Echo Magazine - Arizona LGBTQ Lifestyle - Dec 2019 by OUTvoices Phoenix (former Echo Magazine)

THE GIVING ISSUE Meet some non-profits making a difference in the community PLUS:

Mikey Rox's ultimate holiday gift guide

Hey! What's that sound? It's the Alliance Defending Freedom working to dismantle LGBTQ rights. Jeff Kronenfeld has the story. LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 31, #3 | Issue 723 | December 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

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INSIDE THIS

ISSUE Issue 723 | Vol. 31, #3 | December 2019

NEWS 8 Editor’s Note 12 News Briefs 14 Datebook

COMMUNITY 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

Without Reservations Bands At the Box Oﬃce Opening Nights Recordings Between the Covers Talking Bodies Not That You Asked Helping Hands

Isadore Boni

This social worker from Arizona’s San Carlos Apache Tribe shares his personal journey with HIV, along with his activism and advocacy that focuses on helping others.

Out & About 16 18 26 30 40 42 52 78 80

Latino Pride Spotlight on Success Dia de los Muertos Rainbows Festival Urban Inferno Halloween at BS West Charlie’s Anniversary Party Desperado Film Festival Southwest Leather Daddy Bear, Mama Bear, & Cub Contest

Giving Roundup The Valley is full of amazing non-proﬁt organizations that need your support. Learn about some of the groups working tirelessly to make a diﬀerence and discover how you can donate or volunteer.

Spicker (right) and family.

ON THE COVER THE GIVING ISSUE Meet some non-profits making a difference in the community PLUS:

Mikey Rox's ultimate holiday gift guide

DECEMBER 2019

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Meet Brian Spicker Currently serving as Maricopa County Community College District Foundation’s interim President/CEO, Spicker has been working in Arizona non-proﬁts since the 1970s. Find out about his helpful history.

The L Word: Generation Q castmates. Photo by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SHOWTIME>

The L Word Returns

It’s been 10 years since Showtime’s The L Word ended. If you’ve been pining, get ready to binge a whole new chapter. The L Word: Generation Q brings back a handful of the original cast and a lot of new faces. Echo’s Megan Wadding has all the details plus a chat with Leisha Hailey, who plays Alice Piezecki.

Mikey Rox’s glorious gift guide This east coast writer knows how to shop. This year, he gets us in the mood with four pages of great gift options and potential stocking stuﬀers.

Comedian Genevieve Rice by Charissa Lucille.

Genevieve Rice will make you laugh

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) This conservative and Christian non-profit organization based in Scottsdale opposes LGBTQ rights. Jeff Kronenfeld offers a deeper look at this detrimental group.

This wickedly sharp local comedian is the The Bird City Comedy Festival’s founder and driving force.

WEB EXCLUSIVE Deep Roots: An Echo writer gets personal Echo contributor and Arizona native Tom Reardon shares with readers how the local LGBTQ community helped shape his upbringing.

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE By Amy Young

ecember is here. What a loaded month! The holiday season can absorb us, with so many things to do, so don’t forget to give yourself the present of selfcare. This month is our Giving Issue and when you’re not practicing that vital self-love, we’ve got some information on how to give back to the community. In particular, the many non-profit organizations that are relentless in facilitating their respective and beneficial missions. You’ll find a guide that helps you know what these groups do and how you can be a part of helping them meet and exceed goals. There’s never a time when these tireless entities can’t use support.

In addition to these generous organizations you can team up with, we’re putting a couple of generous community leaders under the Echo spotlight. There’s Brian Spicker. Currently serving as an interim President/ CEO at Maricopa County Community College District Foundation, he has spent decades helping Valley charities. Tom Reardon talked to him about his rich history. There’s also Isadore Boni. A native of the San Carlos Apache Arizona Tribe, Boni’s positive HIV diagnosis helped shape his course. A social worker, he advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness. Echo welcomes Bianca Meza as a new contributor. We are thankful she introduced us to Boni, so we could share his journey with you. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is giving it to the community, but not in the

same way as the aforementioned generous souls. This group, based in Scottsdale is a Christian group with many lawyers in its fold who strive to take away LGBTQ rights. Our regular contributor Jeff Kronenfeld gives an in-depth look at what this hate group has brewing. We can’t go out on that note, though. It’s a reflective and busy time of year. We need to remember to laugh. Our profile of local comedian Genevieve Rice will help with that. This dynamic leader wanted to see a comedy festival in Phoenix, so she started one. The Bird City Comedy Festival has become a destination for those with an appreciation for what’s witty. In other entertainment news, The L Word fans are getting that coveted reboot, 10 years after the show ended. The L Word: Generation Q is the new installment and Megan Wadding got all the information for you. Finally, you better get started on that shopping. To help out, we got the fabulous Mikey Rox to weigh in from New York on fun gifts and stocking stuffers. He knows how to pick ‘em. Don’t forget to check out our website for additional content. Team Echo wishes you a fun, safe, and happy New Year’s Eve, Amy Young is the managing editor of Echo Magazine. A longtime journalist, her work has appeared in numerous publications, regional to international. Please contact her at editor@ echomag.com.

LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: Bill Orovan ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Bill Gemmill EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Young CONTRIBUTORS: Kimberly Blaker Grace Bolyard Edward Castro Jenna Duncan Buddy Early Michelle Talsma Everson Melissa Fossum Mark C. Horn Tamara Juarez Justin Keane Jason Kron Jeff Kronenfeld

Laura Latzko Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen Tuesday Mahrle Judy McGuire Bianca Meza Ashley Naftule David-Elijah Nahmod Tia Norris Tom Reardon Mikey Rox Terri Schlichenmeyer Colby Tortorici

INTERNS Grace Lieberman Brianna Moore ART DEPARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: nightfuse.com. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING: Ashlee James ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Gregg Edelman NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863 ECHO READERSHIP: 50,000 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $29/year ACE PUBLISHING, INC. MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 16630 Phoenix, AZ 85011-6630 PHONE: 602-266-0550 EMAIL: manager@echomag.com Copyright © 2016 • ISSN #1045-2346

MEMBER:

Echo Magazine is published by ACE Publishing, Inc. Echo is a registered trademark of ACE Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Written permission must be obtained in advance for partial or complete reproduction of any advertising material contained therein. Opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. ACE Publishing, Inc. does not assume responsibility for claims by its advertisers or advice columnists. Publication of a name, photograph of an individual or organization in articles, advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an indication of the sexual orientation, unless such orientation is specifically stated. Manuscripts or other materials submitted remain the property of ACE Publishing, Inc. 8

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GET TESTED. GET EDUCATED. BE SAFE. LET US HELP NAVIGATE YOUR HEALTHCARE SERVICES

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NEWS BRIEFS

Human Rights Campaign to Trump and Pence: Stop Attacking LGBTQ Youth and Families Pence addresses National Adoption Month while White House attacks LGBTQ children and families in adoption and foster care

n November 12, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to Vice President Mike Pence’s address commemorating National Adoption Month with a reminder of the Trump-Pence White House’s track record of attacking LGBTQ children and adults in the adoption and foster care systems.

“Trump and Pence relentlessly marginalize LGBTQ people and attempt to erase our existence,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Their disturbing worldview extends into the adoption and foster care systems, where they support giving federally-funded foster and adoption agencies a license to discriminate against LGBTQ children and prospective parents, religious minorities and other vulnerable groups. LGBTQ youth are tragically overrepresented in foster care, and this White House continues to exacerbate the marginalization, harassment and discrimination that LGBTQ youth in foster care and families face.” In November, Trump and Pence proposed a federal regulation that would strip away nondiscrimination requirements and permit all HHS grant recipients, notably adoption and foster care agencies, to discriminate against LGBTQ people, and in many circumstances religious minorities and 12

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women, and still receive federal funding. In April, HHS announced a proposed federal rule that would abandon data collection on the sexual orientation of youth in foster care and foster and adoptive parents and guardians in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). In January of this year, Trump-Pence’s HHS granted a waiver from federal nondiscrimination requirements to South Carolina’s Foster Care Program, which has contracted with a child welfare provider who seeks permission to refuse to serve prospective parents who do not share their religious beliefs, but who want to continue to receive federal funding to provide those services. South Carolina requested the waiver to allow federal funds to go to a child welfare agency that refused to work with Jewish and Catholic people who were otherwise eligible to support children in need. In May of 2017, the Trump-Pence White House put out an executive order mandating the Department of Justice to work agency by agency to regulatorily create broad exemptions allowing faith-based organizations to discriminate against those who do not agree with their personal beliefs. In 2017, HRC released a report, titled Disregarding the Best Interest of the Child: License to Discriminate In Child Welfare

Services, detailing the harms of efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law. Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care. The report debunks the myth that having more providers is the key to higher rates of placement in homes; the bottleneck is not the number of providers, but the number of prospective parents. Where providers have ceased to provide services rather than comply with nondiscrimination laws, placement rates did not decrease significantly as a result. Further, research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status, and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care. This regulation would only exacerbate these challenges faced by LGBTQ young people. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community. NEWS

DATEBOOK December 6

December 14

December 7

December 15

Are you an advocate for climate change awareness and action? The Phoenix Climate Strike is an opportunity to demand action from the City of Phoenix. The goal is to get cities to create climate access plans and climate resiliency plans. Join the crowd from 2 to 5 p.m. at Phoenix City Hall, 200 W. Washington St., in Phoenix. actionnetwork.org

November 27

Brooke Lynn Hytes was on RuPaul’s Drag Race’s 11th season and now she’s stopping in Phoenix for a performance. The night includes a to-beannounced special guest. Tickets range from $20 to $200 with a VIP meet-and-greet available. This party starts at 9 p.m. at The Cash Nightclub & Lounge, 1730 E. McDowell Road, in Phoenix. arizonadrag.com

The Sixth Annual Phoenix AIDS Candlelight Vigil honors and remembers those whose lives were lost to AIDS, as well as those still ﬁghting. Join others for songs and speeches from community leaders and activists. The vigil is from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Parsons Center for Health and Wellness, 1101 N. Central Ave., in Phoenix.

Aunt Rita’s signature Red Brunch is an annual event to celebrate World AIDS Day. Gather to recognize individuals and organizations that provide services and programs to the HIV/AIDS community. Tickets are $100 for this yearly event that runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Phoenix Sheraton Downtown Hotel, 340 N. Third St., in Phoenix. auntritas.org

The inaugural Mr. Sonoran Pride 2020: Desert Nights is hosted by Miss Phoenix Pride 2018, Mya McKenzie, and features Mister Phoenix Pride 2019, Gray Matter, and Miss Phoenix Pride 2019, Vanity St. James. Contestants compete in categories like Talent, Red Carpet Fashion, and On-Stage Question, vying for $500 that goes to their individual fundraising goals. The competition starts at 5 p.m. at The Rock, 4129 N. Seventh Ave., in Phoenix. phoenixpride.org

December 13

December 1

The World AIDS Day Concert is more than a musical extravaganza. It’s also a beneﬁt for the Joshua Tree Feeding Program. The event’s theme: American Songs in the Key of AIDS will feature songs from the AIDS Quilt Songbook, which was conceived in 1991. Performers include John Pierce Kraft, Susan Hurley, and Jennifer Jones. Admission is $20. The show starts at 6 p.m. at The Parsons Center for Health and Wellness, 1101 N. Central Ave., in Phoenix. jtfp.org 14

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What holiday event could be more magical than A Drag Queen Christmas in Phoenix? Nina West hosts the show that features performances by a variety of queens, including Lady Bunny, Shuga Cain, and Willam. Tickets start at $38.50 and the show begins at 8 p.m. at Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., in Phoenix. dragfans.com

December 28

IGNITE your status at Condoms & Karambas. Have some drinks, take a wall through the free condom bar, talk with the PrEP Guys, and get an absolutely free rapid HIV test. This get-together starts at 9:30 p.m. at Karamba Nightclub, 1724 E, McDowell Road, in Phoenix. ignitephoenix.com

Mark Our Calendars

To have your event considered for Echo’s print and online calendars, submit your event details to echomag.com/community-calendar *All submissions are subject to Echo’s discretion.

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For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 16

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One Community Spotlight on Success Oct. 25 at Sheraton Downtown, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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Social Worker Isadore Boni uses personal experience to raise HIV/ AIDS awareness By Bianca Meza

“B

ring it.”

That is what Isadore Boni says is his outlook on life after living with a HIV diagnosis for 17 years and the challenges that come with the virus. Boni, 52, was born and raised on the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and then attended the University of Southern California for a master’s degree. While in Los Angeles, Boni was recruited by his tribe and became a social worker. However, in 1999 when Boni was 29, a trip back to Phoenix changed his life forever. “I never got into the gay life,” Boni said. “In 1999 I stepped into my very first gay bar. I started getting comfortable with my sexuality, and I made friends in the gay community. About two years later, in 2001, I started getting symptoms.” Boni said he began getting symptoms for the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, such as night sweats, weight loss and a cold that would not go away. 20

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“Looking back at my behavior I knew what it was,” Boni said. “But I didn’t get tested. I didn’t get tested because at the time the climate of HIV was different than it is now. Back then people were still terrified and so I ignored it.” A year later, after the symptoms got worse and Boni felt weaker day by day, he decided to get tested. Boni’s results came back positive. In that moment he knew he could no longer live on the San Carlos reservation because word was going to get out, and he knew his family was going to live with the stigma of having a family member with HIV. Therefore, Boni decided to move back to Phoenix and start from scratch. With only a backpack and a change of clothes, in 2002 Boni was homeless with HIV and also diagnosed with Hepatitis C. In 2004 he was ready to tell his story. He was interviewed by Mary Kim Titla, a Native American advocate journalist, and Boni’s cousin. The story aired on World AIDS Day and Boni then became the Native face of AIDS in Phoenix. He began speaking

at schools and traveled throughout the United States to speak to Native Americans about preventing HIV/AIDS. He also was interviewed by local newspapers such as The Arizona Republic. “I got a lot of media,” Boni said. “People were following me around with their cameras. I really felt like Princess Diana there for a while.” However, it was difficult for some members of Boni’s tribe to accept the news. “I got rejected, put down, and relatives disowned me,” Boni said. “I was accused of turning my reservation into an AIDS reservation. And I expected it. I didn’t expect people to just embrace me right away because I’m gay and I have HIV, but I felt free.” With that freedom Boni felt more powerful and decided to use his platform to educate people. He was able to bring HIV education and testing to his tribe. He also brought 25 agencies from Phoenix to provide education and information on National Native American AIDS Awareness Day in 2010. That same year, Boni also advocated for a tribal HIV privacy law which was passed by his tribal council in FEATURE STORY

HIV resources

Aunt Rita’s Foundation 602-882-8675 auntritas.org hivaz.org

2012 and now exists in the tribal health codes. Fawn Tahbo, who is the program manager for the Phoenix Indian Center, said people like Boni are what Native communities need. “Thanks to people like Boni the movements are getting bigger,” Tahbo said. “These conversations need to happen. It’s the only way for our Native brothers and sisters to progress.” R.J. Shannon, HIV activist and friend of Boni, admires the work he has done for the community. “Boni has made a lot of wonderful change for a lot of people,” R.J. said. “One of the things he has done, that’s hard for people to

understand, is to look at the world through not just his lens, but through the lens of others who have the same experience.” In 2010 Boni ran his first half-marathon wearing a white shirt with the words “AIDS Survivor” written on it. In that same year his Hepatitis C went into undetectable status, which Boni credits to his running. Since then, he has completed eight half-marathons and three full marathons running for HIV/AIDS awareness.

