TheStandard_Vol9_Issue7

THE ART ISSUE JULY 2021 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 7 THESTANDARDPS.COM @THESTANDARDPS

CONTENTS VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7

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THE ART ISSUE JULY 2021 VOLUME 9 ISSUE 7 THESTANDARDPS.COM @THESTANDARDPS

COVER ART BY JOE DIETL

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COVER

LGBTQ ARTISTS SPEAK OUT ABOUT PORTRAYING QUEER LOVE PAGES 9-12

Volume 9 Issue 7 COVER QUEER ARTISTS WHO ARE MAKING A SPLASH COVER ARTISTS PORTRAYING GAY LOVE PROFILE JOE DIETL A TRUE RENAISSANCE MAN DAP UPDATE 8 REASONS WHY IT’S TIME TO GET THE COVID VACCINE MUSIC SARO MORRISEY FOR THE MODERN ERA FILM DEANGELO JACKSON BEING BLACK IN PORN

PAINTING BY KYLE DUNN

JULY 2021 3

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COMMENTARY

The Standard Magazine 400 N Sunrise Way #263 Palm Springs CA 92262 760.831.4869 NINO EILETS Publisher LUCIANO McNULTY Editor MAYA KALABIC Art Director PHOTOGRAPHER David A. Lee CONTRIBUTORS Chris Astrala, Martha Tang, Max Jimenez, Dustin Gruber, Robert Hopwood, Greg Stillwell, Tom Tietjen, Jack Bunting, Dann Foley, Lee Lynch, Jeff Dorta, Jill Langham & Terri Schlichenmeyer

www.thestandardps.com EDITORIAL CREDITS : BrandPoint, Huffington Post, LGBTQ Nation, Project Publicity, MSN, Reuters, NBC News & Artsy 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 be reproduced in any form without the expressed consent of

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COVER

QUEER ARTISTS WHO ARE MAKING A SPLASH

BY CHRIS DORSETT

There are so many up and coming new artists who need to be heard. Their voices are now being heard loud and clear and like so many queer artist before them; they are certain to make their mark in history. Many more could have made this list, but the hope of these few is to represent many — and what binds them together isn’t nails, glue, paint or thread, but one common virtue amid this pivotal period for queer culture: When language just won’t cut it, art fills the void.

Leilah Babirye, Sculptor After fleeing the dangerously homophobic conditions of her native Uganda and gaining asylum in the U.S., Babirye had only art to claim for herself — she left behind family, friends and her girlfriend for the sake of her own survival. Today, she can work from anywhere, creating forms “carved using traditional African techniques mixed with found objects including metal, plastic and wood,” she said. A burned diary, she adds, reflects her own fears and desires about being out, while renderings of trans friends via paper or ceramics “represent some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

She’s taken up activism, particularly as it relates to Uganda’s 2021 presidential election, and she said, “How I live as an out lesbian in the fight for the rights of my community reverberates from New York, through social media, back to Uganda, and all over the world.”

Cheyne Gallarde. Illustrator “I love to transform queer people into the superheroes I see them as,” Cheyne Gallarde said, “powerful and dynamic but with a touch of whimsy and camp.” Aided by a background in offset printing, Gallarde uses “digital methods to achieve analog results,” and his vintage-style renderings of everyone from Marsha P. Johnson to the cast of “Pose” have become so popular, MTV tapped him to make comic-book covers for all six Video of the Year nominees for this year’s VMAs. “I focus on creating cover art because I want the viewer to imagine the rest of the story in their minds,” said Gallarde, who, when recreating all manner of queer icons, dives into a great wealth of research. In addition to “engaging the viewer’s imagination in this taptap-technology era,” Gallarde said he is motivated to shake up who is depicted. “One look at my art makes it clear that I love drawing fierce females,” he said, “but I also love showing trans men and bears represented alongside the muscled Adonises we’ve grown up seeing.”

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Gio Black Peter. Painter “A true artist is never not working,” said Gio Black Peter, a world-renowned, Guatemalan-born painter. “When I’m not painting, I’m thinking about what I want to paint.” Known for his unique style of figure drawing — a touch exaggerated, endearing and provocative — Peter has pulled inspiration from his days in carpentry and gardening, which prompted plants to enter his art. He paints alone in his studio from 9 p.m. until morning, “when New York is the most peaceful,” he said. He admires artists like David Wojnarowicz, who presented fierce commentaries on AIDS before succumbing to complications from it. “It takes guts to put everything out there for public consumption,” Peter Sid, adding, “If you want to know how I see the world, just look at my work.”

Lex Barberio Photographer Miami-born photographer Lex Barberio likens her artistic process to cooking. “Once you’ve put in all the prep work,” she said (in this case, concept development, test shots and more), “the execution becomes easier.” Barberio said she hopes “to expand people’s definitions of gender, sexuality and self,” and one way she’s doing that is with her project “The Ambisextrous,” wherein each of her subjects were shot while presenting as masculine, androgynous and feminine, and the resulting triptychs were merged via printing on holographic paper, allowing the viewer to watch the subjects transform in real time. The novel technique is a show-don’ttell contribution to the ever-complex conversation around gender identity. “It visually articulates something that’s very hard to put in words,” she explains.

Nao Bustamante. Multimedia Artist Nao Bustamante has been showing her performance art, sculpture, installation and video work across the globe for more than 25 years, and she still loves the rush of being in production, in a studio or in a performance. “I’m always making,” she said. “The trick is to find space in your mind to allow for ideas to unfold, and there’s a lot of procrastination involved. I always say, ‘If you’re not procrastinating, you haven’t started yet.’” Known for her bold explorations of race, class and gender, Bustamante said she doesn’t so much make art for the LGBTQ community, but that the community holds and supports her so that she’s able to make her art (including works like “America, the beautiful,” in which she sculpted her body in packing tape to “create the perfect feminine form, which in turn becomes grotesque”). She remains motivated to build a more just and loving world, and more reflective of her own lived experience. “I stand at the intersection of many communities: queer, feminist, Latinx, artist and educator,” she said. “I live all those identities at the same time.”

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COVER Marco DaSilva. Painter This past summer, at New York’s Manny Cantor Center, DaSilva exhibited a series of paintings with combined canvases — each painting created the shape of the Empire State Building, and each bore the colors of a different flag representing a past lover. “It was inspired by unrequited desire,” DaSilva said. “I’m influenced by navigating queer love in my work but coding it in a way that only I can fully understand. The viewer is left to pick up the pieces.” Motivated by fellow queer artists and prone to embedding inexpensive baubles in his work (he’s made intricate textures with plastic gemstones, only to cover them with house paint), DaSilva is constantly using his art to negotiate his Brazilian roots with his life and upbringing in New York City. “Through this work I explore the idea of home and sense of belonging that is not rooted in one place,” he said, “but often floating between many.”

