City Weekly May 30, 2019

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CWCONTENTS COVER STORY LOUD, PROUD & FEARLESS

Let your true colors shine, our annual celebration of all things Pride is here!

On the cover: Wiltavious photographed by Enrique Limón

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CONTRIBUTOR

4 LETTERS 6 OPINION 12 NEWS 14 A&E 53 DINE 58 MUSIC 67 CINEMA 69 COMMUNITY

YOU

This issue marks City Weekly’s 35th anniversary, and we couldn’t have asked for better timing, as it coincides with Pride. Although this space is usually reserved for those who have a hand in putting our paper together, this week it’s dedicated to you. Regardless of who you love or what deity you pray to, you are perfect just as you are and you are loved.

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Mayor Biskupski raises rainbow flag over City Hall. facebook.com/slcweekly

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COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

Cover story, May 16, Summer Guide This is awesome! @COURTNEYINCOLOR Via Instagram How beautiful.

SAMARA PEREZ Via Instagram Love it!

TERRI LEDDING Via Facebook This is great!

DAN CRANE Via Facebook

KATIE SICKING Via Instagram JACOB REYES Via Instagram Well done, City Weekly and [cover illustrator] John de Campos.

PAMELA M. OLSON Via Twitter Got mine saved in a gallon Mason jar nest to my Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary sitting on the front porch!

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@TKOARTWORKS Via Instagram Yasssss. @SLCFOODIES

Via Instagram It’s so good! @RAMENBANKS Via Instagram You guys are really selling out with your attempt to reach the young population. @MALHAMID13 Via Twitter I’ve gotta go find my copy! @TNKUMPITS Via Instagram Just read it and it was awesome! Very well put together. @COURTNEYINCOLOR Via Instagram Here is a knight way ahead of his time.

DAN CRANE Via Facebook Hopefully [authors] Kelan Lyons and Naomi Clegg never have to travel outside of Utah.

Both scream parochial moron. I’m quite sure both have never walked more than 10 feet in their lives without a candy machine in sight—oh, or avocado toast.

STEVE IFSHIN, Salt Lake City

Opinion, May 16, “Religious

Intolerance”

Professor James Finck [Guest Opinion, May 16] tells us that “Following the death of [Joseph] Smith, the only place the Latter-day Saints could find any peace was in Utah, a land no one else wanted.” Professor, does “no one” include all of the thousands of Native Americans then living in the Great Basin? Does “no one” include all of the estimated 5 million residents then living in Mexico, the nation prior to 1844 and through January 1848 possessing the land?

WILLIAM VOGEL, Salt Lake City

Social media post, May 19, Who we believe will end up sitting on the Iron Throne

I’m all alone, but I just don’t or can’t care at all.

Hope you all enjoy the end.

MICHAEL ADAMS Via Facebook Ditto.

JENNIFER GUEST Via Facebook Ha, no one!

TRICK-OR-TREAT Via Facebook

Online news post, May 21, “‘Stop the Bans’ protest comes to Utah Capitol”

Maybe it’s time to vote for someone else than the socialist LDS party.

MEL P. STONE Via Facebook How about I make my own decisions. Don’t tell me what to do.

BECKA RUBLE Via Facebook I am completely against abortion unless it involves incest, rape or the safety of the mother’s health at a very early stage of pregnancy, eight weeks at the very most. If you are aborting a baby when it has a heartbeat you are murdering an innocent baby. This whole my body, my choice thing is fine, great, whatever, but don’t use abortion as your form of birth control. Try an IUD, the pill or a damn condom. There are plenty of other options for birth control. If that baby has a heartbeat, then look for adoption plans for a family that can never ever biologically have their own and give them a chance to be a parent. I know I

will get some backlash on my opinion, and I don’t care about the negative responses.

MICHELLE PHELAN Via Facebook

able family. Adoption is not a catch-all solution.

JASON BERNTSON Via Facebook

Nobody uses abortion as a form of birth control. Also, there are already thousands of children tied up in the adoption system.

Some go their entire childhood without being put into a suit-

We encourage you to join the conversation. Sound off across our social media channels as well as on cityweekly.net for a chance to be featured in this section.

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Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. Copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,100 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without express permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., can take more than one copy. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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OPINION

Conspicuously Absent: Where is America’s Heart?

Recently, an airliner with 143 people aboard did a trampoline landing in Jacksonville, Fla., and ended up taking an impromptu bath in the St. Johns River. The incident was a sad reminder of the ongoing, illegal incarcerations our government continues to inflict just 90 miles from U.S. soil.

You’re thinking, “What’s the connection?” Most likely the result of inclement weather and pilot error, the Boeing 737-800 mishap ended with only a few minor injuries—just bumps and bruises instead of body bags. The Miami Air International flight, a charter company that contracts to the U.S. government, was on its usual twice-a-week shuttle, taking off from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and ferrying military personnel, their families, and civilian contractors to Jacksonville Naval Air Station and the naval air station in Norfolk, Va. Despite its fortunate outcome, this event was yet another reminder of the ongoing human rights violations at Guantanamo Bay’s prison for the past 17 years. Former President Barack Obama moved in 2008 to shut down the facility—best known for the inhumane interrogations conducted there in the name of homeland security. His executive order intended to end the era when America abandoned, out of fear, its commitment to decency, due process and human rights.

I realize that Guantanamo isn’t a simple matter. Proponents fear it’s one of only a few places where suspected—or confirmed—terrorists can be safely cloistered. Discussions

BY MICHAEL S. ROBINSON SR. have always ended up with the same quandary: Is there any facility where such prisoners can be safe—safe from attempts by al-Qaida operatives to spring the prisoners, as well as safety for those who fear more instances of domestic terrorism? The biggest question of all: Where can the U.S. escape the scrutiny of international and U.S. laws that dictate the legal and humane treatment of prisoners?

Guantanamo is the super-Alcatraz of modern prisons. It is surrounded by miles of sea teeming with sharks, and borders a Communist nation that apprehends those who wish to either depart or arrive illegally. No one has ever escaped from this highly classified facility, which, at its peak, housed more than 700 suspected terrorists. Those still incarcerated there seem to have little hope of being afforded their most basic legal rights, something all Americans consider inalienable.

Many of the original 700 have died there, and as the prison’s population ages, provisions are being considered for making it more elder-friendly. (That’s a head-scratcher; after so many years, why should our government consider kindness now?)

Forty “detainees” are still there. Most have never even been charged with a crime. The reality is that Guantanamo is run by our country but is totally un-American. Draconian interrogations can be done in secrecy, and the Pentagon is directly involved. Take the case of Majid Khan who admitted he had been a courier for al-Qaida. Imprisoned in 2003, he was held incommunicado for the first three years.

His confessed “crime” is no slam-dunk, and there’s little question that he was brutally tortured before confessing.

His torture was revealed at Khan’s first court appearance in 2012. His descriptions were too terrible to be fiction. By his own account, he was hung naked from a beam for three days without food, kept for months at a time in total darkness, and submerged, while hooded and shackled, in a tub of ice and water. Obama confronted the inhumanity and ordered the closure of Guantanamo. But, consistent with

President Donald Trump’s Islama-xeno-phobic mindset and his avowed commitment to undoing everything from the previous administration, he reversed Obama’s order.

During his second year of detention, Khan went on a hunger strike. It was met with a CIA-approved plan to enforce dietary nourishment. A mixture of pasta, sauce, nuts, raisins, and hummus was forcibly infused through his rectum, something now labeled by his defense attorneys as rape. It is certainly not considered to be a medically sound treatment. The list goes on. Much of the evidence used in continuing the detainment of Guantanamo prisoners was proffered only under torture, so none of it could ever pass the litmus-test of our legal system’s evidentiary standard.

Owing, at least in part, to the cries of human rights groups, detainees are no longer held incommunicado and are allowed legal representation. But the damage has been done.

“The defense lawyers have to have the tools with which to perform their duty, especially in capital cases. No question … somebody should have thought about that before they started torturing these people,” Eugene R. Fidell, a military law specialist at Yale Law School, says. Fidell added, “This was an accident waiting to happen. The only thing that surprises me is this is 2019 and the problem remains unresolved.”

Today, Guantanamo exists for only one reason: Trump has chosen, as he always does, the moral low-ground, insisting on keeping Guantanamo open.

Every American should be outraged, and it’s certainly worth a call to your congressional leadership. Although it grew out of post-9/11 fear, in a very real context, the ongoing horrors of Guantanamo are a window into America’s heart, and, particularly, into the heartlessness of its president. CW

The author is a former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and one mongrel dog. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net

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CITIZEN REV LT IN ONE WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

ENERGY SUMMIT RALLY

Remember Rick Perry, the “oops” guy who couldn’t remember the three government agencies he wanted to get rid of? He’s coming to Utah as energy secretary to take part in Gov. Gary Herbert’s Energy Summit. Can you say oil and gas?

Beginning at 7:30 a.m., the People’s Energy Response to the Governor’s Energy Summit will hand out the “People’s Response” to what they call a corporate polluter plan. Perry is a “proponent of mining and drilling on public lands, including right here in Utah,” the event’s website says. This is a rally for climate justice and to oppose Utah’s fossil fuelobsessed leadership. At 11:30 a.m., you can be part of a news conference to offer a clean vision of Utah’s energy future. Outside The Grand America Hotel, 555 S. Main, 860-490-7828, Thursday, May 30, 7:30 a.m., free, bit.ly/2HMzOVw.

ANTI-VIOLENCE TALKING CIRCLES

How can we ignore the violence that surrounds native populations? Restoring Ancestral Winds hosts five talking circles (or focus groups) in Salt Lake and Utah counties to help answer the question at Restoring Ancestral Winds Talking Circle: Ending Violence in Native Communities. The sessions focus on general population (women, men, two-spirit), women only, and two-spirit only. “These talking circles are critical for understanding the nature, scope and prevalence of violence in Native American communities and necessary for creating a path forward for tribal, state, federal and local agencies to better meet the healing needs of the Native American communities,” RAW organizers say. The talk is a 90-minute confidential group discussion. Utah Valley University, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, Room LA116, Monday, June 3 (Women’s Assessment), Tuesday, June 4, (General Assessment), 206-356-6836, free, bit.ly/2JFZRB8.

MAYORAL CANDIDATE TRANSPORTATION FORUM

With so many candidates for Salt Lake City mayor, you might want to know what they think about transportation issues, especially as the city grows and grunts with congestion. Is it all about bike lanes, parking or transit? At the 2019 Salt Lake City Mayoral Candidate Transportation Forum find out about new transportation modes, air quality, transportation equity, maintenance issues and improving safety. It’s your city and you want some solutions. All the candidates have committed to being there, so this is your chance. Main Library 210 E. 400 South, Wednesday, June 5, 6:308 p.m., free, bit.ly/2Mf XpUe.

—KATHARINE BIELE Send tips to revolt@cityweekly.net

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HITS&MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

Sayonara, Cummins

Well, goodbye and good riddance to Lisa Cummins.

