation of activist gays who weren’t content to be shoved around, targeted and violently harassed by the police.

Christopher Street West was formed, in part, as a response to the need for action and visibility. At a time when gay sex was still illegal in most parts of the country and the AIDS epidemic was still a decade away, America was trying to figure out how gayness, and openly gay identities, fit into its identity as a free speech-loving, yet vocally conservative, country. So the parade happened in Los Angeles, and then in New York. But these celebrations, as the surviving images show, were full of queens,

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The first Christopher Street West Parade, 1970.

leather daddies, go-go boys and folks generally unconcerned with respectability politics. Perhaps it was for this reason that the Pride parade was never televised. It couldn’t have been treated with the same level of interest, the same pomp and glamour and bizarre gaudiness as a Macy’s day parade.

Today is another era, of course, and while the people currently running our country may wish to harken back to a simpler, straighter, whiter time that never, in fact, existed in America, the people who live here are ready for this yearly celebration of gayness to be broadcast out to the world. Or at least, to greater Los Angeles.

In a historic deal with Southern California news station KABC, Christopher Street West has signed onto a three-year contract

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A month-long series of events in Santa Monica to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, individuality, empowerment, inclusivity and acceptance.

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MUSIC TO OUR EARS

L.A. Pride Music Lineup, Event Rundown

Lace up your dancing stilletos, Los Angeles.

Joining this year’s previously announced all-star lineup are a diverse group of artists including global Latin superstar Cristian Castro, the newest hip-hop queenCupcakKe, LGBTQ rapper and singer Kodie Shane, infectious indie pop group The Drums, and Australian pop princesses The Veronicas.

Previously announced performers for the LA Pride Festival, which takes place June 7-9 in West Hollywood Park, include headliners Grammy Award-winning global superstar Meghan Trainor and British electronic pop trio Years & Years and will be joined by Grammy Award winner Ashanti, plus Amara La Negra, Dej Loaf, Greyson Chance, MNEK, Pabllo Vittar, and Ah-Mer-Ah-Su. With an all-new stage layout for 2019, all artists, regardless of genre, will be featured on two stages located inside the LA Pride Festival grounds. From hiphop and pop to Latin and EDM, this year’s performers are coming together on both stages to celebrate this year’s theme, #JUSTUNITE, which recognizes that the work the LGBTQ+ community does together ultimately makes it stronger and

more resilient than ever before.

This year, the organizers of LA Pride are also teaming up with the City of West Hollywood to host the first-ever “Pride on the Boulevard” block party. “Pride on the Boulevard” is free to the general public and will feature an array of local LGBTQ+ artists: rising pop artist Bronze Avery, Sony Music recording artist DIIMOND, Latin performer and LGBTQ activist Heartthrob Robb, dance music’s go-to house super songstress Kaleena Zanders, Lesbian feminist and popstar Zolita, hip-hop goddess, the industry’s first Trans rap sensation Lady Londyn, and more will take to the stage on Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood.

Festival-goers are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at lapride.org.

General admission single-day tickets ($30) and weekend passes ($50) are still available. “Backstage VIP Experience” single-day tickets ($250) and weekend passes ($450) are also still available for purchase and include a dedicated VIP entrance to expedite festival entry, backstage access to the Park

& Plaza Stages, two complimentary SKYY Vodka cocktails and a complimentary afternoon meal. Additionally, volunteers, who can donate four hours of their time to the celebration, receive complimentary tickets to the festival.

Ticket sales and proceeds from the LA Pride Festival support and fund the LA Pride Parade and CSW’s philanthropic efforts. This includes community-wide programs including Casa del Sol, a joint project with APLA Health that provides low-income housing to people living with HIV/AIDS, and PLATform, a policy, leadership, and advocacy training program to help amplify the voices of the transgender community. Additionally, proceeds benefit the USC GLASS Endowed Scholarship, a grant program awarded to students to help them conduct research affirming the important role the LGBTQ+ community plays in society today. Funds raised will also help CSW prepare for its 50th anniversary in 2020.

The annual 2019 LA Pride Festival (Saturday, June 8 – Sunday, June 9) and 2019 LAPride Parade (Sunday, June 9) in

Photo: Facebook.

The Drums will headline LA Pride this year!

West Hollywood will be the culmination of a full week's worth of events and community programming beginning on May 31. Check out the full 2019 LA Pride Week calendar at lapride. org/events. To learn more about LA Pride, purchase tickets, get event updates, and be added to our email list, please visit lapride.org.

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PRIDE

LOS ANGELES

` ⚫ BY STAFF WRITER

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

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MUSIC TO OUR EARS

First L.A. Pride, Then – The Universe!

One of the few Latino entertainers to grace the LA Pride stages this year, Georgel Universe is ready to celebrate and unite with the audience.

Georgel has become a trailblazer in the fight for the rights of the gay community in the Latin music industry, after creating the awareness campaign #loveisone. The hashtag emerged from the song “Meteorito”, his anthem championing love without barriers, which became the first single in this new creative stage in the talented artist’s career. The Pride L.A. spoke with Georgel about his upcoming performance. Check it out:

Tell me a little bit about yourself I am a gay family man, who is fascinated by nature’s creative forces and expresses a lot of his inspiration as a singer-songwriter. Born in Mexico, moved to the U.S. thanks to a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, and fell in love with the spirit of freedom that one can breathe in America.

How did you get into the music industry?

My mother sang professionally for a couple of years as I was growing up. I think that had a big impact on me. She got me on stage for the first time, and it was over! All three boys (my two brothers and I) are professionally related to music. I married a music man too (among many

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other talents), so music is part of me everywhere and always from the beginning.

What are some of your proudest moments so far as a musician?

Getting into Berklee was just surreal, because during that period I was able to perform with Esperanza Spalding; working with Sebastian Krys, Lineu Andrade and Juan Pablo Vega for my current album; co-writing for and with Gloria Trevi; recording a tribute for Juan Gabriel in a duet with Esteman; getting my music video “Colibrí” directed by my husband Guillermo Rosas; and of course, performing at LA Pride!!

What does it mean to you to perform at LA Pride?

LA Pride is actually my first festival performance with my newest project. It means a lifetime of work connecting my music to my truth, and actually embracing my community with the music that I write and perform. I feel like I can liberate my wildest self, and hopefully take that on to all my future performances.

Why is it important to highlight/ showcase LGBTQ+ people of color at events like Pride?

Because mainstream media can’t keep us quiet anymore, we are living a crucial moment in LGTBQ History, where we can show the younger

generations that they are represented and that there’s a place of love for them in our society, regardless of their immigration status, religion or family background.

Can you speak about the obstacles of being LGBT and Latino?

We are the generation of LGBTQ Latinos whose parents are far more accepting than the those before, but they still had no idea how to talk to us about who we are. Many of us have endured some sort of migration or family separation, and others just move as far as possible from their small towns to live in the more accepting “big gay city centers.” However, even here we carry the burden of the double stigma. Not only are we judged for being gay, but also because of the color of our skin.The less European, or darker we look, the harder we need to work to prove we are worthy on getting equal opportunities.

What can guests expect from your performance?

An explosion of LOVE that's incredibly romantic and poetic, but that also shows my sexiest and fiercest side! This performance is the live debut of my solo project! 12 musicians live on stage, dancers, and a whole lot of SOUL! What is your favorite song to sing live? Why?

"Colibrí"! Because it's a dance explosion of ‘60s Funky Soul! In "Colibrí," I let myself go crazy to a whole other level! Then the next day I’m a tiny bit embarrassed like, "Oh shit, did that really happened up there?"

What does “pride” mean to you?

To me, PRIDE means, "LOVE yourself out loud and carry that flag with you everywhere."

To listen to Georgel Universe’s music, visit youtube. com/georgeluniverse

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LOS ANGELS

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ONE CITY ONE PRIDE

Poetry to Pay the Rent

It started as an experiment. Brian Sonia-Wallace wanted to see if he could pay his rent through poetry. From here, his journey as Rent Poet began.

Working with numerous social justice and arts non-profits since college, in 2014, the poet found himself in between jobs.

“I was at a point where I was looking to take a just minimum wage job,” he said, holding him over until something more substantial came along.

However, after doing the math on California minimum wage and comparing what he’d earn working a retail job versus busking on a street corner as a poet with a typewriter, he decided to hit the streets.

Initially, those in the poetry community thought Sonia-Wallace was crazy.