Austin James Smith. Designer “Some people have trouble thinking that things outside of drawing, painting and sculpture can be considered in a fine art context,” said Austin James Smith, whose face is typically the canvas for his “dark but whimsical” adornment work. “I enjoy being outside that bubble.” Smith — who recently launched an accessories line, Empty Jewels — said he needs to be fast and consistent when applying makeup, jewelry and more to his face, because he “can’t pause covered in fake tattoos and just pick it back up the next day.” Smith’s Instagram presence has boosted his popularity, and he’s grateful to live in New York, where he can express himself freely — a privilege underlined by his recent collaboration with a Russian artist on an Instagram filter. “He expressed how hard it is for him there,” Smith said, “and that seeing artists like me helps him escape daily negativity. I’m motivated to be my true self while also reaching people.”

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COVER

LGBTQ ARTISTS SPEAK OUT ABOUT PORTRAYING QUEER LOVE Artists working today, from photographers to figurative painters to sculptors, are shattering the conception that love looks a certain way and creating greater visibility for the LGBTQ+ community in the process. Their portrayals of love—not just couples, but gatherings of friends and expressions of self-love and desire—are not only historically important, but they’re also gestures of support for the many young people who will follow in their footsteps.

Hernan Bas When you walk into a museum, it’s important to be able to see something other than the usual suspects. It’s something that I didn’t have the opportunity to see when I grew up: instances of LGBTQ+ love. We need to have the opportunity just to see different voices in the world.

My work has always been about curiosity. The characters I portray are typically alone, they’re always on the verge of understanding themselves, so it’s more about self-love. I don’t necessarily think of all my characters as being queer necessarily, but they’re involved in a situation that is queer a lot of the time. So, it’s also about sort of celebrating the oddness that exists in the world.

When people walk away from my work, I want them to discover something that they didn’t know before. A lot of the stories that I cover are obscure things that haven’t seen the light of day or haven’t been portrayed in painting. So, I want people to be curious and go home and think about it some more and discover that there’s more to life than just the typical conditions that you see in museums and galleries. It’s basically always been about storytelling—if you tell a good story, then hopefully people want to keep reading.

TM Davy When love’s mysteries are allowed to be naked, and all truths embraced inside a protective sphere of this world, that connective blooming may be the garden of our shared belonging. I believe in art as a democracy of pathways, leading us to and from ourselves.

It is a sadness that the ways of history cut queer love like a weed. Still, I fell in love with painting through those homo electric secrets that dance along our space and time. Gay longing winks to me even from old altarpieces. Such brilliant flowers, hiding under hate, sublimating their genius to the growth of other powers. I am so grateful for all those proud faggots who made their hearts known in unforgiving times. How they fought to stay alive and to keep their dear ones near, so that finally we may be arriving at the promise of our spring: We must trust ourselves to love.

JULY 2021 9

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COVER Hilary Harkness For every person, there’s a different experience with love: seeking it, finding it, losing it, having the courage to start the process all over again. I see my work as part of a larger project of creating representations that reflect the broad spectrum and diverse intricacies of human experience.

In the past, I felt like I was making my paintings for young LGBTQ+ people who were isolated from gay communities or had yet to find theirs; people who were in situations similar to mine when I was growing up, who thought there wasn’t space for their love to be seen or celebrated. Once, a fan drove four hours to hear me give a talk in Florida, my work meant so much to her.

Kyle Dunn I think back to when I was a kid growing up in the Midwest and didn’t see queer images in art or otherwise. A lot has changed since then! But I feel like it is only just starting to enter the mainstream. If you think of LGBTQ+ movies, the vast majority are coming out stories— which of course serve a purpose to help anyone who isn’t there yet.

But what happens after coming out? There is a wealth of stories and experiences about gay life and love that haven’t been told.

Each painting I make has a certain internal climate, so I don’t necessarily have one set goal. And it varies with where I am in my life at the time—there’s always an autobiographical element to some extent. Sexuality and desire are complicated and intersect with a lot of other emotions, and I’m trying to tease out the nuances there.

There is a medieval street feeling to Pride in New York City, which can be great. Even as a proud and out adult, I still subconsciously self-censor in public to some degree. We’re raised to walk a certain way, talk a certain way, feel nervous about PDA. On Pride, there is a loosening of all that that feels very affirming.

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COVER Sunil Gupta It is very important for artists to portray LGBTQ+ love as there is still so little of it visible, even though it may seem that in some small urban bubbles that everything is “cool.” Everything is not cool, as we are emerging from centuries of being defined as unnatural and unclean and we spent most of the last 150 years fighting repressive anti-sodomy laws. A fight that necessarily drew its inspiration from getting sex itself legalized between consenting adults in private, at, I believe, the expense of a more nuanced focus on some notion of love.

Doron Langberg Love and sexuality in all its forms have been central themes in art from its earliest days. The way we experience the world is mediated by our desires, so I think that no matter what an artist is portraying, they are always also representing who and what they love. So many masters used their desire to convey ideas far beyond love, but because queer love stands out as the exception, whenever it is present in a piece, it’s assumed to only be able to speak about queerness.

For that reason, I feel it’s important to represent how my queerness is embedded in my life as directly and honestly as I can, to celebrate all the ways in which we are different and all the ways in which we are the same, and to give queer desire equal gravity and meaning.

Gisela McDaniel My work focuses primarily on self-love and healing in BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color) and non-binary communities.

As a survivor of sexualized violence and an indigenous Chamoru artist in the diaspora, self-love and healing became key to my own survival and the ability to find compassion, respect, and pride in and for myself after trauma. LGBTQ folx have always been an important part of the larger BIPOC community, although their stories have often been suppressed, particularly though not exclusively in Western society.

Thanks to artsy.net & NBCnews for their contributions to this piece

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PROFILE

JOE DIETL A TRUE RENAISSANCE MAN

BY CHRIS ASTRALA

Joe has been a successful working actor for decades in Hollywood, having done almost 100 commercials, televisions guest roles, and indie features with top stars like Mike Myers, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell and more. But his creativity was focused solely on acting and directing, which left him feeling satisfied, yet at the same time, incomplete.

His talent as a painter and visual artist, which he inherited from his gifted artist Mom, was unable to emerge until he moved to Palm Springs and allowed himself the freedom to explore it full time. In an ironic reversal, his acting and directing gigs provide the “day job” that financially allows him to explore his talent as a painter. We recently sat down with Joe to discuss how he got into painting, his inspirations, and who he would like to have a drink with.

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When did you realize that being an artist was something you wanted to do?

I wanted to be an artist all my life. My Mom was a painter, but it wasn’t until 2010 that I decided to give painting a try. I thought it was too late to try something new and that I had blown it for waiting too long to try. But once I took a class, I knew that painting was something I loved and had to do. In Los Angeles, I found a Plein Air painting class where you travel to a different location each week and paint what you see. I loved getting out and seeing new parts of Los Angeles and also the freedom it gave me to paint quickly as you need to get it finished in just a few hours. When I moved to Palm Springs, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to paint outside very often as the weather would be too hot and dry out the paints. So, I got a studio and started painting desert landscapes that I made up in my mind. In just a few years I have really grown as a painter and I’m happy to call myself an artist.

