Equal Oct 2013 by Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh

REEL Q

CELEBRATES 28 YEARS

OCT 2013

BEWARE - TURN BACK

KEEP OUT

SCARY PLACES TO AVOID!

VAMP-ING IT UP

“Nyxon”-eye candy for adults

PHOBIAS From Agoraphobia to Arachnophobia, never fear, Equal is here!

HAUNTED HOUSE

HUNTING

We’ve scared up a few for you to exercise.

The complete film festival guide.

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Featuring the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 Pittsburgh Opera • 2425 Liberty Avenue • Strip District

Doors open at 6 PM • Early bird specials start at 7:15 PM get your tickets at pittsburghpride.org/tickets or call 888-71-TICKETS

LGBT individuals face unique financial challenges. We can help. Complex legal, tax and estate planning requirements present LGBT individuals with often overlooked challenges. That’s because many laws and regulations don’t offer the same default rights and access to assets that are available to opposite-sex couples. In fact, it is often the responsibility of LGBT individuals and families to proactively take steps to protect their assets and ensure they’re transferred the way they intended. If you’re an LGBT individual or family, we can help you understand these complex issues, and, together we can create a wealth management plan that covers every contingency and aspect of your financial life including. – A financial plan – Durable power of attorney – Healthcare proxy or healthcare power of attorney

– – – –

Advance healthcare directive Insurance Guardianship agreement Will

– Revocable living trust – Beneficiary designation – Wealth transfer plan

If you would like to know more about any of these important vehicles or strategies and how they can benefit you, we can help. Connect with us for our expertise and advice, as well as a more detailed checklist about how you can best protect your finances your best interests, and your family’s. Lee Oleinick, Senior Vice President–Wealth Management 412-665-9914 lee.oleinick@ubs.com Christopher Butsko, Vice President–Wealth Management 724-416-6027 christopher.butsko@ubs.com Jacob “Jack” D. Greenberg, Financial Advisor 412-665-9911 jacob.greenberg@ubs.com Debora Kuzmanko, Senior Wealth Strategy Associate 412-665-9906 debora.kuzmanko@ubs.com

Lee Oleinick has been recognized by Barron’s as one of the Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in the U.S. (2012, 2013)

Walnut Wealth Management Group UBS Financial Services Inc. 5600 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-665-9900 800-458-2224 ubs.com/team/walnut

We will not rest Barron’s Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in the U.S. is based on asset under management, revenue, and quality of practices. As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services. These services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate contracts. For more information visit our website at ubs.com/workingwithus. ©UBS 2013. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 7.00_Ad_8.625x8.625_OJ0830_OleL

CONTRIBUTORS & THANK YOU’S

G. Michael Beigay is a free-lance photographer and special education professional for Allegheny Intermediate Unit. His photography has provided educational tools to aid students with cognitive disabilities. He also has worked with a media specialist at his LGBT-friendly church to develop various multi-media productions. Michael has shot for Cue, Whirl, and now Equal. He is one of the hosts for G2H2 and he is also the main photographer.

Mike Buzzelli is a standup comedian and author. His book, Below Average Genius, a collection of humor pieces culled from his weekly humor column at the Observer-Reporter newspaper, is available at Amazon.com.

Karla Doolittle is a mother, wife, writer, artist and advocate. Residing in Regent Square with husband Devon, a professional singer, artist, advocate.

Philip Ezzo, one of the tallest men in Pittsburgh, is currently a pastry cook at the Duquesne Club downtown. He has been a writer and columnist in LGBT publications for over four years. He is known for his sense of humor and charming personality. In his spare time Philip is a chapter leader with Gay 4 Good, Pittsburgh chapter, where he is an outreach coordinator.

Stacey Federoff is a Sutersville, PA, native, Penn State alumna, and reporter living in Park Place near Regent Square. She has written for The Daily Collegian, The Chautauquan Daily, Trib Total Media. She loves music, vinyl records, coffee, running and volunteerism.

Jonathan Fobear is a native of Cass City, MI. For 12 years he has been an art director branding nonprofits, corporations, destinations and city festivals. He’s designed ads, magazines, logos and identities for clients as big as The Dept of Agriculture and NASA, to clients as small as his mom & dad. Jonathan has presented branding workshops both in Pennsylvania and New York and currently lives in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Roy J Gloeckl II is an aspiring voice actor/children’s author with a BA in Creative Writing, Minor in Theatre and Certificate in Children’s Literature from Pitt. Said degree does not assist in the tending of bars, but he remains optimistic. In the meantime, our intrepid writer continues to seek a rabbit hole, down which he may tumble — or a Prince who will carry him off into the sunset.

Anastasia Hons-Astle Anastasia is a seventeen year-old with a passion for human rights and all things glittery. The goal of her obsession with proper grammar and literature is to write full time. In her free time, Anastasia plays with her pitbull, Rose.

Mara Rago specializes in portraits, fine art, pets, events, model portfolios, legal, and corporate photography. She has a studio in the East End of Pittsburgh and shoots in studio as well as on location. Photography is Mara’s life. It’s a passion. Capturing visions in her little black box is a gift... and, every day, she is grateful. Jay P. Obertance BS, CES, FNS, NASM-CPT, PES. A personal trainer/nutrition advisor and self proclaimed gourmand. Attended and graduated Franciscan University and the National Academy of Sports Medicine receiving a Bachelor of Biology, licensure, and multiple certifications. Although still residing in his hometown of Toronto, OH; he considers Pittsburgh, PA his home.

Guest contributors: Christine Bryan Joe Corcoran Lawrence Ferber Angie Fife Johnna Pro

Cover illustration by Jonathan Fobear

Are YOU interested in writing for Equal Magazine? Email joek@equalmagazine.com 4

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

SHOT BOYS Every Tuesday & Friday

FALL INTO

SOMETHING

NEW

Underwear

KARAOKE 1st Thursday of the month

(412) 391-9990 965 Libert y Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Open 2 PM to 2 AM 365 days a year!

KARAOKE Every Thursday

WITH LOVE

Dear Friends Welcome to my favorite time of the year and our October issue. As our days grow shorter and our sleeves get longer we kick off fall with fierce fears and frightful phobias! (try saying that three times real *phast) We’ve got tricks and treats for you in this issue as we unmask some of the things that may make your skin crawl and we highlight a few funny phobias that may give you a monster rash . pg 36. This issue explores things that go bump in the night by taking you to a rumored haunted hideaway for a spirited debate. pg 18. We examine the fetish of dressing up and taking it off with a revealing feature on an area pin up model that leaves little to the imagination and offers plenty of eye candy. pg 24. Beware and aware of all of these scary places to avoid at all costs if you are gay with a guide that may shock you. pg 32. We’ll also squash what you thought you knew about pumpkins with a few delicious suggestions to harvest. pg 14. No spooktacular issue would be complete without a wicked movie guide of campy classics for all you scream queens. pg 22. We’ve also enlisted a ghost writer to help us with our haunted house listings on page 42. Our regular features including: “Hot Girl Reads A Book, and “Gay & Going On” event photos will pop up and you may be surprised at who you see haunting the pages of this thriller issue. We witch you would subscribe to Equal Magazine so you don’t miss a single issue…that would be ghastly. LGBT Visibility Everywhere

Joe King Editor-in-Chief

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

WHAT PAGE IS THAT ON?

FEATURES 26

Reel Q

Spreading the love with Cookies

Phobias

Where NOT to Travel

photo via Flickr

October

IN (ALMOST) EVERY ISSUE 10 12 14 18 22 24 34 40 42 44

Calendar of Events: What’s happening in October Gay and Goin’ On: Out and about Food: Pumpkins…the versatile vegetable Places: A haunted gay bar in Avalon Movies: Scream Queens Fetish: Pittsburgh’s Pin-Up Girl Community: Garden of Peace Theatre: Rage on the Stage Scary: Top Haunted Houses Hot Girl Reads a Book

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

Subscriptions start as low as

73¢

per issue

Publisher: The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Board Members Gary A. Van Horn Jr. President Louise F. Stutler Vice President Brian J. Stankavich Secretary Peter J. Karlovich Treasurer Samuel C. Badger Michael G. Bartley Daniel M. Catanzaro Steven R. Herforth Jim Sheppard Emeritus Board Members Charles W. Honse William R. Kaelin Donnie R. Thinnes

A subscription to Equal Magazine would make the perfect gift for you or someone in your life. Plus it’s the only way to guarantee that you’ll get it every month!

$10 = 11 issues ($0.91 an issue) $18 = 22 issues ($0.82 an issue) $24 = 33 issues ($0.73 an issue) Subscribe today at

pittsburghpride.wufoo.com/forms/equal-magazine-subsription 8

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

Editor-in-Chief Joe King Art Director Jonathan Fobear Director of Marketing and Development Christine Bryan Emotional Support

Mark Coffee Ice Cream

For questions, comments, and advertising inquiries, please email info@ equalmagazine.com EQUAL Magazine PO Box 100057 Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Charles P. Tierney

The mission of the Delta Foundation is to be a vigilant catalyst for change that produces increased opportunities and a high quality of life for the LGBT community. Opinions and claims made by advertisers are those of the advertisers ONLY. Equal accepts no liability for claims made by advertisers. All rights reserved. ©2013 Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh.