“It was actually funny, I went to different poetry venues, and I talked about what I was doing, and all the poets rolled their eyes and were like, ‘yeah good luck with that.’ ” Those who did support Sonia-Wallace’s artistic endeavor were the least likely.

“The bankers and real estate people were like, ‘this is fantastic! Can we pay you to come to do

poems at our events’ and the poets were like, ‘yeah, you’ll never make money like that,’ ” he said.

Sonia-Wallace describes himself as falling into a weird space somewhere between a Capitalist and a Marxist.

“In the sense of thinking about art as labor,” he said explaining, “we have this idea that art is a great thing for kids and self-expression and therapy and those are all sorts of personal pursuits,” for which we don’t expect to be paid.

Whether he sets up on a street corner or at an event full of investment bankers, his job as Rent Poet is always the same. He asks a couple questions: Who the poem is for, and what is the subject? Then, after 10 minutes or so, tapping on his typewriter, he crafts a one-of-a-kind poem.

The poet believes poetry is a tool that “has a lot of potential to connect to people.” Quoting Lawrence Ferlinghetti, “Poetry is the shortest distance between two people,” Sonia-Wallace agrees poems are, in a way, like spells. “I do think people, in a relatively secular age, come to poetry for things that they would have gone to a shaman or a witch or a potion maker for,” he said.

There are limits on what Sonia-Wallace will

write as Rent Poet. He once turned down a man who asked him to write something to help win back an ex-girlfriend.

“There’s a bit of neuroscience that says when we hear a story our brains are patterning themselves in the same way that the person remembering and telling that story’s brain is patterned.

Which is just like the neuroscience of empathy. If you are telling someone a story or a poem, it is as if you are making their brain be your brain for a moment,” said the poet.

After a couple of years as Rent Poet, in 2016, Sonia-Wallace published his first book, “I Sold These Poems, Now I Want Them Back.” inspired by his experience as a poet for hire. His role as Rent Poet has landed Sonia-Wallace in a series of unlikely writer residencies. One with Amtrack, another on the road as a poet in residence for a political campaign in Tennessee. In another, Sonia-Wallace found via Facebook, the poet set up his typewriter and wrote poems at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

The Mall of America gig led to a New York Times article, which led to Sonia-Wallace getting a second book deal through Harper Collins.That

book is due for release next year, 2020.

“I’ve just done all of these very Americana poetry adventures,” said Sonia-Wallace and this is what the book is centered around.

For Pride month, the poet is staying closer to home. As part of the City of West Hollywood’s One City One Pride LGBTQ Festival, throughout June, Sonia-Wallace is running Everyone Deserves (A) Love (Poem), a Pride poet pop-up interactive installation where queer poets armed with typewriters will set up on the streets of West Hollywood and type you a poem.

City of West Hollywood Arts Coordinator, Mike Che, told The Pride LA the pop-up is “an interactive art project where anyone can get a love poem written for them or someone they

POET, see page 17

5.31 – 6.13.2019 PRIDE

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LOS ANGELES

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YAAS QWEEN

SPILLIN’ TEA WITH WILLAM

When she’s not on your television or making appearances at DragCon L.A. (see photo layout of DragCon LA on page 16), Willam Belli, the famous Drag Queen, is amping up for Pride season and telling us allll about it. The Pride L.A. spoke with William about what she’s up to and what she’s looking forward to. Check it out:

Can you introduce yourself? How might people know you?

I’m a model/actress/mattress with great people skills and people might know me from the gigs, youtube or maybe “A Star Is Born.”

How was DragCon? Why do you enjoy events like that?

I absolutely love DragCon. It’s saying “thank you” a lot and getting compliments from people who worship the dolls.

Why are Pride events important?

Visibility like parades and rainbow cross-

walks makes it clear that we are not a second class group of citizens who don’t deserve equal rights, especially with what 45 is doing with the transgender protection rollbacks.

What are you looking forward to at LA Pride this year?

Funnel Cake What is your favorite part of Pride?

LASC had a rooftop party I went to once that was super fun. I definitely sucked a dick there.

What is Drag visibility like overall? In the LGBTQ+ community?

DRAG is everywhere! Pose, RuPaul’s Drag Race What are you working on now professional or philanthropically? Any exciting news to share?

I’m in WIG on HBO about Wigstock

DECONSTRUCCIÓN: A DRAG SHOW Saturday June 15, 2019 6 -10 PM $40/$35 Members Robert Gumbiner Sculpture and Events Garden & Viva Events Center For tickets, call 562-437-1689 or visit molaa.org.

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June 18th and me on HGTV’s HouseHunters June 27/28 and Netflix’s Eastsiders this summer.

What does Pride mean to you?

I think Pride means being proud of being who you are and celebrating and remembering those that weren’t as lucky to be as free as us.

For more information about what Willam is up to, visit her website at willambelli.com.

Photos Courtesy William.

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LOS ANGELES

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

IN PICTURES

RuPaul’s DragCon Comes to L.A.

Created by RuPaul and World of Wonder Productions, RuPaul’s DragCon is a family-friendly event welcoming attendees of all ages and backgrounds to kiki with all of their favorite drag queens, stars and celebrity friends of the show in a creative, friendly and accessible environment.

The three-day event included extensively curated panels with topics ranging from defying the gender binary and activating your intersectional activism, to love and relationships, to celebrity drag makeovers. RuPaul himself DJ’ed two dance party sets for all attendees to enjoy. The TikTok-sponsored main stage included live performances by Broadway legend Nikki Blonksy and queens like Adore Delano, among others. Also on the floor for the first time was literal drag racing in go-karts, talent signings, and more than 50 Instagrammable moments including the real Werkroom entrance from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Over 350 exhibitor booths offered attendees some of the most sickening shopping around.

“Five years in, RuPaul’s DragCon has become the most inclusive party on earth - a safe place to laugh, dance and celebrate every color of the rainbow,” said RuPaul, supermodel of the world. “Thank you to our sponsors, vendors, and the queendom that make all of this possible.”

“DragCon has become a giant hug that the world really needs now,” said World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. “This year, we previewed our new film ‘Stonewall Outloud,’ a timely reminder that this party and celebration began thanks to the courage of trailblazers who refused to be oppressed and tore down the walls of bigotry and hate. From DragCon LA to DragCon NYC and beyond, we are so grateful to everyone involved for sending a message of love and inclusiveness all around the world.”

The convention featured Queens and other celebrity talent for performances, meet and greets, panels and more, including: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Adore Delano, Nina West, Peppermint, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Trinity the Tuck, Jasmine Masters, Miss Vanjie, Akeria C. Davenport, Lance Bass, Daniel Franzese, Nicole Byer, Gillian Jacobs, Patrick Starrr, LipstickNick, Brandi Glanville, Bachelorette Becca Kufrin, Carson Kressley, Todrick Hall, Rachel Bloom, Constance Zimmer, Melonie Diaz, Alaska, Alyssa Edwards, Aquaria, Blair St. Clair, Eureka, Acid Betty, Aja, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Kameron Michaels, Yvie Oddly, Monet X Change, Mayhem Miller, Raja, Latrice Royale, Detox, India Ferrah, Ginger Minj, Sharon Needles, Ross Mathews, Hannah Hart, Rebecca Black, and World of Wonder co-founders & DragCon creators Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey.

For more information on RuPaul’s DragCon L.A., visit the website at rupaulsdragcon.com

5.31 – 6.13.2019 PRIDE

LONG BEACH

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LOS ANGELES

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IN PICTURES

` ⚫ BY STAFF WRITER

Looking Back at LB Pride From 5k runs on the beach, to Dyke Day, to LGBTQ+ Mariachi bands, Long Beach’s 36th annual Pride celebration on May 18-19 was more that a little parade. Facing branding and bugeting issues, Long Beach Pride pulled off another successful weekend. Don’t believe us, just check out some photos by Pride L.A. Editor Amy Patton!

POET,

from page 14 love, in celebration of this year’s One City One Pride theme; Love is Love.”

On May 22 – Harvey Milk Day – Sonia-Wallace and team of typewriter poets worked the first installation to kick-off One City One Pride.

“Everyone who received a poem left with a smile on their face, which is I think the best thing this project could accomplish,” said Che. As Sonia -Wallace said,“words are how we record our thoughts and put them in other people’s heads.”

That is the power of a poem.

Get a poem at the Dyke March on June 7 from 6pm-9pm. Also, the One City One Pride booth at Pride on the Boulevard, June 8 and 9, from 12pm-7pm will host a Pride poet pop-up.

