January // February 2016 by The VOICE

Looking Back on 2015 CHRIS HARTMAN TALKS LAST YEAR’S BIGGEST MOMENTS $3.75 JAN//FEB

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Letter from the Publisher Another year has gone by, and a new future of possibilities lies ahead of us. It’s amazing to look back at how dramatically things can change in just one year. At the beginning of the summer, Modern Louisville was just an idea I had, and now, I’m proud to call it a robust, diverse and engaging publication that gives a much needed voice to the LGBTQ population. While I’m excited for the momentum of change, I can’t help but reflect and acknowledge the people and events that have made this past year what it was. In fact, looking back at and discussing these people and events is absolutely critical to continue moving our community forward. This issue’s cover story is a reflection on these moments in 2015 that impacted equality – for the city, the state and beyond. Who better than Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, to highlight the moments and individuals that made last year what it was? Hartman’s knowledge and passion is palpable and truly makes one realize that we live in a world of hope and possibility. Join us in congratulating the accomplishments of those who have broken barriers and those who are still on the frontlines fighting for the hardships ahead. An individual from the latter group is local filmmaker Sherri Wright. In an indepth article, we take you back to 1973 when 32 people were burned alive in a New Orleans gay bar. It was the worst mass killing of LGBTQ Americans in history – a horrific event that is often not printed in schoolbooks. Wright is halfway to finishing a documentary educating the world about this tragedy and endeavors to make sure the lives lost will finally be remembered and never forgotten again. As a true testament to just how much the LGBTQ nightlife has evolved, in Louisville especially, we take a look at the creation of four local bars and how they have shaped the Louisville nightlife for not only LGBTQ community but also citizens of the city as a whole. From the modern dance bar Play to the “Cheers” style of Big Bar, the Louisville nightlife has become a place free of discrimination where all are welcome to gather and enjoy. As we have in our past issues of Modern Louisville, we bring the lighthearted side

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAY COOK

of reading as well. Our fascinating look at unique Louisvillians in the column “Character Sketch” and the ever-tantalizing “Lipstick” column are sure to bring a smile to your face. We’re also very proud to add a few new additions this issue like our newest contributing writer, Henry Brousseau. At only 17-years-old, Henry is eloquently taking on our transgender articles with the ease of a seasoned professional. Finally, we put the “B” (bisexual) in our LGBTQ publication. With the help of Dr. Kaila Story, the “B” has made its grand appearance – it’s an interview that’s sure to change anyone’s view of this complex and fluid identity. We genuinely hope that in reading this

issue, you reflect as well on those who have led us to where we are today. Our team here at Modern Louisville is excited to showcase the progress of our city and state, and we couldn’t be prouder of the stories we tell. We also hope this issue inspires you to think with your head and always act with your heart. Forever your Ally,

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2015

meet the team

Tracy A. Blue Publisher Hollis Gargala Executive Assistant to the Publisher Creative Director Production Director Style Editor Advertising Operations Director Staff Writer Graphic Design Lead Account Executive Account Executive Distribution Sales Coordinator Circulation Administrator Columnist Photographer Contributor 6

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Wil Heuser Joanna Hite Shelton Lori Kommor Bridgette Rhea Remy Sisk Ben Gierhart Malissa Koebel Hannah Krill Laurie Pfeiffer Lennon Judy Royce Rocko Jerome John Aurelius Lori Kay Scott Antonio Pantoja Crystal Ludwick Tara Bassett Henry Brousseau Nicholas Moore

For advertising information or to order a subscription, call 502.897.8900 Modern Louisville™ is published bi-monthly by Blue Equity Publishing Louisville, LLC, P.O. Box 3222, Louisville, Ky. 40201. Subscriptions $18 a year. Single copies $3.75. Periodicals pending postage paid at Louisville, Ky. and additional mailing offices. U.S. Postage Service ID: Louisville (ISSN 2380-3355) Email: editor@modernlouisville.com Website: www.modernlouisville.com POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Louisville; 735 East Main Street; Louisville, Ky. 40202. ©2015 Modern Louisville™

Looking Back on 2015 page 10

Character Sketch page 34

The Erasure of an Identity page 24

table of contents JANUARY â&#x20AC;˘ FEBRUARY 2016

Not Just a Gay Bar page 30

The Woman Who Tracked Fire page 38

Lipstick page 46

Lattes and Literature page 54

Dragging Out The History of Drag page 60

Louisville LGBT Professional Network page 69

Dining Out For Life page 71

Feast on Equality page 72

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LOOKING BACK ON

2015 2015 was a historic year for the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court ruling

on marriage equality on June 26, 2015, was a monumental victory and certainly a moment that, going forward, will shape the unending movement for equality and justice. But there were other moments, locally, that influenced LGBTQ individuals in a pivotal way last year. Events, individuals and actual occurrences proved historic in 2015 and deserve closer examination. Chris Hartman, director of Louisville’s Fairness Campaign and a committee member on Kentucky’s Fairness Coalition, talks Modern Louisville through some of these moments to help decode exactly how 2015 impacted LGBTQ Louisvillians. WRITTEN BY REMY SISK / / PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTONIO PANTOJA

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Chris Hartman, director of Fairness Campaign, is a prominent leader in the community, dedicated to bringing equality and justice to all. He lends his expertise to Modern Louisville to take us on a journey back through 2015.

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The Municipal Equality Index, put together by the Human Rights Campaign, is a journal that essentially ranks major U.S. cities on how LGBTQ-inclusive they are. The project examines each city’s laws, policies and services and assigns a score out of 100. Last year, Louisville scored a 66; this year, it scored 100. “We’ll be one of the only cities in the South that has achieved a perfect rating,” relates Hartman. There are others, such as Atlanta and Cincinnati, that scored a 100 in 2014; however, Louisville’s perfect 2015 rating

catapults it to the top of the list and illuminates the true nature of the city on a national level.

“It’ll make clear that this is a place that welcomes everyone,” explains Hartman of the significance of the rating. “We’ve always known that here in Louisville, and this just makes certain that our regional and national profile reflects that.” The achievement of the 100 is due to a myriad of efforts the city has made independently and in conjunction with Fairness. Louisville’s trans-inclusive training and its acknowledgment and effort regarding LGBTQ homelessness and housing issues are just a couple of endeavors that really brought the city to the top. Additionally, Mayor Fisher recently put a policy in place that mandates all city contractors have an LGBTQ non-discrimination policy. Without question, Louisville is a wonderful and welcoming place for LGBTQ individuals, and thanks to Mayor Fischer, Chris Hartman and city policymakers, now the country can see just how committed Kentucky is to equality for all.

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX 100 RATING 12

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Thanks to the work of Mayor Greg Fischer Louisville has achieved a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Quality Index, solidifying the city nationally as a wonderful place for LGBTQ individuals.

On November 19, 2015, Brown-Forman hosted a press conference to announce the launch of the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Coalition. In partnership with the Fairness Campaign, this network of businesses is calling for the passage of a Statewide Fairness Law, which would protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination. “We launched it as a coalition of nearly 200 Kentucky businesses from major corporations like Brown-Forman and Humana to small locally owned stores and businesses everywhere from Richmond and Berea to Bowling Green in support of anti-LGBT discrimination,” explains Harman. While these businesses all have their own anti-LGBTQ discrimination policies in place, the ultimate goal is to make these policies law. But Hartman is proud, for now, that these businesses in the Coalition understand the importance of taking part in this movement. “These businesses just get the fact that when prospective employees are looking at where they’re going to move their families to take a job, they are genuinely looking to move places where they know their families are going to experience the same protections as everyone else and go work for a place where they know they’ll be judged based on the quality of their performance and not on who they are or whom they love,” he reasons. And Hartman and the Coalition believe strongly that this logic can appeal to individuals of any political affiliation due simply to the undeniably positive impact a Statewide Fairness Law would have on the Commonwealth. “This

KENTUCKY COMPETITIVE WORKFORCE COALITION LAUNCH

is the type of conversation that really does speak to conservatives and say that if we want Kentucky to thrive in a national and a global economy, the only way we’re going to be able to do so competitively is to show that Kentucky is open for business for everyone,” Hartman argues.

The launch at Brown-Forman was monumental, and with so many businesses onboard – including Modern Louisville parent company Blue Equity – it seems hopeful that this vast alliance will be able to truly affect change in 2016 and make Kentucky a state with a robust, competitive workforce that is not only treated respectfully but also equally.

Brown-Forman was the site of the launch of the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Coalition, a statewide movement to end LGBTQ discrimination. Pictured here is Rusty Cheuvront, director of global community relations.

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On September 19, 2015, a several-block section of Bardstown Road was the site of the inaugural Louisville Pride Festival, which grew from Highlands Pridefest, a much smaller event that took place the year before. It was the first event of the Louisville

Pride Foundation, and, based on its success, it certainly will not be the last.

The event featured live music by Karmin, Steve Grand and a host of other local performers and DJs; unique vendors; information booths; bars; and even an interactive art installation that held down the center of the festival. Hartman particularly enjoys how this event complements the historic Kentuckiana Pride and offers something engaging to the community. “It’s great that we’ve got Kentuckiana Pride during Pride Month, but I think there always needed to be a street festival on Bardstown Road,” he admits. “I like the fact that it’s free, that folks can just stumble upon the Pride Festival and see that LGBT people are just people.” The festival was exceptionally well attended and received rave reviews from the city. Thomas Carrier, chairman of the board of the Louisville Pride Foundation, looks forward to bringing the festival back and doing even more with the foundation to assert the city’s identity as an LGBTQ-friendly place that loves to have a good time for a good cause. “This foundation is about bringing the Louisville community together as one in support of our friends and neighbors facing discrimination, injustice and inequality,” he offers. “Louisville Pride is not just an avenue for us to express who we are but also a way for us to celebrate our love for one other as human individuals. Pride is a forum for us to examine what we can do better as a city to be more inclusive and accepting of our differences that make our city a vibrant and interesting place to call home.”

THE INAUGURAL LOUISVILLE PRIDE FESTIVAL 14

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Thomas Carrier is the chairman of the board of the Louisville Pride Foundation and was integral in helping bring the city the new and exciting Louisville Pride Festival.

KENTUCKY FARM BUREAU BREAKFAST PROTEST/ARREST Chris Hartman is an outspoken and prominent figure in the community, so seeing him in handcuffs in August 2015 wasn’t entirely surprising. When he, along with two other Fairness Campaign volunteers, was arrested during the protest of Kentucky Farm Bureau at the insurance company’s Country Ham Breakfast, held annually at the Kentucky State Fair, Hartman admits it wasn’t the goal, but it was certainly effective. Fairness Campaign first started protesting Kentucky Farm Bureau several years ago when a local pastor who was employed by Kentucky Farm Bureau was fired after saying he would not marry anyone until same-sex marriage was legalized. Fairness then got ahold of a booklet published yearly by Kentucky Farm Bureau that made clear its anti-LGBTQ views. Five years ago, Fairness began protesting at the company’s Country Ham Breakfast, stating that every year, the protest would get bigger until the company altered its policies. “So last year, we really may have gotten them nervous or upset or something because when we showed up this year, there were about a dozen state troopers waiting for us,” Hartman says. From the moment Fairness arrived this year, officers were continually telling them where they could and could not stand, where they were permitted to hold their signs, etc. But that couldn’t have prepared the team for what was to happen during the breakfast itself. “All that we did was, after they said the invocation – we waited until after they said the prayer, respectfully – when they started introducing the Farm Bureau dig-

nitaries, we simply stood up silently at our assigned seats that we paid $28 for – and the seats were all the way in the back; nobody ever would have noticed us – and within seven seconds, I was under arrest, and they had two of our other volunteers under arrest,” Hartman recounts. He was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree and failure to disperse, and the two other volunteers were charged simply with failure to disperse. The prosecution eventually dismissed the charges with prejudice, and Fairness has now filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky State Police for violating the team’s first amendment rights and for unlawful arrest. Video of the incident surfaced on social media that same day as folks far and wide watched and learned about the policies of Kentucky Farm Bureau, which they quite possibly wouldn’t have done had the Fairness team not gotten arrested. “Nobody

would’ve paid attention to us except that they arrested us, and then everyone was paying attention to it and finding out that Kentucky Farm Bureau has discriminatory policies!”