Oct STAY BUSY

Wednesday, October 9, 7:30 p.m., New Hazlett Theater

Poets 9 Saeed WedJones & Terrance Hayes

Wednesday, October 9, Award-winning gay 7:30 p.m., poet Saeed Jones New Hazlett Theater & Terrance Hayes es & Terrance Hayes

ors

And if I ever strangled sparrows,/ it was only because I believed in better songs.

To be black is to blacken a little Part of the Human Equity through every day, I should have said./ Art Performance Series And how at the end of a life filled with music/we all go without 7:30 PM singing. New Hazlett Theater Terrance is the author showclix.com of Lighthead (Penguin,

Saeed is the editor of BuzzFeed LGBT. and author of When the Only 2010), winner of the 2011 To be black is to blacken a little Light is Fire from Sibling National Book Award every day, I should have said./ Rivalry Press. He is the for Poetry; Wind in a Box And how at the end of a life filled recipient of fellowships (2006); Hip Logic (2002), with music/we all go without from Queer/Arts/Mentors which won the 2001 singing. Brisbane Management and Cave Canem, and National Poetry Series Group Presents Terrance is the author recently, a Pushcart and Muscular Music (1999), of Lighthead Prize for(Penguin, Poetry. winner of the Kate Tufts 2010), This winner ofbe theSaeed’s 2011 will Discovery Award. He National Book Award first appearance in is a professor of creative for Poetry; Wind in a Box Pittsburgh. writing at the University (2006); Hip Logic (2002), of Pittsburgh. which won the 2001 National Poetry Series Tickets at ShowClix (showclix.com/event/3773743) — Brisbane-managementand Muscular (1999), $10 plusMusic a small service fee before show day & $15 at group.com. open @ 6:30 p.m. Drinks available. winner door. of the Doors Kate Tufts PA Discovery Award. Munhall, He HEArt Online is the nation’s only journal of literature & is a professor of creative art devoted to fighting discrimination & promoting social writing at the University justice. Learn more at http://heartjournalonline.com. of Pittsburgh.

16-31 Thurs - Sun

on’s only journal of literature & scrimination & promoting social http://heartjournalonline.com.

E q u a l M a g a zi n e. o rg

COME OUT

FOR EQUALITY

Door/art installation presented by the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh 10:30 AM-8 PM Market Square, downtown Pittsburgh

17-20 Thurs - Sun

Presented by the Garden of Peace Project Carnegie Mellon University gardenofpeaceproject.org

Proclamation 10am City Council Chambers 414 Grant St Downtown

Fri

Tues

BILLY PORTER DAY

The Scarehouse, Etna Enter Delta 2013 when you buy tickets online, and $2 from each ticket will be donated to the Delta Foundation! scarehouse.com/tickets

Exploration of Self Conference

howclix.com/event/3773743) — e fee before show day & $15 at 6:30 p.m. Drinks available.

Fri, Sept 27 - Sat, Nov 2

Sat

ie b m Zo st Fe Arsenal Park, Lawrenceville

pittsburghzombiefest.com

Wed

Jason & deMarco 7 PM Community House, North Side communityhousepgh.org

Thurs, Sept 26 -Sun, Oct 27

1-6

Tues - Sun

VIA

1st Annual Miss Tri-State All-Star Newcomer Pageant

Music Festival

Various locations viapgh.showclix.com

Fri

Keystone Progress

5 year Anniversary with Brian Sims Cruze Bar, Strip District facebook.com/ keystoneprogress/events

Cruze Bar Strip District

Sat

Tues

12 Sat Animal Rescue League

Rocky Horror Picture style! Entertainment by the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players

Paw Prints

Pittsburgh Opera, Strip District pittsburghpride.org/tickets

Sat

7-10 PM Heinz Field animalrescue.org/paw-prints-tickets

Fri, Sept 27 - Sat, Oct 26

Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts

The Petrifying Pet Walk 9 AM North Park Ice Rink animalrescue.org

Various locations trustarts.org

Tues, Oct 29 - Sun, Nov 3

Benedum Center trustarts.org

25 Fri

Ladies Masgayrade Ball

A ladies costume party Presented by iCandy Pittsburgh Cruze Bar, Strip District facebook.com/icandy.pgh

Thurs

Happy Halloween!

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

EVENTS

What’s Gay and Goin’ on?

Lez Liquor Hour @ Cruze Bar

Photos by G. Michael Beigay Xtreme Bingo @ Pittsburgh Opera

Delta Foundation @ Labor Day Parade

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

G2H2 @ Gandy Dancer Saloon

Lola LeCroix’s VAIN @ CAVO

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

FOOD

Baking a Pumpkin

With a sharp kitchen knife, cut the pumpkin in half. Discard the big stem, and take out all the stringy pulp. Save the seeds!

PUMPKINS The Versatile Vegetable By Jay Obertance Fall has arrived and so has Pumpkin season. As one of the most popular crops in the United States, 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced each year in the top pumpkin-producing states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, California, and Pennsylvania. From pumpkin lattes to pumpkin beer to pumpkin bagels, the pumpkin craze has grown into a multi-million dollar food segment. Restaurants’ pumpkin-inspired limited-time offers are up 234% from 2008 to 2012, while overall limited-time menu offers have grown 143% over the same period, according to Datassential Menu Trends. Although it’s early, menu mentions of pumpkin for 2013 are already up 6% compared with last year. If you love pumpkins as much as I do, then you’ll be happy to know that they are very versatile in their uses for cooking. There 14

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

are hundreds of different varieties of pumpkins and as you wander around your favorite Farmer’s Market or grocery store, you’ll notice that there are large pumpkins, small pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, white pumpkins, and so on. Variety type aside, you want make sure you choose a smaller pumpkin. If you’re able to find a sugar variety pumpkin, go with that as the name implies, it is slightly sweeter. Field pumpkins make great jack-o-‘lanterns, but are much too stringy for baking. Much like produce, the darker the orange skin on the pumpkin the riper the flavor is on the inside. Every four pounds of pumpkin will yield about 1½-2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree. So you if you choose an eight pound pumpkin in your grocery aisle, your end result will be around 4 cups of puree.

Take a baking sheet and lightly grease with butter, canola oil, cooking spray etc. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On the baking sheet place the pumpkin halves skin side up, with the flesh touching the pan. Cover everything with foil, and place in the oven until the pumpkin is tender. Approximately 1½-2 hours. Once the pumpkin is tender, allow it to cool. Then take a spoon and scoop out all the flesh from the skin. Discard the skin, and mash up the flesh you scooped out with a masher, food mill, food processor, or spoon.

Microwave Technique

Cut the pumpkin in half. Discard the stems and stringy flesh while saving the seeds. Place the pieces in the microwave on high power for about six minutes per pound. Every 3-4 minutes, open the microwave and turn and move the pieces around. Once finished, the pumpkins will be extremely hot. Remove and allow to cool or to expedite the process, pop them in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Scoop the flesh away from the skin, and mash up with whatever method you prefer.

Final Equal ad_Layout 1 9/17/13 11:03 AM Page 1

We’ve Got It All This Fall

At the O’Reilly Theater Ted Pappas, Producing Artistic Director

SAVE $5 A TICKET WHEN YOU USE CODE EQUAL ONLINE PPT.ORG CALL 412.316.1600 Not valid on previously purchased tickets or in combination with any other offer.

Thornton Wilder’s

Sept 26–Oct 27, 2013

Sam Shepard’s

Nov 7– Dec 8, 2013

PRESENTED BY

Nut-Cracking

Tom Atkins in

HOLIDAY REVUE Dec 12–14, 2013

Jan 2–5, 2014

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

FOOD

Double Glazed Pumpkin Scones

2 Cups All Purpose Flour 3 TBSP Sugar 4 TBSP Brown Sugar 1 Egg 3 TBSP Half and Half 1/3 Cup Fresh Pumpkin Puree 6 TBSP Butter (Very cold) 1/2 TSP Kosher Salt 1 TBSP Baking Powder 1/2 TSP Cinnamon 1/2 TSP Nutmeg 1/4 TSP Ground Ginger 1/4 TSP Ground Cloves **If you don’t have all the ground spices, substitute 11/2 TSP of pumpkin pie spice.

ONE SPOOKY SATURDAY IN NORTH PARK JOIN US ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2013 Register at pittsburghmarathon.com

FREAKY 5K • HAUNTED HILL 10K • PETRIFYING PET WALK • TRICK-OR-TREAT TROT

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Combine the spices, baking powder, flour, sugar. and salt into a large bowl. Using two butter knives, place the cold butter into the flour mixture and cut it up into it. It should resemble large crumbs. Set aside. In another bowl combine the half and half, egg, and pumpkin. Mix together and pour the mixture into the dry mixture and gently fold it together just until the dry ingredients are well integrated. Don’t over mix. Lay down a floured surface and form the dough into a ball and pat it down. Using your hands, form the dough into a tall rectangle that’s about 9 inches tall by 3 inches wide. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into three sections width wise; you’ll now have 3 pieces. Then using the same knife, cut each piece diagonally, so the end result is 6 triangle pieces. Place on the baking sheet and bake 14-15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Sweet Glaze

1 Cup Powdered Sugar 2 TBSP Milk Mix together the milk and powdered sugar until it is smooth. Once the scones are cool, pour some of the glaze on each scone. Using the back of a spoon, smooth it out so it is nice an even on top. Let it dry for 45 minutes.

