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The Voice of Ohio’s GLBT and Ally Community
The
STRAIGHT
Issue
april 2014 vol 18 • issue11
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I hope there’s Corona in that cooler.
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Have you registered yet? Do it today at www.gg9cle.com.
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Join Team Outlook for the AIDS Walk. Register at aidswalkcentralohio.com.
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the straight issue vol 18 • #11
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you are here
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snapshot qmunity qmunity
gay games: straight athletes small pond: Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler lgbt realtor guide feature: allies feature: wedding solidarity feature: straight girls in gay bars feature: kinsey scale
feature: “straight acting” feature: gay field guide complete the circuit the other side
mario vs debbie
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creative class: straight white men
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deep inside hollywood
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the outfield: frisbee
interview: Amy Ray
bookmark: the hunger gays i ♥ the nightlife: gayfriendly straight bars
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out & about
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the divine life
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savage love
outlook blog squad & puzzling
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you are here
PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Bsmt Ste G, Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone / 614.261.8200 fax
At our monthly Network Columbus event a few weeks ago, I told someone we were putting This month, you’ll read about some of them. together this Straight Issue for April. Hannah Douglas spoke with five allies from across Ohio whose contributions to LGBT He thought it was a great April Fool’s prank. equality in various fields is worth noting. One of them, state Rep. Ross McGregor of SpringWe actually hadn’t thought of it like that, al- field, is working pass nondiscrimination legthough if you think it’s funny we’ll take full islation and change the hearts and minds of credit for the stroke of genius. his fellow Republican legislators. But really, we don’t think it’s too outlandish for an LGBT magazine to put together an issue about the about the intersections of gay and straight and the allies who are standing up with us. When Outlook started 18 years ago, our worlds were still pretty separated. Just 27 percent of Americans supported marriage equality. Barely one-third thought gay and lesbian people should be able to adopt children. Only 55 percent thought gay and lesbian people should have the right to teach in elementary schools. Although more than half the people responding to a 1996 Gallup poll said they had gay or lesbian friends, when asked to rate their comfort level with gay and lesbian people on a “feeling thermometer” of zero (cooooooold) to 100 (hot hot hot!), Americans averaged a tepid 40. Flash forward to 2014. Support for marriage equality hit an all-time high of 59 percent in a March ABC News/Washington Post Poll. The same poll found 61 percent favoring adoption rights. Nearly 9 in 10 Americans know someone who is gay or lesbian. And that feeling thermometer has gotten decidedly warmer as more people tune in to queer culture. I discuss RuPaul’s Drag Race every Tuesday with one of our straight male interns. A straight female friend recently told me that her favorite issue of Outlook remains our March 2013 Bears in Swimwear photoshoot.
Hannah’s story begins on Page 19. I had the pleasure of talking with a few allies who have taken their commitment to marriage equality all the way down the aisle. It’s something more straight couples are doing, showing on their big day that they support big days for all. My story is on Page 22. Unfortunately, we sometimes take our friends for granted. Last year when we were doing research - yeah, research, that’s it - on gay bars in Columbus, I was surprised by the number of gay men who complained about straight women coming to our establishments. Erin McCalla told me I must not get out much. She shared with me her experiences in bars in Columbus and other cities, and it’s not pretty, folks. Her story on Page 24 should serve as a wakeup call about how we treat some of our community’s best friends and biggest advocates. Our long march toward the world we want to see wouldn’t have gotten this far without the allies who are at our side. We’re thankful you love and support your LGBT children and siblings and parents. We’re thankful you support acceptance and equality for all LGBT people. And, no foolin’, we’re thankful you read Outlook.
SALES Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com Alexis Perrone / aperrone@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month. Art in by the 20th. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Vitale / bvitale@outlookmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR Erin McCalla / erin@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Debe, James Blackmon, Bryan Cole, Hannah Douglas, Andrew Hypes, Erin McCalla, Kailen Nourse, Tom Muzyka, Mario Pinardi, Romeo San Vicente, Gregg Shapiro, Kristen Spicker, Dan Savage, Jon Theiss, Debbie Van Bommel, Bob Vitale, Mickey Weems, Dan Woog, Mackenzie Worrall ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes /chris@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / DESIGNERS Chris Hayes, Emma Parker, Andrew Williams CYBERSPACE http://www.outlookohio.com http://www.outlookmedia.com http://www.networkcolumbus.com http://twitter.com/outlookcolumbus http://facebook.com/outlookcolumbus outlook is published and distributed by Outlook Media, Inc. the first day of each month throughout Ohio. outlook is a free publication provided solely for the use of our readers. Any person who willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than 5 copies of any issue of outlook columbus with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading it shall be considered guilty of the crime of theft. Violators will be prosecuted. The views expressed in outlook are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or personal, business, or professional practices of Outlook Media, Inc. or its staff, ownership, or management. outlook does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented. Outlook Media, Inc. does not investigate or accept responsibility for claims made in any advertisement. Outlook Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for claims arising in connection with products and services advertised herein, nor for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. All material is copyrighted ©2014 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
puzzling solution - puzzle on pg 54
Bob Vitale Editor-in-Chief bvitale@outlookmedia.com @Bob_Vitale
No, the idea of a Straight Issue isn’t so crazy. Some of our best friends are straight.
NEXT MONTH: the food & drink issue We ♥ straight people.
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Network Columbus 3/12/14 @ COSI
The Official 14th Legendary Annual Pub Crawl 3/15/14 @ Exile & more!
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Have event photos you want us to print? Send them to art@outlookmedia.com.
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Out & Ready for Hillary 3/11/14 @ Axis
Cleveland International Film Fest 3/19/14 @ Tower City
Photo: Laura Watilo Blake
Photo: Elaine Manusakis
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photo: Peter Bruce
Photo: Elaine Manusakis
Photo: Laura Watilo Blake
The cuties in the first CIFF pic are the directors of The Case Against 8. You have to see the movie!
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qmunity
We DO Give a Damn About the Whole State of Michigan General Eric Holder to declare the marriages legal. “It is an honor to join couples in marriage and I look forward to the opportunity for all loving couples to marry in our great state,” Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum told Detroit’s WWJ Newsradio.
A federal judge in Detroit struck down Michigan’s decade-old ban on same-sex marriage with a ruling on March 21 that didn’t include the hold on weddings that other courts have recently granted. More than 300 couples were issued licenses the next day by county clerks in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Muskegon and suburban Detroit before a federal appeals court put same-sex marriages on hold temporarily. They asked U.S. Attorney
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette sought the stay and appealed the ruling. Judge Bernard Friedman’s order read: “Many Michigan residents have religious convictions whose principles govern the conduct of their daily lives and inform their own viewpoints about marriage. Nonetheless, these views cannot strip other citizens of the guarantees of equal protection under the law.”
Colorado: Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, announced his support for marriage equality. Kentucky: Attorney General Jack Conway said he will not appeal a federal judge’s ruling in February that the state must recognize samesex couples’ out-of-state marriages. Oregon: Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she thinks the state’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional, and she won’t defend it in federal court when a lawsuit is heard on April 25. Tennessee: U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger issued a preliminary injunction on March 14 ordering the 10
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What’s next for Westboro Baptist Church now that Fred Phelps is gone? Apparently, more of the same.
Shepard, people who died of AIDS and U.S. service members killed overseas, Phelps’s family indicated that no ceremony was planned.
“God still hates fags,” church members wrote on one of their blogs. Phelps, founder of the Kansas church and the “God Hates Fags” fundamentalist movement, died on March 19. He was 84. Although some called for protests at his funeral the way he picketed services for hate-crime victim Matthew
Throughout his life, Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, a small congregation made up almost entirely of his extended family, tested the boundaries of free speech and violated accepted socie-
tal standards for decency in their unapologetic assault on LGBT people. In the process, some believe he even helped the cause of gay rights by serving as such a provocative symbol of intolerance. “The world lost someone who did a whole lot more for the LGBT community than we realize or understand,” said Cathy Renna, a consultant to LGBT groups. “He has brought along allies who are horrified by the hate. So his legacy will be exactly the opposite of what he dreamed.”
God Hates Everyone, Apparently
Kent State University was the target of Westboro Baptist Church pickets earlier this year for suspending a wrestler over anti-gay tweets. But Kent isn’t alone. Here are the church’s other targets in 2014: • Funerals of 14 U.S. service members. • Lorde: “Will not teach young women to be sober and godly.” • Kathy Griffin: “Archetype fag hag.” • Miley Cyrus: “America’s youngest whore.” • Young the Giant: “Lascivious band of ne’erdo-wells.” • Academy Awards: “God hates Hollywood.” • University of Missouri: “God hates fag football players.”
• Lady Antebellum: “Sin, sin and more proud sin.” • Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference: “Wicked.” • Bill Cosby: “Promoted his own form of righteousness.” • George Strait: “Money/fame idolator.” • Super Bowl XLVIII: “Idols, covetousness, fornication, witchcraft.” • A&E: “Cooked Phil Robertson’s goose.” • Long Island Medium: “Witch.” • Golden Globes: “Vile and disgusting slugs of humanity.”
It’s a sad, sad, day when Michigan is ahead of Ohio. OH - O MY!
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The Month in Marriage
Alabama: A state judge ruled that a lesbian couple married in Iowa couldn’t get divorced in their home state.
Fred Phelps Dies; Westboro Lives On
state to recognize the out-of-state marriages of three couples. Wisconsin: A federal judge said she won’t block the state’s marriage ban as a court challenge moves forward. Wyoming: Marriage-equality supporters launched a group called Wyoming Unites for Marriage to build public support. Courts: New lawsuits were filed in Arizona, Florida, Indiana and Wyoming. Romania: A Parliamentary committee overwhelmingly rejected a bill to allow civil unions for samesex couples. Scotland: Queen Elizabeth gave her formal approval to a marriageequality law.
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We are Pleased to Announce...
Pope Says He Might Support Civil Unions
While reaffirming the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage, Pope Francis said in a newspaper interview in March that the church could support some form of civil unions.
Clinton Backers Ready for 2016
LGBT supporters are revving up the Hillary Clinton bandwagon, even though the next presidential election is still 2½ years away.
In an interview published in Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily, the pontiff suggested the Catholic Church could tolerate some types of same-sex civil unions as a practical measure to guarantee property rights and health care.
More than four dozen LGBT and allied backers hosted a fundraiser in Columbus on March 11 for a possible campaign by the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady. “Out & Ready for Hillary” was sanctioned by a national political action committee that’s urging Clinton to run.
The pope said that “matrimony is between a man and a woman,” but moves to “regulate diverse situations of cohabitation (are) driven by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, as for instance to assure medical care.”
Among those who attended: openly gay Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach and openly gay Franklin County Recorder Terry Brown, both Democrats.
Jessica Landis and Melissa Kathmann met Scott and Jeremy Hoshor-Johnson were a mutual friend one afternoon in March married in Jamestown, New York, on Janu2012 to watch Ohio State vs. Syracuse in ary 17, 2014, officiated by Dr. Lillian Ney. the NCAA Elite 8. Scott works for the Ohio Department of EduNeither one of them thought they would cation and is the federal liaison for the meet the love of her life that night, but the Race to the Top grant. Jeremy serves as vice rest is history. Jessica planned a secret pro- president of academic affairs and accrediposal two years later during a casual photo tation for Hondros College. shoot by Emma Parker. Melissa, of course, said yes, and the couple plans to wed in Scott and Jeremy are both active in their New York in 2015. Details are still being churches at Trinity Episcopal Church on worked out. Capitol Square and King Avenue United Methodist Church. Both enjoy the Columbus Jessica Landis is originally from Centerville, arts community, the Scioto Mile, concerts at Ohio, and is an Ohio State alum. Melissa is the Columbus Commons and all of the from a small town in upstate New York. great restaurants Columbus has to offer. They call Downtown home and enjoy all the With the blessing of each of their families, city has to offer. they are excited to start the next chapter of their lives, and as Jessica’s mom would say, They are proud parents of an academically “Lock it down!” and athletically gifted 18-year-old son, Cory. They are looking forward to frequent trips to West Liberty University (Wheeling, W.Va.) starting this Fall to support Cory as Outlook publishes wedding and engagement anhe begins his collegiate golfing career. You nouncements every month for LGBT couples in Ohio. Send your photos and announcements can often see Scott and Jeremy on the (200 words or less, please) to streets of Downtown with Bobby, their 8erin@outlookmedia.com year-old blue Weimaraner.
Give Them a Toaster
“I am supporting Hillary because she has A number of Catholic bishops have supported been a tireless supporter of LGBT equality since she was first lady and probably civil unions for same-sex couples, including Francis when he was the Archbishop of Buenos before that,” said Terry Penrod, a memAires. He led the church’s opposition to same- ber of Stonewall Democrats in Columbus and a delegate to the last two Demosex marriage in Argentina, though, calling it cratic National Conventions. “a destructive attack on God’s plan.” outlookohio.com
Behold the new King of the Bears: Hodor!
Kristian Nairn, an Irish actor best known for playing Hodor in the HBO series, Game of Thrones, came out in March to the delight of bears everywhere. He came out in an interview with a Game of Thrones fansite. “I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview, ’cause it’s not something you just blurt out. I’ve tried to lead the questions a few times, to no avail!” apri 2014
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On Our Cover: Gavin Danger Gavin Danger, the beloved drag king genderblender behind Dangerous Productions, will be back in Columbus for a show at Wall Street Nightclub on Saturday, April 26. “I am excited to be back in Cbus once again ... in the queer community that has had such an impact on my life,” said Danger, who moved to Denver a few years ago.
