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Alvin ty law
Founder, Hawai‘i Gay Flag Football League
10
april 2014
Volume 5 Issue 9
4 film
President
Jade Le
Connie M. Florez: Producer and Filmmaker, The Glades Project
6 music
Advertising & Marketing
Isaac Moreno: Songs For Himself
William Fernandez: (ph) 808-281-4084
Production
Kamele Eskaran Linda Giang
15 relationships
video & multi-media
Ana Medina Brittney Nitta-Lee Tina Ludewig
Primal Instincts: When To Pop the Question
16 style
Contributing Writers
Chris Azzopardi Flavia Francesquini Jose Santamaria Mickey Weems
Define Your Style
Copy Editor Mickey Weems
Legal & Research
Glenn Honda, Esq.
18 lifestyle
Public relations
Intern
Ana Medina Kamele Eskaran Kimo Orlando PJ Delanoza Tiffany Sabado Dayna Kalakau
Janet Jackson’s Makeup Artist: Preston Meneses
21 entertainment
Heart Spoken: Lea Michele Talks Lesbian Role and Being Called a Diva
Jeremy Divinagracia
24 Anti-Gay
The New Cold War
www.eXpression808.com to subscribe and have our current issue mailed to you Entire contents copyrighted 2008–2014 eXpression! Magazine is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. eXpression! Magazine is published monthly in Hawai‘i and welcomes manuscripts, original works and various forms of expression for publication. eXpression! Magazine reserves publication rights to submitted materials. eXpression! Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials unless otherwise pre-agreed in writing. eXpression! Magazine does not take any financial or libel obligation to the content of its columnists. All materials submitted are consent to be original. All views and opinions are those of the writer and bear no implications on the opinions of eXpression! Magazine. Registered trademarks used within are hereby acknowledged, images and contents released and permitted. No implication regarding sexual orientation or preference is made in connection with any person, contributor, and or advertiser appearing in this publication.
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and the true meaning of aloha
Kumu Hina was there for us in the historic battle for marriage equality in Hawai‘i. Let’s be there to show our support for her on April 10! hiff spring showcase
Closing Night Film
7PM THURSDAY | APRIL 10, 2014 ADVISOR
HAWAI‘I THEATre
1130 BETHEL ST. HONOLULU
tickets & more info:
HIFF.ORG
(808)447-0577
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY DEAN HAMER AND JOE WILSON ORIGINAL SCORE MAKANA EDITOR NELS BANGERTER ANIMATION JARED GREENLEAF LEONELLE AKANA CO-PRODUCER CONNIE M FLOREZ PRODUCED BY QWAVES AND ITVS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN COMMUNICATIONS FEATURING HINALEIMOANA WONG-KALU AND HAEMACCELO KALU AND INTRODUCING HO‘ONANI KAMAI
FACEBOOK.COM/KUMUHINA
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M u r d e r ,
R a p e ,
V i o l e n c e
a n d
M a h u s
f ilm
Connie M. Florez, film producer of The Glades Project by Mickey Weems
photos JTL
Knock, knock Who’s there? Me-ma. Me-ma who? Really, you mahu! This joke has been around for over 50 years, and kids still tell it today. Documentary filmmaker Connie M. Florez sees the joke as a riddle that unlocks the past: “Recovering the stories and realizing why the knock-knock joke about mahus when I was eight years old was so memorable – it all goes back to The Glade Show Lounge... all of it.” Before the Stonewall uprising, people in Hawai‘i had one local term that encompassed what we call “LGBT.” Effeminate men, masculine women and people with same-sex attraction were (and still are) called “mahu,” a Hawaiian word referring to men who behaved like women. Transwomen were the baseline identity for the label: Calling somebody a mahu meant that person was Chinatown gutter trash. It was typical to hear about the “mahus on Hotel Street,” specifically referring to the working girls whose identities were the source of jokes and insults. There was one place that was their refuge: The Glade Show Lounge, also known as The Glades. After years of research for her documentary The Glades Project, Florez has uncovered lost fragments of LGBT history, including details about a 1963 law requiring transwomen to identify themselves as male by wearing a button. What drew you to The Glades Project? Elders in our Hawai‘i community from that era kept telling me about the nightclub and what it was like in the ‘60s. I remember being scared to go into the club during the late ‘70s and ‘80-‘81s. Never went in, but I knew what kind of club it was. So I began researching the era but nothing, absolutely nothing was written about the ‘60s. I began my research from scratch. What one thing really stood out for you? The “I AM A BOY” button and how these girls were treated by the police and vice squad.