Spicy Glaze

1 Cup Powdered Sugar 2 TBSP Milk 1/4 TSP Cinnamon 1/8 TSP Ground Nutmeg Pinch of ground ginger Pinch of ground Clove **If you don’t have all the ground spices, substitute 1/2 TSP of pumpkin pie spice. Combine the sugar, milk, and spices and mix until smooth. Using a whisk or spoon, drizzle the glaze on top of the previous glazed scones. For best presentation results, let the second glaze dry for another 45 minutes before eating.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the seeds under cold water while simultaneously removing all the pulp and stringy material. Spread the seeds on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spray the pumpkin seeds lightly with a cooking spray. Place in the oven for 25 minutes making sure to stir two times while roasting, preferably every ten minutes. Cool before eating.

. . . u o y o D

y and An iage Equalit

Support Ma

sylvania?

Penn in n io t a in im ti-Discr

ss of

warene a e h t g in s a e ide and incr

sburgh Pr t it P t r o p p u Do you s unity? m m o c T B G L the rt (P

programs? y a D S ID A RED and World ) H G R U ITTSB

o Do you supp

P P P

Help us continue our great work! The 2013 Day of Giving is on Thursday, October 3rd and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re participating for the first time ever! Simply visit www.pittsburghgives.org and enter Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh. All gifts of $25 - $1,000 will receive a percentage of matching funds provided by the Pittsburgh Foundation.

REAL LIFE

THE

BIGGEST LITTLE HAUNTED GAY BAR IN PITTSBURGH by Stacey Federoff

photos supplied by Rusty Dory

When it’s quiet at the Rusty Dory Pub in Avalon, owner Joanne Teti says she hears some of the longtime residents of the building moving chairs, arranging silverware, closing doors or leaving pennies on the bar.

The founder of the inn, “The Captain,” is often seen passing through in fisherman gear, as is his wife, “The Lady in Blue,” with long red hair pinned on top of her head and wearing a dress with rosebuds.

“They’re good ghosts,” says Joanne, who has owned the inn built in 1827 for 11 years. “I think they protect the building for me.”

“There definitely are numerous spirits that reside in that space,” Gary said after recounting his séance that took place after midnight this past summer.

In May, after a chance meeting with medium Gary Miller of Westview, Joanne held a séance in the newly-remodeled downstairs gay bar Under The Rainbow.

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

After walking through the building, the group sat at a table in the bar, and said a prayer to ask for protection. After some guided meditation in subdued lighting, those

gathered started to share impressions they were feeling from the spirits around them, Gary says. The reflection of a small boy showed up in a mirror near the dance floor, one who Joanne says whispered “My name is Matthew,” at an earlier gathering. A face appeared on top of the image on a poster hanging on the wall. “I think it was a very good place to encounter spirits,” Gary says.

Longtime patron and worker Babs Kauffeld says she has had many such encounters, including a recent one in the kitchen.

bartender Anthony, have kept out burglars and saved the building on at least one occasion, Joanne says.

and the Rusty Dory, aren’t malicious, in part because of Joanne’s welcoming attitude toward them.

While she was working, a can that was sitting above the sink shelf behind some ladles was thrown onto the floor.

An ice machine, only two weeks old, caused a short that melted the copper wires in the outlet, but the breaker never caught, and should have burned the building down.

“Joanne does a wonderful job with her own energy, she’s very positive and upbeat,” he says. “There’s nothing unwelcoming or threatening in any way.”

“I said, ‘The ghosts must have blown it out, they don’t want to lose their happy home,’” she says.

A medium since the late ‘70s, Miller says the spirits, like those in Avalon, are “just a part of nature,” and the human energy that guides each one of us.

“If it would’ve just fallen from shaking, it would’ve knocked all those ladles down,” she says. “It didn’t hurt me, it just wanted me to know it was there.” Another time, she was closing up for the night downstairs when she heard a distinct whistle come from nearby.

Under the Rainbow opened earlier this year, but six weeks after its opening, a water leak caused the drop-ceiling to collapse.

“It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,” Babs says, adding that she was never skeptical and has always believed in the spirits.

Joanne plans to have the bar open again by the beginning of this month with a grand opening event soon after.

“It’s comforting to me sometimes when I’m here by myself at night” to know she’s not alone, she says.

She says between October and February are usually when she notices the spirits the most, so patrons to the renovated space may have a chance to encounter them firsthand.

The ghosts, who also include a former

Miller says the spirits at Under the Rainbow

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

With the new energy at Under the Rainbow, plenty of encounters could be in store for the future. Under the Rainbow is located at 850 Ohio River Blvd., Avalon, PA 15202. 412-7611258

We’re all in this together.

We work better when all of us work together. Inclusion means every person is valued, and all contributions are welcomed. At UPMC, inclusion begins with a core belief that everyone deserves dignity and respect. UPMC Center for Inclusion inspires a culture of collaboration throughout our company and within the communities we serve, all based on the simple idea that inclusion matters — to all of us, every day.

Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC is ranked among the nation’s top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

HORROR MOVIES

SCREAM

QUEENS

10. CRUISING (1980)

Al Pacino stars as a police detective who goes undercover as a gay man to catch an S&M serial killer in NYC.

9. PSYCHO BEACH PARTY (2000)

Lauren Ambrose, of Six Feet Under fame, stars in this spoof of 1960’s beach party movies with a killer twist.

by Philip Ezzo Sometimes real life is scarier than the movies for gays and lesbians, so it’s no surprise that many find solace and escape in horror films & thrillers. Classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Carrie resonate with the coming of age angst that many gay folks feel when coming out of the closet, feeling set apart. These movies often reveal dark humor that helps people learn to laugh at the world, even when it isn’t so pretty. Often times, society finds it a lot easier to deal with lesbian characters in mainstream media, but now that times are changing, hopefully it will open up the doors for more fullyrealized gay characters in the film genre. Even so, there are many examples throughout cinematic history of gay characters or subtext. This list of movies will feature some old and some new. Most have gay characters, gay themes, or are just plain gay-friendly. This Halloween, go to Amazon, eBay or iTunes to collect these scary films. Here they are in no particular order… Give them a try, if you haven’t already.

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

3. INTO THE LION’S DEN 2. THE DEEP END (2011) (2001) When three gay friends wander into redneck country, the culture clash ends with deadly results. It’s a bit heavyhanded, but overt nudity is always a fan favorite with horror films, and this film has some to spare.

Two words: TILDA SWINTON. Our favorite androgo-lady stars in this thriller about a mother who spirals out of control while trying to keep her gay son from being implicated in a murder.

8. URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT (2000)

Leapin’ lesbians! This sequel may have not faired well in the box office, but it features a stunningly beautiful lesbian character (played by Eva Mendes). Spoiler alert: people are killed off in the manner of urban legends, much like the first movie, but this time it takes place at a film school. Starring Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon a Time and House.

7. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962) This psychological thriller may not have any gay characters, but two icons like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford stuck together in a big house, with one wheelchair-bound, can only spell G-A-Y.

6. SOUL SURVIVORS (2001)

Eliza Dushku and company are in a car accident that kills one of their friends. They are then haunted by his ghost, but it relents long enough for Eliza and a female costar to get hot and heavy.

“Let’s do the Time Warp again…”

Hocus Pocus

“BoooOOOOOOOOOOOk!”

Death Becomes Her James Stewart stars in this Alfred Hitchcock film about two men who murder a classmate and invite his friends and family to dinner to challenge the perfection of their crime. The gay subtext is very hidden, due the controversy of the time period, but it’s there.

Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon star in this cult classic about a very old lesbian vampire who keeps searching for love, as she constantly is outliving the ones she keeps in her basement.

4. HELLBENT (2004)

West Hollywood has never been scarier then when there’s a serial killer loose on Halloween night. This is probably the best example of the blossoming “gayhorror” genre, to date.

You may have gotten your fill of gay characters, but here are some campy Halloween classics that no self-respecting gay should be caught dead without in his/her collection. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

1. ROPE (1948)

5. THE HUNGER (1983)

“You’re a walking lie, and I can see – right – through you!”

Beetlejuice

“Let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose.”

Clue

“I hated her, so much… it- it- the flame– flames. Flames. Flames, on the side of my face, breathing- breath- heaving breaths.”

The Witches of Eastwick

“Well, if that’s how you feel about it, then that’s how you feel about it. Is that how you feel about it?”

Scary Movie

“Does this shirt make me look gay?”

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

“Oh well, there’s nothing wrong with G-rated movies, as long as there’s lots of sex and violence.”

The Stepford Wives “VIGO!”

Ernest Scared Stupid

“How about a bumper sandwich, booger-lips?!”

Images courtesy of: CiP - Europaische Treuhand AG, Lorimar Productions /United Artists, Strand, New Oz Productions, Red Horse Films, Original Film Phoenix Pictures, Associates & Aldrich Company, The Seven Arts Productions, Warner Bros., Lost Soul Productions, Original Film, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Peerford Ltd., MJR Films, Sneak Preview Entertainment, Warner Bros., Transatlantic Pictures, i5 Films, Impulse-FX

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

NAUGHTY BY NATURE

Nyxon Pittsburgh’s Own Fetish Legend By Karla Doolittle Photos by Kenny Lee Photography (washer/dryer) and Scott Church (kitchen) Nyxon is a professional fetish model based in Pittsburgh. Starting out her career path in the beauty industry, she quickly became one of the hottest stars in the fetish modeling world. Her journey has taken her from film to pin-up and fetish in a whirlwind the last few years. According to Nyxon, “I got into the industry completely by accident. I was a make-up artist and production assistant for a local bondage producer when I was approached by someone asking if I’d ever consider going into that type of work. My answer was absolutely!” In 2008, she did her first handcuff fetish shoot and loved it. By the time early 2009 rolled around, her quest into fetish land soared with performances in bondage videos. To date, Nyxon has been featured in over 100 unique fetish/adult websites and clip stores.