What or who inspires you to paint?

Some of my favorite artists are Van Gogh, Hockney and Basquiat.

I love their bold painting styles and use of bright saturated colors.

They inspire me to push myself to grow and be bold with my brush.

Have you commissioned any of your work? And if so, what has been the strangest request?

After I painted the mural for Bit of Country restaurant in downtown Palm Springs, I was commissioned to do a similar style mural for a couple’s outdoor patio wall of their condo. The courtyard was enclosed with very tall walls that felt confining and they wanted to look out and see a sprawling desert vista with cactuses and mountains. I’ve also been commissioned to paint large landscapes of the Kansas Flint Hills and a park in Oakland California as well as a beautiful home here in Rancho Mirage.

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PROFILE If there were 3 artist you can sit and have drinks with, who would they be and why?

I would love to hang out with Curly Howard and talk about all things 3 Stooges. I have a great picture of him when he was out of character, just looking in the camera, and I always wondered what he was like in real life. I would love to hear stories about gay life in the 30’s and 40’s from Tennessee Williams. And it would be fun to have a drink with Michelangelo and talk about art.

As many people may know, you are also an accomplished actor and director appearing in The Pink Thin Line (director & Actor), and of course the super popular Where the Bears Are series; but can you tell if you have a preference, acting or painting?

I was able to make a living as an actor for 20 years appearing in dozens of commercials, and TV shows. I enjoyed acting a lot but got frustrated for always having to wait for an audition, or call back, to finally get to work and then it would only be for a day or two. When you are an actor, you spend most of your time not acting.

But as a painter, I am fortunate enough to get to go to a studio every day and paint whatever I want. Sure, I often am working on a commission that I need to work on, but I am getting paid to paint, which I love to do. I really feel so fortunate that this is my life now.

What’s next for Joe Dietl?

I am gearing up for a new show in the Fall. I am working a new series of paintings that feature Bears as the subject matter.

I’m part of the bear community and I don’t feel that we have been represented in fine art and I would like to change that. I want to show the world in which I live in, with brunches and pool parties featuring large, hairy, gay men. If you are in town, please come say hi and check out my DIetlArt Studio and Gallery at 4629 Sunny Dunes Rd. Palm Springs, CA 92264.

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BOOK REVIEW

ALWAYS OVERBOOKED

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Assume this position.

Feet up, head back, fingers laced over your belly. Eyes shut.

Teeth unclenched. And there you are: ready for a nap – if you dare, if you have your work finished, if you can ignore the nagging feeling that there are things left undone, if you can stop feeling judged.

Impossible? Not so, if you’ve read “Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price, PhD. A 9-to-5 job sure would be great, wouldn’t it? You’re snorting now, aren’t you? Because you get to the office early, sprint all day, say “yes” to everything lobbed at you, leave work by the moon, stagger home, and fall into bed the second you get there.

Price was that way, too, for most of their life. They say that their childhood was spent achieving more than most kids because both their parents insisted on it. That was happily do-able although after a while, Price noticed that some of their classmates were labeled as “lazy” and “[l]azy kids didn’t have futures.”

For centuries – in business, movies, and pop culture – we’ve quietly been led to believe “The Laziness Lie,” which has three main facets: we are only worth what we can accomplish; our feelings and limits can’t be trusted; and we can’t ever do enough. These beliefs, once absorbed, can cause health problems, burn-out, relationship problems, and more through overwork and under-confidence. In their job as a teacher, Price sees it all the time.

In combatting The Laziness Lie, Price says to realize that overwork doesn’t deserve a badge of honor. Re-frame your idea of “lazy” through compassion; they point out, for instance, that surviving homelessness is hard work. Listen to your body: taking care of yourself is absolutely not “lazy,” and taking time off is essential to your health. Remember that “you can work only so much,” physically and mentally. Get off social media and turn the news off sometimes.

And “stop fearing [your] inner ‘laziness,’” Price says. Do it, and you can “build [a] healthy, happy, well-balanced” life. Weekends are good. Binge-watching your favorite TV show: good. Naps: very good. “Laziness Does Not Exist”: likewise good.

With a clarion call tailor-made for new work-at-homers who can no longer leave work at work, author and social psychologist Devon Price gives readers plenty of reason to kick back and put their feet up sometimes, showing that doing so can actually enhance productivity. There’s an abundance of illustrative stories here with

compassion featured strongly, for self and for women, marginalized workers, BIPOC, and LGBTQ workers; in that, Price shows how deep the word “lazy” goes and why it’s so wrong. Readers are then offered ideas, including exercises, that can help undo the damage of the word and its associated meanings – it’ll take work, no pun intended – and hidden reasons why waiting really isn’t an option.

Not just for the overachiever, this book should sit on the desk next to every home printer and cubicle keyboard. Find “Laziness Does Not Exist,” stretch, take a comfortable seat, and you’re in a good position to enjoy.

Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price, PhD c.2021, Atria $27.00 / $36.00 Canada 247 pages

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JULY 2021 21

AMAZON TRAIL

STANDING ON MY OWN TWO FEET

BY LEE LYNCH

Since childhood, I have been looking forward to growing old enough to know pretty much which end is up in life, to reaching Social Security age in order to write full-time, and to tackle mature subjects in my work. I find it strange that just when I’ve reached something like that balance, I’ve lost my relatively reliable physical balance.

I’ve never been with a lover this long, and now I’ve pledged a permanence, called marriage, that I’ve learned to respect. Since the age of eighteen, I’ve never lived in one home this long. My recent stability has enabled me, I believe, to write more complex stories that feature more thoroughly developed characters and, because of my years of travel along the roads of lesbian culture, especially with my sweetheart, I can offer readers more varied and detailed settings.

But I fall over. I traverse our home like a metal pinball looking to bump every target if only to score a jackpot of bruises. I adore

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my sweetheart, but when I go to hug her, or dance with her, it’s only, thank goodness, my still-quick reflexes that cover mild floundering.

She doesn’t need to catch me yet, though I’m not too proud to take her hand when picking my way up or down rocks, driftwood and slick sand to and from our wild beaches. It’s my sweetheart, after all, who’d be pushing my wheelchair and cleaning house should I break a leg, a hip, or my dizzy head.

I know it’s not just me. Strolling the beach yesterday with my sweetheart and our much-loved friend, the walker, the Pacific Ocean supine in its pacific glory, its ripples tipped with sunlight, my sweetheart tried to lead us to firmer ground, for easier trekking. The walker and I, both typically unsteady on our feet, missed our cue.

We trodded onward, bumping shoulders as one or the other of us teetered while the other tottered.

The walker laughed and said she often bird watched with two other women, one of whom shares our balance problems. The third goes on ahead to escape the pinball effect.

I’ve always had problems with balance, in every sense of the word.