Native Health’s inHarmony HIV program 602-279-5262, ext. 3453 nativehealthphoenix.org

“2019 is my 17th year with HIV,” Boni said. “My outlook today is ‘bring it.’ No matter how hard it is, the HIV, the homophobia, just fight it. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.” Phoenix Shanti Group 602-279-0008 shantiaz.org

Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS The Parsons Center for Health and Wellness 602-307-5330 swcenter.org

Isadore Boni, an HIV survivor and San Carlos Apache, proudly holds the shirt he wears to marathons on October 18th, 2019 (Bianca Meza/Student Journalist) FEATURE STORY

Bianca Meza was born and raised Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently a student at Arizona State University, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication. She loves to writes and plans to pursue that path, along with traveling and helping people in need. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Giving back: Local non-profits to consider during this season of abundance Compiled by Michelle Talsma Everson

n this season of holiday festivities, many of us are looking to give back to causes we support. To help you figure out where to share your time, treasure, or talent, we’ve rounded up some local nonprofits that are looking for help during the holidays and yearround. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s a great start as you consider what causes speak to you the most. Don’t see a cause here that speaks to you? Visit arizonanonprofits.org, which is the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, home to more than 1,000 non-profit members large and small.

who experience Anytown Leadership Camp leave the program equipped with the tools to increase their ability to foster inclusion and respect among all members of society. Donations are used to scholarship teens that are unable to pay for this life-changing experience.

Aunt Rita’s Foundation redbrunch.org

needed services to homebound adults, family caregivers, faith communities, and grandfamilies. This holiday season, the nonprofit invites you to their annual Poinsettia Tea, taking place on December 15, from 2 to 4 p.m., in Scottsdale. Locals can also support Duet through volunteering and financial donations. Duet serves the community in many ways, including a caregiver support group exclusively for LGBTQ+ family caregivers.

Hope for Homes Program, Inc. Hopeforhomesinc.com

Arizona Human Society azhumane.org/holiday

The Arizona Humane Society is the safety net for the Valley’s most vulnerable pets. With a rich 60-year history, AHS has never been complacent with the status quo. While caring for the Valley’s sick, injured and abused homeless animals has always been AHS’ niche, it is the strides over the last five years that has everyone talking. AHS has been able to decrease euthanasia by 84 percent and intake by 57 percent through its focus on saving the most vulnerable animals, while also keeping pets in homes with their loving owners. This holiday season, pet lovers can make a difference in the life of a homeless pet by donating to AHS’ Holiday Drive to Save Lives.

RED Brunch, an Aunt Rita’s Foundation signature event presented by Mercy Care, takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 14 at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix. RED Brunch is a gathering of the entire greater Phoenix HIV service community to honor those who have lost their battle with AIDS, to celebrate the outstanding work of HIV leaders and professionals in our community, and to re-commit to an end to the epidemic. This year’s theme is Imagine, and a commitment and vision will be offered that represents an end to the HIV epidemic by 2030.

Duet: Partners In Health & Aging duetaz.org

Anytown Leadership Program AnytownLeadershipCamp.org Anytown Leadership Camp is a nationally recognized, award-winning leadership and social justice program for youth ages 14-19. Anytown brings together a diverse group of students from high schools across the region for a weeklong residential experience. Teens 22

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This nonprofit works to provide low cost housing to seniors, veterans and the disabled. There is currently a waiting list of those waiting to be served and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the program at this allvolunteer organization.

Hospice of the Valley hov.org/our-care/grief-support Healing Rainbows, Hospice of the Valley’s bereavement group for the Valley’s LGBTQ community, goes back more than a decade. It meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, 6:30-8 p.m., at Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix. Facilitated by bereavement counselors and other trained grief specialists, Healing Rainbows is an open, drop-in grief group that provides education and support in a caring and comfortable space.

Joshua Tree Feeding Program www.jtfp.org Duet is a local nonprofit whose mission is to promote health and well-being through vitally

“We start off the holidays with several different food drives with the support of the LGBT community and businesses,” FEATURE STORY

homeless and our nation’s veterans,” says Brittany Geersen. “NHI was founded in 2018 so donations are greatly needed as we are a newer nonprofit and want to provide dental care for those who need it most. We have also been able to help patients who need dental implants but can’t afford them. Implant Pathway is a continuous education course that teaches dentists how to place dental implants. We work directly with Implant Pathway to give our patients the dental implants they need.” shares Joseph A. Gaxiola, chairman. “We always need help with non-perishable food, toiletries, and pet food as well as financial help.” The nonprofit is part of a World AIDS Day concert with Susan Hurley on December 1 and a Phoenix AIDS Candlelight Vigil on December 7.

Lost Our Home Pet Rescue LostOurHome.org

Founded as a no-kill rescue in 2008, Lost Our Home rescues abandoned and homeless pets and is committed to ensuring they get the care they need and the new loving homes they deserve. In addition to their rescue efforts, they provide support for families that are experiencing crises. Lost Our Home understands that crises don’t only affect people, but greatly impacts their pets too, thus their life-saving mission encompasses both people and pets. You can help today by donating on their website, bringing in pet food to their shelter for their pet food bank, volunteering, fostering or adopting.

New Horizons Institute (NHI) newhorizondental.org “At NHI, it is our mission to expand access to high quality health care for underserved populations including those less fortunate, FEATURE STORY

Phoenix Pride phoenixpride.org

Phoenix Pride is the proud producer of the annual Phoenix Pride Festival and Rainbows Festival, as well as the Miss and Mister Phoenix Pride Pageant and the Phoenix Pride Awards Reception. “Through the Phoenix Pride Community Foundation, we provide grants to local nonprofits that serve and empower our community, as well as give student scholarships to self-identified LGBTQ+ students and allies through the Phoenix Pride Scholarship program,” says Victor E. Avila, development manager. “In 2020, we will be celebrating a historic landmark — the 40th Anniversary of Phoenix Pride. This happens to coincide with us hitting our $1 million dollar give back to the community since our inception. Beginning in December, we are offering an opportunity for Phoenix Pride patrons to “Give the Gift of Pride” with a $30 tax-deductible donation, with the objective of providing our patrons the ability to gift a free entry to the 2020 Pride Festival to our LGBTQ+ youth who may not have the ability to afford an entry.”

“Pipeline Worldwide is the conduit for facilitating connections between donors and vulnerable communities in East Africa, based on the needs voiced by local leaders,” according to the organization. “We act as impact catalysts by providing funding, time and resources for projects that will deliver access to clean water, sanitation, education and healthcare in the most impoverished regions.” The nonprofit can use help in the forms of funding, time and resources.

Scottsdale Arts ScottsdaleArts.org

The nonprofit Scottsdale Arts creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts through four acclaimed branches — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation. During the holiday season, our community can shop small and local at two Scottsdale Arts locations: The Store @ the Center and Shop@SMoCA. Guests can find new, one-of-a-kind originals from local creatives, in addition to special holiday gifts for the art lovers in their life. All proceeds benefit Scottsdale Arts and all that it does.

Southwest Human Development swhd.org/holidays

Pipeline Worldwide pipelineworldwide.org

Give a gift to a child in need this holiday season! Southwest Human Development, Arizona’s largest early childhood nonprofit, will be providing gifts to more than 800 kids in need and they need your help. Donate through the Gingerbread Kids Holiday Gift Drive at swhd.org/holidays. Gifts will be provided to children in our programs who would not otherwise receive one. Your online gift is eligible for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit and will help us ensure children in our programs get to experience the magic of the holiday season. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

The Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce www.festivaloftreesphoenix.org The Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce represents nearly 4,000 business owners and community members and provides an inclusive business environment by fostering growth, visibility, outreach and professional development opportunities within our LGBT and allied communities. “Each year we host the annual Festival of Trees (December 7), which has become Phoenix’s premiere holiday season kick-off event for the LGBT community,” says Bobby Gordon, marketing director. “We auction off designer trees, menorah and wreaths to benefit local LGBT charities. This year, we are seeking event sponsorships and individual donations for our silent auction.” Contact Michael Mazzocco at michael@ eventbymm.com for details.

The Miracle League of Arizona mlaz.org The Miracle League of Arizona is a 501(c)3 nonprofit in north Scottsdale that provides individuals with special needs the chance to get outside, have some fun, make friends, and play baseball. “Our league promotes inclusion and understanding for all individuals and their unique needs,” says Cassandra Switalski, executive director. “Players are placed on teams based on age and skill level and get paired up with a one-on-one helper we call a buddy. Buddies provide everything from hand over hand assistance to high fives, 24

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encouragement, and friendship. We are always welcoming new players and volunteers interested in giving back.”

Two Pups Wellness Fund twopups.org

Two Pups Wellness Fund is a local nonprofit that provides financial assistance for animals who are critically ill, injured, neglected or abandoned. The nonprofit works directly with rescues and shelters throughout Maricopa County to identify and medically treat animals in need. Since its inception in 2017, Two Pups has helped more than 4,000 animals receive medical care and treatments. Nancy Silver established Two Pups Wellness Fund in spring 2017 as a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation in honor of her own pups — Mr. P and Miss Lacie. The organization raises funds to help rescue and shelter dogs in need of vital medical treatment.

United Food Bank wefeedaz.org United Food Bank provides hunger relief to people in need in the East Valley and

eastern Arizona. They collect, acquire, store and distribute food and related commodities to more than 220 partner agencies that serve more than 228,000 people in need across more than 19,500 square miles. Last year, United Food Bank distributed almost 24 million pounds of food providing nearly 19.5 million meals to our neighbors in need. During the holidays, they need support through food drives, volunteering and financial donations. Don’t forget these great organizations: • Equality Arizona equalityarizona.org • one •n• ten onenten.org • Phoenix Pride phoenixpride.org • Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS swcenter.org

Michelle Talsma Everson is a freelance writer, editor and PR pro. A graduate of NAU, she’s been writing for Valley publications for more than a decade. You can find out more at mteverson.com. FEATURE STORY

KICK OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON IN STYLE! Donʼt miss our annual showcase of beautifully decorated holiday trees, wreaths, menorahs and various displays – all up for auction and sale!

Funds raised will benefit several local charities and the expansion of our Chamberʼs infrastructure to better serve our community.

FESTIVALOFTREESPHOENIX.ORG

Dia de los Muertos

Nov. 1 at Stacyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s @ Melrose, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 26

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OUT & ABOUT

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Call Today! 520-440-5802 Amy Powell Licensed Insurance Agent 0H90041

Not all agents are licensed to sell all products. Service and product availability varies by state. HealthMarkets Insurance Agency is the dba of Insphere Insurance Solutions, Inc. which is licensed as an insurance agency in all states. HMIA003206

Meet Brian Spicker Maricopa County Community College District Foundation’s interim president has a charitable history By Tom Reardon

but often those folks’ act of taking is also going to ultimately benefit others, as well. This is starting to sound like some strange IQ test question, but in an extremely roundabout way, it really boils down to this: Brian Spicker is a giver who is also extremely good at going out and getting what people need. If you aren’t familiar with his name, it’s probably because Spicker, 63, has been working in the non-profit world in Arizona since the early 1970s and for every one person who likes the limelight part of the charitable world, there is probably 200 who work hard to make our community better and don’t care if anyone knows their name or what they have done. Spicker is one of these guys. Tall, handsome, and armed with a smile and laugh that could win over anyone, Spicker has been quietly putting together the type of career that most givers dream about. He began his first non-profit work and public activism while still in high school and literally never looked back. A Tucson-native who grew up in an uppermiddle class family, Spicker is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and work to help anyone who needs it, building the type of career that allows you to become the current interim President and Chief Executive Officer for the Maricopa County Community Colleges District Foundation after spending the previous 19 years with Valley of the Sun United Way. Spicker is also a husband (to personal stylist Omor Okagbare), father, and grandfather who loves spending time with his family. To hear him speak about them is a truly wonderful thing. On the day of our interview, Spicker was looking forward to having the grandkids over for the night and as he spoke about this, there was a definite twinkle in his voice. It feels as if life has come full circle for Spicker, but there is still work to be done. We spoke to Spicker about his career and what it means to give. This is what he had to say: Echo: You must be a very busy guy. Spicker: (Laughs) You know, it is just an honor and privilege to be asked to have impact. We are excited to have you be part of our Giving issue.

he spirit of giving is just stronger in some people than others.

This is not good or bad, it’s just true. As a relative of mine used to say, “Some people in life are hosts and some people are guests.” She would usually add, “and I’m a guest,” which said a lot about her, but it is 28

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safe to say that most people who are “hosts” are probably more naturally inclined to be givers. If it is in our nature to be “guests” or “hosts” then it is also in our nature to be givers and takers. One might argue, and rightfully so, that some people are both givers and takers,

I appreciate that and it’s an honor. All my success has been because I stand on the shoulders of others. It’s always been a group or team of passionate people who really want to make a difference. That makes all the difference in the world. How did you get into working in the nonprofit world? As a junior in high school, the goal was to spend as little time in class as possible, so I raised my hand to provide exercise and dance as a volunteer at the Arizona training FEATURE STORY

program in Tucson for the developmentally disabled. I would get out of school, go to the institution with a group of other students from high school and we would get these severely disabled individuals to move with scarves and colors and I saw the conditions they lived in and thought, “This isn’t right.”

I can’t stand on my head and that’s when I really came out. By 1990, I was getting engaged in the HIV arena. I was board chair from 1993 to 1996 of Body Positive and became CEO in 1996 when Kirk decided that (Body Positive) needed someone who wasn’t dealing (with AIDS) … I was healthy and unfortunately Kirk was dealing with stuff. He continues to be the miracle that he is.