Columbus Sports Leagues Ready for Spring Seasons Winter has to be over! LGBT sports leagues are kicking into gear. Softball: Registration started in March for Columbus Lesbian & Gay Softball Association teams and players. Anyone who didn’t play in 2013 must attend one of five skills clinics to determine the division in which they’ll play. Clinics, all at Tuttle Park, are Saturday, April 19 at 2p; Sunday, April 20 at 1p; Wednesday, April 23 at 5:30p; Sunday, April 27 at 11a; and Saturday, May 10 at 1p. Visit www.clgsa.com.
Cincinnati Archdiocese Tells Teachers to Shut Up Catholic-school teachers in Cincinnati and Dayton better not be gay, and they better not say anything nice about their gay children, relatives or friends, either. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s 2014-15 contract for teachers demands a stricter adherence to Catholic doctrine - so strict that Pope Francis probably couldn’t get a teaching job.
Registration for the Columbus Lesbian Softball League runs through April 26, and league play begins April 27. Visit columbuslesbiansoftball.com.
Among grounds for immediate termination: showing any public support of the “homosexual lifestyle,” as well as membership in Equality Ohio, FreedomOhio or any other group whose message is “incompatible with Catholic doctrine or morals.”
Tennis: Summer registration for the Columbus Metropolitan Tennis Organization ended March 31, but the group has its final indoor social of the winter scheduled for Saturday, April 12, at the Players Club in Hilliard. Registration is $20 and on-court time is from 7p-10p. Visit www.cmto1.org.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the contract’s rules will apply to more than 2,200 employees of 94 schools in western and southwestern Ohio. It’s twice as long as previous contracts, according to the paper.
Also, registration is open for the 2014 Columbus Classic, a Gay & Lesbian Tennis Association tournament, scheduled for May 9-11. Visit columbusclassictennis.com. Bowling: The registration deadline for COMIC, the Columbus Ohio Midwestern Invitational Classic, is April 5. The tournament takes place April 25-27 at HP Lanes, 2012 Innis Rd. Visit www.comicbowlingtournament.com. Golf: Registration began March 31 for the Rainbow Golf League, which has 36 spots open for a Friday league that begins May 2. Visit www.rainbowgolf.org.
Other things that can get teachers fired: being gay, living together outside of marriage; sexual activity outside of marriage; abortion; or use of artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization or a surrogate mother. The contract also forbids public support of any of those. Not mentioned in the contract are two big Catholic no-no’s that likely would cost hundreds of Archdiocese employees their jobs: divorce and use of birth control.
“April Showers,” the new Wall Street show, has been produced with Taylor Mayde and stage manager Catt Dazzle. The weather-themed show will feature performers from around the country. Doors open at 8p, and tickets are $7 at the door. Tables are available for $40 by contacting Wall Street at 614.464.2800.
Critics Say DeWine Opens Door to Bias The case is being heard in Washington. The companies involved are from Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Michigan. But Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine injected himself into a U.S. Supreme Court case heard in March by filing a brief urging justices to exempt business executives from an Affordable Care Act requirement that they include contraception coverage in employee health plans. FreedomOhio, two state lawmakers and DeWine’s Democratic opponent in the Nov 4 election said the case also could sanction discrimination against LGBT people. State Reps. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Michael Stinziano, D-Columbus, said the position championed by DeWine and Republican attorneys general in 19 other states is the same idea behind recent “religious freedom” legislation in Arizona and Ohio. Owners of the Hobby Lobby retail chain and two other corporations say birth control is against their religious beliefs. DeWine says owners and corporate executives should be allowed to practice their religion through their business policies.
But fired teachers would be in good company.
An Ohio bill based on the same idea was withdrawn in late February by sponsors who said they didn’t intend to endorse discrimination.
Hockey: The Columbus Mayhem are wrapping up their winter-league season but also play in the summer. Visit www.gayhockeyohio.com.
Despite the demands of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, Pope Francis said publicly in March that he understands the need for governments to offer civil unions “to regulate diverse situations of cohabitation.”
DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney told Outlook that the Supreme Court case and the legislation in Ohio and Arizona are not similar. The Affordable Care Act requires businesses to purchase a product, he said. The Arizona and Ohio bills would have allowed them to refuse to sell a product.
Stonewall Columbus has groups for people interested in hiking, biking, running, yoga and ballroom dance. Visit www.stonewallcolumbus.org.
He reiterated the church’s stand against birth control but also said priests should show mercy and take into account people’s unique circumstances.
David Pepper, who’s challenging DeWine this fall, called the claim “inaccurate and misleading” because both grant religious exemptions from various laws.
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Get out and get active. Sign up for a summer sports league.
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Alzheimer’s doesn’t discriminate, and neither does Outlook. :)
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EVERYBODY
IN THE POOL!
Gay Games Welcomes Athletes on All Teams
by Kristen Spicker
Goodbye, Sochi and hello, Cleveland. As the 2014 Gay Games approach, athletes are amping up their training schedules and registering for their events. But while the road to gold might be paved with rainbow bricks, some unlikely competitors are lacing up their sneakers. Straight people. “The saying is, ‘You don’t have to be gay, you don’t have to be good, you just have to be a team,’” said Tom Spence, a U.S. Masters swimmer who is the games’ sports manager. He also is coordinating the aquatic openwaters swim. Athletes also can compete in solo events such as running or swimming, but regardless of sport or sexual orientation, the Gay Games are willing to share a taste of the rainbow with everyone. The Games take place Aug 9-16 in Cleveland and Akron. “Heterosexuals can compete as athletes, they can be judges, they can be tournament or event directors,” Spence said. “So basically, there is no restriction.” According to Gay Games spokeswoman Ann Gynn, a gays-only Gay Games would run counter to the event’s message. “The Gay Games, like many LGBT events, are about inclusion, so it’s natural that they are welcoming to all people regardless of sex14
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ual orientation,” she said. “You can’t talk effectively about the value of inclusion without actually being inclusive.” The Games’ accepting nature is what allowed Spence, who is straight, to get involved. When Rob Smitherman, the associate executive director and director of events and operations for the 2014 Gay Games, approached him 18 months ago about helping to coordinate the Games, there were no concerns about sexual orientation from either party. “For me, it was an opportunity to participate in a sporting event, which I enjoy doing,” Spence said. “For me, it was, ‘Gee, I hope they hire me because I like to run sporting events.’” Spence’s involvement in the Games also brought in another competitor: his wife. “My wife is a swimmer, too, and she is swimming in a pool event and is going to help me run the open-water event,” he said. “For her, it’s a sporting event. It’s an opportunity to compete. For straight people who are looking for an opportunity to compete, here’s an opportunity. And they will have some pretty tough competition.”
train and prepare. And I respect that and I appreciate that,” he said. According to Gynn, that disregard of sexual orientation that’s evidenced by the mingling of the LGBT and straight communities in northeastern Ohio is what made Cleveland and Akron stand out to the Federation of Gay Games. “Northeast Ohio is the smallest region ever to host the Games and doesn’t have a large LGBT population like San Francisco or New York,” she said. “The Federation of Gay Games recognized that. They knew it would require the community at large, not just the LGBT community, to come together and put on a great Gay Games.” Luckily, the region has gone above and beyond what was expected, proving that a smaller community can exhibit just as much pride. “We are seeing that happen on a daily basis,” Gynn said. “Dozens and dozens of community organizations and businesses, plus thousands of volunteers are working together.”
That competition is what helps the Gay Games keep the attention focused on viewing participants as athletes, teammates and competitors instead of as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or straight.
Although the Games are an athletic competition, there also are creative opportunities for people who work better with a trombone than a hockey stick. The Gay Games are still accepting applications from people interested in performing in the opening ceremonies’ band and chorale.
“This is a sporting event. I don’t see the participants as gay, I see them as athletes that
Unable to travel to the Cleveland-Akron area for the Games? Have absolutely zero coordina-
Let’s get soaking wet!
photo: Chris Beghin / FGG
gay games 9
tion? Tone death as a singing cat? No worries. There’s another way to contribute from the convenience of a laptop: financial donations. And don’t worry, the 2014 Gay Games won’t think twice about accepting straight money.
• Registration fees go up after May 31. • Patrick Roberge Productions Inc., a Canadian company whose credits include the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, was hired to produce the Gay Games opening ceremonies on Aug 9 at Quicken Loans Arena. “We are going to rock the games with a ceremony filled with emotion and pageantry,” Roberge said. • There’s a Team Cleveland registration party on April 5 at 9p at Bounce, 2814 Detroit Ave. Bianca Del Rio from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 will perform. On April 26, Cleveland’s LGBT Center will host a registration party from 1p-3p at the center, 6600 Detroit Ave. Visit www.gg9cle.com for a full list of events, as well as registration and hotel info. outlookohio.com
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Remember when you used to wait by the mailbox for the Sears Christmas catalogue?
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small pond
Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler Celebrates 26 Years of Service
Columbus Law Firm Is Part of the Community From the outside, the stately, gated, 19th-century home at 560 E Town St in the Discovery District of Columbus doesn’t look like a place of progressive change in Ohio.
Columbus city attorney’s office.
But it houses the offices of Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler, a law firm that includes four gay attorneys who have logged countless hours for LGBT people and organizations. The firm handles everything from traffic cases to estate planning, but its attorneys specialize in legal matters important to LGBT clients, from domestic partnership agreements to employment discrimination to surrogacy and co-parenting agreements.
Dewhirst said the friends all share similar histories, dealing with a lot of the same challenges of gay men who came of age in the 1960s and ’70s.
Among its legal breakthroughs: Attorney Thomas Addesa has successfully obtained divorce decrees in Ohio for samesex couples who married in other states. Brian Artz, Scot Dewhirst, Terrence Wheeler, Addesa and Frank Kremer Jr., are the firm’s attorneys. Kremer is “the token straight guy,” Dewhirst said. The other four have known each other for decades and worked together in the 16
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“All of us are good friends,” said Dewhirst, one of the founding partners of the 26-year-old firm. “Some people might think it’s not the best idea to work so closely with your good friends, but we always respect the professional aspect of our relationships. Of course there are conflicts, but we are capable of dealing with problems without destroying friendships.”
There weren’t supportive LGBT peers, let alone community organizations, around for young people back then, Dewhirst said. He always knew who he was, but it wasn’t always easy to express that while growing up on a farm in southern Ohio. And although Ohio still lacks anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT people in the workplace, it was an era when being gay more often meant trouble on the job.
“I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was in the eighth grade,” Dewhirst said. “Part of why I went to law school was because I was gay. I wanted to control my own destiny, to take care of myself and work for myself.” Artz and Dewhirst founded the firm in 1988. During its 26 years, the lawyers have made their mark in the LGBT community. Wheeler is the treasurer of Stonewall Columbus, and Dewhirst is a board member for the Legacy Fund of the Columbus Foundation. “We all do pro bono work for Stonewall and other LGBT organizations in Columbus,” Dewhirst said. “I love helping people. I’m a helper at heart. And I think that’s a fair assessment of the other attorneys in my firm.” Dewhirst, Wheeler and Addesa also work as adjunct professors at Capital Law School. The Human Rights Campaign has counted 1,138 benefits, rights and protections that are tied to a person’s marital status in federal law. And until marriage equality comes, it’s a legal
by Kailen Nourse
minefield for same-sex couples. Until Ohioans win the right to marry, Dewhirst explained, couples can still make the legal ties to hold important things together. Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler specializes in LGBT issues ranging from pre-nuptial agreements to divorce. Estate-planning and co-parenting contracts are also sticky situations when it comes to same-sex couples, but the firms help people through them. The firm also handles cases that might go to court. Whether it’s a traffic violation or a divorce, clients come to AD&W for protection and an accepting environment. “Most clients we represent have qualityof-life disputes,” Dewhirst said. “They’re not bad people, they’re just in a bad situation. And it’s very rewarding to help them.” Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler is located at 560 E Town St in Columbus. Learn more by visiting their website at adwllp.com or by calling their office at 614.221.0944.
The five lawyers at Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler have a combined 125 years of experience.
photo: emma parker outlookohio.com
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Network is better than ever. Check us out! It’s free.
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LGBT Realtor Guide Michael Casey Michael Casey Properties – Re/Max 614.478.2121 x5452 (Office) 614.256.2545 (Cell) 614.478.7505 (Fax) www.michaelcaseyproperties.com
Vutech and Ruff Marilyn Vutech and Jeff Ruff HER Realtors 177 E. Beck St., Columbus, Ohio 43206 614.255.0600 vutech-ruff.com
Jeff Cotner Key Realty 160 W. Waterloo St. Unit A Canal Winchester, Ohio 43110 614-778.3852 (Office) 614.778.3852 (Cell) www.jeffcotnerkeyrealty.com
David Worthington Home Central Realty 74 Mill St. Columbus, Ohio 43230 614.418.7448 dworthington.homecentralrealty.com
Misty Linn Keller Williams Classic Properties 614.286.5171 1510 W. Lane Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43221 www.mistylinn.com 18
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Call Alexis Perrone at 614.268.8525 x5 to join our LGBT Realtor Guide.
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“This is the hope that one day, eventually, it won’t be that it’s so special to be an ally. I actually feel like this is an issue that affects all people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity. This is about people, human dignity and respect.” photo: emma parker
- Anjali Chavan
Friends in All the Right Places... by Hannah Douglas
Five Allies Who Are Making Ohio a Better Place
From PFLAG moms to the president of the United States, LGBTQ allies are everywhere. They create loving homes and preach in welcoming churches. They run businesses and supervise offices that don’t discriminate. They advocate government policies that treat people equally and run health agencies that treat people.
Here are five allies whose contributions are worth noting.