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film
Officers would take photos of the girls and save them like trophies above their desks. Mahus were hosed down like dogs, wigs ripped off their heads, stripped down, all for being mahu and not wearing a badge.
More information on The Glades Project: /pages/TheGlades-Project/ 260441370743234
Tell us about the “I AM A BOY” buttons and the reason for the law. There was a tragic murder of a girl near River Street. She left with a military man. Apparently the military men would be shocked, or act shocked, that they were with a man. Many mahus were seamless as women during the night scene. But that seamlessness could get them hurt, especially when they revealed themselves as mahu after giving a blowjob. Yes. This young girl was found dead near the end of River Street. The murderers cut her open and put rocks inside her body to weigh her down into the water. They also carved a message on her, saying, “I am a man.” The girl was a relative of a local state representative. He passed a bill to protect our mahus from this happening again. And this bill became the “Button Law.” It didn’t start out as a button. A judge stated that the girls identify themselves with a 3x5 card or placard that said, “I AM A BOY” or “I AM A MAN,” this would eliminate the error in judgment
by military and tourists. Well, the Glade Show Lounge owners had an idea to make a button and even a theme out of it. And if you were a fully feminine mahu on the street... If you didn’t have that label to identify yourself, it was called “intent to deceive.” You were arrested on the spot and harassed by police non-stop. For 10 years, a patty wagon went around picking up mahus. I can’t even count how much violence, how many murders, rapes, beatings these girls went through.
“The murderers cut her open and put rocks inside her body to weigh her down into the water. They also carved a message on her, saying, ‘I am a man.’” Who took care of the girls when they were on the street? The butchies [lesbians or transmen]. The girls didn’t have pimps - you had the butchies take care of the mahus that worked the streets. The relationships were strong. Did butchies have to wear a “I AM A BOY” button? No.
The “I AM A BOY” law was repealed in 1973. But mahus continued to be treated poorly. When Isadora Sei, also known as Lindsey Lau, heard that one of her girls was not allowed to go to secretarial school, she put on her best gown and went down to Honolulu Community College to sign up. They said she was not allowed. Isadora said she was a taxpaying citizen and has all the same rights as anyone else in Hawai‘i. Then she said she would have her lawyer contact them immediately. The next day, they provided her with an application. Many more mahus started going to school. Today, many of these girls have retired from good jobs in administrative work at Kaiser hospital, Goodwill Industries, real estate and later with Masters degrees and PhDs. ‘Til this day, Isadora says it was the right thing to do.
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music
by Mickey Weems photos JTL
He grew up loving music. But the songs Isaac Moreno heard in his youth did not speak to his experiences, so he wrote ones that reflected his young life on O‘ahu and Moloka‘i. Now he sings his truths every
Wednesday at Hula’s. Each topic is prefaced with a theme reflected in lyrics he wrote, threads woven into his performances today that link him to his past.
Singing In the Closet So I try to be, try to be everything that I’m not so I can be with you. — “Be With You” In first grade, I had a crush on a boy named Matt. I drew a heart around his picture in my yearbook. I also have a journal entry from 1995 describing how I went to the UH Rainbow Baseball Stadium and thought that “Franz was kind of handsome.” I never thought anything was wrong with having those feelings until I grew older and learned that being with another man was not God’s way. Music helped me feel normal. I loved all types of music but didn’t hear my story being told. After learning the guitar, I began writing my own music.