Plantar fasciitis was diagnosed by a salesman at a Buster Brown shoe store when I was a little kid with painful arches. The stores used wondrous X-Ray Shoe-Fitting Machines (known as fluoroscopes in doctors’ offices) and were ultimately banned because of radiation leakage. After consulting the infernal machine, the salesman stuck instruments of torture called pediatric arch supports in my new shoes. I ditched them asap.

I was athletic: running, tennis, fencing. The pain would disappear for a while, then come screaming back, benching me. Today, I wear orthotics designed with new-fangled CAD/CAM software, but, due to bilateral knee replacement surgery, I’m cautioned not to run, play tennis, or fence.

Most people who grow up gay are inevitably strangers to balanced lives. You’re proud and scared. You’d better learn to run. You’re out prowling, obsessed with seduction, or seal yourself in your closet until you can’t breathe. You might reject your true nature to live a pretend life. Some of us can’t take the opposing choices we’re faced with and exit entirely. Love too often cancels itself out because we’re apparently terrible at choosing partners who are good for us—until we find the one who leads us to solid ground.

I once tended to walk on the least stable sand emotionally. We counted last night and so far, have come up with at least eighteen moves I made in my life’s hike. Many of them were down to breakups or new loves. One to a death, another to moving to the groovy west. Wherever I went there’d be a therapist to help me recover my equilibrium, an acupuncturist to get my qi going again.

My sweetheart and I try to find balance in our diets, but deep down we agree that means potatoes and ice cream. She abhors vegetables, but will cook some under duress. I seldom coerce her.

I’ve had vertigo, tinnitus and a panic disorder since I was a preschooler. All three come and go, and signal asymmetry of mind or body. Psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, can cause dizziness—which I never knew until researching this piece. I’ve managed to add hallux rigidus to my physical problems, meaning I can’t flex my big toes without pain. The docs want to fuse them. Back problems send misery into my legs, but I have no interest in robots with scalpels messing with my spine.

I’ve always wanted to outgrow the travails of youth. Now I have, and it turns out that the body wears out as the mind wises up. Where is the balance in that?

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DETAILS OF OFFER: Offer expires 9/30/2021. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Buy one (1) window or entry/patio door, get one (1) window or entry/patio door 40% off when you purchase four (4) or more windows or patio doors between 3/1/2021 and 9/30/2021. 40% off windows and entry/patio doors are less than or equal to lowest cost window or entry/patio door in the order. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period, but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid before the expiration of the promotional period. Financing for GreenSky® consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, federal and state chartered financial institutions without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or familial status. Savings comparison based on purchase of a single unit at list price. Available at participating locations and offer applies throughout the service area. See your local Renewal by Andersen location for details.

License number available upon request. Some Renewal by Andersen locations are independently owned and operated. 2See Renewal by Andersen® Products and Installation Transferable Limited Warranty for details. 32018 U.S. Homeowner Brand Study of the Renewal by Andersen brand versus competitive brands. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. © 2021 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. rba12589

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JULY 2021 27

INDESIGN

MODERN WITH MEANING

BY DANN FOLEY

Living in Palm Springs can be like living in a bubble. The sunshine, The mountain ranges, the privilege, and the midcentury modern design that has become a hallmark and a draw for modern enthusiasts from around the world. Every year they come, architecture and design lovers, to view, experience and buy a piece of the midcentury dream.

I am really saying is to find and infuse your own style into the way you live. Forget about mimicking midcentury style; make it yours. I remind those devotees of midcentury design that the movement was a fresh new way of thinking and living. There were new materials, new colors, new patterns. Midcentury design was the new generations rebuttal of what came before.

The question that I continually ask myself and my clients is, how do we get it right? How do we keep from falling into the midcentury cliché? How do we pay homage to the incredible design of the movement and celebrate its highlights, without becoming commonplace or repetitive? The question I ask myself as a design professional is, how can I help clients find themselves and their personalities in the style?

How does a movement that was so original become cliché over time? We have a tendency, to boil everything down to its most common elements. We do it in design and in life. It is a natural response to a more complicated world. Today we like to define everyone and everything. And so, even midcentury modern’s revolutionary take on life and lifestyle has become just more platitudes.

As always in design, the answer is simple. You must be true to yourself. You have to know who you are and what makes you happy. You must make decisions and choices based on your love a midcentury and not because it’s what everyone else is buying. Don’t allow yourself to led, be inspired.

I have a favorite saying when dealing with any vintage house or style,” You can live with the past, without living in the past.” What

28 THESTANDARDPS.COM

There is a solution. You knew I was getting there, didn’t you?

I can offer you some advice on claiming this style or any style for yourself, instead of being ruled by it. The following are some thoughts on making it your own.

• Remember that midcentury modern materials were plentiful. You do not have to settle. From the comfort of your own home, try the internet. Do your research. Nothing makes a choice stronger than knowing your options.

• Remember that midcentury style is more than just orange or aqua front doors. There is an entire palette of colors and an unlimited number of patterns to choose from. Some of those patterns are even specific to the desert. To find really terrific vintage décor fabric try, www.middecco.com • Remember that the simple approach is usually the best approach. Try searching www.wayfair.com for midcentury and vintage inspired tiles and flooring.

• Remember that embracing a style is the not the same as replicating it. If you are looking for inspiration try, www.atomicranch.com Search the website and subscribe to the magazine. There you will find an almost endless amount of information.

• Remember that some of the freshest versions of midcentury décor today includes contemporary pieces from the 70s. Classic contemporary pieces like Parson’s tables or the Eero Arnio Ball chair may not have been designed in the 70s but, they were staples of modern design for the time.

What is most important is that you buy what you love, when it comes to clean modern interiors, often times less is more, you must

use a critical eye to assure that every piece is meaningful. When you fill a midcentury house with things that you think you should have, you eliminate your personal style. You lose purposeful design to decorating.

One thing that enlivened midcentury décor and is often times forgotten in today’s rush for everything midcentury, is mixing in something to create a strong contrast. And antique mirror or table can create conversation. Some very personal items or heirlooms are not out of the question when creating your midcentury home.

Personalizing your home, is about listening to your gut. Forget what others say you should do. Do your homework, do the research, be mindful of every choice. Living with midcentury design is most interesting and beautiful when it tells a story of the homeowner’s love for the period and not just an accumulation of things from the period.

As always, I want you to live well!

Designer Dann www.foleystinnette.com Designer Dann: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

JULY 2021 29

From Safety Net programs to Life Enrichment

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JULY 2021 31

DAPUPDATE

8 REASONS WHY IT’S TIME TO GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE

BY DUSTIN GRUBER AND ROBERT HOPWOOD

Have you gotten the jab?

More than half of Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Many of those who haven’t been vaccinated have reservations about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, which is understandable. The good news, however, is these vaccines have been thoroughly tested, and they’ve proven to be safe and effective.

The CDC recommends that people should get a vaccine as soon as possible. Unlike a few months ago, the state now has millions of doses available and has opened eligibility to those aged 12 and above.