I could go even further back to when I, and it was all personal, had the benefit of working in Parker and Blythe for a summer picking cantaloupe between freshman and sophomore year. I made, I think, $1.50 an hour. I was doing the irrigating and the farm laborers who were in the fields, which was back-breaking work, were living in tents along the canal. This is where I first saw what I would say is a great disparity. I had a trailer, I was 14, we had swamp cooling. We all worked 12-hour days, six days a week. They were paid even less than I was paid. I came back and I organized the grape and lettuce boycotts from my high school of A.J. Bayless and what (grocery stores) would have been prior to Safeway and raised my first nickel to bring up about $3,000 dollars’ worth of food to Cesar Chavez up here in Tolleson. That’s where I cut my teeth around social impact, righting wrong in society, and fundraising. When I saw the horrific living conditions of the developmentally disabled in the institutions, these were all human rights issues for me. So, I got to open the first group homes for the developmentally disabled, getting people out of the institutions when I was 19. Wow. That’s a lot to take on while still in high school. What was next? I was a CEO of a nonprofit at 21 in Yuma, Arizona that was building group homes and moving people out of the institutions. So that was the goal to get folks out of these horrid conditions and back into the community. That’s where I got my start. Was your family supportive? Oh yeah. My father was a dentist and he worked every Wednesday for free at the Saint Elizabeth of the Hungry clinic doing dental work. We had this strong idea of being committed to the community and committed to those who were disenfranchised. Now I use those words, but that wasn’t talked about in those words (then). Is this something you thought you would be doing for your whole professional life? I had good teachers (at Salpointe) high school. They were activists. We would go down to Hughes Aircraft on Thanksgiving with signs saying, “It’s a sin to make a bomb” and just piss everyone off. I was a little bit of an activist, I would say, which really helped me though, get neighborhoods to be okay with having developmentally disabled individuals live in their street. It was that kind of activism that led me to be able to have the kinds of conversations with homeowners that would not throw up barriers to getting FEATURE STORY

What does giving mean to you?

Brian Spicker and husband Omorjerho Okagbare

people out of institutions. Because that’s what we needed to do. Hughes Aircraft, huh? Those were some big feathers to ruffle in Tucson in those days. Well, and I was with the nuns, you know, there were a group of us and having a high school where my buddies and others who really cared about the farm workers, for example, we could literally go after school to a grocery store and get people not to walk into it was substantial. To have a narrative to help people understand the social issues that were happening around the folks that put food on our table and what the teamster union was doing to thwart any kind of increase in pay. And of course, all that has changed to some degree, but you know, one of my highlights was to be able to come up at night and see Cesar Chavez sitting at a fire with the United Farm Worker Union leadership and taking the pounds of rice and beans and stuff that we bought to be able to feed the strikers. They were striking up here and that was a highlight to be able to have that kind of impact at a very granular level in 1973 or 74. When did you move to Phoenix? I moved to Phoenix in 1984 from Yuma. In 1991, I got involved with the Maricopa County Community AIDS Partnership as a volunteer and then met Kirk Baxter in 1992. In 1993 I got on the board of (Phoenix) Body Positive. I became CEO in 96 and did that through 2002. But all of it, you know, again, my theme was human rights and changing paradigms or systems. So, the reason people were being institutionalized is they wanted to take people who are different and put them out of sight, out of mind. I came out in 1987, quickly, and went back in the closet and moved back home with my children’s mom and then in 1989 I decided

There are very few things more sacred than that. It’s such a high form of expression to take a piece of paper or a concept of wealth or excess capacity, which somebody has, a resource, and then direct it in a way to help others. That’s just amazing. It really is. You know, to be able to harness that, to create the aspirations for the community to address wicked problems in that way. And so, you know, after being at Body Positive and feeling like we got the clinical trials, the (HIV) drugs were moving through the community as well as internationally, that’s when I decided to take on larger and different societal issues that were broader like homelessness, early childhood development, poverty and hunger, that’s when I went to the United Way. What are you doing for Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation? In February, I was asked to come and help build the community colleges foundation. Everybody should have access to affordable post-secondary education, so that’s what we do. We raise dollars to help individuals have access. It could be a barrier with transportation or a utility bill or a health and we provide scholarships so individuals who wouldn’t normally have access to an accredited degree to have access. I work with all 10 of the colleges in the district to raise critical resources to help change the educational disparity that exists in Maricopa County. Anything you would like to add, Brian? It’s been awesome to talk to you. You don’t have to be wealthy to give. I mean, for me, it was always a question of what’s more important, an extra martini this week or providing enough money for a food box for a family, you know? Everyone goes at it differently and that’s the beauty of it. It’s very individual specific. You can’t force any of this. It’s meeting people where they’re at, capturing their imagination and guiding them through an opportunity to make a difference. Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Rainbows Festival

Nov. 2 at Heritage Square, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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OUT & ABOUT

Rainbows Festival

Nov. 2 at Heritage Square, Phoenix. Photos by Gregg Edelman.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. OUT & ABOUT

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

run, gathering a die-hard mass, largely lesbian following, that faithfully tuned in to Showtime every Sunday evening with friends all watching together piled on couches in living rooms, at viewing parties in gay bars surrounded by other fans, in secret on laptops with headphones, and later on Blockbuster-rented DVDs, and even later, on Netflix. Bette and Tina were relationship goals, and then they weren’t, and then they were again. We were hooked. For many lesbians, it was the first time they had ever seen themselves represented on television, and that in itself was groundbreaking. When the show ended in 2009, fans were left with so many questions: Would Alice ever find another great love after Dana? Would Shane ever settle down? Would Bette stay faithful to Tina? Who killed Jenny?! The show had a five-year run, but like the show’s dedicated fan-base, Chaiken said that the it felt as if it had always lived on and called it very “gratifying” to see it revived. “For me, The L Word never truly had ended. I had an instinct that it would come back in some form or fashion. But I believe this is the best possible version and outcome,” said Chaiken.

Showtime’s The L Word is back By Megan Wadding; photos by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SHOWTIME

esbian rejoice! Showtime’s groundbreaking series, The L Word, is back after a 10 year hiatus. The highly anticipated revived series, The L Word: Generation Q, will see the return of three original cast members, alongside some new faces, for an eight episode run, premiering on Showtime on Sunday, December 8. Leisha Hailey (Alice), Jennifer Beals (Bette) and Kate Moennig (Shane) will reprise their fan favorite roles along with the new characters, as they once again experience love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in Los Angeles. Ilene Chaiken, original creator and executive producer of The L Word, is 32

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spearheading the revival as an executive producer, alongside newcomer, Marja-Lewis Ryan. According to Chaiken, the idea for a revival of the series has been something that had been talked about for years, but finding the right time was key. Chaiken credits Hailey, Beals and Moennig with coming up with the idea and bringing it to fruition. “Not only were they immediately on board, [but] it was largely their idea to do the reboot,” Chaiken explained. “We talked about it for years, and I insisted on waiting until the right time. But [they] stood by their conviction that the show should come back.” The original series had a wildly successful

Ending with a cliff-hanger of a murder, the finale of the original series was abrupt and left many stories unfinished. In The L Word: Generation Q, Alice, Bette and Shane, are now a decade older, dealing with new crises and loves and careers. We find Bette in the middle of a run to be the first lesbian mayor of Los Angeles, and Alice with her own talk show. But are they all still as close as they were 10 years ago? Did Shane ever find true love, or is she still — now in her 40s — the token community lothario? Does Alice keep The Chart updated? Expect to be “surprised” and “delighted” by where the characters’ lives have taken them, according to Chaiken. “Bette, Shane and Alice have grown, grown up and evolved,” she said. “So much can happen in the course of ten years. Toddlers can become teenagers; relationships can end and new relationships will have begun and maybe even already ended all within the course of that time. Careers change, financial circumstances, bodies, appetites. While they are still, at core, the same people they were when we left them, we’ll learn how their lives have changed in huge and subtle ways.” The original series has become a sort of a time capsule that sometimes perfectly and sometimes not so perfectly captures what it was like to be a member of the lesbian community in Los Angeles during the early to mid 2000’s. The show explored many narratives and gave representation to those who had never seen themselves portrayed on television so beautifully and boldly. Chaiken’s goals remain much the same with the new series, specifically to continue to tell “good, moving, deeply engaging stories” that will also shine a light, particularly on the lives of LGBTQ characters, who are still, even a FEATURE STORY

decade on, underrepresented in film and television, according to Chaiken. Alongside all of the rave reviews and cultlike following that the original series amassed, it also received criticism on occasion, mostly in regard to how issues surrounding class, race and gender identity were depicted on the show. The portrayal of transgender character, Max, in particular was a big point of contention with some fans. Chaiken acknowledged that errors had been made and insisted the new series will do better. “At the time, we researched extensively and believed we were presenting an honest representation of Max’s journey,” she explained. “But I fully accept that we made mistakes, the biggest one being the casting of a cisgender actor to portray a transgender character.” Chaiken promised that The L Word: Generation Q will proceed with the view of correcting that particular mistake, and also offer an “even more culturally diverse” ensemble this time around. “The new show will explore and embrace the breadth and scope of our LGBTQ community and will delve deeper into the ways our lives intersect,” she added. The original series covered things integral and timely to the lesbian and LGBTQ community at large at the time, particularly things such as marriage equality and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, as well as infidelity, fertility, coming out, illnesses, friendship, death and more. Chaiken teased that The L Word: Generation Q will revisit all of that and more, specifically within the context of how much

the world has changed over the last decade, including the “gains,” and the “backlash and backsliding” that has occurred. “I’m just happy the show is continuing and will go on to tell stories that haven’t already been told,” Chaiken said. Q & A with Leisha Hailey by Megan Wadding Leisha Hailey starred in The L Word original series playing the character, Alice Piezecki, the outspoken, bisexual, budding journalist, and everyone’s best friend. Once the original series ended, Hailey found herself becoming a driving force behind the revival, The L Word: Generation Q. Hailey spoke with Echo about where the new series finds Alice, what it was like to get back into character, what story-line ideas she contributed and more. Echo: Was the revival of the show something you’ve always wanted to see happen? Has this always been an ongoing conversation with Ilene Chaiken, and Jennifer Beals and Kate Moennig? Hailey: After the [original series] wrapped, we honestly thought something would immediately take its place. There had never been a lesbian-centric show in mainstream media, and our show had been surprisingly successful in several different ways. So [back] in 2012, Kate, Jennifer and I reached out to Ilene, believing that was the right time, and long story short, it took the four of us 7-8 years to get it back on air. Where does the new series find Alice? Do you think fans be surprised to see where her life has taken her? Were you given any creative liberty in helping to shape who you think Alice would’ve become today? Two years ago, Kate, Jennifer, Ilene, and I walked into each meeting with all of the potential new showrunners with two very clear ideas: 1) Alice has a popular talk show. 2) Bette was running for office. I felt that Alice’s career path would definitely lead to a talk show ten years later. It will be a surprise for the fans to see Alice’s personal life unfold; she is on a journey that she has never been on before. What was it like getting back on set and back into character? Alice was a character I missed playing very much. Back when the show ended in 2009, it felt like there were so many more stories

FEATURE STORY

to be told. Walking in her shoes again feels liberating. Alice is that fun, risk-taking, witty part of myself that I never get a chance to let out in real life. How has it been to work with Kate Moennig and Jennifer Beals again? I know you have all stayed close in real life, but to be on set with them again must be so fun. While shooting a TV show, we can sometimes spend 16+ hours on set. I love nothing more than spending my long day at work with two people I love so much. It’s non-stop laughter and the three of us care so much about this show that we have a like-minded respect for what we are creating. The original series highlights so many of the important things the LGBTQ community was experiencing at that specific time, and really had an impact in terms of mainstream representation. Did you realize at the time how important the show would be, specifically for the lesbian community? We all knew in the first season that we were making something special, but never anticipated the incredibly positive public reaction that we received. Once we realized that, we felt the responsibility to move the needle to help represent our community in a positive light. Over the years, I am sure you’ve had many fans tell you how much the show has meant to them. What does that mean to you, knowing what an impact it had? What has been the reaction you’re getting from fans excited for the new series, The L Word: Generation Q? When fans tell me how much the show meant to them, I relate personally because growing up I had no gay content or references on television. I never saw myself represented, so I understand what it means to other people to have a show like this where they can see themselves portrayed. When fans come up to me now, their level of excitement is an alltime high for The L Word to come back. The L Word: Generation Q premieres on Showtime on Sunday, December 8 at 10 P.M. ET/PT. For more information, visit sho.com. Megan Wadding is a freelance writer and travel addict with a degree in journalism. Follow her on Twitter at @MeganWadding. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

COMMUNITY

Sip, nibble, interact and engage with the best of Arizona's LGBTQ inclusive businesses and organizations at the ONE Community Block Party for Equality!

Saturday, January 11th.

Noon - 6pm | 4th Avenue & Van Buren â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Downtown Phoenix Early Bird Tickets $10 at www.ONECommunity.co COMMUNITY SPONSORS

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ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Mikey Rox’s Ultimate Guide to Gay Gift Giving 2019 By Mikey Rox

ifts galore for him, her, they, and them — because secular Santa doesn’t discriminate like hypocrite “Christians” do. The Vice Wines

Bluprint Subscription

If any of your vices include a 2017 Mount Veeder Merlot, 2017 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon, or 2018 Carneros Pinot Noir, stock up and save with these aptly named vinos handcrafted to make you feel naughty and nice. $28$695, thevicewine.com.

Kick-start your secret Santa’s side hustle with Bluprint — NBCUniversal’s digital subscription service that offers classes, projects, and supplies across 20-plus crafting hobbies, like quilting, knitting, embroidery, and crochet — that can easily transform a creative procrastinator into a weekend money maker. $8-$200, mybluprint.com.

Budsies Selfie and Petsies Dolls Lookalike dolls made to order from submitted photographs of your human and pet pals are stuffed with so much holiday cheer that this thoughtful treasure will be cherished for years to come. Ideal for drag queens that have everything but this. $99, budsies.com; $59-$199, mypetsies.com. Sprints Running Hat The super-light, moisture-wicking Tropical Jaguars hat (unisex) protects athletes and outdoor enthusiasts from noggin burn and wet eyes whenever they feel like running wild. $29, getsprints.com. 36

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OurShelves Children’s Book Box Guncles and lesbi-aunts will be bedtime-story superstars when they deliver this quarterly subscription box filled with racially and ethically diverse children’s books featuring LGBTQ, feminist, and other traditionally under-represented characters and families. $20-$70, ourshelves.com. FEATURE STORY

Rory Rockmore Pronoun Necklace Using proper pronouns in the LGBTQ community can be confusing — you’ll stand corrected if you accidentally misgender — but these 14K gold or white gold nameplate necklaces (also available in HE/him and SHE/her) remove all the guesswork so you can save face. $240, roryrockmore.com.

Cat Ball Bed Cats lick their plates clean when there’s fish on the menu, but roles are reversed when cute kitties become shark bait in this killer-cozy bed that’s totally fin-tastic. $85, thecatball.com.