Plus, the poets will be typing at the Day of Art event on June 30 from 1:30pm-7:30pm For last-minute pop-up notifications and exact locations, follow @rentpoet and @WeHoArts on Instagram.

Listen to the Beautiful Hollywood Podcast with Melanie Camp and hear Rent Poet share his story here: anchor.fm/beautiful-hollywood/episodes/ Rent-Poet-e3t2pf

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PRIDE

LOS ANGELES

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FEBRUARY 10 – 16, 2017

WESTSIDE PRIDE

Santa Monica’s First Pride Celebration Santa Monica’s first month-long Pride celebration unites local community, families and LGBTQ+ allies of all ages.

Downtown Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Place and the City of Santa Monica, have unveiled a calendar of fun, family-friendly events and experiences for the first-ever, The citizenSaMo addedPRIDE. that this person had appeared to More 20 events have beenthan picking items offthroughout the groundthe nextmonth to the of Junebefore will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, vehicle leaving the area.

The citizen gave the individuality, inclusivity and of love everyand color, officers a detailed description the in suspect the anchored byina search nightlyofdisplay of lights officers went this man.

As thespanning officers were searching the area they spottedSanta another vehithe Third Street Promenade, Monica cle withthe a smashed that was parked the Place, historic window Santa Monica Pier Bridgeatand side the street. The officers then drove back to CityofHall. the“The 2000 block of Pico Boulevard they spotinaugural SaMo PRIDE where celebration will ted a man who fit the description of the suspect. bring our community value of inclusion to life The officers detained man and a few through a lineup of this opportunities for moments all ages,” later citizen who Davis. had flagged the officers down said the Mayor Gleam “We look forward to appeared and positively identified the suspect. having the community and our neighbors come Shortly thereafter the owner of we the hope first vandalized out to help inaugurate what becomes vehicle appeared and stated that Monica.” numerous items a new annual tradition in Santa thatWith had been recovered from the suspect been a focus on family-friendly and had inclusive stolen from his car.

The owner of the vandalized art, events and community connection, Santa vehicle of aare prosecution Monicawas citydesirous partners gearing so upthe forofficers a full arrested thisactivities 19-year-old Monica resident and month of to Santa generate awareness and he was charged vehicle our burglary in addition to acceptance andwith celebrate diversity. possession of opiates. Bail was set at $20,000.

“We launched SaMo PRIDE with a handful of Heplanned Triedsignature Speedevents, in hopes that there would be an outpouring of support from the On Wednesday, February 1,Carter, at 3:40 a.m. officommunity,” said Mackenzie director cers of the Santa Monica Police Department of marketing and communication, Downtown received a call for service in regard to a possible Santa Monica, Inc. “We’ve seen a tremendously bicycle theft that had just occurred in the 1300 positive response and are thrilled to offer a full block of 10th Street. As the officers hastened to the lineup of fun, family-friendly events in locations scene they learned via police radio that a victim had all across Santa Monica.” seen a man stealing her bicycle that at that time, had Signature PRIDErack events experibeen locked upSaMo in a bicycle in theand courtyard of ences during the month of June include:

Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 3 – 6 p.m.

Santa Monica Place, Center Plaza Santa Monica Place presents free live music every Thursday evening in June under “Lanterns of Love;” an overhead colored lantern installation that spans across Center Plaza in celebration of SaMo Pride. Commemorative Pride bandanas will be given away to guests in Center Plaza. For the full list of musical performances visit https://www. santamonicaplace.com/Events.

MIRROR ARCHIVES

the apartment complex in which she resided. The victim had been able to supply a detailed description of the suspect, which had also been conveyed to the officers, as they were en route to the location.

The officers arrived in the vicinity of the apartment complex began to scour the area. The officers Miles ofand Pride soon lurking in 1300 block June 1spotted – Junethe 30 suspect from Sundown to the Sunrise of Alley Number 10. TheSanta suspect was easy to and recThird Street Promenade, Monica Place ognize due toPier the fact that in addition to the Santa Monica description given by theThird victim Street the suspect was ridThe world-famous Promenade, ing one bicycle whilst pushing a second one his Santa Monica Place and the iconic Santawith Monfree hand.will The attempted stop this ica Pier beofficers lit up with all thetocolors of susthe pect but he tried to speed andofinJune doing so disrainbow throughout theaway month with the carded the second bicycle.

The officers eventually “Miles of Pride” light installation spanning miles of caught the man and he was arrested and taken off city streets. to jail. A search of this 21-year-old Hemet, California resident resulted in the discovery of not only the Colors of Progress seemingly obligatory burglary tools but also a June 1 – June 30 packet of methamphetamine. This man was later Third Street Promenade charged with possession of burglary tools, posses“Colors of Progress” is an art installation by sion of methamphetamine, theft and resisting or artist Philarrest.

America, created partnership with delaying Bail was set at in $10,000.

Tre Borden/Co and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.,Editor’s that will present a visual the Note: These reports are oral part ofhistory a regularofpolice LGBTQ+series movement and Police will beBlotter” displayed at coverage entitled “Alert (APB), Pride injects festivals around the U.S.into When fully installed, which some minor editorial certain police activhundreds colored, with ities in Santaof Monica.

Not allhand-painted of The Mirror’sflags coverage of quotes from members of the LGBTQ+ commuincidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. nity about futures, loves, hopes and More serioustheir crimeshistories, and police-related activities are regudreams will without hang above theinThird Street larly reported editorial the pages of thePromSanta enade. The will culminate at the Monica Mirrorart andinstallation its website, smmirror.com.

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York. The flags are inspired by the protest signs from the historic Stonewall Riots which were used to spread a powerful, important message that changed the course of history. Fifty years ago, the Stonewall Riots took place in the West Village in New York City. This act of retaliation and demand for respect sparked the LGBT movement, leading to increased equality around the world.

Smorgasburg Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Santa Monica Pier Deck Smorgasburg is “The Woodstock of Eating” and one of the largest open-air food markets in the country. With more than 90 food and shopping vendors, a beer garden, live DJs and more, Smorgasburg welcomes thousands of guests per week year-round. Smorgasburg returns to the Pier, along with special programming, decor and treats, for the SaMo PRIDE kick-off.

Kids Club with Twinkle Time Wednesday, June 5 at 11 a.m.

Santa Monica Place,Third Level Dining Deck June Kids Club will feature interactive activities and a performance by award-winning kindie music performer, Twinkle Time, who will sing her hit song, “It’s Ok to be Me.” This song is all about acceptance and inclusivity, encouraging kids to accept every person, color, and race.

Frank DeCaro and Pandora Boxx present Drag!

Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m.

MLK Jr Auditorium, Main Library 6 Author Frank DeCaro, in conversation with special guest Pandora Boxx, celebrates Pride with the release of his new book, “Drag! Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business,” an irreverent look at the history of drag queens, and their impact on pop culture and politics. A book sale and signing will follow.

Live Music under “Lanterns of Love”

House Aquatic Happy Hour Pop-ups Fridays & Saturdays, June 14, 15, 28 and 29 from 8 p.m. – Midnight Santa Monica Pier Aquarium Tickets: $45, benefiting Heal the Bay In celebration of Santa Monica’s first ever Pride, the Santa Monica Pier is delighted to introduce Happy Hour Agency’s House Aquatic, a colorful mash-up inspired by the childlike fantasy of “Peewee’s Playhouse” and the grandiose decadence of Ball culture. Guests are invited to an immersive, sensory experience with specialty themed cocktails and performances.

West Coast Rising: Gay Liberation In the Golden State Saturday, June 15 at 3 p.m. MLK Jr Auditorium, Main Library 601 Santa Monica Blvd.

Celebrate Pride with a special screening of six short documentary films exploring the early days of the Gay Liberation movement in Southern California. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Gregorio Davila, as well as a preview of his upcoming feature length documentary “L.A.A Queer History.”

Pride on the Promenade Festival Saturday, June 15 from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Third Street Promenade Celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with live theatre and musical performances, a DJ dance party, youth art project, games, Instagrammable moments, LGBTQ+ resource center, food, drinks and a signature SaMo PRIDE moment.

Cinema on the Street: “Love, Simon” Friday, June 28 from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.

North end of Third Street Promenade near Wilshire Blvd.

Enjoy a special outdoor screening of the award-winning film, “Love, Simon,” based on the novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. The teen comedy drama follows 17-year-old Simon Spier as he navigates coming out to his friends and family while falling in love with an anonymous classmate he met online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing. Rated PG-13.

