The Standard Magazine

FEBRUARY, 2016 | VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 THESTANDARDPS.COM

IT’S A MOD MOD WORLD MODERNISM 2016

STORYTELLING IN MANY VOICES N AT I V E F I L M F E ST

CONTENTS VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

theStandardPS.com twitter.com/theStandardPS THE FORMER 1957 J.W. ROBINSONS DEPARTMENT STORE

BY PEREIRA & LUCKMAN AT 333 S. PALM CANYON DR, MODERNISM WEEK CAMP PHOTO BY GEORGE AQUINO, 1967

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DESIGN BY MAYA KALABIC

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Volume 4 Issue 2 FEATURE*

NATIVE FILMFEST PAGES 28-30

COVER IT’S A MOD, MOD, MOD WORLD MODERNISM 2016 COVER BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY COMPOUND FEATURE STORY TELLING IN MANY VOICES NATIVE FILMFEST ADVICE TIPS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY JALLEN RIX

FEBRUARY 2016 3

COMMENTARY

The Standard Magazine 1111 Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs CA 92262 760-831-4869 Nino Eilets Publisher Luciano McNulty Editor Maya Kalabic Art Director Photographer David A. Lee Contributors Gretchen Aubuchon, William Cooke, Mark Dawson, Cindy Duffy, Chris Heritage, Lee Lynch, Dennis Mason, Jallen Rix, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Pinkie Merengue Shimmer & Ken Toth www.thestandardps.com Editorial Credits : BrandPoint, Huffington Post, LGBTQ Nation & Project Publicity The Standard Magazine is published monthly. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of the Standard or its staff, advertisers or readers with exception of editorials.

Publication of the name or photograph of any person, business or organization in articles or advertising in the Standard is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person, business or organization. The Standard disclaims any responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Advertising rates are subject to change without notice. The Standard reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any advertisement for any reason including, but not limited to poor taste. It is the policy of The Standard that we only publish letters to the editor that are signed by the author and verifiable by phone number. We can reserve the right of anonymity upon request. The letters need to be original, in good taste and free of libel as well as edited for clarity and grammar. Letters are subject to editing by The Standard that also reserves the right to decline print. Please forward your letters to: info@thestandardps.com The views expressed is not necessarily those of The Standard. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. No portion of the publication may

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COVER

IT’S A MOD, MOD, MOD WORLD PS MODERNISM 2016

ABERNATHY HOUSE BY WILLIAM CODY / PHOTO BY DAVID A. LEE

Modernism Week’s signature February festival is a celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in Palm Springs California. The annual 11-day festival features a rich array of events including the Modernism Show & Sale, tours of iconic homes, architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours, a world-class lecture & film series, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands, a Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedication, vintage fashion, classic cars, garden tours, a vintage travel trailer exhibition, and much more.

This look, characterized by clean lines and elegant simplicity, redefined forms of art, architecture, and design. Held in various venues throughout the city, the event easily offers more than 100 entertaining and educational events, including the Modernism Show, tour, films, lectures, swank parties, art exhibitions, music, food, fun,

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and more. Many events are free to the public. In fact, some valley visitors who inadvertently find their way to events are so taken with desert modernism that they end up buying their own “architecturally significant” property in the valley.

A highlight of the winter tourism season in Palm Springs, Modernism Week was originally launched with a handful of weekend events dedicated to showcasing the city’s mid-century modern architecture during the popular Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale. With its worldwide fame as a celebrity getaway and international vacation destination, a growing interest in the architecture of Palm Springs and the city’s world-renowned mid-century modern architecture is attracting a new group of enthusiasts who have put the area on the map for cultural tourism as well as fun in the sun.

From its grass-roots beginnings, Modernism Week has grown exponentially to eleven days and more than 250 events. A

MW VINTAGE TRAILER SHOW BY DAVID A. LEE

MODERNISM WEEK BUS TOUR-PD BY DAVID A. LEE

California 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, Modernism Week is a charitable organization, providing scholarships to Palm Springs students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design. It also supplies grants to local and state preservation organizations for their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California. Revenue generated by Modernism Week neighborhood tours goes directly back into each community to help pay for various improvements such as restoration, landscaping, signage, and more.

The City of Palm Springs is the Presenting Sponsor of Modernism Week. To learn more visit modernismweek.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All events are open to the public, and tickets are available at modernismweek.com.

Week. New dealers exhibiting at the Show in 2016 will be Royle of Miami and Pierre Anthony Galleries of New York City and Miami, both showing fabulous American and European midcentury furniture including pieces by Italian designer Gabriella Crespi. The Butler and the Chef from San Francisco is another first-time exhibitor, specializing in vintage French and European industrial design.

Held in conjunction with Modernism Week, the Show & Sale will feature more than 80 premier national and international decorative and fine arts dealers with items representing all design movements of the 20th Century and select 21st century items.

Returning favorites include a La MOD, Christopher Anthony Ltd., Porter & Plunk and Route 66 West of Palm Springs; Dragonette Ltd., Fat Chance, Off The Wall, PCH Modern and Reform of Los Angeles; Katz Modern, Le Kube, Rosebud and Vintage European Posters from the Bay Area; Atomic Bazaar, Design/One, House of Blu, Objects:USA and Vestige of San Diego; Studio 101 of Santa Barbara; Palette Contemporary of Albuquerque; Red Modern Furniture of Phoenix; Sputnik Modern and 20CDesign.com of Dallas; Casa Navarro of Santa Fe; Kamp Gallery of Winnetka, IL; Modern Décor of Ann Arbor, MI; Ursus Books & Prints of New York; and AHRRS, Inc. Contemporary of Paris.

Hennessey + Ingalls, the largest art, architecture and design bookstore in the western United States, has been named the Show’s official bookseller. Founded in 1963 as an outlet for rare and outof-print architecture books, the family-owned company’s in-depth selections of books in art and art history, all phases of architecture, photography, interior design, graphic design, and landscaping has made it a valued member of the vibrant art, architecture, and design communities in Southern California and beyond.

The show opens on Friday, February 12 at 6 p.m. with a festive Preview Reception to benefit Modernism Week. Enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, live music and an exclusive opportunity to be among the first to see and shop the world-class collection of furniture, home décor, vintage accessories, and decorative and fine arts before it opens to the general public. Tickets for the Preview Reception – $75 per person in advance, $95 at the door – include valet parking and

16TH ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM SHOW & SALE Produced by Dolphin Promotions, whose shows are among the leading venues for antiques and 20th century decorative and fine arts in North America, its president Rosemary Krieger provides complimentary booth space for fellow Modernism Week founding partners – Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture & Design Council, Palm Springs Modern Committee, Palm Springs Historical Society and Palm Springs Preservation Foundation – to help them share information about their mission and promote upcoming events.

“What sets the Palm Springs Modernism Show apart from other vintage 20th century shows is our emphasis on midcentury modern furniture, decorative and fine arts – mostly from the 1950s through the 1970s,” explained Krieger. “They were the years that Palm Springs became world-renowned as a playground for Hollywood actors, many of whom lived in the desert modernist architecture that we tour today. Our dealers’ merchandise is a reflection of that era and the midcentury resort lifestyle enjoyed in Palm Springs.”

Each year thousands of collectors and design enthusiasts flock to the Modernism Show & Sale in search of treasures from the midcentury modern era, making it the most well attended event of Modernism

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COVER

FROM LEFT FASHION EDITOR SUSAN STEIN BY JON ABEYTA PHOTOGRAPHY AND NY FASHION DESIGNER LISA PERRY ON RIGHT THE FORMER 1957 J.W. ROBINSONS DEPARTMENT STORE BY PEREIRA & LUCKMAN AT 333 S. PALM CANYON DR, MODERNISM WEEK CAMP PHOTO BY GEORGE AQUINO, 1967

free daily admission to the Modernism Show & Sale for the rest of the weekend. To purchase visit www.modernismweek.com The Palm Springs Convention Center is located at 277 N. Avenida Caballeros in Palm Springs. Admission is $20 per person and includes return entry all weekend. Show hours are Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Monday 10 a.m.

– 4 p.m. For more information and a list of exhibitors, please visit palmspringsmodernism.com.

WHAT’S NEW FOR MODERNISM WEEK 2016 CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, will move to an architecturally significant venue in downtown Palm Springs – the former 1957 J.W. Robinsons Department Store by Pereira & Luckman located at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive. Introduced in 2015 as the central location for attendees to meet, shop, dine, learn, and relax between tours and parties, CAMP will feature stimulating programs and opportunities to meet authors, designers, and other industry luminaries through a variety of planned activities. CAMP will also feature creative onthe-go breakfast and lunch options from local favorites Koffi and Cheeky’s. CAMP will be open to the public with free admission Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February 21 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. Programs including films, lectures and design discussions are priced from $10, and tickets are available at the door or online at www.modernismweek.com Modernism Week’s Opening Night Party - Hollywood in Palm Springs will take place at CAMP on Thursday, 2/11, a dazzling

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red carpet affair recalling the golden age of 1950s Hollywood in Palm Springs when the Rat Pack held court at the Chi Chi. Enjoy handcrafted martinis and cocktails, retro-inspired cuisine presented

by Lulu California Bistro, and dance all night to a hard-swingin’ retro/jazz show by the amazing band NUTTY. A new offering at CAMP is a series of fashion events presented

by Susan Stein, Fashion Editor for Palm Springs Life Magazine and Creative Director of Fashion Week El Paseo: • Fashion and Architecture – Inside, Outside, and Side by Side (Wednesday, 2/17) - an insightful lecture drawing comparisons between the inspirations behind fashion and architecture.

• Your Signature Modernist Style, Presented by William Squire and Susan Stein (Friday, 2/19) ‘Women in Design Day’ at CAMP on Saturday, 2/20 will feature “Off the Runway with Lisa Perry: A Conversation with the Designer” NY Fashion Designer Lisa Perry will present the evolution of her brand through a series of vignettes that include the vintage pieces she was inspired by to her famous artist collections where she collaborated with both iconic and living artists. The talk will be a highly personal tour and retrospective of Lisa’s work with host and local collector, Shari Applebaum. (Lisa and her husband also own Barney’s.)

Modernism Week’s world-class film and lecture series, with most events presented at the Annenberg Theater, will feature 8 ticket package deals that include one-day complimentary entry to the Palm Springs Art Museum and coffee or a soft drink at the Muse Cafe.