Who, you ask? Well, of course almost no one in Utah knows who their state school board member is, even though they are likely to vote for them in the next election. Cummins, however, was well known as a nut-case who doesn’t believe in climate change, sex ed, science or almost anything, you know, academic. Gov. Gary Herbert, according to news reports, has appointed two, ahem, men to replace board members Cummins and Alisa Allis.

Meanwhile, the school board approved new science standards despite some people wondering why God is out of the picture, the Deseret News reported. It’s unlikely we will actually know if God or science wins out because the state signed a $44-million low-ball contract for standardized testing, even though the company has a long and expensive history of unreliable software.

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Honorable Jabs

Michael Kwan. Well, we get why the honorable judge was suspended without pay. You can’t say mean things about the president. Apparently, the Taylorsville judge has quite the history of inappropriate political remarks. Hey, even The New York Times says so. Still, we need to remember that Mr. Trump makes ongoing disparaging remarks about the judiciary. Kwan is a social media buff, too, which doesn’t help the impartiality thing. But you have to love Kwan’s attorney, Greg Skordas, who told The Salt Lake Tribune, “It does strike me as troubling that one man ... sexually assaults a woman in college, publicly blasts the Clintons in front of a world-wide audience and is confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, while a city justice court judge outwardly supports his own Asian community, makes a joke about money being wasted on a wall in front of the six people in his courtroom and then is suspended without pay for six months.”

F-ing Pitiful

Back to money—what we have, what we need and what we don’t get. Utah is right down there with Alabama, which seems appropriate considering the abortion debate. Both states got an F, according to the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, in how they spent some of the $3-billion Volkswagen emissions settlement money. It was earmarked to lower air pollution from the transportation sector. Instead, Utah joined 14 other states and Puerto Rico in adopting “the settlement’s minimum guidelines for spending their allotment but did not take any steps to prioritize electric vehicle projects.” Not sure where Utah wants to spend money— not on education or health care. But you know, the governor vowed to make clean air a priority. At least, that’s what he said.

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Not Enough

Dallin H. Oaks says that “while we cannot change the Lord’s doctrine, we want our members and our policies to be considerate of those struggling with the challenges of mortality.” Mormon theology believes a “challenge of mortality” is limited to earth life and ceases after death. Such rhetoric is dangerous for trans and queer Mormons, who are often taught that death will remove these “challenges” that alienate us from our families and communities. Until leaders stop calling our sexuality an aberration that will be cured after death, queer Mormons will need help seeing ourselves positively.

It is not enough to say that I, a woman married to another woman, am no longer an “apostate,” as long as the church still teaches my family that my marriage is a “serious transgression,” like murder, rape and abuse. Oaks claims that church leaders “want to reduce the hate and contention so common today,” but at no point does he take responsibility for leaders’ role in fostering “hate and contention”—both by creating the exclusionary policy, and by claiming it as revelation from God. A queer Mormon friend I met after college, Berta Marquez, took her own life last year. Near the end, she intensely feared the church was correct in labeling her and her wife as apostates—that she had actually turned away from God. Berta was an immensely compassionate woman who spent much of her time working to heal the rifts between the church and queer folk.

She was an advocate for queer Mormons and for Utah’s homeless youth, working with Operation Shine America, Mormons Building Bridges, Affirmation, Equality Utah, and the ACLU, among many others.

This policy reversal makes her death more heart-rending, both because it might have given Berta some peace if she were still alive, and because it fails to acknowledge the harm the church caused and continues to cause for queer Mormons like her.

Although the government does not track victims’ sexuality, researchers have linked Mormon culture and rhetoric with queer suicides. Utah’s suicide rate has increased by nearly 50% since 1999. Queer folk, including youth made homeless by devout parents, are particularly vulnerable.

Let me suggest a path forward, based on

Suicide among queer Mormons has deep roots and many demand more change than the church’s exclusion policy reversal.

BY KRISTEN NICOLE CARDON High Country News comments@cityweekly.net

W

hen I was a student at Brigham Young University, I thought it was a coincidence that I befriended suicidal students. Three of my close friends confided their suicidal intentions to me, and I spent evenings talking to them, trying to help them feel hope; trying to keep them safe. In each case, it took at least a year of friendship before they confided a further secret: Each of these three women was queer. I was still at BYU when I survived my own suicide attempt in the winter of 2012. I had realized I was queer myself and found my conflicting identities unbearable. In Utah, family and religion frequently tell queer folk that we’re sinning, but that we won’t have our sinful urges after we die. For a while, my life plan was to retain the Mormon beliefs I had loved since childhood, while remaining celibate and holding out for a straight afterlife, where God would “fix” my sexuality.

For decades, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has enforced policies that harm queer Mormons. This April, when one policy was repealed, it made headlines.

The 2015 proclamation had called people in same-sex marriages apostates—people who renounce their faith—and banned our children from baptism. But the church’s homophobia remains. Even the language around the repeal includes beliefs that contribute to queer suicides. Repealing this policy is a step in the right direction, but it is not nearly enough.

It falls short because it reinforces, rather than reverses, anti-queer rhetoric. In a news release, church leader President

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NEWS

Kathy Carlston, left, embraces wife Berta Marquez, who worked as an advocate for the church and the LGBTQ community, before taking her life in 2018. my experience after my suicide attempt. A chaplain visited me in the psych ward. (I don’t think she was Mormon; the church apparently didn’t allow female chaplains before 2014.) She was gentle and patient as I told her about my family, my friends, the woman who is now my wife, and my conflict with my devout father over my sexuality.

She listened to me and cried with me, and before she left, she prayed for me. She remembered everything I told her and prayed for every person I mentioned, every problem I was struggling with. That prayer is something I carry with me. It was perhaps the most important therapy I received.

I am no longer a practicing Mormon. At this point, I am able to integrate the things I love about being Mormon with the person I am becoming. I remember that chaplain’s prayer as affirmation that I can become the person I will be without destroying the

NOW

person I was. This understanding has kept me on a path of recovery.

The church should apologize and make amends for its repealed exclusion policy, and members should change their approach to ministering. Family is a centerpiece of Mormon theology and culture. Accepting, listening to and connecting with queer Mormons—rather than excluding and denigrating us—would help celebrate our roles in the theology of the family and, I hope, save lives. CW

A version of this article originally appeared in High Country News. The author is a Ph.D. candidate in the English department at UCLA, where she is conducting an interdisciplinary study of suicide notes, with the goal of suicide prevention. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

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10th Anniversary Miss City Weekly Pride Pageant Sashaying in Utah’s Pride weekend with glitz and glamour, a group of the state’s most talented drag personalities compete in the momentous 10th annual Miss City Weekly Pride Pageant.

Celebrating Utah’s increasing diversity within an outrageous party atmosphere, this memorable affair finds contestants vying for the coveted crown with everything they’ve got. The 2019 winner will be judged on performances showcasing personality, creativity, talent, evening gown and a Q&A. Hosted by famed drag personality Jackie Beat (see p. 29) and Gorgeous Jared, this year’s winner will walk the runway not only with a blinding tiara, but more than $1,000 in cash and prizes.

“Bring your A-game! Costumes, creativity, confidence, stage presence and passion,” judge Jason CoZmo says. “The best advice I can give is to be the best you. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Don’t show us what you think we want to see; show us what you do best!”

No one knows better than last year’s winner E Cooper Jr., pictured above, who participated two years in a row but only came away a winner when he dropped preconceived perceptions and became “authentically me.” “Doing it my way, for me, elevated my drag,” Cooper says. “And I was fully realized as Cooper: the artist, the performer and queen.”

Believing Miss City Weekly is one of the most defining pageants in the drag world, Cooper worked hard for the title, singing “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman live with an epic costume reveal during the final notes. This year’s participants have a fabulous act to follow.

(Colette A. Finney) Miss City Weekly Pageant @ The Depot, 13 N. 400 West, May 30, doors 7 p.m; show 8 p.m., $12-$20, 21+, depotslc.com

FRIDAY 5/31

The Greatest: Life-Changing Documentaries In the age of reality TV and Netflix, when people often immerse themselves in non-fiction narratives, it’s curious that documentary feature films still carry a rarified “art house” air. Some of the most compelling stories in film history have been created by filmmakers who just happen to be telling true stories—sometimes relating pivotal historical moments, sometimes revealing the lives of fascinating characters, sometimes finding unexpected drama in turning a camera on people and seeing what happens.

Beginning this weekend and throughout the summer of 2019, the Salt Lake Film Society explores the rich history of non-fiction filmmaking with more than 25 features in The Greatest: LifeChanging Documentaries series. Fittingly for Pride Weekend, the first week includes two films highlighting pivotal moments in the history of LGBTQ people in America. Rob Epstein’s 1984 Academy Award winner The Times of Harvey profiles the pioneering San Francisco city supervisor who became the first openly-gay elected official in America; David France’s 2012 How to Survive a Plague explores the role of activist organizations like ACT UP and TAG in combating the AIDS crisis.

The opening weekend’s other features include the landmark 1994 epic Hoop Dreams, 2017’s Faces Places by the recently-deceased French filmmaking legend Agnès Varda and 1970’s Gimme Shelter, which captured the infamous Rolling Stones concert at Altamont. Other highlights include An Inconvenient Truth, Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine and the devastating Holocaust study Shoah. Watch the schedule for local documentaries including Sons of Perdition, Vessel, Quiet Heroes and One Revolution at the Tower Theatre, dates and times TBD. (Scott Renshaw) The Greatest: Life-Changing Documentaries @ Broadway Centre Cinemas, 111 E. 300 South and Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, May 31-July 2, dates and times vary, full schedule at saltlakefilmsociety.org

SKYSCAPE PRESS

THE CRITERION COLLECTION

STEVE CONLIN

THURSDAY 5/30

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR

ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, MAY 30-JUNE 5, 2019

FRIDAY 5/31

TUESDAY 6/4

Women’s empowerment is an important cause, but for minority women, it’s more urgent than ever. So credit Cristela Alonzo for furthering awareness through her many significant accomplishments. They include becoming the first Latina to create, write and star in a network TV sitcom, fittingly titled Cristela. Notably too, she was the first Latina to star in a Disney Pixar movie, thanks to her role as Cruz Ramirez in the animated smash Cars 3.

While things look bright, she occasionally shows concern. “Nothing scares the hell out of you like having white people worry about your future,” she once joked. An actress and comedian by profession—she was named as one of “10 L.A. Comedy Acts to Watch in 2014” by L.A. Weekly—the L.A.-based entertainer is also involved in advocacy, primarily on issues dealing with immigration, health care and lower income communities. She supports multiple charitable organizations, and for good reason: Raised in poverty, she’s well acquainted with the challenges life hands those who are far less fortunate.

No wonder then that this L.A.-based entertainer is a popular guest host on The View, as well as a regular on late night TV. “I’m so excited to be here today,” she told one audience. “It means I haven’t been deported yet.”

Likewise, her one-hour Netflix special Lower Classy shows her self-effacing side through observations about the clash between cultures and the difficulties that accompany everyday dilemmas. A book, scheduled for later this year, will likely further illuminate that same unique ability to balance entertainment and enlightenment. (Lee Zimmerman) Cristela Alonzo @ Wiseguys West Jordan, 3763 W. Center Park Drive, West Jordan, May 31-June 1, 7 & 9:30 p.m., $20, wiseguyscomedy.com

Young-adult fiction has a long history of centering on female protagonists, including genre stories. But Utah author Emily R. King—creator of The Hundredth Queen series, and her new novel Before the Broken Star—has a very specific notion of what it means to create what has been known in contemporary parlance as a “strong female character.”