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Anjali Chavan
Anjali Chavan will co-chair the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Columbus Gala dinner on May 31. It’s one of the national group’s oldest events. A labor and employment attorney at Dinsmore & Shohl, Chavan first got involved with HRC when she was protesting against the 2004 ballot measure that changed Ohio’s constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Today she said she sees employment discrimination as an upcoming battlefront for the LGBT community. Still, she said, a number of employers have added sexual orientation and gender identity to their nondiscrimination policies, which goes above and beyond the current federal and state protections. Chavan said she has seen tremendous support from a younger generation of colleagues and friends for her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign. “This is the hope that one day, eventually, it won’t be that it’s so special to be an ally,” Chavan said. “I actually feel like this is an issue that affects all people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity. This is about people, human dignity and respect.”
The 31st HRC Columbus Gala is Saturday, May 31. Get your tickets at www.hrccolumbusdinner.com.
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Barbara Havens
Ross McGregor
Barbara Havens has been an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community since the days of underground parties in the 1980s.
State Rep. Ross McGregor, a Springfield Republican, is a co-sponsor of the Equal Housing and Employment Act, a bill that would extend Ohio’s nondiscrimination protections to LGBT people.
As a friend of artist/nightclub owner Corbett Reynolds, Havens was active with the Red Party, an annual gay circuit party in Columbus that attracted gay and straight attendees from across the country. They raised support for the community and money for local HIV/AIDS organizations. She also joined the Human Rights Campaign in Columbus in the mid-1990s. At that time, she said, support came mostly from more affluent gay men, and she saw potential for more.
Although he said it’s “no secret” that many Republicans don’t share his views, McGregor feels the tide is turning and attitudes are changing. Indeed they are. A Pew Research Center poll in March found 61 percent of Republican party supporters under 30 support marriage equality.
“I came in and said there’s a lot of women out here that also make a lot of money that would be interested in supporting this - and heterosexuals too,” Havens said.
At the Statehouse, EHEA has been introduced for the third time (it’s House Bill 163 in this session of the Ohio General Assembly), but McGregor said educating the public on the issue is still a main focus. He said many people tell him they’re surprised EHEA isn’t already law.
Reynolds passed away in 2002, and the Red Party has since faded, although an AIDS Resource Center Ohio fundraiser last fall paid homage to both. Nowadays, the LGBT civil-rights movement is more mainstream, but Havens said it’s important for newer generations to remember where things started.
“They thought [discrimination] was already illegal,” he said. “So one of the big challenges I think is to educate people ... yes you can be fired in the state of Ohio for nothing else than being gay. And it’s perfectly legal to bring someone into your office and say, ‘I found out you’re gay. You’re fired.’”
“The majority ... don’t know the history and what a struggle it was and how bad it used to be,” she said. “I mean you could be arrested. Men could be arrested for wearing a dress.”
McGregor said he doubts those extreme circumstances are common in Ohio, but he wants to confront the issue now rather than wait to react.
Havens continues to participate in Art for Life, a charity art auction that has raised nearly $2 million for HIV/AIDS services since 1989. She owns some of Reynolds’ works from the events. 20
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“I think it’s better that the state has a policy that is proactive in saying that discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation is not appropriate in the state of Ohio.”
A great ally organization is PFLAG. Find an Ohio chapter near you at www.pflag.org.
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Teresa Long
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Dr. Teresa Long, Columbus’s health commissioner, has been an ally to the LGBT community for a number of years. She helped confront the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco in the 1980s as a physician specialist for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Dan Brennan Dan Brennan is chief marketing officer at Skylight Financial Group in Cleveland. When he joined on with the company in 2010, he helped start an LGBT resource team, which recently expanded to Columbus as well.
There, she witnessed the protests of ACT UP, whose members demonstrated in front of the local health department and sought out leaders for help, she said.
Working in the financial planning business for 35 years, he said he recognized the importance of building relationships with people, especially within the LGBT community, before delving into the unique and personal matters of their financial planning.
“It was an amazing time as far as activism around, really, any health issue, and both the power of activists to drive change but also the need for allies within the system to be able to make the change,” Long said.
Issues might include how custody of a child plays a role when only one parent can be listed on a birth certificate, or how medical power of attorney can affect a same-sex partner making funeral arrangements with the family of a deceased partner.
Long was recruited to Columbus Public Health as medical director and assistant health commissioner in 1986. Here, she helped organize local government’s response to the disease.
When LGBT people didn’t have such targeted financial-planning services available, they would go without, Brennan said.
“It was right at the time where Columbus wasn’t on the front lines of HIV across the country,” Long said. “It wasn’t that it wasn’t happening. It was a little slower, not as vocal.” Today, Columbus Public Health employs a dedicated LGBTQ health advocate, and the department has launched an LGBTQ health initiative. Long said the goal is for a broader community discussion on health disparities in areas such as safety, smoking and heart disease, rather than strictly sexual-health issues and HIV/AIDS.
“We saw ourselves as uniquely positioned to take these services to the gay community, and we have thus far, I think, been successful in doing it.” Brennan sees parallels between LGBT civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. “For any significant social change, it takes more than just the people affected by the discrimination,” he said. “Therefore it takes other people like me and others that support this to recognize that it’s not the battle of the LGBT community alone. ... so if not me, then who?”
The idea, Long said, is to “do the right thing right.” outlookohio.com
Learn about Columbus Public Health’s LGBTQ health initiative at Network Columbus, April 9 at Hollywood Casino.
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Straight Couples Are Wedded to the Idea of Marriage Equality by Bob Vitale
One of the enduring arguments against marriage equality is that, somehow, Adam and Steve will leave millions of shattered straight relationships in their sanctity-of-marriagecrushing wake. But for many people with a spot on the John Kasich- and Mike DeWine-approved marriage list, the prospect of same-sex couples sharing the right to a government-sanctioned union isn’t cause for fear. The institution of marriage is diminished by its exclusion of non-straight couples, they feel, not by its acceptance. And even on their special day, when they’d get little argument from anyone for enjoying the spotlight all to themselves, they have called attention to the cause.
The Foxes resolved to find a way to express their beliefs about marriage equality at their wedding. Instead of registering for gifts, the couple set up funds with Equality Ohio, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and WCBE-FM. And instead of buying little gifts for all their guests, the couple donated the money they would have spent to Equality Ohio.
Columbus late last year to run Why Marriage Matters Ohio.
we are marrying in a time when our state is denying the joy of marriage to so many.”
“My marriage will not be fully valid until all couples have the right to get married,” he said. “We’re taking part in something that others are denied. I know that the couples we’re working with want to get married for the exact same reason I married my wife.”
Jennifer Willett grew up in Westerville and moved to Connecticut with her boyfriend four years ago. They met in 2004, the year Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment banning marriage for same-sex couples.
“We were able to marry each other in a legal way that is recognized by the state of Ohio,” read a message that greeted guests and explained their feelings. “Sadly, many couples do not yet have this right.”
On the website Offbeat Bride (slogan: “Altar Your Thinking”), straight couples who want to show their support for marriage equality are offered advice that ranges from using genderneutral terms to including a moment of silence in their ceremonies.
A few of their gay and lesbian friends told her they felt touched to be acknowledged at an occasion they admitted can feel bittersweet sometimes. Some donated to Equality Ohio as well.
“It’s really frustrating to see adoring, committed LGBT couples not be able to experience legal matrimony. It isn’t right,” said Alexandra Fox, a public relations consultant in Columbus who married her husband, Kevin, in 2011.
“It was a small gesture,” Fox said of the wedding-day nod to marriage equality. “But it was something.”
“As joyous as our wedding was, I felt a pang of sadness for our gay and lesbian friends who couldn’t yet get married.”
Michael Premo also asked friends and family to make a donation toward marriage equality when he and his wife married in 2011. He was the campaign manager at the time for New Jersey United for Marriage. He came to
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One bride said she and her fiancé made sure their officiant also performed ceremonies for same-sex couples. An Ohio bride shared a letter she wrote to the Franklin County probate judge, whose office issues marriage licenses in Columbus. “I do not feel that my commitment to my partner is in any way threatened or made less legitimate if a same-sex couple were to be guaranteed the same rights that we have,” she wrote. “If anything, the great joy that I have upon entering a marriage with my partner has an undercurrent of sadness because
Although they now live in a marriage-equality state, they’ve vowed not to marry until the right is expanded back here and nationwide. Her gay and lesbian friends tell her to go ahead and get married. As Queerty once said of celeb holdouts: “That’s very sweet, dears, but don’t wait on our account. We’re trying to get more people married, not less.” But Willett said it wouldn’t feel right. She’s in good company, with allies ranging from Charlize Theron to a United Methodist church in Winston-Salem, N.C., that won’t host any weddings until same-sex marriage is legal in the state. “I think that people think we see ourselves as martyrs, but that’s not it,” Willett said. “I just don’t feel right. I have a lot of gay friends. It wouldn’t be a happy occasion.”
What do we want? Marriage! When do we want it? Sometime next week wouldn’t be bad.
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Read our interview with Amy Ray on Page 44.
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Straight Women in Gay Bars We’re Your Best Friends and Fiercest Allies,
So What’s With the Attitude? by Erin McCalla
Women should be seen and not heard. It’s a line you might expect in a 1950s women’s magazine article about how to attend a business function with your husband. However, it was said recently at Union. By an acquaintance, no less. What he actually said was, “Straight women in a gay bar should be seen and not heard.” It’s a common type of misogyny that I’ve heard in gay bars in Columbus and elsewhere. Seen and not heard? Some don’t even want to see us. And we are just supposed to accept it. But come, Erin. Straight women are loud, pushy, drunk and attention-seeking. They carry big purses, fondle gay patrons and spill drinks. They’re annoying. Am I saying that straight women can’t be jerks? Absolutely not; I have heard some hor24
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ror stories and have seen them for myself. What I’m saying is that just as members of the LGBT community don’t want to be stereotyped and demeaned, I don’t want to be either. Don’t Give Me No Lines, and Keep Your Hands to Yourself Think of the first person you came out to. I bet it was a straight woman. They’ve often been your first - and fiercest - allies. And that’s why you want to take us to the bar! To introduce us to the community in which you take part, to bring your worlds together. But if you’re a straight woman, don’t even think about going to a gay bar alone, or worse, with a group of your girlfriends. “Whenever I see a big group of women at a gay bar, I make sure they are lesbians or at least have a lesbian or two in their group, so I know that they should be here,” a friend told me once. “If you’re a straight woman in a gay
bar, you need to have a gay escort or gay ambassador.” But does that really ensure that that women will not get drunk, loud or handsy? I’ve been treated well in gay bars by other patrons and staff alike, but straight women are far from the only ones that can’t keep their hands to themselves. I’ve had my behind slapped, my skirt lifted, my breasts cupped, fondled, squeezed and motor-boated by gay men in gay bars. One time, about 10 years ago, a lesbian groped me lewdly in an attempt to make me uncomfortable. I didn’t complain, just to prove that I “belonged” in the bar. I thought if I told her to stop, I would be viewed as anti-gay and hateful. Know How to Act “I hate seeing fish in bars, especially when they don’t know how to act,” read one comment on an article about women in gay bars.
Yup, that’s Erin. Yup, those are drink tickets. Yup, Chad is lost.
It seems that it’s always someone else’s woman friend who’s annoying. But hasn’t your friend been too drunk or too loud at some point, too? “You’re one of the good ones,” my friend told me. “But straight women should know their role in a gay bar.” What if the tables were turned? If I heard someone say that one of my gay friends was “one of the good ones,” I would not-socalmly explain that what they’re saying is extremely offensive. I don’t want to be the center of attention at a bar. But I want the same respect that I would demand anywhere else. I want the same respect I’d demand for my gay friends when they accompany me to a “straight bar.” I don’t expect them to be my sidekick or an accessory for the night out. outlookohio.com
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It might be like blaming video games for school shootings, but the ladies on Sex and the City have influenced straight women into thinking they should be welcomed with open arms in gay bars.
stop at both places for her bachelorette party. I winced, but since none of us were wearing any bachelorette attire I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to stop for a drink.
There were several episodes where the fearsome foursome accompanied Stanford or Anthony to gay clubs and were treated like royalty. Samantha even entered the bathroom with such swagger, expecting men to fall at her feet.
Anna had a lot to drink, and she liked one of the songs playing at the bar. She got up on her seat and started to dance. The bartender, instead of asking her to get down, reached into the cooler, grabbed a baseball-sized chunk of ice and threw it at Anna’s head.
I cringe when I watch those episodes now, because I’ve learned enough about how men truly feel about my presence. Here Comes the Bride Oh, the dreaded bachelorette party. I have heard terrible stories about women behaving badly at gay bars - and not in a Chelsea Handler way - while celebrating their impending nuptials. Here’s where it gets sticky for me, because I’m guilty of being part of a bachelorette party that has made a stop at a gay bar.
Thankfully, it missed her, and she got the hint and got down. Should she have risen on her chair? No, definitely not. Was that the best way to get her down from the chair? No, definitely not.
This deplorable behavior is not to be confused with the culture shock of seeing drag queens perform for the first time, men using the ladies’ restroom and strippers... well... stripping. Give a little leeway for first-timers. Where Do We Go From Here? Just because we’re closer to full equality than ever before doesn’t mean that straight women should become silent sidekicks to their gay best friends, playing a role that’s similar to what knuckledragging straight men want for us. Everyone should be treated respectfully in ANY establishment. Some men on Facebook suggest that women shouldn’t be admitted to gay bars. Well, then, what about lesbians? And besides, is “separate but equal” what they really want? It’s a slippery slope, and I certainly wouldn’t want to see or patronize a place with a no-gays-allowed attitude.