Hartman grins. Although the aim was never to cause such a debacle, Hartman is proud of the incident and asserts that it may be the most effective year yet. And perhaps, going forward, Kentucky Farm Bureau will be moved to make a change, given that its members continue to drop. “Getting arrested was probably the best thing that could’ve happened for the protest,” he describes, “but it was never our plan.”

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We all saw the YouTube videos that were published in the late summer from the office of the Rowan County Clerk. In those videos, County Clerk Kim Davis was seen refusing to issue marriage licenses to LGBTQ couples. Since the marriage ruling, Davis had been working around the law and not issuing marriage licenses to anyone. Davis was promptly sued by two couples represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and was ordered to begin issuing licenses. Upon returning to work, however, Davis continued to refuse marriage licenses, claiming that she was working under “God’s authority.” She was found in contempt of court and put in jail. Five days later, she was released with the condition that she not interfere with her deputy clerks issuing licenses. “We could say a million things about Kim Davis,” Hartman admits. “But the

main thing I think is that anyone could have become Kim Davis.

And I think that’s important for folks to remember. I mean, yes, it was Kim Davis, and, yes, she’s a Kentuckian. But it could have just as easily been that judge in Tennessee or someone in South Carolina – it was

inevitable that someone was going to become the focal point of the opposition.”

An interesting aspect as well is that the majority of Davis’ supporters were not even from Kentucky. “These were folks coming in from out of state – just like her lawyers – because this was a national movement out to make her an icon and not a local movement, necessarily,” Hartman explains. While the saga of Kim Davis may be over – for now – the ultimate lesson learned from the whole thing was that there is still work to be done. “The work is not over yet,” Hartman affirms. “Marriage equality in some ways was just the beginning.”

THE KIM DAVIS SITUATION 16

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Working under "God’s authority," Kentucky resident Kim Davis – here portrayed by performance artist Shane Whitehead – became the face of the opposition to LGBTQ marriage.

ELECTION OF MATT BEVIN On November 3, 2015, you probably saw a Facebook status about the election of Republican Matt Bevin as governor of Kentucky. Many were quick to criticize Kentuckians for electing someone who vowed to take serious controversial action regarding the state’s health care policies. His staunchly conservative platform and vocal support of Kim Davis understandably made LGBTQ individuals nervous when Bevin took office as governor on December 8. Hartman, however, doesn’t think the issue is so black and white.

“I think we might be able to find an ally in Governor Bevin in ways that we might not have expected,” he ponders. “For

instance, he’s great on voting rights restoration for former felons, which is a big issue that Fairness advocates for because it disproportionately affects communities of color and impoverished communities. This is a place where Bevin breaks with most of his Republican rank and file and shows support.” Indeed, Bevin asserts that he will remove county clerks’ names from marriage licenses, but he doesn’t seem to be waging a war on the LGBTQ community. “He’s never made a statement about Fairness,” Hartman continues. “He’s only made his views on marriage known. So Governor Bevin could be part of this population that agrees that you should be judged based upon your performance but perhaps is unwilling to accept marriage.” How Bevin’s opposition to LGBTQ marriage will impact his position is yet to be determined, and he remains possibly the biggest unknown factor on this list. As Hartman offers, though, it’s shortsighted to call this a defeat at the moment. Instead, let’s remain optimistic and wait to see what happens in Frankfort.

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Heather Yenawine-Meyer was at a wedding show in late 2012 when something caught her eye. “There was an LGBT couple there, and they were pretty reticent to approach the vendors,” she recalls. Their hesitance and lack of comfort talking to possible vendors who, at that time, could help them plan their reception they’d have here in Louisville after getting married elsewhere, angered Yenawine-Meyer and prompted her to ask more questions. She began doing some research and learned that this was a consistent problem for LGBTQ folks in Louisville that needed to be addressed. “Inevitably, they’d be on the phone talking to vendors, and there’d be a moment where they’d have to say, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re an LGBTQ couple – is that okay?’ And they’d have to kind of wait for a reaction,” she describes. So Yenawine-Meyer took to the Internet and created a directory of LGBTQ-friendly businesses that launched www.fairvendors.org as the Fair Event Vendors Alliance in March 2013. With the help of Stephanie Lindsay, YenawineMeyer approached possible members and pitched them the mission. The aim was to connect the LGBTQ community

with wedding and event vendors who would not only welcome them as clients but also promote the growth of that community in Louisville.

Even though same-sex marriage was not yet legal in Kentucky, Yenawine-Meyer felt the organization to be absolutely necessary in the community: “We wanted

Sydney O’Bryan (left), Heather Yenawine-Meyer (opposite, left) and Crystal Ludwick (opposite, right) all work together on FEVA to unite LGBTQ couples with vendors actively interested in working with the LGBTQ community.

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to have FEVA around because we thought we needed advocacy and we also needed to create the online directory so couples had more options. Also, from a financial perspective, we wanted to prevent a great migration where the industry would really lose out because people weren’t feeling embraced here.” Currently, FEVA operates with over 80 members, connecting vendors directly with the LGBTQ community. And not only does FEVA provide LGBTQ competency training for its members but it also unites them with prospective clientele in an incredibly personal way. “You can go online and take webinars, but there’s no personal connection,” Yenawine-Meyer relates. “Through our involvement with other LGBTQ events like the Fairness Campaign and the Derby City Sisters and getting to know folks in the community and asking more questions, we’re able to help our vendors understand our community and what their needs are better. We’re just trying to build relationships.” And with the Supreme Court ruling, Louisville is lucky to have FEVA to make not only LGBTQ receptions but now also weddings easy and effortless.

FAIR EVENT VENDORS ALLIANCE

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#BLACKTRANSLIVESMATTER This powerful and provocative movement begins with perhaps the most somber incident described on this list: the January 9, 2015, murder of Papi Edwards, who was fatally shot at a hotel in Fern Creek. A critical aspect of this entire conversation and necessary starting point, however, is how to properly identify Edwards. The police originally identified Edwards as a gay male, but it has proven to be not so clear-cut. According to many, Edwards identified as a trans woman but in some circles, identified as a male. At the time of their murder, however, they were identifying as a woman, which has been confirmed from video surveillance of the murder. Consequently, the case has taken on a new meaning as it seems the crime was hate-driven. In response to Edwards’ murder and the nearly two dozen like it across the nation that have since followed, local activist Jaison Gardner, along with Gary Brice and Chanelle Helm, organized a local memorial to honor Edwards. Out of that event came the arrival of the #BlackTransLivesMatter movement to Louisville. “The murder of Papi Edwards was heartbreaking for me not just because she was my friend, but because it was a harsh reminder that black trans people are rarely safe from the threat of violence anywhere, even in our diverse, progressive city where organizations like the Fairness Campaign have been doing the work of LGBTQ advocacy for more than 20 years,” Gardner expresses.

“#BTLM is a declaration; it is a battle cry; and to some degree, it is a prayer. But

Local activist and co-host of WFPL’s "Strange Fruit" Jaison Garnder helped bring the #BlackTransLivesMatter movement to Louisville as a response to a slew of murders of trans people of color.

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most importantly, it is a reminder that as we move forward toward racial justice, queer liberation and the smashing of sexism, we must not forget those who live their lives at the intersection of these identities – and are most often the target of violence and murder." The endgame with this movement, if it can be said to have an endgame, is to precipitate change protecting trans people of color and preventing violence toward them. The LGBTQ community has rallied to support trans folks of color; however, it will take more than that to make real change happen. As Gardner argues, “#BTLM is a reminder that while we mourn the dead, we must also fight like hell for the living.”

KENTUCKY MARRIAGE EQUALITY PLAINTIFFS

Gregory Bourke and Michael DeLeon married in Ontario, Canada in 2004. Randell Johnson and Paul Campion married in California in 2008. Jimmy Meade and Luther Barlow married in Iowa in 2009. Kimberly Franklin and Tamera Boyd married in Connecticut in 2010. Individually, these Kentucky couples were dissatisfied with the laws surrounding marriage equality in their home state, but together, they ultimately helped change the world. These four couples came together to create the case Bourke v. Beshear, which challenged Kentucky’s lack of recognition for same-sex marriages performed out-of-state. Meanwhile, two male same-sex couples, Maurice Blanchard and Dominique James and Timothy Love and Lawrence Ysunza, were also moved to challenge the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Love v. Beshear was thus consolidated into Bourke v. Beshear as a case that sought marriage

equality for all in Kentucky. Though both cases saw initial success, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled to uphold Kentucky’s then-ban on same-sex marriage. But the fight was not over. Bourke v. Beshear was ultimately combined with similar cases from Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio to become Obergfell v. Hodges – the case held before the U.S. Supreme Court on marriage equality. And we all know how that ended. The fact that six plaintiffs in this landmark case were from Kentucky only serves to further solidify the fact that Kentucky is not only a place for ongoing LGBTQ political activity but also a state ready to change the wrongly held perception held by so many around the country. Kentucky is not a place

of intolerance and hate but one of progress and love. These six courageous individuals proved that on national scale.

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SENATE BILL 76 DEFEATED In early 2015, Kentucky Senator C.B. Embry Jr. introduced SB 76, known to many as the “Bathroom Bully Bill.” The state legislation mandated that all students in schools, regardless of how they identify, use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex. Kentucky was

the first state to introduce an anti-trans bathroom bill in 2015; however – importantly – it was also the first state to defeat such a bill.

“It was a particularly egregious piece of legislation,” says Hartman of the bill. “The original legislation put a bounty on trans kids’ heads by saying you could collect $25 every time you caught a trans kid in a bathroom.” The bill itself stemmed from an incident at Atherton High School in Louisville, where school officials voted to allow students to use whichever restroom in which they felt most comfortable. But it went back and forth in Frankfort with a myriad of voting processes seemingly repeating themselves. The bill was at last struck down after what some would argue was a bit too much time spent on such an issue. Hartman is hopeful that this sort of nonsense does not happen again and believes Governor Bevin may be

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a leader who wisely chooses to avoid wasting time on such subjects. “I hope that Governor Bevin is the kind of Republican that is going to lead the party and say, ‘We need to focus on fiscal responsibility. We need to focus on the budget this year and get real about the fact that there are problems in the Commonwealth that need to be resolved, and the problems are not where transgender kids go to the bathroom,” he maintains. Hartman is quick to point out that, although the legislation was introduced, the fact that it was defeated is of even greater importance. “If Kentucky had passed the bill, it definitely would’ve opened the door for another state to be able to pass their legislation,” he notes. “So the fact that we were able to coalesce a strong group of supporters and opponents to the legislation … it made Kentucky another flashpoint for LGBT rights, and it’s becoming a common occurrence … So many

times over the past couple of years for good or bad, Kentucky has been the threshing ground for LGBT rights in the nation.”