“We tend to label any nuanced, complex female character as ‘strong’ to distinguish between her and the cardboard cutouts often depicted in stories,” King says. “Strong female characters aren’t necessarily women who wield a sword. They are clever and thoughtful and driven and brave. They exhibit strength in every capacity of their lives.”

That’s certainly true of Before the Broken Star’s Everley Donovan, a 17-year-old in a mysterious kingdom who survived the murder of the rest of her family thanks to a clock replacing her wounded heart, and who is driven to bring her personal retribution to the man responsible. Yet beyond the vengeance quest of this one young woman, and her gradual ability to trust one man, the story is driven by rich world-building that includes not just fantastical creatures and the legend of a world trapped in time, but multiple belief systems, including a religious minority persecuted by the kingdom’s official religion.

“I built the world upon truths. Unfortunately, it was realistic to create opposing sects of faith, and for the sect of faith in power to condemn the minority,” King says. “Ideally, we would all be more tolerant of each other’s beliefs. When we aren’t, prejudice leads to shameful atrocities.” (SR) Emily R. King: Before the Broken Star @ Provo Library, 550 N. University Ave., Provo, June 5, 7 p.m., free, kingsenglish.com

Cristela Alonzo

Emily R. King: Before the Broken Star

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Utah Rep begins the ambitious project of staging Angels in America.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

T

ony Kushner’s 1991 play Angels in America is one of the most celebrated theater works of the late 20th century—a Tony Award winner, Drama Desk winner, Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s also one of the most daunting works to consider staging—especially for a smaller theater company—thanks to the sheer logistical challenges of the two-part epic. But for Utah Repertory Theatre Co. and its artistic director JayC Stoddard, factors started adding up to make it hard to resist.

Stoddard—who will also direct Utah Rep’s production of Angels in America—recalls his own fascination with the show dating back more than 20 years, and how much he has looked forward to getting involved in its production. “It was probably around 1997 or ’98 that I first came in contact with the script and fell in love with it. It blew me away,” he says. “A few years later, I had a chance to see a production, and had the same reaction. I’ve seen it in production twice, plus the HBO adaptation. Every time, I knew that it was something I wanted to be involved in.

At first, I thought about acting in it. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take the lead on it as a director.”

He also recognized, however, that it was, as he put it, “an incredibly intimidating

script.” Yet as Utah Rep began to plan for its upcoming season, Stoddard saw the right pieces all falling in to place. “The National Theater had just re-done [Angels in America], sort of coming back into the collective consciousness,” he says. “We were getting into a place to do shows in the Rose Wagner Studio Theater. … Then it just so happened that we’d booked the Rose to open a show on Pride weekend. We have Pride weekend, we have a space, and I have this story that’s so perfect for so many reasons.”

Part of that “perfection,” unfortunately, involves a national climate that makes Angels in America feel particularly relevant again, despite being nearly 30 years removed from its creation. “The AIDS crisis is obviously not the crisis now that it was then,” Stoddard says. “But the main villain in Angels is Roy Cohn, who was Donald Trump’s mentor. You can’t really get more relevant than that. We’re still talking about hard-right issues as they affect people who don’t necessarily align their views that way. One of the main characters is a Mormon who’s still in the closet. That’s so relevant to right here, and right now. We still face that battle. … Nothing feels out of place, or out of time. The questions posed within the play are still things we need to be talking about.”

Despite all of that obvious relevance, however, it was still important to Stoddard that they be able to do the show the right way—and for him, that meant being able to stage both parts of Angels in America as full productions. “Generally, when people do Angels, they do Millennium Approaches,” he says. “But if they do Perestroika, they do a staged reading. To me, it felt like we could do Millennium in one season, and in the next, do Perestroika.”

With the notion of doing Millennium Approaches in 2019 and Perestroika in 2020, there was still the matter of maintaining consistency between the two productions.

Stoddard was able to get a commitment from not just the cast, but the entire creative

A&E

JON VICKERS

THEATER Touched by Angels

Josh Tewell and Jesse Nepivoda in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches production team—set design, lighting design, etc.—to participate next year as well.

That carry-over, Stoddard believes, allows for richer subtext to be developed in this year’s Millennium Approaches production.

“The message of the angel isn’t even revealed until Perestroika,” Stoddard says, “but we have to think about it this year. All of the things we already know the answers to, we get to lay the groundwork and plant the seeds, so that when they’re revealed next year, they seem consistent.”

While the centrality of the closeted gay Mormon protagonist Joe Pitt gives Angels in America an added relevance in Utah, Stoddard notes that he resisted leaning into that content for Utah Rep’s production.

“I think the story tells itself, honestly,” he says. “It’s a coming-out story, and so many people in our audience might have had that same conversation. I don’t need to take a

highlighter to it. The character’s story tells itself in a way that people here can relate to on a fundamental level.

“The bigger part is not isolating anyone, but telling this very human story,” Stoddard adds. “Whatever side of the political line you might be on, or your sexual identity, these people are very real, and their hearts are so big.” CW

ANGELS IN AMERICA: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES

Utah Repertory Theatre Co. Rose Wagner Center Studio Theatre 138 W. 300 South Through June 9 Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. $10 utahrep.org

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moreESSENTIALS

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Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (20 S. West Temple, utahmoca.org) showcases work by eight youth LGBTQ artists who participated in a 10-week mentored workshop program in the annual exhibition Out Loud, through July 10.

PERFORMANCE THEATER

Angels in America: Millenium Approaches Rose Wagner Center Studio Theatre, 138 W. 300 South, through June 9, Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m., utahrep.org (see p. 16) A Lad ’n’ His Magic Lamp The Off Broadway Theatre, 272 S. Main, through June 1, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 & 7:30 p.m., theobt.org Freezin’: Let It Go Already! Desert Star Theatre, 4861 S. State, through June 8, dates and times vary, desertstar.biz Ideation Wasatch Theatre Co., 124 S. 400 West, through June 1, showtimes vary, wasatchtheatre.org Les Miserables Regent Street Black Box at Eccles Theater, 144 S. Regent St., through June 8, showtimes vary, artsaltlake.org The Magic Treehouse The Ziegfeld Theater, 3934 S. Washington Blvd., through June 1, showtimes vary, theziegfeldtheater.com Matilda Hale Centre Theatre, 9900 S. Monroe Street, through June 15, dates and times vary, hct.org Newsies the Musical Draper Amphitheater, 944 E. Vestry Road, Draper, June 1-15, dates and times vary, draperartscouncil.org School of Rock The Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main, through June 2, showtimes vary, artsaltlake.org Singin’ in the Rain Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main, Park City, through June 2, Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6 p.m., parkcityshows.com Steel Magnolias Hale Centre Theatre, 9900 S. Monroe St., through June 1, showtimes vary, hct.org West Side Story The Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State, through June 8, Wednesday-Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 7:30 p.m., grandtheatrecompany.com

DANCE

Janet Gray Studios: Beat Goes On Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, May 30, 7 p.m., tickets.utah.edu ManuBhuti—Being Human Rose Wagner Center, 130 W. 330 South, June 2, 5 p.m. artsaltlake.org

Salt Lake Dance Center: The Magic of Dance Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, June 5, 6:30 p.m., tickets.utah.edu SLC Ballet: Spring Gala Wagner Theatre, 138 W. 300 South, June 1 at 2 & 7 p.m., artsaltlake.org

CLASSICAL & SYMPHONY

Music without Borders Alleged, 201 25th St., Ogden, June 1, 7 p.m.

Nearer, My God, to Thee Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, May 31, 5 & 8 p.m., artsaltlake.org

COMEDY & IMPROV

Cristela Alonzo Wiseguys West Jordan, 3763 W. Center Park Drive, May 31 & June 1, 7 & 9:30 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com (see p. 14) Joshua T. Fonokalafi Wiseguys Ogden, 269 25th St., May 31 & June 1, 8 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Laughing Stock Improv Comedy The Off Broadway Theatre, 272 S. Main, Fridays & Saturdays, 10 p.m., theobt.org Open Mic Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, Wednesdays, 7 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Random Tangent Improv Comedy Draper Historic Theatre, 12366 S. 900 East, Saturdays, 10 p.m., randomtangentimprov.org Sklar Brothers Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, May 31, 9:30 p.m.; June 1, 7 & 9:30 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Stand and Deliver: A Stand-up Inspired Improv Show Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, June 4, 7:30 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com

SPECIAL EVENTS FESTIVALS & FAIRS

Culture Glow Sugar Space Arts Warehouse, 132 W. 800 South, May 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Pony Express Days Eagle Mountain City Office, 1650 E. Stagecoach Run, through June 1, times vary by event, utahvalley.com SoJo Summerfest City Park, 11000 S. Redwood Road, South Jordan, May 31-June 1, until 10 p.m., sjc.utah.gov

moreESSENTIALS

Utah Juneteenth Heritage Festival Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave., Ogden, June 1-22, times vary, theunionstation.org Utah Lake Festival Utah Lake State Park, 4400 W. Center St., Provo, June 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., utahlakecommission.org Vineyard Heritage Celebration Vineyard Grove Park, 350 N. 1000 East, Vineyard, through June 1, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

LGBTQ

1 to 5 Club: Game Night Utah Pride Center, 1380 S. Main, first Mondays, 7:30-9:30 p.m., utahpridecenter.org Men’s Sack Lunch Group Utah Pride Center, 1380 S. Main, Wednesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., utahpridecenter.org Miss City Weekly The Depot, 13 N. 400 West, May 30, 8-11:30 p.m., depotslc.com (see p. 14) TransAction Weekly Meeting Utah Pride Center, 1380 S. Main, Sundays, 2-3:30 p.m., utahpridecenter.org Utah Pride Festival Washington Square, 450 S. 200 East, June 1, 1-11 p.m.; June 2, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., utahpridecenter.org

LITERATURE

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

Science On Tap: Ralph and Reilly: Our Life in Ruins Mountain West Hard Cider, 425 N. 400 West, May 30, 7 p.m., tapdatsci.org Collector’s Book Salon Weller Bookworks, 607 S. Trolley Square, every last Friday, 6:30 p.m., wellerbookworks.com

VISUAL ART

GALLERIES & MUSEUMS

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2018 Audubon Photography Awards Exhibit Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, through June 11, slcpl.org Alfred Hart: Tracing the Path State Capitol, 350 N. State, through June 26, goldenspike150.org All Set for the West: Railroads and the National Parks Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, through June 26, culturalcelebration.org Along the Line: Contemporary Explorations of the Transcontinental Railroad Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, through June 26, culturalcelebration.org Andrew Dadson: Roof Gap UMOCA, 20 S. West Temple, through Sept. 7, utahmoca.org Andy Taylor: New Paintings A Gallery, 1321 S. 2100 East, through June 15, 6-8 p.m., closed Sundays, agalleryonline.com Beauty, Brawn, Commerce & Travel: Photography of U.S. Railroads Utah Cultural