“You’re one of the good ones, but straight women should know their role in a gay bar.”
First off, Ohio does not have marriage equality yet, so I can understand that it might be insensitive to come in with a sash and veil and crew of drunken bridesmaids. But what if one of the bridesmaids is a lesbian and requests a place where she can flirt with ease?
That happened to a friend of mine. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law wanted to make a stop at a Columbus gay bar, and she assured the party that they would be welcome. (They had a “gay ambassador,” after all.) But they weren’t. A woman at the bar told the bride that she had a lot of nerve coming in with her veil, rubbing it in the faces of everyone who can’t get married. My friend sat there in tears while this woman berated her. Fortunately, other patrons rallied around her and told the woman she was out of line. A different friend, we’ll call her Anna, lived in the Short North and frequented Level and Union and wanted to make a outlookohio.com
They come in and gawk at patrons like they’re exotic animals in a zoo. It’s unacceptable, and those women are not allies. They are assholes.
Few do. The LGBT community and allies mobilized last month to kill an Ohio House bill that would have allowed business owners to refuse service to anyone they don’t like for religious reasons.
Later that month, I reluctantly returned with a friend in town from Washington, D.C. That night, a man who had a lot to drink liked one of the songs playing at the bar. He got up on his seat and started to dance. The same bartender who threw ice at my friend smiled and laughed at his antics. There was only one variable that I could see, aside from song selection. My friend was a woman and the other patron was a man. This Isn’t Disneyland One behavior that I cannot condone is the gay-bar voyeur or tourist. These are women who think, “Wouldn’t it be a stitch to go to a gay bar?”
I understand the want and need for a space that’s just your own, a clubhouse to retreat to where you can be comfortable and hit on men without women around. But I’m afraid that equality comes with the price of the exclusively gay bar. The lines have blurred, and I don’t have a concrete solution to the problem. Luckily, none of the bar owners or managers I’ve spoken with said they prefer an all-gay clientele. It seems that everyone is welcome as long as everyone pays his or her tab. And no matter where you go, don’t forget to tip your servers.
Play ball! Pride night at the Clippers is May 8! Join us on the private field deck.
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The Kinsey Scale: How Straight Are You? by Mackenzie Worrall
In 1948, Alfred Kinsey shocked the academic world and America with his book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, and the idea that sexuality wasn’t strictly gay or straight. But more than six decades after Kinsey’s groundbreaking works on human sexuality (Sexual Behavior in the Human Female came in 1953), many people still have a misconception of the Kinsey Scale, a 0-to-6 self-identified rating of where you fall between complete heterosexuality and purebred homosexual. Is this sliding scale of sexual orientation still relevant today? Some of the people I asked about the Kinsey Scale reported that they tried to find an online quiz. That might make you think it’s not relevant to a postinternet America. But what Kinsey conceived is a spectrum of sexuality that is still a radical idea today. Although the scale doesn’t speak to modern audiences the way they expect, that’s what makes Kinsey’s research still relevant. Recent Internet fads represent a trend that the Kinsey scale bucks. “Kinsey actually wasn’t the first to 26
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suggest that sexuality might be mapped on a continuum,” said Debra Moddelmog, coordinator of the Sexuality Studies Program at Ohio State University. “Although the 0-6 scale was unique to him.” Because it subverts ideas of permanent identities, the Kinsey scale is still a hot topic for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable at one end of the spectrum or the other. Using a number from 0 to 6, people can express their current sexual behavior (or have it categorized by sociologists) without conforming to any kind of sexual hierarchy. Moddelmog is familiar with the work of Kinsey and others in the field of sexuality. Some current trends favor defining sexuality in terms of percentages, she notes. Subjects can identify as 60/40 homosexual, 20/80, or any other pairing that’s descriptive of who they are. The problem with some other scales, though, is that their terminology implies the superiority of one type of sexuality. To say, “I’m 60 percent gay,” could be understood by others as an affirmation that 100 percent gay is the end goal. Kinsey’s work is completely freeform.
In an internet culture where we’re fond of clicking boxes of identity found in online tests, most people comfortable in their exclusively-oneended sexuality aren’t sure what to do with the Kinsey Scale.
The Kinsey Scale
0: Exclusively heterosexual 1: Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual 2: Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual 3: Equally heterosexual and homosexual 4: Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual 5: Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual 6: Exclusively homosexual X: Asexual
Most people I asked placed themselves at 3, 4 or 2 on the scale. Given the confused responses of the others, who hadn’t heard of Kinsey’s work, it seems he’s popular with people who experience some attraction to both sexes. Because they can
easily seek out information about these attractions online, anyone between a 1 and a 5 is most likely to know about the Kinsey Scale.
“I think it’s accurate for something so simple. I’d say my score is more of an average though.”
The popularity of Kinsey over time can be seen with Google Trends, an online tool that shows data for the last 10 years of Internet searching. Starting in January 2004, Google began tracking monthly volume for every term anyone has ever searched. Discounting late 2004 (when Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson was released), the search term “Kinsey Scale” has steadily grown over time.
“It does not distinguish between sexual and romantic attraction, or attraction to physiologic characteristics and gender expression.”
This keyword currently averages a 10 (out of 100) on Google’s own arbitrary scale. In 2009 it averaged a 6, and it held steady at 4 in 2006. Since almost a decade ago, more than twice as many people have been looking up Kinsey’s work online.
But even that doesn’t factor in the realm of gender expression, in which Facebook now lists 56 options instead or just male or female.
Despite that, the same respondents who identified as a 3, 4, or 2 expressed frustrations with Kinsey’s limitations. “I am attracted to people, and it doesn’t matter what squishy bits they’re equipped with, and that is not on this chart.”
It’s OK. He’s in a 1980s retro glam band.
The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid introduced by Fritz Klein in 1978 takes the Kinsey Scale and explodes it into a field of possibilities instead of a single spectrum. It takes into account attractions, behaviors, fantasies and lifestyles.
Is the Kinsey Scale a complete picture of human sexuality? No. Can we still learn from it and use it to discuss the fluidity of sexual orientation, how many people are actually neither gay nor straight? Absolutely. It might help more people open up about their very rare experiences playing for the “other team.” outlookohio.com
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If you haven’t had Sharon’s soups yet, you’re missing out!
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Chasin’ Straights by Jon Theiss “What kind of self-respecting gay man goes after a straight guy - or even worse, a closeted gay guy?” a friend once asked me. My answer was simple: “None. Self-respecting gay men don’t chase closet cases. ‘Self-respect’ is the key term there.” Boom. “People accept the love they think they deserve. If you’re chasing men who will never love you back, well, you don’t need a GPS to know you’re in Self-Loathingtown.” I can’t take full credit for that last gem of wisdom, because I believe I read it on the back of a cereal box - or maybe it was a ball-gag - but it doesn’t matter. The question my friend posed about chasin’ straight guys, or pursuing guys who at least pretend to be straight, strikes at something gay folks don’t like to talk about in polite company. Let’s call it The Straighter the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice Syndrome. Since I moonlight as an amateur medical doctor, I’m totes qualified to diagnose, but since I’m not a lesbian, I can’t say if there’s a corresponding lesbian-on-straight-girl fetish. I presume that, if it does exist, it’s not nearly as common as it is with the ’mos. The majority of gay gals I know are too levelheaded to chase hetero girls. They’ve got better things to do, like watch Who’s the Boss? marathons or charge their cordless power tools 28
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because that goddamn backyard koi pond and meditation garden isn’t going to build itself.
I have no answers, my babies, only questions.
Just for giggles, let’s explore what it means to call yourself “straight acting” vs. what it means to describe yourself using the general term “masculine.” There’s a difference. Listen up.
Although “straight acting” is pretty clear, the definition of “masculine,” is much cloudier. Four out of five amateur doctors agree that the word “masculine” means: “Pertaining to, or characteristic of, male individuals.”
Let’s start with definitions: 1. Straight: an informal term for heterosexual. 2. Acting: from to act, a verb that denotes performance, or “behaving as if.” (For you dummies who need a little help, that means “faking it.”) Put ’em together: Pretending to be heterosexual.
I don’t understand the allure of a hypermasculine, backwards-baseball-capwearing bromo who’s functionally illiterate enough to label himself something as silly as “straight-acting,” but that’s just me.
I don’t understand the allure of a hypermasculine, backwards-baseball-capwearing bromo who’s functionally illiterate enough to label himself something as silly as “straight-acting,” but that’s just me.
For online daters, the “straight-acting” vs. “masc” phenomenon is well-worn territory. But why do so many gay men advertise themselves in these terms on dating websites? And why does it send so many others into a primal lizardbrain lust-state rivaled by those fuckthirsty adolescent years when you constantly had to hide your chub behind a textbook because, y’know, you felt a light breeze or whatever?
But who decides what is “characteristic of a man”? Is wearing a dress “feminine?” Lots of men wear those all around the world because it feels good on your balls. Pink was a masculine color in the 19th century (girls wore white or blue). What about a lisp? Everybody’s got one in Spain.
Here’s my point: If you ask random people in New York, Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and Columbus to describe “masculine” traits - I mean physical or psychological/behavioral qualities you’ll get a different answer each time. The term “masculine” is relative to whomever is using it, and its definition changes depending on location, age, gender, cultural background, politics, etc. Conversely, the term “straight-acting” is based on gay-vs.-straight stereotypes, objectifies breeders in a weird fetishistic way and, most crucially, implies that there’s something wrong with being gay.
The only act I know is Sister Act. I love a man in a habit.
Dick move, guys. You’ve read it before on the Meat Grindr: “Be a man. No femmes.” Listen, if you’re on the Internet trolling for anonymous dick, then you’re the last person who should put anybody else down. My advice: Get off the Internet, go to the bar, get drunk and pick up a stranger for a onenight stand like a goddamn civilized person. That way, when you tell people you’re “straight acting,” they’ll have the chance to laugh in your face because you won’t be so straightacting at 3a when you’ve got another man’s taint on your face. Remember one thing: Every brick-throwing Stonewall drag queen, hairy-legged women’s libber, radical queer activist and openly gay politician hasn’t fought for our right to be “straight acting.” They’ve fought for our right to watch straight dudes pretend to be gay while having sex with each other on the Internet. Without losing our jobs or going to jail, I mean. You can follow Jon Theiss on Twitter @jontheiss.
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Watch it there, handsy!
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FAQ
How can I tell if someone is gay? If you figure out a way, please let us know, mmmkay?
Technically, we could blame you for this confusion, what with straight women taking boxing lessons and straight men taking skin care seriously and all. Then again, Ellen does Covergirl ads, and a gay guy is about to play in the NFL. Guess we’re all shattering stereotypes these days, eh?
What’s with the diva thing?
Acceptable times to say,
“That’s so gay”... • A drag queen riding a unicorn • A bear in a bikini on a piano singing Liza • Pam’s free oil-change tent at the Melissa Etheridge concert
Here’s the sociologists’ explanation for gay men’s love of the diva:
When a company markets to us, don’t be a turd and boycott them. We don’t have equal rights, at least let us have a cookie...
Back in the days of oppression (you know, before Lady Gaga released “Born This Way” in 2011), strong, sharptongued women like Mae West and Joan Crawford were our movie stand-ins, fighting the fights and getting the guys we couldn’t. Or maybe we just like a good Cher tune.
Can I call someone a fag?
TYPE CASTING
No, you may not.
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Twink: Chris Colfer
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Jock: Jason Collins
Bear: Kristian Nairn
Daddy: Victor Garber
Won’t make you gay: strippers at the gay bar. They are usually straight.
Queen: Johnny Weir
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Venn Diagrams
Leonardo DiCaprio
Neil Patrick Harris
ELLEN
FIRST TWO SEASONS OF ELLEN ELLEN
Columbus
Omaha
San
James Franco
Thi n
Butch: Lea DeLaria
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Francisco
LAST TWO SEASONS OF ELLEN ELLE N
Lipstick: Raven−Symone
gs y ou s NEV hou ER s ld a y to a per son gay : 1. Wh
ic which h one of y o 2. Ell is the wom u is the m en wh an an an? d o? 3. I n ever w you’r e gay ould have . guess 4. Wh ed at’s s o gre 5. I d at on 6. I h ’t get Kyl about the av ie L intro e a friend Minogue PGA? duce . who’s you. gay. I shou ld
Note: MimosaÊs donÊt make you gay. ..
LUG (Lesbian Until Sporty: Martina Navratilova Graduation): Ann Heche
Symbology: Each color of the gay rainbow has meaning, it’s not just that we are avid friends of Dorothy.
but unicorns do...
Power Lesbian: Tammy Baldwin
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We Are (Furry) Family
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complete the circuit by Mickey Weems
So many innovations in society come from the LGBT community. Making pets into full-fledged family members, and then coming out about it in public, is one of them.
as part of a universal family of living beings. kinds of outfits. No longer is humanity a master over a hostile world. We are - or should be - caretakers of our “They even have pajamas! My Straight friends environment, siblings to our animal kinfolk. love it,” she said.
A few years ago, people who said their pets were their babies were considered weird. Babies had to be human. But not anymore.
It’s not just wild animals or our own pets that fascinate us. We love to watch other people’s pets. Videos of pets doing adorable things might be a bigger drag on work efficiency than porn.
why Gay folks seem to everywhere in the pet industry: “It is my experience that the LGBT community is attracted to service industry careers. Being able to care for and provide service to animals and their parents is a double win.”
Not only do Gay people set the pace for anthropomorphizing pets, we are also frontline in the movement against cruelty to animals. We know what it’s like to be voiceless and powerless in a harsh world.