For more information, sign up for the SaMo PRIDE newsletter and view of full calendar of events at https://www.smpride.com/.

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Stans 2: Los Angeles’ Premier Adult Superstore

By Staff Writer

Located on Walnut Drive backed up to the 60 Freeway (between freeway off-ramps; Nogales and Fairway north of the freeway) in Rowland Heights, Stans Adult Store has achieved what many businesses in Los Angeles wish they could.

Since first opening their doors in 1993, Stans Adult Store has never closed them. Staying open 24/7, 365 days a year for the past 26 years, has unique challenges, challenges that Stans embraced long ago making it an adult store frequenter’s paradise and late night/early morning “go to” meeting place.

This small adult store sports two group preview rooms, 18 arcade booths with 64 channels, and eight private viewing booths. Stans is a onestop shop for all your adult shopping needs.

From Lingerie to DVDs, Stans has everything from the latest Sexy Supplements, Lubricants,

Lotions, Condoms, BDSM implements, StrapOns, Realistics, 50 Shades, Bachelor and Bachelorette party supplies, Stripper Wear, Menswear and Gear, Transgender products, Ladies toys, Sex Machines, to Swings and more!. Stans DVD selection is amongst the largest and best variety in Los Angeles County.

In an era where nearly everything can be found online, it is a testament to the value and quality of products and service at Stans that accounts for this longevity. Regulars as well as outof-towners have been frequenting for decades.

Here is a social vibe which will never be replicated online that continually attracts newcomers; singles and couples of all genres.

Everything is competitively priced at Stans.

The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and ex-

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>

KICK OFF EVENT

` ⚫ BY JORGE PANIAGUA

Fueling The Feminine Force Within FEM(ME) event kicks off LA Pride by celebrating LGBTQ+ women empowerment

Ready to walk the rainbow carpet to this year’s official LA Pride women’s kick-off party? Then brace yourself for an all-encompassing event this upcoming Pride weekend: FEM(ME): Fueling The Female Force Within.

All are welcome to celebrate, and promote, the advancement of LGBTQ+ women at “FEM(ME).” The event aims to bring all members of the LGBTQ+ community together for a night filled with special guests, live performances, a documentary screening, comedy show and plenty of dancing.

“I didn’t want this to just be a women’s event,” Madonna Cacciatore, Executive Director of Christopher Street West (CSW), said. “There are so many strong, wonderful men and people who identify [as] gen-

der-fluid, people who identify [as] non-binary — we’re all part of the same community. I wanted us all together in one room as much as I could get us together.”

CSW serves as the non-profit organization which organizes the annual LA Pride Festival and Parade. In an effort to provide festival-goers with a notably inclusive experience, this year’s LA Pride theme is “#JustUnite.”

“Our power lies in our unity,” Cacciatore said. “For me, it was important to bring as many people together as possible and not have it just be sort of one part of our demographic.”

“FEM(ME)” will feature a scheduled program of events including an awards ceremony presenting the winners of both the Alexis Arquette Family Foundation awards and the LA Pride Women Who Lead awards.

Furthermore, the event will showcase a screening of the anthem “I Remember Nicole” — a music video raising awareness about domestic violence through recognition of Nicole Simpson, the former wife of retired football player and convicted rob-

ber and kidnapper, O.J. Simpson.

“It was important for us to showcase this film because it speaks to that issue very positively — not to the violence but to the triumph over it,” Cacciatore said. “We hope that it will impact somebody who may be going through it who doesn’t know how to talk about it and who might need support.”

“FEM(ME)” is a creative collaboration in-

volving an array of community partners such as Eden Entertainment Group, #IRememberNicole, LOL: Ladies of LA and Madcatch Entertainment.

FEM(ME): Fueling The Female Force Within will take place on June 2 at Palihouse West Hollywood from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Entry tickets are $25. For information on where to buy tickets, visit https://lapride.org/event/femme-party-2019/.

Happy Pride!

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

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PRIDE

LOS ANGELES

` ⚫ BY AMY PATTON

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

>

TELEVISED,

A DAY IN THE SUN

from page 9

Dyke Day L.A. is for All Queers

You hear the word “Dyke” and automatically assume this is not an event for you. Wrong.

Dyke Day L.A. simply pays homage to the Dyke Marches that paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights. As a mater of fact, the creators of Dyke Day want everyone to feel welcomed at the event, whether you identify as a womxn or not.

If you’re LGBTQ+ and part of the Los Angeles community, this day is for you! The Pride L.A. spoke with Sparrow Fox the president of Dyke Day LA about the origin of Dyke Day L.A. for those who are curious: In one sentence, what is Dyke Day L.A.?

Dyke Day is a free, all ages, inclusive day in the park for LA's diverse LGBTQ+ community.

What does “dyke” mean to you/ the organization?

Dyke Day was founded 11 years ago and the name was intended to pay homage to the history of Dyke marches and creating visibility for gay women in the community. That said, we have also always been a very queer-centered event and as time goes on we continue to be in conversation about our name and if it honors the importance we place on being inclusive to underrepresented members of our community who are cut out of mainstream pride events - families, people under the age of 21, seniors, non-binary and trans folx.

What do you say to folks interested in attending but worst hat they are not “dykes,” or won't fit in?

Dyke Day's main commitment is to create a space that is inclusive, intergenerational and that helps unify our diverse dyke, trans, non-binary, queer community and it allies. Our programming spans sports, kids, kink, dancing, puppies or just kicking in the park under a shade tree. Although we can't guarantee everyone will love it, if you show up with an open heart and a good attitude you should find your place.

What is the origin story of Dyke Day LA? Why begin such an event?

There were few, if any, all ages, free Pride events when we started Dyke Day LA. There

Photos: Courtesy Sparrow Fox.

also were not a lot of events outside of West Hollywood. Dyke Day was about filling a real need for diversity in Pride programming in LA and offering an alternative to events that centered corporate sponsors and alcohol.

Can you tell me a little bit about achieving non-profit status? Was that always a goal?

We always hoped to grow into a non-profit and expand our community offerings. It was a big achievement and one that we thought, at 10 years, really honored the history of the event and ensures the sustainability of the event itself and the growth of Dyke Day's efforts moving forward!

Why is it important to have Dyke Day for the LGBTQ+ community of Los Angeles?

Dyke Day is important because we offer an alternative to other Pride events for anyone who doesn't resonate with celebrating their Pride at a bar or paying to attend a Pride festivity or wants to have their kids (or puppies) with them!

What can attendees expect this

year? Anything new/exciting?

We have increased our programming this year to give attendees more opportunities to engage with fun activities! Follow us on social @dykedayla for updates on all of the great programming we have scheduled. As the event has grown, we've also identified the need to update the layout of the space to better manage the crowds and maintain the relaxed "day in the park" feel.

Does Dyke Day L.A. have a presence at LA Pride?

Our board members support and attend a number of LA Pride events and you can find us at the West Hollywood Dyke March on Friday night this year. As a very small volunteer-run organization, our only official Pride presence as Dyke Day is at the park.

What does Pride mean to you?

For Dyke Day, Pride is about celebrating while honoring the work that the generations before us and many today still put in to ensure our rights, our visibility, our humanity, and our privilege to come together as a community and celebrate!

to televise the L.A. Pride festival, as well as the famous West Hollywood parade.

The live coverage of the parade will be co-hosted by the beloved (yet controversial) Raven-Symone, along with KABC regulars Ellen Leyva and Brandi Hitt for a special two-hour broadcast on June 9.

“I am honored to be a part of this year’s Pride celebration,” Community Grand Marshall Phill Wilson said to CSW. “The LGBTQI community has come a long way in the last 50 years. It has not been without heartache, pain, sacrifice, and growth. I am humbled to be among such a powerful and diverse group of grand marshals. Together we represent how much stronger we are when we celebrate all of what we are.”

The Los Angeles LGBT Center, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with the opening of a new Senior Campus, will take the role of Organizational Grand Marshal.

“We are humbled and honored to have Phill Wilson and the Los Angeles LGBT Center serve as the Grand Marshals for LA Pride 2019.” said Estevan Montemayor, CSW Board President, in a press release.

“Together, these people and the organizations they represent have made an indelible and important mark on the LGBTQ+ community that has improved and enriched the lives of many individuals who have faced so much adversity. Our grand marshals inspire us, empower us and are examples of how to unite our community. We are so excited that KABC is here to increase the awareness of our grand marshals and LA Pride.”