COVER Two films will be premiering at Modernism Week in February • World Premiere Film: “Desert Maverick The Singular Architecture of William F. Cody” • William Krisel, Architect – Premier Screening of Re-mastered Film Palm Springs premiere: Gray Matters The Eileen Gray Documentary Additional films, including Tab Hunter Confidential may be found at www.modernismweek.com/films

RAYMOND LOEWY HOUSE BY DAVID DIXON

Full-day packages include lunch. New for 2016: • Ticket To Havana! Cuba Modern (Saturday, 2/13) 3 lecture package • Iconic Houses, Film and Preservation Package (Sunday, 2/14) - 4-lecture package • A Day With Herman Miller (Monday, 2/15) 6 lecture package w/lunch • An Afternoon with Mad Men (Thursday, 2/18) 3-presentation package • Set-Design Team of Mad Men Takes us Behind the Scenes • Mad Men Costume Designer Janie Bryant and Fashion Designer Trina Turk Mad Men Creator Matthew Weiner and his Creative Team on Costumes, Sets and the Making of the Show Followed by a Mad Men Affair at the Abernathy House (house was designed by William Cody, whose 100th birthday is also this year…)

ADDITIONAL LECTURES OF INTEREST: This is a BIG DEAL: ELLE DECOR Presents The Iconic Iconoclast: Vladimir Kagan w/editor in chief Michael Boodro DAUGHTERS OF DESIGN: Bertoia, Eames and Saarinen (Monday, 2/15) - Featuring the daughters of Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia: three design legends whose long relationships first developed at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

NEW PARTIES & FUNDRAISING EVENTS (see www.modernismweek.com/parties): • Raymond Loewy House Tour and Reception-A Benefit for the Aluminaire House (Tuesday, 2/16) • Night at the Frank Sinatra Estate (Friday, 2/19 - includes a whisky tasting) • South Seas Island Hopping Cocktail Party • Liberace: The Show Must Go On • Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? A Night at the Loewe Estate (Saturday, 2/20 - benefits PSAM) A new free event is (see http://www.modernismweek.com/free) • William Krisel Street Dedication Celebration (Tuesday, 2/16) http://www.modernismweek.com/event/details/street-dedication • plus FREE events at CAMP! THERE ARE FIVE NEW NEIGHBORHOOD TOURS • Merito Manor • Casa Dorado in Indian Wells • Pompeii de Las Palmas • Krisel’s Kings Point • Cody’s homes at Tamarisk Fairways in Rancho Mirage ALSO NEW THIS YEAR ARE TRIPS BEYOND THE COACHELLA VALLEY TO: • Party at Frey’s Yacht Club at the Salton Sea (sold out) • Retro Pinball Mania! at The Museum of Pinball in Banning • Historic Sam Maloof estate in Alta Loma FINALLY • Modern Giants at Eisenhower Medical Center • The Last Wexler Architectural Tour, a Palm Springs Life Event • Palm Springs Fine Art Fair Panel Discussions & Tour

Disney’s Midcentury Modern (Tuesday, 2/16) There’s also a Modern Garden content track: • Modern Materials & Attitudes For Old School Gardens • Preserving Modern Landscape Architecture • Modern Gardens: Postwar CA Landscape • Modern Garden Tour & Cocktail Reception (sold out)

The public is invited to visit CAMP daily for unique programs and activities. It’s time to get your Mod On; visit www.modernism. com for complete and comprehensive event schedules

All lectures are essentially new, and a complete list may be found at www.modernismweek.com/lectures

SPECIAL THANKS TO O’BAYLEY COMMUNICATIONS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS PIECE

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MODERNISM

CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY

THE RETURN OF THE MODERNISM WEEK SHOW HOUSE

The Christopher Kennedy Compound, which will be open to the public for tours during Modernism Week. Presented by Traditional Home magazine and California Homes magazine, the Compound is the brainchild of noted Palm Springs designer Christopher Kennedy, who has spearheaded the project for the last two years.

One of the most sought-after events in 2014 and 2015 -- and named by The Hollywood Reporter as “the #1 Must-See event of Modernism Week 2014” -- The Christopher Kennedy Compound celebrates midcentury architecture and the Palm Springs area’s important role on the international design stage.

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The 2016 interior designer line up for the Show House includes: Bravo’s Martyn Lawrence Bullard; Justin Shaulis of New York City; Michel Boyd of Atlanta; Blogger and Tastemaker Kelly Golightly; Trellis Home; Michelle Nussbaumer and Denise McGaha, both of Dallas; Bravo’s Carson Kressley, 31 Westgate of Toronto; HGTV’s Jamie Durie, and Kelli Ellis.

“My goal with The Christopher Kennedy Compound is to celebrate Palm Springs architecture in its heyday,” explains Kennedy, “while updating a swanky vintage house for the realities of modern living, using the best of today’s technology.”

The Show House, in Palm Springs prestigious Indian Canyons neighborhood, will be staged in conjunction with Modernism Week, which attracted more than 60,000 visitors from 20 different countries in 2015. Kennedy’s goal for the project is to raise $100,000 through tour ticket sales and special events for Modernism Week and other preservation efforts.

The property itself is a 4000sf home built in 1982 and designed

by Holden & Johnson. It was one of the last custom homes in the Indian Canyons neighborhood, a prominent community developed in the 1960s. The Indian Canyons golf course was a favorite of many Rat Pack-era celebrities, including Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. The home sits on the fairway and boasts 270-degree mountain views and faces the Walt Disney Fountain, a gift from neighbor Mr. Disney shortly after the course opened. The home is, and will continue to be, the private residence of Jerry and Marilyn Nies of Vancouver, Washington.

“Traditional Home is thrilled to partner with Christopher Kennedy and all the talented designers he has assembled to transform this amazing property,” says the magazine’s editor in chief Ann Maine.

“Though I am a modernist when it comes to design, I am also decidedly old-school,” Kennedy says. “I yearn for the days when families sat down to dinner together, when people would talk instead of text, when kids could stay out riding their bikes until sundown. I believe in the rituals of hearth and home. I believe that we have a collective yearning for a simpler, more gracious time. And so I am incredibly excited to partner with Traditional Home magazine for The Christopher Kennedy Compound: Modernism Week Show House 2016.”

As an added bonus and value, this year, The Christopher Kennedy Compound will have two homes on tour. The Freedman Residence is adjacent to the Modernism Week Show House and will be included in your ticket price and tour. This stunning home was built in 1969; like many homes in the Indian Canyons area, it was designed by architect Harold L. (Hal) Lacy and built by Paul Butler. The Freedman Residence was completely renovated by Christopher Kennedy and ArtHouse

MW SHOW HOUSE-CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY COMPOUND BY DAVID A. LEE

Construction in 2015. It truly blurs the lines between inside and outside living with stunning views of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort and surrounding mountains. The home features an Italian modern kitchen from Aran Cucine, Cosentino counters, plumbing fixtures by Kohler, and many other design features. The home is also a model of sustainability with extensive solar panels, desert.

For more information about the Show House, please visit: www.thechristopherkennedycompound.com To purchase tickets, please visit: www.modernismweek.com.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY, INC. Christopher Kennedy’s interiors and products have captured the attention of such leading publications as Architectural Digest, Dwell Magazine, Elle Décor, California Homes, Luxe Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times. From his base in Palm Springs, this prolific interior designer also creates an eponymous furniture line, Christopher Kennedy Signature Collection; a candle line; and an outdoor furniture line. His first book, California Modern, was released in 2015.

The mission of The Christopher Kennedy Compound is to re-establish Palm Springs as an incubator for worldclass architecture and interior design by restoring a classic mid-century property, using the best of today’s technology and bringing together the nation’s top design talents. We inspire the thousands of attendees who tour the home and the millions who learn about the project through print and social media.

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FEATURE

THE BRIGHTEST STAR RAPH SOLO’S LOVE LETTER TO HIS MUM THIS VALENTINE’S DAY

BY WILLIAM COOKE “As a child, my dad fell ill with cancer and was unable to work,” remembers out crooner Raph Solo. “Mum nursed him for thirteen years while working to earn an income in order to hold our family together.

“Even as I became a man, Mum has been incredibly supportive,” he continues. “She gave me money to help cover studio costs.

She allowed me to stay in her home for years while I was getting my music career started, never once asking me to pay rent. I’ve always appreciated her, but now more than ever. She epitomizes the word ‘star’.”

Raph Solo’s new single, “Star” is a song of gratitude to his Mum, the woman who he credits as shaping him into the man he is today. The song is the first release from his third full-length album, The Anonymous Icon.

“It’s really a tribute to all the unsung heroes who do amazing things for other people,” explains Solo. “People who do things, not for acclaim or acknowledgement, but simply out of love.”

The song follows “Glass of Wine”, Raph Solo’s hit dance record from last spring.

“It’s interesting to hear how my music has evolved through the years,” he says. “My songs reflect the experiences I am having at the time of recording. Over the years, as I’ve found more and more happiness in my self, my sound has gone from Latin/eastern flavored ballads to up-tempo pop.

“I also get to the point more quickly in my songs,” he adds. “Probably because life

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seems more fast paced than ever before.”

Like many young people, Solo juggles multiple plates in order to get by. “I’m an independent artist with a forty hour per week day job, but nobody knows that!” he laughs. “At least they didn’t until now. That’s why I felt like The Anonymous Icon was an appropriate title for the album.”

The Anonymous Icon includes many of Solo’s previous releases, re-digitalized and re-mastered for the album.

Along with the release, Solo is unveiling a new music video that is as steamy and passionate as fans have come to expect from the young singer, but slightly different. “I usually take center stage in my music videos.

This is the first one I take a back seat in.”

Solo is seen as a photographer, marveling at the beauty of a female model, capturing her essence through images. The video ends

with the female model hitting on him, and Solo revealing he is gay.

“It’s meant to show that you can never judge by appearances. There is no one stereotype for gay men in 2016.”

Today, Raph Solo is a proud gay man with nothing to hide, but it wasn’t always that way. Just a few years ago, he fought his feelings for men and even underwent reparative therapy in an attempt to cure himself of his homosexuality. “Ultimately, it made me feel like a failure because no matter how hard I tried, I could not change my feelings.

“I strive to be 100% real, today. I love my self and I’m not hiding.”

Solo takes it a step further, proudly sporting his birthday suit in the video. Yes, in the scene where he is holding the bright star, Solo has nothing on underneath.

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MOTION & VISUALS 760-980-1050 | scott@motionandvisuals.com FEBRUARY 2016 17

JALLEN RIX

3 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR VALENTINE’S GREAT!

THIS YEAR, LET THAT “SPECIAL SOMEONE” BE YOU!

BY DR. JALLEN RIX, ED.D., ACS Today I got one (out of hundreds) of those random commercial emails and the subject line stated, “You better read this now or you’ll hate yourself later.” Doesn’t that just sum up the whole strategy behind capitalism using shame to get us to buy their products? No subterfuge there. The problem is our society is so inundated with similar consumer messaging hundreds to thousands of times a day that we end up believing them. It’s nearly impossible to escape the ubiquitous onslaught. In fact, Valentine’s Day was originally popularized in America not because of “love” but by a card manufacturer in the 1840’s strategizing to move his product.