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The first song I wrote is called “Be With You.” I recorded all my songs on this crappy Olympus recorder I picked up from Radio Shack for twenty dollars. I listened to “Be With You” over and over and over - it felt like someone else was singing it to me. It felt like someone else knew me. It felt like someone else was telling my story. I filled up that recorder with over 500 songs and melodies, some of them full songs, others just an idea of a song. That recorder saved my life and unfortunately it broke a couple of weeks ago. I cried just a little.
growing up mormon Sins on the wall. I’d scream out loud but my friends have come to save me now. — “Fire Ground” I’m grateful that the Mormon Church puts family first. My family always spent time together. We had church camps in the summer, service projects for our community that we did together as a family and we were also encouraged to do our genealogy. I am an Eagle Scout because of the church. The friends I chose to sur-
round myself with were mostly from church. When I chose to come out to them at the age of 19, none of them cared. They all reassured me that they loved me no matter what. The thing I was most afraid of turned out to be a monster under my bed, a mere ghost. I stopped going around the age of 23.
The Ghost Returns: Coming Out (Again) for Marriage Equality What if I took the time to explain? Would you take the time to hear the pain?...You blow my cover and I’m not safe anymore. — “Blow My Cover” It took me a while to be completely comfortable with my new found sense of self. When SB1 came around, I felt like that ghost was coming back to haunt me. Suddenly, a small part of me was afraid of being who I am in front of anyone religious. That feeling quickly vanished when I realized I am who I am, and I’ve spent too much of my
life being afraid of nothing. I was both angry and sad at the same time during SB1. It’s frustrating when you see someone (who you know has had premarital sex and a child out of wedlock and drinks heavily on the weekends) on TV saying, “Marriage is between man and a woman because the Bible says so.”
coming home to myself In this world I have found a little bit of heartache, a little bit of freedom, a little bit of me. — “Empty Birdcage” I’m trying to get back to where I was at the beginning of my journey as a songwriter. In the beginning I was hiding so much from people, so my music was far less reserved because I was doing it to release. I didn’t really care
about what other people would think of it because it was mine. Now that I’ve released that part of me and am comfortable with who I am, my music has become a little more reserved.
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music
Polynesian Over Christian The moon cradled high up in the sky. The stars evidently tell me why. There is nothing else that’s perfect. — “Everything That’s Perfect” I grew up with very limited knowledge of my Polynesian culture. [Moreno has Samoan, Hawaiian and Mexican heritage.] My grandmother played Hawaiian music and worked in Keawanui [a fishpond on the east end of Moloka‘i) and my stepfather made us learn Hawaiian words and forced us to speak what we knew. As an adult, I became interested in learning more. In Hawaiian culture, everyone and everything has a place in the universe. Our people embraced mahu, aikane and punalua. I identify as kanaka ‘oiwi first and foremost. My heritage has become my religion. As kanaka ‘oiwi, we must always remember where we come from. One of my favorite quotes comes from Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu: “Hawaiians need to be consistent. Choose your water source and stay there. If you would like to drink the holy water from the Christian chalice, then that is your choice. If you would like to drink from the punawai of the wai a kane, then that, too, is yours to pursue. The problem occurs when Hawaiians want to have it both ways, drawing water from the wai a kane to further the goals of Christianity, enabling its proselytizers to continue perpetuating the wrongs of the past.” That quote might rub people the wrong way, but when you put it into the correct context of history, it can be empowering.
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Cove r S tory
by mickey weems
photos jtl
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There is such a thing as necessary roughness. It feels good to sweat, to collide with another body, to compete. The Hawai‘i Gay Flag Football League (HIGFFL) is happy to give people the chance to do so.
Cover S to ry Zen Watanabe, Alvin Ty Law and Grant James
Chicago where he played in flag football, softball, volleyball and dodgeball leagues. When he came back to Hawai‘i to help with the family farm, he sought to increase LGBT participation in sports. “Honolulu has a great gay community, but it lacks a gay sports community. We hope the Hawai‘i Gay Flag Football League can help fill that void.” At first, the league planned to meet once a month. But everyone was having such a blast that they changed it to every Saturday. They organized the Honolulu Riptide (their travel team) for the annual Gay Bowl, last year held in Phoenix. “We are playing against cities who have been building their league and talent for years,” observed Law.
What’s in a name? But competition is incomplete without camaraderie. “Regardless, of what happens on the field, you leave it there and get off the fields as friends,” said Alvin Ty Law, founder of HIGFFL. “My best friends on this island are because of the league. I think a lot of the other players in the league can say the same.”