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

While on the road she likes to collect random vintage items which can sometimes be dangerous if she’s driving around the country because she comes home with a carload of things she’s found in antique malls and vintage stores.

She’s on the road full-time and averages about 1 week a month at home in the ‘Burgh She really looks forward to all of her shoots because “each one seems to challenge my creativity whether it’s a glamour shoot or a video. If it’s a video, I have to make sure that I understand the psychology of the fetish.” Since almost all of the work she does unscripted, once the camera starts rolling, it’s up to her to come up with any monologue or dialogue. Often times she just is left to work off of other actors within the scene. Nyxon says, “If I’m doing a glamour shoot, then I need to step it up and be creative with hair, make-up, wardrobe, poses, etc.” Not surprisingly, wardrobe is probably the best part. She has a large collection of vintage and reproduction girdles, bullet bras, garter belts and stockings. “I have a pretty big fan base within the transgender community and I am constantly receiving emails from those fans regarding how much they love my wardrobe and asking where the can buy the items for themselves.” Also included in her work are stints as a pinup and glamour model which led to being photographed for the cover of the punk/rock Pittsburgh-based band The Cheats. Other jobs include being on photo shoots all over the United States, United Kingdom and France being photographed for numerous magazines and books, as well as online catalog work. For more information about Nyxon and her work, visit nyxonagogo.com.

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

FEATURE

Celebrates its 28th Year By Christine Bryan

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society (PLGFS) will present the 28th Annual Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, October 11-19. Featuring 10 days of high-quality entertainment, the festival is an annual celebration of LGBT writers, directors, actors and their work. Each year in October, movie-goers from the tri-state area are treated to a wide array of programming including feature films, shorts, and videos from the hottest national and international LGBT filmmakers of our time. Started in 1982, the Lesbian and Gay Film Series was a project of Pittsburgh’s Gay Community Center. In 1985, the Film Series became a separate event, formed its own Board of Directors, and launched the first film festival in 1986 with the cooperation of Pittsburgh Filmmakers. In 2006, the organization expanded its efforts to make it a year round program and changed the legal name of the organization to Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society (PLGFS). In 2012, the PLFGS renamed the film festival “Reel Q, The Pittsburgh International LGBT Film Festival” to encompass the more inclusive community. All films will be screened at the Harris Theatre, 809 Liberty Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh. Diva Passes ($125), Opening Night ($25 for one film & party or $30 for both films & party), Closing Night ($15), and books of either 6 ($45) or 10 ($70) ticket can be purchased in advance. New this year is that individual tickets ($9) can also be purchased online or the day of at the box office. Student tickets are $6 with school ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Banner Coin Exchange in Downtown Pittsburgh or at plgfs.org.

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

October 11

7:00 PM Reaching for the Moon

This brilliant, vibrant 2013 Brazilian film imagines a little-known time in the life of American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979), who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1956. After receiving a substantial college traveling fellowship, Elizabeth opts to circumnavigate South America by boat. But her two week stay is extended as she develops an intense

October 11 9:30 PM I Am Divine

Featuring extensive interviews, this loving 2013 documentary paints an intimate portrait of one of the most famous drag artists in the world. Appearing under the stage name Divine, actor and singer Harris Glenn Milstead (1945-1988)

relationship with noted female architect Lota de Macedo Soares who sees to it that she has time to write, is pampered and treated as a celebrity by society. But Elizabeth’s alcoholism threatens to surface, as does the resentment of a college friend who also loves Lota. Miranda Otto of “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy plays the lead, with additional roles filled by Treat Williams (TV’s “Everwood”) and Brazilian telenovela star Glória Pires. 118 minutes

became a star playing mostly female roles in movies and plays including the original 1988 film “Hairspray.” This film scripts Divine’s triumphant ascent as the ultimate underdog story, revealing how he transformed himself from a bullied fat kid in working-class Baltimore to a larger-than-life celebrity. 85 minutes

October 12 5:00 PM The Happy Sad

Two young couples in New York --- one black and gay, one white and heterosexual --- find themselves intertwined as they create new relationship norms, explore sexual identity and redefine monogamy in this 2013 American film. Annie is an upwardly mobile professional educator dating a seemingly drifting musician named

Stan. Trying to break up with him as painlessly as possible, Annie pretends to date her female co-worker. Heartbroken Stan quickly attempts to get over Annie by hooking up with a man who just started having an open relationship with his long-term boyfriend. A chance encounter between the couples on a train platform forces them all to reevaluate their ideas of fidelity and redefine relationship norms. 87 minutes

October 12

9:00 PM Interior. Leather Bar. In Their Room: London

Openly gay filmmaker Travis Mathews collaborated with actor/director James Franco (who movie lovers will remember from the 2008 bio-pic “Milk”) to recreate lost scenes from one of the most controversial LGBT films ever made.

October 13

film, taking care of the feline stars. Then comes the return of Jill --- now an incredibly neurotic, newly selfidentified “ex-lesbian” who is having some blockage on her pathway to heterosexuality.

3:00 PM Heterosexual Jill

October 12

7:00 PM Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?

This smart and funny 2013 American film delves into the complications a professional woman faces as she approaches middle age. Forty-year-old filmmaker Anna is preparing to shoot a lesbian version of the groundbreaking 1962 play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and its brilliantly bitter tale of a marriage collapsing. But with her birthday

around the corner, Anna is determined to change her life by losing twenty pounds and get a girlfriend --- but things don’t necessarily happen in quite the way she plans. The sexy and witty cast includes writer/director Anna Margarita Albelo in the title role, Carrie Preston of TV’s “True Blood,” Guinevere Turner from the popular 1994 film “Go Fish,” Janina Gavankar of TV’s “The L Word” --- and a fun cameo by someone who may or may not be international star Chloe Sevigny. 83 minutes

That film is 1980’s sexually explicit “Cruising,” which starred Al Pacino as an undercover policeman investigating a serial killer who is targeting gay men, in particular those associated with the New York’s Sadomasochism scene. Many people protested what they considered homophobic depictions. The result of Matthews and Franco’s efforts is the 2013 documentary, which reveals its participants’ reservations and excitement and creating the quasidoc about Hollywood, censorship and sexual mores. 93 minutes

Filmmaker Michelle Ehlen wrote, directed, and stars in this 2013 American film, a satirical pseudoromantic comedy and sequel to the award winning 2007 movie “Butch Jamie.”

The film is filled with dry, deadpan humor, plenty of love triangles --- and lots of cats. 80 minutes

“Butch Jamie” starred Ehlen as a struggling butch lesbian actress who gets cast as a man in a film and develops a complicated relationship with Jill, another actress. Now Jamie tries to find inspiration in her leading role on the “best mockumentary about cat-actors that the world has ever seen.” It doesn’t help that one of her exes, Lola, also works on the

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

October 13

7:00 PM Snails In The Water

This intelligent and emotional 2013 Israeli film considers how a peaceful life can be upended with the written words of a stranger. Set in 1989 Tel Aviv, Boaz is a linguistics student committed to his loving girlfriend, Noa. But soon Boaz is questioning his life when he begins receiving a series of obsessive love letters from another man. They expose the inner world of their author, who is deeply closeted --- and knows plenty about him, including Boaz’s past attraction to other men. The lead is played by the incredibly sexy male model Yoav Reuveni, who has appeared in ads for Armani and is making his acting debut. 82 minutes

October 14

October 17

7:30 PM Women’s Shorts.

7:00 PM Out Shorts.

90 minutes

98 minutes

October 15 7:30 PM Men’s Shorts. 93 minutes

October 17 9:00 PM Hot Guys With Guns

October 13

5:00 PM Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

This 2013 Taiwanese film is an impeccably charming romantic comedy with a cast of sweet characters and fairytale-like dream sequences. The story centers on Weichung, an apparently happy husband and father who has a successful career and a secret --- he’s gay. His flamboyant old friend Stephen has noticed the melancholic look in Weichung’s eyes, as does the sexy young flight attendant attracted to him. But just as he considers embracing the truth, his meddling mother-in-law has other plans. 104 minutes 28

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

October 16 7:30 PM Southern Baptist Sissies

Writer and director Del Shores --- best known for the 1999 cult hit movie “Sordid Lives” --- has adapted his hilarious and heartbreaking play into this terrific 2013 film. The movie follows four gay Texas Christians as they struggle to reconcile their faith

with their sexuality as they evolve from confused boys to struggling adolescents and eventually angry, damaged adults. Filmed in front of a live audience, the cast includes drag star Willam Belli from TV’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Emmy Award winning actor Leslie Jordan of the hit sitcom “Will & Grace.” 135 minutes

The classic action flick takes on new dimensions in this thrilling 2013 American film --- a buddy comedy/adventure in which the buddies are gay. Aspiring actor Danny has been taking a class for private investigators in preparation for an upcoming role. As part of his research, Danny begins to tail his ex-boyfriend Pip, a rich party boy who lives in the guest house owned by his boozy,

pill-popping mother. When Pip attends a sex party with some of Hollywood’s gay power players and ends up getting robbed by a mysterious and vengeful duo, the bickering exes decide to solve the case themselves because nobody involved in the scandal wants the police sniffing around. Filled with fun banter, the leads are played by Marc Samuel of TV’s “General Hospital” and Brian McArdle, who makes his screen debut. 103 minutes

October 18 9:00 PM Free Fall

This moving and sexy 2013 German film delves into the far-reaching effects of a passionate love affair between two police cadets. Marc, a young officer with a pregnant girlfriend named Bettina, finds himself drawn to his rebellious and studly roommate Kay as they are put through their paces during training. As they share joints, forbidden swims, and runs in the forest, a palpable chemistry arises between them leading to a full-blown yet turbulent romance. Soon rumors begin to spread as Bettina becomes more suspicious of Marc’s many unexplained absences. 100 minutes

October 19

Transgender comedian Ian Harvie is the focus of this lighthearted yet self-aware 2013 documentary film.