Unfortunately, if we DO believe that we are “not good enough unless we buy this or that” hundreds of times a day, then we end up feeling pretty crappy all the time. Indeed, if we are constantly reinforced with the message of “less than” then we wind up approaching every aspect of our lives believing that we are not enough. It has reached such a fevered pitch that those things that are meant to “engage” us - like Valentine’s Day - are now the very things that make us feel disgusted. Is it any wonder that we are the most depressed and medicated civilization ever? Some call it an emotional epidemic of shame.

So are we going to take this lying down? Do we just drop our jaw and choke down whatever is being fed to us? Hell no! We are the LGBTQ community! We are experts at taking the lemons that are thrown at us and making Lemon Drop Cosmos, which end up becoming the envied toast of the town! So let’s take Valentine’s Day and make it exactly what WE need it to be for us. Let’s make it the occasion where all that “love” and “romance” is spent on making us feel great, rather than miserable. Here are some tips: Don’t buy the “not enough” lie We all do what we must to live in this society, just don’t be duped by the bull sh*t! The infamous TedTalk Guru, Brene Brown defines shame as “The unrealistic belief that you are never enough,” therefore shame is a total lie. When you hear those messages, “You’re not young enough,” “You’re not sexy enough,” “You’re not rich enough,” “You’re not romantic enough on Valentine’s Day,” don’t

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buy it. Don’t play their game. Know that in this very moment you are exactly who you are suppose to be and you are absolutely perfect at it - beautiful, capable, sexy, courageous and worthy of love.

Enjoy “a few of your favorite things” When you’re feeling “less than,” one of the most immediate

ways to counter those messages is to do what really, deeply nurtures you. List out the things that make your heart absolutely blossom - music, dancing, nature hikes, service to others, spa treatments, watching your favorite movie (how ‘bout the Sound of Music?), card games with friends - and when Valentine’s Day comes around, do one or more of these exquisite things. And don’t forget self-pleasuring. After all, masturbation is one of the most intimate and loving acts that you can do with the one you know the best.

Fill your thoughts with “more than” Further countering the “less than” lie, focus your thoughts and meditate on all the blessings and good things in your life. Despite being the most depressed, we are also the most prosperous, well off, affluent country ever (hmmm. could there be a correlation?)… Countermand the “less than” with the reality that you are truly “more than” enough in many, many ways. Don’t just admit to it, but dwell in it. Luxuriously, soak it up. Make gratitude a blanket of warmth that nurtures you right down to your heart, and permeates every aspect of your being, because you are truly worth it!

Put these 3 tips into practice and you are already ahead of the curve when it comes to having a great time, not only on Valentine’s, but every day of your spectacular life.

Sexologist Confesses all in STAKE IN THE GROUND!

Dr. Jallen Rix is a sexologist in private practice in Palm Springs CA.

How does a shame-ridden, evangelical gay boy become a well-adjusted, adventurous sexologist? Dr. Jallen Rix returns to the stage with innovative queer positivity in his groundbreaking solo performance piece, STAKE IN THE GROUND: CELEBRATING THE INTERSECTION OF SELFPLEASURING AND SELF-COMPASSION. It is part memoir, part sex info, and part Faerie ritual. After sold-out premieres in 2015 in LA, Palm Springs and Seattle, he is back for just two performances at the Palm Springs Women’s Club Theater on February 27th. His whirl-wind style of storytelling has the audience diving into Palm Springs pool parties, sunning on nude beaches, hangin’ out in San Francisco jack-off clubs and dancing around the maypole at Radical Faerie gatherings (No, he won’t be masturbating on stage, but he might lose track of his clothes)!

The ensuing spiritual, sexual, emotional, and intellectual mashup erupts into a entertaining celebration of authentic humanity, which anyone can relate to and enjoy.

Get all the details about Dr. Rix and the show at: ComeTrueProductions.com/stake/

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MUSIC

JILL JONES’ FORBIDDEN LOVE PRINCE’S MUSE RELEASES VALENTINE’S ANTHEM

BY MARK DAWSON

Jill Jones, the celebrated muse for Prince and Teena Marie, steps up to the spotlight this Valentine’s Day with “Forbidden Love”, a pop anthem with a disco feel about indulging in sins of the heart. “I have experienced forbidden love,” reveals Jones. “I know the crazy high one gets when such tantalizing situations present themselves.”

The high-energy track is the debut release from her brand new fulllength album, I AM. It showcases Jone’s wide vocal range and also encompasses the album’s overall theme of human connection rising above all obstacles.

“In my case, it was the forbidden love between my best friend and boyfriend. I didn’t know about the affair when I was writing the track. It was a premonition, some vibe, some energy I picked up on.

“The thing about those types of taboo romances is they usually come from an insecure place disguised as emotionally powerful and all consuming,” she says. “It’s fairytale bullshit that burns fast.

They stem from broken hearts and so they are destined to devolve because they can never evolve.”

The process of evolving plays heavily throughout Jones’ new

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album, combining anthemic house beats with electronic textures and nuances. “I AM represents emotional healing provided by the universe. It’s not about making excuses or offering apologies. It’s about self love, optimism and cheekiness.”

Many of the songs were co-written and co-produced by Brinsley Evans - a frequent collaborator best known as half of ’90’s club kids Uncanny Alliance (“I Got My Education,” “I’m Beautiful Dammit”) and the writer of such classics as “Make My World Go Around.” Count DeMoney, WAWA, Funky Junction, Italy’s Get Far and Mark Unthank provide the energetic, dance-fueled landscapes for Jill’s versatile vocal skills.

“F*ck You Til You’re Groovy” produced with Jochen Simms has a warm Arabic sweep to its melody, lined up against a dark, isolated, latenight, steel-cold backbeat. It is purely sexual and yin/yang in balance.

“This is How it Feels” is a love letter to those who make others feel alive and safe. “It’s an amazing place to be in with someone; when you can trust they won’t hurt you,” says Jones.

Jill Jones was a key player in Prince’s Paisley Park family during

its heyday, providing vocals on Prince’s “1999”, “Lady Cab Driver”, “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night,” and “Hello”. She sang back up on numerous productions, both credited and un-credited, including Sheila E.’s “The Belle Of St. Mark”. She toured with Vanity 6 and appears in the films Graffiti Bridge and Purple Rain.

“Prince taught me the importance of dreaming,” Jones explains.

“Purple Rain was a dream he manifested through hard work and perseverance. He made people feel part of something. He created intrigue and fascination.

“I also learned what it’s like to surrender total devotion to another person,” she continues. Prince oversaw Jones’ debut album on his label, Paisley Park. “In hindsight, it was too much responsibility to give to another person. But he had the best of intentions and I’m thankful for having had the chance to work with Prince and for playing a part in his very wonderful vision.”

R&B icon, Teena Marie. Teena was a mentor to the then 14-years-old Jill Jones, teaching her about harmonies and backing vocals. Teena took Jill to concerts and introduced her to Venice Beach, while also making sure Jill got to and from school safely every day. “She gave me the childhood I didn’t have,” Jones remembers.

She recorded backing vocals on several of Teena Marie’s seminal Gordy/Motown albums including ‘Lady T’ (“Behind The Groove”) and ‘It Must Be Magic’ (“Square Biz”).

“I have loved having the opportunity to sing behind some of the greats,” admits Jill Jones today. “It’s empowering to feel that I can support someone and their dreams. It makes me happy.

“That said; there’s nothing like the energy that radiates from the center stage spotlight. It’s been turned from me long enough. I’m ready for some of that Forbidden Love,” she laughs.

“Forbidden Love” is available on iTunes now.

Jill Jones has worked with many talented artists in her career including Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (on their CHIC “Live From Budokan” album and performance film), the esteemed Ryuichi Sakamoto and acid jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan.

Most notably, however, is her association with the late great

Follow JILL JONES: FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/jilljonesmusic TWITTER: https://twitter.com/jilldjones

FEBRUARY 2016 21

BOOK REVIEW

ALWAYS OVERBOOKED…

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

There’s always been a picket fence in your future.

You could just picture it: charming spouse, two-point-five kids, minivan, Cape Cod with manicured lawn, birthday parties on the patio, all surrounded by that picket fence. It was a perfect dream of a blissful life. And, as in “The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World” by Michael McConnell with Jack Baker, as told to Gail Langer Karwoski, making history would be a nice bonus.

As a child playing with neighborhood girls, Michael McConnell remembers wanting the same thing they wanted: to grow up and marry a handsome man. Their crushes were his crushes, too, but in the 1950s, that kind of thing wasn’t discussed.

By the time he entered college at the University of Oklahoma in the mid-‘60s, however, McConnell had come out to his family and was comfortable with his sexuality. He met other gay men and enjoyed an active social life on campus and then, on October 29, 1966, he met Jack Baker.

For the first minutes of their get-to-know-you, McConnell thought Baker was much older, or perhaps straight. Baker’s demeanor was businesslike, almost military in mien; McConnell had recently had his heart broken, and was guarded. Still, by the end of the evening, they were lovers; soon after, they were a couple.

By the early ‘70s, though their relationship had to be kept quieter, McConnell and Baker were “out” enough to want to make real change. Baker, a Minneapolis law student, filed suit against the U.S. Military over an unfair downgrade in his discharge status. After following Baker north, McConnell fought job discrimination. And then there was the wedding Baker promised McConnell on Baker’s twentyfifth birthday. It would happen – they just had to figure out how.

That would take some time, but Baker was on it. His legal training tickled his methodical mind, until he discovered two loopholes the state of Minnesota hadn’t closed. One led to the next, and both led to their history-making wedding in 1971.

That, of course, isn’t the end of the story. Authors Michael McConnell and Jack Baker continued their activism but their nuptials, the first in America for same-sex celebrants, are the real focus in “The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World.”

And that’s a good thing, too, because the love story in this book is what makes it so readable. McConnell’s account (as told to Gail

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Langer Karwoski) is mostly what’s here, and it’s the quintessential romance: boy meets boy, boy marries boy, they live Happily (Almost) Ever After.

Conversely, it’s the almost that makes this book so important: the battles the authors accepted caused emotional hardship in many ways and that almost caused a break-up. And yet, for the sake of others that came after them, they continued to take on gay rights issues – stories of which are told humbly, yet proudly.

WEDDING HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD AUTHOR / CREDIT MELISSA DAVIDSON

Overall, this is a sweet story wrapped inside a righteous fight, told with charm and grace. It’s deep, yet lighthearted and definitely worth a look. Start “The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World” – and you’ll have no defense.

“The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World: America’s First Gay Marriage” by Michael McConnell with Jack Baker, as told to Gail Langer Karwoski c.2016, University of Minnesota Press $22.95 / $31.99 Canada 200 pages

FEBRUARY 2016 23

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LIFE IS A DRAG

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

BY PINKIE MERINGUE SHIMMER

Hello all of you fabulous wonderful amazing people out there.