Louisville is a welcoming city. Everyone here knows it, but it was recently the mission of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) to make that fact known to folks outside of the state as well. Following the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, Christa Ritchie and her team at the CVB were determined to attract more LGBTQ visitors to the city. “We said ‘Let’s do a campaign that welcomes LGBT weddings to Louisville. Let’s do a wedding!’” she recalls thinking. Say “I Do” in Lou was an online video contest where couples of any kind were asked to tell their story. Voters then could decide who they thought deserved to win the grand prize: the ultimate Louisville wedding. A lesbian couple from Fort Wayne, Indiana won the contest and indeed received a dream wedding including a service on the deck of 8UP Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen and a reception at the inaugural Louisville Pride Festival on September 19, 2015. Other winnings included items and services from The Henry Clay, A Thorough Fare Events, Fleur De Lis Events, VOICES of Kentuckiana, Cake Flour, Jaco Limousine & Transportation, Pizzazzle Events, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and more. Chris Hartman actually officiated the wed-

SAY “I DO” IN LOU CAMPAIGN

ding and is glad to have been a part of something that made clear not only locally but also nationally Kentucky’s, and particularly Louisville’s, welcoming and loving attitude. “The CVB was really proactive in their work and were genuinely excited about it,” he recalls. “Some cities may just pander to certain demographics in an attempt to get their tourism dollars, but [the CVB] really tried to be intentional about how to actually create value and investment around LGBT folks coming to the city and having a really fulfilling experience.”

The event was a great success – so much so that Travel + Leisure magazine named Louisville one of Nine Perfect Places for Your LGBT Destination Wedding. Clearly, there’s never been a better place for anyone – and everyone – to say "I do" than in Lou.

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The

Erasure of an

Identity Written by Ben Gierhart // Photography by Antonio Pantoja

LGB. Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Over time, this

amalgamation of letters has evolved. Individuals with various identities who seek a community to which they can belong and opportunities to have their voices heard have added their own letters: T for Transgender, Q for Questioning or Queer, A for Ally and P for Pansexual. These are only a handful of the examples that can fall under the umbrella, each serving as its own umbrella for a dozen or more other identities. From its simple, three-letter origins to the common LGBTQ that is used today, the term is meant to convey inclusiveness, to signify family for those who may be without and to combat otherness. Each of the letters brings its own perspective to the mix, but bisexuality seems to have remained a point of contention in the modern era, despite its inclusion in the initialization from the very beginning. To be clear for the purposes of this article, bisexuality is defined as the attraction – not necessarily equal – to both men and women. Modern humans tend

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to think in binary terms. If something isn’t one thing, it must be the other. If someone isn’t heterosexual, then he or she must be homosexual. It’s a phenomenon called monosexism. As an authority on the subject of LGBTQ issues and an associate professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Louisville, Dr. Kaila Story took the time to sit down with Modern Louisville to discuss the many important issues relating to bisexuality. “I came out as a lesbian when I was 16 years old, and I always knew that, one day, I wanted to teach materials to young people that not only educated them about cultures and communities they were unfamiliar with but also about themselves,” relates Story. And she’s done just that. Attaining her doctorate at Temple University, Story arrived at the University of Louisville in 2007, where she serves as the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair in Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in addition to her duties as associate professor. She has also created several courses

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ANTONIO PANTOJA

Associate professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Louisville, Dr. Kaila Story 26

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“I think that people should always understand that sexuality – no matter what sexual identity individuals assume – exists on a spectrum.”

in the department’s curriculum that have helped establish the University of Louisville’s LGBTQ studies minor. Unlike today, ancient Greeks and Romans did not attribute binary terms to sexuality. There was a host of dynamics to consider when entering into a sexual relationship for someone of that era, but the gender of the other person in the relationship was generally not one of them. In present day, identifying as bisexual is often viewed as a stepping stone to homosexuality by straight and gay people alike. “This has to do with two things, I think. The first is biphobia and the second is monosexism, “ explains Story. This biphobia she’s talking about is the fear of bisexual people and/or the fabricated belief that bisexuality isn’t an authentic sexual orientation. Further, it is the act of invalidating bisexuality as a real sexual orientation while simultaneously validating other identities, specifically lesbian and gay sexualities. Monosexism, as discussed earlier, also has to do with the theory that there is a social structure that presumes everyone to be either gay or straight, enforcing a complete erasure of the existence of bisexual people in society. “These socio-political thoughts and structures help to facilitate the belief that bisexual people only operate in a state of limbo or unsureness, existing in a space of indecision, rather than bisexuality functioning the same as a gay and/or lesbian identity,” asserts Story. Due to the pervasiveness of these ideas in current society, individuals who identify as

bisexual can have difficulty with their romantic partner’s understanding. Story is quick to note that the sexual identity of the bisexual individual’s partner does not alter the bisexual individual’s orientation. Essentially, if someone who is bisexual dates someone who is straight, that bisexual person does not become straight. Concurrently, if someone who is bisexual dates someone who is gay, that bisexual person does not become gay. He or she remains bisexual the entire time. This issue is further compounded by not only the complexity of human sexuality but the complexity of the general human experience as well. Story communicates her thoughts on the matter thusly: “I think that people should always understand that sexuality – no matter what sexual identity individuals assume – exists on a spectrum. Meaning that the performance of one’s sexual orientation is often dependent on the individual. For example, how I understand my sexual orientation as a lesbian may vary and/or differ completely from another lesbian-identified woman. The same holds true for folks who identify as bisexual.” It is important to remember, then, that labels can be helpful in bringing self-acceptance and understanding to an individual, but when one uses them to contradict another’s identity, they become problematic. The term bisexual was originally included in the LGBTQ initialization for a reason, and it’s best that fact is not forgotten.

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

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Co-owner of Chill Bar Rowdy Whitworth, owner of Nowhere Bar Dave Mattingly, co-owner of Play Dance Bar Micah McGowan and owner of Big Bar Kevin Brian at the Louisville staple Jack Fry’s

NOT JUST A

GAY BAR 30

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Written by Nicholas Moore Photography by Antonio Pantoja

gay bar has never been “just a bar.” For the majority of the 20th century, bars were the only places where members of the LGBTQ community could go, enjoy fun and fellowship, be themselves and feel safe while doing it. Around 2013, Louisville’s LGBTQ bar scene saw a surge of growth unlike ever before. The success of these bars is a sign of the progress of the LGBTQ community and shines a light on where it’s headed next. The last 60 years have been a crazy ride for the LGBTQ community. In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental disorder, only to declassify it as such in 1974. The Stonewall Riots occurred in 1969.

Chill Bar

“You can be whatever you want when you walk through that door.”

Nowhere Bar

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

ANTONIO PANTOJA

Play Dance Bar

In the ’80s, the U.S. experienced the AIDS epidemic, which, by some estimates, claimed the lives of 80 percent of the gay community. In 1996, DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) was signed by Bill Clinton, prohibiting marriage equality. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on YouTube in 2010 as part of the It Gets Better Project, telling LGBTQ youth, “Your country needs you!” Most recently, in June 2015, the Supreme Court issued a ruling effectively legalizing marriage equality throughout the country. These were macro-level events that affected our entire society. Add to these things the personal ups and downs that came with being part of a stigmatized minority, and you had an intense six decades. Through all of this, gay bars have been the place where LGBTQ Americans have been able to come together and support each other, to laugh, to cry and to help each other make it through day-today life. Above all, it is in these bars that the community receives the resounding message, “You are OK just how you are. You matter. Your life matters. You can love who you choose. You 32

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Big Bar

can be who you want.” These bars can be a valuable lens through which to view cultural development. Louisville has an incredibly rich history of LGBTQ bars, dating back to the ’40s. There was the Beaux Arts Bar in the Henry Clay in 1946. Then came The Downtowner in 1954, featuring a drag show by the late ’60s. Aunt Norah’s, the city’s first lesbian bar, opened its doors on Cane Run Road circa 1969. The late ’70s brought gay discos to Louisville via Badlands Territory and a new Downtowner (the first closed due to fire). The Connection opened up in 1998, Tinks in 2001, and more followed. Recently, Louisville’s LGBTQ bar scene experienced something unique. Over the course of 19 months, four bars opened. We asked David Walinksi, founder of the Williams-Nichols Collection in LGBT archives at UofL, if this proliferation was unusual. Of the business boom, he said, “Nothing like the 2013 bars, not all at once like that.” Each of these bars – Big Bar, Nowhere Bar, Chill Bar and Play Dance Bar – had its own distinct brand; they weren’t necessarily competitors in the marketplace. Additionally, these bars strategically welcomed not only

the LGBTQ demographic but also everyone outside of that community. At these bars, you’ll find straight people, gay people, members of the transgender and lesbian communities, queer people, nuns-indrag and everything in between; owners and patrons alike embrace this diversity. Historically, LGBTQ bars have never been short of an eclectic crowd, but contemporary times are different. Thanks to large-scale successful equality initiatives, legislation, advocacy and continually diversified representation in mass media, LGBTQ culture has become more mainstream than ever. People don’t have to hide and are consequently mixing with each other in an unprecedented way. Chill Bar co-owner Rowdy Whitworth and Play Dance Bar co-owner Todd Roman can both remember going to The Downtowner in the ’80s, parking blocks away for fear of being seen. That atmosphere doesn’t exist today, thanks to the progress society has made. “It’s just different now,” says Whitworth. Culture inside and outside of the LGBTQ community has progressed. Accordingly, business has progressed as well. “You’ve got to create that atmosphere and that environment that is comfortable for whomever is going to walk through the door,” Whitworth says. David Mattingly, owner of Nowhere, echoed this philosophy when describing his bar. “You can be whatever you want when you walk through that door. It’s not a gay bar, but it’s not a straight bar either. We’re an all-inclusive bar where you can have fun and let your guard down.” When asked if these more-welcoming business models did a disservice to historically more-exclusive LGBTQ bars, Roman said of his colleagues and himself, “We work and all have moved the [LGBTQ] community much more toward mainstream and acceptance. [Older models of bars] will always be a part of [LGBTQ] culture, and it’s not leaving it behind; it’s adapting and maturing.” The community is not assimilating – it’s simply growing in a more accepting culture. Efforts for acceptance and equality are not over and never will be. But, at least in Louisville, there are good things happening, and these bars are evidence of the progress the LGBTQ community has achieved.

Coming Soon... Soon, the aforementioned businesses will have companions in their success. Here are a few more businesses set to open their doors to the community: Somewhere is a new bar and restaurant opening next to Nowhere that will offer a tasteful and unique experience all its own. “Somewhere will be very ‘Highlands,’ very comfortable, American bistro-style food,” says owner David Mattingly. Patrons will enjoy great food in a relaxing atmosphere with a beer or a glass of wine. Mattingly feels that a restaurant is the next step in the growing of his business. Somewhere will be open for lunch and dinner; at 10 p.m., the kitchen will close and the bar will offer patrons typical limited menu. The space will hold 99 people. “It’s going to be a Highlands restaurant that caters to everybody,” Mattingly says. Somewhere’s bar is scheduled to open by New Year’s Eve, and its restaurant services soon after.