Contact Sport Once people reach adulthood, they are often separated by the barriers they set up between themselves. Slamming into another person on a grassy field is one sure way to lower those barriers. Law sees this as an essential function of the HIGFFL: “You have to build in a social aspect to the league. You get to interact and mingle with people you generally would not talk to otherwise.”
What does Law personally get out of playing flag football? “My favorite experience in our league is when I can help coach new people who have no experience in football and get them in a position to succeed. That and catching the ball in the middle of three opponents to score a touchdown... sometimes you just have to show the guys why they should listen to their coach.”
Why a Gay League? In this age of increasing acceptance of LGBT people, Law still sees the need for a gay flag football league. “I don’t think there is an issue of gay acceptance in straight flag football leagues. I think the experience level of folks in the straight leagues is a bit higher since everyone usually has prior playing experience. Our more experienced guys have played in straight leagues and have
done exceptionally well.” For Law, it is all about inclusion as well as competition: “In gay leagues, especially in a newly formed league, there are a lot of players who have no prior playing experience in flag football or any other sports. In many cases, they have not participated in the past due to an unwelcomed atmosphere or just fear of their sexual orientation. I think it is important to have a gay league that not only fosters competition but allows new, inexperienced players a safe and welcoming environment to grow in.”
Origins The Hawai‘i Gay Flag Football League was founded in 2013. Law was raised on the North Shore of O‘ahu and attended UCLA, where he joined a gay flag football league there. After graduate school, he lived in
Gay flag football teams have no fear when naming themselves, such as the Washington, DC Twerker Beez or the color-coded Monikers of Boston, including Green Latifahs, Redrum, Mango Deep, Grumpy Gold Men, Confuschia and Urine Trouble. Law has his own favorite: “I think my old dodgeball team in Chicago had my favorite name - Bitch Pudding.” Honolulu is home to the Bacchus Goldmembers, Hula’s Hulagans and Lojax Lumberjacks – at least for now. “Captains are assigned to a particular sponsor bar,” said Law. “Then the captains decide on their team name and colors. Team names can be changed, as team players are always different each season. So you can have funny names or more serious ones.” The name for the away team, the Honolulu Riptide, is serious and permanent. “For the national gay tournament, we prefer // april 2014 | 11
Cove r S tory
to keep the team name constant as it is players from our HIGFFL competing against other cities.”
Worried About Making the Cut? No Problem Orientation, gender and skill level do not determine whether a person can join the league. “The Hawai‘i Gay Flag Football League is open to all genders and sexual orientation,” declared Law. “This past season, we had four lesbians in our league and several straight allies as well. It is open to anyone 18 and up who wants to learn and play football, and is supportive of the gay community. All skill levels are welcome - you do not need any prior playing experience because we have captains and coaches designated to help teach new people.” The number of teams depends entirely upon how many sign up. “Everyone who wants to play comes out to the clinics, pays their membership dues and will get placed on a team.
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The captains are assigned to a team and after meeting everyone, they head out and split up the players amongst themselves so each team is fair and has players with a range of skill and ability. It’s up to the captain to get their team practicing and playing together.”
Playing On and Off the Field The job of the captains is more than just practicing for games. “You have to make it fun to play, and create extra events like barbeques, beach, pool parties and such. Each of the captains typically will make smaller events for the team to get to know each other better.” The size of each team is relatively small: “We try to get around 13-14 on a team. If there are too many, then some players get lost in the shuffle and/or there’s less playing time per game. If there are less, then injuries and missed weekends make it tough, and players get tired playing too many minutes in a game.” There is also a place for non-players:
(L-R): Board members: Anthony Alvarado, Alvin Ty Law, Aaron Meyer, Steve Magan
I think it is important to have a gay league that not only fosters competition but allows new, inexperienced players a safe and welcoming environment to grow in.
“We had 39 players this past season, but around 10-20 volunteers and fans who came out to watch games every week. This past season, the bartenders and managers of both Hula’s and Bacchus came out to support us on a couple of occasions.”