DAP Health offers two different COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen). All eligible community members are now able to get one of these vaccines at our health clinic.

Here are eight reasons why now is the best time to get vaccinated.

• Community matters. Be part of the solution.

• All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.

• Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine helps keep you from getting seriously ill if you get COVID-19.

• Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

• After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you may be able to start doing some things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic. For example, you can gather indoors without masks

32 THESTANDARDPS.COM

with other people who are fully vaccinated.

• None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, so a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. Learn more facts about COVID-19 vaccines.

• Getting COVID-19 may offer some protection, known as natural immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the months after initial infection but may increase with time. The risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.

• Hugs feel good. Everyone loves a hug from someone they love, especially if they’re vaccinated.

If you or someone you know needs to be vaccinated, please make an appointment today at DAPHealth.org/vaccine-request.

DR. TULIKA SINGH CO-AUTHORS MAJOR HIV CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY

BY ROBERT HOPWOOD DAP Health is gaining recognition from the clinical research trials underway at the health center. The results from a clinical research trial that DAP Health conducted were published online in early June by the medical journal AIDS. Additionally, the results will be published in the printed journal.

Dr. Tulika Singh, associate chief medical officer and director of research at DAP Health, co-authored the published manuscript that reports the study’s findings.

The ViiV Healthcare STAT Study researched if the antiretroviral drug Dovato could be used in a rapid start setting, said Greg Jackson, the clinical research manager at DAP Health. Study participants began the medication within 14 days of their HIV diagnosis.

ViiV Healthcare is a London-based pharmaceutical company. Its U.S. headquarters is located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park.

“We’ve now become a preferred site for ViiV Healthcare’s research because of our successes,” Jackson said.

The FDA will look at the data from the STAT study and decide if doctors can prescribe Dovato to people within days of an HIV diagnosis. DAP Health recruited 14 adults for the STAT study, Jackson said. That was the third-highest number of participants recruited among the organizations conducting the study. In total, the study had 131 participants.

“It has been an exciting honor to be part of the STAT study and being able to contribute to the science and the success of the rapid start treatment regimen for Dovato,” Singh said.

The STAT study, which concluded in 2020, will be presented at the 11th IAS Conference on HIV Science in July. It was one of several studies underway at DAP Health.

Currently, there are three active clinical research trials at the health center. DAP Health is studying whether patients can switch their current antiretroviral therapy drug for another, if a long-lasting injectable treatment for HIV can supplant a daily pill, and if screening and treatment of precancerous cells can prevent anal cancer.

The most recent study launched by DAP Health was the Biktarvy SWITCH Study, which began in May 2021. Singh and Jackson co-

authored the study. Participants in the study, which is open to HIVpositive patients aged 65 or older, will be switched from their current antiretroviral therapy to Biktarvy, which combines three HIV medicines into one pill.

“With the advent of successful treatment regimens, more than 25% of people with HIV will be over the age of 65 by the year 2030,” Singh said. “We are studying HIV regimens, such as Biktarvy, to determine the benefits to quality of life in patients 65 and older.”

Gilead Sciences Inc., a Bay Area biopharmaceutical company, is collaborating with DAP Health in the SWITCH study. DAP Health wants to enroll 50 patients in the study. So far, the health center has enrolled two people in the clinical research trial.

“It is a lot of work to find these patients,” Jackson said.

DAP Health also is in the course of the GSK/ViiV SOLAR Study and the ANCHOR Study. The SOLAR study, a global clinical research trial, also is being done in collaboration with ViiV Healthcare.

Recruitment for the study ended in June 2021.

Patients in the SOLAR study will switch their HIV medication for a long-acting injection, according to ViiV Healthcare. The goal is to develop an HIV treatment that offers patients more convenience; a treatment that is easier to adhere to; and an increased quality of life.

“The treatment of HIV has evolved tremendously over the past three decades to a point where patients can now get long-acting treatments rather than take a pill once a day,” Singh said. “We are evaluating exciting regimens at DAP for safety and efficacy in where patients can get an injection once every two months to control their HIV.” The ANCHOR study, which is still accepting patients, is probing the best way to prevent anal cancer among people living with HIV. The National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health is funding the collaborative study. More clinical research studies are in the planning process, but unfortunately, Jackson could not go into details.

Anyone who wants more information about any of DAP Health’s research should contact Greg Jackson at (760) 992-0445 or gjackson@daphealth.org.

JULY 2021 33

DAPUPDATE A FORTY YEAR JOURNEY FROM FEAR TO HOPE

BY ROBERT HOPWOOD

After 40 years, public health officials and activists see a pathway to end the AIDS epidemic. It starts with treatment.

With proper medical care, those living with HIV can reduce the viral load in their blood to an undetectable level. According to the California Department of Public Health, when HIV can’t be detected it can’t be transmitted. Health officials and activists are now championing the message that undetectable equals un-transmittable, or U=U. “The concept of U=U is the foundation of being able to end the epidemic,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in 2019.

The U=U campaign also aims to end the stigma around HIV. That stigma keeps too many people from getting tested for HIV or obtaining the care they need to stay healthy. The result of 40 years of research is that people living with HIV can suppress the virus and live long lives with medication. “They can have sex, babies, love—all with no risk,” says HIV activist Bruce Richman, who founded the Prevention Access Campaign, which started the U=U message.

But if a person doesn’t know they have HIV, that person won’t get access to the medication to stay un-transmittable, according to Richman.

“If we really want to end the epidemic and save lives, we’re going to make sure that we invest in the wellbeing of people living with HIV, so they can stay healthy and prevent new transmissions,” says Richman.

DAP Health’s integrated model of services supports those people living with HIV on their journey to U=U, says C.J. Tobe, DAP Health’s director of Community Health.

“At DAP Health we learned through the AIDS crisis that becoming undetectable is more than taking daily medication,” Tobe says. “It is a combination of factors such as a roof over your head, food in your belly, staying on top of your mental health, and following through on routine oral health exams.”

It’s been 40 years since the AIDS crisis began.

In 1981, Dr. Michael S. Gottlieb, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote about a new syndrome that was causing rare infections in otherwise healthy gay men.

The piece, published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, was the first official report about what would become known as HIV and AIDS. Following that report, the media started to write about the mysterious illness. No one knew what to call it or how it spread. In 1982,

34 THESTANDARDPS.COM

the CDC named it AIDS. The following year, playwright, author and film producer Larry Kramer called the disease “terrifying” in a screed he wrote for the New York Native, a gay newspaper. Kramer, who founded the advocacy group ACT UP, blamed the health care community and politicians of ignoring the epidemic. “If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, gay men may have no future on this earth,” Kramer wrote. His screed encapsulated the fear and anger of many as AIDS continued to spread. It was “an ugly time in America,” actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph recalled at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards 2021. She said the disease “blew out the flame of creativity up and down Broadway.”

The cause of AIDS was found in 1984. It came from a retrovirus.