There’s no denying that the queer community has come a long way since the early days of the parade, when you could still get booked for a blow job. With queer and trans rights currently under attack by the Trump administration, the show of support, optimism and pride might be just what the community needs to see on small screens everywhere.

“We’re proud to bring the L.A. Pride Parade celebration to viewers across Southern California,” Cheryl Fair, president and general manager of KABC, told Deadline.

“Our collaboration with LA Pride is a commitment to reflecting and serving the diverse communities that represent our audience.”

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LOS ANGELES

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

>

LOS ANGELES

⚫ 27

GAY L.A.

THEIR NAME STILL SPELLS “LESBIAN”

When SCWU, or Southern California Women for Understanding, started up in 1976, it quickly became the largest lesbian society in Los Angeles, and potentially the rest of the country. For thirty years, the organization flourished under the leadership of Betty Berzon and Myra Riddell, two women with backgrounds in psychotherapy. In 1982, the queer paper Lesbian News deemed it the “largest lesbian support group” in the United States.

So why don’t you or I know about it?

Maybe it’s the fact that as a culture, we’re just starting to pay attention to women’s stories.

Maybe it’s that queer women’s stories and initiatives have been regularly ignored or assumed to be less than newsworthy by the straight (and let’s be honest, even the queer) press.Whatever the reason, that’s all about to change.

“And Our Name Spells Lesbian! The Story of SCWU” just screened at Council Chambers in the West Hollywood library as part of the city’s leadup to Pride in June, in collaboration with WeHo’s Lesbian Speakers event series and the June Mazer Lesbian Archives, where the SCWU’s thirty years of archival materials are kept.

Started as part of a mission to "enhanc[e] the quality of life for [the lesbian] community and

for lesbians nationwide, [promote] creative and positive exchange about homosexuality, [and] chang[e] stereotypical images of lesbians,” the organization was begun, in part, as a protest.

When Myra Riddell, a psychotherapist and the eventual President of the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, decided to break away from the male-dominated group therapy spaces she moved in to start something completely by and for women, she got a fair amount of pushback. After meeting fellow therapist (and life partner) Betty Berzon in 1976, the two tried to use the Whitman-Radclyffe Foundation, a then-influential activist hub in Southern California, for their purposes. But instead of being encouraged by other members of the group, they found themselves being ignored and overshadowed by gay men with different concerns.

They took things into their own hands, establishing the SCWU that same year. Before this time, there had never been an open meetup for accomplished, professional lesbians who weren’t interested in hiding their sexuality. Still, the fact that so many women still feared being outed meant that Berzon and Riddell needed to be discreet about the name.

By emphasizing the “understanding” part of

Photos: SCWU Archives.

For thirty years, Southern California Women for Understanding existed as a safe place for lesbians across Los Angeles.

the equation, the women could market the group as a place for openness and exploration, where women could come out in their own time, if and when they felt comfortable.

"We knew there was a tremendous, untapped pool of energy and talent among lesbians, particularly those who had achieved a level of success in their careers," Riddell wrote in an article in 1999. "These women tended to be very isolated and closeted, and we realized our first goal would be to provide a safe environment."

By the 1980s, the group was one thousand members strong, with new chapters popping up across the southern part of the state. Together, they fought harmful initiatives like the Briggs Measure in 1978 which, if passed, would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in schools.

Berzon and Riddell both passed away before they could see the film: Berzon in 2006, Riddell in 2008. If they were still here, there’s no doubt they’d be pleased to see their hard work commemorated onscreen.

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⚫ 28

CULTURE THEATRE

` ⚫ BY AMY PATTON

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

>

THESPIAN LESBIAN

LGBTQ Seniors Share Their Love Stories in “I Do!”

NewStages is providing an artistic outlet for the LGBTQ+ seniors in the Los Angeles area.

Comprising of 10-25 participants at any given time, the group meets up on Saturdays to share life stories relating to the season’s theme.

This year, the topic is love in “I Do!” NewStages shared their stories with the community on May 25-26 at the Renberg Theatre. The Pride L.A. spoke with program directors and participants about their experiences. Check out the interviews below:

Mark Salyer Can you introduce yourself and your relationship to NewStages?

Mark Salyer. I’m a director/producer and teacher and have been working in the arts for almost thirty years. For more info and bio, www.marksalyer.com What is NewStages?

NewStages started around 8 years ago as a part of Stagebridge, the nation’s largest senior theater company. Bruce Bierman, a San Francisco based teaching artist started teaching classes at the LA LGBT Center. We became NewStages in 2013 and we’re now a part of the Los Angeles based Oasis Theater Company. I came on board in 2012 and have since taught classes in Acting, Musical Theater and our current project, which is a performance/story-telling workshop that culminates in a performance each Spring.

What is special/unique about what you guys do?

I think the community we serve is what makes us unique.This is a group of people who have seen a huge part of the story of gay liberation. Their personal narratives are what we try to bring to every project we do.

How many participants do you have at given time?

Our classes have ranged in size from 10 to 25.

This year, we have 14 performers. Many of them have had experience working professionally but for many, this is something they’ve always wanted to do and are finally getting the opportunity. It’s a diverse group.

What do they think of the program?

They love the opportunity to speak out loud about the lives they’ve led. They love performing.

We incorporate music, so there is the great joy of singing together that seems to help us form this community.

What is “I Do” about?

I was with this group of people, rehearsing one of our shows, when the gay marriage ruling was announced. It was the very best place in the world to be that day. There were tears and celebration.

Most every one of our participants had started out their lives closeted, feeling isolated, treated horribly by society. Now we could get married. I don’t think many of them thought they’d see this happen in their lifetimes. I thought it would be a great idea to explore marriage and relationships to see how this generation created love when our society didn’t allow us to have the same in-

stitutions as straight people. Is marriage the end goal of gay liberation or an important piece of the puzzle? How does this generation feel about marriage? Is it important to them?

What has been interesting about worshiping this narrative?

I was surprised at how many people have said that they never believed in the concept of marriage, probably because it wasn’t something they could legally have.As a result, LGBTQ people created their own concepts about relationships.They didn’t have to follow rules. If society wouldn’t acknowledge their relationships, they were allowed to make up their own ideas about love. Interestingly, some of those same people have been with their partners for decades.

I also have found it interesting how many people have a hard time talking about what it felt like to first fall in love. Maybe it’s because we were forced to be closeted and to keep silent for so many years. Once they do open up about love though, it’s magical.

What is your involvement with One City One Pride?

We’ve been a part of the festival since the beginning.The City of West Hollywood is one of our sponsors. I love this festival and love the idea of celebrating Pride all month. Art changes lives. It certainly changes people’s hearts.

Can you tell us a little bit about the performance coming up at the end of the month?

We will have about 14 performers telling stories and singing songs about love. It’s very special and full of heart and humor.The musical director is Debbie Lawrence. I co-direct the performance with Broadway veteran Kay Cole.

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is something we, as LGBTQ people, decided to take back. When we were ridiculed and marginalized, we found the courage to stand up, march, celebrate, and even laugh at ourselves.

Pride is being able to tell your story with courage and conviction and to have it be heard.

Kay Cole

Teaching artist and co-director of I Do! I am forever grateful to Mary Salyer (Producer/ Director of New Stages) for asking me to direct these amazing shows celebrating the senior’s of the LGBTQ community. It has been a dream experience because this awesome group of courageous and honorable people, not only survived with their humanity and humor in tact, but with a heartfelt contribution to the world. They Have never lost their goal of hope and inclusion and love. I am honored to be a part of this community.

Debbie Lawrence Musical Director for New Stages LA. What I enjoy most is hearing everyone’s life experiences, which always stir emotions, whether they are funny or moving and powerful.

This year’s theme is interesting. I am enjoying hearing of the different feelings about gay marriage.

My partner is performing in the show. Our story is about our lives as visually impaired and blind lesbians and our view of marriage.

The heterosexual world needs to be made aware of the fact that we as lesbians and gay men, have the same rights, and the same feelings and desires as they do. We aren’t going away, and the sooner they accept that, the better.

Love? It’s growing in to a relationship. Bringing all the wreckage of the past, working through it, together and separately—and sometimes that isn’t pretty—but knowing there is no one else in the universe I want to go through life with. It’s coming home from work to tell my partner about the politics at my workplace, and knowing she understands, supports and sympathizes. It’s looking forward to snuggling with her in bed, watching the news. It’s talking, talking, and talking long after dinner, or breakfast on Sunday, because we never run out of things to say. It’s so much more.