Dessert Gallery Party in a Box

Kimball Quero Boots

A successful holiday potluck requires two staples: free-flowing booze and plenty of sweet treats. You’ll find the latter in this Party in a Box available in Southern Pecan Pie, Tres Leches, To-Die-For Fudge Pecan Pie, or a customizable tasting box. $40-$89, dessertgallery.com.

Step up your partner’s foot-fashion game with these ruggedly constructed wingtip boots featuring mixed leather and rubber for a no-slip stride that are as dapper as they are ‘damn, boy — you lookin’ fiiine!’ $245-$255, querohms.com.

Kombucha Making Kit Whether you guzzle it or gag on it, kombucha has proven it has staying power, and now the most health-conscious homos in your squad can whip up a fresh batch of their favorite fermented fizz without forking over a bundle per bottle. $45, farmsteady.com.

FEATURE STORY

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Quartz Collective Healing Crystals

STOCKING STUFFERS

You don’t have to believe in magic to reap the benefits of this collection of curated stones and crystals — which is backed by scientific research, btw — that can help facilitate healing, luck, confidence, and calm and soothe negative nervous energy like anxiety. Rub ’em hard enough and you might even conjure up a top that can host. $29, quartzcollective.com.

Mokuyobi Wallets This color-blocked, couldn’t-be-queerer-if-ittried collection of clothing and accessories pop so hard Crayola is blue-green with envy. Wallets so bright they’ll make a bish swish harder. $12-$156, mokuyobi.com.

CBD Under $20

The 5 O’Clock Box & Tom of Finland Vodka In these three-step kits – available in sparkling rosé, spiced Old Fashioned, smoky margarita, and Moscow mule – all 5-o’clocksomewhere-ers have to do is add alcohol (like Tom of Finland vodka), shake or stir, and garnish to get tipsier than a freshly cut Tannenbaum. $30, twistyourspirits.com; $35, tomoffinlandvodka.

DECEMBER 2019

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Succulentsbox.com

Pop a literal chill pill when your in-laws start their shit at Christmas supper with CBD hemp capsules or gummies clocking in at under $20 for more than a week’s worth of you-don’t-give-a-fuckness. $7-$20, cbdfx.com.

The best gift for friends in tiny apartments is even tinier plants that don’t require a ton of care. Live-and-let-live succulents and minis are the perfect present — because who the hell wants to attend another ficus funeral? $5-$228, succulentsbox.com.

FEATURE STORY

Axol & Friends

HipDot Pressed Glitter Palette

These cute plush critters with a purpose have companion storybooks — Axol is gender neutral, using only the pronoun “they/them” in the books — which teach children about rare endangered species and advocate for sustainable, ethical production and consumerism while donating a portion of proceeds to youth empowerment programs around the world. $19, axolandfriends.com.

Hey Sis!, Big Boss Miss Ross, and Royal Riot are just a few of the names in HipDot’s 15-shade pressed glitter palette designed for all genders to beat their faces like Ziggy Stardust. Proceeds will be donated to the Anti-Violence Project. $30, hipdot.com.

Tighty Whities Ornament Baby, it’s really cold outside with these festive, glass-assed skivvies that add some bulge to your bulbs. $18, alwaysfits.com.

felixSEBASTIAN Earrings Burl Ives sang the praises of silver and gold in 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but you can accessorize all the same with the very-now Nascence Collection Studs available in three shapes and metal tones. $50, iamfelixsebastian.com. Socks That Save LGBTQ Lives Take a cue from today’s black-sock-showing youth and don this out-and-proud rainbowstripe pair, the proceeds from each will benefit The Trevor Project to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth. $17, fairtradewinds.net. FEATURE STORY

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Urban Inferno Fashion Show & Dance Nov. 1 at FABRIC, Tempe.

Photos by Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 40

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OUT & ABOUT

Knowing your HIV status helps you choose options to stay healthy. HIV testing is free, fast, and confidential. There are more HIV prevention options than ever before. Learn more about PrEP to decide if it is right for you. www.cdc.gov/StartTalkingHIV /StartTalkingHIV /StartTalkingHIV

27th Annual Halloween Block Party and Show

Oct. 26 at BS West, Scottsdale. Photos by nightfuse.com.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 42

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OUT & ABOUT

JANUARY 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 26

In here... life is beautiful! Come hear the music play!

BOOK BY

JOE MASTEROFF JOHN KANDER FRED EBB

based on the play by

MUSIC BY

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and stories by

CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD

LYRICS BY

production sponsor

DIRECTED BY

MICHAEL FLATT AND JOANIE FLATT

ARIZONATHEATRE.ORG / 602-256-6995

season sponsor

SARA BRUNER

I. MICHAEL AND BETH KASSER

HERBERGER THEATER CENTER 222 E. MONROE ST., PHOENIX

The ADF’s headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The international hate group in our backyard: A profile of the Alliance Defending Freedom Story and photos by Jeff Kronenfeld

estled in an innocuous office park just off the 101 is the headquarters of an international hate group. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is dedicated to restricting the rights of LGBT+ people under the guise of religious liberty. An annual budget of over $50 million and small army of lawyers allows it to exert undue influence over politics, courtrooms and even schools in Arizona and beyond. On Tuesday, October 8, they defended the right of employers to discriminate based on gender identity in the U.S. Supreme Court. In the past, it has defended state bans on gay sex, lobbied for constitutional amendments banning samesex marriage, sued to prevent transgender students from using bathrooms and pushed to restrict women’s access to healthcare. Parents, local residents, activists, researchers and a series of viral commercials are exposing the hateful campaign masterminded from the ADF’s north Scottsdale nerve center. The ADF changed its name from the Alliance Defense Fund in 2012, but its hateful mission hasn’t wavered since its establishment. The Christian Right was galvanized by cases like Roe v. Wade in 1973, which protected women’s right to abortion, and the lesser known Runyon v. McCrary in 1976. The latter forced the integration of private Christian schools established in response to federal desegregation in 1954. That case demonstrates the historic links

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between segregationists and the Christian Right. Despite the growing political power of such bible thumpers throughout the 1980s, their reactionary vision for society continued to be thwarted in courts. Keen to rectify this, James Dobson, Bill Bright, Larry Burkett and over two dozen other Christian Right leaders established the ADF on January 31, 1994. Meant to offset secular organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, its vision was far grander than serving as a counterweight. “I think whenever you look at the foundation of organizations like the ADF, you have to really take them seriously in their strategic thinking,” explained Teddy Wilson, a research analyst for Political Research Associates. “Coupled with organizations like the Federal Society, you see the beginnings of how they created both the litigation arm of the Christian Right and also a vehicle for creating a pipeline for lawyers and eventually judges who would bring this Christian rightwing view.” The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated the ADF as a hate group in 2016. Groups receive the label based on whether their statements, activities and principles vilify people because of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion and ethnicity. Three of the main reasons the SPLC gave for the ADF’s listing were its support for the criminalization or recriminalization of

homosexuality, defense of trans people being forcibly sterilized and connecting homosexuality to pedophilia. A fourth reason relates to the belief that homosexuality, according to the ADF’s own website, “will ultimately destroy our society.” Both founders and current ADF leadership have a history of making hateful remarks about the LGBT+ community. This is another point cited in the SPLC’s decision. Alan Sears, who led the ADF until retiring in 2017, exposed his beliefs in writing. He has compared LGBT+ activists to Nazis, and claimed they are part of a vast conspiracy to indoctrinate youth and made other clearly bigoted statements. “We mention the new promotion of pedophilia in the context of talking about the influence of homosexual behavior on college campuses, because, despite all objections to the contrary, the two are often intrinsically linked,” Sears and co-author Craig Osten wrote in a 2003 book, The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today. One of the ADF’s most successful endeavors is its Blackstone Legal Fellowship (BLF). Started 19 year ago with an initial troop of 24 interns, the program has now served over 2,000 law students, according to its website. These crusading youth attend intensive training camps pushing the ADF’s Christian fundamentalist legal philosophy. They also receive prestigious internships and other professional development opportunities. At least four individuals who were part of the program have worked or currently work in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, including Josh Whitaker, Bradley Pollock, David Rosenthal and Jessica Kemper. A revealing quote from the BLF’s website in 2014 — which has subsequently been removed — read, “Alliance Defending Freedom seeks to recover the robust Christendomic theology of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries. This is catholic, universal orthodoxy and it is desperately crucial for cultural renewal.” The ADF’s Allied Attorney’s program claims to have more than 3,000 practicing lawyers at its disposal. In combination with interns, staff attorneys and deep pocketbooks, the ADF has been very successful in exploiting courts to reverse the gains of the civil rights movement and attack women’s reproductive rights. They also fish for test cases across the country. If you’ve heard of a law attacking homosexuals or attempts to exclude them from businesses open to the public, odds are the ADF is behind it. The ADF provided funding and lawyers for the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case, where a baker refused service to a homosexual couple. They’ve defended many other businesses that discriminate against LGBT+ people, including photographers, florists, web designers and a Phoenix-based stationary company. The ADF has also defended government officials denying FEATURE STORY

service to homosexuals, such as refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It works to erode the separation of church and state by diverting public funding from schools to religious organizations. Other notable cases include the ADF’s unsuccessful defense of a ballot proposition in California that banned gay marriage and successfully restricting women’s reproductive rights while allowing corporate entities to discriminate based on religious dogma. Closer to home, the ADF uses courts to attack the civil liberties of Arizonans and wastes the money of taxpayers defending against frivolous lawsuits. As mentioned earlier, it teamed up with a local stationary company, Brush and Nib, to deny services to same-sex couples. Despite never receiving a single request for services from a samesex couple, Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, owners of Brush and Nib, and the ADF launched a legal assault on Phoenix’s anti-discrimination ordinance. The Arizona Supreme Court preserved the ordinance generally but did grant Duka and Koski a limited exemption. Adding insult to injury, the City of Phoenix’s taxpayers will likely have to foot the bill for the legal services the ADF “donated” to Brush and Nib. The ADF’s attacks on Arizonans aren’t limited to courtrooms. It often helps write anti-LGBT+ bills, such as SB 1062, which would have allowed businesses in Arizona to discriminate against homosexuals. Though vetoed by the governor in 2014, it could have lost Arizona large sporting events such as the Super Bowl and hurt the state’s attempts to get businesses to relocate or expand operations. Even more alarming is the ADF’s influence over Arizona’s education policy and schools. As in other states, the group has pushed to restrict the right of students to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. It has bullied schools and districts with the threat of expensive lawsuits. The group has defended and helped write antitransgender policies for schools. Great Heart Academies, one of Arizona’s largest charter

school networks, adopted the kind of antitransgender policy the ADF advocates for in 2016. The oldest daughter of Robert Chevaleau, a Scottsdale resident, attended a Great Hearts school for first, second and part of third grade. She did well there. Then, the anti-transgender policy was announced. Chevaleau, whose youngest daughter is transgender, and other parents pressed the school to reverse its decision. He ultimately decided to withdraw his oldest daughter. During his interactions with the administration, he became concerned with its relationship to the ADF. He recalled school officials telling him they retained the ADF and to “watch out.” Chevaleau recalled attending a meeting when Great Hearts was attempting to construct a sport’s facility on public land in Scottsdale. “I tried to ask them why and how the ADF got involved. Why were they engaged? Erik Twist [the Arizona President of Great Hearts Academies] went so far as to admit that the ADF was involved, but he denied telling how they got involved or why,” Chevaleau said. “It’s not clear to me whether they’re tied directly to the school or through community organizations, but the more you look at it, the deeper and more complex the web gets.” The web doesn’t end at national borders. LGBT+ people in other countries can face harsh legal discrimination and even statesanctioned violence. The ADF advocates internationally for legal prohibitions against LGBT+ people. They’ve supported the criminalization of homosexuality in India, Jamaica, and Belize. Constitutional bans against same-sex marriage in Romania and other countries have also been backed by the ADF. According to tax filings for 2018, it spent over $3.5 million on activities outside the U.S. The ADF filed briefs opposing Chilean Judge Karen Atala’s claim before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. That case addressed when a court in Chile revoked her custody rights because of her sexual orientation. The country eventually admitted wrongdoing and

This is an image of a crowd of ADF supporters taken after the hearing on the north side of the Arizona Supreme Court building. FEATURE STORY

A crowd of supporters of Phoenix’s anti-discrimination ordinance taken after the hearing on the south side of the Arizona Supreme Court building. On the far right in the front is Eric Fraser, the attorney representing the city of Phoenix, and to his left is Don Logan, the equal opportunity director for the city of Phoenix

paid her restitution. “What they’re basically engaged in is exporting from the U.S. into all these places their agenda, which is not just anti-LGBT but it’s a bigger thing than that,” said SPLC Intelligence Project Director Heidi Beirich. “We focus on that because that’s our area of research, but they also work on issue affecting families, abortion and so on. They’re trying to influence state polices all around the world.” A group of Scottsdale residents have finally had enough of their city playing host to the ADF, according to their spokesperson Geoff Esposito of Creosote Partners, a progressive lobbying group. On Monday, October 7, they premiered a series of commercials that are part of their Scottsdale Discriminates campaign. Aimed at bringing attention to the ADF’s base of operations, which is kitty-corner from a Target parking lot in North Scottsdale, the videos feature fictional Scottsdale residents thanking the ADF for defending their “freedom to discriminate.” The ADF is still extremely powerful. It exerts a strong influence over President Trump’s judicial nominees and executive agency appointees, according to Wilson. Still, thanks to the growing chorus of concerned citizens, the ADF’s work is being exposed for the hate speech that it is through both careful research and even a little humor. Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. ECHOMAG.COM

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Making Phoenix Laugh: Genevieve Rice By Timothy Rawles. Photo by Charissa Lucille.

tand-up comedy is a tough career and if you are a woman it can be even tougher; but Genevieve Rice is determined, she even gave Phoenix its first-ever comedy festival. Listening to Genevieve, her voice is subdued and very relaxing. When she says something funny it’s very matter of fact and there’s a kind of a sitcom beat in her timing which simmers the punchline until you have 50

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time to think about it then chuckle, but by that time she’s moved on to a different topic. “I like talking about my life, but I like a more absurdist approach,” Genevieve says. “I talk about, on the face, some pretty normal topics; marriage or having a baby or body issues. But I always try to make them silly.” Luckily her parents appreciated her silliness and encouraged her in her youth, however her friends weren’t as enthusiastic,

which made peer social situations a little awkward. She recalls a certain pre-teen slumber party where her love of watching television stand-up shows didn’t make for a good night of entertainment, at least not for her doleful sleepover guests. “My friend was like, ‘we’re not watching Evening at the Improv, we’re nine!’” Growing up in Oklahoma on a steady diet of sitcoms, Genevieve was able to hone her FEATURE STORY