Frankfort Avenue has another hip spot on the way. To the left of The Comfy Cow will soon stand The Hub. Staying loyal to Louisville’s signature local-style, The Hub’s brand will be a THE neighborhood bar and restaurant featuring small plates and a Southern-inspired food menu as well as craft beer and signature cocktails. “The cuisine will be Kentucky meets Chicago,” says owner Eric Wentworth. The property LOUISVILLE itself is amazing, offering numerous experiences to enjoy. Immediately upon entry, visitors are greeted with a digital art installation spanning the entire wall. Customers can enjoy sitting directly at the bar, at high-top tables, in a proper dining area or on an outdoor patio. Private dining is also available. The gaming area will feature shuffleboard, Golden Tee virtual golf, an interactive jukebox, darts and two giant garage doors, which will open to the patio in warmer months. It appears this place will have literally everything, including dancing. The cherry on top will be transit design elements (i.e. “transit hub”) pulling the entire space together.

HUB

While Hillbilly Tea closed in May 2015, fate had other things in store for the popular establishment. After the closure, a long-time customer looked to owner Karter Louis, saying, “I need Hillbilly Tea. Why don’t you reopen it in our building?” Louis took him up on the offer. In February 2016, the restaurant will settle in its new location on Main Street between Aloft Hotel and Impellizzeri’s. While Hillbilly Tea previously offered an ever-changing seasonal menu, its new menu will be offered all year and will feature its biggest successes. “It will make people happy because they can get their favorite things all the time,” Louis said assuredly. The space itself will also impress – it will feature a spacious patio and bar and twice the seating capacity. Oh, and the kitchen is five times larger. The eclectic and relaxed feel of Hillbilly Tea is returning, now offering the best enhancements of its tasty teas, farm-to-table plates and good old-fashioned favorites, like bourbon bread pudding, smoked catfish and the almighty pork ‘n’ pone.

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

ChaRaCtER sKetCh Drew Gillum WritteN by wiL HeuSer • pHotO by antonio Pantoja

“I treat clothing or a piece of jewelry like it was a piece of art – even though people who collect clothes get a bad rap because they’re told it’s all vanity. I think dressing well is an art and it shows respect to be neatly turned out.” Daphne Guinness, fashion icon and style muse to the late Alexander McQueen. A wise and iconic statement from a woman best known for her outrageous sense of style and love of fashion. Fashion is an essential element in the creation of one’s character. Some use fashion as a way to express their personality. Others use it as an outlet to convey their life’s passions. Fashion is also used as an invisible armor to protect an identity from the harshest aspects of culture. Whether someone is the life of the party or a wallflower, style defines where one wants to fit in life. That being said, one must not count out the power of personality on its own. Actions can be more fashionable than the latest must-have, designer bag. Underneath all the clothes, accessories and labels, lies the true blueprint of a character...

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

“Self expression is a big part of who I am,” he contends. “I’m actually a very shy person, so with fashion, I’m able to express what I’m feeling at that moment. I feel like I can have a conversation with everyone at a party without even saying a word.” - DREW GILLUM -

If you don’t know him, you have definitely seen him. Whether he’s galavanting the late night social scene in outrageous costumes or working the crowd at the hottest events in his sleek tailored suits, Drew Gillum is hard to miss. With a touch of eyeliner and a dabble of mascara, Gillum has used his forever jewel-adorned hands to create a character essential to Louisville. No event starts until he arrives, but you might have to wait around a while. “I often plan my outfits right before I go out, but I take my time and pay attention to every detail; it’s most likely why I’m late all the time.” Drew is well worth the wait though. He brings true meaning to the term “fashionably late.” You never know what to expect with Gillum’s style: “Sometimes, I’ll just be flipping through a magazine, find a look that inspires me and throw it together. Last weekend, it was a floral caftan with a matching head wrap.” It’s this daring and artistic approach to style that makes Drew so fascinating. As a graphic designer, Gillum uses his style as an art form. “Self expression is a big part of who I am,” he contends. “I’m actually a very shy person, so with fashion, I’m able to express what I’m feeling at that moment. I

feel like I can have a conversation with everyone at a party without even saying a word.” However loud his fashion statements might appear, Gillum seems to maintain a very calm and cool persona. Born and raised in Greenup County, Kentucky, Drew was always surrounded by supportive friends and a big family with many community ties. “Because our town was so small and my family was well known, I was never bullied. I’ve always felt OK to express myself and not conform,” he says. As too many members of the LGBTQ community know, growing up in rural Kentucky can be a hard life: “I was fortunate enough to be in a protective environment. I’m forever thankful because I know it’s not that way for everyone. If my grandfather

wasn’t so well-known and my grandmother didn’t own the only beauty parlor in town, I would have grown up in a very different situation.” Not only did Drew enjoy a carefree upbringing thanks to his grandparents, he also inherited their sense of style. “My grandfather always walked out of the house in a suit, and my grandmother always in heels,” he recalls. “If you want to be taken seriously, you need to look the part.” It’s a mentality that has followed Gillum his entire life, prompting him to idolize icons like Daphne Guinness and other socialites of the high-end nightlife, echoing his desire to always dress himself to represent himself. After moving to Louisville in 2003 to study graphic design at the University of Louisville, Drew started to cultivate the fun and adventurous side of his character. “I started looking at style blogs and seeing all the fabulous looks from the Bowery Street club scene [a culture unique to the underground of the lower east side in New York City]. I loved their freedom and originality,” he describes. Over the years Gillum, has truly developed a sense of freedom and an originality of his own. “I don’t think I will ever stop evolving with my look,” he asserts. “Right now, I’m not dressing to impress or find a man.” In October, Gillum’s long time friend turned boyfriend, Nate Carden, popped the question. The couple plans to wed in 2017. “I’m never going to stop being myself, and I’m so blessed to find someone who truly loves me for me,” he expresses. “The person who loves you for who you are is the person you need to be with.”

To learn more about Drew Gillum visit TheWilShow.com. Wil Heuser interviews Drew, as Drew, up close and personal in a hysterical video sketch. MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

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THE WOMAN WHO TRACKED FIRE WRIT TEN BY TARA B ASSET T // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTONIO PANTOJA

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

On a June night in New Orleans, 1973, hate raged up the steps of a gay bar and consumed 32 people. The authorities called it arson. Others said it was God’s own hand. No one was ever charged for the crime. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR SHERI L. WRIGHT, “ TRACKING FIRE.”

The buzzer of the UpStairs Lounge rings incessantly, and a patron is asked to see who it is. He opens the door and the blast is sudden, overwhelming. He never knows what hit him.

Scorched by the incredible heat, I jump from my table near the stairwell and run. Flames barrel under the indoor/outdoor carpet, exploding through, racing up the backs of my legs. I fall to the ground, drowning in the shrieks of my friends. Ronnie Rosenthal, one of 15 who escaped death in the UpStairs Lounge fire, recalls, “Everybody was screaming, everybody was so confused…” Survivor Ricky Everett remembers thinking, “This isn’t happening.” Sheri L. Wright is the producer/director of the documentary “Tracking Fire.” Her unflinching gaze communicates the intensity of her commitment to

this project. “The story of ‘Tracking Fire’ has to be told,” says the slight woman with a graying ponytail. “Compare what these people went through to circling the block for a parking space, and your priorities come into focus very quickly.”

Buddy, the bartender, leaps over the bar, touches people on their shoulders and shouts, “Follow me!” He quickly leads them through an emergency exit. One man goes back in for his lover. He doesn’t come back out. The French Quarter of New Orleans, home to Mardi Gras, is full of aging buildings like the one that housed the bar: the type of buildings vulnerable to an accelerant like the one that created this inferno. And death by fire is the most-feared way to die, according to any number of websites on the topic. The lungs shut down through asphyxiation, the skin blisters, the nerves are exposed. By that time, death may be preferable to the unbearable pain.

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

ANTONIO PANTOJA

The fire is 2,000 degrees. Panic billows like smoke around us. People have piled onto each other in the futile rush to escape, and most have breathed their last by now. “Don’t leave me!” I hear someone scream, not recognizing my own voice. To be gay in 1973 New Orleans was asking for trouble. Explains writer/activist Frank Perez: “It was totally, utterly incomprehensible how invisible our community was at that time. You know, fear of being arrested, fear of being put in an insane asylum, fear of losing your job, fear of isolating your family. I’m sure people had friends that died in the fire, but the next day when they went to work, they could not show their grief, they could not openly weep or talk about it.” On that widely-celebrated fourth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, NOLA gay life stayed underground. A devastating example of this intolerance was the fate of Luther Boggs, a teacher who later died; while he was hospitalized with terrible burns, he was notified that he had been fired from his job.

I pray for the first time in years. Ask God to forgive me for being gay. For disappointing my family. For being gay. For screwing around for too long. For

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

being gay. All that registers is: I’m dying because I’m gay. How could this have happened? Witnesses point the finger at a well-known angry, sexually confused man, Rodger D. Nunez, who had been ejected earlier in the evening from the Lounge for harassing patrons. He was a hustler, drunk and ready to fight. Nunez’s last words to the people in the lounge? “I’m going to burn you all out.” Firsthand accounts describe a man fitting Nunez’s description who walked to Walgreen’s and bought a can of lighter fluid. It is presumed he returned to the bar’s entrance and set the wooden stairs on fire. Wright postulates that authorities didn’t fully investigate the crime. They questioned “person of interest” Nunez but didn’t pursue it. No arrests were ever made.

I can barely make out the glass panes blocked with iron “burglar bars”: I’m within arm’s length… Born in Louisville, Wright lived in Southern Indiana and California before returning to the Louisville area. A poet, author, photographer, artist and avid film-lover, Wright is a renaissance woman who sees the future with

a clear vision. “To make it in your hometown, you have to leave, find a level of success, then return to acclaim.” Wright shakes her head. “There are such pervasive stereotypes of Kentuckians; how many Johnny Depps and George Clooneys does it take to reverse that perception?” Wright believes this film will add another exception to the list, and her painstaking research into the mass murder of 32 human beings substantiates that belief.

People are seared to the bars. Somehow, I pull myself to my feet and limp toward the windows. I’m thin enough to squeeze through. Fresh air. I fall on top of others already on the sidewalk below. I gasp, inhale, collapse. Pain, intense and feral. Interestingly, the Lounge had until recently served as home to the Metropolitan Community Church. Many patrons were members and that evening had even sung together before the inferno struck. No church would hold services until one Episcopal priest stepped up, despite enormous pressures by his superiors and congregation. Wright

explained that, according to documents, police shut down the investigation after three weeks. “It was illegal to dress in drag. Cops shook down clubs, arrested gays. But they let an alleged arsonist go. There is the possibility of an accomplice. A witness saw two men coming out of the stairwell door before the explosion. Did that ever bear weight in the final reports?” She shakes her head in apparent disgust.