Isn’t this a beautiful world we live in. Well you all know that my name is Pinkie Meringue Shimmer. Ever wonder where my name came from? Well a drag name is supposed to be FUN, FABULOUS and just beyond your wildest dreams. Well maybe that is taking it a bit far, but it should be fun. Let’s see, where did my name come from?

Well when I first moved to Palm Springs in the year 2000, I was selling Mary Kayak cosmetics. I even had a pink Cadillac. I was going by the name “Larry Kay” even had the license plate on my car with that name.

So how did Pinkie Meringue Shimmer come about? Well one day I saw, in one of the local magazines, the Bella da Ball was having a class at “The Center” in Palm Springs called “Drag 101.” Before this I had never done “Drag” before, but I thought that since I was selling Mary Kay that I would go to this class and surely I would be able to sell makeup to drag queens, lol. So I was just going to go to the class and sit there and then at the end I would talk about Mary Kay. WELL, no students showed up except for me. So I became the one that they made up into a drag queen and that is where it all started.

After that class Kevin and I started to go to shows to see Bella da Ball and The Delicious Divas. I really enjoyed the shows, then one day I told Kevin I wanted to give it a try. So I asked Bella if I could be in a show. So I hit the stage as “Larry Kay” After a while we became friends with Bella and the other Delicious Divas. It was nice getting to know them all. Well we were invited to the home of “Amba Goodbar” and her partner Bob. Well after dinner I was sitting at the table with “Stephanie” and “Amba” We started talking about names and what I should call myself.

They told me that since I sell Mary Kay that I should look through my product catalog. So I did, I found a blush called “pink meringue” and a lipstick called “pink shimmer” So I wrote them down and played with the names. I kept thinking about the initials. So I came up with “Pinkie Meringue Shimmer” or “Miss PMS” So Pinkie was born and look at us now!

There are many people in the world that THINK they know about drag queens. A drag queen, after all, is a FABULOUS being. Maybe you are one, or know one, or just saw one in the movies. Have you ever thought about what your drag name would be? Figure out your drag

name. It’ll be fun and exciting. You can then go out and get the best dresses, wigs, makeup and shoes and have a life long career in Vegas.

The usual method people mention to come up with your name is to take the name of your childhood pet and pair it with the street that you grew up on. So mine would be “Smoky Oakwood” lol. Give this a try. And there are many websites online that can generate a name for you. The whole idea is to have fun and spread joy. Have a fantastic day!

Love and Light Pinkie Meringue Shimmer Pinkiemeringue@yahoo.com

FEBRUARY 2016 25

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FEBRUARY 2016 27

NATIVE FILMFEST

STORYTELLING IN MANY VOICES: NATIVE FILM NOW

BY ELIZABETH WEATHERFORD

COMING TO LIGHT / FEATURE DOCUMENTARY, KUMU HINA (A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE) / SHORT DOCUMENTARY, MEKKO / DRAMATIC FEATURE

In 2016, the art of Indigenous storytelling in film has never been more interesting and diverse. This year, Native FilmFest features films from outstanding directors from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Venezuela. The range of stories throughout this festival is wide, and it’s worthwhile noting that strong production support by such organizations as Sundance Institute, the Sami Film Centre and Igloolik Isuma Productions are basic to this diversity and quality.

Opening the festival is Mekko by award-winning director Sterlin Harjo who is honored this year with the Richard M. Milanovich Award for Distinguished Contributions to Indigenous Film. In Mekko, he follows the story of a man, compellingly played by Rod Rondeaux, reckoning with the life in the Indian homeless community in Tulsa who finds himself in an encounter with pure evil. It’s the work of a remarkable filmmaker who also knows a lot about Native film, reflected back at us through small details such as a cigarette package labeled “Smoke Signals” — an homage to director Chris Eyre, whose Smoke Signals was the first feature film by a Native director in the United States and which premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

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This year, numerous directors confound expectations with humor.

Maori co-directors and lead actors Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clements’ What We Do in the Shadows is a deeply funny film, taking on the genre of vampire movies with style and hilarity. Actors in fully realized humorous roles include Wes Studi in Steven Paul Judd’s Ronnie BoDean and Casey Camp-Horinek in Sterlin Harjo’s Goodnight Irene depicting an unforgettable elder in the waiting room of an Indian Health Service facility.

Looking at antiheroes is a great trope in Native films, a foil for the excessive demands for Native characters to embody stoicism and constant dignity. The issue is an interesting one this year, because we finish our festival with an in-depth look at the photographer Edward S. Curtis whose handsome portraits of people in traditional dress were often a conscious re-modeling of contemporaries whom he was photographing.

Curtis photos have been instrumental in concretely defining how to imagine Indians. The beauty of the images is undeniable, but it’s also the work of insightful media makers to take it all down a notch, often through humor or irony, as in the delicious Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, invented and portrayed by Canadian artist Kent Monkman (Cree).

Films urgent with the need for their protagonists to take heroic action are also in this year. Mekko and his struggle on the streets of Tulsa and Hongi in The Dead Lands are emblematic of this theme.

Hongi is a young Maori in more distant times, being trained as a peace leader, who must overcome huge obstacles to defend his tribe.

That the heroes’ encounters include very ancient tribal knowledge of how evil manifests itself adds vibrancy to these gripping stories.

Audiences who come to Native FilmFest strongly demonstrate their empathy for the struggles facing Indigenous peoples and individuals that have been triggered by the facts of history – removal from their lands, extraction of their resources, and settler colonialism and its associated policies to restrict Native spiritual and cultural learning. Film helps us see how modern Native people contend with these elements, as contemporary Native filmmaking uses its own vast repertoire of community situations and stories.

The struggle for securing traditional hunting rights is expressed in an experimental film featuring Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq. Gone with the River, Venezuela’s entry into the Academy Awards, is a feature film telling the sometimes-painful story of the path taken by a young Wayuu woman reared in a traditional way who becomes a national leader.

Issues of identity are expressed beautifully in many selections, and underscore the discrepancy between traditional boundaries and the ones set by outside authorities – for example, the Native Hawaiian traditions which acknowledge and encourage the potential in dropping enforced boundaries on gender as illuminated in the documentary of a young traditional dancer, Kumo Hina (A Place in the Middle).

In this festival are films that convey stories of individuals finding connections, perhaps set aside for a long time, to their culture’s meanings. In Jáaji Approx., a son, filmmaker Sky Hopinka, pays homage to his father and the language he speaks. INC’d and Stoerre Vaerie (Northern Great Mountain) tell different tales, but in each a community member who has resolved not to return finds a meaningful and revealing reunion.

And some of the films reflect the huge personal cost that might be paid for the amount of displacement people in Native communities have experienced. We have included a gripping and beautiful work from Igloolik’s Arnait Video Collective (which produced the feature Before Tomorrow seen here a few years ago).

In Sol we view the life of a young man, the documentary drawing from dynamic film footage of him taken in an Inuit TV series as a boy and as part of a circus/performance troupe as a teen, and explores how his despair eventually wins.

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Agua Caliente Cultural Museum founded in 1991, and with the approval of the Board of Directors, admission to the 2016 festival will be free of charge to the general public – a special thank you for generous support the community has given the Museum over the past quarter century. The cost of providing the complimentary tickets this year has been underwritten by two members of the Board of Directors who requested that their sponsorship gift be used for this purpose.

The free tickets are required for admission to each screening and can be obtained from Camelot Theatres Box Office at 2300 East Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (760.325.6565) starting February 1. Seating is limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Native FilmFest will be held at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs on Tuesday, March 1 through Saturday, March 5, with Closing Night activities on Sunday, March 6 held at the Annenberg Theater of Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM). Support of Native FilmFest comes primarily from generous corporate, Tribal government, foundation, and individual sponsors – without whom the festival would not be possible.

FEBRUARY 2016 29

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Tuesday, March 1 / Camelot Theatres | 7:00 pm Views on Native Film – A Panel Discussion

Feature, 2014, 85 minutes Directors: Jemaine Clement (Maori), Taika Waititi (Maori)

Wednesday, March 2 / Camelot Theatres Presentation and Screening | 8:00 pm Presentation of the Richard M. Milanovich Award for Distinguished Contributions to Indigenous Film

Friday, March 4 / Camelot Theatres | 5:00 pm Tungijuq – Canada, Experimental, 2009, 6 minutes Directors: Feliz Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael Producer: Igloolik Isuma Productions

The late Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Richard M. Milanovich, loved film and took special effort to attend Native FilmFest each year. In 2013, the Museum established the Richard M. Milanovich Award for Distinguished Contributions to Indigenous Film to honor those who have distinguished themselves by their meritorious work in Indigenous film. The award, this year, will be presented to acclaimed actor and director Sterlin Harjo (Muscogee Creek and Seminole).

Mekko – United States, Dramatic Feature, 2015, 90 minutes (Adult Content) Director: Sterlin Harjo (Muscogee Creek and Seminole) In Attendance Thursday, March 3 / Camelot Theatres | 5:00 pm International Short Films Round Dance – United States, Music Video, 2014, 1 minute and Ronnie BoDean – United States, Short Drama, 2015, 13 minutes Director: Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa and Choctaw) In Attendance Advice to Myself 2: Resistance – United States, Experimental, 2015, 5 minutes | Director and Writer: Heid E. Erdrich (Ojibwe) 2 Spirit Introduction Special 19.99 – Canada, Experimental, 2015, 5 minutes Director: Thirza Cuthand (Plains Cree and Scottish) Dance to Miss Chief – Canada, Experimental, 2010, 5 minutes and Casualties of Modernity – Canada, Experimental, 2015, 14 minutes | Director: Kent Monkman (Cree) Good Night Irene – United States, Short Drama, 2004, 14 minutes Director: Sterlin Harjo (Musgogee Creek and Seminole) Jáaji Approx. – United States, Experimental, 2015, 8 minutes Director: Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk) In Attendance Stoerre Vaerie (Northern Great Mountain – Sámi Sweden, Short drama, 2015, 15 minutes, in Swedish and Sami with English subtitles Director: Amanda Kernell Sámi Thursday, March 3 / Camelot Theatres | 8:00 pm What We Do in the Shadows – Aotearoa New Zealand, Comedy

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SOL – Canada, Feature Documentary, 2014, 76 minutes Directors: Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Susan Avingaq (Inuit) Producer: Arnait Video Productions, Igloolik Friday, March 4 / Camelot Theatres | 8:00 pm Gone with the River/Lo que lleva el rio – Venezuela, Dramatic Feature, 2015, 104 minutes, in Warao and Spanish with English Subtitles | Director: Mario Crespo Saturday, March 5 Camelot Theatres | 5:00 pm | Theme: The Way of Aloha Opening this screening session will be a live performance by the Ka Pa Hula I Mana hula ensemble of Palm Springs.