Charissa Lucille.

scene in either city, but it depends on where you look. “There was already a scene here, it was pretty small, but it was still bigger than Oklahoma City,” she explains. “I remember it was kind of a mix. There were a few clubs at the time. There was Tempe Improv, that was the big one. And then there was Comedy Spot in Scottsdale, that was about it as far as clubs.” Open mic nights were routine for her in Oklahoma, “but here I didn’t know anybody that was doing comedy, so I had to find out about comedy nights in the paper like a nerd,” she laughs. Within in a year she played both available Arizona venues which she says have tripled in numbers in just over a decade. She doesn’t do much improv although she helps Torch Improv Theatre from time to time. Unless you invite it, audience participation has no place in stand-up. Hecklers are sort of an occupational hazard, she says, but in the right circumstances she can make it funny.“ If they’re just enthusiastic you don’t necessarily want to shut it down, you do wanna play it like, ‘Hey we’re not having a conversation. Just so you know.’” Rude hecklers or not, women in comedy have notoriously worked harder than men to achieve the same status, even if the man is accused of social crimes. Take the once prolific Louis C.K. who fell from grace after it was revealed he masturbated in front of women he worked with. Louis has just announced a world tour. Contrast that with Kathy Griffin, who was blacklisted for holding up a bloody effigy of Donald Trump’s decapitated head. The Louis C.K. incident affected Genevieve because as an avid television watcher his brand of shows were enjoyable. She says the first time she heard about his conduct she thought it was a rumor. “Then I heard more and more about it and thought, ‘how can I support this guy? I don’t think I can.’” “I think it’s much easier to be blacklisted as a woman than it is as a man,” she adds.

craft in preparation for her stand-up stage debut. The scene was small, but her courage was immense and that paid off for everybody in the end. “I first started in comedy in 2007,” Genevieve says. “There was probably about 20 comics doing it, which is tiny. But there were open mics, there were booked shows, and it’s grown quite a bit from there.” Once college was done, so was Genevieve, and she left Oklahoma for Phoenix just eight days after graduation. She pauses a bit when she gives her answer as to why she rushed to leave, “I was uh, engaged to a guy who lives out here. It’s been about 11 years now.” One might not think there is a huge culture FEATURE STORY

“If you get that moniker of ‘difficult’ as a woman, it’s very hard to erase. You can get labeled difficult for having resting bitch face — anything,” she laughs. “There are a lot of people who are more willing to forgive men.” Social media may be more forgiving unless you’re a warden at Facebook jail. You will most likely find Genevieve on her pages acting silly or writing something she may turn into a bit later. Lately her feeds have been filled with jokes about the interesting clothes she rents from an online company. After just having a baby, and all the work that takes, social media makes for the perfect sizzle reel; somewhere to pitch ideas to the masses and see if they stick. “I write pretty much every day, “ she says. “I try to post jokes on Twitter and Facebook

every day and so that’s kind of a little bit of a writing exercise for me. Some of those make it to the stage in some form usually, you know you must alter them quite a bit, they are usually such short jokes. Twitter and Facebook are kind of like my proving ground for stuff like that.” It makes sense, she is a fan of television, and computers are an evolution of that medium; it’s where people get a lot of their entertainment nowadays. At one point she combined both of her passions into an online show. She and a friend created a Golden Girls inspired program called Thank You For Being a Podcast. The gay community took notice. “I wouldn’t say I have a huge gay following,” she says, but, “with my co-host Anthony Desamito, who’s gay, we had quite a pretty decent-sized audience. A lot of our listeners are gay.” She keeps her sense of humor even though this past year has been exhausting. Genevieve is in the middle of a move, she’s also a licensed realtor on the side, she had a baby in April with her ASU professor of Jazz Studies husband, and she’s getting ready to produce the fourth Bird City Comedy Festival. “I started it in 2016,” she says of Bird City. “I had helped with the very first year of Big Pine Comedy Festival in Flagstaff. I basically helped plan that and we all kind of cut our teeth on it. I had been thinking about starting a festival in Phoenix for a while, but I was like, it’s a big undertaking. And then I’d always hear whispers of someone else starting one and I was like okay, maybe I should do this.” With all that is going on in her busy life, Genevieve the comic is headed for fame in some way or another. Whether it be a bigtime producer of a local festival, the next great comedic find for a Netflix exec, or a local celebrity who’s first on the marquee, her perseverance will eventually pay off. Still, her heart is rooted in what makes her talented in the first place. “My goal with comedy is always to do interesting things with it,” she says. “Whether that’s shows or writing new jokes or traveling somewhere, I’m hoping to continue to do that. Having a kid has been terrific for material. But, yeah, that’s all I’ve ever hoped for.” The Bird City Comedy Festival is on March 26 to March 28, 2020. Visit birdcitycomedyfestival.com. Timothy Rawles is an award-winning journalist and California native who moved to Arizona with his husband and two children in 2019. He attended San Francisco State University many years ago and somehow managed to pass math and continue pursuing his journalism degree. His story is not as interesting as the people he writes about, but Timothy has discovered that everyone has one, and good or bad, they all share the same thing; heart. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Charlie’s 35th Anniversary Nov. 5 at Charlie’s, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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One Night in the Café de Bangkok: Gilbert’s Newest Thai Restaurant Story and photos by Jeff Kronenfeld

ccording to Tom “Nithid” Rochanakit, the owner of Café de Bangkok, in Thailand food is medicine, history, and even poetry. His face beaming with pride, Rochanakit shared the story of Thai King Rama II. Both a foodie and man of letters, the king was once so moved by a chef’s dish he wrote: “any man who has tasted the curry is bound to long for her.” Rochanakit’s passion for food is equal to that of the historic monarch. The finest Thai dishes were once reserved for the royal family alone. Rochanakit treated us like his own family, sharing both princely dishes and street food favorites. Café de Bangkok opened last month in what was formerly the Thai Mint Café in Gilbert. The old restaurant’s sign was still there when we visited, though there was a banner indicating it is now the Café de Bangkok. Parking was no problem. The entryway featured pumpkins, scarecrows and other seasonal decorations. Entering the restaurant proper, the decor was 56

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more modest: flowers, bamboo, some old furniture and a few signs reading eat and home. While the front of the house is somewhat a work in progress, the food is delicious and beautifully presented. Plus, Rochanakit, his lovely wife and cute kids go out of their way to may you feel welcome. The interior was surprisingly large. Catching the restaurant between rushes, we were the only customers for around 15 minutes. It felt a little awkward at first, but we were promptly seated and served. Both I and my dining companion were ravenous, so this worked out. Soon enough, other patrons started streaming in, adding a pleasant static of human chatter to the stately jazz background music. I suggest asking to say hello to Rochanakit before ordering if you’d like recommendations. He also goes by Nithid or Tom. We didn’t speak to him until after ordering and regretted missing out on his suggestions. We ordered two Thai iced teas and the combo appetizers, one on the menu,

to tide us over while we crafted a plan of attack for entrées. The teas came in extra-large mason jar glasses with handles. A beautiful sunset dipped behind the strip mall on the other side of Gilbert Road as we sipped our voluminous teas. Even more beautiful still was when our appetizers arrived. They came on a white porcelain tray centered around a little cast iron burner. It looked like a group of thin-skinned Arizonans crowding a chiminea when it drops below 60. The order ended up being more food than we expected, including chicken satay, spring rolls, coconut shrimp and chicken curry puffs. It was all so good that I was glad to have starved myself for several hours beforehand. After some quick pointers, we got to work on the chicken satays. We heated them on our table’s little hearth. The sound of the meat sizzling brought big grins to our faces. We watched the juices bubbling on the surface. When DINING OUT

A yellow coconut curry with chicken, potato, onion and carrot.

the extruded fats fell into the flames, they popped with the scent of roasting meat. We both really enjoyed this dish, which was simple and well-executed. For dips, there were peanut sauce and a sweet cucumber sauce. On Rochanakit’s suggestion, we heaped generous portions of both on our meat sticks. Together they added savory and sweet notes to the fire kissed chicken. What made it even better was the entertainment value of cooking it at the table. It makes for a fun date night diversion, especially if you are DIY inclined. We worked our way counterclockwise, advancing next to the spring rolls. Outside they had a delicate thin layer of crisp. Inside their texture was almost creamy. These were a good snack, especially when slathered in sauce. The coconut shrimp had a flaky breading. A strong fresh coconut flavor infused every bite of these plump sea arthropods. Last, but certainly not least, were the chicken curry puffs. These were a little like tiny, aromatic South Asian pot pies. The golden shells were doughy, crunchy and buttery. Inside there was a rich but subtle blend of spices. We took our time savoring each bite, so some of the items lost heat. I’m not sure if it really qualifies as a food hack, but we just plopped whatever it was on the little burner until it was warm again. If only every restaurant offered pint-sized barbeques on your table.

Coconut shrimp, spring roll, chicken satay and chicken curry puﬀs. DINING OUT

Crispy egg noodles with marinated pork, mushroom, Chinese broccoli and carrot.

The menu also offers five salads and three soups. We didn’t quite have room this trip, but we’re already planning our return. When we do go back, I want to try the Som Tam Goong Tod, 26, which has a shredded papaya base topped with carrots, green beans, tomatoes and fried shrimp. It comes with a dressing made of ground peanuts and sweet chili lime juice. I also want to try one of the special Thai street noodle bowls. Our eyes widened as our first entrée, the Pu Goong Ob Woon Sen or 39, arrived in its darling clay pot. It’s a stir fry of clear vermicelli noodles, fried shrimp, shitake mushrooms, celery and ginger. After the usual warning about not touching the scalding object, Rochanakit lifted the lid. A small cloud of fragrant steam exploded up and out. He explained the dish is still cooking in the pot and suggested stirring it before digging in. When we got to eating, our delight continued. Rochanakit explained he starts the dish by cooking the noodles in bacon and ginger to soften and flavor them. My mouth felt alive, gentle heats pulsating over my tongue and inner cheeks. The flavor permeated each angel hair strand of the airy noodles before they dissipated like clouds on a summer afternoon. Next to the party was the Gang Ka-Ri Gai, 32, which was a yellow coconut curry with chicken, potato, onion and carrot. It comes topped with fried shallots and

A stir fry of clear vermicelli noodles, fried shrimp, shitake mushrooms, celery and ginger.

scallions. It was true comfort food. Its golden aroma really cleaned out our sinuses in a good way. We thoroughly enjoyed the dish. However, once Rochanakit regaled us with the history of Massaman curry, we experienced a little regret. This faded fast when we realized it was the perfect pretext for a return visit soon. Rounding out the evening was the Rad Na Mee Grob, 54. The base of crispy egg noodles has marinated pork, mushroom, Chinese broccoli and carrot cooked with it. A soybean paste gravy sauce comes on top. It arrived glistening like a poorly written vampire in the sun. Though all that glitters is not gold, this dish proved as tangy as its vibrant appearance suggested. When we left, Rochanakit and his kitchen had really made an impression. He sat with us and discussed all things Thai and Thai food. He excitedly scrolled through the Café de Bangkok Facebook page, sharing the stories of the customers whose pictures he posts there. This one is a man who gifted Rochanakit a book for small business owners. Another is a family who’ve eaten at Rochanakit’s restaurants for years. Their kid has grown up on Rochanakit’s fried rice and pad Thai, and he has photos to prove it. It may sound silly, but the little bits of interaction with the hotpot and burner really enhanced our experience. They’d be perfect for breaking awkward silences or initiating “accidental” hand brushes. Gilbert might be a schlep, but it’s one we plan to make again soon, and with a larger party. Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

BANDS

David Hernandez is on the right track By Timothy Rawles

Arizona, a life-changing car accident, working on his next projects that include an album in Spanglish, and collaborating with another Idol on an exciting new musical venture slated to be released next year. Hernandez was raised by a single mother in Arizona and knows the area well. “I grew up in Mesa, my mom and I were like nomads, we literally lived everywhere,” he says.

fter David Hernandez became a famous face and voice on season seven of American Idol, he began a successful solo career and continues to be a popular performer at Pride events and music venues across the world. We talked to him about what it was like growing up as a young gay man in Central 58

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However, he admits to not visiting too often. The hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, where he lives now, has a familiar rhythm that may be more his vibe. His City of Angels relocation happened shortly after being sent there by Idol judges. “You know, I miss my parents dearly, but no, I don’t really get a chance to come back that often and when I do it’s usually for like a gig — something really quick — where I’m in town for two or three days. Then I leave.” Still, there’s more to Arizona than just work. In fact, he often comes back to put his feet up, switch on the television and ignore status

updates. “Arizona is a great place to kinda just unplug,” Hernandez says, explaining his professional life is uncertain most of the time. “I go on tour during the summer but then the rest of the year, sometimes it can be unpredictable. And so, you kind of get subconsciously caught up in the rat race, then of course you get on social media and everyone’s doing everything amazing.” Family is important to Hernandez. Recently he came back and spent some time with his father. “I literally didn’t do anything.” But being the musician he is, Hernandez can’t stay away from the stage for very long even if he’s relaxing with his dad on the couch. “I had a couple of shows with the band that I started with in Arizona; they’re called Str8 Up,” he says of his last visit. “I played with them a couple of nights and then the rest of time, during the day I hung out with my sister, I worked out with my dad and my stepmom. It was really cool just to chill.” ENTERTAINMENT

For all of its peaceful properties, Arizona wasn’t exactly known for its LGBT scene. And growing up Hernandez had limited choices about where he spent his time. “I think it’s better now, but it wasn’t as strong of a community when I was growing up there.” It helped that his uncle John King is the founder and creator of Charlie’s, but there isn’t really a “gayborhood” per se. “Since Arizona is so big and so spread apart, you have like the pockets, right? You have BS West and you can go downtown,” Hernandez explains. “Then you got Stacy’s @ Melrose, and then The Rock.” “Back when I was growing up there were other bars that have since closed that were on that same strip; on Central Avenue.” Although the gay community and music are very important to the singer, something happened last year that changed his life and led him to another business endeavor, endorsing of all things, a massager. But it may not be what you think. On Easter Sunday 2018 he and his boyfriend were involved in a multi-car pile-up. The impact hurt their backs. “l already had a little bit of an achy back issue but that really intensified it. It was four months of the chiropractor. And then we both had epidurals because the pain was that bad. So that lasted for like another four to five months, and you can’t have epidurals all the time because it’s a steroid. So essentially our backs are like fucked.” A visit to a longtime friend’s house one night would change all of that. “We were there and I was complaining about my car accident then my friend’s like ‘we literally just invented this massage tool.’” Called Pso-rite (SO-right), Hernandez says it basically takes the place of an elbow or a hand that a massage therapist would use.