Pride is being able to tell our story, staying together, knowing that there is acceptance from members of our families and straight friends, and being the first of our blind and visually impaired friends to come out of the closet.

Ariane Gordon Participant This is my fourth season with NewStages I have always enjoyed performing. It is one of my passions of my life. This is an opportunity I’ve always dreamed of.This is the way I get to express myself. Being with the LGBTQ community I feel a sense of belonging.

The “I Do” theme this year is very appropriate.

Gay marriage is such an important historical even for us in our community.

My partner and I are blind and visually impaired.

We just celebrated our 48th year as lovers. We would like to share what it was like for us as two disabled lesbians finding our way through our friendship and love in the most dramatic and gentle way. Sharing our happy moments and touch moments. Standing together tall and proud of being who we truly are. Never letting others dictate our lives for their sakes.

It’s important to share our story, because it’s a very dear history or our life together. We started our as friends and it developed into love. It is an inspiring story of courage, strength, love, truth, and pride in who you are! It shows others that blind people can love; be loved; and have a life with someone they choose to spend their life with. I don’t want pity. I want to inspire.

Pride: Pride in the history of my LGBTQ and our achievements.

Being proud of ones own personal history of being LGBTQ situation. Standing tall with pride of who you truly are.

Love mean: It is a feeling of caring and compassion for someone or something. Love is a warm smile. Love is whatever you hold sacred.

Scott Bernstein Participant This is my fourth year with NewStages.

I enjoy Performing with NewStages, because being blind, it gives me a sense of freedom Plus it gives me a sense of collaboration not only with the cast, but with my guide dog; who upstages me every time.

What do I think Of this year’s theme? I think there is always room for love.

My story is about overcoming the pity that some people have for you when you are single and blind.

Pride: There are some in the gay community who believe that the past should be in the past.

However, my past is someone’s present.

Love means: Never having to say you’re not proud.

Carl Moebus Participant I’ve been with NEW STAGES and its predecessor STAGEBRIDGE for 6 years.

Besides giving me the opportunity to learn and grow my musical talents every year, I enjoy singing and sharing the stories of my life which are cued

I DO, see page 29

5.31 – 6.13.2019 I DO,

from page 28 by each year’s Pride theme.

I DO is about love and sharing. For me “I DO” is a love commitment with or without a piece of paper and I do not rule out marriage for me if we both want to seal our love in that way.

This year my story is of my first gay love and it’s 7 year commitment span.

I share this because today’s LGBQ youngsters need to be aware of what we personally experienced about gay love in the past.

Lauren Peterson Participant New Stages: 3 years I enjoy it because it is a supportive environment, where we can do something that is really scary. Get up and sing in public. I really love the classes and the vocal exercises, and the work we get to do with Mark and Debbie. We also get to sing harmonies, in the group numbers, which is so fun. Debbie and Mark make it fun.

To me “I Do” is about making a commitment to someone or something. Not all of us want to submit to marriage, as you will see from the stories. It is interesting to see how we craft “I Do” in our lives. When you are marginalized and excluded from the mainstream it causes you to look inward and find out what truly works for you and your life, your family, genetic or chosen.

My story is about the long term commitment I have succeeded in making.The one to my son.

Visibility is power. What you see on stage are human beings.Their loves, their losses, their flaws, their insecurities, their strengths. I think anyone who comes to the show, will see someone they can relate to, whether they are in the LGBTG community or not.

Love to me is realizing you care for someone more than yourself. Relationships are not easy.

You have to compromise and sacrifice, even in the best relationships.When you truly love someone, you are willing to step outside your comfort zone, and stay through the hard times.

Pride to me is being willing to be honest about who you are, even though some may judge, label, criticize and categorize you. Even as you grapple with your pronouns and sexual and gender identity. As seniors it’s being willing to be the face of queer for the young LGBTQ community.

Again Visibility is power.

Phyllis Rose-Child Participant I’ll go to a theater and walk right past the the ticket-taker. I always have a ticket just in case my superpower of invisibility doesn’t work. I don’t want to be embarrassed.Who knew growing older would bring so much fun.

My point is there are very few times that a 75-year-old woman has a chance to shine. New Stages is one of them.

Every year I look forward to the rehearsals and the performance. It’s wonderful to work with professionals who don’t censor but only enhance.

They really make a bunch of amateurs look really good. It’s fun. It’s challenging. Mostly, it’s really scary to be on the stage in front of an audience.

“I Do!” is presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division as part of the City’s One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival (May 22 – June 30).

More info at www.weho.org/pride or WeHo Arts

LOS ANGELES

⚫ 29

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

30

CULTURE THEATRE

` ⚫ BY AMY PATTON

>

THESPIAN LESBIAN

“Shooting Star” De-stigmatizes Porn

The porn industry is a $97 billion business, making it bigger than the music industry. Yet, it remains an industry that is frowned upon and considered taboo. “Shooting Star”– A Revealing New Musical,” based on porn star Florian Klein’s biographical novel on his experiences in the industry, breaks the stereotype and prejudice that society tends to mentally assign anyone associated with porn.

“Shooting Star,” which runs now until June 30, shows the human side of porn by focusing on the performers in the adult film world: their hopes, lives, and dreams.

The Pride L.A. spoke with Florian Klein about the musical and his experiences. Check it out:

Can you introduce yourself. Who are you/what is your relation to the musical “Shooting Star” My name is Florian Klein aka Hans Berlin.

I’m the creator and book writer of ““Shooting Star” – A Revealing New Musical” (As we’re in LA – ‘book’ is the musical theater term for ’script’ ) How much of it is actually based on your life?

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Actually, a lot. Just like Taylor, whose story we’re telling, I also came to Hollywood to become a movie star – which didn’t really work out as planned. When I ran out of money, I started go-go dancing at Micky’s in West Hollywood (In “Shooting Star”, Taylor starts dancing at The Black Rooster, a fictional club in LA where all the pornstars and their admirers hang out. The Black Rooster is basically a combination of all the East and West Coast clubs I was go-go dancing – a little Fubar, some Faultline, some HERE Lounge, and a lot of New York COCK).

It was through go-go dancing that I was recruited for porn. My first answer – “I can’t do that. I’m an actor!” is also Taylor’s response when that happens to him. But once I learned that porn is not really that different from Hollywood (except that #MeToo happens in front of the camera and you get paid for it) – I gave in and shot my first porno in 2012. I found amazing people in a world that society still stigmatizes as dirty and bad. Like Taylor, I found a family of friends – but so far, haven’t fallen in love head over heels with one of my scene partners.That might still happen – as I’m still in the industry Why create a semi-autobiographical musical?

I never wanted to write a musical. I always wanted to act in one (I’m also not acting in this one by the way – I leave that to our super professional cast – they’re better – much better!) I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Like I said, porn was definitely not something I came to LA for. But all of sudden, like on a silver platter, the story of “Shooting Star” unfolded itself right in front of my eyes. And because I became a part of this story, I experienced the same stigma and challenges that everyone else in the industry has to face. Suddenly I felt this urge to break the porn stigma and tell the story of these fascinating people I met – I wanted to tell my story – that even though I became a ‘pornstar,’ I stayed true to my values,

and didn’t change into this sex-craved, drug-addicted victim society likes to see us.

The musical covers topics such as identity and the taboos of the gay porn INDUSTRY. What do you hope the audience takes away from such a rich story?

Although “Shooting Star” takes place in the world of gay porn, it deals with subjects that everyone in the audience can relate to.A slightly older lady said to me after seeing one of our presentations in New York:“ I saw myself in the older pornstar who’s at the end of his career.

That’s what usually happens to us women – once we’re not deemed attractive anymore, society drops us like a hot potato.”

And that’s the main message of “Shooting Star” – don’t judge a book by its cover.

‘Porn-people’ are not different from anyone else. We all need love, a family of friends, and something that gives us a purpose in life – some of us still have to figure out what that is. That’s why I decided to make Taylor a lot younger than I was when I started doing the X. Taylor is in his early 20s – I was in my early 40s.

Is this musical educational or more for entertainment?

It’s EDUTAINMENT – I love how society can just make up new words! But seriously, you’ll be blown away by how we’re going to entertain you. And you’ll learn something about a world that’s so foreign to most of us because you care about the characters you meet and what happens to them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll leave the theater, never looking at porn again the way that you used to (because, come on, we all do it lol) What was your favorite scene to see come alive on stage?