Only two people are known to have been cured of HIV. In 2007, the “Berlin Patient” had no detectable HIV infection following a bone marrow transplant. And in 2019, the “London Patient” became second person cured through the same method. Despite a prediction in 1984

by Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler that an HIV vaccine would be ready within two years, none have been created despite many attempts.

However, breakthrough drugs developed since the 1980s have turned HIV into a treatable disease. They have made viral loads undetectable. And they’ve made HIV un-transmittable.

One of those drugs, Truvada, was approved by the FDA in 2011 for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. According to the CDC, the daily pill cuts the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent. Among those who inject drugs, the risk falls by at least 74 percent if taken daily.

Between U=U and PrEP, we are starting to turn the tide on new infections, and HIV numbers across the country are going down for the first time in many years, Tobe says.

“We have the tools to help end HIV in our community—but only if we resist the urge to forget just how deadly it has been in our community for decades,” says Tobe.

SEXUAL HEALTH

FREE FROM JUDGMENT

DAP Health offers FREE STI testing and treatment, FREE Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), FREE Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and FREE HIV and Hep C testing.

Walk-in and same day appointments available. Appointments strongly encouraged.

760.992.0492 | DAPHealth.org JULY 2021 35

36 THESTANDARDPS.COM

FITNESS

INDEPENDENCE DAY

BY JILL LANGHAM

In the US, in a normal year, (whatever that is) July 4th is our Independence Day. However, here in California our Independence Day actually occurred on June 15, AKA Unmasking Day! Mask on/Mask off!

We were all beyond ready to move forward and re-claim our freedoms and re-join our families, friends and community. We were ready once more to ‘face” each other again!

It was time to embrace the face, literally and figuratively. What had we missed in the past about one another’s looks? Over the past 15 months, we had to learn to listen more closely with our ears as our mouths were covered and we could no longer read lips, something I didn’t realize I did all the time.

We had had months of studying our friends and acquaintances eyes, perhaps opening them up to seeing both the good and bad that we might have missed about them. They always say that the eyes are the windows of the soul or like it says in the Bible, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” Hopefully we were ready to put our new skills to work by listening and seeing a bit differently.

I felt like I had finally woken up from a very long, very real,

night terror. I could once again see and be seen.

You might recall that I’d contracted Covid-19 in early March 2020, a week before our state shut down for 15 long months! Little did I know that I had super antibodies and T-cells which they now believe will protect me for the rest of my life! Had I known, I could have been on the front lines with no fear of contracting this deadly illness again.

But, we did not know our enemy at that time so I, like all of you went into survival mode.

I have learned plenty during this “pause” on living and pray that I will keep those lessons close to my heart. Being able to touch one another has been so wonderful to me and combine that with dancing without a mask, inside and out makes me soar, once again!

For that I am grateful.

But please, never assume that I am being cavalier about my health or yours for that matter. Instead, I am even more vigilant about hand washing and mindful of sneezing or coughing. I have never been a big kiss-on-the lips person, saving that for a special person or place so instead I continue to give and get hugs as often as I can.

JULY 2021 37

FITNESS Sadly, I had to lose a friend two days before my 66th birthday to remind me about the power of the sun and the effect of heat on my body.

My friend Geoffrey Martin-Cyr had just returned from spending the last 7 months reuniting with his family in Maine, when he was given a second lease on life He had returned to LA in mid-June where he’d lived for 37 years. He was to re-start the second half of his life. He had come to Palm Springs as a treat to celebrate my birthday and to do what he loved to do, which was to lay in the sun to get a tan.

He did exactly this time around but must have been dehydrated before venturing out into the heat of the sun, on the record-breaking hottest day in the history of recorded Palm Springs weather, 123 degrees.

Need I say more. He did not know he was in trouble until it was too late. I do not know the exact moment that he collapsed but only know that at 4:44pm he set out to meet me and had sent me a text saying he was on his way.

He had chosen to walk to Hunters to meet me. But, he never arrived.

We had a definitive date for Sunday Brunch so I did not think anything

38 THESTANDARDPS.COM

more of it, figuring he ran into other friends on his way. Our meeting on Friday was a spontaneous decision for which there was no return.

Within 24 hours he was a deceased, man in his mid-50’s who had never been sick a day in his life!

So you see this, like hypertension is another silent killer. I’ve included a chart that breaks down the numerous ailments from overexposure to the sun.

Please take care & be very careful. Stay hydrated and above all if you are with friends, especially if they’ve been drinking alcohol or taking drugs in the sun and they look at act weird, err on the side of voicing your concerns. Better to be safe than sorry.

Sending love your way.

XOXO Jill

2021-2022 EVENTS For the latest Events, Visit GayDesertGuide.LGBT May 27-31

NAGAAA Cup LGBTQ Softball Tourney

June 22-28

PS International Film Festival ShortFest

July 4

AAP Food Samaritians Independance Day Celebration

Sept. 18

Aging Positively / Reunion Conference

Sept. 22

Taste of Palm Springs and Business Expo

Sept. 29-Oct. 3 Oct. 11

Club Skirts Dinah Shore Out PSP: National Coming Out Day

Oct. 14-17

Modernism Week Fall Preview

Oct. 15-17

Casual Concours (Gay Autos of Yesterday)

Oct. 16 Oct. 22-23

Faux Fur Ball Gala 2021 LGBTQ Community Center Fall Party

Oct. 27

Pride Honor Awards

Oct. 30

DAP Health Desert AIDS Walk

Oct. 28-31 Oct. 29-Nov1 Oct. 31

Leather Pride 2021 White Party Palm Springs Halloween Halloween on Arenas

Nov. 1

George Zander Candlelight Vigil and March

Nov. 1

Eisenhower Health 50th Anniversary Celebration

Nov. 3-6

Light Up the Night

Nov. 6-7

Palm Springs Pride 2021

Nov. 7 Nov. 10 Nov. 19-21 Jan. 6 2022 Jan. 6-17 2022 Feb. 24-28 2022 Feb. 25-27 2022 May 6-8 2022

Pride Parade One Night Only McCormick’s Palm Springs Exotic Car Auction

@ILoveGayPS

Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala Palm Springs International Film Festival

Find Us/Follow Us!

International Bear Convergence IBC 2022 McCormick’s Palm Springs Exotic Car Auction

@GayDesertGuide #ILoveGayPalmSprings #ILoveGayCatCity

PS Hot Rodeo

JULY 2021 39

PSP FOCUS

>> LIPSTICK IS BACK! Mark your calendars. Thursday, July 15--the weekly Lipstick Drag and Cabaret Show returns to the new Copa after the pandemic hiatus. Appearing on July 15--drag stars-Marina Mac, Sassy Ross, Sheena Wolfe and vocalist super-star, Carol Kamenis. Showtime 8 p.m. No cover charge. Pizza menu available. Happy hour. For seating table reservations, IM Bella or email Bella da Ball direct delicdivas@dc.rr.com. Reserve by noon on show date please. It’s time to celebrate and party safely.