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TALKS & LECTURES

Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, through June 26, culturalcelebration.org Blaine Clayton: Plein Air Peace & Calm Local Colors of Utah, 1054 E. 2100 South, through June 18, localcolorsart.com Cary Griffiths: Dor**é** Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, through June 8, artatthemain.com Celebrate Utah! Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, through June 26, culturalcelebration.org Chinese Art: Emulation and Innovation Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 S. Campus Center Drive, ongoing, umfa.utah.edu David LeCheminant: Icons Finch Lane Gallery, 1340 E. 100 South, through June 7, saltlakearts.org De | Marcation Granary Arts, 86 N. Main, Ephraim, through Sept. 27, granaryarts.org Deanna & Ed Templeton: Contemporary Suburbium UMOCA, 20 S. West Temple, through Sept. 7, utahmoca.org Following in the Footprints of Chinese Railroad Workers Marriott Library, 295 S. 1500 East, through Sept. 27, goldenspike150.org Horacio Rodriguez: (Un)Invited Collaborations with my Ancestor Finch Lane Gallery, 1340 E. 100 South, through June 7, saltlakearts.org The International Tolerance Project Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 S. Campus Center Drive, through June 23, umfa.utah.edu Jiyoun Lee-Lodge: Waterman the Stranger Alice Gallery, 617 E. South Temple, through July 5, artsandmuseums.utah.gov Katie Benson & Betsy Auwerda: Invisible Art Access Gallery, 230 S. 500 West, through June 8, accessart.org Krome Downtown Artist Collective, 100 S. 258 East, through June 14, downtownartistcollective.org Michael Cooper & Terry Southern: Chicago 1968:The Whole World is Watching Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, through June 14, slcpl.org Move Over, Sir! Women Working on the Railroad Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, through June 26, culturalcelebration.org New West Modern West Fine Art, 412 S. 700 West, through June 8, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., modernwestfineart.com Out Loud UMOCA, 20 S. West Temple, through July 10, utahmoca.org (see p. 18) Parker Jones: From My Seat in the Dirt Kimball Art Center, 638 Park Ave., Park City, through June 2, kimballartcenter.org Peter Hines: The Extraordinary & Sublime Beauty of Glaciers Anderson-Foothill Library, 1135 S. 2100 East, through June 13, slcpl.org Spencer Finch: Great Salt Lake and Vicinity Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 S. Campus Center Drive, through Nov. 28, umfa.utah.edu Stars of the Stage and Silver Screen Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 S. Campus Center Drive, ongoing, umfa.utah.edu Star Wars / Heroes and Villains Urban Arts Gallery, 116 S. Rio Grande St., through June 2, urbanartsgallery.org Transcontinental: People, Place, Impact Rio Gallery, 300 S. Rio Grande St., through June 16, artsandmuseums.utah.gov Yang Yongliang: salt 14 Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 S. Campus Center Drive, through June 2, umfa.utah.edu

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Peter Rock: The Night Swimmers The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, May 31, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com Christopher Husberg Weller Bookworks, 607 Trolley Square, June 4, 6:30-8 p.m., wellerbookworks.com Emily R. King: Before the Broken Star Provo City Library 550 N. University Ave., Provo, June 4, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com (see p. 14) Graeme Simsion: The Rosie Result The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, June 5, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com

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Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech earlier this month at the ritzy Pride Spectacular, he put it best: “I invoke our blood ancestors who give us stories of dissension, stories of compassion, stories of resistance, stories of long-suffering, stories of hope,” he said, holding his award. “I invoke our heart and soul ancestors who have passed on but leave us their stories of pain and joy, of despair and of hope, of oppression and of dissent and rebellion. I call upon all these ancestors to gather around us here tonight. With all this power, with all this love, with all this intention we reach out to all the Utah school children who are being harassed and bullied and beaten, that they might find strength and hope and relief. We reach out to all the elderly who are still closeted and fumbling and stumbling on their way toward the closet door that they may find ways to resist, persist and exist in their truth. We reach out to the Baby Queers who need to know that we love them, embrace them and fight for them until they can fight for themselves. We reach out to all who struggle with their bodies, with their gender, with their sexuality, with their desires. Stonewall happened 50 years ago but it happened for all of them, for all of us.”

It’s true the first Pride was a riot.

In that spirit, my LGBTQ+ brethren, whatever your personal act of defiance is—holding hands with your partner in public, bringing them along to a family dinner, inviting your parents to the parade or standing up for someone who’s being backed into a corner—own it extra hard this weekend. Be unabashedly you. Be loud. Be fierce. And more importantly, be proud.

—Enrique Limón, editor

2019 21 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019 | | 21

t was a moment of Zion Zen following last year’s Pride parade: After a charged exchange with anti-LGBTQ demonstrators (hey, sometimes I do it just to feel alive), I turned to my friend Grayson and said: “Isn’t it something to see how far we’ve come?” Shitty political climate aside, the fact that nearly 50,000 souls had congregated along the parade route (most with laudable intentions) made for an introspective, American Beauty-esque plastic bag scene.

Like many, my personal journey to come into my own, embrace my factory settings and live my truth, was no cake walk. Yet, there I was, marching alongside my best friend and coworkers, a permanent cat-that-ate-the-canary grin on my face, taking in the Technicolor sights—and even though City Weekly has never been known for having the most ostentatious of floats—being on the receiving end of a roaring tidal wave of love from the community.

Once inside the festival grounds, and still on a rainbow high, I summoned the spirit of the giants who made it all possible: Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera— and countless other defiant individuals history has forgotten—who lit the Molotov spark that fueled the Gay Liberation Movement, affording the rest of us, all these years later, the opportunity to live out our own “normal.”

“Marsha who?” Grayson asked. A five-alarm fire going off in my head and a state of gay emergency declared, we rushed back to his place and watched The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix. The documentary served as an educational respite and doubled as an air-conditioned refuge to wash away the runny coat of sunblock and third-party glitter that had quickly accumulated on our bodies.

Fifty years since the NYPD busted out the batons at the Stonewall Inn, and 44 after Salt Lake City hosted its first austere Pride, the transgressive nature of the movement’s equality pioneers lives on in this year’s theme, “Exist. Resist.

Persist.”

Local activist and historian Connell O’Donovan was there for the early days of Pride in the Beehive. He can be seen pictured above, behind the bullhorn outside the City and County Building, offering a rallying cry to a small but mighty Pride crowd in 1991—which included neo-Nazi protesters. During O’Donovan’s

22 | MAY 30, 2019

CONNELL O’DONOVAN

A PROUD HiSTORY

Tracing the Utah Pride Festival back to its origins.

By Kelan Lyons

I

from local gay bars to and from City Creek Canyon, where the “Gay Freedom Day” was held. “[In] the early Pride days, it was a statement for people to even attend,” Williams says of the few people who were “brave enough” to go. Prior to Jeff Freedman, Bruce Harmon and Rev. Bruce Barton reinventing the Pride March and Rally and morphing it into a Gay Pride Parade in 1994, Williams says Gay Pride Days in Utah were more political. But once Jeff Freedman was elected to the chair of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah’s Gay Pride Day committee in the mid-’90s, he made the events more celebratory, increasing turnout.

O’Donovan says the ’90 and ’91 marches he organized were “more of a protest kind of experience rather than a celebration,” but also a “presence, to show that we’re here, we’re queer,” Williams says, finishing O’Donovan’s sentence from his seat across the table.

Their presence also attracted more sinister protesters: In 1991, the first year the marchers ended in Washington Square, neo-Nazis were standing on the steps of the City and County Building, waiting for them. “People were really freaked out,” O’Donovan says, but he and Williams say things stayed largely peaceful. Recognizing the pair’s work as keepers of Utah’s queer history, O’Donovan and Williams were recently awarded lifetime achievement awards during the center’s annual Pride Spectacular.

Freedman favored bringing celebrations back into Salt Lake City’s downtown, Williams recalls, moving Pride Day to the Gallivan Center and then, around 1997, to Washington Square, where it has been ever since. Wilson says “there’s no symbolism to [the festival] being at Washington Square. It’s just the practicality. And it’s visible now.” But Liz Pitts, the center’s director of community engagement, sees symbolism in the square playing such a big role in the celebrations.

For a person who has recently realized they’re gender queer or identify as trans to stand outside a government building, Pitts says, in a “beautiful square” during the Utah Pride Festival, surrounded by allies and members of LGBTQ communities, is “truly celebratory.”

Despite the celebrations, Pitts still sees the march and rally as the “activist arm of the week,” noting that the festival is “a party, but there’s always room for getting out in the streets and being visible.”

2019|| 23 23 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

t wasn’t symbolism, imagery or beauty that made Connell O’Donovan decide to finish the second annual Gay and Lesbian Pride March at Washington Square, the esteemed park and home of the jaw-droppingly gorgeous City and County Building. It was the horses.

The previous year, in 1990, O’Donovan had organized Salt Lake City’s first Gay and Lesbian Pride March, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The day after Gay Pride Day in Sunnyside Park, about 200 people congregated on the state Capitol’s steps to hear speeches from prominent gay and lesbian leaders, then marched down Main Street, turned right onto South Temple and passed the Salt Lake Temple. “It was important to me to kind of flip the finger at that church. I grew up Mormon—and they tortured me, and wounded me really deeply,” O’Donovan says in a conference room in the Utah Pride Center’s Main Street digs, almost 30 years later. “I wanted to make a statement.”

But when, on that June day, the crowd turned onto South Temple and passed Temple Square’s south gate, things went buck-wild. “There used to be a stop at the horses and carriages. We terrified the horses: they were bucking and stuff, and the police were freaking out about it. So we had to divert the parade,” O’Donovan recalls. The march ended at the amphitheater just south of Abravanel Hall, and the police later contacted O’Donovan and told him they couldn’t pass the horses the next year. So, the route—from the Capitol to Washington Square—changed in 1991, foreshadowing the City and County Building’s status as a sort of focal point for LGBTQ pride, and continues to serve as ground zero for this year’s festival.

The roots of the Utah Pride Festival—which includes the Pride Parade, the state’s second-largest behind the Days of ’47 procession—stretch back to 1974, when Joe Redburn, owner of the former Sun Tavern, sponsored an event in which some 200 people went to the Great Salt Lake’s “Bare Ass Beach” to celebrate Gay Pride in Utah. “One of the reasons they went out there, was they didn’t think they could have a public gathering of that many gay people who wanted to be seen,” Ben Williams, retired schoolteacher and writer for QSaltLake Magazine, says. The following year, the Gay Community Service Center organized the first community-wide sponsored pride celebration, shuttling people

24 | MAY 30, 2019

A version of this piece appeared in our May 31, 2018 issue. Article has been updated and expanded.

CONNELL O’DONOVAN

RHODODENDRITES VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MILESTONE PRIDE EVENTS

1969: Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations adopts a motion to commemorate the New York City Stonewall Inn riots.

1970: First LGBTQ pride marches held to honor the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

1974: First celebration of Stonewall rebellion in Salt Lake City, when Joe Redburn, owner of the former Sun Tavern, brought more than 200 people to a beach at the Great Salt Lake.