Lahaina Noon – United States, Short, 2014, 15 minutes Director: Christopher Kahunahana (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) INC’d – Aotearoa New Zealand, Short Drama, 2014, 16 minutes Director: Darren Simmonds | Producer: Rob Mokaraka (Maori) Coral – Western Samoa/Aotearoa New Zealand/Italy, Short Drama, 2014, 15 minutes | Director: Giacome Martelli Producer: Fulmacino Aloalli Alex Wright (Samoan) Rolling Down Like Pele – United States, Short Drama, 2004, 4 minutes | Director: Laura Margulies Kumu Hina (A Place in the Middle) – United States, Short Documentary, 2014. 25 minutes | Director: Dean Hamer Writer: Hina Wong-Kalu (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) Saturday, March 5 / 8:00 pm The Dead Lands – Aotearoa New Zealand, Dramatic Feature, 2014, 107 minutes | Director: Toa Fraser (Fijian and British) Sunday, March 8 Palm Springs Art Museum Annenberg Theater* | 5:00 pm Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indians – United States, Feature Documentary, 2000, 85 minutes Director: Anne Makepeace In Attendance For complete synopses of all film please visit www.accmuseum.org

Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program FEBRUARY 2016 31

EQCA UPDATE

FAIR SHARE FOR EQUALITY

BY RICK ZBUR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EQUALITY CALIFORNIA How do your income level, safety and physical and mental health measure up to your non-LGBT friends, family members and co-workers? According to a new report just published by Equality California Institute, for many of us, the answer is “could be better.”

We have just released our second annual Fair Share for Equality report, featuring a compilation of reports from a number of LGBT and social services organizations on the many shortfalls in health and wellbeing still suffered by the LGBT community compared to the general public. The report also contains recommendations on how best to address these shortfalls and improve the lives of LGBT people.

Last December, we convened 175 leaders from the LGBT community and community organizations, educators, social service agencies, and government officials.

Equality California Institute launched its groundbreaking Fair Share for Equality initiative last year to help address these disparities by educating our community, legislators and policymakers on how best to allocate a “fair share” of government resources to advance the health and wellbeing of California’s LGBT community.

Through Fair Share for Equality, we invite leaders of LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations to give us their views and recommendations on the priorities on which EQCA and the California LGBT community should focus. Their recommendations help us set our goals for the next year to make sure that state leaders are aware of problem areas in the LGBT community and how state resources can address them.

This year’s priority recommendations include expanding funding and programs to address the epidemic of LGBT youth homelessness; expanding and implementing collection of data about LGBT people to make sure social services reach those in need; creating safe and supportive school environments by providing teachers and school counselors with culturally competent training, and by requiring suicide prevention programs in California schools; providing expanded programs for cultural competency training for medical and mental health professionals; developing state programs and strategies to

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address high drug prices faced by members of the LGBT community and people living with HIV/AIDS; modernizing HIV transmission laws that single out and stigmatize people with HIV; developing a state plan to end the HIV epidemic in California, including increasing awareness and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimens; ensuring that economic development programs target the LGBT community to address income disparities; reducing violence and differential treatment for LGBT people within the criminal justice system, including through cultural competency training of police and other criminal justice government officials; and providing healthcare to California’s estimated 250,000 LGBT undocumented immigrants.

For more information and to view a copy of the full report, please visit http://www.eqca.org/wp-content/uploads/EQCAI_ FairShare-Report_2016.pdf

FEBRUARY 2016 33

GARDEN PARTY APRIL 2, 2016

Join us in Palm Springs for our annual NCLR Garden Party on April 2nd!

At the event you will hear about our incredible NCLR legal team and work to advance full equality for the entire LGBT community. NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell and Legislative Policy Director Geoff Kors will give an update on all of our groundbreaking work.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

LearnSponsorship More

Event Details Saturday, April 2nd 5:00PM Champagne Cocktail Reception For Sponsors of $500+ 5:30PM Garden Party Palm Springs, CA Event address provided upon RSVP

Go to NCLRights.org/GardenParty to learn more about this year’s iconic honorees, sponsorship opportunities, and to purchase event tickets.

For questions regarding the event, contact Corporate Relations & Events Manager Dani Siragusa at Events@NCLRights.org or 415.365.1309.

RSVP and reserve your spot today! www.NCLRights.org/GardenParty

JOIN OUR

Generous Sponsors NCLRIGHTS.ORG/ GARDENPARTY

Co-Chair: Larry Fulton & David Vogel | Carol Dunlap & Meredith Miller Geoff Kors & James Williamson | True Value Palm Springs Co-Host: Jim Carroll & Scott Romesburg | Lynn Hammond Catering Premier: Larry Colton & John McCoy | Brian Rix | Gary D. Soto Partner: Ginny Foat & Pamela Genevrino Carol & Mike Balasa | Al Jones & Marc Byrd | Gloria Kapp & Joan Elliott VIP: Andy Linsky | Michael Valeo Friend: Carl Baker | Susan Burnside | Ruth Debra & Sherry Fulton | Ron deHarte Henry Doering | Niko Esposito | Jan Laakso & Gloria Grand Jeffrey Norman | Greg Rodriguez | Ron Wallen Desert Outlook | Pride.com | The Standard Magazine Sponsor List as of 1.25.16 Media:

Sponsorships, tickets and more: NCLRIGHTS.ORG/GARDENPARTY 34 THESTANDARDPS.COM

For advertising inquiries please contact Nino@thestandardps.com TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE STANDARD PLEASE GO TO THESTANDARDPS.COM

FEBRUARY 2016 35

LEGALLY SPEAKING

HOME SWEET HOMEOWNER

BY CHRISTOPHER HERITAGE

64% of all American households own their home. That’s 80,000,000 households representing a huge number of people who must decide what will happen to their home if something happens to them. When you bought your house, the Title Company identified the property with your name and the type of ownership on the Grant Deed. Is that type of ownership the best plan for you?

Here are some basics of home ownership that should help you make good decisions about how to own and pass along your home with a minimum of fuss.

Living Trust: When you own a home, it is often best to create a Revocable Living Trust to hold title to all your assets (real property, bank and investment accounts, etc.). A Trust usually names you as the “Grantor” and “Trustee,” and you control everything in the Trust. It also names Successor Trustees in case something happens to you. A Successor Trustee can manage all your assets just as you did. If you become incapacitated, your affairs will be handled without missing a beat. And if you pass away, a Trust usually avoids going through a costly court probate action and keeps your affairs and assets private. Your house and other property will be transferred with no hassle to the beneficiary(ies) you name in your Trust.

If you choose not to create a Trust, there are other ways to hold title to and transfer your real property, but there are often downsides to these. Consider these options: Joint Tenancy: You and another person (spouse, partner, child, friend) own the house together. Sometimes, a parent will add an adult child’s or friend’s name as a joint tenant to the deed, in hopes of avoiding probate and making that person the immediate beneficiary of the property when the homeowner dies.

But there are drawbacks to joint tenancy. Both of you own the house. You can’t sell it or carry out other legal transactions unless

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both joint tenants sign. A creditor can attach the property if one of you has serious debt problems, or is sued in court for damages in an accident, or has other legal issues. A creditor could force the sale of the property to satisfy the debt. If one of you passes away, the remaining joint tenant immediately owns the entire property. But if you become incapacitated, your joint tenant may find it very difficult to manage the property without a power of attorney or filing a conservatorship proceeding in Probate Court.

Consider what might happen if your married daughter is a joint tenant, and she files for divorce or bankruptcy. Is her share of your house part of the assets the court will require her to divide up or sell?

Or what if your daughter becomes ill or passes away? Does she have a Trust or a Will to determine what happens to the share of your house that she owns? In many situations, you can be left with a mess.

Are you willing to live with all the uncertainties that joint tenancy holds? No one can predict the future, but with a 50+% divorce rate, and the likelihood that 70% of all of us will experience periods of incapacity in our lives, the odds for using joint tenancy as an easy means to pass along property aren’t very good.

Tenants in Common: Here, two or more people hold title, each to a specific percentage of the property. In this case, the other(s) does not own the whole property after the death of an owner.

The decedent’s share goes to his or her heirs through Probate or a Trust. Spouses sometimes do this to retain their shares as separate property, and ensure that the house is not identified as community property. Partners who are not married or registered as domestic partners also choose this to make sure that each person’s share of the property is clearly identified.

Some of the downsides of joint tenancy also apply here, especially if you become incapacitated. If you can’t manage the percentage you own, the other person may not be able to deal with routine property affairs, because he or she owns only a percentage of the property and can’t speak for you without other legal documents in place.

A “Transfer On Death” (TOD) Deed: A new way to transfer property in California was passed by the legislature a few months ago. A homeowner may sign a revocable TOD deed that will transfer real property to a beneficiary on the homeowner’s death.

The signature must be notarized and the county recorder must record the deed. It is intended to be a fairly simple and inexpensive way to transfer a home. It does not require a probate action, and avoids some of the pitfalls of adding the beneficiary as a joint tenant. Since the beneficiary has no legal share of the property until after the homeowner’s death, the problems of financial liability in bankruptcy or divorce I mentioned above don’t exist.

However, the serious concern about incapacity is still there, as well as the death of the beneficiary prior to the owner of the property. A TOD deed doesn’t help at all if you are temporarily or permanently incapacitated and unable to manage your property and other financial affairs. And if you have other assets such as bank accounts and investments, it is likely that your estate will still have to go through Probate. A TOD may be suitable for a few situations where the homeowner wants to avoid Probate and the home is the only asset. It can work if the homeowner can’t afford to set up a Trust that will offer protection in case of incapacity, as well as the smooth transfer of property to beneficiaries.

WHAT WE DO: • Daily hot nutritious meal to over 135 people a day, 6 days a week.

• Sack lunches daily –over 1200 a week served.

• Phone and mail service.

• Morning coffee, rolls and fruit.

• Showers daily.

• Furniture for people in need.

• Clothing for job interviews and those who need them.

• Assistance with food stamps, MISP, id’s and more.

• Utility assistance.

• Rental assistance.

• Free notary service.

• Resume writing assistance.

• One way tickets home.

• Saturday food distribution of healthy foods to working families, seniors, veterans, the disabled, families with children.

• Emergency food boxes.

• Some transportation to medical and social service appointments.

• Van transportation to hot lunch sites.

• Home deliveries to seniors who are homebound or frail.

• “Well Assist” program to downtown merchants and other business owners.

• Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations for all in need.

Christmas presents for all the children.

• Well houses available for long-term group family living, and emergenies.

• A family-friendly environment where all can feel welcome, cared about, and respected.