So far, I don’t really have a favorite scene yet.

I’m very happy that the last few scenes work exactly as I imagined them to be. And that’s also thanks to the wonderful music and lyrics by Thomas Zaufke (Composer) and Erik Ransom (Lyricist). In general, the best thing

about “Shooting Star” has been watching the audience – how they react and connect to the story and the characters I created. I think in many ways I’m still like Taylor – even though I’m over 20 years older than he is, like him, I’m still looking for that one thing in life that tells me:You’ve done good.

Why should people watch this?

I’m telling you – we’ll be the biggest little show in Los Angeles. We’re opening at the prestigious Hudson Theatre in Hollywood that in no way can compare in size and budget to the big players like the Geffen, the Pantages or the Ahmanson. But “Shooting Star” will be able to compete with their productions, as we’re bringing a complete Broadway-style show with a five-piece live band to a 99 seat theater. Everyone in my team (including my amazing director Michael Bello, my star choreographer Jim Cooney and the fabulous Angela Wendt, who among many other great costume creations, is also the original costume designer for the worldwide phenomenon RENT) is working really hard to entertain the living daylights out of you. And – our tickets are a lot more affordable – the cheapest start at $20, and go up to $40 for the first two rows – for those of you who like to sit really close to the action (yes, there is tasteful nudity, that we put in to drive the story ahead, and not just for the sake of nudity!). By the way, don’t come to the theater expecting to see porn. “Shooting Star” focuses on the performers in the Adult Film Industry – if you want to watch their films, you have to do that in the privacy of your own home, or go to the STUDS THEATRE – it’s just a few blocks down the street from us “Shooting Star” runs from May 25 through June 30th at Hudson Mainstage Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd). Tickets are available at: www.Onstage411.com/Star

5.31 – 6.13.2019 LA PRIDE OPINION

` ⚫ BY AIDAN PARK

>

LOS ANGELES

⚫ 31

DEAR AIDAN

DEAR AIDAN: How to Avoid Ex at Pride Dear Aidan, I am going to a Pride party this weekend! Unfortunately I recently had an ugly breakup last week with a boyfriend with whom I had a toxic relationship with and we run in the same circle. I tried to reach out to him but he refuses to talk to me and I hear he is very angry from mutual friends. I am sure to see him at these parties and I am concerned and he or I will get jealous, activated or upset by seeing each other at these parties. Is there any advice that you give us?

Dear Heartbreaker, I am so sorry that you are going through a break up. It's never easy and seeing a guy that you love after you guys have decided to end it, especially if it ended badly.

The first thing you must realize is that you cannot control what he does. In fact you can't control what ANYONE DOES. So if someone has ill will toward you, they could do a myriad of things that may upset you. It's like a dog that craps on the floor.You can't get mad at it if you are choosing to

be around him... and since you are hanging around him there is a chance you will smell crap while you are around him so you have to just accept it and bring the metaphorical pooper scooper to deal with it when it DOES happen!

Since you cannot control the behavior of your ex and it would be a terrible use of energy trying to do that, let's take charge of our lives in a different way that is more effective instead.

This is what you must do: 1) Accept where you currently ARE 2) Know what you WANT 3) ASSESS the map to set yourself up for success.

This is a good lesson for anyone facing a situation they do not like.You must first figure out what YOU want and work around the terrain from where you are. For example, if you want to get to New York from California, complaining about all the mountains in the way and how terrible it would be to hike through the mountains is not going to do ANYTHING...Trying to get the mountains to be flatter by whining about them isn't going to work. But with the understanding that you are in California, and that there are roads in New York, and car rentals, you can get to New

Follow Aidan on Insta/Facebook/Twitter @Aidanparkshow Check out Aidan’s funny advice podcast @WhatToDoShow and his tour dates and more at aidanpark.com. .

York; it just takes a little bit of planning.

So what do we want? We want a SEXY GOOD TIME, LAUGHS, FUN, FRIENDS, EXCITEMENT, MUSIC. and what is the reality of the situation?

You have an ex-boyfriend who is very angry with you who may behave irratically. So, given the "Terrain" and "Where you are" and "where you want to get to"... What is the easiest way for you to achieve this given the current conditions? Be more dedicated to what you want than anything else, including the need to "Be right" or garnering sympathy for your current situation.

In order for you to have all that you want from Pride...You may have to remove yourself from the group and go with others if it's too raw for you.

This may mean that you have a mediation session with your ex-boyfriend and create boundaries before the party.You may have to think creatively but there are literally a MILLION WAYS to have a fabulous time at Pride regardless of what your ex says, does or thinks!

I do not know the full terrain of your map so I cannot give you specific directions. But what I CAN say is.. you deserve to have a great time at Pride and that you can take your power back by setting yourself up for success!

Follow Aidan on Insta/Facebook/Twitter @Aidanparkshow Check out Aidan’s funny advice podcast @WhatToDoShow and his tour dates and more at aidanpark.com.

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CULTURE ART

` ⚫ BY MELANIE CAMP

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

>

BEAUTIFUL HOLLYWOOD

Going Bak in Time with a Photographer

Spying a thirteen-year-old Sunny Bak, amongst a crowd of New York paparazzi, Elizabeth Taylor showed concern that the young photographer was up so late past bedtime. But, that’s what you get when the school of life sees you interning with a gang of wisened paps.

Bak said of Taylor, “We were all following her around. She would get back to her hotel at two a.m. each night. One night she looked at me and said ‘Aren't you a little young to be out so late?’

I said to her, ‘well if you didn’t stay out so late I wouldn’t have to be up so late.’ ” The next night, Taylor returned to her hotel before midnight.

The photographer and now, Venice Art Crawl President, said she started running with the paparazzi simply because it gave her a chance to take photos.

“I never knew who we were photographing.”

Explaining how she would run with the pack and snap whoever appeared the target. Many of her pictures remained undeveloped.

“I fell in love with the magic of photography, maybe when I was five? My dad brought me to a dark room, and I saw pictures magically appear in the water, and it was like, ‘Woah!’ It blew my mind,” said Bak. Working as a journalist in New York, Bak’s father gifted the would be photographer her first camera, a Nikon Rangefinder.

At 18, Bak rented her first studio where she focused on fashion photography. “My days shooting with the paparazzi taught me to get in-focus shots fast, and people appreciated how quick I could get the studio shots they needed.” Using stand-ins also helped Bak streamline shoots. Often enlisting some local guys who went to become the Beastie Boys. It was, “the end of The Young and the Useless, which was their punk rock band and they were just starting to be the Beastie Boys, and they were playing around locally and stuff.”

Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz were regulars at the studio, “I used to wonder why they were hanging out so much then I worked it out, the models,” said Bak. While waiting for talent to arrive, Bak would put the fellas to work and have them stand on set she positioned the lights. She has many prints of Diamond, Yauch, and Horovitz hamming for the camera. All this was long before “License to Ill,” the album for which Bak snapped the picture on the gatefold.

The group shot the video for their song “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” at Bak’s studio.“The video was made at my studio, and my photos are all over it,” said Bak. In fact, the band spent so much time in her studio, its location is

marked on a map in the Beastie Boys Book released last year.

Bak’s photos are the stuff of legend. A rockstar here, movie star there, and one of the ten best selling Newsweek covers, ever. For this shoot, Bak captured Catherine Angiel and her then-girlfriend Ashley Herrin in her arms. The headline read, “Lesbians.”

Bak said labels were never something she or her friends subscribed to living and loving in New York in the ‘80s. She describes the time as a sexually liberated period where people were not gay or bisexual but more so, “just sexual. It just, sort of, was fluid.Whatever happened, happened.”

A surge of creativity electrified the city and Bak’s life, from the late ’70s to mid-‘80s. “It was a very creative time, and there was a lot of freedom and experimentation. It was an exciting time because anything went and everything did,” said Bak who at this point hadn’t considered labeling her sexuality.

The outbreak of AIDs shuttered free love and saw a new wave of homophobia flood the mid’80s. “There was no AIDS until it happened in ’85/’86 and then guys were dying like crazy, and it was head spinning,” said Bak explaining how AIDS attached a new stigma to being gay. Before that “I just feel like it was sorta great and creative and wild and…free.”