1975: Gay Community Service Center organizes the first community-wide sponsored Gay Freedom Day in Utah, held in City Creek Canyon.

1977: The Salt Lake Coalition for Human Rights celebrates Gay Freedom Day with a three-day symposium. Organizers bring in Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich as the keynote speaker, the first openly gay person on the cover of Time, or any other U.S. magazine, and an ex-Mormon.

1983: Individuals from the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire revolutionize Gay Pride Day’s concept; a Tavern Guild committee organizes a “Basket Social” in Fairmont Park.

1986: Gay and Lesbian Pride Day is held in Pioneer Park.

1987: The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah takes over Pride days. Donnie Eastepp, chair of Pride Day Committee, presents a Community Service Award to Dr. Kristin Ries for her dedication to treating AIDS patients when no other Utah doctors would. Eastepp also moves the event location to Sunnyside Park, where it remains until 1991.

1995: Pride events switch from political demonstrations to more of a party. Freedman takes over and moves everything back to the city, first to the Gallivan Center; Dr. Kristen Ries named first Grand Marshall.

1988: Ben Williams makes a motion that there should be a sign noting that it’s, “Gay and Lesbian Pride Day,” because, “How can we be leaders of this community if we’re timid? We need to be celebrating what we’re doing. So, I made a big ol’ banner and put that up.”

2002: First Pride Interfaith Service held at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark. Participating religious groups included the Episcopal Church, Affirmation (LGBTQ Mormons and their families), Buddhist, Congregation KOL AMI, LDS Family Fellowship, Holladay United Church of Christ, Native Americans, Pagan Community and the Sacred Light of Christ (then the Metropolitan Community Church).

1990: First Gay and Lesbian Pride March held in Salt Lake City, organized by Connell O’Donovan. Before this, Williams says, “nobody was marching or parading.”

1991: Connell O’Donovan organizes a second march that ends at the City and County Building, the first time the landmark government building served as a gathering space during a Pride march.

Neo-Nazis show up and stand on the building’s steps.

1994: Bruce Harmon, Rev. Bruce Barton and Jeff Freedman organize the first Pride Day Parade.

Barton sews the 100-yard Gay Pride flag carried during the parade.

1997: Pride activities move to Washington Square, where it’s been held ever since.

2003: Utah Pride Center takes over Pride Festival. Dyke March added to the annual parade.

2009: First Trans March held in Salt Lake City.

2015: Dyke, Trans and Interfaith marches and rallies are merged.

April 2018: The Utah Pride Center moves to a sprawling location at 1380 S. Main.

June 2019: Commemorating 50 years after the Stonewall riots and 44 after its own inception, Utah Pride dawns anew.

2019|| 25 25 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

O’Donovan says the march he organized in 1990 was all-inclusive by design. But past center board member Joni Weiss, who also is former vice president of TransAction, says it took until 2009 before a separate Trans March was held in Salt Lake City, after Valerie Larabee, then-executive director of the center, OK’d it. “I pushed strongly for it at the time,” Weiss says. “Up until that point, and still to some extent today, the trans community had been kind of invisible, as far as we’re not the people they put out front to talk about or portray the LGBTQ community. That’s changing quite a bit, actually, but back then it was worse than it was today.”

Weiss says her and the other organizers’ goal was to increase visibility of the local trans community, to give them a platform and help Utahns “to know who we are. That we’re just regular people.”

Jocelyn Johnson, director of this year’s march and rally, says that over time, the demonstrations have become more inclusive and less focused on single-identity politics; the Dyke, Trans and Interfaith rallies and marches, previously separate demonstrations, were merged in 2015, and a space was created so people who identify as bisexual and pansexual, and who are in polyamorous relationships, had a voice. “We combined all of the rallies into a single rally that represents multiple identity groups,” Johnson says.

“The most important thing to emphasize in this area is the intersection of identities,” she adds. “Someone is not simply queer; they may be queer and a person of color.

They may be queer and a woman. A parent, an older person or a younger person. We’re seeing more awareness of the intersection of identity now.”

“It’s not very often that a person in the queer community is just queer,” Johnson explains. “Often they may be attracted to people of the same sex, or maybe attracted to people regardless of their biological sex, but also they may be women, or they may be people of color, or they may identify strongly as a member of a social class …”

This year’s march disbands on the north side of 400 South, at 200 East, mere steps from Washington Square, where O’Donovan and the roughly 500 proud Utahns ended their march 27 years ago. Symbolic or not, the City and County Building continues to play a key role in the celebration of Utah’s LGBTQ communities, serving as a recurring presence as leaders, organizers and visionaries pass the torch to future generations.

The significance of the space is not lost on Pitts, who says, “It really is the city center … to me, this building represents, if it were a small town, a town square. It’s the middle of the community.”

26 2019 26 ||MAY MAY30, 30, 2019

WIL POWER From West Jordan to the world, Wiltavious is here to preach about inclusivity, Cardi B and being a child of yes gawd.

Story + photos by Enrique Limรณn

at the end of the day, I know I’m a child of God and he loves me for who I am. Ain’t nothing wrong with me.”

Recognizing he’s “not the traditional” Mormon, the conflicting mixed messages are not lost on him. “I just do me.

I feel like no matter what religion I’m a part of, I can still be myself. I’m not ashamed of it,” he says. And while no fellow ward members have gone to see him perform live, “they eat it up,” he says. “Some of them follow me on Instagram and they see me being a badass.”

The first blending of his faith and identity took shape in “Dontplaywitme,” a self-produced song based on Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t.” The newly minted Wiltavious shared a recording of it on LDS Daily’s Facebook page in 2016, shortly after moving to the Beehive State. With lyrics like “Jesus, won’t you come my way?/ Got some things I want to say/ People judging me because I’m gay,” the gut-wrenching track serves up a powerful statement. “I made the song not only for myself, but for other people who are going through the same thing in the church—being gay and open or trans,” he says.

Self-reflective follow-ups like “Peace Be Still” and “Needed Me” came soon after. “After then, one thing led to another,” he says, and through a mutual friend, he ended up performing at Metro Music Hall last February as an opening act during Aja’s record release party. Clad in rainbow fringe glory, Wiltavious lit up the stage.

“It felt so liberating,” he says of his splashy debut. “At first, I didn’t know what to expect. I was like, ‘these bitches don’t know me.’ They’re probably gonna be like, ‘Who is you? Get off the stage!’ But as soon as I walked up, everybody started screaming and I was like, ‘OK, I can do this.’”

Attendees ate it up, and the feeling was mutual. “I feel like the crowd is the No. 1 reason why we are there, so I want to make sure that they have a good time,” he says about that onstage symbiosis. “I want to make sure you’re getting your life. I want to make you laugh. Hell, I even want to make your ass cry if I can.”

Not surprisingly, a legion of diehard fans soon sprouted.

“I call them Baddie Gang, ’cause we baddies and we some fat fatties,” the rapper says, accompanied by a trademark, boisterous laugh.

The gang’s expected to come out in droves over the weekend, as the self-proclaimed “queen of Salt Lake” is slated to open up for RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Naomi Smalls Friday at Metro, reteam with Aja Saturday night on the Pride festival’s main stage and go for broke on Sunday with his own 20-minute set at Pride’s Stonewall stage.

“This is probably the biggest moment in my life,” he says about the upcoming gigs, which will double as an informal record release for his recently unleashed eight-track Queentavious. “All I can say is that I’m gonna bring it, and they better get ready.”

Permeating through Wiltavious’ message of unabashed conviction, body-positivity and self love, is a deep sense of gratitude. “I’m one of the blessed ones,” he says, reflecting on the unexpected encouragement he’s received from his siblings, cousins and his mom, Benita. “Being in the South now, people are very old-school, so it took my mama some time to really accept me. I feel like people, they should have the right to change their views on things.”

He hopes the local back-to-back Pride appearances might open the doors to other, larger festivities like Atlanta Pride, which is about an hour-long car ride for Benita, his biggest fan. “She basically told me that I don’t have to fight no more,” he recalls. “She was like, ‘As long as your mama accepts you, fuck everybody else.’”

2019|| 27 27 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

nside his West Jordan apartment, a world away from the stage lights, Wil Wilson, aka Wiltavious, appears subdued—a stark difference from his bombastic onstage presence. A copy of Dreamgirls sits by his TV and the scent of freshly made Rotel dip (his contribution to an office potluck later that day) seeps from the microwave. On top of a sectional rest a few clothing options for a photo shoot: a leopard print number, an acid-wash jean jacket and a black long sleeve shirt adorned with interminable rainbow fringe. That item holds a special place in his closet, as it was used during his first big gig. “In the South, when you wear fringe, you mean business,” the 26-old says, belting a guttural laugh.

The tepidness layer cracked, an endless cache of quick-hit life lessons follow. Nuggets like, “I like to exude confidence every time I’m out and about. No matter if I’m looking like Beyoncé or if I’m looking like a hobo, I’m gonna make sure you know I’m that bitch wherever I motherfuckin’ go, OK?” which he punctuates with a Cardi B-inspired “eeeooowww!” (“I love how she just lives her ratchet true-life,” he says of the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker.)

Appearances aside, the road to coming to terms with his own identity—and helping others face theirs—has been a winding one. “My fabulousness comes just from within, honey. This did not come overnight; just from finding myself growing up as a black, queer man in the South,” the Lanett, Ala. native says. “And, you know, you really have to figure out who you are, because in the South, it’s very conservative. I just decided one day, I’m just sick and tired of trying to live for everybody else, and now I’m just living for myself, following my dreams.”

That homespun aplomb is evident in tracks like “Chanel Bag Swag” and “Drop Dat.” (“If you a big fine bitch gone drop it to the floor, tell them skinny bitches, ‘Hit the fucking door,’” he sings in the latter, with the buoyancy of a freshly popped bottle of bubbly.)

“I get my confidence a lot from, just, I guess, reminding myself that I’m beautiful and that I don’t have to answer to anyone. Also, music. I like good music.” Most days start off with Bey or Gucci Mane. “They kind of get my mood going,” the former Baptist choirboy says in his Dixie drawl.

Still, Salt Lake County? “Oh, my goodness. I mean, it was a good change, but it took me a minute to adjust,” the payment services specialist by day says about life in suburbia. “The culture is very different out here … it’s more liberal.” Record scratch. “The system’s kind of bipolar, out here,” he quickly clarifies with a chuckle, “but for the most part, I feel like it’s pretty liberal from what I’ve experienced back home, as far as living your truth or being yourself.

The South is the Bible Belt, so it’s either their way or the highway … the Lordt’s highway.”

A second hold the phone moment happens when he shares why he picked Utah from the map: aspirations for a higher education at LDS Business college. “I guess I was just looking for purpose,” the LDS convert says. “I was going through a lot. I’d lost my grandma, and so I was going through a lot of depression.” From there, he aimed “to be that light and example for everybody.”

Still considering himself a member of the flock, Wilson’s self-acceptance message has only amplified with recent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anti-LGBTQ headlines, clearing a cathartic path for his performer self.