The skin of my chest is bubbling. I’m begging for death. I think, “Whose God would wish this torture on His child?” Survivor Ronnie Rosenthal later told the filmmaker, “The hardest part was identifying the bodies.” Family members of one victim, Ferris LeBlanc, found out only this year that their uncle and brother died in the UpStairs Lounge fire. He was a decorated World War II veteran buried in an unmarked grave with three other victims. “It took public shaming to get the Resthaven cemetery open for family members to have access. We know which potter’s field he’s in,” Wright makes clear, “but we can’t locate the

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

graves. City officials stated that cemetery records were lost in Hurricane Katrina. It’s a terrible situation. These were horrible deaths, the largest LGBT murder in U.S. history. Knowing [LeBlanc’s] fate gave a certain sense of relief to those he’s left behind. Now, they want the last missing piece.”

My eyes are too dry to cry. I’m too numb to scream anymore. I drop my head back and wait for the relief of oblivion. “It’s taken nearly 40 years for this fire to become known,” Wright says with disgust. “There was an exhibition in 2008, but the incident didn’t really become better known until 2013.” It enrages the researcher that so many things were swept under the rug. “Families are still seeking closure,” like LeBlanc’s. To provide some of that closure, Wright is vigorously fact-finding, discovering answers that have eluded the survivors, and the victims’ families, for years. Wright finally entreats, “We can’t become too afraid to act. We must remain vigilant. We’ve made such strides, and our rights can quickly be taken away.” Spoken like the leader she is in the fight to resolve the mysteries of the fatal fire in the UpStairs Lounge of New Orleans of 1973.

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Nearly $20,000 has been spent thus far in the making of “Tracking Fire,” some of which came from Wright’s own pocket. She’s sold her own artwork and “anything of value” she owned. Frequent fundraisers are insufficient to collect the remaining $20,000-30,000 needed to complete this seminal production. “We plan to enter it into all the major film festivals: Cannes, Sundance, Toronto,” the documentarian reveals. “I made a promise to everyone affected by the fire that I would take on the responsibility of telling their story to as large an audience as possible.” Many road trips and late nights have taken place to accomplish that goal. To help fulfill it, make your contribution online at tracking fire.com or mail your tax-deductible donation to Tracking Fire, c/o Louisville Visual Art Association, 1538 Lytle St., Louisville, KY 40203.

Scene inside the Up Stairs bar following flash fire on June 24, 1973 TIMES-PICAYUNE / LANDOV

The names below are those of the victims of the UpStairs Lounge Fire. In a showing of love and support in some of the accompanying photographs, Louisvillians came out and volunteered their time to acknowledge the loss of each name on the list. Here they are, and may they never be forgotten: Joseph Henry Adams Reginald Adams Jr. Guy D. Anderson Joe William Bailey Luther Boggs Louis Horace Broussard

Patrons of the Up Stairs Lounge circa 1971-1973.

Herbert Dean Cooley Donald Walter Dunbar Adam Roland Fontenot David Stuart Gary Horace “Skip” Getchell John Thomas Golding Sr. Gerald Hoyt Gordon Glenn Richard “Dick” Green James Walls Hambrick Kenneth Paul Harrington Rev. William R. Larson Ferris LeBlanc Robert “Bob” Lumpkin Leon Richard Maples George Steven Matyi Clarence Josephy McCloskey Jr. Duane George “Mitch” Mitchell Larry Stratton Mrs. Willie Inez Warren Eddie Hosea Warren James Curtis Warren Dr. Perry Lane Waters Jr.

A plaque at the site of the Up Stairs Lounge commenrating the victims of the fire.

Douglas Maxwell Williams Three unknown white males buried in New Orleans’ Potter’s Field remain unidentified.

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

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Written By Lori Kay Scott

he iconic image of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is as present and timeless today as it was when the movie was first released in 1961. The elegance of her perfectly coiffed chignon, clavicles covered in pearls and tiara ever so nonchalantly placed upon her head represented a new kind of woman – a defiance of the norm, a woman with an adamant appreciation of what could and most certainly would be a life of adventure. Holly Golightly represented a reconfiguration of acceptable social codes. Her story was a story of constantly leaving and remaking herself – her rootlessness spoke of glamour and sophistication. She was beautiful and witty, yet somehow sad and lost. I met my Holly Golightly in college, and our time in New York was undeniably exhilarating. New York, although densely populated, is a haven for the anonymous – a canvas for the unknown. Our apartment was between A and B on Houston in the Lower East Side, back when it wasn’t filled with condos, hotels and pricey restaurants. In the ’90s, it was still a thriving, out-of-theway artist community, which was perfect for two young people trying to figure out what it meant to be in love. It was a time to shed past armor, most notably my self-described country-club-chic wardrobe, and to embrace the possibilities of living outside of the norm. We weren’t out, and we didn’t even consider using terms like “girlfriend” because it didn’t really matter to us – we weren’t trying to be political. But we definitely made a statement. One night, after dinner at our favorite French restaurant, Le Pescadeux, she asked me if I would like to go to a party that a group of her gay friends was having at an underground bar called Tribe in the East Village. I really had no interest because I (A) wasn’t

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

trying to meet anyone else, (B) didn’t feel the need to socialize with people based only on their sexual orientation, and (C) would certainly rather make the trip uptown for a stiff martini at the bar at the Paramount. But it nonetheless intrigued me – it would be nice to be in a public space where we could be more free and open. The idea of an underground bar was foreign to me, but it was an absolute feast for the senses. The fabric on the banquettes made the Dorothy Draper in me cringe a bit, so I stood by the overly loud DJ booth while my Holly ordered drinks. There was a mix of people there, but obviously, a great deal of them were professional gay men and women who found this place to be a haven. Just then, an attractive woman approached me and in her thick New York accent asked, “What color Mercedes do you want?” I was annoyed because if she had gotten to know me at all, she would have known that I believe certain things should be certain colors, and I somewhat rudely exclaimed, “Black!” She smiled and asked me to dance, which I found to be completely horrifying. (Had she not seen the outrageously gorgeous woman I had walked in with?) Before I could give her kudos for one of the best pick-up lines EVER, I felt a familiar and seductive arm wrap around my waist with an almost possessive force, which I loved, and I knew that my Holly Golightly and I would be leaving soon to head back to our little private corner of the world. One of my favorite lines in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is Holly’s “I don’t want to own anything until I

find a place where me and things go together. I’m not sure where that is, but I know what it is like. It’s like Tiffany’s.” Tiffany’s – the orderly formality of the place does not seem to fit into this picture. Yet it does insomuch that through love we find a safe place – a home – where our hearts, in the most private of ways, have the space to feel free. And true love – the kind of love worth fighting for – is as timeless as Tiffany’s...and it’s definitely worth raising a glass to Holly Golightly and sipping a bit of champagne before breakfast.

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Written by Henry Brousseau

oe Chin and Sam Denham had plans to go to the mall on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Zoe and Sam were best friends. They had met after Zoe had been kind to Sam, asking if he’d like to sit at her table. Zoe’s kindness was important. According to a classmate of Sam’s, if he was left alone in the lunchroom at a table by himself, “someone would pour milk on him.” Sam was a target. Zoe described the bullying Sam endured: “People called him gay, faggot, smart aleck. They made fun of how he walked, and he walked like anybody. They called him nerd, dork; they pushed him and knocked his books down.” Sam didn’t make it to the mall with Zoe on the 15th. On October 14, at age 13, Sam shot himself in his head at his parents’ house. In the wake of the 2010 and 2011 “bullycides,” America – even Kentucky – reevaluated its bullying laws because the root cause of these

It’s been reported that worldwide, a trans person is killed every 29 hours, in spite of constituting only one percent of the world’s population. suicides was clear: Kids were being harassed for being LGBTQ. Our country was finally paying attention to the epidemic, and people began reacting. Sports stars, Broadway stars, politicians, even the president made an It Gets Better video, pleading to LGBTQ youth to not give into bullying and take their own lives. People truly began to realize that bullying, harassment and homophobic jokes and slurs have direct and dire consequences. But much of the focus had been on gay youth, practically ignoring one of our most vulnerable populations: the transgender community. People must realize that transphobia and the bullying, harassment and “joking” about transgender people that permeates our culture also has a very real bodycount. Our country has seen an overwhelming number of murders and violence against trans-

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

gender people in this year alone. It’s been reported that worldwide, a trans person is killed every 29 hours, in spite of constituting only one percent of the world’s population. That’s a staggering fact. Couple that with the statistic that the average life expectancy for a trans person is 35. If you lived when Jesus was born or during the Black Plague, you could expect to live longer. Why this abbreviated life span? Because trans people are being stabbed, shot, beaten to death; they’re stepping in front of buses and trains and jumping off bridges to escape the daily harassment and disparities they face just for being who they are. Trans people are still being blocked from access to medical providers, still getting substandard care and still going without necessary medical care for fear of how they’ll be treated. Why are all these negative outcomes so much more likely for trans people? It’s because as transgender people are beginning to garner broader attention from society and the media, they are also increasingly becoming the targets of jokes. Louisville recently saw a professional reporter, John Boel, poking fun at Caitlyn Jenner after she famously came out as a trans woman: “Day after greatest athletic accomplishment since the 70s, American Pharoah announces he’s going to become a filly, changing name to American Phoebe. SI [Sports Illustrated] gets the photo shoot instead of Vanity Fair. Diane Sawyer will not get the exclusive interview.” The joke, while in poor taste, might seem innocent, but is it? Does this type of banter take an ultimate toll on the transgender community? Does it become more than a joke when a transwoman of color is murdered in our own community? Or when 22 trans women are murdered in cold blood in America in 2015? Jokes stop being jokes when they have a body count. On July 23, 2015, KC Haggard was walking down Blackstone street in Fresno, California. Born in Visalia, she had lived in the area her entire life, attended a local high school and was an alumnus of Chapman University. KC was 66 years old.

On that night, she was called over to a car. When she approached, the driver reached out and slashed KC’s throat. As the car sped away, she was left to die on the street. KC bled out as people walked past her, lying there for 20 minutes before a passerby finally called paramedics. She was rushed to Community Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. We don’t know who KC’s killer is, but we do know that the severity and gruesomeness of her slaughter points to its being motivated by prejudice – like so many other gruesome murders of trans people. KC’s slayer had certainly heard anti-trans jokes before – they’re everywhere. When he reached out to slash KC’s throat, he wasn’t thinking about her as a person with a story and life because our culture helped him dehumanize her as a trans woman. When someone hears the word “tranny,” when a “harmless joke” about Caitlyn Jenner is made, and when trans women are laughed at as “men in dresses,” the entire transgender community is belittled and degraded. These derogatory comments teach people that trans people should be the butt of jokes, that they’re somehow less human than the rest of us. This is what leads to violence. This is what leads to murder. Tamara Dominguez, a beautiful 36-yearold transgender woman of color, was similarly murdered in Kansas City last August. She was run over repeatedly with an SUV. Story after story of gruesome murders of trans people – particularly trans women of color – exist in our country, and it’s not by chance. Jokes don’t exist in a vacuum, especially when they’re targeted at people much more likely to be victims of abuse, discrimination and violence. Jokes about transgender people legitimize violence against an entire group of people by dehumanizing them. Speak up when someone makes a snide remark about Caitlyn Jenner, pokes fun at a trans person at work or harasses someone when they’re just trying to use the restroom. If we all speak out, we can change our culture and take the body count down to zero.