The associate said that Petco’s commitment to their Gay customers is strong: “Petco appears to have a good relationship with the LGBT comTwo-thirds of people own pets, and 90 percent munity. Animals don’t discriminate. They just of pet-owners think of their pets as members need love. In my opinion, Petco recognizes that. of the family. Pets are included in family pho- We get weepy-eyed watching dogs get excited When LGBT rodeo fans formed the International Also, the LGBT community spends more money tos. They’re thrown birthday parties, dressed up to see their humans come home from overseas. Gay Rodeo Association, stronger rules for com- per capita on their companions, so it is good for holidays and mourned in memorial services. And the pet world now has its own superstar: passionate treatment of livestock were business to reach out to the LGBT community.” When a beloved animal family member dies, Grumpy Cat. adopted. The LGBT community is well-reprethe remains are often cremated and kept in a sented in organizations dedicated to sheltering place of honor. It is no coincidence that expressing love for abandoned and abused animals. pets increased dramatically at about the same Adopt! It would be presumptuous to say that LGBT time LGBT people gained visibility and equal Love for pets has affected the marketplace. In It has a Columbus name, but visit people love their pets more than others. But rights. many pet stores, the term “owner” has been www.columbusdogconnection.com for statistically, more Gays have pets - 10 percent replaced with “forever human” and “parent.” links to shelters and rescue groups more than the general population. For too many years, pets were the only family throughout Ohio. that many of us had. As such, we paved the Two major pet-care chains, Petco and PetSAnd we all know who started the pet dress-up way for others to consider pets as family. Add mart, are aware of LGBT fondness for animal Columbus craze. the queer fondness for accessorizing, and it is companions. In a move that reflects both kindFranklin County Dog Shelter clear we started a trend that caught on as the ness and shrewd marketing, both chains offer franklincountydogs.com Perhaps the shift in the way people think is due public saw our rainbow-bedecked babies at adoption services, featuring cats (and someto a change in human awareness with regard Pride parades. times dogs) onsite who need families. Capital Area Humane Society to nature and non-humans in general. www.cahs-pets.org Now everybody’s doing it. And it’s a mistake to Both chains value their LGBT customers as Love for animals is not new, but in-depth assume that in our community it’s strictly a well as their Gay associates. Cleveland knowledge about them is. We are becoming Gay male thing. Lots of Lesbians dress up their Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter less egocentric as a species. Animals such as pets, too. “The LGBT community tends to welcome aniwww.cuyahogadogs.com elephants, great apes, whales and dolphins mals into their home not as a hobby, but as are considered intelligent - that is, more like Ann Arite of Toledo is all about accessorizing new members of their families,” a Petco emCleveland Animal Protective League us. animal outfits. She’s an out-and-proud Lesployee told me. “Gay people spend more money clevelandapl.org bian and mom to three Schnauzers. She and on quality food, toys, clothes, grooming and Even dangerous creatures are now often seen her partner, Andrea, dress their dogs in all any other needs of their companions.” As to 32
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Chad never looked better.
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It’s planting season. Take COTA to Flora and get your plants on!
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the other side by James Blackmon
Washington Redskins, San Francisco Fairies: WhatÊs The Difference? Last month I became involved in a Facebook discussion about changing the name of the Washington Redskins. To some, it’s racist. Similarly, the Cleveland Indians are being urged to retire Chief Wahoo, the Warner Brothers-esque, red-skinned cartoon character that has been the team’s mascot for decades. To some, the image is offensive. It occurred to me that, despite the landmark advances we’re making toward marriage equality and LGBTQ civil rights, the American Indian is still fighting for simple respect and basic human dignity. And what struck me most about the Facebook discussion was the notion some have that fighting to eliminate negative and offensive stereotypes from pop culture is somehow silly.
The saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But that’s not really true, is it? If another saying is true - that a picture’s worth a thousand words - then imagine just how much damage can be done to the self-image and the self-worth of any group of people based on the strength of a single image. The idea of who we are isn’t really formed inside of us. It comes from outside. From our culture. And like it or not, our culture comes from movies and television.
“The idea of who we are isn’t really formed inside of us. It comes from outside. From our culture.”
Practically everything the majority knows about the minority has come from Hollywood. And Hollywood has also taught the minority how to feel and think about itself. For nearly the first 100 years of cinema, the only LGBTQ images Yet, we are still making advances. There will seen on screen were something to laugh at, always be something “more important,” but something to pity or something to fear. that doesn’t lessen the importance of other issues. For so many of us, that was the norm in which we were raised. Certainly, “there are more important things going on” than this. Not too long ago there were “more important things going on” than our fight for marriage equality, too.
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Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, I saw all three. Gays were often the butt of the joke, as we had been since the beginning of film. The Sissy, typically an effeminate, slender, wellmannered white gentleman with a pencil moustache, was one of cinema’s first stock characters and was always good for a laugh. The Sissy was never specifically addressed as gay, but he was. Everybody knew it. Although his look has changed over the years, the function has remained the same. From Paul Lynde’s Uncle Arthur on Bewitched, to Charles Nelson Riley from Match Game to ventriloquist Wayland Flowers and Madame, these men never said they were gay.
depressed gay characters whose struggles with their sexual identity were so traumatic that they usually ended in suicide. And as we entered the ’80s and AIDS became impossible for Hollywood to ignore, we not only became even more pitiful, but now we also were something to fear, a stigma from which we haven’t completely recovered. With the help of cable and reality TV, things are changing. No longer pitiful and suicidal, we now have fully realized gay relationships on daytime and primetime TV. Since the talk-show days of Donahue all the way to the Real World, Jerry Springer and The Amazing Race, reality TV has treated us just like everybody else. We’re villains and heroes. We’re equals. And that’s great for us. But what about everybody else? And why should we care? Emma Lazarus said it best: “Until we all are free, we are none of us free.”
Let’s face it. We would never have a profesThey didn’t have to. The flamboyance, the wit, sional ball team called the San Francisco the dinner jacket, the ascot... even a 6-year-old Fairies or the Atlanta Jigaboos or the El Paso gay kid in Alabama knew it. Wetbacks. So why this? The ’70s also saw its share of unhappy, pitiful,
Honestly, I cannot answer that. Can you?
A @DeChiefWahoo campaign on Twitter urges Cleveland fans to remove the logo from their gear.
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Nina’s spring show runs May 2-3, 9-11 and 16-18 at Axis.
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mario
the mario and debbie show
Musty crotches. Humidity breeds funky junk. Get some Irish Spring and scrub it!
I love a good messy prank. My favorite is my ketchup packet prank. I will get ketchup packets from a fast-food restaurant, tape them to the knobs under the toilet seat, gently place the toilet seat down onto the bowl and wait for a scream. There is nothing funnier than exploding ketchup packets on your ass while you are pooing.
Utah. Why not? They have polygamy camps, right? So what is so awful about two homos getting married there? Anyway, the gays have been doing polygamous relationships for years via Grindr, Scruff and Growlr.
Uptight queers. Learn to laugh at yourself and your own quirky behavior before someone else bullies you over it. This is pretty much my mantra, plus honest humor increases your life expectancy. So if you are a humorless twat, then stay away from me and don’t waste my time.
Reese’s Eggs are better than a hand job. This is my favorite candy of Easter. I would put out for a box of Reese’s Eggs.
White, fluffy, creepy He was my mall nightmare, too Fuck the snapshot, Mom 36
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vs What do April showers bring?
What was your best April FoolÊs prank? By you or on you?
Predict the next state for marriage equality.
What do you find taxing?
ReeseÊs eggs or Cadbury eggs?
Haiku! The Easter Bunny
Thank you Easter Bunny! Bawk! Bawk!
Debbie April showers bring the weeds to the yard, and they’re like, it’s better than yours. Damn right, it’s better than yours. Damn weeds! They also bring a disproportionate amount of Capricorn babies into the world each year. Damn Beltane!
I love playing jokes on people, but I personally don’t care to be the victim of one! One year on Fool’s eve, I worked later than usual in my office of about 70 people. I went to the bathroom and took out toilet seat covers for every chair in the office and placed one on each. The next morning there was no chatter, no mention of anything peculiar. Curious, I asked a few folks if they liked their “present.” No one knew what the hell I was talking about. Seems the cleaning crew came in after I left and effectively threw every cover away. Damn efficient office cleaners!
I lost my psychic powers during the Bush administration, but here goes my best guess: I believe the next state for marriage equality will be Pennsylvania. It should be an example of its own history as the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution. Come on, PA!
Annoying people, time, gravity, weight, employment, house-cleaning, taxes and the freaking government.
Cluck cluck cluck cluck afflac cluck cluck cluck. Oh my goodness! I love gooey, yellow, sugary and chocolaty Cadbury eggs so much that I get about 20 and keep them in my candy drawer. Everyone has a candy drawer, right? Oh hell, now you all know I have a cache of Easter chocolate.
I love Raisinettes So great when it’s Easter Day Guess what Bunny left?
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Remember who you are... or don’t.
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photo by Blaine Davis
creative class
GUY TALK by Bryan Cole
An upcoming play is about to challenge Columbus audiences to engage critically with gender and sexuality - in between the laughs. Straight White Men, a new play by playwright/director Young Jean Lee, tackles complex issues of identity and privilege. Set in a cozy, middle-class home at Christmas, a father and his three adult sons - all straight white men - contemplate the modern civil rights movement and their place in it. The first of four performances is April 10 at the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University. Lee is renowned for her daring, forward-thinking work, and at first glance the traditional set design and linear narrative might surprise those familiar with her. But by juxtaposing familiar theater conventions with complicated social-justice issues, she shows she still has a knack for formal invention. And it’s fitting, too. After all, aren’t the well-worn tropes of modern theater the “straight white men” of the genre? “She uses a formal challenge in each of her plays,” said Sara Swinford, program coordinator at the Wexner Center for the Arts. For this play, “the experiment was to not be 38
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‘Straight White Men’: It’s No Longer Their World, Welcome to It
experimental.”
quest to explore the play’s themes.
By relying on established theater practices, Lee highlights the way these men are most comfortable with the traditions of the past and unsure how to adapt to a world in which their perspective is no longer valued above all. These are important, exciting ideas for a play to explore, especially at a time when LGBT allies are increasingly looking for ways to support civil rights work.
Ultimately, Young Jean Lee’s plays serve as learning experiences for adult audiences and students alike. Part of her appeal is her willingness to experiment with the very foundations of live performance.
Lee’s unique ideas have proven irresistible to the Wex. Straight White Men will debut at the conclusion of her creative residency with the center, and programmers hope to continue working with her.
“She’s at the forefront of avant garde theater.”
“Collaborations like this start with the artist’s work,” Swinford said. “You ask, ‘How can you support artists making work that you really appreciate?’” The answer, in part, is by offering resources for the artist to develop her ideas. Lee has been workshopping the play for the past few years, which has given her the freedom to discover the fine details in an unassuming, creative setting. “It’s a process that’s really great to support,” Swinford said. In addition, by offering a creative residency so close to OSU, Lee has been able to interact with students in her That guy on the end is always so buttoned up.
When asked why she was so drawn to Lee’s work, Swinford’s answer was simple.
‘Straight White Men’
April 10-13 @ the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, Columbus
Showtimes: 8p Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2p Sunday Tickets: $18 for members $22 for general public $10 for students
Visit wexarts.org for tickets and more information. outlookohio.com
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Did you get your healthcare policy before the deadline? Need help figuring it out? Call Robert at Health Markets.
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State Rep. Nickie Antonio will be among those honored this year as ArtCares Icons.
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the outfield
by Dan Woog
Gay Frisbee Teams Are Flying High
The Ultimate Sport roped in gay and lesbian friends (and his own lesbian sister). They became as enraptured as he was.
So how gay is Frisbee? Pretty gay. It’s a sport - which is actually called “Ultimate” and played with a “disc,” because “Frisbee” is a registered trademark that has traditionally attracted outsiders. Some are good athletes who have been turned off by the rigid rules and militaristic manner of mainstream sports. Others are people who always considered themselves non-athletes but finally realized the joy that can be found running, throwing and catching. And plenty are gay. Ultimate welcomes everyone (except referees - there are none). It’s a big gay sport.
The men and women who initially gathered with Harrington to play in Los Angeles parks were, like him, “non-athletes.” But younger players soon joined, many with backgrounds in traditional team sports. They didn’t feel as excluded from sports as Harrington had been, but they also enjoyed the easy-going camaraderie of the ultimate players. “It’s a generational thing,” Harrington said, referring to a new group of LGBT people who have grown up playing sports. He’s only 28, but he recognizes the difference. Ultimate is “super easy to pick up,” Harrington said in explaining its appeal. “All you need is a disc. In two minutes, you understand the rules.”
stuck. Now it’s official.) In 2011 - four years after the first dozen or so players gathered - there were enough for a legit tournament. Flyers, a Facebook page and website drew a crowd of 60. Today there’s an email list of 250. The Facebook page has 280 members. That’s enough for a real Big Gay Frisbee league. Each season lasts several weeks, with six or so teams. “It’s almost like a real sport,” Harrington said. Although a lot of players are first “dragged in by friends” or arrive looking for a boyfriend, after just a couple of games they realize the ultimate attraction: Frisbee is fun. “They stop boyfriend-shopping,” Harrington said. Meanwhile, with the pressure off, relationships do form and flourish.