“It’s really been making me feel a certain type of way,” he says. “So I just decided I’m gonna live my truth, and if nobody likes it, oh freakin’ well, because I’m Wiltavious and

28 | MAY 30, 2019

YOU CAN T STOP THE BEAT The iconic Jackie Beat talks cancel culture, being a nice asshole and how to avoid becoming “the McDonald’s of drag.”

By Enrique Limón

S

alt Lake City has made it through the systemic erasing of its original dwellers, cricket infestation of early settler crops and the Flood of ’83. But will it survive in the aftermath of drag legend Jackie Beat’s hosting gig at the 10th annual Miss City Weekly? Only time—and copious amounts of penicillin—will tell.

“She kind of invented drag,” RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Alaska Thunderfuck says about Beat, her co-star in the 2016 song, “I Invented That.” (“Have your fun, ’cause it’s all been done,” Beat asserts on the track.)

Armed with a lifetime supply of sass and one-liners, the veteran performer is a kick-ass, take names (for legal reasons) and then mock the shit outta you kind of gal. Chatting with City Weekly from her Southern California home, Beat (née Kent Fuher), didn’t disappoint. From praising the wonders of fry sauce to underscoring the subversiveness of drag and reading yours truly, the self-proclaimed “Thomas Edison of drag” took no prisoners.

You’ve visited SLC before. What’s your impression?

What’s not to love? Mormons, fry sauce … It’s actually very similar to where I grew up in Arizona, so I feel right at home there. After doing drag for almost 30 years and traveling all over the world, I have learned one thing: There are nice people and assholes everywhere. And Salt Lake City is no different. Personally, I pride myself on being a very nice asshole.

Was that a question? If so, my answer is yes, let’s talk about it!

What are your thoughts on drag becoming mainstream?

It should be. And I don’t mean that every performance should be some annoying in-your-face attack on the far-right. We are entertainers first and foremost. But we are also artists and warriors, and we need to speak truth to power and hold up a mirror to society—even if it’s a warped, funhouse mirror.

I don’t understand this new trend of being all-ages, family-friendly and completely non-threatening.

Honey, when you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one. I always tell my friends who are struggling in show business, McDonald’s is the most popular hamburger in the world. Is it the best?

Hell no! It’s just familiar, cheap and consistently mediocre. Don’t be the McDonald’s of drag.

I have mixed emotions. I mean, it’s great that you can now see drag on TV and drag queens can walk down the street without being harassed or beat up, but we have definitely lost some of the special, underground magic that drag used to have. It used to be that a very special kind of person became a drag queen.

The drama geek who knew every line of dialogue from the gayest movies. The people who, within the already misfit gay community, are even bigger misfits. Now, kids watch Drag Race and think, ‘I can make money doing this!’ When I started, no one did it because they thought they would make money or become famous. Hell, there was literally six of us: Me, Sherry Vine, Lady Bunny, Coco Peru, Varla Jean Merman and some whore named RuPaul, lol!

In the wake of Alabama’s stringent abortion laws, you posted a message on Instagram urging “famous TV drag queens” to speak up for women’s rights. Did you see any RPDR girls take action?

Many speak out on a regular basis and it’s so important. But sadly, way too many just refuse to ‘go there.’

For some reason, they feel the need to pretend we live in a world with no problems. I get it, you are there to make people smile and laugh, but your silence is essentially saying, ‘This is normal; this is right.’ The one thing I will not do, is pretend that this Trump circus is normal. It ain’t. And when they start stripping away rights from women, LGBTQ folk and others? The children are watching and listening and we need to loudly and clearly say, ‘No. This is not right!’ What’s the worst that can happen? You lose a few easily offended fans who are on the wrong side of history? Honey, if they agree with all this bullshit, I say good riddance, buhbye … Enjoy your horrible Kid Rock concert or your boring Elaine Lancaster drag show.

How would Jackie’s Drag Race be different?

It would focus more on true artistry. They spell out that naughty word, saying the girls are being judged on their Creativity, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent, but I see very little of that. I see branding, catch phrases and cat fights. And don’t even get me started on the death drops, shablams and splits. Honey, I remember when the whole point of doing drag was not falling, lol! But I also realize it’s a reality TV show. People want drama, arguments and easily digestible drag.

Like McDonald’s?

Yes. And just so you know, I am totally craving a McDonald’s cheeseburger right now, so I get the appeal!

2019|| 29 29 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

Anyone who follows you knows that you’re not afraid to get political. Let’s talk about the intersectionality of drag and politics.

In this day and age, is doing drag still an act of political defiance?

30 | MAY 30, 2019

How do you stay current?

Every day, it seems, social media has a new five-alarm topic du jour.

I watch the news and, like you said, the latest breaking news is all over the internet and difficult to avoid. The problem with this is that something major happens, people react and then a new story comes along and a new headline pops up. This is how Trump is running the country more like a stupid reality TV show more concerned with ratings and getting attention than an actual country with real citizens and real problems. I would just like to say right now that I promise to be much funnier when people come to see me in Salt Lake City. You are asking serious questions!

One of the recent talking points is cancel culture.

Any brushes with it?

MAGNUS HASTINGS

You’ve recently vented on Twitter against young fans who call you “Mom.” What’s your advice to nubile queens and baby gays?

It’s just lazy and dismissive. Listen, I know how old I am but it’s like screaming, ‘Yasssss queen!’ It’s just this annoying Drag Race 101 thing. It’s very ageist, patronizing and usually said in an attempt to invalidate a post—‘you’re old, shut up.’ It started out as a cute thing a younger drag queen might say backstage to poke fun at me, but now it’s complete strangers who think because they watch a TV show they have the lingo down and can say anything they want.

Finally, the expected question, what can people look forward to at Miss City Weekly?

A lot more fun and laughs than this fucking interview, I promise!

MAY 30, 2019 | 31

Yes. And again, I get it. It’s so easy to make someone go away with just a push of a button. Everything is black or white, there is no gray area, and no one is capable of critical thinking these days.

You are either Mother Theresa or Hitler.

And then you add to the situation the fact that you cannot really accurately read a tone in a short social media post and you have all the ingredients for knee-jerk outrage. I always say that people want their comedians to push the envelope and be outrageous, but the moment their big toe goes over the line, everyone is screaming, ‘Get a rope!’ Unfortunately, you can’t

always detect irony or sarcasm in a post.

But I will say this: People are poised, just waiting for someone to slip up and it is very rare that a comedian accidentally reveals themselves to be a racist, homophobic, misogynistic, transphobic monster. They made a joke. Maybe it was lousy, maybe it went too far. But that’s how comedy works. It’s like sex.

People say they want it rough and then they freak out the moment you pull their hair a little too hard.

32 2019 32 ||MAY MAY30, 30, 2019

ENRIQUE LIMÓN

SHE S GOT LEGS

Shireen Ghorbani isn’t just a gifted political campaigner—she also has a musical alter ego.

By Kelan Lyons

D

espite running in three consecutive political races over the course of a single year, Shireen Ghorbani hasn’t taken much of a rest—she says she’s still working “almost full time” at the University of Utah as a communications professional, and she spends between 15 and 20 hours per week, on average, working on local issues as a Salt Lake County councilwoman. But there’s another reason to suspect Ghorbani doesn’t sleep: her hit-playing alter ego, DJ Legs.

Hot on the heels of her performance at the Pride Spectacular afterparty, Ghorbani will play some sick beats at the Pride Festival on Sunday, June 2, starting at 5 p.m. City Weekly caught up with the coalition-building Democrat to talk about what tunes make her tick.

How long have you been dabbling in turntable-spinning?

I do not use turntables. I’m more of a digital DJ. And it started about five or six years ago at a friend’s wedding. They had not hired a DJ. They had an iPad and the dance portion was not taking off. And I was like, ‘I can get this party going.’ And I jumped in, started working on the playlist I had in front of me, and had a great time. And then a couple of other friends asked me to do the same.

Where does the name DJ Legs come from?

One time I was singing karaoke, and an individual from the audience told me that I should name myself after a different part of my body, and I informed him that I was ‘Legs,’ and ‘Legs’ was here to stay.

What kind of music do you play?

I am here to play the hits. I love danceable, ‘shake your body’ pop music. So with me you’re not gonna get to hear my eclectic tastes. I’m not there to share my personal interest in different songs. But if it’s funky and you can get down and it’s generally pretty poppy, I’m your girl.

Who inspires you?

A great example is Lizzo, who just came to town. I love really big, powerful, funky danceable, inviting-kind of open music that just feels very accessible. Lizzo is a great example. When her songs come on, I just can’t help myself, I just want to get down.

What do you bring to the (turn) table, as a DJ? My particular DJ skillset, I like it when people are on a dance floor and you can see them near the end of the song, they’re gonna exit the dance floor. And then I hit that next song, and they’re like ‘Oh no.’

… I want to keep people dancing the whole time I have them. I keep the energy up, I keep the hits coming. My greatest desire is, you do not want to leave the dance floor.

How does your DJ’ing complement your political skills?

I think I’ve learned a lot about how those two things are connected because so much of it is about listening and watching the crowd. Are they with me, are they having a good time, do they get where I’m going, are they coming with me? It’s really about being responsive, listening and going somewhere together. It’s about a relationship.

I’m so busy trying to watch and see what’s really working and then just keep moving in that direction until people are just maniacally sweating and dancing their brains out.

Do you see any parallels between your DJ and political lives?

I would say in both cases I like to have a lot of fun. I think it’s important not to take—for me, my approach is not to take myself too seriously. I like to be playful and have a good time, and create an atmosphere that just feels really positive and really fun.

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ENRIQUE LIMÓN

THE MAGNIFICENT (AND FABULOUS) SEVEN A DJ Legs-approved Pride playlist guaranteed to get you moving.

In need of a jolt for Pride? Or are you just curious what might get the people going at your festivities? DJ Legs, aka Shireen Ghorbani, has a few suggestions—as well as a few reasons why: “Juice” by Lizzo “Because if I’m shining, everybody’s gonna shine.”

“Queen” by Perfume Genius “No family is safe when I sashay.”

“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender.”

“We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus “Because we can kiss who we want, we can see who we want and we can love who we want.”

“Midnight Radio” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack “For all the strange rock ’n’ rollers, you know we’re alright.”

“Dancing on My Own” by Robyn “This is a dedication in memoriam to my friend Ben Holdaway.

Ben worked in HIV/AIDS prevention and was a fierce advocate for the creation of a free HIV prevention clinic at the University of Utah, which exists today (slcprepisfree.org).”

“Turn Back Time” by Cher “You may remember my tag line from last year’s Pride: ‘Health care, clean air, more Cher’ … I stand by that.”

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36 | MAY 30, 2019

LGBTQUOTES SLC notables on what ‘Pride’ means to them.

“Pride: Coming together to proudly celebrate our past victories, remembering those that walked this path before us and reaffirming the commitment to continue the fight for our civil rights and sexual freedom.”

—Michael Sanders, Utah Leather Pride founder “For me, especially during trying political times, Pride is a time to remember and find strength in our differences and diversity, so we can not only resist, but rise.”