On to Philadelphia For the best of the best in the HIGFFL, there is the chance to
Cover S to ry
be on the Riptides roster and compete in the annual Gay Bowl. “We will have the opportunity to play against other cities’ top talents and see where we stand. Players will also meet and mingle hundreds of other players who are involved in gay flag football in their respective cities.” Want to support the away team when it goes to the 2014 Gay Bowl? Go to an HIGFFL fundraiser. “The next national tournament is in Philadelphia. We will be doing monthly beer busts during late summer and fall period to help raise funds for it. Last year we had a great partnership with Bacchus for our travel team. I think we had around 50 plus people at each event and raised over $1,000 each Sunday.” Law is optimistic about the future of the league, and for good reason. The HIGFFL is adding a Summer/Fall season and a fourth team. Anyone interested in trying it out can just show up for Open Play (pick-up games) from 10:45 AM to 1:30 PM each Saturday at Soccer Field #1 in Kapiolani Park (O‘ahu).
HIGFFL@gmail.com facebook.com/HIGFFL or facebook.com/groups/HIGFFL
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relationships
by Flavia Francesquini, Life Coach and Wellness Counselor
won’t make you feel younger, happier or even less lonely if you don’t truly love the one you are marrying. Seems like common sense, but sometimes you’ll see that love is often left out of the marriage equation.
Our right to legally marry the ones we love was not handed to us on a silver tray with matching champagne glasses. It was an arduous battle. Now that the torment is over, let’s assume that you have someone in mind and you’re wondering whether this is the right time to take that extra step into a life of commitment (and compromise). When would be the best time to pop the question?
Can you both agree that a marriage takes work? Couples often spend a phenomenal amount of time, money and energy into orchestrating the perfect wedding. From the flowers to the holographic centerpieces - everything must be perfect. The problem is that none of it is going to account for a perfect marriage. If you two haven’t had long conversations about your ability and willingness to consistently and lovingly work on your relationship, no amount of glitter is going to help you.
Before you get down on one knee with three months of salary neatly tucked into a Tiffany box, ask yourself these questions first.
What do I love most about this person? What made you weak in the knee during those first few months when you couldn’t stand the idea of being apart? Hold on to that. These memories will come in handy when you feel angry or disconnected.
What are the most annoying things about my mate? If you haven’t found a single thing that annoys about this person, you don’t know them well enough, yet. Put a hold on the U-Haul deposit and get to know each other better. Then ask yourself whether or not you can live with the annoyances for the rest of your life because they are not going
to change: no matter how much you try to change them.
Is it really love? Marriage is about building upon a foundation of varying feelings and emotions. Marriage
Whether you are ready to get married or not, knowing the true answers to these questions will save you heartache. But if you are with someone who makes the future seem like an adventure, if you can’t imagine home being anywhere but in your mate’s arms, if the sound of their laughter fills your heart with joy – then the two of you may just be good candidates for a married life together. Finally, avoid popping the question while you’re doing it! Now matter how great the orgasm – it can wait.
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Style
by Jose Santamaria International Fashion Stylist jsjosesantamaria.com photos sam sukimawa
Each of us has our own unique personality. Listen to yourself and look for inspiration to help clarify your style. For the spring season, let’s help you describe and create your very own look. Let your fashionable world bloom!
guess Slim pants, sweater, shirt, sunglasses UNO DE 50 Watch
Write down three words that best describe you. This is your style motto. To ensure that your outfits reflect who you really are, be honest when describing yourself. These ideas will help get you started. • Which celebrities do you admire for their wardrobe? These people are your style icons. • What are your favorite retail brands and designers?