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Dating Dudes In Lou

Know the Basics (But Don’t Be Basic!) Written by Nicholas Moore // Photography by Antonio Pantoja

and difficult to navigate.” Preach, Dr. Day, preach! But let us pretend, by some stroke of luck, you do find someone you click with. There are still plenty of things that can go wrong on dates themselves. Take my recent date with Chris, for example. He was great. He was crazy handsome, in a classic, James Dean kind of way. He was a little taller than me, which I like. He had a great sense of humor. And good grief, he could kiss! All day, honey! Lastly, one of Chris’ best qualities was that he was kind-hearted. For our third date, I planned a nice walk on the pedestrian bridge, a riverfront dinner and an evening cruise on the Belle of Louisville. Romantic, right? No, not right. First, there was a surprise heat wave on this particular night. We both were sweating profusely after our short walk across the Big Four Bridge. Next, dinner was a disaster. The service and food were both terrible, neither one setting the mood I’d envisioned. After dinner, we had to walk back across the bridge to catch the Belle cruise, which got us all sweaty again, this time on a stomach full of shoddy food. I “Things seemed to have ended on a good note... tried to keep things light by making fun except that he got food conversation. Luckpoisoning from the ily, we were good at restaurant.” making one another laugh. The cruise itself was actually very nice. Once we stopped sweating, we laughed, we kissed, we took photos. Things seemed to have ended on a good note ... except that he got food poisoning from the restaurant. For these and other reasons, there was not a fourth date.

ating can be magical. While living life to the fullest, you cross paths with someone who fits just right with you and your jive. When you’re together, it’s bliss. Next thing you know, you’re introducing this special someone to the family. Things are great. Finally, you’ve found “the one,” and you couldn’t be happier. Simple, right? No! That’s the biggest crock of shit I have ever typed! For some people, perhaps courtship and love happens like this. They are the minority, and we do not like these people. For most of us, dating is something else entirely. We’re supposed to randomly cross paths with someone with whom we happen to be compatible. Then we’re trying to read the other person’s signals while trying to send our own. And what even constitutes “dating” these days? “I think people are utterly confused about it,” says Dr. Michael Day, professor of psychology and director of the Personal Counseling Center at IU Southeast. “Today, the definition of ‘dating’ is so individualized, especially in American culture, sometimes it makes it more confusing

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Thanks, Obama. While I’m not the most adept at dating, I have done ample research. Through all of my fun and follies, here are a few things I can say, without a doubt, that can help the dating process: 1. Choose positive, honest and sincere friends. Ditch the cynics and gossips. Good friends will help you through the ups and downs of dating and will help you feel confident about yourself, which really makes a difference when hitting the dating market! 2. Know the difference between being sex-positive and being hypersexual. Sex is great, but it’s not everything...but it’s great... but it’s not everything. 3. Put down your damn phone! While the notification sound on smartphones gives us all a thrill, put the phone away and focus on interacting with people face-to-face to really get to know them. Go ice-skating, go to the park, go to a fundraiser. Make plans to be present and enjoy someone’s company, ideally moderately sober. 4. As Mimi sang to Roger in “Rent,” “I’m lookin’ for baggage that goes with mine.” We’ve all got baggage, so get comfortable with yours and own it. This will bring you and anyone around you some peace, and it exudes confidence and sexiness. Haaaay! 5. Don’t be a hard ass – get comfortable with showing your vulnerable side sometimes. You’re not getting any younger. If you want to attract someone with whom your energy and goals will actually click, you have to have the courage to let the real you show. 6. Communicate. It’s a dating myth that all things should naturally fall into place. Get on the same page with someone by engaging in a dialogue. It doesn’t take the magic away. It enriches the experience long-term.

L a t t e s and Literature The Simple Perfection of McQuixote Books & Coffee Written by Remy Sisk // Photography by Antonio Pantoja

ou’re sitting at a comfortable wooden table, nestled in the divine tranquility that comes with isolating yourself in a coffee shop. The smell of brewing espresso saturates the air. You’re drinking a superbly crafted latte featuring espresso by local company Argo Sons. Just in front of you is a bookshelf with an incredibly eclectic, though not overwhelming, selection of literature for perusal and sale. No, you’re not in Brooklyn or Seattle. You’re still in Louisville– at McQuixote Books & Coffee. In 2014, three like-minded men came together to create this unparalleled shop with just the right blend of quirk and charm. Mickey Ball, Trevor DeCuir and Jeff Wessel joined forces from literally across the country. Ball had been living in northern California, selling

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

selections of his extensive book collection online under the name McQuixote – a fusion of his name, Mickey, and Miguel de Cervantes’ canonical work “Don Quixote.” Meanwhile, DeCuir was in Louisville working in coffee, while Wessel was bouncing around “all over,” according to the others. Ball wanted a brick-and-mortar shop for his online business, which is how he came to partner with Wessel. The pair then decided to add coffee to the mix and contacted their old friend Trevor, who was immediately on board with the concept. The team chose to set up shop in Louisville for a multitude of reasons, but it was exactly where in Louisville that proved to be the real question. McQuixote Books & Coffee is currently located in The Tim Faulkner Gallery in the

Co-owner of McQuixote Mickey Ball

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

Portland neighborhood, but that wasn’t always the plan. “It was very roundabout how we ended up here,” DeCuir laughs. When the trio first got to Louisville, they toured the Portland neighborhood, but, at least at first, it wasn’t the right fit. “It just didn’t feel right at the time, so we refocused on a spot on Barret Avenue,” he recalls. The team was becoming invested in a spot on Barret; however, funding didn’t quite go as planned. So the trio revised their plans and began searching for a kitchen space that they could work out of to make appearances at farmers’ markets and festivals. The plumber with whom they were consulting at the time offhandedly mentioned

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

that Tim Faulkner was moving his art gallery to Portland and he may want a coffee shop in the space. Faulkner was indeed interested, and the the team took a tour of the prospective location. “It was terrible looking,” DeCuir remembers. “And we thought, ‘Yes, this is it.’” It was a genuine labor of love to bring McQuixote to life, but these three passionate individuals were determined to do whatever it took to make their dream come true. “We were down on our knees, scraping glue off the floor from the linoleum,” Ball recounts. “It was rewarding work because we knew it was ours.” DeCuir similarly remembers the days spent doing the intense manual labor necessary to prepare the space but doesn’t

“OUR HOPE IS TO SEE

PEOPLE GIVE PORTLAND THE ATTENTION IT’S BEEN MISSING. THERE ARE 12,000 PEOPLE HERE WHO WANT TO DO THINGS, BUT THERE ISN’T A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY. I GUESS MY HOPE PERSONALLY IS TO BE AN INSPIRATION FOR OTHERS TO TAKE THAT NEXT STEP.

”

Co-owner of McQuixote Trevor DeCuir

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

regret a moment of it. “You just find something that you love and nothing can get in the way,” he contends. After countless hours of work, McQuixote Books & Coffee officially opened in the The Tim Faulkner Gallery on September 13, 2014. The shop was met with enthusiasm from the public, and since day one, it’s roughly doubled its traffic. The folks behind the counter have been growing as well. DeCuir is learning more about books and Ball more about coffee. “We’re blending,” Ball describes. “Originally, it was more black and white, but now we’re teaching each other over time. I would still say I know more about books and he knows more about coffee.” But what they enjoy more than learning about each other’s passions is giving the community a much needed gathering place that infuses Portland with some new culture and identity. “Right now, we want to focus on building this place and building a community spot, and, with the help of the gallery here, it’s been growing since day one,” DeCuir maintains. McQuixote is certainly not looking to redefine Portland but rather simply add to its definition. They have been open nearly a year and a half, and with the new pay-whatyou-can restaurant The Table having opened just down the street from them in November, it looks like they are on their way to making Portland the accessible, visitor-friendly place it has yearned to be for so long. “Our hope is to see people give Portland the attention it’s been missing,” DeCuir asserts. “There are 12,000 people here who want to do things, but there isn’t a lot of

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

opportunity. I guess my hope personally is to be an inspiration for others to take that next step.” And part of that inspiration has come in the form of exciting and engaging events that only augment the robust charm of McQuixote. Since the very beginning, authors have reached out to the shop, trying to schedule readings. McQuixote has been glad to host them, and, in addition to readings and signings, they also hold the monthly Portland Poetry Series. DeCuir says it’s an event for “poetry and its friends,” where poets, yes, can come perform their work but also performance artists, soundscape artists, theatre artists and more can come showcase their material for the public. “Just a little of everything in the arts,” DeCuir describes. The shop looks forward to offering an adult spelling bee sometime soon this year, but in the meantime, it’s glad to be a nearby escape for people caught up in the fastpaced city-life. “It’s a respot for people,” DeCuir muses of McQuixote. “Even though we do lots of business throughout the day, it stays pretty quiet, so it’s a good place to go to get away from everything else. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately; coffee shops – and bookstores – are places you can go where you don’t have to be anybody. Here, you can hang out all day and not talk to anyone if you don’t want to. You can just get away from the rest of the city and not have to answer to anybody.” McQuixote Books & Coffee is located at 1512 Portland Ave., Ste. 1. For more information, visit mcquixote.com or call 502.530.9658.

“IT’S A RESP0T FOR

PEOPLE. EVEN THOUGH WE DO LOTS OF BUSINESS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, IT STAYS PRETTY QUIET, SO IT’S A GOOD PLACE TO GO TO GET AWAY FROM EVERYTHING ELSE. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS A LOT LATELY: COFFEE SHOPS AND BOOKSTORES ARE PLACES YOU CAN GO WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ANYBODY.

”

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

DRAGGING OUT THE HISTORY OF DRAG D

Written by Ben Gierhart // Photography by Antonio Pantoja

rag is one of the oldest and most celebrated traditions in the LGBTQ community. Its existence even predates the word homosexual, which only came into usage toward the end of the 19th century. The wearing of clothing of the opposite sex for the purposes of entertaining others is a storied practice that dates back to the time of Shakespeare – a time when female roles legally needed to be portrayed by men – and beyond, making the history of drag long, complex and as colorful as the performers themselves. AJ Allen Montrese is one such performer. Montrese describes himself as a male lead, a cisgender male who performs as male. Not to be confused with a stripper, a male lead entertains but not necessarily with his body. Entertainers who identify as such dance, sing

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

or even perform comedy acts to win their audience’s hearts. All veterans were beginners at one time or another; however, Montrese’s unique history with gay clubs has afforded him the wealth of knowledge and experience that has led to the success he enjoys today. Montrese, whose birth name is Russell Weakley, has been backstage at gay clubs for the majority of his life. His cousin was the lead cook at The Connection, a Louisville staple, and it is this relationship that gave Montrese his unfettered access to drag at such a young age. The queens, as well as the other employees of the club, acted as a protective family for Montrese, so the young boy was able to grow up in a safe environment while there. They also acted as invaluable guides and resources when he realized that he was interested in

performing himself. In terms of performance, Montrese has done it all. He’s been a DJ, a dancer, a male lead, and he’s even entertained in full drag for a one-time event. He’s even gone on the competitive circuit, gaining both experience as well as a few titles to his name: “In 2005, I started with my drag mother [a Drag Queen tasked with showing an interested entertainer the ropes when just starting out]. I worked hard, performing at local clubs just for fun and experience. Back in 2010, I went to my first competition at Mr. Indiana Gay USA. I didn’t place or even do very well, but it was still a good confidence booster. I saw what was out there and what I needed to do if I really wanted to compete.” Passion and dedication carried the young man through that initial defeat and has garnered Montrese subsequent strong showings and those aforementioned titles at Mr. Ohio Valley Entertainer of the Year, Mr. Kentuckiana and Mr. Indiana. When asked about how the drag bug bit him, a whole new energy and sparkle comes to Montrese’s voice: “There are so many different kinds of drag. Male and female impersonators, Divas, you name it.” Seasoned pros like Montrese and even loyal drag patrons know that there is more to be seen than the classic, albeit ubiquitous, Drag Queens, who are cisgender men portraying female characters. There are Drag Kings who are cisgender woman portraying male characters, and Divas – also called Faux Queens or Bio Queens – who are cisgender women portraying female characters. The list goes on. Drag is a booming entertainment industry at present thanks to the mainstream success of shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and consequently, there has never been a more innovative and inventive time in its history. That being said, several drag practitioners are celebrating that history by going old-school. “Drag Queens who sing live are really where things started, and more and more people are doing that again,” says Montrese. “The really talented ones just step on stage, sing just a little, and you become instantly a fan. Drag has come a long way, but it has such an important place in history.” With such passionate performers as Montrese around, the tradition can be expected to continue locally, nationally and globally for years to come.