This article is part of an ongoing series of articles pertaining to legal issues relevant to the LGBT community, and is intended for general information purposes only – not legal advice. Christopher Heritage is an attorney in Palm Springs and San Diego, who focuses on LGBT estate planning, domestic partnerships, same-sex marriage, probate, trust administration, and bankruptcy. He welcomes questions and comments and can be contacted at 760-325-2020 or at chris@heritagelegal.com

FEBRUARY 2016 37

Great HIV care is just a part of what you’ll find at D.A.P.

Photo by Gregg Felsen

Our passion is Your Wellness We offer a newly remodeled HIV-specialty and primary care clinic, dental clinic, sexual health services at

Desert AIDS Project accepts IEHP, Desert Oasis HMOs and PPOs, various

The Dock, cancer screenings and treatment through our Annette Bloch Cancer Care Center, a full range of mental health and addiction recovery services, and so much more – creating a “medical home” for our patients.

Covered California plans, Medicare, and private pay insurance plans. If you have another PPO or HMO, please check with your plan administrator.

And it all happens under one roof! That’s what makes D.A.P. a national model for holistic-care-done-right.

To schedule an appointment,

D.A.P. has been designated as a Top 20 HIV/AIDS Charity for two consecutive years and received Four Star Status for four consecutive years from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator – a distinction achieved by only 7% of all nonprofits they rank.

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call 760.323.2118

desertAIDSproject.org

FITNESS

FITNESS WINNERS AND LOSERS WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

BY DENNIS MASON, BFA, CPT

Every year about this time it seems like the excitement and exuberance of having a “new start” in our lives, begins to wear a bit thin. Perhaps, it could be that January came and went so fast, that we hardly had time to figure out what it was we intended to do; it could be in reference to a new set of standards in our job, our home improvements or, the ever more popular…”get back in shape.” The latter is by far what most of us want. But look, no one said it was going to be easy to get through an entire year without seeing some variations on the bathroom scale.

If you find that you are in need of a “body tune up” then the best thing you can do is get started as soon as possible to fix the problems. Begin by standing naked in front of a full-length mirror and take an inventory of what needs to be done. Be very honest and true to yourself with this inventory. When doing so, remember to use the correct terms, such as “body fat” and “muscle.” Do Not Use The Terms “Weight Loss” Or “Weight Gain.” The reason that you want to address the real problems is so that you can fix them. If you simply say “weight loss” or “weight gain” and make reference to pounds on the scale, you are not addressing the problems at hand.

You simply want to “call it what it is”. For example, “gain some muscle or lose some body fat.”

The reason you want to gain or maintain some muscle is that muscles are the furnaces that burn body fat; after all, where else would they be burned? Recent scientific research shows that the so-called “cardio” machines just use up calories and generate “free radicals”. Free radicals are toxins in the body that are comparable to exhaust particles from your car. Your body does not like free radicals, so it generates more body fat to protect you from them.

See, free radicals damage your DNA and disrupt physiological functions. It really IS as simple as that. In my opinion, with over forty years’ experience as a Personal Trainer, Fitness Coach and athlete, most of what we thought was true about fat loss…Is Wrong.

Other factors that come into play when working on a healthier, more robust way of life include regular vigorous resistance exercise to maintain or build muscle, a healthy meal plan that includes only foods that are natural, chemical, pesticide and genetically modified (GMO) free…the way nature intended. Forget the “quick fixes”, the “so-called weight loss systems”, and all the hundreds of “diets” that abound. None of these systems will produce the results you want regardless of all the advertising and famous spokespersons pushing

them. Instead, they will put you on an endless merry-go-round of fat gain and loss, less than excellent health and a great deal of frustration and unhappiness.

Use common sense when starting a program to get you back on the road to good health and fitness. Our ancestors did it without all the complex information and miss-information that we see and hear today on the internet, radio, television, newspapers, and magazines.

Remember the old saying: Losers Quit When They Are Tired. Winners Quit When They Cross The Finish Line.

Be the winner…You’ll be glad you crossed the finish line.

Dennis is a certified Personal Trainer and Master Fitness Coach with over 40 years’ experience. NPC bodybuilding competitor, charity cyclist, health and fitness motivational speaker and author. Body Sculpting - Nutritional Guidance - Aquatics & Post Rehab Conditioning www.dennismasonfitness.com Email: dennis@dennismasonfitness.com Phone: 760-219-5877 Home Base: World Gym Palm Springs Please join Dennis on his internet radio program, FITNESS & MORE, on demand at: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/FitnessAndMore Also on Facebook and Twitter as fitnessradio.

FEBRUARY 2016 39

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WELLNESS

5 QUESTIONS TO ASK

BEFORE COMMITTING TO A HEALTH CLUB

BY DR. KENNETH TOTH, BA, MAT, DC, RN

“It’s a fact that about half of people with gym memberships don’t really use them,” says Steven Bronston, certified personal trainer with Life Time, a healthy way of life company that operates more than 115 health and wellness centers nationwide. “To fix this, and to meet your health and fitness goals, you’ll want to ensure that any health club you join has lots of amenities and programs that fit your lifestyle.”

Bronston offers these questions to ask yourself when choosing the right club: What gets you fired up?

When it comes to fitness, everyone has different preferences. If you enjoy working out in a group setting, your club should offer a variety of group fitness classes to choose from without added costs. If equipment is what inspires you to get moving, make sure your club has the latest in free weights and weight and cardio machines.

Is there a sense of community?

You’ll, hopefully, be spending a lot of time at your health club, so it’s important to make sure you feel at home. The staff should be friendly and inviting, as well as knowledgeable and well trained. Your health and well-being should be the center of attention, so be sure to ask about trainer certifications if you plan on using one.

Will the club help you meet your goals?

There’s a big difference between walking into a typical gym with a roomful of equipment and stepping foot into a total lifestyle center with a truly personalized approach to achieving health and fitness goals. “The Life Time philosophy is to ‘Know it, Nourish it and Move it,’ says Bronston.

Is this club convenient for your lifestyle?

With a busy schedule, it’s already difficult to find time out of your schedule to visit a health club. Many clubs are only open specific hours, or only offer classes at certain times on certain days, making it even more of a challenge. Look for a club that operates most hours of the day and offers a variety of classes and class times.

What other amenities are important to you?

Make sure the health club you choose has all of your desired

details. A club with kids’ activities will keep your kids active and happy while you’re able to focus on yourself. A juice bar allows you to grab a healthy after work out pick me up on your way out when you’re short on time. It’s a good idea to check for other membership perks like, discounts at local retailers and internal rewards.

Don’t let your membership slip through the cracks this year. Find a health club that meets your needs and you’ll be more than motivated to meet and exceed your goals.

Dr. Kenneth Toth, BA, MAT, DC, RN, CPT holds multiple degrees and credentials as a Science Educator, Chiropractor, Registered Nurse, and Personal Trainer.

He is currently limiting his professional activities to PERSONAL TRAINING / Nutritional Coaching, and is accepting new clients exclusively at WORLD GYM PALM SPRINGS. You may contact Dr. Ken at 949-235-9408.

For more information on Dr. Ken’s results-producing approach to personal training, please visit his website at KenTothFitness.com.

FEBRUARY 2016 41

THE AMAZON TRAIL

AARGH! JUST AARGH.

BY LEE LYNCH

In our town we have a small, out of the way thrift store, dark and not heavily patronized except by people who are very down and out. The owner— and who knows her story—sells what she can, but is always willing to help out the homeless with clothing or outdoor equipment that they need to survive in this wet environment where there are beaches for sleeping and woods for encampments, soup kitchens for food, tourists for panhandling, the library for web access.

It’s not just the homeless. Garage sales and thrift stores that once were a lark for drag queens and bull dykes are such a way of life now. If the 1% or the 20% are able to buy everything they want, the rest of us, in the current economy, are grateful to be able to buy their cast offs. The underground economy—helping the destitute, bartering goods and services, garage sales, web lists—by necessity isn’t so underground any more.

Dollar stores are crazy busy since the so-called Great Recession, and not due to recreational shopping. Their food products are often good buys if you’re in the habit of reading labels carefully and

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their books can be great finds for $1.00, though the authors get nothing for their years of work. I find it bewildering that dollar store corporations are gobbling one another up and making someone, somewhere, obscenely rich.

Goodwill does great work, but they’re huge now and their prices are getting out of range. I, along with many of my neighbors, regularly buy from the local, less expensive Humane Society thrift shop. For household items, we matronize the ReStore, thank you Jimmy Carter. Our local cobbler can’t keep up with all the shoe repairs he gets. If we can’t fix something ourselves, we employ handymen or women, rather than licensed, bonded, insured workers, to repair our roofs, our driveways, our plumbing.

We’re all what used to be called middle class people. Just try being middle class when the Social Security checks start arriving.

There was no 2016 cost of living (COLA) increase in these payments, earned through lifetimes of hard work. Something does not compute.

The inflation rate didn’t trigger a COLA, but I’m paying $50.00,

$70.00 or much more for generic prescription drugs that last year had no or minimal co-pays. To use a phrase from Dorothy Allison, I also call it criminal capitalism when older Americans can’t afford good health.

I count my lucky stars that my financial issues are at a level where I’m concerned about the cost of medications, not their total inaccessibility.

Of course the pharmaceutical companies are blaming the Affordable Care Act. Once again, a tool created for the people is being used to increase profits. Drugs are not manufactured to relieve pain or cure cancer or to prolong lives, they’re manufactured to make money. The balance has gone out of any equation that included keeping people alive and come down heavily on the side of making a financial killing. Aargh! Just aargh.

Online there’s Craigslist, the middleman of bartering. There’s Freecycle where people give away what they can’t sell or don’t need.

I’m seeing a lot fewer listings on Freecycle than I did pre-recession.

One of our friends, an underpaid care worker, shops garage sales as much as we do. For birthdays and winter holidays we exchange boxes of garage sale goodies, mailing our lightweight packages if we can’t meet. Has anyone else noticed how you can prepare a meal for a family of four on what it costs to mail a package now?

Even pet sitting, a perennial cash service, is getting all big business on us. There are pet care companies with actual employees and franchises. What ever happened to the neighbors? Word of mouth? Signs on the vet’s bulletin board? We’re monetizing every little bit of America. And the world. Uber and Lyft were great ideas until they started raking in the bucks and grew and grew, taking jobs away from regulated cab drivers.

Politicians want to squeeze cash from our national monuments.

Oil companies can’t wait to guzzle up natural resources from wildlife refuges. Prisons are privatized, hospitals connive to get more money from Medicare. All of this drives up costs and takes what was once affordable out of reach.

The bigger the corporations, the lower the wages, the fewer the jobs. And the corporations swell each time they subsume another business and dump another thousand employees. The monopolizing going on in the U.S astounds me. We have laws to prevent such boundless greed. Apparently we need more than brakes on businesses, we need an enormous emergency brake.