Social warfare takes on a rainbow of complications in this hilarious 2013 film.

4:00 PM Ian Harvie Superhero

Filled with clips of Ian’s stage shows (and his inclusive, relatable humor), the film explores everything from acquiring male privilege to navigating gendered bathroom politics. 75 minutes

8:30 PM G.B.F.

At trendy North Gateway High School, the latest must-have accessory is a gay best friend and a trio of competitive-clique-prom queen hopefuls seek out just the right one. That may well be cute young Brent who’d love the attention --- except that his shy pal Tanner becomes the choice after he’s accidentally outed to his classmates. The terrific cast includes Sasha Pieterse (cable TV’s “Pretty Little Liars”), Natasha Lyonne (“But I’m A Cheerleader”) and Emmy Award winning actress Megan Mullally of the hit sitcom “Will & Grace.” 94 minutes

October 18 7:00 PM Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth

This compelling and inspirational 2013 documentary film traces the extraordinary journey of activist, journalist, poet and author Alice Walker from sharecropper’s daughter to winning the Pulitzer Prize for the daring 1982 novel “The Color Purple.” Courting controversy through her life choices, the bisexual Walker discusses her romances with white men and women as well as her personal and professional accomplishments against a period of progress, violence and upheaval. Among the celebrities sharing their insights are Steven Spielberg, Yoko Ono, Sapphire, Gloria Steinem, Jewelle Gomez, Quincy Jones and Peter Guber. 84 minutes

October 19

6:00 PM Route Of Acceptance

Destiny and life’s choices are at the heart of this engaging 2012 Canadian film. Aspiring film writer Ryan Star is having a hard time deciding what university to go to and is fearful to leave the comforts and predictability of high school and her life thus far. As she wrestles with her options, the film takes viewers on a journey into three possible --- and very different --- futures. In each alternate reality Ryan is confronted with all that life has to offer: love, loss, sex, heartbreak, family conflict, career and marriage. Throughout it all, Ryan faces excruciatingly difficult decisions. 113 minutes

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

SWEETS

No Matter Who You Love, for Pittsburghers, Marriage is Spelled

C•O•O•K•I•E By Johnna A. Pro Photos by Breanna Bell Photography My cousin Graham and his partner, Francis, were deep in the planning stages for their wedding when the United States Supreme Court issued its June ruling legalizing federal benefits for couples in same-sex marriages. For them, the court’s decision was simply the icing on the soon-to-be five tiered cake. I had a different view. “I don’t care what the Supreme Court says,” I told Graham. “You’re from Pittsburgh. Your marriage is not official without a Cookie Table.” Graham’s response was simple and classic, just like Graham. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” When it comes to marriage, there are now federal rules, state rules, and church rules. Then there is the Pittsburgh rule, namely 3 0

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

the one that says if you are of Italian or Eastern European descent, Catholic and getting married, you better have a Cookie Table at your reception with the fanciest and most delicate cookies your mothers, grandmother, aunts, cousins and friends can bestow up you. Pity the couple who has a skimpy Cookie Table, a Cookie Table with store-bought cookies, or worse yet, no Cookie Table.

putting together the Cookie Table from afar: travel time, distance, and getting the cookies to Michigan unscathed regardless of how well they were packed. We took into account the weather. We mulled over icing and filling colors and did the math to calculate how many dozens we needed. We pulled out our family recipes, the Crisco stained and barely legible scribblings of the cookie bakers who came before us.

I called Cousin Mary Jo, my cookie coconspirator, to discuss logistics. We’ve never baked for an out-of-state Cookie Table. Graham and Fran, who eloped to Boston in July, planned a second formal ceremony at their Chicago home in August. It was to be followed three weeks later by a countrythemed reception on Labor Day weekend at a barn near Graham’s parents’ summer home on Lake Michigan.

As June gave way to July heat and storms, the cookie baking began in earnest. Biscotti, gaulettes, apricot kolache and nut horns filled my freezer. In Peters Township, Mary Jo was turning out cherry bliss cookies, orange blossoms, Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cakes.

I mulled over the obstacles of

Graham’s mother, our Cousin Mary, took out the old pizzelle iron and vowed to find time to make pizzelles, the Italian lace cookies. She lined up two friends to make

PEANUT BUTTER TASSIES, RASPBERRY BUNDLES, PINEAPPLE/DATE COOKIES AND COCONUT DROPS, ALL BAKED WITH LOVE BY A WOMAN WHO LIVES BY A SIMPLE CREED REGARDLESS OF CHURCH TEACHING OR THE NATIONAL POLITICAL DEBATE OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.

list along with anginetti, also known as Italian love knots. A week before the event, I added batches of butterscotch bonbons, cranberry bonbons, white chocolate bonbons and my mother’s traditional cookie table offering: lady locks.

cut-outs shaped like farm animals and chocolate chips for the kids.

“Families stick together,” Aunt Elma Jean says.

Graham’s father, Dennis, asked for “the cookies you put your finger in when you make them,” just like his mother used to make. Those would be called thumbprints. I added them to the

On Labor Day weekend, the Western Pennsylvania

Cousin Kimmie called from Greensburg, and said she was willing to bake. But Kimmie freely admits she’s not the family’s best baker. Instead we volunteered her mother, Elma Jean, who is the family’s best baker. Aunt Elma Jean is also the matriarch of our family having been married to my mother’s brother Connie for 58 years. She never misses Mass, says the Rosary daily, and before I was born, claimed Godmother status. If Saint Peter had a choice between letting the Pope or Aunt Elma Jean into heaven, rest assured Aunt Elma Jean would glide through the pearly gates. Had Aunt Elma Jean been able to go to the reception, she would have been the first one up dancing at the celebration of Graham and Fran. Instead she sent her confections: peanut butter tassies, raspberry bundles, pineapple/date cookies and coconut drops, all baked with love by a woman who lives by a simple creed regardless of church teaching or the national political debate over same-sex marriage.

contingent headed to Michigan: eight cousins representing three generations of our family in two cars containing one coffinsized cooler packed with 19 storage containers filled with nearly 100 dozen cookies in 20 varieties made in a rainbow of colors and flavors from various ethnic traditions. Mary Jo also has an antique silver tray given to her by our late Aunt Nell, a character in her own right with a flair for the dramatic. Graham loves to hear Aunt Nell stories so it seemed only right that her presence was felt at his wedding. We packed the tray, too, along with a framed description of the Pittsburgh Cookie Table tradition. I said a silent prayer as we handed off the cookies on Saturday afternoon to the caterer who was preparing Sunday’s feast. Would they be displayed beautifully as they would be at a Pittsburgh wedding? Would the guests understand the meaning? Did we bake enough? On Sunday we gathered for the reception at Hidden Vineyard Wedding Barn in Berrien Springs, Michigan, two families

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

FEATURE and dozens of friends brought together in a celebration of the marriage of Graham and Fran.

“I just couldn’t get a good shot. People were eating them as fast as they were put out.”

The Cookie Table had become the talk of the wedding, but as the toasting and dinner progressed, nary a cookie was in sight. I was starting to panic; Mary Jo was trying to keep me calm. As it turns out, the catering team had not trayed the cookies in advance. Why would they? Only in Pittsburgh do we eat our cookies BEFORE the wedding dinner. It wasn’t a fatal mistake, but in retrospect, it was funny.

Ultimately, the cookies ended up coming out in stages, which actually worked out well because new offerings filled the trays throughout the evening. At one point, a tall, thin, model-like young woman looking over the selections pointed to Mary Jo’s delicate orange cookies.

As the time for dessert and dancing drew upon us, I spotted a lone server putting cookies out on antique silver platters on a too-small round table. She was taking great pains to display them beautifully. But it was too late. One doesn’t place one’s self between 100 people and a table full of home baked cookies; that’s a truism no matter where you live. Before long, she was losing the battle with guests who gobbled up the cookies or rushed to fill lovely monogrammed paper sacks with our offerings. “I was trying to get a picture,” Mary Jo said as we relived the hilarity of it all the next day.

“Oh my goodness, I just ate six of these,” she said. I handed her one of the paper sacks and reminded her to take a bag home. “It’s how we share the love, “I told her. By night’s end, all of the guests, the band, the bartenders, the shuttle drivers and the servers had filled their paper sacks with cookies to take home. My toast to Graham and Fran before dinner began was “to a sweet life; to a long marriage and to an eternal love.” We added the Pittsburgh Cookie Table for good measure. If you’re from Pittsburgh, no matter who you love, marriage is spelled C-O-O-K-I-E.