—Jackie Biskupski, Salt Lake City mayor

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“Pride is unashamedly showing up for yourself and owning your space. It’s choosing courage over comfort and saying ‘Yes!’ Yes to loving yourself, yes to being yourself and yes to fearlessly standing up by your community.”

—Moudi Sbeity, co-owner Laziz Kitchen

“Pride is a commemoration of years of struggle to get to where we are and a reminder that we still have a long way to go.”

—Hillary McDaniel, Utah Pride Festival director “Pride is the yearly excuse for capitalist logos to change their colors to rainbow, while keeping their homophobic practices the same. It’s a party, a riot, an eye roll, a reminder to the world that we exist.”

—Mariella Mendoza, badass artivist “Pride is accepting and loving yourself when others don’t think you should.”

—Luna Slipstream, drag entertainer, “time traveling

space-pirate gypsy-cyborg from 5057”

“Pride to me means a safe place, one of the only times a year I get to feel comfortable in my skin and not worry that being myself won’t be accepted.”

—Maren Caldwell, organizer Black Lives Matter Utah

MAY 30, 2019 | 37

“Pride to me, means to celebrate a variety of peoples, identities and communities. I firmly believe— in the spirit of the South African term ubuntu—that in order for me to have pride in who I am, I have got to be proud and celebrate who other people are. A space like the Pride Center (and Pride Festival and Parade) celebrates who you are and through that celebration, we are able to celebrate ourselves, our accomplishments and our hopes for the future.”

—Rob Moolman, Utah Pride Center executive director

38 | MAY 30, 2019

THE FIGHT ISN T OVER

Modern medicine is making inroads into HIV treatment—but testing still is the key.

By Lance S. Gudmundsen

SARAH ARNOFF

T

In addition to marching in the downtown parade, the U. free clinic will operate a booth at the Pride festival. “We’d love to chat with anyone who wants to talk about HIV, safe sex and PrEP,” Spivak declares. In addition to HIV testing, “we have free condoms, free lubricant and will be setting people up for appointments at our free PrEP clinic.”

He urges persons with questions about the clinic to visit the U’s website at slcprepisfree.org.

Another effective strategy in combating HIV is known as “treatment as prevention,” the physician says.

For example, if an HIV-positive person undergoes treatment and their viral load drops into the “undetectable” range, there’s virtually no possibility that they can transmit the disease to an HIV-negative partner.

The AIDS Foundation’s Hafen agrees: “It’s called ‘Undetectable Equals Untransmittable’ (U=U),” he explains. “If somebody who is HIV-positive adheres to their medications and has an undetectable viral load—and there’s no trace of the virus in their bloodstream—there’s just no way they can transmit the virus.”

However, only about half of infected persons fall into the “undetectable” category, according to the HIV Medicine Association, which says that U=U “can be transformative for people … and their interpersonal relationships. This affirms that they are not disease vectors and can be touched and loved.”

Hafen says that while U=U prevention generally has been accepted by the medical community for 15 years, “most people don’t understand it.” One study, he adds, has shown “over 158,000 condom-less sex acts and not one transmission.”

Sharing syringes among IV drug users is the most-risky behavior in transmitting HIV, Hafen says. That’s followed by anal sex and vaginal sex. “Oral sex is the least risky,” he adds.

Education, too, is another tool in the arsenal to fight HIV. But Spivak laments the dearth of sexual education in Utah schools. “There just doesn’t seem to be any impetus to have a conversation around this.” And the “continuing stigma” surrounding the LGBTQ community muffles any meaningful discussion.

Many medical providers, too, lack up-to-date information on screening for HIV and the PrEP protocol. “PrEP wasn’t approved until 2012, so it wasn’t part of many physicians’ training,” Spivak says.

Any account of HIV/AIDS in Utah is incomplete without acknowledging the pioneering work by Dr. Kristen Ries and her physician assistant and wife, Maggie Snyder. Ries arrived in Utah in 1981 at the onset of the AIDS outbreak, and was the first doctor to treat victims of the disease. At that time, life expectancy was only one year.

She watched, appalled, as her fellow physicians turned their backs on AIDS patients.

“One of my colleagues even told me, ‘Your patients deserve it,’” reflecting the widespread bias against LGBTQ persons, Ries told KUTV Channel 2 in a 2017 interview.

Stories abound of the couple making “house calls” and holding patients’ hands while they died at the height of the epidemic.

Now retired, Dr. Ries says, “I think it took us two years to realize we probably had post-traumatic stress. We feel really good about what we did, and wish we could do more even now.”

2019|| 39 39 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

he rapacious monster AIDS—which decimated an entire generation of gay and bisexual men in the 1980s and ’90s—did not die in the burning mill.

It’s alive in 2019. Not as scary, perhaps, but nonetheless still a menace.

That’s the assessment of medical and health professionals on the eve of Utah’s Gay Pride celebration.

They say new treatment strategies and medications have dulled the fangs of the once lethal virus which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, has claimed some 700,000 Americans—more than the Civil War. “It’s what we consider a chronic illness—like high blood pressure or diabetes,” explains Dr. Nathan M. Spivak, a physician at the University of Utah Infectious Disease Center, or “Clinic 1A.” Currently handling 1,800 patients, the facility treats the majority of HIV cases in Utah.

Make no mistake, he adds. HIV hasn’t been eradicated. It’s still a bona fide public-health threat.

The Utah Department of Health reports 117 newly diagnosed cases in 2017— the majority in Salt Lake County. But here’s the rub: Of the approximately 3,395 Utahns infected with the HIV virus, 25% are unaware they have it and can spread the disease through unprotected sex and IV drug use. Thus, the new infections.

The majority of new cases in Utah, the department notes, are linked to maleto-male contact, principally anal sex.

While infection rates have “declined significantly” since the height of the AIDS/HIV epidemic, they’ve remained relatively stable over the past decade, the health agency says.

“Getting tested is the key,” Jared Hafen, programming director at the Utah AIDS Foundation, says. “The only way to know your status is to get tested.”

During June, the agency is offering free HIV and STI testing Mondays and Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m.

“We use the fourth-generation test—a finger prick—and the results come back in 20 to 30 minutes,” Hafen explains. “We test about 2,000 people a year.” Of those, he says, about 1% are positive for HIV. (“That’s one every three days,” he says). Between 5 and 19% of clients test positive for other STIs—chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Chlamydia is the most common diagnosis.

While there’s no cure for HIV, its transmission can be thwarted by preexposure prophylaxis or PrEP. To that end, the U launched a free prevention clinic—second in the nation—some 15 months ago. Co-founded by Spivak and his colleague Dr. Susana W. Keeshin, the clinic currently sees 160 at-risk persons.

With 10 medical providers and a support staff of some two dozen volunteers, “we’re adding an evening clinic,” Spivak says, “and expect to see an influx after Pride.”

A key PrEP treatment component is Truvada. The once-a-day pill, containing two medications, is taken by HIV-negative persons who are at risk for contracting the disease through unprotected sex and IV drug use.

Manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc. in California, Truvada is expensive: $1,800 for 30 pills in the U.S., Spivak points out. “In Australia, the exact same 30 pills cost $8, and that’s without insurance,” he adds. A Congressional hearing recently addressed the massive price discrepancy “but it didn’t resolve anything.”

But there’s a “backdoor to go around the issues of cost,” Spivak explains. “I can petition Gilead on behalf of the patient who cannot afford the medication … and they will provide the medicine for free.”

The U clinic has a case manager to navigate the paperwork. “So all of the patients at our free clinic are on Truvada, and they don’t pay anything.”

40 | MAY 30, 2019

COURTESY PHOTO

WELCOME TO THE BIG TOP

Artist Dallas Rivas finds creative therapy in poppy, personal paintings.

By Scott Renshaw

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ome creativity is born out of a deep emotional need for communication.

Some creativity is born out of pragmatism. For Dallas Rivas, it’s both.

Rivas—a Texas translpant who also is a Transgender Education Advocates of Utah trustee—has had his donated paintings exhibited at the Utah Art Center. He also designs LGBTQ-themed T-shirts under the moniker Dallas Ian’s LGBTees & Queer Gear. Both creative outlets suggest his cheeky sensibility, with a personal twist.

The paintings, including his “Gender Freakshow” series portraying people of a variety of sexual and gender identities as carnival acts, turn mainstream perceptions about LGBTQ people into objects of satire. “I believe life is fun—and it is more satirical than serious,” Rivas says. “People see us [transgender people] as freaks and are afraid to know more about it. We’re pretty normal and boring people.”

But Rivas also acknowledges that works like these are a way to process feelings he might not otherwise have a way to express. “I am not an emotional person who expresses myself, so painting releases some of my thoughts onto canvas,” he says.

“Creativity in any form helps me and is therapeutic.”

Another kind of needed help inspired the creation of LGBTees several years ago. Boasting messages like “I’m the gay uncle everybody talks about” and “NOT Temple Worthy,” they originated as a way to raise funds for the transgender activist group TransAction and its social activities.

Whether intended to raise money or raise his own spirits, Rivas’ works also succeed at raising eyebrows and raising issues. According to Utah Pride Center executive director Rob Moolman, “Dallas’ work is a great conversation starter for a lot of people who come through the center because of how he managed to play with the ideas of gender. His art has caused a tremendous amount of conversation, and he does it in such a playful manner.”

For now, art is only a sideline for Rivas, who works for UPS by day. “I would love to quit and do art full time,” he says. “One day.” For now, he’s able to demonstrate that “normal and boring,” at least for him, might be a bit of humble understatement.

MAY 30, 2019 | 41

42 2019 42 ||MAY MAY30, 30, 2019

PHIL ROEDER VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

UNITED WE STAND

CNN’s W. Kamau Bell on Mormonism, passing the microphone and being a diversity surrogate.

By Kylee Ehmann

W.

Kamau Bell is a comedian and host of the Emmy Award-winning CNN documentary series United Shades of America, where Bell explores the cultures and challenges facing different communities across America.

In the upcoming episode “Out and Proud in Salt Lake,” airing June 2, Bell and his crew explore the often contentious relationship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and SLC’s growing LGBTQ community.

Before you came to Utah for this upcoming episode, what was your understanding of Mormonism in general?

I think I had a pretty thin understanding of Mormonism. I did see The Book of Mormon, but I didn’t expect that to be a primer in the religion. But, you know, I grew up during the era where you saw The Church of Latter-Day Saints commercials on TV when you were watching cartoons, but I actually didn’t really know that was the same thing as the religion of Mormonism until later in life. So, I think I had a pretty thin understanding, but maybe more than most, just because I’m a naturally curious person. But I think I had only knowingly met one Mormon in my life before we went there.

You mention a few times in your episode that a lot of religions have a strained relationship with LGBTQ folk. What was it that got you and your team interested in focusing on the relationship between Mormonism and LGBTQ folk in particular?

I think it’s because when you think about Salt Lake City, for most of us who don’t live there, we think about the Mormon religion. And then you think about the things connected to that—Donny and Marie Osmond.

That and skiing. And then every time I would talk to people from there, they would say it’s way more diverse than you think, it’s actually got a really burgeoning LGBTQ+ community, and then you’re like, how does that work? So, one thing the show I think does really well, is that we go investigate and talk about those things.