A phenomenon that seems to be more common is the return, after their divorces and downsized jobs, of very adult children in their fifties and sixties, moving in with aged mom or dad in senior housing communities and elsewhere. These sons and daughters have little or nothing left; the parent is beginning to need help around his small manufactured home. These now older workers don’t go out and find jobs, mom becomes the job. The kids inherit the property and have shelter as long as they can pay the taxes. The next step may be homelessness—and a visit to the kind thrift storeowner.

FEBRUARY 2016 43

HRC UPDATE

LGBTQ AT RISK YOUTH

BY BRAD WHITE

Each year, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) strives to bring over 30 national steering committees, members & supporters together as a community to be of service on MLK Day of Service.

This year, the focus across the nation has been on working with partners that support LGBTQ at risk youth. This is a grass roots way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action and to help bring together people, strengthen communities, and meet national challenges.

A huge challenge to our community is homelessness among LGBTQ youth, who make up to 40% of homeless and at-risk youth.

HRC’s Palm Springs steering committee & supporters participated in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 18, 2016 at SANCTUARY PALM SPRINGS. What was being billed as “a day on, not a day off”, HRC’s team volunteered their time to help paint the interior of Sanctuary Palm Springs, a new home about to open that will house LGBTQ homeless youth between the ages of 18-21. A food drive was previously organized as a part of the December HRC Federal Club Mixer so that members could donate non-perishable food items to the organization. In addition to these great efforts, an Amazon Wish List was created for individuals who couldn’t volunteer their time, but still wanted to help support Sanctuary. Because of the generous donations of individuals and other HRC members, local HRC members & supporters supplied much needed bedding and kitchen supplies to the home.

HRC Palm Springs also partnered with a local Walgreen’s to create care packages for the new residents that are stuffed full of toiletries and other personal care items. Volunteers had a truly amazing experience and walked away with the satisfaction of having helped such a worthy organization.

If you’re interested in donating to the HRC/Sanctuary Amazon Wish List, please visit: https://amzn.com/w/XYO8OVCHEV2A. To learn more about Sanctuary Palm Springs and HRC, please visit: sanctuarypalmsprings.org and hrc.org.

And if you would like to become involved in HRC’s critical work, on a local level, you can send an email at any time to.... hrcpalmspringsvolunteers@hrc.org.

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Spring 2016 Concerts A Grand Night For Singing the Arrangement & Vocal Harmonics ensembles

Grand Night A

For

saturday, Feb. 20 | 8 p.m. sunday, Feb. 21 | 3 p.m.

Singing

Fascinatin’ Rhythm palm springs Gay men’s chorus — 85 Voices strong saturday, April 16 | 8 p.m. sunday, April 17 | 3 p.m.

Jewish Community Center — 332 W. Alejo Road, Palm Springs Artistic Director:

Douglas c. Wilson ensemBle AccompAnist:

AccompAnist:

Kurt Jordan

Joel Baker

FEBRUARY 2016 45

the3D’s RESTAURANTS WANG’S IN THE DESERT 424 S Indian Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.325.WANG (9264) www.wangsinthedesert.com NATURE’S HEALTH FOOD & CAFE 555 S Sunrise Way Suite 301 Palm Springs, CA 760.323.9487 www.natureshealthfoodcafe.com SHERMAN’S DELI & BAKERY 401 E Tahquitz Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.325.1199 www.shermansdeli.com RÍO AZUL 350 S. Indian Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.992.5641 www.rioazulpalmsprings.com AZUL RESTAURANT 369 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.325.5533 www.azultapaslounge.com TINTO 1800 E. Palm Canyon Dr. PS 760.323.1711 palmsprings.tintorestaurant.com COPLEY’S ON PALM CANYON 621 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.327.9555 www.copleyspalmsprings.com

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DINE | DRINK | DANCE { Coachella Valley } WORKSHOP KITCHEN & BAR 800 N. Palm Canyon Dr. PS 760.459.3451 www.workshoppalmsprings.com LULU CALIFORNIA BISTRO 200 S Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.327.5858 www.lulupalmsprings.com POMME FRITE 256 S Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.778.3727 www.pomme-frite.com DISH 1107 N. Palm Canyon Dr. PS 760.322.7171 www.dishcreativecuisine.com THAI SMILE PALM SPRINGS 100 South Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.5503 www.thaismilepalmsprings.com TRIO RESTAURANT 707 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.864.8746 www.triopalmsprings.com THE TROPICALE 330 E Amado Road Palm Springs, CA 760.866.1952 www.thetropicale.com

BARS AND NIGHT CLUBS

ZIN AMERICAN BISTRO 198 S Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.322.6300 www.pszin.com

HUNTERS NIGHTCLUB 302 East Arenas Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.323.0700 www.huntersnightclubs.com

BIRBA 622 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.327.5678 www.birbaps.com

TOUCAN’S TIKI LOUNGE 2100 North Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.416.7584 www.toucanstikilounge.com

CHEEKYS 622 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.327.7595 www.cheekysps.com

PURPLE ROOM 1900 E. Palm Canyon Dr. PS 760.322.4422 www.purpleroompalmsprings.com

EL MIRASOL 140 E Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.323.0721 www.elmirasolrestaurants.com RICK’S RESTAURANT 1973 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 760.416.0090 www.ricksrestaurant.biz PINOCCHIO IN THE DESERT 134 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.322.3776 www.pinocchiops.com

CHILL BAR 217 E. Arenas Road PS 760.327.1079 STREETBAR 224 E. Arenas Road PS 760.320.1266 www.psstreetbar.com THE TOOL SHED 600 E. Sunny Dunes Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.3299 www.toolshed-ps.com SPURLINE VIDEO LOUNGE 200 Indian Canyon Drive Palm Springs CA 92262 760.778.4326 www.spurline.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY GET HIM ON THE LINE Try For Free

800-960-6843 ART + DESIGN mayakalabic.com

www.TrioPalmSprings.com

Ahora en Español /18+

For advertising inquiries please contact Nino@thestandardps.com TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE STANDARD PLEASE GO TO THESTANDARDPS.COM If you are an artist and would like to be considered for our ART VIEW - Artist Profile, please email us at info@thestandardps.com.

COMING UP NEXT MONTH LET’S ALL SING

THE MUSIC ISSUE

FEBRUARY 2016 47

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EVENTS CALENDAR FEB 13 LOVE & LAUGH COMEDY SHOW This Saturday, Feb 13th at 7pm enjoy an indulgent Valentines feast of comedy at Oscars featuring four very different comedians talking about love and life A gay man, a gay woman, a straight man and straight woman, Amy Ashton, (writer for Joan Rivers) headlines the night to round out the show. Local comics Max Mitchell and Shann Carr share the bill with the LA Comics, Amy Ashton and impressionist Brian Petrasek. Get tickets at www.maxmitchell.com

FEB 20 WHEN DIVAS WERE DIVAS In celebration of African American History Month, The Tolerance Education Center presents; When Divas Were Divas, a musical dramatic production that focuses on the lives of Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker and Sarah Vaughan and depicts their roles in the US society during a time when women were to be seen and not heard. For more info visit www.toleranceeducationcenter.org

FEB 12 - 14 25TH ANNUAL WINTER CLASSIC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT AIDS Assistance Program – Food Samaritans (AAP), in cooperation with the City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Gay Softball League, announces the 25th Annual Palm Springs Winter Classic Softball Tournament. The teams participating in the tournament, which benefits AAP, are members of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. For more

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information, visit www.pswinterclassic.com or call 760-323-8277

FEB 28 HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST NIGHT. TRIO RESTAURANT PALM SPRINGS In celebration of the 88th annual Academy Awards, Trio Restaurant in Palm Springs will host the seventh annual “Hollywood’s Biggest Night” to benefit AIDS Assistance Program (AAP) at 4:00 pm on Sunday, February 28, 2016. The glittering evening will include signature ‘orange’ carpet arrivals featuring a group of paparazzo, a sumptuous 6-course dinner, well cocktails, wine, and champagne.

For info www.aidsassistance.org

DBA EVENTS www.desertbusinessassociation.org

THE SUNDAY BAND W/ SPECIAL GUESTS. PAPPY & HARRIET’S PIONEERTOWN The Sunday Rock + Roll Service is a Pappy and Harriet’s institution celebrating the healing powers of music and community!

Every weekend the club’s favorite singers and players get together and trade songs.

Come join us to see Victoria Williams, Gar Robertson, Carol Ann Crandall, Damian Lester, Bob Furgo, Rachel Dean, Ryan Norman, Caleb Winn, Danny Frankel and other talented locals performing for your drinking and dancing pleasure. With a come-as-you-are vibe, Sundays have seen great special guests like Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, The Jayhawks, Rickie Lee Jones to name a few. www.pappyandharriets.com

ONGOING >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CHILL BAR PALM SPRINGS A warm and fabulous twenty first century modern venue located on Arenas, suited with multi faceted rooms for any celebration.

The gorgeous island bar is surrounded by hi-definition video entertainment and a comfortable designer lounge. Chill on the patio enjoying music and refreshing beverages with friends after a game of pool, or come by and say hello to our friendly staff. Open for business seven days a week. Get out of the heat, and come join us! Happy Hour (From Open to 7pm) and Late Happy Hour (From Midnight to Last Call) $4 Well Drinks, $2.75 Bud Light & $1.50 Chill Lager. www.chillbarpalmsprings.com

CARNIVAL CABARET. OSCAR’S CAFÉ & BAR. PALM SPRINGS Carnival Cabaret is a high-end female impersonator revue.

This production has traveled throughout the country with performances in casinos, theaters and for corporate events.

Carnival Cabaret features the world’s most amazing cast of men who perform as famous women. You will not believe your eyes! Veteran TV and film actor James

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EVENTS CALENDAR

Gypsy Haake, who holds the record for the oldest working female impersonator in the world, hosts the show. Haake is 83 years old and has been seen in films and television since the 1980s. Shows run every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Dinner show seating begins at 6:30pm. Show only seating begins at 7:30pm. Showtime is 8pm.

Tickets start at $29.95.

Tickets: carnivalcabaret.ticketleap.com

COPA In a throwback to old Palm Springs’ nightclubs, the Copa is fashioned around an elevated performing stage and a stunning u-shaped bar lined with leather barstools, upholstered booths, and gilded cocktail tables. Sink into the sexy lounge, sip a cocktail, and enjoy the lineup of local and guest entertainers. For weekly schedule visit www.coparoomps.com

THE PURPLE ROOM Supper club, drinks and live music. It’s where Palm Springs plays. Great entertainment nightly and dinner specials. You never know whom you might see at The Purple Room. For monthly schedule and info visit www.thepurpleroompalmsprings.com

OSCAR’S CAFÉ & BAR Located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs on the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Indian Canyon, Oscar’s has a huge outdoor patio with lots of umbrellas for shade and misters to keep you cool, too.