BURBERRY Glasses GUESS Shirt UNO DE 50 Bracelet
>> Garments as jeans and t-shirts Style Motto Laid back, athletic, friendly, active, easygoing Style Elements T-shirts, sweaters, comfortable jeans or chinos, Khakis, shorts, sneakers, baseball caps Designer/Brand Examples Levi’s, Quiksilver, True Religion, Gap, Adidas, Nike, Polo Create the Look Easily put together layers, neutral colors, stick to breathable and easygoing fabrics Celebrity Example Matthew McConaughey
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Style >> Businesslike and matching coordinates Style Motto Confident, trustworthy, timeless, traditional Style Elements Elegant, timeless, vintage garments, tailored pants, slim fit, tailored suits, polo t-shirts, button downs
guess Blazer, shirt, pants, bag, boots
Designer/ Brand Examples Armani, J Crew, Burberry, Prada, Ferragamo
guess Blazer, shirt, pants, bag FERRAGAMO Shoes, belt SAMSUNG Tablet
Create the Look Layering pieces, combining sweaters/ coats, button-down top and blazer, button-down top on solid colors, minimum embellishments, dark denim without details Celebrity Example Matt Lauer from the Today Show
GUESS Blazer, trouser, ALTERNATIVE Shirt FERRAGAMO Belt UNO DE 50 Bracelet, Necklace
>> High-maintenance and detailed Style Motto Polished, impeccable, upscale, regal Style Elements Lots of neutral colors, high-end traditional timepieces, hats, French cuffed shirts Designer/Brand Examples Hugo Boss, Marciano, Prada, Paul Smith, Gucci Create the Look Special attention to details, create monochromatic looks, clean looks with minimal details, avoid noticeable logos Celebrity Example Frank Sinatra, Leonardo DiCaprio
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by Flavia Francesquini photos James Anshutz
l ifestyle
“I want to be rich and famous.” So said Preston Meneses many years ago. As time went by, he did not deviate from his intention, but added the means to his dream: “I will tour with Janet Jackson.”
For the next three years Janet would fly him to wherever she needed him. “Her regular makeup artist, Fran Cooper, didn’t like doing international trips, so I went with Janet all over Europe, the Bahamas... wherever she needed me until I eventually moved to California and started working with her more regularly under the tutorage of Fran Cooper.”
Hello, Opportunity! Meet Determination
Just two years after he had taken the job doing her dancers’ makeup, Meneses accompanied Janet in her Rock With You Tour across the globe. In 2010 he took over the job and is still Janet’s personal Meneses was born and raised in a conservative home in Waipahu. makeup artist. Their relationship has evolved over the years. “She is more than just someone I look up to. We’ve been working together The third of four children, he quickly learned that to be a star in for eight years now - she is a mentor, but also a sister. Someone I his neighborhood, he would have to excel in sports. But he had truly admire and care for. I see her more often than I see my sisters other plans. - she is family to me.” According to Meneses’ logic, the first step into achieving his dreams From Bullied to Big Shot was to take dance lessons. As soon as Meneses finished high school, he was employed at a makeup store in Pearlridge Center. “I “I was always a little bit odd, always being teased, so I had to use walked right in and they hired me,” he said. “I used to practice putting makeup on my sister and my friends, and I always felt like it was my sense of humor to survive,” he recalled. “I came out when I was about 13 or so and that just added to the teasing. But I would make a natural thing for me - I just instinctively knew what to do.” This them laugh and eventually humor just became a coping skill.” job paid for dance classes. Three years later, he took a dance job in Tokyo, where he lived for seven months and saved every penny. For those who aspire Meneses’ career path, his advice is pretty solid: “Learn the basics of makeup. Avant-garde is great and there When Meneses came back to Hawai‘i, he learned that Janet is a place for makeup artists to go all out and be very creative, but in Jackson was holding auditions for the Super Bowl show. He went to real life, you do this here and there for a magazine job. Hollywood California and made it to the top 50 before getting voted out. “There is all about beauty and trying to look natural. The basics were ,500 contestants, so even though I didn’t make it to the show, of makeup are what you need to survive in business it was still pretty good that I lasted that long.” After returning home, because trends come and go, but basics are Meneses began to question whether being a dancer was what he forever.” truly wanted. While on vacation in California two years later, a friend mentioned that Janet Jackson was looking for a makeup artist for her dancers. He tried for the job, and this time he got it: “I did the makeup for her dancers and it was great, I loved it - but I thought that was it, my big shot with Janet was over.” A year later, Meneses was sitting at home watching a movie on a lazy evening when the phone rang. “Janet Jackson’s manager called me and said that her regular makeup person couldn’t do her makeup for a Grammy party. She wanted me to do it because she remembered my work. I was so shocked! I said I would, but I was in Hawai‘i.” Geography is not a problem for a superstar. Two hours later, Meneses was on his way to Hollywood.