And it has spawned Big Gay Frisbee teams. There’s one in Los Angeles. Another in San Francisco. There’s one in Cincinnati. In January, teams gathered in Las Vegas for the Sin City Shootout. More on that later. First, the ultimate background. Around 2007, Seth Harrington was searching for a team sport. Rejecting what he calls the “macho paternalism” of sports like football, basketball and baseball, he had not been particularly athletic while growing up. But in his 20s he wanted to do something sports-like. Randomly, he picked up a disc. He discovered a “level playing field.” Ultimate was athletic and fun, without being judgmental or exclusionary. Harrington outlookohio.com
Just as quickly, newcomers catch the spirit. “It’s an easy camaraderie. Everyone respects everyone else. There’s no ref, so everyone sorts out and resolves issues together.” Those qualities make “Big Gay Frisbee” attractive to the LGBT community, Harrington thinks. And they extend to straight players who join. Harrington has been surprised several times when, after playing for months, someone casually announces he has a girlfriend. “These are straight guys who are very at ease with the LGBT community. They don’t feel this big necessity to identify as straight right from the start.” (About that Big Gay Frisbee name. It started as a joke, Harrington says. “It was just part of the fun. It sounds non-threatening, welcoming and ironic.” Eventually it
Which leads to the Sin City Shootout. Held annually in Las Vegas over Martin Luther King Day weekend, it draws over 6,750 participants. They compete in basketball, bowling, bridge, darts and 12 other sports. (They also party. But that stays in Vegas.) This year, the Shootout included what Harrington calls “the one and only national LGBT ultimate tournament.” Eight teams participated, from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Cincinnati. Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach and gay activist. His latest book is We Kick Balls: True Stories from the Youth Soccer Wars. He can be reached at OutField@qsyndicate.com. For more information, click on www.bgfultimate.com.
Visit columbusultimate.com for information about leagues in Columbus.
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Pride Night at the Clippers is May 8 in the covered party deck with catering! Tickets at outlookohio.com.
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deep inside hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
Newly Out Ellen Page Takes on Lesbian Role
Alexis Bledel Wants to Marry Katherine Heigl
Long in the works, the Ellen Page project Freeheld couldn’t come together at a better moment.
OK, not in real life. But the producers of Jenny’s Wedding are still hoping you’ll donate to their Indiegogo fund to finish production on the romantic comedy-drama about two lesbians facing uncertain marriage plans.
The actor just came out publicly to the support of fans everywhere, and Dallas Buyers Club had multiple Oscar nominations and wins to make the climate a little more welcoming for gay-themed drama. Even better news: The film has a firmed-up casting sheet, with Julianne Moore attached to play Page’s life partner, and Zach Galifianakis ready to take on the role of a humanrights activist. Based on the Oscar-winning 2007 documentary of the same name by Cynthia Wade, the true story revolves around Stacie Andree (Page) and New Jersey police detective Laurel Hester (Moore), a couple who face anti-gay laws when Hester becomes terminally ill and not allowed to assign her pension benefits to Andree.
From director Mary Agnes Donoghue (screenwriter of Beaches and White Oleander), the film stars Katherine Heigl as Jenny, a lesbian who wants to marry her girlfriend (Alexis Bledel). Except Jenny never got around to telling her parents (Tom Wilkinson, Lindo Emond) that she’s gay. Principal photography is finished, but the production is looking to raise about $150,000 more to complete the film. And that’s where Indiegogo comes in. Currently, they’ve managed to come up with a little more than $30,000. So it boils down to this: You may never want to see Katherine Heigl do anything else in this life except make out with Rory Gilmore, so isn’t it worth five bucks?
Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) is the screenwriter, Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas) will handle directing duties, and it all starts Sure it is. Do it for the sake of lesbian wedshooting later this year for an assumed 2015 ding movies now and forevermore. release.
Elton John Gets Behind Animated ‘Dreamcoat’
‘Looking’ Director Goes Not-Gay for New Project
The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a touring stage vehicle for the likes of Donny Osmond and other former TV stars, is going to get a new lease on life from the man who has probably worn more real-life Technicolor dreamcoats than anyone else.
Looking producer/director Andrew Haigh, the British filmmaker whose indie feature Weekend garnered him a landslide of critical acclaim, has lined up his next project, the Charlotte Rampling/Tom Courtenay-starring 45 Years.
An animated musical feature film version is coming from Elton John’s Rocket Pictures film production company, the people responsible for the weird cartoon musical Gnomeo & Juliet. (You remember, it had all those gnomes singing “Crocodile Rock” and other hits in the context of an upbeat, non-suicidal, children’s version of the Shakespeare tragedy.) And why not? It’s weird, too: a Bible story about a young man whose multicolored cape interprets dreams for religious leaders amidst famine and imprisonment. It’s singing, dancing fun for everyone.
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Hey, if you like Looking, check out Haigh’s film Weekend.
Adapted by Haigh from a short story by poet David Constantine, the story is a strange one: A man and woman are planning their 45th wedding anniversary party when the man learns that the body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in a glacier in the Swiss Alps. It gives Haigh the perfect opportunity to flex his not-gay storytelling muscles. Nobody likes to be typecast. Romeo San Vicente can be reached at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.
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interview
Love Her Tender by Gregg Shapiro
As the Indigo Girls Head to Columbus, Amy Ray Releases Her Fifth Solo Album Indigo Girl Amy Ray’s fifth solo album, Goodnight Tender, fulfills a promise she has been hinting at throughout her career.
A country record through and through, the traditional sounds on Goodnight Tender have a history of popping
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up on the Georgia native’s recordings, either on her own or with fellow Indigo Girl Emily Saliers. The duo will be in Columbus on April 26 to perform with the Columbus Symphony.
On her solo album’s dozen exclusively country songs, Ray is, to quote Paul Simon, “shining like a National guitar.” She’s backed by an all-star band playing pedal steel, dobro, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and standup bass.
It’s almost jumbo beef tenderloin season. Oho festival season kicks off this month. County fairs begin June 9.
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Gregg Shapiro: Amy, how long have you wanted to record a country album such as Goodnight Tender? AR: About 10 years, maybe a little longer. About 10 years ago I started writing songs and putting them in a pile and filing them away in my mind, (thinking) “When I get enough songs and when I’m ready to do this, I’m going to make a traditional country record.” GS: Who would you cite as your greatest influences in country music? AR: From the earliest time, Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle are two writers I took inspiration from, even for songs I was writing for Indigo Girls. As far as strictly traditional country artists, Hank Williams and George Jones and Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard - all the greats. I like that era from the Carter Family gospel mountain music - a whole lot. To me, they’re the parents of folk music. (Ethnomusicologist) Alan Lomax’s recordings played a big part when I was writing a song such as “Johnny Rottentail” and more of the storytelling kinds of songs. GS: Heather McEntire, the out lead singer of Mount Moriah, can be heard singing on “When You Come for Me.” How did that come about? AR: Maybe seven years ago, she was in a punk band from Durham, N.C., called Bellafea, and she wrote me an email as I was getting ready to go on the road with The Butchies. She asked if she could come out and open for some shows. That’s how I originally met her. GS: The inimitable Kelly Hogan, who has also toured with Indigo Girls, can be heard on “Time Zone” and the title cut. Why did you want to have her sing on the album? AR: I’ve always wanted have her on this record, actually. As I was writing “Goodnight Tender” especially, I was thinking that I wanted it to have those close, Everly Brothers harmonies, and she’s the person I had in mind. ... She’s one of my favorite vocalists and an amazing person. We have a long history. She’s an ally in the music business for me. GS: Attitudes continue to evolve in Nashville, albeit slowly. What would it mean to you to have this album emoutlookohio.com
braced by the Nashville music community? AR: It would be huge. But that would mean something bigger than me. (Lesbian country artist) Brandy Clark is being embraced. Kacey Musgraves has that “Follow Your Arrow” song that was embraced. It might be slightly different for someone such as me to be embraced because I’m so obviously left-of-center and gay and out and political and masculine and all that. It’d be a pretty big deal on another level, but I would love that. ... I spend more time in Nashville than I used to. I have a lot of friends there. I would say that over the years I’ve noticed discernible changes in the culture there. It used to be, 12 years ago, if I played in Nashville, there were always derogatory remarks from the bartenders and even the club-owners. It was hard. I had a hard time and I was always surprised by it. That was when I first started touring solo, and I have seen a noticeable difference. The contrast is stark. The last time I played there, people and the club-owner were super-friendly and I had a big crowd. I didn’t expect to have a crowd at all. And I was with The Butchies. It wasn’t like I had toned it down at all or anything. I would at least like to make inroads in the Americana scene. I have a lot of friends in that scene. To break into any scene at this age is very hard. I just have to put the music out there and hope that it finds its way.
Columbus Symphony Pops Series
April 5: En Vogue April 26: Indigo Girls
Shows start at 8p at the Ohio Theatre
Tickets for both shows are $25 to $78 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or through the CAPA box office at 614.228.8600. Who remembers when the Hubbard was a car dealership?
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bookmark by Tom Muzyka
Having just watched Hunger Games: Catching Fire, I was reminded how much male and female - eye candy there is in the postapocalyptic future.
where is Northstar now? In the background of most X-men comics like he was before the wedding.
With Hunger Gays, I wanted to write a sexy, coming-ofage story about a gay boy growing up in a dystopian world. Yeah, it’s a spoof, but I use erotic and fantasy elements to examine male identity and sexuality. I purposely made Nathan Alexander the world post-sexual because I did not want to write another Or the fanvids I’ve been making. coming-out story and have our protagonist discover he likes boys in the end. The Hunger Gays is what it sounds like: gay men in a fight to the death. But this version TM: Post-apocalyptic future: fights to of the game has tops and bottoms instead of the death, starving rural districts, forced male and female tributes. Author Nathan drugging. Not that great. But gay marriage Alexander discussed the background to his doesn’t seem to be an issue. new novel. NA: Gay marriage is not the ultimate evil in the mind of a gay writer. Imagine that. PerTom Muzyka: What prompted you to spoof haps that was just some of my own political The Hunger Games? Are you a fan of the commentary shining through, and the idea original book or is this a revisionist version, that there are worse things in this world than an attempt to improve the original with the gay agenda - whatever that is. However, I more dildos and lube? will say I did not outwardly tackle gay marNathan Alexander: First off, any situation is riage in this book. Stay tuned. automatically made better once you add dildos and lube to it. TM: The Peeta character is an “Omni,” a person attracted to anyone regardless of I’m a fanboy of just about everything: Hunger gender, sex, age or body type. Where did Games, X-men, Star Wars, Battlestar Galac- you have the idea for this term? tica, even the new 52. I get endlessly frusNA: Omni is derived from the term omnisexutrated that gay characters are never actual ality, which means being attracted to all genfully realized people or that their only contri- ders and sexes. It’s a word interchangeable bution to a story is their sexuality. When was with pansexuality. I had always wanted to the last time the X-men’s Northstar had a write a character who was attracted to everymajor story? Oh, it was his gay wedding. True, one. In Hunger Gays we mention that Omnis it did draw a lot of positive attention, but What luck, then, that a new book imagines what would happen if you changed all the participants in The Hunger Games series into men and the games into sex. It’s like the deleted scenes I wish there were from the actual movies.
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are seen as pure-hearted individuals because they find beauty in just about everyone. I admire that quality.
NA: Jennifer Lawrence is the patron saint of all gay men as far as I’m concerned. Part of the reason The Hunger TM: The main characters struggle to find Games movies have been so successful is betheir sexual identity and realize they don’t cause she is a phenomenal actress and the need to conform to society’s division of wet dream of every gay boy in high school “top” and “bottom.” So what’s the underly- yearning for that perfect bestie. ing theme here? Don’t categorize sexual preferences? Versatility for all? So if she wants to cameo in an NC-17 film NA: The underlying theme is that I get tired of then by all means. You won’t hear any comgoing on dates and having guys ask me if I’m plaints from me. a top or bottom. It’s like, “Well I’m vers,” and almost immediately my date becomes flabWho would I cast? Well, when I was writing bergasted and tongue-tied as though he’d Aspen I pictured a young Devon Sawa, circa just discovered a new subspecies of gay men 2000, when he was in Final Destination. I’ll living in the sewers of Hell’s Kitchen. So, yes, let the readers decide on everyone else. versatility for all. You can find more about The Hunger Gays TM: If your book were turned into a movie - and Riverdale Ave Books at I’ll let you decide what rating - who would riverdaleavebooks.com. you cast? Would you allow Jennifer Lawrence some type of cameo?
Hate to think what “Catching Fire” will mean in the gay sequel.
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I ♥ the nightlife Jury Room, 22 E Mound St: All of Liz Lessner’s Columbus Food League restaurants (the others are Betty’s, Dirty Franks, Grass Skirt, Surly Girl Saloon, Tip Top and the Torpedo Room) are welcoming places with diverse staffs and customers. Out Executive Bethany Walker makes the Jury Room especially worth a visit. Leipzig Haus, 2201 E Livingston Ave: Like most college bars, it can get a little wild Gay-Friendly Bars Expand the Columbus Nightlife Map sometimes, but it’s also pretty much void Ace of Cups, 2619 N High St: A live music of social hangups. “They are accepting of by Andrew Hypes venue with loyal patrons, it brings in differ- anyone and it’s a great place to just relax,” ent crowds nightly depending on the act. said Andrew Ruggles of Bexley. “It’s also a Every month, our Nightlife page features what’s happening at the gay bars. All seem to be gay-welcoming. great place to go and meet new people while having a great, but really cheap But these days, bars don’t have to fly a Arch City Tavern, 862 N High St: Maybe drink.” rainbow flag in order to welcome LGBT pa- it’s the ghost of Havana, the gay bar that used to be there. Maybe it’s the lobster trons. As everywhere else has become Little Rock, 944 N 4th St: With an extenmore inclusive, it’s just natural that mac ’n’ cheese. sive beer list, occasional live music and an nightlife has become less segregated, too. old-school curated jukebox (that’s free to Blue Danube, 2439 N High St: This diner is play!), it’s a laid-back place where every“It seems like the idea of total diversity is a great place for first dates or a nightcap. one is welcome. just natural now,” said Miguel Martinez, a There’s only one rule: Don’t walk past the bartender at Leipzig Haus in Bexley, a spot kitchen on the way to the ladies’ restroom. popular with LGBT and straight students at nearby Capital University. “No one that Bodega, 1044 N High St: Before it shut comes here regularly gives things like that down in February for a relaunch, Bodega was thought of as the gay bar that’s not a a second thought.” gay bar. There’s no reason to think that will Here’s a rundown of some of Columbus’s change with version 2.0. gay-friendly bars. They don’t identify Hal and Al’s, 1297 Parsons Ave: This South themselves as gay, but it’s hard to call them straight, either. Side spot with a vegan menu has a progressive vibe and a huge beer selection.