“You can’t get into your body without the help of someone else. And nobody can afford a massage therapist on-call all the time. So basically, they designed this tool to mimic the elbow and the hand.” “It hurts so good sort of feel to it,” he laughs explaining it’s a part of his morning regimen. “It alleviated my back pain almost immediately.” Easing pain is the best thing that could happen right now for Hernandez because he is about to get back into the studio for another album and dream collaboration. He says it’s about time he did so. His last album was a sort of soundtrack of his life thus far. “It was called ‘Kingdom the Mixed Tape’ and it’s a compilation of my best work to date but that didn’t necessarily fit on a cohesive album,” he says. “That’s why I called it a ‘mixtape’ because it has different vibes, different periods of my life and I just literally threw it together onto one album. I wanted people to feel the different transitions of my life; where I was, heartbreak and also love. Going to the clubs and drinking too much and you know … I was a whole sort of spectrum of David Hernandez.” This new chapter of his includes a Spanglish album which he says is exciting and another project working alongside a fellow Idol alum. “My very good friend Effie Passero, who was on American Idol two seasons ago on the reboot, she and I linked up because we have the same booking agent and we started singing together.” The chemistry must be good because they will also start a residency in Puerto Vallarta from December 25 to January 8 of next year. Add to that a potential hit song called “What I See” and a “super-moody, black-and-white” video being shot for it as I write this and it seems the duo seem unstoppable.

Hernandez says they named the band 2nd Hour. “We kind of wanted to re-brand our duo to be a separate entity between David Hernandez and Effie Passero. We wanted to create something special to our little niche. We’re writing some more songs together and hopefully, we’ll have an album sometime next year.” He’s come a long way since making the determination to leave the desert suburbia of Arizona and move to Hollywood. But just as that was a conscious life-changer, Hernandez is ready to make another. He’s dedicated his soul to music and like those before him the path may not be clear, but that’s kind of the point. “I look at some of my idols like George Michael, Madonna, and Prince,” he says. “And how over the course of their careers, they evolved and started doing different types of music. There is no one particular way to be successful, it’s just whatever makes you happy.” Timothy Rawles is an award-winning journalist and California native who moved to Arizona with his husband and two children in 2019. He attended San Francisco State University many years ago and somehow managed to pass math and continue pursuing his journalism degree. His story is not as interesting as the people he writes about, but Timothy has discovered that everyone has one, and good or bad, they all share the same thing; heart.

ENTERTAINMENT

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

AT THE BOX OFFICE

Four films in theaters this month By Tuesday Mahrle

Bombshell In Theaters December 20 | Not Rated | 108 Minutes | Biography, Drama

Controversial media group Fox News is the backdrop of this intense drama with an all-star cast. Academy Award nominee John Lithgow portrays the head of the powerhouse reporting empire, Roger Ailes. Fellow Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie and Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman play the band of women who teamed up to take him down. This story drips with intrigue and was so salacious it had every other news outlet on edge.

A Hidden Life In Theaters December 13 | Rated PG-13 | 173 Minutes | Drama, Biography, War

Genius director Terrence Malick tells the story of the not-so-well-known Franz Jagerstatter in A Hidden Life. The Austrian farmer was threatened with execution when he refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. With the love of his life, wife Fanni, children by his side, and his faith to guide him, Jagerstatter stands up to the regime with strength and spirit.

The Banker In Theaters December 6 | PG-13 | 120 Minutes | Drama

In the 1950s, the idea of an African American man owning his own business was unheard of. The Banker tells the story of two African Americans who knew they didn’t stand a chance in real estate, so they conspired together and hire a working-class white man to pretend to be the head of their bank, while they posed as servicemen to him. Samuel L. Jackson teams with Anthony Mackie as chauffer and janitor to Nicholas Hoult as The Banker in this story inspired by true events.

Marriage Story In Theaters December 6 | Rated R | 136 Minutes | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Relationships are hard. Bi-coastal divorces are harder. When a splintering marriage is on the brink, this stage director and his actor wife are pushed to extremes when money and attorneys get involved. Witness the unraveling union while a family attempts to stay together. This tug-of-war will hit close to home for those who have experienced divorce. Tuesday Mahrle is a film critic and host of “Whiskey and Popcorn,” a Phoenixbased movie podcast. 60

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It’s CABARET! What use is sitting alone in your room?

“A piece that asks us all what is the cost of staying silent when fascism is on the rise seems like a good question to be asking these days,” Daniels said. “In terms of artists: Sara Bruner is one of the hottest directors in the country, just coming off a smash hit at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. And Jaclyn Miller’s choreography wowed audiences last year during The Music Man. With a diverse cast packed full of Broadway credits, it promises to be a Cabaret and a night unlike any other.”

hen Arizona Theatre Company stages what has been called a “masterpiece of musical theatre” in Phoenix and Tucson, it may bring back memories of Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli in the blockbuster movie, but the audience will be part of a new experience. “Cabaret is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicals ever — and only Arizona Theatre Company, with a full live orchestra on stage — is able to bring the best in our country to work with the best here to create such a piece,” said Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director Sean Daniels. The story hasn’t changed, and the message is as relevant — perhaps even more so — today than when the show opened on Broadway in 1966 and ran for 1,165 performances.

Directed by Sara Bruner, Cabaret follows American author Cliff Bradshaw (Brandon Espinoza) and his encounter with cabaret performer Sally Bowles (Madison Micucci) and the seedy world of the Kit Kat Klub, presided over by the enigmatic Emcee (Sean Patrick Doyle). When she is fired by the club’s owner, Max (David Kelly), also her jealous boyfriend, she moves in with Cliff and the two fall in love. As

Packed with memorable songs from “Willkommen,” “Maybe This Time,” “Money,” and, of course, “Cabaret,” this is a story that remains remarkably timely, particularly in today’s political environment. the Nazis begin taking control of the German government, the atmosphere at the Kit Kat Klub and the lives of Cliff and Sally begin to change. For all the exuberant song and dance, the most powerful aspect of Cabaret remains the political wallop it delivers. At its core, Cabaret is a devastating critique of apathy and a clever and terrifying look at totalitarianism.

ATC’s production of Cabaret will be followed by “Master Harold”... and the Boys, The Legend of Georgia McBride and Women in Jeopardy! Cabaret will be on stage at the Temple of Music & Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. in Tucson, from November 30 — December 29 and at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe in Phoenix, from January 4 — 26. For more information, go to arizonatheatre.org or call the box office in Tucson at (520) 6222823 or in Phoenix at (602) 256-6995. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

OPENING NIGHTS

Echo: How’d you get into acting? Dillingham: Being the son of a military person, I moved all over the United States as a child. I never really got to put down roots anywhere because you’d be in your hometown one year and be gone the next. Then you’d be back again and then you’d leave again. After a while, people are like, ‘hey, you’re back.’ After the second time they’re like, ‘you keep leaving and coming back. You’re weird.’ So, I was painfully shy as a child. I never got to establish relationships and friendships. Thankfully, in the sixth grade, I was cast in a school play. That was incredibly freeing. In my mind, I was like it’s not me up there doing this, but me being this character. I fell in love with it. People liked my performances. I got a lot of attention and praise for it. Of course, once you get that positivity, you’re like I’ll keep doing that. You’ve performed extensively on the stage and screen. What are some of the contracts between the two? Film acting is a completely different type of acting than stage acting. All acting is not the same. When you’re on stage, you’re real big, loud and swing your arms, but on film, you have to minimize it. On a 50-foot screen, everything is going to be huge. You learn a whole other form of acting for it. You’ve played quite a few mobsters, criminals and tough guys over the years. What are some roles you would like to try your hand at in the future?

Actor Sean Dillingham lives in Arizona while his acting takes him on many travels By Jeff Kronenfeld; photos courtesy of Sean Dillingham

ven if you don’t recognize the name Sean Dillingham, you’ve probably seen him on TV shows, films, and commercials. Whether he’s portraying a gangster, doctor or even wrestler, he brings a lifetime of experience as an actor and funnyman. Not only has he starred on screen with the likes of Kevin Costner, Andy Samberg and Bob Odenkirk, he’s also done improv with The Second City, The Groundlings and I.O. West. He often treks to California or New Mexico for roles, but he calls Phoenix, Arizona home. Dillingham has appeared in shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Better Call Saul,

DECEMBER 2019

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Yellowstone and many more. His film credits include On the Road, Atomic Shark, and Krampus Unleashed, to name just a few. One of his most recent films, The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre, is being shopped around at the Cannes Film Festival in France. The much buzzed about horror comedy seems poised to bring even more attention to Dillingham, who portrays an extremely well-hung old wrestler. We caught up with this veteran actor, discussing his recent projects and evens sharing some behind-the-scenes stories.

I always play a mobster or cop because I can give a great dirty look. I can cut my eyes at somebody and it’s literally like daggers. As far as roles, there’s nothing that I can think of in particular. I would like to do types of films. I think a World War II movie like Saving Private Ryan would be fun. To do a sea or boating film too, like The Perfect Storm or Jaws where you’re one of those Robert Shaw type of characters. I’d love to be a pirate for a Pirates of the Caribbean type of thing. You have any funny or horrible behind-thescenes stories you can share? Maybe I’ve been lucky because usually these things I get cast on, I don’t watch. I was in the make-up trailer for This Is Us and the whole time was talking to Milo, the lead, having no idea who the hell he was. Then, we got on set and everybody’s like, ‘oh, that’s Milo.’ I was like, ‘oh, that’s the guy I was just bullshitting with in the trailer.’ I’ve never really dealt with anybody who was like, ‘okay everyone, the star is here!’ When I did Yellowstone, man, what a long day that was. That was a 16-hour shoot day. You’re probably thinking, ‘oh poor baby, you had to act for 16 hours,’ but the sheer boredom of standing around can be crippling. You get on set at 11:00 in the morning and ENTERTAINMENT

next thing you know it’s 3:00 in the morning. You’re like, ‘fuck, you don’t have the shot yet?’ But, the guy that wrote it was also directing. His name is Taylor Sheridan. He wrote Hell or High Water and Sicario. They call him the new John Ford because he’s phenomenal. He was like, ‘we ain’t leaving until we got it.’ I can appreciate that. Tell me about the movie The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre and your role as Big Wang? First of all, that is the greatest name ever on my resume. I don’t want to give too much away, but the Manson Brothers is about wrestlers that are in the twilight of their career. They’re wrestling on a lower level, still trying to make money off their names. Some human growth hormone is accidentally introduced into the mix. There’s a reaction and zombies come about. I play one of the wrestlers named Big Wang. My character is pivotal in the emergence of the zombies. I’m not saying this because I have a small part in this film, but I really think it has the possibility of becoming a classic. With names like Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, and DB Sweeney, it’s exciting. I think they knew that because they took a sales trailer to the Cannes Film Festival and started already selling the worldwide rights to it. I think they know. I’ve asked the director how’s it looking and he’s like, ‘dude, it looks sick and you are funny as hell in it.’ I said, ‘I can’t wait to see that that transformation scene. I hope it comes out as good as it felt.’ I’d love it to be a classic transformation like American Werewolf in London. All he said to me was, ‘dude, you’re going to shit.’

When and where can we see it? I’m not sure. I think it might play in theaters, but they’re going where the money is. It could be out by March though. Why do you choose to live in Phoenix? Two things. Number one is the

weather. It’s pretty nice to go outside and the weather is at least consistent. I’ve lived in places like California where one day it’s hot and the next day there’s four inches of rain and the day after that it’s foggy or windy or the air is filled with smoke from fires. Say what you want, but Arizona’s pretty consistent. The only thing we really have to worry about the weather is the heat. Well, we have air conditioning, so put the windows up and quit complaining. Number two, L.A. is a town of movie stars. Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks live there. Those are the A-list actors. Then there’s B-list, C-list and D-list. You know what I’m going to be if I move to L.A.? Number 300 in line. I go when the work calls. I have five agents across the southwest and I do a lot of hustling myself on the side. Arizona is centrally located. I’m seven hours from wherever I need to be. What do I need to live in that cesspool for and have a 900-square foot home? Come on.

Courtesy of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. ENTERTAINMENT

Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

RECORDINGS

or the Giving issue, we give you three records that are new and either made by an icon or an icon-in-training. Each has some great moments, and there is some room for at least one to grow, but there is still a little something here for everyone. Enjoy the holiday season friends … we have a lot of music to talk about in the new year. Send suggestions to tom@echomag.com.

By Tom Reardon

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen Nick Cave’s metamorphosis into becoming John Cale is almost complete. Before you go all, “Hey, wait, blasphemy!” just remember that without John Cale, there would probably be a vastly different Nick Cave and I love John Cale as much as any Welshman (or in my case, a Welshman) can love another Welshman so it’s a compliment. Since we’re at the 20th anniversary of the concert Cave did with Cale and the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde where they covered a bunch of Velvet Underground songs (YouTube it, brothers and sisters), it’s fitting to make the comparison. Of course, Cave’s body of work is enough to make a grown man weep and a young man swoon, but Ghosteen is a thing of beauty. “Everyone has a heart and it’s calling for something” is one of my favorite lines of any song from 2019. This line from “Bright Horses” sort of sums up the entirety of Ghosteen. If you’re heart is longing for something, and many of ours are, this is a record you can curl up with and feel okay about the longing. In fact, it’s kind of the perfect record for what passes as winter around here in Phoenix. It’s a little grey, at times, but often warm and full of the type of musical storytelling Cave fans love to sink into on a cloudy day. I honestly can’t pick a favorite song here, so listen to them all and thank me later.

King Princess – Cheap Queen What a lovely record. As the kids say, Cheap Queen is “super chill” and I must imagine that 64

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somewhere Prince is proud. It’s not overt, but this record oozes the influence of the Purple One. It also would make the perfect soundtrack to a Ryan Murphy show that wasn’t necessarily scary but was maybe about a young lady who was ready to take over the world slowly punishing those who wronged her all the while taking care of the people she loved like a champ. That’s a lot to take in, sure, but Cheap Queen is a lot to take in even when it goes down so easy. King Princess herself has such a beautifully sultry yet sweet, innocent yet sex kitten-y voice that you can easily forget she is also an amazing songwriter. There is not a weak moment on this record although the room for growth for King Princess is a trifle overwhelming. I think this young lady is only scratching the surface. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and the like — bow down, bitches, there is a new sheriff in town. She’s hot, she’s queer, and there is nothing to fear except that we’ll have to wait awhile for her next record. The bow she ties with the last song (“If You Think It’s Love”) on Cheap Queen is fucking sublime. Did I say this record is lovely? Fuck me. This record is amazing.