Today she lives in Venice, California with her partner, Director Gina Rubenstein. Bak refers to herself as “a gay woman.” However, there is a hesitation to go there. Not out of shame, but more so out of reluctance to cow-tow to society’s need to label and, a nod to a more creative and accepting time.

Bak’s life traces through a collage of pictures that document the experiences and adventure of love, people, and places from the mid-‘70s to to-

day. She said, she is still discovering swaths of undeveloped film from her paparazzi days.“I’ll develop the film and be like,‘oh look, it’s Andy Warhol.’

Or, ‘Ha! That was the night Ad-Rock and I were out late getting ketchup in a bodega.’ ” Fleeting, real moments with the famous, captured forever and for Bak, this is yet another example of how photography can be magic.

Listen to an exclusive Beautiful Hollywood podcast with Sunny Bak on Anchor FM find it at anchor.fm/ beautiful-hollywood.

Catch the next Venice Art Crawl and Flower Fest, from 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Saturday, June 1 on Rose Avenue in Venice.The after party is at Venice Ale House, 2 Rose Ave.,Venice from 6:00 pm - 2:00 pm.

On July 13, the Venice Art Crawl and Mar Vista Art Walk are joining forces to create GetAround, an art event that runs from the 405 to the beach along Venice Boulevard. There will be shuttles but anyone heading to the event are encouraged to bike, scoot, or ride-share.

Listen to the Beautiful Hollywood Podcast with Melanie Camp and hear Sunny Bak share his story at https://anchor.fm/beautiful-hollywood/embed/episodes/Beastie-Bak-e3a1kl.

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5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

97 21st-century currency 1 New Hampshire’s is 21 98 Competitor kilometers long of Allure 6 Simultaneously 99 ____ bean 13 Actress Rivera 100 The Stones’“Aftermath” and “Flowers” 18 Layer of the earth 101 The U.S.S. Maine sank in its 19 Knight in a medieval romance harbor 20 Monopoly pieces 103 “M*A*S*H” actor David 22 21 Ogden ____ 25 But nevertheless 105 Agent, informally 26 Chicken choice 106 21 27 Practices 110 Action hero Steven crystal gazing 111 Shape of every Baha’i temple 28 LAX listing, 112 Component for short of natural gas 29 Where the Bactrian camel 113 Without is native smiling, say 31 Leave unsaid 114 “Workers of 32 Scenery chewers the world, unite!” and others 33 Former Nebraska senator James 115 Hurdles for aspiring D.A.s 34 21 40 One might DOWN be cast in a Harry Potter film 1 Pens 41 Famous writer who entered 2 Erstwhile West Point at 21 3 Raiders’ org.

42 Alias of rapper Sean Combs 4 One covered with food stains, 43 Sadat and say Arafat, e.g.

5 Hellion 47 Polling abbr.

48 Certain dumbbell weight: Abbr. 6 Transport “to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem” 51 21 7 Sad, in French 59 What a hungover person might or Spanish have had 8 “____ that somethin’?”

60 Who said, “The opposite of 9 Bit of a scolding love is not hate, it’s indifference” 10 End of an illness?

61 Line of 11 Fu ____ work: Abbr.

12 Memory trace 62 Crunchy sandwich, 13 Inferior in quality for short 14 Harleys, e.g.

63 Pick, with “for” 15 Suffix with señor 64 Prefix with cycle 16 Sent an important message, 65 Replicas once 70 Doing evil 17 In sum 74 21 18 Settlers of the Yucatán Peninsula 76 Moreno 21 Summer Olympics host after and Hayworth Atlanta 77 B&B 23 Showcase 78 Old British firearms 24 Something 79 What “you know you make me a sea star can regenerate wanna” do, in a classic R&B 30 So much fun song 33 Nonpoisonous, 82 Loos as mushrooms 83 Dirección 35 California town whose name toward sunset is Spanish for 87 21 “the river” 96 “Out of Africa” author Dinesen 36 Put in (for)

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51 Clowns 52 Twist open 53 Brand of wafers 54 Dossier contents 55 Lots 56 You, in Yucatán 57 Italian city where St. Valentine was born

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This Week’s Sudoku Puzzle

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58 Movers and shakers 66 White’s co-author of “The Elements of Style” 67 Query from Judas 68 Witty zinger 69 Guardian Angel Curtis ____ 70 Capital of Belarus 71 Unfriend?

72 Otherwise 73 Start for every Perry Mason title, with “The” 75 Old civil rights org.

79 Guzzles 80 Unlike dial-up internet service, informally 81 How one might wish 84 Ogle 85 Bars 86 Tick away

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BY ANDREW CHAIKIN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

S W I L L S

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88 Almost 89 Sirs, to Brits 90 Smarts 91 Bygone Cambodian leader with a palindromic name 92 George, Jane or Judy, on old TV 93 Contents of a saucer, maybe 94 “21 Grams” actress DuVall 95 Niblet 101 Get better 102 Scandium’s is 21: Abbr.

103 Sonic the Hedgehog creator 104 Retired fliers, for short 107 ____ Fridays 108 Witch 109 “Huh?”

STAR GAZING

By Samuel Prince ARIES (March 21-April 19) Aries today will be able to acquire some valuable object. True, you will pay a little more for it than was planned in your family budget. Due to this expenditure, you will have to give up one other purchase.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Taurus will not remember this day. Friday will adequately end the weekdays and will very harmoniously start your long-awaited weekend. This evening, along with your family, you will go to your country house or spend time outside.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Today should be conducted at a moderate pace. Give up haste in any kind of affairs (especially those that are inextricably linked to your profession). Bring to perfection your current project, not avoiding the little things.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Cancers today have to fulfill an unfamiliar role at an important family event. Perhaps relatives will unanimously make you toastmaster or host, or decide it is you who are entrusted to entertain the younger members of those gathered at the party.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Leos have to spend this Friday on endless shopping trips. You will choose a wardrobe for the coming vacation, carefully remembering every bit of advice you read on the internet. So, you will have many nice things that can make your appearance even more attractive.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Virgos today will be in the whirlpool of passions, incinerating in their heat. The person who caused you such a storm of emotions does not even guess this (more precisely, you yourself will do everything in their power to prevent them from guessing).

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Libra today should abandon long meditations. Once you are asked a very serious question related to the future of your career, respond immediately. Asking for time to consider, you yourself declare the result.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Scorpios will enjoy the events of this day. You will visit the graduation of your grown-up child (or the child of a relative). Watching what is happening on the stage, tears will form in your eyes, and you will not try to restrain them.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarius will achieve full peace of mind. You will easily work all the hours you set, and then go to have fun in the company of your best friend or girlfriend.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Capricorn is destined to win the lottery. It will not be a significant prize, but it will inspire you. You decide to invest all your free funds in this game to increase the size of your “payoff”. However, you should not forget that luck is very changeable.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Aquarius today will be too scholarly in professional affairs.

Carefully studying every little thing in your current project, you will achieve a brilliant result. Your fears will be confirmed, however, and you will actually find a small slip committed by one of your partners.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Pisces is not recommended to blindly believe the advice received from relatives and friends. They certainly want you only good, but their opinions, whatever one may say, are subjective. That is, none of the people close to you is able to give an exact answer.

A S T T L E F O R D B R E A O M B E R O L L A R A B S I N A T O O M B S I M I T S O N R I T A U T N I N G K E U H A V T E R S G A L I L Y

L O N N O L

B R A I N S

I N T E L

S M A L L A S A T R A I N

T R I S T E

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

C L E A E Y E T E S T L I M B

K E R N E L F O E N S W C H E E S Y

H I T A O T E L S G A L L Y S E T D E X O N A D E L E D I D D Y L B A L U T E I E S E L T R I I C E N T F A D I E N S O E S T E T O T A L F A V A S R E P S W E R S T H A N E S A T S

5.31 – 6.13.2019

LOS ANGELES

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Pride Week

Morgan Stanley Beverly Hills Complex Ken Sullivan Managing Director — Wealth Management Complex Manager

Nicole Dickerson First Vice President Branch Manager

9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste 600 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 310-285-2600 Ken.Sullivan@morganstanley.com

9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste 600 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 310-285-4800 Nicole.Dickerson@morganstanley.com

Katey Murphy Senior Vice President Branch Manager

Nick Gormley Executive Director Branch Manager

10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste 2000 Los Angeles, CA 90024 310-443-0500

100 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste 1900 Santa Monica, CA 90401 310-319-5200 Nicholas.Gormley@morganstanley.com

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