You can beat the heat any time of year and enjoy the views of Palm Springs. On Saturday and Sunday from 8am – 2pm, enjoy a $9 Bottomless Mimosas (juice included), a single $2 mimosa or a $5 Bloody Mary with brunch, during which both our full breakfast and lunch menus are available. Also join us for Sunday Funday Weekly Tea Dance 4pm-Close! Live entertainment weekly visit our website for details. www.oscarspalmsprings.com

LIPSTICK AT COPA Thursday nights at Copa just got a little hotter with a new show at the new showroom inside Copa. The Hot New Lipstick show is a raucous affair where the audience is encouraged to participate in singing, clapping, dancing, partying and celebrating special events. Featuring performances by Charles Herrera, Pinkie Meringue Shimmer, Marina Mac, Sassy Ross, Dion Khan, and Cherilyn, and emceed by the fabulous Bella Da Ball, this show will not disappoint. For ticket info and schedule of performers visit www.coparoomps.com

HUNTERS NIGHTCLUBS® Palm Springs, Palm Springs’ go-to gay bar and dance club, has been leading the way in full-out fun for 16 years now! And we keep it pumping, making it better for you all the time with our unparalleled event line-up. We enjoy having

the desert’s most sought-after and friendly DJs, full-on themed events, and a staff that has it all without the attitude. And of course, we are proud to hold the longest happy hour in the entire Valley. Remember: Size Matters.

Come by for our happy hour from 10am- 7pm.

Yes, that’s right: 9 hours long! For a list of all events and specials visit www.huntersnightclubs.com

SUNDAYS “The Playgirls” at Toucans Tiki Lounge featuring Tommi Rose. Performances at 8 & 10pm.These darling Divas of drag really deliver with their very own brand of entertainment to packed houses. Special guests appear weekly. DJ in the sound booth. Every Sunday Complete list of events www.toucanstikilounge.com FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS VISIT OUR MEDIA PARTNER, GAY DESERT GUIDE. CLICK ON LOGO

FEBRUARY 2016 49

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EVENTS CALENDAR

FEB 4 - 9

GAY MARDI GRAS NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Gay Mardi Gras is without a doubt the most outrageous gay and lesbian event in New Orleans, second only to the annual Southern Decadence Weekend Celebration in the number of gay and lesbian revelers.

In 2016, takes place in the lower French Quarter. This is where the epicenter of the Gay New Orleans community is located at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, anchored by the city’s largest gay nightclub, The Bourbon Pub / Parade. www.gaymardigras.net

FEB 13 - 20

ALOHA GAY CRUISE HONOLULU, HAWAII Don’t miss out on this trip of a lifetime! Book today with PrideOne Travel and Cruises for this extravagant gay cruise. We will sail the islands of Hawaii round trip from majestic Honolulu, as we party on Norwegian’s spectacular ship, Pride of America! As a special bonus prior to boarding the Pride of America, we will spend a few days in Honolulu for an exclusive pre-cruise getaway. www.alohagaycruise.com

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FEB 24 - 27

LEVEL GROUND FILM & ART FESTIVAL PASADENA, CA Level Ground is an LGBT film festival that uses art to create safe space for dialogue about faith, gender, and sexuality. Our hope is to cultivate a better way of speaking with one another across our differences and disagreements. Level Ground is becoming a national innovator in film festival programming, art curating, and dialogue. www.onlevelground.org

MAR 2 - 7

WINTER PARTY FESTIVAL 2016 MIAMI, FLORIDA Winter Party Festival is an annual fundand consciousness-raising event committed to supporting, inspiring and activating the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and its supporters worldwide through a celebration of identity, equality and unity. Now in its 23rd edition, Winter Party Festival takes place annually in one of the world’s hottest destinations – Miami Beach. www.winterparty.com

MAR 5

OUT AT THE RODEO HOUSTON, TEXAS Show your rodeo pride at the 2016 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Out At The Rodeo. Houston’s only LGBT grassroots rodeo outing. Out At The Rodeo 2016 and merchandise sales will benefit the AIDS Foundation Houston.

More info www.outattherodeo.com

MAR 10 - 13

TEXAS BEAR ROUND-UP 21 DALLAS, TEXAS Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler in other words… Let the Good Times Roll! This year the theme is Mardi Gras. So get ready for beignets, gumbo and massive amounts of Bead tossing!...We have a great weekend planned with entertainment, food, activities, contest, and transportation to all our events and bars, our world famous hospitality room and of course eighteen hundred plus bears, cubs, admirers and more! For more info visit www.tbru.org

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EVENTS CALENDAR

MAR 3 - 7

FEB 5 - 13

RIO CARNIVAL RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL The excitement of the Carioca spirit is infectious and there is no better time to experience this than during the miraculous and memorable festival of Rio Carnival.

Get swept up into the electrifying energy of the Sambadrome, the official home of Rio Carnival, as the elite Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro compete in a spectacular performance of rhythm and dancing, dazzling costumes and colossal floats in the Sambadrome Parades of Rio Carnival 2016. www.rio.com

FEB 19 - MAR 6

SYDNEY GAY & LESBIAN MARDI GRAS 2016, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Sydney’s Mardi Gras is huge! Running for almost a month in February/March each year, it includes Fair day at Victoria Park, the Harbor Party at the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, and so much more visit www.mardigras.org.au for all the fabulous details.

AMSTERDAM BEAR PRIDE AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND The city of cheese, tulips and tolerance welcomes all the furry fellas and their friends for a weekend filled with fun. Bowling, a pub crawl, dancing, cruising, bingo, a canal cruise and of course a Mister Bear Netherlands election are just some of the highlights of a diverse schedule of events. Amsterdam is proud to be a diverse and gay friendly city and it is time we celebrated that with a Bear Pride. www.amsterdambearpride.com

FEB 13 - 20

ASIA PACIFIC OUTGAMES 2016 AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND The 4th Asia Pacific Outgames in Auckland New Zealand - a week of sports, culture, parties and a human rights forum for the LGBTQI community and its supporters.

Participants can choose from 17 different sports, including: Swimming, Hockey, Golf, Football (Soccer), Softball, Athletics and many more! You don’t need to be an elite athlete or have a team. Register as an individual or with your regular sporty tribe. Be competitive or as social as you want to be. www.asiapacificoutgames.org

FEB 27 - MAR 5

GAY SKI BUDDIES WEEK 2016 SAN ANTON, AUSTRIA Europe’s premier Gay Ski Week if you are looking for quality and fun on the slopes.

With amazing slopes, brilliant company, fantastic social events, legendary apres ski & exclusive use of a fabulous 4* hotel - just meters from the main gondola & with roof top spa, this is the best quality gay ski week you must discover yourself this season! www.martikas.com

Our international media partner, FNQ Magazine, www.fnqmagazine.com Cairns gay lifestyle and travel publication that gives Australia and the world a taste of gay life in the tropics, sponsors the International Calendar. www.go2gaycairns.com

FEBRUARY 2016 51

PHOTO REWIND MODERNISM SPONSOR PARTY PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A. LEE

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PHOTO REWIND PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A. LEE

FEBRUARY 2016 53

PHOTO REWIND JADE’S BIRTHDAY PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A. LEE

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PHOTO REWIND SANCTUARY PS EVENT PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A. LEE

FEBRUARY 2016 55

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Honoring

Lilli Joseph & Marion Schaefer When I Rise was created to recognize an individual or individuals who have overcome unfair obstacles in life and have risen against those odds to become an outstanding human being. We find such individuals in the arts, the sports world and in so many other walks of life. This person is someone who has exemplified and embodied the true human spirit and has forged a path that others recognize as a noble endeavor.

Lilli Joseph

The fourth annual When I Rise will honor two very courageous women who experienced the horrors of Nazi Germany, managed to escape, facing many difficult roadblocks and situations, to rise above and become the nonagenarians they are today.

Sunday, March 13, 2016, 6:00-9:00pm

Marion Schaefer

Spencer’s • Palm Springs

Our Gala, on Sunday, March 13th, 2016, through awards, proclamations, videos, and a beautiful music program and sit down dinner will honor Lilli Joseph and Marion Schaefer. Please save this date and help us honor these two outstanding women! The event is to be held in the Bougainvillea Room at Spencer’s Restaurant with a cocktail reception held poolside.

$140.00 per person, $1400.00 table of ten.

Call (760) 323-8353 for reservations or more information, or order online. www.operaartspalmsprings.org Sponsored by Joe Giarrusso & Charlie Paglia, David Hood & George Sellars, John & Carley PinkneyBarbara & Jerry Keller, Andy Linsky, Harold Matzner, FEBRUARY 2016 57 Leo and Sarah Milmet

and

The City of Palm Desert present

Sunday, March 20, 2016 11:00 am - 4:30 pm

Palm Desert Civic Center Park

FREE to the Public

All the World’s a Stage: An Operatic Grand Tour

Professional orchestra of 32 and six professional singers.

Saluting and acknowledging the dedication and contributions of Brian Webb to the world of music.

11:00 a.m. - 11:55

Jazz offerings

Noon - 1:00 Sound check with orchestra and singers 1:00 - 1:50 1:50 - 2:00 2:00 - 4:30

Mr. Gale Enger on keyboard

Presentation of award and honors to Brian Webb

Opera show begins with a 20 minute intermission between acts

Children's activities: face painting, SCRAP Gallery and crafts, healing ponies, magic.

Art work displays.

Food and beverage for sale from: Taquiza el Chato, Dogs on the Run, E & E Pel's, and more.

Bring your blankets, chairs, umbrellas, family and friends for a beautiful day in the park

For Information visit www.OperaArtsPalmSprings.org or call 760-323-8353 S P O N S O R S

Peter & Judi Wasserman, Donna MacMillan, Jim Houston, Jim McGuire, Harold Matzner, Elizabeth & Jeffrey Moritz The Coeta & Donald Barker Foundation, John & Carley Pinkney, Jerome Angel, Gayle Hodges,

58 THESTANDARDPS.COM Joe Giarrusso, Sarah & Leo Milmet, Barbara Keller, Peggy Cravens, Helene Galen

Red

PRESENTS

ed R Dance JOIN the FUN

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Party SATURDAY MARCH 12 8:00PM to 2016 11:00PM

@SNAPSHOT PALM SPRINGS

SPONSORS

4575 E. Camino Parocela Palm Springs, Ca 92264

MARY SUE SHELBY ALLEN

MEDIA PARTNERS

outlook DESERT

FOR MORE INFORMATION please call 760.416.7790 or visit us online at www.thecenterps.org

WILL COOK ROB MORRISON

CENTER

the

RANDY LOWE RICK HUTCHESON ROB KINCAID CHARLES ROBBINS DAMON ROMINE

the heart of our community

FEBRUARY 2016 59

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