Jeff Goldbum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra – I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This There is an urge here to talk about what it would be like to spend an evening sitting on the piano bench next to Jeff Goldblum as he plays piano jazz with his band, which is appropriately named The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. I’m not sure I could adequately describe what a heady experience that would

be, but I can only say that Goldblum is a kind of God and to be in his presence would be riveting, to say the least, and probably a thorough education in what it means to be odd and delightful, all at the same time. I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This is a fun record and Goldblum’s band is made up of some quality players. I particularly dig the bass riffs by Alex Frank and Joe Bagg’s organ work (get your mind out of the gutter) is super groovy and upbeat. Most of the guest vocals, there are several, are nice, as well, although Miley Cyrus almost singlehandedly destroys the record with her take on “The Thrill Is Gone” right smack dab in the middle. Yuck. What were you thinking, Jeff? Bury that dreck next time. Luckily, Fiona Apple’s vocals on “Don’t Worry About Me” just wash away the bad taste of Cyrus a couple songs later. The instrumentals are pretty darn swingin’ and nice, though, and a perfect backdrop for your next cocktail party or day of light dusting and furniture polishing. Goldblum does sing the last song, “Little Man, You’ve Had A Busy Day” and as you would guess, it’s Goldbum-azing! Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. ENTERTAINMENT

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DECEMBER 2019

BETWEEN THE COVERS

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

obody said it would be easy.

You have your eyes set on something but doing it will take time, sacrifice, and effort. You’ll get things right, but you’ll also get in your own way before you get to where you want to be and if you don’t believe that, then read Me by Elton John. On and off through most of his life, Elton John had a tumultuous relationship with his mother. She was sometimes angry, sometimes abusive, rarely loving, but she did one important thing for him: she introduced him to Elvis Presley music. Though John says he’d wanted to be a musician since he was very small, the 78 RPM his “mum” brought home opened a window for a huge record collection, a passion for seeing live music, and a dream of playing in a band onstage. Soon, he was gigging with regional bands and accidentally meeting people who would help his career. At 19, he was still a virgin, still naïve about being gay, and rather blithe about his natural ability to write music. That was okay, though; he’d met Bernie Taupin, who wrote lyrics over breakfast and together, they’d pen hits by lunchtime. At 22, John had fallen in love with a man, was no longer a virgin, and “things [professionally] were starting to move, very gradually.” Just one year later, he performed for the first time in America. Through his early career, stardom gave John a delightful platter of surprises and he seized most everything that came his way: singers he admired praised him, famous people he’d watched wanted to meet him. He later hobnobbed with royalty, both the music kind and the Buckingham Palace kind. He fell in love, married, divorced, and fell into an obsession over something that made his

Me by Elton John c.2019, Henry Holt $30.00 / $38.50 Canada / 375 pages

There is a certain aura surrounding the first third of Me, and it’ll charm the socks off you: author Elton John writes about his childhood, quickly, before he leaps into the bits about his early career with a sense of wide-eyed awe at what life had just handed him. If he’d said, “Gee whiz!” even once, you’d understand.

book shows that in the voice readers see. Here — in the stories of parties, recording sessions, and industry goings-on — the tale starts to slip into that which plagues so many star biographies: name-dropping and seemingly unnecessary sameness. It would mar the book, were it not for the sense of droll humor that John continues to pack around his anecdotes.

Alas, after the kid-in-a-candy-store naiveté evaporates and his career takes off, John’s account of his young-manhood seems jaded; he says he was “exhausted” by constant work and pressures, and the second third of his

By the final third of this book, we get a settled John who’s clean, happier, less frenetic but still funny. Here’s where readers reach what is likely familiar, as though we’ve read this book before. But, of course, you

life so, so much harder.

Author Augusten Burroughs. Photo credit: AXB 66

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ECHOMAG.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

haven’t because Me is John’s first and only autobiography and enjoying it is easy.

alloween is over this year, but not for you.

Your decorations are still up because the season is young. There’s plenty of time left for skeletons, monsters, and wind that howls like a banshee. You can still hear spirits high-stepping in your upstairs. Most important of all: as in the new book, Toil & Trouble by Augusten Burroughs, witches walk among us. At just eight years old, Augusten Burroughs learned that he was a witch. Riding the bus home from school, he’d had the sudden realization that something happened to his grandmother; he knew without knowing, saw without seeing, and he rushed to his mother in a panic. Matter-offactly, she calmed him; she was a witch, too, and had sensed that her younger son had “the gift,” “It was the strongest bond my mother and I had when I was young,” Burroughs says. Most people think of Hollywood magic or crones on brooms when they think of witches but those are just myths, he says. The truth comes in three parts: witches have existed for as long as have humans. They’ve “always been misunderstood.” And yes, “witches are real,” and each is a little different, as Burroughs learned when his Aunt Curtis (a witch) introduced him to a root woman (another witch) who told him something about his future. Witchcraft isn’t perfect, though. It didn’t help much while Burroughs was bullied as a boy. Sometimes, spells took longer to work than he hoped they might. It isn’t for revenge or hurtful purposes, although there is a way to influence how things turn out and patience is key. “Magick” worked when he wanted to move from Manhattan to his beloved New England; it didn’t work when he wanted to talk to a friend on the phone. It warned him of a possibly-bad situation near his new home, but there were no details. It helps find lost objects, but not lost confidence. And when his magick went missing as his husband fell seriously ill, Burroughs learned that “Things are not as they appear. They are much, much more.” When starting Toil & Trouble, you could be forgiven for thinking that author Augusten Burroughs is pulling your leg. He does, after all, write with humor and this witch stuff is conjured, right? Isn’t it? After a few more pages, it won’t matter. You’ll be so engrossed by this tale of the magick of life and so caught up in the stories Burroughs tells, that witchcraft really becomes no big deal, no less normal than blue eyes or brown hair. And while it’s the main reason for this book and everything attached to it, it’s more of a magically delightful, meaningful backdrop for tales of

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family, growing up gay, falling in love with a man, finding home, and forgiving. Toil & Trouble is not a dark-and-stormy-night kind of book, and it won’t make you jumpy. There are, however, a few hair-raising pages that’ll make you squirm but mostly, it’s funny and sweet and charming, a cauldron full of goodness. Give the gift of books. Here are a few LGBTQ-themed options: First, we have She He They Me by Robyn Ryle this year. It’s a book that acts a bit like those old “chooseyourown-adventure” as it examines and explains gender, its definitions, and the way it’s been perceived historically. Hint: this is fun, and it’s who’s questioning. If your giftee is exploring the ideas and limits of gender, you can’t go wrong by wrapping up Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender Toil & Trouble by Augusten Burroughs and Identity, edited by c.2019, St. Martin’s Press $27.99 / $34.99 Canada 320 pages Micah Rajunov and Scott Duane. This is a book filled For the parent of someone who’s come with tales of those who’ve examined (or are out this year, consider giving Embracing the examining) questions of gender, sexuality, Journey by Greg and Lynn McDonald, with age, and race. Beth Jusino, foreword by Greg McDonald For the child with two Mommies or two Daddies, and for the kids in that child’s preschool session, The GayBCs by M.L. Webb will make a great class gift. It’s the A-B-Cs, but with terms familiar to the LGBTQ community and their families, so it’s for them, too. Or it might make a great gift for the adult who still possesses the wonder of a child. Or for an adult, just because.

For the newlywed (or the about-to-bewed), The Gay Marriage Generation by Peter Hart-Brinson is the book to give. It looks at how same-sex marriage became law across the country, and how it changed the way America looks at gay men and lesbians. The gay giftee might also like Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives by Walt Odets in that same wrapped gift. The person on your list who enjoys reading short stories will love Every True Pleasure: LGBTQ Tales of North Carolina, edited by Wilton Barnhardt. It’s absolutely filled with tales from the South and from the heart.

Jr. It’s a guide, really, for Christian parents who learn that their child is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and how it fits with your spiritual beliefs.

The movie buff on your list will love reading Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films by Arthur Dong. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Chinese and Chinese American actors from the first films shot in Chinatown, to modern times and contemporary film professionals. For the giftee who is searching for new meaning in life, wrap up My Buddha is Pink: Buddhism for the Modern Homosexual by Richard Harrold. It’s a book of essays being a gay Buddhist and reconciling old beliefs with a new way of mindfulness and fulfillment in a new lifestyle. Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm, lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 13,000 books. She’s been reading since age 3 and, to this day, she never goes anywhere without a book. ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

TALKING BODIES

3. Changing programs too often Patience is the number one thing that most people are missing when it comes to seeing results in fitness. They want it now, and they want it easily … but of course, if it were easy, everyone would be walking around with six pack abs and rippling bicep muscles. Remember the mastery principle: it takes 10,000 hours to ascend to mastery level of any skill — that’s years or decades in most cases.

Small changes for big results: efficiency is key By Tia Norris

ave you been exercising for several months or years, but haven’t seen the results you feel you deserve? Do you feel like you put in your time in the gym (or in the pool, on the pavement, or in your sport otherwise), but your goals still feel far out of reach? If you answered yes to these questions, this article is for you. I find that often, people are doing one or two of the big things correctly but are doing many of the small things incorrectly. Having those small leaks in the hull will sink a fitness battleship entirely. Here are four seemingly small, but ultimately critical, corrections you can make to increase your efficiency with your fitness program. 1. No goals, no definite direction This is a mandatory step one, and it’s devastating how many people fail to set goals. Read this carefully: it’s not enough to simply show up and do the time at the gym. Your fitness program is like a symphony, made of several different instruments and timings and complex rhythms all working in concert; you need to be sure that all of your efforts are synergizing together, instead of un-doing each other. People make the grave mistake of trying to do everything all at once, in the same program. All of the following programs are largely incompatible, and you can only work on really one or maybe two, if you’re experienced and smart, at a time: strength, building muscle, losing body fat, rehabbing an injury, and increasing endurance. Choose carefully, and wisely, and then: tailor your reps, sets, rest, tempo, splits, exercise

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

selection, exercise sequence, and all other variables in your single program accordingly. 2. Time management: before, during, and after workouts Time is everything. Before your workouts: take at least five minutes, or ideally more if possible, to get your mind right. Take time to disconnect from the stress of your day, and to then connect into your fitness. Review your goals, why they’re important to you, and what you need to do today to get closer to those goals. This “centering” effect can help your physical performance immensely. During your workouts: don’t waste time, slacker! Get off your phone, stop chitchatting, and watch the clock. Most people don’t need to be resting for more than a minute or two in the gym, but it’s tragically rare for me to actually see someone adhering to that critical rest window. Get serious about your rest periods, it’s one of the most powerful manipulations you can make to your lifting program. Stay focused. After your workouts: consider making time to de-compress after workouts, both mentally and physically. Most people are so time-crunched that they sprint out of the door when their workout is complete, without any time to reflect on successes, failures, or appreciation for what they just did. They are missing some crucial mental and emotional opportunities for closure and progress moving forward. Additionally, spending 5-20 minutes after a workout stretching, rolling, and doing other self-care could be a game-changer in your mobility routine. Manage your time and watch your physical performance skyrocket.

Pick your goals and pursuits carefully. Remove your ego (ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black?) and ensure that you’re deeply in touch with your motivations and passions before you dive headfirst in the deep end of any new sport. Once you’ve picked your horse, I’d recommend riding that one single horse for a long, long, time. Do you want to build muscle, build strength, or run a marathon? Train that for 6-12 months. Do you want to reduce body fat and be more comfortable in a bathing suit? Train that for a few years, cycling between building muscle/ cutting fat several times to figure out what your body needs. Remember, it takes time to see results and to find your unique formula for each phase. Patience is a virtue. 4. Not mastering the basics and the technique Along the same lines, don’t overlook the importance of the basics. Elite athletes in every sport have all paid their dues and have drilled deeply into the basics. Spend considerable time, both in the beginning and regularly throughout your intermediate and advanced level trainings, on basic techniques. The technical athlete will avoid injury, forge a sharper precision of movements and muscles involved, and will ultimately rise further in their sport with a more masterful understanding how, when, and how quickly to move. Some examples of basics in the gym that are worth your time: a grip of steel, strong wrist mechanics, serious understanding of lats and glutes, ability to control footwork (toes pointed in the right direction, heels grounded, no supination/pronation), spinal integrity (no rounding, control of chin/neck), bilateral symmetry, basic stretching, and basic foam rolling. All of these should be old hat for any weightlifter that calls themselves more advanced than novice. Guard your goals, time, commitments, and techniques extremely carefully; they’re non-negotiable when it comes to succeeding with fitness. Details matter. Don’t leave your success to chance with these small but widereaching pieces to your program. Tia Norris is the president and head trainer at FitPro, LLC, a local fitness company. Find out more at fitprollc.com. HEALTH & FITNESS

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

your emails arguing your false equivalency, however, as there are but a fraction of these “news” sites compared to the far right. Not to mention there exists a fundamental difference: the far left, for its extremism and penchant for overreacting to almost everything, actually respects reporting, journalism, the Washington D.C.’s Newseum, which features the 45 words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution etched onto its façade, will close at the end of 2019. The freedom of the closure is perhaps symbolic of the attitude toward the press by its neighbor on Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo by Sam Kittner. press, and the goal of getting to the truth. (Again, fight me on this. It’s widely known where I hang out on the weekends to watch football.) By Buddy Early

News is real, Trump is fake

hen the buffoon who currently occupies The White House moves out — whether that’s in January of 2021 or sooner — this nation can start to pick up the pieces.

enough to convince people that something wasn’t true. Then again, I had no idea Morgan Freeman made all those intelligent, poignant comments floating around the Internet next to his photo. But here we are.

There will be a ton of damage to clean up, too much to go into detail here, but we’ll recover … eventually. One of the filthiest legacies Trump will leave is the crap he takes on our basic freedoms, and of particular concern to me is the mud he throws against journalists. If this heavy-handed trash metaphor is not clear enough, what I’m trying to say is Trump is human garbage. Fight me on this!

Trump’s foolish use (and overuse) of the phrase is just another reason why his time in The White House will be remembered like that home invasion in The Prince of Tides that nobody talks about for decades but for which we all need therapy later in life. Still, the true perpetrators of this assault on the media are not the ones shouting “fake news,” but rather the gullible populace that believes it.

The history books are full of presidents who have had difficult relationships with the media. Many have not appreciated the way they were portrayed, sought to restrict access and hide information, tried to manipulate and/or control the press, and even played the victim. (Sound familiar?) But no one, not even Richard Nixon, went as far as Trump goes regularly: vilifying the professionals in the media; threatening to jail and even beat up, as well as inciting violence against reporters; successfully turning his slack-jawed followers against the media and convincing them that the media is evil; and, of course, employing his ”fake news” mantra every time a news story is unfavorable to him. (So, a lot.)