PERSAD CENTER SECOND ANNUAL

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 RUN / WALK / SPONSOR • PERSADCENTER.ORG BENEFITS PERSAD LGBTQ YOUTH PROGRAMS NORTH PARK BOAT HOUSE

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

ORANGE BLOSSOM WEDDING COOKIES From Graham Kostic’s cousin Mary Jo

and let cool. Drizzle with confectioner’s sugar icing. Sprinkle with nuts or dust with confectioners’ sugar.

FROSTING

Stonfer Fedutes, Peters Township Makes 3 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (For orange frosting: 3 drops yellow and 1 drop red food coloring) Mix together until drizzling consistency.

2/3 cup butter (softened) 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup orange juice 2 cups flour plus 2 heaping teaspoons (sifted) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Mix together butter, sugar and egg. Stir in orange juice. Add dry ingredients blending thoroughly. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Drop by rounded spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until edges are delicately browned. Do not over bake. Remove from cookie sheet

Tell your friends! Bring your co-workers! Alert the media! Join us at these upcoming dates for Xtreme Bingo!

Saturday, November 9 Sunday, December 15 Saturday, January 11, 2014 Order your tickets at pittsburghpride.org/tickets or call 888-71-TICKETS

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

COMMUNITY

How Does Your

Garden Grow? By Anastasia Hons-Artle

Anthropologist Johnnetta Cole said, “You cannot fully understand your own life without knowing and thinking beyond your life, your own neighborhood, and even your own nation.”

is AIDS activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, known for her performance in the original Broadway play “Dreamgirls” and on television as Moesha’s mother.

When you look at the LGBT community as a whole, perhaps the one true disconnect is with the transgender or “T” community. Many times we think of transitions as something only the transgender/transsexual community goes through. Garden of Peace Project seeks to increase the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being of all people, including the most vulnerable, marginalized populations, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

According to founder and director Michael David Battle, “Garden of Peace Project was founded in memory of my maternal grandparents William H. and Chaney Josephine Riddick, and my paternal grandmother, Irene Battle. As spiritual people, they allowed their “exploration of self” fuel their kindness, humanitarianism, and altruism toward all others. Their gentleness and love for others have guided me throughout life.”

On October 17-20, the Garden of Peace Project (GPP) is holding a conference that they are hoping will open hearts and minds. The “Exploration of Self Conference” will be held at Carnegie Mellon University and will include trainings and workshops, meet and greets, and a host of special events. The keynote speaker

E q u a l M a g a zi n e. o rg

It is this same gentle love and kindness that Garden of Peace Project hopes will restore the relationship between the spiritual, HIV positive, and LGBT communities. Today, Garden of Peace Project offers four monthly programs: Town hall meetings, which bring together service providers and community

members to discuss community issues; free health and wellness nights, which invite providers to give community members an opportunity to access free health screenings, financial planning workshops, massages, etc.; a performance series dedicated to local artists who perform poetry, music, or performing arts; and, a training series that includes 15 different trainings and workshops, including personal perspectives, Strategic Planning for the LGBTQIA and HIV+ Community, and How to Work with LGBTQIA and HIV+ Students and Youth. For more information, visit gardenofpeaceproject.org or facebook.com/gardenofpeaceproject

YOU S E H IS W Y IL M A F E ! IN THE EQUAL MAGEAEZN. GET THOSE TRICKS (AND TREATS) LOW L A H N U F D N A E F A AS

FEATURE

Oh, don’t be such a

PHOBE By Michael Buzzelli

At Halloween, people enjoy a good scare. It’s fear for fun.

way to confront a fear is to face it, and maybe even poke some fun at it.

What’s unusual is not everyone is afraid of the same things. Human beings have a long list of things that frighten the bejeebers out of them. Some of them are fairly mundane fears; Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. Nyctophobia is the fear of the dark, and most people grow out of it. Take their classic Latin/Greek root and add phobia (or fear) to the end, and voila, you have a term to define your own special fear.

Each fear, no matter how obscure seems to have its own name. Agoraphobia is the fear of open or public spaces. It takes its root from the agora, which is the name for the marketplace in Athens. It’s pretty common; especially if you’re trapped in downtown Pittsburgh after a Steelers game lets out.

While phobias aren’t a laughing matter, some people develop a host of unusual fears. Experts say the best

Halloween must be very hard on people who have Spectrophobia, the fear of ghosts, or Wiccaphobia, the fear of witches (avoid the movie, “Hocus Pocus”.) If you have Alliumphobia, you are afraid of garlic. Of course, you could also possibly be a vampire or just allergic. Halloween can be a dicey time, even if you have Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Hate when a black cat crosses your path? You might have Ailurophobia, or fear of cats. Have you ever heard of Bogyphobia? It’s the fear of the bogeyman. P.S. The bogeyman is not a real thing.

Experts say the best way to confront a fear is to face it, and maybe even poke some fun at it.

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

Ever want to approach that hot guy or gal from across the bar, but you were too afraid? You might have Kakorrhaphiophobia, the fear of failure and rejection. If you find a disco ball at the dance club frightening, you might have Selaphobia, the fear of flashing light. No parking on the dance floor, baby. Don’t get caught on Herron Avenue, if you have Ursaphobia, the fear of bears (I’m not sure it applies to gay bears, but you can never be too cautious). You should avoid the place if you have Lupophobia (fear of wolves) or Lutraphobia (fear of otters). You will have to get out there and date, though, especially if you have Anuptaphobia, the fear of staying single. Some fears can be oddly sexual; Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers. That’s why it’s always good to have a safe word. Avoid the mall if you have Ephebiphobia, the fear of teenagers.

October 29-November 3 • Benedum Center TrustArts.org • Box Office at Theater Square • 412-456-4800 • Groups 10+ Tickets 412-471-6930 PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh is a presentation of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America.

Accessible seRVices —

AVAilAble

—

Gymnophobia is the fear of nudity. It sounds like its origins go back to high school gym class.

Lobster’s “Lobstermania” takes on a whole new meaning when you have Ostraconophobia.

You might want to avoid peanut butter and jelly time if you have Arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. That sounds more like an inconvenience than a fear.

There’s Eisotrophobia, the fear of mirrors. Though, you might not have Eistrophobia. You might have just have Eniophobia, the fear of chins (plural).

Avoid Chinese restaurants if you have Consecotaleophobia, the fear of chop sticks. Patrick Stewart probably gives you the heebie jeebies if you have Peladophobia, the fear of bald people. There’s Paraskavedekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th. The best way to avoid this fear is to not plan a trip to Camp Crystal Lake, or just start drinking margaritas on Thursday the 12 and be black-out drunk the entire next day. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is the fear of the number 666. If you have this fear, it’s best to avoid Heavy Metal album covers from the 70s and 80s. Ostraconophobia is the fear of shellfish. Red

There’s Porphyrophobia, the fear of the color purple. Those people must quiver and shake every time they see Whoopi Goldberg. Ironically, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. If you just read that word and freaked out a little, you probably have it. Of course, you might just have Verbophobia, the fear of words. It’s also called Logophobia. There is a camp of people who believe that Logophobia is fear of the having to sit through the movie, “Mulligans,” again.

If you have Cyberphobia, the fear of computers, you are reading this in the magazine. If you have Papyrophobia, the fear of paper, you are reading this online. One way or the other, I got you covered. Editor’s Note: In case you were wondering why we didn’t mention Homophobia and Transphobia in the article, it is because they are not actually a fear, and therefore it should not be treated as a disease might be treated. While both terms continue to be used in our vocabulary, the words have evolved over time to mean more hatred than fear. Both deserve a much more comprehensive discussion. Look for that in an upcoming issue of Equal.

Every Monday, you might come down with a case of Ergophobia, the fear of work. There’s Pogonophobia, the fear of beards. Liza Minnelli? Steadman Graham? Kelly Preston? They might mean the facial fuzzy variety.

WHAT SCARES THE PEOPLE WHO SCARE YOU? Tina Rubottom likes to scare people. She works at ScareHouse, one of America’s scariest Halloween attractions. She also performs in the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players shadow cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” frequently playing the role of Janet Weiss (“slut”). She says, “My two fears are drowning and clowns (Aquaphobia and Coulrophobia, respectively). When I was a kid I watched a lot of movies I should not have.” As a regular Frankie fan, the girl at Blockbuster (remember them?) recommended the Stephen King miniseries, “It,” because Tim Curry was in it. Tina admits, “I watched it and my fear of clowns grew.” 3 8

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

Five years ago when she joined the crew at ScareHouse, her first role was playing a psycho clown in a 3D maze called Delirium. She added, “After being around so many fake clowns I have kind of worked out my fear. Since I don’t swim, so that takes care of the other.” What scares a nearly seven-foot-tall (counting the hair) drag queen? Marsha Monster Mellow cites “ignorance,” as her fear (it just might be a case of Dumasaphobia; the tongue-in-cheek name for the fear of stupid people). “People who can’t show others respect is truly terrifying. Whether you don’t like gays, blacks, Asians, whatever, you can show respect to people who are respectful to you.” Then the “monster” wiggled her long, tapered finger and added, “If you don’t like someone,

keep it to yourself. Just walk away.” Club Marketing Promoter Joe Cooper has worked at Hundred Acres Manor, Fright Field and the Scare House. He’s is afraid of labyrinths (not the David Bowie movie). He said, “I don’t like it when you’re traveling down a dark maze and you have no idea what’s in front of you. Or if you’ll get out.” In a follow-up question, he admitted, “No. I’ve never been to Club Pittsburgh.”