MODERN MODERN LOUISVILLE LOUISVILLE ||| January ||| January • February • February 2016 2016

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community calendar

09 JANUARY

January / February

05 JANUARY

“Twelfth Night” presented by Kentucky Shakespeare Stepping outside of Central Park and into The Bomhard Theatre of The Kentucky Center, seminal Louisville theatre company Kentucky Shakespeare is expanding their performance season and hitting the scene in January with William Shakespeare’s uproarious “Twelfth Night (or What You Will).” A comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores only to be pursued by the woman he loves, “Twelfth Night” is sure to have the audience in stitches with its blend of wit and charm. Tickets are $20, and the show runs through January 10.

07 JANUARY

The third show of Pandora’s 2015-16 season, this play represents a major milestone in American theatre as the first play to openly portray the pleasures, miseries and private lives of gay men. Mart Crowley’s “The Boys in the Band” is set during Harold’s 32nd birthday party. The evening begins as a hilarious and spirited celebration among friends until unexpected guests and games reveal tensions that unravel these men’s souls. The party moves to a heart-wrenching and climactic end. The show will be presented in The Henry Clay Theatre through January 17, and tickets in advance are $20.

MORE INFO pandoraprods.org

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Join 91.9 WFPK as it celebrates 20 years of Radio Louisville! This Louisville All Star Jam will featuring Ben Sollee, Wax Fang, Twin Limb, members of Houndmouth, musician and host of WFPK’s Sir Microcosm Dave Givan and A Tribute to Tim Krekel with Greg Foresman, Danny Flanigan and John Mann! Proceeds from the concert benefit 91.9 WFPK. A special VIP ticket will include a 20th Anniversary t-shirt and admission to the after party at the Brown Theatre featuring WFPK Night Visions hosts, OK Deejays and LMA Live DJ of the Year winner Sam Sneed, a cake cutting, a photo booth and your favorite on-air hosts. The show itself also will take place in the Brown Theatre. Standard tickets are $25, and VIP tickets are $50.

MORE INFO kentuckycenter.org or 502.584.7777

JANUARY

MORE INFO kentuckycenter.org or 502.584.7777

“The Boys in the Band” presented by Pandora Productions

WFPK 20th Anniversary

Johnny Squire Karaoke Night A celebration honoring Johnny Squire, who was an advocate for social justice and a member of the LGBTQ community, is taking place on January 12 at 9 p.m. at Akiko’s on Bardstown Road. Johnny’s family and friends are commemorating his one year passing by having a Karaoke Night. This night will kick off the first event for The Johnny Squire Foundation, a foundation with the mission to support people struggling with addiction. The funds will be used to raise awareness about addiction and to promote action to help combat the disease. Johnny had always hoped to help others who struggle with the disease of addiction. The Johnny Squire Foundation will honor his wish. Everyone is welcome to Karaoke Night to honor Johnny and celebrate hope for a better future!

MORE INFO vsquire1@babson.edu or gofundme.com/radrjq44

15 JANUARY

Biz Markie presents ’80s vs. ’90s Mashup Bash The legendary Biz Markie brings more than 26 years of solid hip-hop acumen and an overwhelming fan-base that stretches from New York City to Japan to Europe. At the age of 14, Marcel Hall dazzled his neighborhood under the alias of Biz Markie. Now, older and immensely wiser, Biz continues to be universally praised by the ever-fickle and unforgiving hip-hop industry. This is no easy feat to accomplish, and Biz is the definition of longevity as he has managed to remain one of the most notable artists and DJs in the industry. He’ll bring his mashup show to Mercury Ballroom on January 15 with $15 tickets.

MORE INFO bizmarkie.com

JANUARY

MAP Louisville 2016 MAP Louisville is in its sixth year of acting as a community fundraiser that brings together many different organizations, companies and individual supporters. MAP Louisville is a fun event designed in a way that enhances awareness, stimulates support for a much needed cause and puts a smile on everyone’s face. It does so by bringing in entertainment, like Brad Loekle, that is as unique as its commu-

JANUARY

nity and as supportive as its patrons. MAP is an acronym for Making Acceptance Possible, and this can only be accomplished by coming together with the same goal: acceptance

comedians in America. He can currently be seen weekly on TruTV’s hit original series “World’s Dumbest.” Brad has also been a writer for the hit E! series “Fashion Police.” He has made guest appearances on an assortment of shows on VH1, LOGO, E! and Oxygen. He will be performing his show, “My Big Gay Life” in the Brown Theatre. Tickets to just the show are $45, and a VIP experience, including access to the VIP lounge with open bar, meet and greet opportunities with the entertainers, music by DJ Brios, free admission

JANUARY

to Play Dance Bar after the show and two free spins on the Derby City Sister’s prize wheel, is $75. Proceeds from the event benefit the Fairness Campaign.

MORE INFO maplouisville.com

“

Going so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it. Why my little party’s just beginning.

”

JANUARY

Harlem Globetrotters 90th Anniversary World Tour Celebrating 90 years of providing smiles, sportsmanship and service to millions of people worldwide, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will bring their unrivaled family show to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville on Sunday, January 17, during their 90th Anniversary World Tour. On the court, the Globetrotters’ 90-year celebration will feature some of the greatest athletes and entertainers on the planet. With a star-studded roster featuring Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard and Cheese Chisholm – plus female stars TNT Maddox and Sweet J Ekworomadu – the Globetrotters’ one-ofa-kind show is unrivaled in the world of family entertainment. Every game will showcase incredible ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and unequaled fan interaction. After the game, Globetrotter stars will sign autographs and take photos with fans. Tickets range from $22 to $315.

MORE INFO harlemglobetrotters.com/ full-schedule

Burger Bonanza for Tommy Leanheart

sights abound at this one-of-a-kind event.

Join the fun at Louisville eatery Varanese for a special fundraiser benefitting the Tommy Leanheart Blood Cancer Research Fund at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center on January 19. Tommy loved Chef John’s Wagyu beef, so in Tommy’s honor, Chef John will be whipping up a special burger – The Okonomiyaki Wagyu Cheeseburger – for one night only. The cheeseburger will sell for $50, and $35 from each burger sold will go directly to the Tommy Leanheart Blood Cancer Research Fund. Not a fan of burgers? That’s OK! Order anything off the menu or specials menu on January 19, and Chef John will donate 10 percent of your bill to the fund!

MORE INFO 502.882.3615

MORE INFO 502.899.9904

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST

The Rebel Heart Tour launched to two sold-out nights and rave reviews in Montreal, Quebec on September 9 and 10. The Montreal Gazette proclaimed, “in a spare-no-expense theatrical spectacle that artfully flowed from showstopper to showstopper, Madonna proved once again that she doesn’t just crave the spotlight – she owns it.” Associated Press raved, “Pole dancers dressed like nuns, Mike Tyson and nonstop theatrics. Welcome to the church of Madonna.” Catch the show locally at the KFC Yum! Center. Tickets range from $40 to $355.

MORE INFO madonna.com/tour

and equality. Entertainer for MAP 2016, Brad Loekle, has hit the scene in recent years as one of the freshest and wildest

Madonna’s “Rebel Heart Tour”

Lumberjack and Long Johns Party at Play Dance Bar Pull on your rugged jeans and flannel and head out to Play Dance Bar for a fun and festive costume party. Those dressed in costume will get in for free until 11 p.m., and there will be a costume contest. Drink specials and sexy

JANUARY

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

23 JANUARY

Louisville on Tap Louisville on Tap is coming to the Kentucky International Convention Center on Saturday, January 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (VIP beginning at 4 p.m.). Sample over 100 releases from some of America’s best craft breweries. Plus, hang out in an atmosphere filled with live music, delicious food available for purchase and great vendors. The standard $45 ticket includes three hours of sampling, a souvenir glass and live music. The $60 VIP tickets includes four hours of sampling, a souvenir glass, a t-shirt, a food voucher and live music.

28 JANUARY

MORE INFO americaontap.com

“ ”

Culture is the habit of being pleased with the best and knowing why.

26 JANUARY

HENRY VAN DYKE

Generations of distillers have contributed to the heritage and time-honored tradition of making bourbon, using the same methods that their ancestors used in years past to create America’s native spirit. However, three families who owned or ran distilleries in the 20th century are now making whiskey in a new way. Join The Filson Historical Society on January 26 for “Keeping the Tradition Alive,” a panel discussion with Steve Beam of Limestone Branch Distillery, Peter Pogue from The Old Pogue Distillery and Corky Taylor from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company. All three come from distilling families but are revamping the way we experience bourbon whiskey. Michael R. Veach will moderate this discussion on how they incorporate their personal family traditions while creating bourbon in the 21st century. The event will run 6-8 p.m., and tickets are $50.

MORE INFO filsonhistorical.org

29 JANUARY

Have you ever wondered how Peter Pan got his name? Or how he met Tinkerbell? In this swashbuckling grown-up prequel to Peter Pan, a dozen brilliant actors playing pirates, mermaids – and, of course, our favorite Lost Boys – set out for an adventure filled with ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of theatrical storytelling. This multiple Tony Award-winning play, based on the bestselling children’s novel, will have you and your entire family hooked from the moment you let your imagination take flight. The show runs through February 21.

Bourbon Salon at Oxmoor Farm: Keeping the Tradition Alive

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Dream big as you experience a new smash hit musical that is richer, funnier and bigger than life itself! “Big Fish,” based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest – and then some! Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him, most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son, Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales. Overflowing with heart and humor, “Big Fish” will remind you why you love going to theatre. The show runs through February 14, and tickets are $20 in advance.