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Meneses’ Zen-like attitude toward life continues to mold the realm of his reality. “I’ve always been a dreamer,” he said. “I never gave up hope, and I never refused the chances I was offered. I knew that somehow things would work out. And they did. I have a blessed life, and I’m thankful for it – every day.”
lifestyle
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Entertainment
Lea Michele talks lesbiAn Role on LooKing, being cALLed a DiVa and heR GLee Legacy
by Chris Azzopardi photos Peggy Sirota
“No personal questions” is the caveat before getting on the phone with Lea Michele, TV’s Rachel Berry. It’s an acceptable exception given the Glee star’s painfully tragedy last year. Her on-and-off-screen boyfriend, Cory Monteith, died suddenly on July 13, 2013 from a drug overdose.
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Ente rta i nment
ecorded around the time of Monteith’s passing, those feelings of loss are still raw on Louder, Michele’s debut album. The singer dedicated “You’re Mine” to Monteith, and the crushingly beautiful “If You Say So” was inspired by his last words to her. “I can’t believe it’s true,” she laments on the latter. “I keep looking for you.” How much of Louder is a reflection of your life and your own heartbreaks? I did not sing one word on the record that I could not incorporate into some experience in my life. The album is a throwback to an era when Celine, Mariah and Whitney ruled the world. Were you inspired by any of these women while recording it? I don’t think I’ve gone a day in my life without being inspired by Celine Dion. If you would’ve seen me at her concert in Las Vegas – like, I’m surprised I didn’t get kicked out. I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat like the happiest girl in the entire universe. But no – I’ve always been inspired by female performers and artists who
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really surround who they are around their voice. Jonathan Groff said he wants to get you on his HBO show Looking. Would you be up for it? Oh my God! First of all, I went to San Francisco when they were filming the show and I ate dinner with all the guys and with Andrew [Haigh], their director, and before anything I said to them, “You guys, let’s get me on the show,” and then I watched the entire series because Jonathan gave me all the episodes. Right – he said you watched it with your mother. Well, first I watched them with Jonathan when we went on vacation, and then I watched them with my mom. And she’s so obsessed, it’s crazy! Can we get you on there as a lesbian? One hundred percent! Since the beginning, Glee has been such a friend to the gay community. I’m so honored to be a part of a show that has made a big movement not only for the gay community, but also for kids who just love music and have a passion
for doing that. It’s opened so many doors for girls and boys that don’t look like everybody else – to make them feel beautiful in their skin no matter what they look like or where they’re from. Cory, who played Finn, really had a big part in that. How do you reflect on him as an ally to the gay community? There’s a really interesting episode where Kurt and Finn move
in together, and (Kurt) decorates the room and Finn says the “F” word [“faggy”]. Kurt’s father defends him and really kind of puts Finn in his place, and for me - that was such a pivotal episode for the show and just their relationship alone. How much pressure did you put on yourself, slipping into Judy Garland’s ruby slippers to voice Dorothy in the animated film Legends
Entertainment
of Oz: Dorothy’s Return? I watched The Wizard of Oz in my house so much that my mother had to hide the videotape at one point. I wore my ruby slippers, and I have this crazy Christmas video of me where every year for 10 years I’m still wearing my ruby slippers because I thought I was Dorothy. Describe your upcoming memoir, Brunette Ambition. It’s a really crazy story of how I went from Broadway to being on this television show, and how I was told so much throughout my life that I wasn’t pretty enough, and I wouldn’t
make it to television... It’s about how I really overcame that and gave a big middle finger to those people and made my way to Los Angeles onto a television show. Also mixed in there are really fun chapters on beauty, health and fitness. I have some copies in my office and my girlfriends will pick it up and they’ll be like, “When can I get a copy of the book? I want to make your pizza!” Because there’s recipes in it. Do you give everyone who calls you a diva the finger too? Oh no. I applaud them when they call me a diva!
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anti-gay
by Mickey Weems
The next major global conflict is here, and it is gay people’s fault. Different countries are squaring off against each other when it comes to LGBT rights. Most of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe are vocal about their homophobia and the division between nations on gay rights will only get worse in the next few years. Homophobia is already a major factor in the new cold war with Russia.