MAP

N Ave

Ave gley

Col lins St

le W

S Highland Ave

sA ve alla SD S Dallas Av e

S Millvale

Blo om fie ld Bri dg e

Bigelow Blvd

Blv d low

Circ

Big e

s Ave

Wilkin

Forbes Ave

Sixth Prebyterian Church 1688 Murray Ave

Square Cafe 1137 S Braddock Ave

Av e ck EC ar so nS t

376

837

Greenfiel eld The Link 91 Wendel Rd

885

ge rid South Side lB eta Works tM o H

Forw a

376

Beech wood B lvd

ra d

Cro ssto wn

Gra nt S t

ge Brid Libbe rty

ls nne ert y Tu Lib

S 18th St

Av e idge d Br W En

s Av e

rd Av e

ge Brid Smit hfie ld

Wa Merri mac St ba sh Tu nn el dru ff S t

Wo o

837

SOUTHSID OUT DE St 8th S1

Wilk in

SQ QUIRREL REL HIL LL

P*Town 4740 Baum Blvd

Ba tes St

Wo od s

rsh all Ma

Wabash St Saw Mill Run Blvd

Blv d

r St Beele

ve 5th A

Murray Ave

8th S1

First United Methodist Church 5401 Centre Ave

Murray Ave

Arlington ton

SHAD S ADYSIDE YSID

(Herminie, PA)

City Theatre Arlington Ave 1300 Bingham St.

Arlington gto

St Irvine

There Ultra Lounge 931 Liberty Ave

Ave

Fra

Ham

Av e

ve dy A

E Warrington

Pe nn

Sha

GLCC 210 Grant St

380

Beechwood Blvd

Ave

v oln A Linc

Ave

ton

13th St

ing

E Carson St

Larimer

Bro ad S t

ve ey A

Arl

837

5th Ave

2nd

837

Blvd of the Allies

le N

cle S nn Cir

r Fo

Circ

egl

376

e rth Av Ellswo

OA AK A KLAND KL

e Av Forb <— S Bo > qu et e— St Av es

Animal Rescue League 6620 Hamilton Ave. Hom

Rdw E C y arso n

376

ve tre A Cen

e es Av

Pen n

St ege Coll

m Bau

Blvd ve en A S Aik

t For

Ave

EAST LIBERTY

380

St ville N Ne d n Blv Con Billy

n col Lin

Ca rso nS t PJ M cAr dle

Spin 5740 Ellsworth Ave

380

t aig S N Cr

Av e

Bluff

Forbes Ave—>

idge S 10th St Br

nn Pe

ille

un tT Pit

<—5th Ave

Birmingham Bridge

Images 965 Liberty Ave

Centre Ave

Lib

er t yA ve Sci Bloomfield ota d St

h 5t

837

St th 40

279

376

HILL DISTR CT DISTRICT

Club Pittsburgh 1139 Penn Ave

Robinson St

380

Harris Grill 5747 Ellsworth Ave

380 3 80

Cent re

Park Pa

5801 Video Lounge 5801 Ellsworth Ave Penn Av e

ve on A Herr

DOW D OW WN TO TOWN N llie

the A

lv wB elo Big

Cruze Bar 1600 Smallman

579

Ave

n Ave

Blvd of

lv wB POLISH ISH elo Big HIdIIL ILL LL L

St ick patr Kirk

MOUN W Carso n St T WASH INGTO N

Wo o

Isabe

Penn y Ave Libert

837

St Main

lla

HO V

Herro

279

C R T IS D

Persad Center 5150 Penn Ave.

44 th St

Ave Liberty

East Liberty Presbyterian Church H hland Hig a 116 S. Highland Ave

EONS 5850 Ellsworth Ave

e Penn Av

31s tS tB rid t. ge nS a m all Sm e Ave Av nn rty Pe Libe <—

R ST

ge rid tB hS 16t

Heinz Field

1-5 79

St 9th t 7th S l St

PNC Park Stage AE 279

St E Ohio ley Press

Federa

WEST T END

Rivers Casino

St hio EO

Cedar

Ave

Fed era l St

NOR NOR NORT RT TH SIDE DE

W Oh io St

Ave Ridge

rden g Ga

L OV

d iver Blv

Ohio R

Mancheste te er rn Ave Weste

CAVO 1916 Smallman

Ave North

Ave W North

Donny’s Place Leather Central 1226 Herron Ave

Pittsburgh Opera 2425 Liberty Ave.

Pittsburgh Public Theater 621 Penn Ave

St B

Brewers Hotel 3315 Liberty Ave

941 & Tilden 941 Liberty Ave

The Warhol 117 Sandusky St

Real Luck Cafe 1519 Penn Ave

279

Humane Society 1101 Western Ave

rid

Sprin

H 79 1-2

Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh 911 Galveston Ave.

But ler St

n Ave Stanto

Shepherd Wellness Community 4800 Sciota St.

All eg

ill

St Lamar Essen St

Ave

Rd ton

279

Millvale

d sR iam

e Stanton Av

le ysvil Perr

Bri

Av e

Ave

S Ne

Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force 5913 Penn Ave

Pen n

Gra

WR EN CE VI LL E

St Howard

nA ve

Sta nto n Av e

Mornings gside

Blue Moon on Butler 5115 Butler St

Cattivo 146 44th St xp y

ny Va lle yE

Maird

East St

Rd an ffm Ho

n HOV L 1-279 een Rd Evergr

ale S t

Parker St

y Rd Seave

Ha Haz azelwood 39

Equ a lMa ga z ine.org

STAGE

Be Prepared

for

Rage

Local theatre company putting the steam in Steampunk with a fresh, sexy Dorian Gray By Roy J Gloeckl II

“The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius”-Oscar Wilde. An apt quote for the Rage of the Stage (ROTS) Players and their upcoming production of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Now entering its thirteenth season, ROTS has been testing the tolerance of the public for years, showcasing the twisted imagination of Resident Playwright/ Artistic Director/Co-Executive Producer James Michael Shoberg. 40

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

James calls what ROTS does “the corner of fringe theatre…tassel theatre on a dental floss budget.” ROTS is non-profit and completely volunteer run with a very dedicated group of creative types eager to bring movie-style entertainment to the theatre. “We at Rage pride ourselves on making theatre lovers out of average ‘armchair Joes’ who would typically need to be dragged kicking and screaming to a show.” Laughingly proclaiming Rage his “outlet for evil,” James has put his own not-quite-kidfriendly spin on some classic tales in his original

works Dorothy in Oz, Alice’s Adventures in “Wonderland”, and Winnie the Pooh and the Seven Deadly Sins. James has been working for years to bring his steampunk-style vision of The Picture of Dorian to the stage. The 1891 novel was originally published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine but the debauchery, decadence and allusion to homosexual behaviors sparked moral outrage (as James put it: “We’ve come so far haven’t we?”). Wilde would then edit out a great portion of the unsavory content transforming it into the novel we know today. But his woes would not end there.

Oscar Wilde was taken to court for the crime of gross indecency, found guilty, and was sentenced to two years hard labor. To honor Wilde’s original vision, James has taken both versions of the story and blended them together. “I wanted to retain Wilde’s intent and emotions. This is a story about sin… it can’t be sterile.” And, under his direction…“let’s just say the sin will be not be understated.”

“I WANTED TO RETAIN WILDE’S INTENT AND EMOTIONS. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT SIN… IT CAN’T BE STERILE.” AND, UNDER HIS DIRECTION… “LET’S JUST SAY THE SIN WILL BE NOT BE UNDERSTATED.”

Portraying the polyamorous character is local straight actor Vincent Anthony Bombara. “Acting is what I love and what I live for: being different, standing out, breaking free from the normal. It’s something that takes the boundaries of what one’s used to, comfortable with and stretches them. But it’s not about being straight, or gay. It’s acting. It’s fun. I let myself drift away and live in the moment as my character. And with a character as complex as Dorian, there’s no time to hesitate.” Vincent put this motto to work when he went through a fourteen hour photo shoot with a couple of scantily clad male and female models to promote the show. James commends his actor’s professionalism. “It really speaks to acceptance and one of the goals of this show: making sex a ‘non-thing.’” Assistant director Jen James was able to bring her own special insight to the sexual nature of this project. “I think I bring a female point of view that can speak to the guys. Men and women think very differently about sex but I am able to split my thinking and go both ways (that applies only to my thinking). Sex, and how we think and talk about it, is very different for men and women, whether they are gay or straight. A very important [aspect of] the show is the pointed but balanced approach to sex.” Rage of the Stage’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, opens October 18 at the South Park Theatre. A Pride Night to benefit the GLCC will be held on Wednesday, October 23.

Wednesday, October 9, 7:30 p.m., New Hazlett Theater

Poets Saeed Jones & Terrance Hayes

And if I ever strangled sparrows,/ it was only because I believed in better songs.

To be black is to blacken a little every day, I should have said./ And how at the end of a life filled with music/we all go without singing.