>> PS CULTURAL CENTER SUMMER CONCERT SERIES JULY 16 – AUGUST 20 It is sizzlin’ out there- the pavement is hot, the air is hot, the handle on your car.... normally this is part where I’d talk about our cool, refrigerator like air-conditioning but we have a sizzling’ concert series that is bound to heat up the theatre! Leanna and The Jazz Collective are playing at the PSCC. The Coachella Valley Weekly called her a “cool drink on a hot sultry night.” Leanna brings to the stage straight ahead Jazz, spiced with a bit of Bossa Nova & Latin Jazz, with some of the top jazz musicians in Southern California.

Leanna is asking that y’all come in your Jazz finest for an intimate, summer, series concert! There’s a VIP cocktail reception at 6:00 pm where you can mix and mingle with your fellow jazz enthusiasts.

Check the ticket link for the VIP perks as well as pre-sale only drink specials. Then at 7:00 pm Join Leanna and The Jazz Collective in the theatre. This is the first a whole new summer experience at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Stay tuned for more news.

>> DESERT OASIS HEALTHCARE COVID VACCINE EFFORTS RECOGNIZED Dr. Geoffrey Leung and Dr. Shunling Tsang of Riverside University Health System – Public Health visited the Palm Springs campus of Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) to present a Diamond Level Certificate of Achievement for “exceptional achievement in administering over 30,000+ vaccine doses” as a part of Operation RivCo Shield. “It’s gratifying to have our efforts recognized, not only for the volume of nearly 50,000 vaccines given but also in helping to reach some of the most vulnerable individuals at-risk of being COVID-impacted,” said

40 THESTANDARDPS.COM

Lindsey Valenzuela, PharmD and Associate VP of Population Health Integration. “For months, we’ve been using our Mobile Health Clinic to take the vaccine, as well as a variety of other important healthcare services, directly to people all over the Coachella Valley and the highdesert. Even while masking up and following all necessary COVID safety protocols, the DOHC Mobile Health Clinic has allowed us to restart our health fairs with employer groups, senior centers, and other community events in a new and exciting way.”

PSP FOCUS

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., DOHC began regularly updating its members at MyDOHC.com with online resources from the CDC, as well as from organizations and other government agencies at the state, county, and local levels. When the much-anticipated vaccine arrived in California in December 2020, with DOHC as a designated vaccine provider, those first vaccinated were essential healthcare workers and those living in and working in long-term care settings.

“What a difference those few months have made – not only

here in California but in the decrease in the number of COVID cases and deaths across the U.S.,” said Jessica Voigt, MSN, RN and Director of Nursing at DOHC. “Our members and anyone else who visited our ‘Best of Desert 2020’ Immediate Care Clinics could get monoclonal antibody therapy early on, when many others in the desert didn’t have it. It’s been a coordinated and tireless effort of many teams here at DOHC for months, to reach and vaccinate so many in our community. We know that we may not be completely out-of-the-woods yet but getting vaccinated is the way we will END this pandemic.”

>> CVREP COMING BACK AFTER COVID After more than 15 months of a darkened stage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Coachella Valley Repertory is welcoming back live audiences. “Welcoming patrons back to the Playhouse is an incredible feeling. Live arts are so important to the community, and the entire board, staff and volunteers are so excited to return,” said Ron Celona, Artistic Director.

Summer Classical Music Series CVRep has lined up an outstanding July show in partnership with the Palm Spring Opera Guild. Multi-award-winning performer Jacquelynne Fontaine will perform on Saturday, July 25, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Tickets on sale now. Visit cvrep.org for more info.

In August, The Latso will take the stage, featuring the music of Joe Giarrusso. Join us for this exceptional fundraiser performance on August 22, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Tickets include the performance and post-performance reception. Tickets will go on sale in July at $75 per seat.

2021-22 Season – “Hopes, Dreams & Expectations” In determining the 2021-22 Season, president-elect Mike Monachino said “It took a lot of work, a lot of planning and a lot of investigation into what we thought would transpire with the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m happy to say that our plans are materializing, and we are now able to announce our full season of plays.

JULY 2021 41

42 THESTANDARDPS.COM

body adornment and more…

HEPHAESTUS

PALM SPRINGS' PREMIER DESIGNER JEWELRY GALLERY

13 2 L a P l a z a ▼ Pa l m S p r i n g s ▼ 76 0 . 3 2 5 . 5 3 9 5 w w w. h e p h a e s j e w e l r y s . c o m JULY 2021 43

MUSIC

SARO, MORRISSEY FOR THE MODERN ERA

BY MARTHA TANG

Each song from Saro is a direct channeling of raw feeling—a mission fulfilled through the L.A. based artist’s freestyled melodies and lyrics sparked from pure stream-of-consciousness. But with his subtly commanding voice—an otherworldly instrument that drifts from airy falsetto to soulful intonation—that outpouring achieves an indelible elegance. Both dreamlike and disquieting, Saro’s brand of noir-pop ultimately bears a hypnotic power that’s got much to do with the fluidity that defines him as an artist. “I think that fluidity is one of the keys to great art—blurring lines and blending influences,” says Saro. “And though humans will continue putting each other in boxes, the real visionaries will continue to break out to move the world forward.” Originally from the San Fernando Valley, Saro started singing as a child, but mostly kept his voice to himself. “I remember

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being five-years-old and singing songs to my dogs on the swing set, with all these really sad melodies and dramatic lyrics,” he notes. At the same time, music also provided him with a powerful emotional outlet. “Growing up, I always walked the line between ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine,’” says Saro. “I remember stealing my sister’s tutus to perform on the living room table—I was also way better than her at strutting around in my mom’s heels, and my tomboy best friend and I spent our time reenacting Britney Spears music videos. I was scrawny and hated sports. Kids would tease me for having a high voice and for being ‘soft.” At age 16, Saro wrote his first song—an R&B number that came to him in the shower, its lyrics including a nod to Disney’s Pinocchio—and in college started collaborating with a friend who played guitar.

His musical debut was In Loving Memory, an exquisitely mournful EP was written after losing a dear friend—singer Simone Battle—to suicide. “She was the first person who inspired me to make music and to believe in me as a songwriter,” says Saro. “With her death, a piece of me was lost.“ Executive-produced by Robin Hannibal (Kendrick Lamar, Little Dragon, Kimbra), In Loving Memory also served as his first release under the name Saro (a moniker inspired by a line in “Pretty Girls Make Graves” by The Smiths) and earned acclaim from outlets like Rolling Stone who hailed his single “Test” as “beautiful, dark, twisted fantasia”.

A year later, Saro poured his sadness, fears and emotions into an elevated sound on his sophomore effort Boy Afraid featuring the dark, disco thump of “Eyelids” and cinematic beauty of “Sardonic”. Next came the hauntingly, beautiful EP Die Alone which gave birth to lead single “Please” which had Paper Magazine cheering “Saro’s triumph rests in the fact that his music full of edgy textures, gorgeous turns of phrase and sweet melancholy melodies exists at all” and The Advocate calling him “Morrissey for the modern era”.