MORE INFO centerstagejcc.org

“Peter and the Starcatcher” at Actors Theatre of Louisville

MORE INFO actorstheatre.org

“Big Fish” presented by CenterStage

Green Day’s “American Idiot” presented by Acting Against Cancer Set against the backdrop of post-9/11 America, three best friends are forced to confront the realities of adulthood and the disillusion of escapism. Johnny, “the Jesus of Suburbia,” leaves his hometown to explore the big city but falls victim to drugs and anger. Tunny also leaves home but doesn’t find the fulfillment he seeks and chooses to join the army. Meanwhile, Will stays behind to be with his pregnant girlfriend but instead becomes more and more sedentary and apathetic about the world around him. Told through the rock songs of Green Day and the narratives of these three young men, this musical challenges the audience with the truths of society and the struggles that ultimately stem from within. Proceeds from the show will benefit the art therapy program of The Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center at Kosair Children’s Hospital. The show runs through February 7 in The Henry Clay Theatre, and tickets are $19 in advance.

MORE INFO actingagainstcancer.com

30 JANUARY

“Thomas Merton: A Familiar Stranger” at The Frazier History Museum Opening on the eve of what would have been Thomas Merton’s 101st birthday, this exhibit is an exploration into the influence and legacy of one of America’s most widely read spiritual writers. Drawn from the collection of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, the exhibit explores Merton’s writings on racism, peace and compassion – topics that were at the forefront of the public consciousness in Merton’s time and remain vitally important today. This exhibit seeks to challenge visitors to think in new ways about their place in the world and their connections with others, and to help foster compassion for our fellow people. The exhibit will be open through May 29.

MORE INFO fraziermuseum.org or 502.753.5663

04 F E B R UA RY

Chippendales: The 2016 Break the Rules Tour Chippendales Touring Show is a worldwide whirlwind of sexy goodness. The Chippendales are seen by 2 million people annually – that’s a lot of pants dropping and hand clapping when you think about it. The touring shows hit the United States on the regular, but these guys are also doing their sexy thing across the globe. Hitting 23 cities in Central and South America, 60 European countries, along with

18 F E B R UA RY

eled? The Chippendales Touring Show is perfect for when you want to party locally or plan an exotic rendezvous for you and your troupe of besties to meet up around the world. Chippendales dancers are all about exploring, so go have an adventure with them. This host of hunks will be stopping by Mercury Ballroom at 9 p.m. on February 4. Tickets range from $25 to $65, and attendees must be 18 or older.

MORE INFO chippendales.com/touring-show

F E B R UA RY

20 F E B R UA RY

ing, sumptuous costumes and familiar tunes with powerful themes of prejudice and tragic, enduring love. The show will be presented in the Brown Theatre through February 21. Tickets range from $34 to $72.50.

Nathan Gunn Nathan Gunn has made a reputation as one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones of the day. He has appeared in internationally renowned opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House, Paris Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Theater an der Wien, Teatro many roles include the title roles in “Billy Budd,” “Eugene

Garth Greenwell Book Signing

Onegin,” “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and “Hamlet” to name just a

Garth Greenwell is the author of “Mitko,” which won the

few. He will be playing the University of Louisville School of

2010 Miami University Press Novella Prize and was a finalist

Music’s Comstock Hall as part of the 2015-16 Speed Concert

for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction Award and a Lambda Award. A native of Louisville, he holds graduate de-

Series on Saturday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15

grees from Harvard University and the Iowa Writers Work-

for members, $20 for non-members and $5 for students.

shop, where he was an Arts Fellow. His short fiction has

MORE INFO speedmuseum.org

appeared in The Paris Review and A Public Space. “What a free book signing and discussion of his novel at Carmichael’s Bookstore Frankfort Avenue location on Thursday, February 11 at 7 p.m.

MORE INFO 502.896.6950

F E B R UA RY

style, combining the spectacle of glorious singing and stag-

Real in Madrid and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. His

Belongs to You” is his first novel. Join Garth Greenwell for

Life on a Mississippi riverboat is presented in a grand opera

MORE INFO kentuckycenter.org or 502.584.7777

eight South African cities and a whole bunch of amazing places in Asia. Don’t you love it when a man is well-trav-

“Show Boat” presented by Kentucky Opera

21 F E B R UA RY

Louisville Jewish Film Festival The Louisville Jewish Film Festival strives to show the rich-

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Through four decades, Bruce Springsteen has served as a cultural phenomenon (twice, at least), a brittle and dark acoustic storyteller, a folk revivalist, a new Dylan, a working-class hero, “rock ‘n’ roll future,” a force for political and social change, an eloquent songwriter and unabashed party-rocker (often in the same song), a live performer of leg-

ness and diversity of the Jewish experience by presenting

endary energies, and a prodigy and preacher of the “majes-

the best contemporary international films. Through feature

ty, the mystery and the ministry of rock ‘n roll.” Springsteen

films, shorts, documentaries and student films, as well as

and his band will bring their River Tour to the KFC Yum!

conversations with guest speakers, the festival explores

Center on February 21 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $59.

Jewish identity with the hope of increasing tolerance and educating its audiences. Some of the films shown have

MORE INFO brucespringsteen.net

gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards and remade into Hollywood films. Many of them have received Israel’s highest awards for films. Since the beginning, over 100 outstanding films have been shown at a variety of venues accompanied by exciting speakers and receptions.

MORE INFO jewishlouisville.org or 502.459.0660

Want your event included in this calendar? email editor@modernlouisville.com

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

David Williams Ceremony On Monday, October 26, David Williams received the 2015 Certificate of Merit for Notable Service to and Advocacy for Archives in Kentucky from The Kentucky State Historical Records Advisory Board. The event was held at Ekstrom Library on UofL’s campus. It was in commemoration of the monthly donations Williams has made to the William-Nichols collection – an archive of materials dedicated solely to LGBTQ history that contains more than 5,000 books, 30,000 print publications and 1,700 other items – that Williams began in 1994. Photos by CRYSTAL LUDWICK

1 4

Celes Smith, Jaison Gardner, Dr. Kaila Story, Talesha Wilson and Lisa Gunterman 2 David Williams and Aaron Bingham 3 Elizabeth Reilly, Caroline Daniels and Denise Nuehring Jessie Roth and Christopher Dresing 5 Micky Schickel Nelson and Jan Nelson 6 Aaron Guldenschuh, Elizabeth Fick, Henry Brousseau and Jody Corbett

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Louisville LGBT Professional Network at Play Dance Bar Louisville LGBT Professional Network was created as a means to connect professionals in the Louisville community with each other through various networking, social and educational events held throughout the year. Their goal is to create a growing network of individuals and to help them participate, educate and grow in their own businesses by gaining valuable access to others in the LGBT community. On November 12, over 60 of these individuals met at Play Dance Bar to unwind, have fun and, of course, network.

Photos by CRYSTAL LUDWICK

1 Cat Platz, Wil Heuser, Chris Robert and Diane Douglas 2 Henry Brousseau and Rachael Pass 3 Chelsea Coury and Cat Platz 4 Jennifer Gilland and Stacey Klempner 5 Sam Meyer, Heather Yenawine-Meyer and Sydney O’Bryan 6 Ben Moore and Nick Covault 7 Laurie Lennon, Rocko Jerome and Kim Summers 8 Natalie Smith, Lee Ann Biegert and Sherry Yeager 9 Toby Roberts, Mike Revlett and Doug Wright

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

Louisville Pride Festival 100 Club: Partners in Pride Reception On November 14, the Louisville Pride Foundation held a reception at the home of Kevin Borland and Leonard Napolitano to celebrate the members of the Louisville Pride Foundation 100 Club. Participation in the club and the event laid the groundwork for the upcoming Louisville Pride Festival in September 2016. Cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres and entertainment were offered as guests mingled and learned more about this important organization.

Photos by CRYSTAL LUDWICK

1 Dave Mattingly, Mark Lee, Michael Garcia, Jeff Polson and Gary White 2 Dominic Duvall and Thomas Carrier 3 Kevin Borland and “Nappi” (Leonard Napolitano) 4 Jacob Mercier and Derek Inghram 5 Chris, Todd and Jacob Mercier 6 Roger Tieskoetter, Kevin Taylor, Dan Burch and Steve Collier 7 J.P. Davis, Brett Trager-Kusman and Kevin Gibson

January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

Dining Out For Life House of Ruth – a Louisville organization that works to house and offer other forms of support for individuals who are HIV-positive – celebrated their annual Dining Out for Life event on Wednesday, November 18. Forty-four local restaurants teamed up to give 25 percent of their food and beverage sales to House of Ruth. Last year, this earned the organization a little over $62,000. They are currently on track to beat that number and make approximately $70,000. Photos by CRYSTAL LUDWICK

1 Kelly O’Shea, Amy Weber, Joey Whalen and Kady Miller 2 Beruktawit Asfar, Amanda Robinette and Kimmy Johnson 3 Jessica Stacey and Calvin Philley 4 Dale Kiggins, Stacey Robinson, Carl Mittelsten, David James and Lanie Hopping 5 Diane Douglas and John Parker 6 Leslie Newkirk, Amanda Fritz, Whitney Greene, Missy Vitale, Shana Dean, Katrina and Lindsey Okoroafo and Charters Harrison 7 Matt Wohlleb and Adam Caperton

MODERN LOUISVILLE ||| January • February 2016

Feast on Equality Dinner November 20 marked the fourth annual Feast on Equality Dinner, an event benefiting the LGBT Center at the University of Louisville. The event, held at The Henry Clay, also served as a way for LGBTQ students who are not welcome in their familiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes to celebrate Thanksgiving. Last year, the event raised a staggering $140,000, and they hope to surpass that amount this year.

Photos by CRYSTAL LUDWICK

1 Mike Miller and Thomas Johnson 2 George Stinson, Eric Haner and Chris Hartman 3 Candice Lamb, Aisha Bibbs and Anna Ruiz 4 Leocadio Barroso, Shannon Fitzgerald, Mellad Khoshnood, Chaz Briscoe and Stacie Steinbock 5 Maddie Baker, Elizabeth Miller, Osha Shireman and Patty Cowley 6 Elizabeth Gent, Sara Havens, Victor Rowe and Heather Falmen 7 Antonia Lindauer, Tommy Arnold, Mayor Greg Fischer and Lisa Gunterman 8 Patty Wolfe, Eddy Sim, Sean Holleran and Thomas Underwood

January â&#x20AC;˘ February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

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January • February 2016 ||| MODERN LOUISVILLE

In Case We Meet By Accident 3933 Bardstown Road 12111 Shelbyville Road

Bill Etscorn & Sons Collision is hereby officially recognized by

This business is certified by Assured Performance Network, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization, based on meeting or exceeding the manufacturer requirements for tools, equipment, training and facilities necessary to provide a proper repair according to manufacturer specifications essential to ensure the vehicle fit, finish, durability, value and safety. In addition, this independently owned repair business is acknowledged by General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales for its commitment to use Genuine GM Parts to ensure properly repaired vehicles.

Valid Through: February 2016 Certificate of Inspection This document certifies that this independent body shop has been inspected and approved by Assured Performance Auto and Collision Care, Inc. and officially recognized by GM as a Certified Collision Repair Provider. Proof of Compliance on Record at Assured Performance Auto and Collision Care, Inc.

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HELPING THE MODERN FAMILY ACHIEVE FINANCIAL SECURITY Individuals - Businesses - Families

Sean Sinnott, CLTC Financial Representative (502) 329-2135 seansinnott.nm.com

05-3051 ÂŠ 2015 Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, and member of FINRA and SIPC. Sean Paul Sinnott, Insurance Agent(s) of NM. Sean Paul Sinnott, Registered Representative(s) of NMIS