Saeed is the editor of BuzzFeed LGBT. and author of When the Only Light is Fire from Sibling Rivalry Press. He is the recipient of fellowships from Queer/Arts/Mentors and Cave Canem, and recently, a Pushcart Prize for Poetry. This will be Saeed’s first appearance in Pittsburgh.

Terrance is the author of Lighthead (Penguin, 2010), winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry; Wind in a Box (2006); Hip Logic (2002), which won the 2001 National Poetry Series and Muscular Music (1999), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. He is a professor of creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh.

Tickets at ShowClix (showclix.com/event/3773743) — $10 plus a small service fee before show day & $15 at door. Doors open @ 6:30 p.m. Drinks available. HEArt Online is the nation’s only journal of literature & art devoted to fighting discrimination & promoting social justice. Learn more at http://heartjournalonline.com.

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

SCARE YOURSELF

SCARED

STRAIGHT!

Enter if you DARE

Your guide to hunting haunted houses. The ScareHouse

Dubbed one of America’s scariest Halloween attractions by the Travel Channel, ScareHouse’s most horrifying feature is not its three elaborately themed rooms, but what lies beneath the surface where two courageous visitors at a time can experience the thrill of the venue’s basement. 118 Locust St., Etna, PA 15223 412-781-5885 Admission: $19.99 scarehouse.com

Hundred Acres Manor

Voted one of the world’s best haunted attractions by Top Haunts magazine, Hundred Acres Manor boasts six frightful venues each guaranteed to leave you sleeping with the lights on. 1 Hundred Acre Dr., Bethel Park, PA 15102 412-851-4286 Admission: $18 (includes all six venues) hundredacresmanor.com

Demon House

In addition to haunted South Hills Estate, Demon House features food, music and an outdoor theatre playing horror films throughout the season. 417 Coyle Curtain Rd, Monongahela, PA 15063 724-483-3580 Admission: $18 demonhouse.com

Fright Farm

2043 Springhill Furnace Rd., Smithfield, PA 15478 724-564-7644 Admission: $25 (includes three attractions) frightfarm.com Wednesdays are student nights ($15 admission)

Terror Town

Halloween is blackout night at Terror Town. Experience the thrill of Pittsburgh’s largest indoor haunted attraction without the comfort of light.

17th and Smallman St., Strip District 412-315-7331 Admission: $16.99 terrortownpgh.com

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

By Joe Corcoran Photo by Jonathan Fobear

The Asylum: Aberration Located two hours south of Pittsburgh, this haunted house once served as a hospital for the mentally ill. 71 Asylum Drive, Weston, WV 304-269-5070 Admission: $20.00 theasylumwv.com

Haunted Hills Estate 236 Rolling Hills Estate Rd., Uniontown PA, 15401 724-984-5915 Admission: $15-25 (weekends) hauntedhillsestate.com

Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood Park In addition to some of its scariest rides, Phantom Fright Nights also offer a collection of haunted houses and mazes constructed throughout the park.

4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin, PA 15122 412-461-0500 Admission: $29.99 phantomfrightnights.com

CastleBlood

Despite its name, Castle Blood ditches the grime and gore typical of most haunted attractions and replaces it with quirky, gothic caricatures of vampires and witches. 11 Eastgate Ave, Monessen, PA 15062 724-314-3563 Admission: $15.00 castleblood.com

Pittsburgh Zombie Outbreak

This innovative haunted attraction prepares visitors for the zombie apocalypse, allowing them to fend off attacking zombies using paintball guns.

500 Huntingdon Ave, Emsworth, PA 15202 412-443-9287 Admission: $20.00 pghzombieoutbreak.com/

EVERYONE REMEMBERS THEIR FIRST.

A PROJECT OF

Never before seen artists and performances.

TrustArts.org/first

SEP 27-OCT 26, 2013

TRAVEL

Frightening LGBT Destinations

Where NOT to Travel In The World Right Now In mid-August, a pair of gay Canadians, filmmaker John Greyson and physician Tarek Loubani, got a little lost in Egypt. Very lost, one might say in retrospect. The pair was crossing through to Gaza, where the latter had set up a medical training program and the former planned to make a documentary, but was forced to spend the night in Cairo. As curfew approached, the riottorn city seemed a bad place to be. Lost, they asked police for directions to their hotel, and quickly found themselves in a different kind of accommodations: a prison cell. So began a horrific, Kafka-esque series of events, or non-events, really, in which they were crowded into a cell with three-dozen others, some of whom were also detained for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a single toilet. Egyptian prosecutors cooked up a story alleging the pair, along with about a dozen other random

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

By Lawrence Ferber

foreigners, had taken part in an organized attack by the Muslim Brotherhood on a police station. Two subsequent court hearings, at which charges would need to be filed to keep them imprisoned, amounted to nothing when the Egyptian prosecutor didn’t bother to show up. They were kept imprisoned anyway. Over a month later, Greyson and Loubani remain in prison. Thanks to archaic Egyptian laws, they could remain there for up to two years without any sort of charges filed or evidence. Despite repeated calls for their release from high-profile Canadian politicians and notables, Amnesty International, international celebrities, and plenty of letterwriting campaigns and petitions. As of September 16th, the pair began a hunger strike in protest of this arbitrary, potentially endless detention process. That Greyson and Loubani are openly gay and high-profile activists to boot – Greyson’s films include the AIDS-themed musical, Zero

Patience – probably doesn’t help their case. It may even be a factor keeping them there. While Egypt’s recent political unrest, which led to this dire situation, isn’t specific to gays, the fact Egypt society is unfriendly to gays - during the early 2000s police cracked down on gay men with a series of arrests – could prove a factor when and if charges are finally brought. Other places around the world, however, are downright danger zones for LGBTs due to homophobic laws and attitudes, and best avoided despite sandy beaches, iconic sights, stunning architecture, delicious food, and distinctive arts and culture. Ah, Russia. Putin’s draconian new laws, aimed at keeping children safe from any form of proLGBT “propaganda” – like, say, a man holding his partner’s hand, or wearing a rainbow flag T-shirt, or maybe even listening to Erasure, so vague and broad is the law – apply to foreigners. Fines for such infractions can range from 4,000-100,000 rubles with 15 days in jail and deportation. You simply don’t want to

THE BEST THING TO DO BEFORE MAKING VACATION PLANS IS GOOGLE THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY AND “HOMOSEXUALITY” TO SEE IF ANY ANTI-GAY LAWS EXIST, OR RECENT INCIDENTS TO BE AWARE OF. risk it. Ditto for Uganda. Any place a “kill the gays” bill is even conceived or considered is bad news for gay tourists. Nigeria also seethes with ignorance and danger for gays, as does most of the Middle East, while Albania ranks as Europe’s most homophobic country according to a 2013 European Social Survey. Sun-drenched Jamaica, despite efforts to make it more LGBT tourist-friendly by the hospitality sector, remains virulently homophobic at heart. On August 28th, a gay man was stabbed to death and his home set ablaze. Also that month, a transgender teen was murdered by a hate-driven mob, and in a separate incident, another homophobic mob barricaded five gay men inside their home (see a news report here: http://youtu.be/F1XxeqOIBao). Save that suntan lotion and bath towel for St. Barth’s or Bali, Indonesia.

Barring deeply spiritual and queer-friendly Bali, Indonesia is Muslim ruled and frowns upon homosexuality. The capital city, Jakarta, is home to a brave LGBT film festival, Q! Fest. In 2010, Q! was threatened with bombings and violence by radical Islam fundamentalists. The film I co-wrote, “BearCity,” was part of the line-up. I was present for its showings, one of which was called off at the last minute when the screening venue, unnerved by the bombing threats, canceled all Q! events. It was truly nerve-wracking. A couple of other Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Singapore, retain colonial era antigay laws but rarely if ever enforce them today. In Malaysia, also a Muslim-ruled country, non-Muslim foreigners are essentially exempt from these laws’ enforcement, anyway – ultimately, I have a love-hate with the country, which is beautiful, down to earth, with

incredible food and people, yet a government that funds homophobic musical plays that tour schools and issues lists of “how to identify a gay.” Local gays laugh and shake their heads in shame at this sort of nonsense, much the way we will about what Tea Party members do. The best thing to do before making vacation plans is Google the name of the country and “homosexuality” to see if any anti-gay laws exist, or recent incidents to be aware of. And for goodness sake, stay out of countries and cities in turmoil unless absolutely necessary. Surely, Greyson and Loubani would agree. To keep up with the Greyson/Loubani situation and see what you can do to help, see tarekandjohn.com and join facebook.com/ groups/1409779849241538

Equa lMa ga z ine.org

HOT GIRL READS A BOOK

Angie Fife

E q u a l M a g a z i n e. o rg

“There are countless novels that deserve a spotlight in this magazine, but I would like to take the time to highlight the importance of the post secret publication. Generally speaking books grant readers temporary asylum from their own reality - an escape from what is; while Post Secret focuses solely on creating anonymous human to human connections. The recognition of similarities in one person’s pain or joy to another’s can at times be just enough to reconnect a distant soul to humanity. For those that are searching for someone to relate to, I highly recommend flipping through this collection of confessions.”

on Post Secret Book by Angie FIfe

Photo by Mara Rago Photography

PATF offers free rapid HIV testing

6 days a week. Be a friend. Tell a friend. Bring a friend.

Call

412-345-7456 or visit