Saro was hard at work during the quarantine creating what will be his full-length debut album coming this fall. He teamed up with longtime collaborator, Dave Burris for much of the album, including the celebratory kick off single “Daddy I Love Him” which released on 5/28 on Tragic Fashion Records. The electronic-dipped pop track mixed with intimate, confessional vocals is the “coming out” anthem for 2021. “A lot of my early work was lyrically and melodically dark but during the pandemic I needed an outlet for light. I think this song shows a more carefree side of me. “Daddy I Love Him” is a nod to my coming out story.

At a certain point I realized that if someone didn’t accept me for my true

self, they didn’t deserve me in their life. Luckily my dad was accepting, and our relationship has grown in closeness after my coming out.

Since he began his rise as an artist, he has collaborated with a diverse group of musicians and his feature work can be heard across tracks by Flight Facilities, DVBBS, Slaters, Tinlicker & Helsloot, Zes, Neek and many others. He has also continued to draw attention for the visual elements of his output, including a mesmerizing stage show that’s entirely bare in emotion. Past performances opening for Miguel, Empress Of, TR/ ST, Moses Sumney, festivals, college audiences and more have allowed Saro to create unique audience experiences both large and intimate.

As concerts just came back to life, Saro made a triumphant return to the stage on June 4th for the Outloud Raising Voices festival for Pride month performing with Sofi Tukker, Daya and more at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With more performances on the horizon, he is intent on continuing to blur the boundaries between artist and audience. The release of “Daddy I Love Him” will be followed by additional single releases into a fall album. “With my music, I always want there to be some kind of solidarity. Right now, at a time of such adversity, it’s important to be brave and stand up for race and gender equality and not be afraid to express your sexuality. When people hear the new music, I want them to feel in tune with their emotions and feel pride in their individuality. Beauty, love, and even pleasure can be born from darkness, but you may have to shed a few boy tears along the way”.

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FILM

BEING DeANGELO

DeANGELO JACKSON DISCUSSES BEING BLACK IN PORN, HIS NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM

BY MAX JIMENEZ GayVN’s performer of the year winner, DeAngelo Jackson entered the adult film industry as a way to make extra money while he was studying Criminal Justice at Florida State University. Having never been with a man or woman, he lost his virginity on camera.

While he doesn’t regret any of the choices he has made in his lengthy adult career, he acknowledges he’s had to make difficult decisions, especially when first starting out.

His journey and the lives of three other gay adult film stars of color —Dillion Diaz, Max Konnor and Rock Rockfella — are chronicled in the new documentary film, Being Black in Porn. Through interviews with the men in Chicago, NYC, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, the film examines the unique experiences, including racism and inequality, that the men have encountered in the competitive and often complicated adult film industry. It also delves into their personal lives, exploring the impact their careers have had on their families and friends, on social media and in the global Black Lives Matter movement.

“I had to share my story,” says DeAngelo Jackson who is also the film’s executive producer. “I had to do it for my fellow brothers and sisters of porn who are all navigating through different stages of the adult industry and making important choices on the directions they should take next. I’ve seen lots of good in the industry but also some not-so-great matters that need to come out in the open. It’s important we speak out because I learned early on that if we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything.”

We spoke with DeAngelo Jackson to learn more.

What are some things that black adult film actors face that their white colleagues do not?

DeAngelo Jackson: Negative stereotypes are probably the biggest problem within the industry right now, beginning with penis size. Black talent with large penises is not only prized, but they’re also expected. If guys don’t measure up, it will be really hard to find work.

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FILM

That’s a good point. While large endowed white actors are prized, average or even below average sized white men are still cast in films.

DeAngelo Jackson: Another problem we face is being cast in servant roles or as thugs. It’s important that we push against these stereotypes as much as we can.

Have you been cast in subservient roles because of your skin color?

DeAngelo Jackson: No because I would never accept a role playing a servant or anything even remotely resembling a slave. I’m very selective in the roles that I accept. But some actors, unfortunately, aren’t as lucky to have the platform that I do.

As one of the highest profile persons of color in the industry,

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do you feel a responsibility to make change in the industry?

DeAngelo Jackson: Yes, absolutely. It’s important for me to represent men of color in a positive light and not play into tired stereotypes. I’m careful to choose roles that don’t feed into any of the negativity. I don’t want the next group of young black men to go through what I did in the beginning of my career. It’s been a long road and luckily, I have survived with few missteps, but it hasn’t always been easy. I think it’s important that I encourage the next generation of black gay porn stars to respect themselves and their bodies.

Let’s discuss the term BBC. It is one of the most searched terms in porn today.

DeAngelo Jackson: I hate the term BBC. It’s outdated and offensive. Black actors are more than their BBCs. We’re people,

FILM

in film production confirmed that there are, in fact, pay differences.

One thing I found eye-opening was learning some black actors have encountered white actors who refuse to work with them because of the color of their skin!

DeAngelo Jackson: I couldn’t believe it! I honestly didn’t realize that was an issue. As I far I know, it’s never happened to me, but I’m not privy to all negotiations that happen behind closed doors.

Have black talent considered banding together to demand equality in the industry?

with hearts and souls and our own stories. I am quick to correct anyone that still uses it.

Are there any film titles that you believe should be taken off shelves immediately?

DeAngelo Jackson: Any film titles that fetishizes black men with words like Ebony, BBC, Buck or Chocolate should be tossed out.

Being Black in Porn also touches on pay inequality. Is it true that black talent is paid less than white talent?

DeAngelo Jackson: This was eye opening to me! I’ve been in the industry for ten years and while I’ve heard through the grapevine that some white models were being paid more than me, I had never seen it. It’s not like we’re flashing our paychecks at each other. But in the documentary, one of our sources who works behind the scenes

DeAngelo Jackson: I’ve spoken with a few other models about banding together but truthfully, many fear the repercussions that may happen, including being blacklisted within the industry. There aren’t many roles and many of us feel replaceable. I think a big reason for this documentary is to tell our story, hope it might highlight some of the issues we face and start a discussion.

Maybe bring about more equality within the porn industry?

DeAngelo Jackson: That’s the ultimate goal.

What new adult projects are you working on?

DeAngelo Jackson: I have a few films in the works. I am also gearing up to celebrate my second anniversary with Noir Male. I am their first exclusive model and I owe them a great deal! I truly love what I do and hope to continue in porn for a long time.

Being Black in Porn is being distributed by Mile High in association with Novo Novus Productions and adult production house Noir Male. For more information, visit Noirmale.com.

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PHOTO REWIND FOREVER MARILYN UNVEILING PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A LEE

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PHOTO REWIND FOREVER MARILYN UNVEILING PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A LEE

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PHOTO REWIND SHORTFEST 2021 PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A LEE

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PHOTO REWIND SHORTFEST 2021 PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID A LEE

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