The proliferation of extreme right-wing news sites — Breitbart, Drudge Report, National Review, InfoWars, and about a hundred other propaganda outlets across radio, television and Internet — have given Trump’s disciples an incurable case of Confirmation Bias. These folks believe whatever they read on these inflammatory, poorly-designed websites, because it confirms the bias they already have. They don’t believe facts, and they certainly have no understanding of or appreciation for the institution of journalism. Trump, his followers, and the right-wing media have been stuck in this gross circle jerk for the past three-plus years, and while we can’t stop it, we can certainly stop giving it any attention.

Until 2016, I never knew that simply uttering the phrase “fake news!” was

Yes, I know that Confirmation Bias is a symptom of the far left, too. You can save

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

So, what can we do to help protect the First Amendment until Trump is behind a jail cell or hiding out overseas while his minions have been left behind in that circle jerk rubbing one out to his photo? For starters, we can all call bullshit to anyone who yells “fake news!” (I mean, unless it’s a story from The Onion or such site.) Real news is, well, real and not fake, and people who yell the phrase need to be shamed. We can be stewards of accurate information. That means being careful of the news we are digesting and regurgitating, making sure we are skeptical of stories that may infect us with Confirmation Bias. We can stop sharing memes without considering the source and/or doing our own fact-checking. We can recognize that any time a headline says a talking head has “destroyed” someone else’s argument, it’s not so much news as it is opinion. And when Huffington Post says “The cast of Family Ties no longer looks like this” — don’t fall for it! In this current state of the nation, it’s not enough that journalists keep producing honest, factual news. It’s all of our responsibility to demand it. Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. COMMUNITY

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DECEMBER 2019

HELPING HANDS

rizonans are known for touting “eight months of beautiful weather” while other parts of the country are fighting off freezing temperatures. But those seasonal winter days when a light sweater is all that is required can and usually do turn cold and bitter overnight, especially for those without a roof over their head. The average overnight temperature for Phoenix’s coldest months is in the low 40s, and on many nights, it is not unusual for it to dip into the 30s. Phoenix has a fair amount of resources that offer assistance to its homeless population, but it’s impossible for them to meet all the needs. Enter Dr. Brenda Combs, who for the last two decades has collected blankets each December to distribute to people sleeping on the street. While there is no set goal, she expects to collect over 1,000 blankets throughout each drive. Four years ago, her efforts were helped when The Rock, one of Phoenix’s top show bars, stepped up to involve the LGBTQ community. The culmination of this year’s drive will be Saturday, December 22, during The Barbra Seville Show at The Rock.

Dr. Brenda Combs

“This doesn’t end homelessness, I know that,” said Combs. “This is a band aid, but a band aid can heal.”

Security Blankets: Dr. Brenda Combs aims to provide warmth to Phoenix’s homeless through winter

It’ a much-needed band-aid for Maricopa County’s homeless population, which numbers 25,832, according to the Phoenix Rescue Mission. The need for food and water, hygiene products, shoes, clothes, blankets and other basic items is year-round. Without them, the consequences can be dire. Dr. Combs knows this all too well. Over the course of 10 years on the streets of Phoenix Brenda Combs was stabbed, raped, beat up and hit buy a car. She overdosed on drugs more than once and attempted suicide. Her residence throughout most of those years was the 7th Avenue bridge south of downtown Phoenix. It provided her shelter from the sun, rain, and wind. After a while the location became a comfort to her, but not safe — for a homeless, black, female crack addict, nowhere on the street is ever safe. Don’t assume to know Combs’ story and how she ended up in these circumstances. She grew up in a middle-class family, raised by parents with strong values and no vices; substance abuse wasn’t engendered in her. The short version of her descent into a nightmarish existence is that she fell in with the wrong crowd while attending Northern Arizona University. The longer version includes years of incredibly low self-esteem, fueled by episodes of bullying by peers and adults, which led to her choosing a path of destruction for herself. “That bullying took away my confidence,” Combs stated matter-of-factly. “I didn’t feel good about myself. I didn’t love myself.” With no confidence and no self-love, it wasn’t long after her introduction to the NAU

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

COMMUNITY

party scene that she graduated to cocaine and crack. “Before I knew it, I was a full-fledged drug addict and I found myself homeless,” said Combs, who lived in her car until she was forced to sell it. “I made my way to Phoenix and found myself in the park with 1,500 other homeless people.” From there she endured a decade of a harrowing life on the streets. It took only one circumstance on a scorching summer day to prompt Combs to seek a change. “I woke up in an alley behind a dope house,” she revealed, “and someone had stolen my shoes.” Shoes were important to people like Combs. “As a homeless woman, you could run, get to shelter, go to a soup kitchen. … Without shoes, in Phoenix, during the summer, you’re a victim.” Combs figured that would be the day she died. Miraculously, she made it a half-mile away to the park, but with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her bleeding, blistering feet. “When I got the park that day I literally fell to my knees and begged God.” She knew what she needed to do. Combs immediately turned herself in for outstanding warrants, after which her probation officer inexplicably took pity on her. “She believed in me even though I didn’t believe in myself. I went into my 13th program … but this time I had a change of heart and a change of mind.” A year after entering that rehabilitation program Combs returned to the 7th Avenue bridge. She found “Pops,” a man she had

come to know as family. She helped him with shoes, food, and hygiene products. That’s when her role as homeless advocate took off. Other homeless people spotted her and started asking for help. She started her foundation, called Finding My Shoes, and every two weeks she would take her retail paycheck to dollar stores and Goodwill, then make deliveries to places she knew she’d find homeless folks.

and had a son, adopted three other children (from Chicago, Ethiopia, and Eritrea), and became an in-demand public speaker.

Combs went back to school, earning first a Bachelor’s in Human Services, then a Master’s in Special Education and finally a Doctorate. She did this while working multiple jobs, including as a server at “Gay Denny’s,” where she would become acquainted with Phoenix’s LGBTQ community. She bought her first home (which she eventually turned into a sober living home for women), wrote a book, got married

“It was so freaking inspirational,” he said. “I wanted her to know she was ‘heard’ by me, so I asked her if (The Rock and The Barbra Seville Show) could do a blanket drive to support her efforts.”

She still collects shoes and blankets for the homeless. Richard Stevens, also known as Barbra Seville, had been acquainted with Combs for several years before learning about the annual blanket drive.

Combs was taken aback when she got a message from Stevens in her inbox. “The fact that she reached out to me … I was honored,” said Combs, acknowledging she had been going to drag shows in Phoenix for years with her girlfriends. “As women we feel safe and always have a good time. It’s always a good show.” Combs said the involvement of the folks at the Rock has sparked an interest in her foundation and efforts by other members of the community. “This is the fourth year we will participate,” added Stevens. “It’s a tradition now. People ask me when we’re doing it.” For information on this year’s blanket drive, including locations for drop-off, visit brendacombs.com. The culmination of this year’s drive will take place on Dec. 22 at The Rock, 4129 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, during The Barbra Seville Show. Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine.

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DECEMBER 2019

PHOENIX BARS 18

21 4 24

15 9

14 25

5th

32nd St.

23 19 2

e. Av

1 13 22

11 3

10 *MAP IS NOT DRAWN TO SCALE

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

ANVIL

2424 E. Thomas Road

602-334-1462

M, D, L

BAR 1

3702 N. Sixteenth St.

602-266-9001

M, E, N

BLISS/ReBAR

901 N. Fourth St.

602-795-1792

MF, N, R

BOYCOTT BAR

4301 N. Seventh Ave.

602-515-3667

MF, D, E

BS WEST

7125 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale

480-945-9028

MF, D, E

BUNKHOUSE

4428 N. Seventh Ave.

602-200-9154

M, L, N

CARAVAN TAP ROOM

4835 N. Fifteenth Ave.

602-592-9386

MF, E, N

CHARLIE’S

727 W. Camelback Road

602-265-0224

M, E, D

11 9

CRUISIN’ 7TH

3702 N. Seventh St.

602-212-9888

M, E, N

2 10

DICK’S CABARET

3432 E. Illini St.

602-274-3425

11 13

FEZ

105 W. Portland St.

602-287-8700

MF, R

12 14

FLEX SPAS PHOENIX

1517 S. Black Canyon Highway

602-271-9011

M, A

15 13

KARAMBA NIGHTCLUB

1724 E. McDowell Road

602-254-0231

D, E

14 16

KOBALT

3110 N. Central Ave., Ste. 175

602-264-5307

MF, E, N

17 15

LOS DIABLOS

1028 E. Indian School Road

602-795-7881

MF, N, R

16 18

NU TOWNE SALOON

5002 E. Van Buren St.

602-267-9959

M, L, N

17 19

OFF CHUTE TOO

4115 N. Seventh Ave.

602-274-1429

MF, A

20 18

OZ BAR

1804 W. Bethany Home Road

602-242-5114

MF, N

21 19

PLAZMA

1560 E. Osborn Road

602-266-0477

MF, E, N

22 20

ROYAL VILLA INN

4312 N. Twelfth St.

602-266-6883

M, A

23 21

STACY’S @ MELROSE

4343 N. Seventh Ave.

602-264-1700

MF, D, N

24 22

THE CASH NIGHTCLUB AND LOUNGE

1730 E. McDowell Road

(602) 244-9943

F, D, N

25 23

THE CHUTE

1440 E. Indian School Road

602-234-1654

M, A

27 24

THE ROCK

4129 N. Seventh Ave.

602-248-8559

MF, E, N

25 28

2601 ON CENTRAL

2601 N. Central Ave.

602-466-2074

MF, E, R

MAP CODES: M F MF

Mostly Males Mostly Females Mixed Male/Female

A Adult Retail & Accomodations D Dance Club E Entertainment (Karaoke, Drag)

L N R

Leather/Bears Neighborhood Bar Restaurant

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

BAR SPECIALS

Desperado Film Festival

Oct. 11 at Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

BUNKHOUSE S HH and $1 Drafts all day. Indian Fry Bread M T W T F S

with Joe Jackson Thames 12 p.m. - 9 p.m., Live Jazz with Kenny Thames 7:30 - 10 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Pool tournament 9 p.m. 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Karaoke 9 p.m.-close 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Underwear/Gear night $1 off drinks if in gear or underwear 8-close, WMW dancers 10-12 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. $2.50 Miller 8- close 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., $2.50 Bud 8 - close

CHARLIE’S S Super HH 4 - 7 p.m., $3 pitchers; $3 Long

Islands open - close

M 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles,

T W

T F

$3 pitchers; 8 p.m.-close, 1/2 off drinks for wearing underwear, $3 Jack Daniels 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 cocktails & beer 8 p.m - close 2 -8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; $3 Three Olives vodka, 8 p.m. close 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 drinks open - close 2 - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics, $3 pitchers; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $1 drafts 10 p.m. - midnight Noon - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $3 Absolut & Bacardi 10 p.m. - midnight

STACY’S @ MELROSE S $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells, open - 7 p.m.;

M T W T F

Showtime 7 - 10 p.m.; $1 Rolling Rock & Wells; $2.50 Bud Light; $3 Fireball shots 7 p.m. - Close; Happy Hours 10 p.m. - close Happy Hours; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day Happy Hours; $5 Martinis & $2.50 Rolling Rock all day 2-4-1 all day*; *no shots Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells 8 p.m. - midnight Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m. - close Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m. - close DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos OUT & ABOUT

Fine Chinese Cuisine Wine ď ś Cocktails Holiday Hours: THANKSGIVING DAY Closed CHRISTMAS Eve and Day - 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. NEW YEARS Eve and Day - 11 a.m. - 9p.m. 602.266.4463 | 302 E. Flower St. www.chinachilirestaurant.com ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

Southwest Leather Daddy Bear, Mama Bear & Cub Contest Nov. 9 at Nu Towne Saloon, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos.

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

Call Jeffrey today to find out about his personal approach to limiting your tax burden. If you owe the IRS or have unfilled tax returns I am authorized by the US Treasury to help you negotiate a settlement option you can afford, sometimes for less than you owe. Have you been charged a penalty? Let me see If I can eliminate it, and have the money refunded to you.

ECHOMAG.COM

DECEMBER 2019

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Please support our advertisers who help keep Echo free

ACCOUNTANTS/ TAX PREPARATION Bridge Tax Resolution Jeﬀrey J. Quatrone, PLLC Robert F. Hockensmith, CPA, PC Steve Price, CPA

61 81 75 74

MARKETING LGBTQ.one

Arizona Broadway Theatre Arizona Theatre Company Census Festival of Trees ONE Community Block Party for Equality Ugly Sweater Happy Hour with the Ambassadors Board

15 43, 61 49 25

Flex Spas The Chute

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Fred Delgado Team, Keller Williams

Matthew Hoedt, Realty One

Nicholas Yale, Brokers Hub Realty

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East & West Apartments

ASSISTED LIVING

Exposed Studio & Gallery Shaneland Arts

48 61

HOME SERVICES

Bridgewater Assisted Living

ATTORNEYS Jackson White Attorneys At Law Joan Bundy Law Phillips Law Group

55 35 13

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AUTO DEALERS Inﬁniti on Camelback

INSURANCE

Beneﬁts Arizona Edward Vasquez, Allstate Health Markets Insurance

AUTO SERVICES Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair

BARS & CLUBS Bunkhouse Charlie’s Phoenix Stacy’s @ Melrose

77 9 69, 76 - 77

71 71 74 75

HOSPICE Hospice of the Valley

Encanto Family Dental Care My Dentist Open Wide Dental

35 65 4

EDUCATION Maricopa County Community College District

EVENTS

65 3 27, 47

China Chili

Hula’s Modern Tiki

RETAIL Camelback Antiques

Oﬀ Chute Too

Calvin Goetz, Strategy Financial Group

Jeremy Schachter, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. 3

WELLNESS American Regenerative Medicine

CVS specialty Pharmacy Fairmont Pharmacy

65 81

Ms. Parris Spititual Healer & Advisor 74

Arizona Gay Realtors Alliance

Aunt Rita’s Foundation CAN Community Health FitPro, LLC

PHARMACIES

HIVAZ.org - Reister

DECEMBER 2019

ECHOMAG.COM

5 83 10-11 74 2, 41

Kneads Massage Therapy

Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS

Stonewall Institute

Swampt Waxing Services

Terros - Turning the Tide

Willo Medi Spa

To find out more about advertising in Echo, call 602-266-0550 82

SALONS Salon 24

REALTORS

AIDS Walk

Brunch Café

RETIREMENT PLANNING

PSYCHIC 71

RESTAURANTS

MORTGAGES

Pet Pals

PET SERVICES

DENTISTS

RELIGIOUS GROUPS Community Church of Hope

GALLERIES APARTMENTS

David Oesterle, ReMax

FINANCIAL SERVICES JW Advisors Inc. MariSol Federal Credit Union

Bobbi Ryals, HomeSmart

Bradley B. Brauer, HomeSmart

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

Berney Streed, Re/Max Excalibur

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