The Great Divide
Out of approximately 200 nations, 83 criminalize homosexuality, while marriage equality or civil unions can only be found in 28. Just under half the world’s countries have laws that are somewhere in that vast middle range between acceptance and hatred.
The reasons for gay-hate goes beyond religious intolerance. Communist dictators from Stalin, to Mao, to Castro implemented homophobic laws in the 20th century, even as they denounced religion as a harmful delusion. Up until 30 years ago, scientists and psychologists spoke of homosexuality and gender variance as defects. As scientists and atheists changed their minds, many fundamentalist religious people saw LGBT acceptance as anti-religious, just like science and atheism.
But communities of faith are changing. Today, there are denominations and groups in every major religion that are LGBT-friendly, and the number grows larger. As this is happening, anti-gay forces are rallying - because of marriage.
Anti-Marriage Equality: Anti-Women Politics in Drag Why is marriage so divisive?
The reason lies in the subjugation of the feminine. It is no coincidence that homophobia is more pronounced in countries that also trample women’s rights. Traditional marriage is grounded in the supremacy of the man as the head of the family. The woman is his support, not his equal. Having men marry men undermines the assumed natural order of superiority. If LGBT people get rights, straight women might gain rights, then straight men would lose masculine privilege. It is difficult for rational people to make sense out of the notion that equality between men and women would result in inferiority for men. Since women are inferior to men by societal norms,
“What they fear is not that we are wrong, but that
we are right, and that whatever
superiority they have over those they despise will be taken from them.”
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equality with women is demeaning for men. And equality hurts women who are by nature happier in their role as followers, not leaders. In other words, LGBT rights would make the battle of the sexes with men as the perpetual victors, obsolete.
Feeling Same-Sex Desire? Beat It
Three nations with the highest counts for Googling gay male porn are Kenya, Pakistan and Uganda, in that order. All three nations also have virulently
homophobic policies. This is not a coincidence. The answer lies in the nature of sexual attraction: desire ever blossoms on the border of the forbidden. Assuming that most of the gay male porn in Kenya, Pakistan and Uganda is watched by men, then the reality of large-scale homoerotic masturbation as a pastime for homophobic men rises up, stiffened by the very dirtiness of the act. Men who are afraid to commit the crime of homosexuality can still get off on the thought
of it in the privacy of their own rooms, and the situation does not get out of hand. But there is inevitably the sticky aftermath: tremendous residual remorse spewed across much of the male population. And it takes more than a tissue to wipe it off their hands. All the rules making homosexuality illegal add spice to the secret sex life of homophobic guys worldwide, which in turn makes those men feel guilty - so they take out their self-hatred on openly gay people. The Vatican is a textbook example of displaced sexual aggression in search of spiritual purification: do it in secret, punish it in public. We see this phenomenon during conservative conventions in America, when hook-up sites and Grindr explode with orgasmic intensity in the host city. The difference? American homophobes are protected by our laws, the ones they say they want to get rid of - so they can get away with more. Their hypocrisy is perversely their penance.
Gays, Women and War
As mentioned earlier, the real reason for the oppression of LGBT people is to keep women in their place. The result of legalized homophobia is a whole-
sale increase in human attacking human. Those nations with laws that favor straights over gays and men over women have an increase in straighton-straight violence on three levels: between people within local communities, between ethnic groups within a nation, and between nations and their neighbors. With the proliferation of nuclear weapons, it is no exaggeration to say that laws against gay people contribute to mass violence. But to the homo-sexpanicked masses in places like Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda, the Tea Party and the Vatican, the opposite is true: Homosexuality and gender variance will destroy society as they know it. A world that appreciates the LGBT rainbow has the potential to be a more peaceful, democratic and just place. What they fear is not that we are wrong, but that we are right, and that whatever superiority they have over those they despise will be taken from them.
Serving the LgBt community Since 1993
Tyronne Dang MD Board Certified (Internal Medicine) Provider of the Year (GayHealth.com 2004)
1441 Kapiolani Blvd Ste 1810 Honolulu HI 96814 Call 951-1511 for appointment
We can expect nations to threaten each other because of us – it is already happening in terms of sanctions against Uganda. It may even lead to armed conflict. If it does, we will be blamed as the cause of the problem. In reality, we are the solution.
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