Local Bar, 913 N High St: This hangout compares itself to the watering holes of Africa where all animals come together. “We don’t believe in saying we are this or we are that. We just want you to come have fun, have a few drinks and maybe meet that other animal!” Mike’s Grill, 724 N High St: As no-frills as a bar can get: They don’t take credit cards and don’t have food. Seventh Son Brewing Co, 1101 N 4th St: It’s one of the many popular breweries in Columbus, and with communal picnic table seating, you’ll make new friends fast. And who doesn’t like a fire pit on the patio?
Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N High St: Ladies 80s on Thursday nights is technically a ladies’ night (they get in free), but it’s pretty popular with full-price-paying gay men, too. Skully’s has been voted Columbus’s best dance club every year for the past decade in one poll or another. It’s also a favorite for live music. Strongwater Food and Spirits, 401 W Town St: Part of the new 400 West Rich arts complex in Franklinton, it’s helping to revive the neighborhood west of Downtown.
Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W 3rd Ave: Always in the running for the best happy hour in Columbus, Woodland’s has an eclectic crowd, from professionals stopShort North Tavern, 674 N High St: It’s the ping by on their way home from work to neighborhood bar of what’s still considered hippies waiting to hear the jam band playthe gayborhood of Columbus, so of course ing later that night. And again, who it’s going to be a welcoming spot. doesn’t like a fire pit on the patio?
GAYLUMBUS NIGHTLIFE 1. AWOL/The Barracks 49 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH 43215 614.621.8779, awolbar.com
1b. Manhole-Columbus 684 Oak St, Columbus, OH 43215 773.555.555, FB: Manhole-Columbus 2. Axis 775 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215, 614.291.4008, columbusnightlife.com 3. Cavan Irish Pub 1409 S High St, Columbus, OH 4320, 614.725.5502, cavanirishpub.com
1. Bounce 2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113 216.357.2997, bouncecleveland.com
2. Cocktails 9208 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 216.961.3115, FB: Cocktails Cleveland 3. Flex 2600 Hamilton Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114 216.812.3304, flexspas.com
3b. Mean Bull 1313 E 26th St, Cleveland, OH 44114, 216.812.3330, meanbull.com
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4. Leather Stallion Saloon 2205 St Clair Ave NE Cleveland, OH 44114 216.589.8588 FB: Leather Stallion Saloon
5. The Hawk 11217 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 216.521.5443 thehawkbar.com
4. Circus 1227 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201 614.421.2998, FB:CircusShortNorth
6. Club Diversity 863 S High St, Columbus, OH 43206 614.224.4050, clubdiversity.com 7. Exile 893 N Fourth St, Columbus, OH 43201, 614.294.0069, exilebar.com 8. Level 700 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214, 614.754.1342, www.levelcolumbus.com 9. Slammers 202 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43215, 614.221.8880, FB: Slammers 10. Southbend 126 E Moler St, Columbus, OH 43207, 614.444.3386, FB: Southbend Tavern 11. Toolbox Saloon 744 Frebis Ave, Columbus, OH 43206, 614.670.8113, FB: The Toolbox Saloon
5. Club 20 20 E Duncan St, Columbus, OH 43202 614.261.9111, 12. Tremont FB: Club 20 708 S High St, Columbus, OH 43206, 614.444.2041, tremontlounge.com
6. Twist 11633 Clifton Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44102 216.862.3987
What’s your favorite straight watering hole? Let us know on our Facebook page!
13. Union 782 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215, 614.421.2233, columbusnightlife.com 14. Wall Street 144 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215, 614.464.2800, wallstreetnightclub.com
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Get your leather on, Cleveland!
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Out & About TUESDAY, APRIL 1 I SEE YOU Visible / Invisible @ Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 S Grant Ave, 614.645.2275, columbuslibrary.org: Creative Women of Color hosts an art show highlighting their diverse talents and the common threads they share as African-American women. 10a-5p; free.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2 BELLE OF THE BALL Dance of the Belle Epoque @ Cardinal Health Auditorium, Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E Broad St, columbusmuseum.org: Sit in on a collaborative performance and discussion of Parisian dance led by Karen Eliot of the OSU Dance Department. 2p; free with admission. THURSDAY, APRIL 3 CARBTOWN, POPULATION: ME Pasta Making 101 @ Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, 614.715.8000, fpconservatory.org: Tom Hughes leads a class on all the basics of pasta-making, from rolling out the dough to eating, with lots of ways to make it at home. 6p-8p; $30-$35. RING YOUR BELL! Columbus Clippers Opening Day @ Huntington Park, 330 Huntington Park Lane, 614.462.2757, clippersbaseball.com: Ease up there, pal: The first Dime-a-Dog isn’t until April 7. You have to pay full price on Opening Day, when the Clippers take on Indianapolis. 7:05p; $7-$15 day of game. FRIDAY, APRIL 4 RIP MATTHEW The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later @ Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Performing Arts, 100 W Dublin-Granville Rd, 614.413.8300, seatyourself.biz/nahs: The New Albany High School Drama Department performs the follow-up to The Laramie Project, this time focusing on the legacy of Matthew Shepard’s murder and what we know now. 7:30p; $7-$12. SATURDAY, APRIL 5 WHATTA BAND En Vogue @ The Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, 614.469.0939, columbussymphony.com: R&B girl group En Vogue will take you back to the ’90s with hits “Whatta Man,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” and “Hold On.” Only this time, instead of a crowded casino, they team up with the Columbus Symphony. Upgrade! 8p; $25-$68.
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IT’S MY BIRTHDAY, IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! Exile 5th Anniversary Party @ Exile Bar, 893 N 4th St, 614.299.006, www.exilebar.com: Come celebrate the fifth anniversary of your favorite bad boy bar. Sexy box dancers, a best ass contest, Spunk Lube giveaways and Torso Leather & Fetish all help make the night memorable. Dibs on the St Andrew’s cross! 9p; free. april 2014
SUNDAY, APRIL 6 PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND IN AND THRASH IT ALL AROUND The Decibel Magazine Tour ft. Carcass @ The Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 614.294.1659, promowestlive.com: Carcass, Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts, and Noisem collaborate for a night of death metal that is sure to loosen your fillings. 6p; $23-$25. HERE HE IS, MS. (GAY) AMERICA Miss Gay Cleveland America Pageant 2014 @ Bounce Night Club, 2814 Detroit Ave, 216.357.2997, bouncecleveland.com: Watch Cleveland’s best queens as they vie for the title of Miss Gay Cleveland. This event will serve as a preliminary contest where the winner can advance to the national stage. 8p; free. MONDAY, APRIL 7 MONDAYS ARE A DRAG RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 Viewing Party @ Union Café, 782 N High St, 614.421.2233: What better way to watch crazy queens than with other crazy queens? The new episode is followed by karaoke. 9p; free. TUESDAY, APRIL 8 MY GIRL WEDNESDAY The Addams Family @ The Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.9850, www.capa.com: Wednesday Addams falls for a “normal” boy, and her family sings and dances about it. It sounds far more precious than the delightfully macabre performance by young Christina Ricci, but our interest is piqued. 7:30p; $28-$78. (Through April 13) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 (FRENCH ACCENT) OM NOM NOM The Art of Cuisine: Toulouse-Lautrec @ Columbus Art Museum, 480 E Broad St, 614.629.0346, columbusmuseum.org: Feeling fancy? The Kitchen is serving up a five-course dinner party inspired by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s decadent dining style and his book, The Art of Food. Artistinspired cocktails will also be available at the cash bar. 6-9p; $60 - $67. YOU CAN BET THE FARM… Network Columbus @ Hollywood Casino, 200 Georgesville Rd, 614.308.3333, www.networkcolumbus.com: After the networking, stay and try your hand at roulette or the slots. 6p-8p; free. THURSDAY, APRIL 10 ISN’T EVERYDAY ‘STRAIGHT WHITE MAN’ DAY? Straight White Men @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org: Experimental playwright Young Jean Lee premieres her new play, a comedic exploration of identity and social justice. 8p; $10-$18.
Is Miss Gay Heart anything like Dragon Heart with Sean Connery?
FRIDAY, APRIL 11 HOW LOW (OR HIGH) CAN YOU GO? Mozart & Strauss @ Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, 614.228.8600, columbussymphony.com: Get a dose of culture and see the Columbus Symphony Orchestra perform the last works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss. 8p; $25-68. (also April 12) STRUMMING MY PAIN WITH HER FINGERS Diana Chittester @ Wall Street Night Club, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: The singer-songwriter will perform an acoustic set before DJ Michele Chaney takes over. Diana is said to have a “swift finger picking style” that we hope is a reference to her guitar. 8p-10:30p; $3-$5. AND THE WIENER IS… The Toolbox Awards @ Toolbox Saloon, 744 Frebis Ave, 614.670.8133, FB: The Toolbox Saloon: It’s like the Golden Globes with more booze, drag queens and strippers. Nominees include: Helena Troy, Evan Evans and Southbend Tavern. Outlook expects a nod next year. 9p; free. SATURDAY, APRIL 12 CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BLOW Trumpet Summit @ Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.294.5200, jazzartsgroup.org: Come prepared, because this will be a loud one! Join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra for an ode to the trumpet, led by virtuosos Byron Stripling and Sean Jones. 8p; $36.35$60.60. SUNDAY, APRIL 13 I’M NO MORNING PERSON, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I’D GET UP FOR Vegan Baking for Good Mornings @ Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, 614.715.8000, fpconservatory.org: Pattycake Bakery’s Lisa DeGirolamo shows how to make the bakery’s famous Everything Oatmeal Cookies and Organic Morning Glory Muffins to take home. What a sweet deal! 3:30-5:30p; $40 for members, $45 for nonmembers. THE GAY HEART OF OHIO IS STILL BEATING Miss Gay Heart of Ohio America Pageant @ Axis Night Club, 775 N High St, 614.291.4008, axisonhigh.com: Alongside special guests and previous winners, come watch as the best Columbus has to offer struts their stuff in this preliminary to the Miss Gay Ohio Pageant later on this summer. 7p. SHE CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL Miley Cyrus @ The Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr, 614.688.3939, www.ticketmaster.com: Does she still sing “Party in the U.S.A” or is it not edgy enough? We get it, Miley... you’re grown up. You can put your tongue back in your mouth now. 7p; $19.50-$89.50. outlookohio.com
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MONDAY, APRIL 14 DON’T TELL KEN HAM Ohio’s Glory Days - 100 B.C. to A.D. 400 @ Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, 614.752.9777: Wanna know what Ohio was like 2,000 years ago? They didn’t allow gay marriage then, either. This Native American exhibit includes artifacts found in Ohio’s famous earthworks. Through April 30. 7a-6p; free. TUESDAY, APRIL 15 IT’S BACK! Shen Yun @ Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, 614.469.0939, capa.com: Bask in the sound and color of classic Chinese dance as 5,000 years of history is recreated onstage. 7:30p; $50-120. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16 PUT ON YOUR RED LIGHT Love for Sale @ The Wexner Center, 1871 N High Street, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org: Thanks to a recent initiative to bring Brazilian art to Columbus on the part of the Wexner Center, Karim Ainouz will be stopping by to show off his unique brand of cultural cinema. Two of his films will be shown, with Love for Sale primarily known as a critical success in South America. 7p; $7. THURSDAY, APRIL 17 AND YOUR LITTLE DOG, TOO! The Wizard of Oz @ Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, 614.224.6672, columbuschildrenstheatre.org: Be a friend of Dorothy and attend the Columbus Children’s Theatre’s production of the MGM classic. 7:30p; $14-$22. FRIDAY, APRIL 18 TEEN GIRLS = THE WORST Forevering Trilogy: A Million Miles Away @ The Wexner Center, 1871 N High Street, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org Former Ohio State student Jennifer Reeder is returning to her hometown to present some recent films she created on the subject of the tumultuous upbringing of American teenage girls. 7p; $7. SATURDAY, APRIL 19 JOIN TEAM OUTLOOK! Dr. Robert J. Fass Memorial AIDS Walk Central Ohio @ McFerson Commons, 218 West St, 614.340.6715, aidswalkcentralohio.com: Get off the couch and walk (or run!) for a great cause. You must be registered to participate, so join our team! 10:30a; $5-$30. PUT A BIRD ON IT Craftin’ Outlaws Alternative Craft Festival @ Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High St, 614.506.1932, craftinoutlaws.com: Support local artists by stocking up on some handmade gifts of clothing, handbags, jewelry, posters and ceramics. 11a-6p; free. outlookohio.com
Something to Do Everyday this Month! TRAUMA’S FASHIONABLE SISTER Drauma 2014 @ The Bluestone, 583 E Broad Street, 614.884-4646, liveatthebluestone.com: Come celebrate everything that is fabulous at this fashion extravaganza. A meeting of DJs, designers, models and stylists from around the city, Drauma strives to be as crazy a show as it can be. Featuring performances by Nina West, DJ Push and many more. 9p; $20-$25. GET LUCKY ON PROM NIGHT LGBTQA Prom Dance Party @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, wallstreetnightclub.com: A “thift-store formal” affair with an “Under the Stars” theme. Comedian Brooke Cartus will act as “chaperone” for the 18-and-over crowd, and Columbus prom kings and queens will perform hot spots. Complimentary champagne toast before midnight for 21+ patrons. 10p-2:30a; $10-$12. SUNDAY, APRIL 20 PINBALL WIZARD The Who’s Tommy @ Short North Stage, 1187 N High St, 614.725.4042, shortnorthstage.org: Bask in the electrifying music of Peter Townshend’s rock opera, featuring songs made famous by the original album in 1969 - the time when you could say, “deaf, DUMB, and blind kid” and get away with it. 3p; $25-$40. MONDAY, APRIL 21 SO I CAN GET 100 FOR 10 BUCKS? Dime-A-Dog Night, Columbus Clippers vs. Toledo Mud Hens @ Huntington Park, 330 Huntington Park Lane, 614.462.2757, clippersbaseball.com: Get your nitrates fix for the year. 6:35p, $7-$15 day of game. TUESDAY, APRIL 22 GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK Earth Day @ Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, 614.715.8000, fpconservatory.org: Celebrate Earth Day by discovering your own green thumb. Participate in gardening demonstrations and learn more about community gardening in Columbus. 10a-2p; free with admission.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25 HELLIN’S NOT STRIPPING, RIGHT? Strip Show hosted by Hellin Bedd @ AWOL, 49 Parsons Ave, 614.621.8779, www.awolbar.com: Strippers. Stripping for dollar bills. We’re not sure what else you need to know. 10p; free. SATURDAY, APRIL 26 HAVEN’T THEY REACHED FINE YET? Indigo Girls @ Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, 614.469.0939, columbussymphony.com: Folk rock duo Amy Ray and Emily Saliers will perform some of their greatest hits and fan favorites with the Columbus Symphony for a 95 percent lesbian audience. 8p; $25-$78. BUT WHAT DO QUEER FLOWERS BRING? April Showers Bring Queer Flowers @ Wall Street Night Club, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Gavin Danger of Dangerous Productions presents a gender-blending show featuring performers from around the country. Co-produced by Columbus’s Taylor Mayde. 8p; $7, $40 for tables.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27 A NOT-SO-“SILENT PASSAGE” Menopause the Musical @ Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.340.1896, capa.com: Women meet up at a lingerie sale and form a sisterhood, making fun of hot flashes, wrinkles and mood swings through song and dance - you know, like you do. 2p and 5:30p; $48-$68. MONDAY, APRIL 28 IT’S JUST ANOTHER MANIC, AHEM MAYHEM, MONDAY Monday Mayhem @ Bossy Grrl’s Pin Up Joint, 2598 N High, 614..725.5402, www.bossygrrlspinupjoint.com: Who says you shouldn’t go out and see a little skin on a Monday? No one. Might as well sample the $3 tequila shots and $5 Long Islands while you’re at it. 10p; free.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? State Rep. John Patrick Carney Benefit @ Union Café, 782 N High St, 614.987.8481, www.votecarney.com: Raise money for state auditor hopeful John Patrick Carney. Never forget that gay vote. 5p-7p; $100-$1,000.
TUESDAY, APRIL 29 BETTER TO ARRIVE LATE THAN TO ARRIVE UGLY Arcade Fire @ Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr, 614.688.3939, www.ticketmaster.com: Canadian indie rock band requests the crowd be clad in formal wear or costumes, so AF is either really fun or over pretentious. Either way, who cares? They rock. 7:30p; $27.50-$71.35.
THURSDAY, APRIL 24 LEATHER AND LACE, HOLD THE LACE CLAW 14 @ Various Cleveland locations, 269.588.9100, www.clawinfo.org: Cleveland’s annual leather convention takes place over four days. Highlights include 40 skills workshops, fetish-specific parties, pool parties, mosh pits and dungeon parties. Organizers expect more than 1,500 attendees. Through April 27; $99.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 SO MUCH FOR THE FAREWELL TOUR Cher: Dressed to Kill Tour @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 800.745.3000, nationwidearena.com: Usually, we wouldn’t even need a description, because it’s f-ing Cher! But the bill is even better now because Cyndi Lauper is the opener. Can you handle that heaping helping of diva in one nigh? 7:30p; $36-$123.70.
Kaleidoscope hosts its annual GSA summit on Saturday, April 26. See ad on Page 40 for more info.
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savage love
by Dan Savage
am a liberal parent. I raised a daughter who is bi and poly. I always thought I could accept anything that parenthood q Imight throw at me. I knew I could embrace my son if he were straight, gay, bi, trans, etc. If there is a controlling consciousness of the universe, it has a nasty sense of humor. Putting it bluntly: My son is sexually attracted to Pokémon. He dropped hints that I didn’t really pick up on. But over the last few years, I have stumbled across evidence of his browsing habits that left me pretty clear about his proclivities. He is now 17, so thoughts that he would “grow out of it” are fading. My biggest fear is that he won’t find someone to pair with. I love my children and want them to be happy. Should I address this with him? Try to discourage an orientation that, to me, seems kind of pathetic? - Dad Of Pokémon Enthusiast
possible that DOPE’s son is just a a “It’s curious kid who finds unusual sex fas-
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for being ‘sexually imprinted’ during development.”
“Although DOPE might prefer a regular old queer child instead of a rare cinating, with his browsing habits no plushophile - someone with an attracmore revealing than discarded tickets It’s like this, DOPE: Some kids are going tion to cartoonlike stuffed animals to a carnival act,” says Jesse Bering, to sexually imprint on random shit. such as Pokémon - the good news is the author of Perv: The Sexual Deviant Kids are exposed to random shit all the that his son grew up in a world where, in All of Us. “But if it’s true that Poké- time. There’s no way of predicting somewhere out there, other people mon lights this boy’s fire in the ways which kids will imprint on what shit, so were being erotically molded by aniDOPE imagines, there’s not much there’s no way to prevent Pokémon mated Japanese chimeras in exactly DOPE can do about his son’s ‘pathetic’ fetishists or foot fetishists or sneeze the same way,” Bering says. orientation. By age 17, his son’s singu- fetishists or clown fetishists from haplar erotic profile is pretty much fixed, pening. “Reaching out to that community onlike it or not.” line can only empower him and help A small number of our fellow human him to accept a now unalterable - and What might cause a young man to take beings, your son included, will have completely harmless - part of his naa sexual interest in Pokémon? kinks that strike others - folks who ture. In many ways, life can be easier don’t share their kinks, folks who don’t for DOPE’s son: He’s got a ready-made “Scientists can’t exactly do controlled have any kinks of their own - as pasexual niche, complete with hookup laboratory experiments on humans to thetic, twisted, sick or silly. And since opportunities at annual conventions.” determine the cause of a given kink,” being shamed by his dad won’t save a Bering says. “So nobody knows why kid from his “pathetic” orientation, (Follow Jesse Bering on Twitter some people are more prone to develshaming your son is a waste of time @JesseBering.) oping unusual patterns of attraction that will serve only to damage your reSavage Love appears every month in Outlook and than others. But whether it’s a penlationship with him. every week at outlookohio.com. You can email chant for Pokémon, feet, underwear or Dan Savage at mail@savagelove.net, follow him spiders, the best available evidence As for your fears that your son will wind on Twitter @fakedansavage or listen to his suggests that some people - mostly up alone… weekly podcast, “Savage Lovecast,” every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage. males - have a genetic predisposition
april 2014
Pika! Pika!
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the divine life by Debé
Aries (March 21 - April 19) You are surveying your domain from the mountaintop, Ram. Time to go after what you want, but don’t be so quick to lock horns with everyone in your way, or you’ll be sporting one hell of a headache. Save your strength, because love is in the air and your nostrils are quivering. Taurus (April 20 - May 20) You feel more powerful this month and it shows. You’ve been holding yourself back, and it’s time to bust loose and kick up those hooves. I recommend exercise - or sexercise - to keep those hooves shapely. Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Your bright ideas are getting noticed at work, but that creativity also has you fantasizing about a vacation. Be careful to watch your finances and don’t blow all your dough. Use that creative brain to come up with a great spring break that doesn’t break the bank. Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Have you pulled out of the winter funk? I hope so, because it’s past time. Things are improving at work and with your health, but relationships can still be as big a drag as RuPaul. The big question is: Do you stay, or sashay away? Leo (July 23 - August 22) It must be spring because your inner kitten is feeling playful and adventurous. Feel like a game of “catch me, catch me”? Your twitching tail will have the entire pride in hot pursuit, but only the best will be able to run you down. Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Put aside your inner critic and take stock of the good things you have. An attitude of gratitude will serve you well, and you could do worse than spending some time smelling the roses with a special someone. Libra (September 23 - October 22) This is a tricky month for you, so don’t be overly assertive. This is a good time to take a back seat and see how others are playing their hands before making your move. Your observations are keen, so tap into your inner voyeur and enjoy the show. outlookohio.com
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) You are more top than bottom this month, and others are ready to follow your lead. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to start something, this is it. Make your move. Your mojo is working, so carpe diem, bitches! Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) You are tired of gray skies, but the sky is clearing and you can see what’s ahead more clearly. Drama swirls around you in April, but you know how to take the lead in that dance. Cut through the crap and make things happen. Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) Most people have cabin fever, but you are more inclined to keep the home fires burning. Luckily, going against the grain makes you stand out in the crowd. Your extra attention in the bedroom and the boardroom will pay off. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) You are a smooth operator this month, but who knew you could be practical and diplomatic too? Flattery can get you anywhere, and your words sound extra sweet. Those enhanced communication tools will come in handy if you keep it real. Pisces (February 19 - March 20) What do you value? Money, prestige, love? Figure it out and either put up or shut up. If your intentions are good, and your goals are clear, you might just get what you wish for. Otherwise, you are just another fish in the sea this month. Fierce Aries: Elton John, Rosie O’Donnell and Lucy Lawless Handy Tip: A full or reddish Mount of Mars (Circled) can indicate a hot temper or current frustration. The planet Mars rules Aries. There’s a lot of handsy people on this page.
april 2014
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outlook’s blog squad
Every month in print and every Monday online, we ask Outlook readers to do our work for us as members of our blog squad.
If you want to share your rants, raves or observations, join the Squad! Contact Erin McCalla at 614.268.8525 x2 or erin@outlookmedia.com.
Michael Premo, Why Marriage Matters Ohio
Top 5 Places We’ve Had or Will Have Our Tuesday Talks on Marriage
5. Cleveland 4. Cincinnati 3. Springfield 2. Lima 1. Dayton: Tuesday, April 8 at 6p at the Dayton Recreation Center April 7 topic: Marriage Equality Allies
Shaun Whybark, AIDS Resource Center Ohio
Top 5 Reason to Sign up for AIDS Walk:
5. I’m personally asking you to. I don’t ask for much! 4. It’s an experience like no other! 3. All of your friends are doing it. 2. You are helping fight HIV/AIDS here in Ohio. 1. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that you are helping your friends family, and community. April 14 topic: HIV/AIDS Happens to Us All. We Must Do Our Part
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april 2014
For Gay Guys ItÊs 9 Across
1 Home, to Dave Pallone 5 They gave Pinocchio an 8-incher 9 Word before “my shorts” 13 Nose activator 14 Scat queen Fitzgerald 15 To some extent 16 School of Marcel Duchamp 17 Pale gray 18 Lesbos, for one 19 Heterosexual males 22 To the rear, when cruising 25 Pink shades 26 Diffident 27 The Stars and Stripes 30 Like Jeremy Irons in The Borgias 32 Legendary big bird 33 Victim of Jacob’s tricks 37 How often 19-Across think about sex, in contrast with the puzzle title 40 In order 41 Supporter of Patty Sheehan 42 Broadway whisper 43 Take a bad turn 45 Part of RPM 46 Patron of Wilde’s homeland, briefly 49 Compact disk readers 51 TV program in which Michael Novotny makes this puzzle’s comparison 54 Greek vases 55 Biweekly tide 56 Showing a tiny opening 60 Errol Flynn’s The Sun ___ Rises 61 Shall We Dance star 62 Word after fish? 63 Changes colors 64 Tributes in verse 65 Ogled a hottie in a bar, e.g.
Down
1 Muscle Mary’s pride 2 Toothpaste box letters 3 “Get out!” to Orton, with “off” 4 Remove a slip? 5 Masters 6 Ingrid’s role in “Casablanca” 7 K through 12 8 Pray like Will before dinner? 9 Tries to get a rise out of 10 “C’est Moi,” to Lancelot 11 Maupin stories 12 James Dean’s East of ___ 20 In all honesty 21 Porker 22 Navratilova’s winter home 23 Close one, for a drag queen 24 Aggressive sort 28 Cargo ship (the 8 stands for a five-letter sequence) 29 Goes down in defeat 31 Gallery objects 33 Shooter in Bruce Weber’s field 34 Criticize petulantly 35 One that’s calculating to get sum 36 Sadists, to masochists, in a way 38 What it takes for a dance, or some relationships 39 Place for a gondola 43 Kids’ card game 44 Flees to a same-sex marriage state 46 Like a sourpuss 47 In need of a backrub 48 Kahlo’s cash 50 Imitate Brian Orser 51 Leg muscle, for short 52 It gets spilled at wild parties 53 Money left on the nightstand 57 Leno, once of late night humor 58 It may top a queen 59 Poet McKuen
You’ve seen it on our website for years, now A Couple of Guys comes to our print edition.
outlookohio.com
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