To go to Salt Lake City, and maybe just talk about the religion, you’d be missing another huge story, especially now that Salt Lake City is not majority Mormon anymore. For me, I was really excited to actually meet and talk to Mormons and learn more about that religion, but then also this other story, the growing LGBTQ community. And also, the thing that I understood before I went there was oh, there’s a growing LGBTQ+ community and it sounds like oh, happy LGBTQ+ people, but then

when you realize, what about people who are born into the religion, or people who are Mormons who are LGBTQ+, what is their experience?

Were you nervous at all to approach an episode that was so centered around religion—especially one that isn’t super well-known to those outside of it?

I mean, I’m basically nervous for every episode. This one I was nervous because there’s so much going on in it. If we had just done an episode about the religion, I think I would have been less nervous. But the show is only 42 minutes long, so we’re really trying really to pack a lot in and tell a lot of different stories and have a diverse cast of people tell those stories. And also, I was nervous about, as I say in the episode, Mormonism is one of the few religions that you can feel free to make fun of and Mormons are generally like, ‘OK’—whereas other religions can get litigious about it. So, I didn’t want it to look like I was coming in to make fun of their religion and the faith, whether I agree with different tenets of it or not. I felt extra-sensitive about really trying to make sure that it didn’t look like I was coming in to take cheap shots that people have taken with the Mormon faith a lot over the years.

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The episode shows a lot of the joy and resilience of Salt Lake City’s LGBTQ population and a lot of the pain many have suffered from the LDS church. How did you and your team go about striking this balance in such a short amount of time?

We interviewed a lot of people, and a lot of stuff didn’t make it in the episode. Then we sat back with all the pieces we had and we’re, like, OK, what is the best version of this? What tells the best version of the story? For this one we had like, four or five different versions of the episode. We kept going nope, that’s not it, move that around here, take that over here. It really becomes like alchemy. Like, Dan Reynolds [of Imagine Dragons] is an outside presence so, you don’t want to hear from him right away, because then it weights down the whole episode.

But then you also don’t want to wait too late and feel like we’re giving the straight, cisgender white guy the last word. So, it’s like, where do you put the rock star? I had a great conversation with [exBYU and NBA basketball player] Shawn Bradley and his wife, but we just didn’t have time for it in the episode, so it’ll go up online. And that was a painful cut, because I was really excited to talk to him and didn’t want him and his wife to think I wasted their time.

Dan Reynolds is in the episode quite a bit. What was it like hanging out with a rock star in a space like Encircle?

I think he did a really good job.

We sort of walked into Encircle and once we sat down with the young people, he did a good job of knowing how to be quiet. I think he’s aware of his presence as a rock star, and I think he’s probably even gotten feedback that maybe he’s taking up too much space. It’s hard when you’re a person of note and you want to help, because it’s very easy to sort of make it look like it’s all about you, and I think he did a good job of trying to make it not about him while at the same time, what’s the point of having all this fame and fortune if you’re not going to help people and help shine a light?

You talk a lot about suicide among Utah’s LGBTQ youth while visiting Encircle, and that’s a hard topic to cover respectfully in such a short amount of time? How did you approach this topic to avoid dipping into sensationalism?

Trying to be sensitive and trying to not be exploitative, and also trying to let the people tell their own stories and stay out of the way. I think the best thing I can do on the show is pass the microphone to people and let them tell their version of the story and just be there to help the story get out.

So, I think a lot of the time, the less I talk in things like that, and the less spiel I do, the better it’s going to be.

If it feels like I’m telling too much of the story, then it’s not going to come off well. Don’t always be a comedian trying to make a joke, don’t always try to get to the next question. Let people talk.

Speaking of Encircle—you spend a lot of time with groups like New Tribe, Mama Dragons and Encircle. Why did you want to focus on groups like those that bridge between Mormonism and the LGBTQ population instead of ones that are more focused on just the LGBTQ community?

This is the challenge of every episode.

You know, there should be a weekly series just about these issues in Salt Lake City, you know what I mean?

We decided to focus on specifically the intersection of this religion, which has an outsized presence in this town, and this community, which has a growing presence in this town and also has members who feel like they don’t know where they fit or feel comfortable in their faith anymore, or are sometimes kicked out of the faith. Certainly, there are LGBTQ+ people in Salt Lake City who are just living their lives—but even those people, like what we talked about in the coffee shop with the one barista, end up somehow having intersections with the faith, because it has such an outsized presence in the town. The challenge is that you cannot tell all the stories in 42 minutes, but you do want to be at least accurate to the stories that you’re telling.

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You seemed to approach so much of your visit to Salt Lake City with such an open-mindedness, but was there anything about Salt Lake City’s LGBTQ community or Salt Lake City in general that surprised you while you were visiting?

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that’s why I’m glad to sort of be the surrogate for the people who are watching, like I’m just throwing myself into it. I didn’t expect to see a lot of people of color there, and to hear right off the bat like no, no, no, we got a lot of people from the Pacific Islands. So, for me, that was like the first thing that I did when I got to town, like, oh this is not what I expected. Unfortunately, I think many people in America see ‘this is not what I expected, run,’ or ‘destroy it,’ and I’m a big fan of ‘this is not what I expected, let me sit down and learn something and keep my mouth shut.’

I really enjoy cities that don’t feel like carbon copies of other cities.

In America right now, because of capitalism, everybody’s got a Chipotle, so you know, things can start to seem very same-y. So, the thing I like about Salt Lake City is the thing I understand this is a I also like about New Orleans, is national show and your like, this feels different. You know, audience is everyone, but like when you walk into the bar and is there anyone in particuthere’s a sign that tells you all the different alcohol things and what lar you hope watches this you’re able to do there. I like cities episode? that make me pay I hope the attention in a new members of the way. church who are Also, I want to maybe the most be clear about suspicious of it the fact that actually watch yes, every major it. You know, I religion that I think there are can think of has probably people its own issues who are going and has not done to assume that a good job of they know what embracing the the episode LGBTQ+ comis going to be munity, but these about because are the issues I’m some sort —W. Kamau Bell that are specific of West Coast, to this religion. black, leftie coI don’t want to median who is going to make jokes just forgive, but I also don’t want to about their faith. And I hope that act like that Mormons are the only they sit down and watch it, because ones. Dan [Reynolds] says this is a I believe there are things about their religion that can actually update its community that they will learn. And operating system, and I think that’s on the other side, I hope members an important thing to know about. of the LGBTQ+ community feel like Because not all religions are able to I did right by them in this episode. do that. Even since we left there’s We’ve talked about the LGBTQ+ been some updating of the operatcommunity a lot over the course of ing system, but it certainly doesn’t the show, but we decided to actually go far enough. define the letters. That was a big deal to go like, let’s stop assuming What did you personally that everybody knows this. You get out visiting with Salt know, that’s one of the best things Lake City’s LGBTQ comabout this show is that it’s Sesame Street for grownups. So, I hope that munity? people feel like we didn’t exploit You can go online and read about them, and I hope that people feel this stuff, but until you’re standing like they actually were, as my friend in the New Tribe dance space and Alicia Garza, the one who co-founddancing with people and laughing ed Black Lives Matter, says, not an and learning how to whack, like ally but co-conspirators, that I’m in it’s very different than just being at the fight with them. home and watching it on TV. And

“The thing I like about Salt Lake City is the thing I also like about New Orleans, is like, this feels different.”

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PRIDEFUL PINTS A selection of local brews that shine bright with Pride.

By Mike Riedel

N

ew to the Utah Pride Festival fold? Get ready for a Mardi Gras-like affirmation of what makes the state’s LGBTQ community special, served up with an explosion of independence, identity and jubilant celebration. In keeping with the theme, many of our local breweries realize the party portion of the weekend requires beverages that reflect the spirit of those who celebrate. Here’s a handful of prideful beers to ensure your experience shines a little bit brighter:

This White IPA has a medium, creamy and creamcolored head that sits atop a hazy, yellow-orange body. The aroma is of orange peel, some barley malt and a bit of hop sting. Tastewise, expect dank citrus, slightly turned fruit, mustiness, malt and bread, accompanied by a subdued hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium, and finishes semi-dry and ragged.

As a bonus for those who enjoy it, 20% of sales go to the local LBGTQ community.

Kiitos Brewing’s Big Gay Ale This beer has a nice fuchsia appearance with an aroma of hibiscus and lemon. The taste is somewhat similar; the hibiscus drives this beer for the most part, with some light citrus-like hops in the end. If you head over to the brewery’s pub, you’ll also have the added option of getting your Big Gay Ale dosed with edible glitter. That’s right: At some point you’ll have a disco party during your morning constitutional. A portion of the sales go to Utah Pride and Volunteers of America.

Epic Brewing Co.’s Hopeulent

carbonation and a dry, bitter finish. Overall, it’s a spectacular beer. Part of the proceeds from each bottle goes to the Utah Pride Center.

Fisher Brewing/Strap Tank Brewery Collab Mysteriously unnamed yet, this collaboration created exclusively for Pride involves two beers instead of one. Taking a cue from the Black-and-Tan (the most famous beer blend in the world), the two breweries will serve their beers “stacked.” The Strap Tank beer, called “Slay,” will be a kettle-soured ale made with edible glitter. It is straw gold in color, and uses mosaic hops and apricots to give it a big stone fruit aroma and flavor. The Fisher part will be a pink-hued beer that will be more hop forward. If all goes according to science, both beers should be layered in a single glass, on top of each other. As of press time, the beers have not yet been completed, so no tasting notes are available. I’m as excited to try it as you are.

Bohemian Brewery/Bar X’s Helles With a clear, light straw-yellow color and a dense, off-white head that falls off rapidly leaving little lacing, this looks solid. The nose has a beautiful, soft breadiness and a touch of grassy, earthy hops. Remarkably clean and focused, the palate opens mildly bitter with grass, earth, a little mint and a wonderful bready, grainy, mildly straw-like character. Light in body and crisply carbonated, this beer finishes clean and mildly bitter. A portion of the sales is destined to benefit the Utah Film Center’s Damn These Heels LGBTQ Film Festival, happening July 12-14.

As with the much-talked-about Five Husbands vodka over in spirits land, most of these beers are in a limited run, and were produced exclusively for Pride. Your best bet for acquiring them are at their above-mentioned sources. As always, cheers!

Mike Riedel’s Beer Nerd column appears in every issue of City Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @utahbeer.

2019|| 49 49 MAYMAY 30,30, 2019

This beer pours a bright clear gold with a solid head. The aroma is classic through and through, with notes of grapefruit pith, orange peel, pink grapefruit flesh and pine. The flavor is utterly clean and classic, with bold bitterness, grapefruit and orange peel, dry pine, juniper and dry caramel. The mouthfeel is medium to full-bodied with plenty of

MIKE RIEDEL

Red Rock Brewing Co.’s White Rainbow

50 | MAY 30, 2019

PRIDE LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Make the most of your Pride weekend by checking out these standout events.

THURSDAY, MAY 30 Interfaith Service

Kick off the weekend by feeding into your spiritual side. All are welcome.

Christ United Methodist Church, 2374 E. 3300 South, 7 p.m., all ages, free Miss City Weekly

Hosted by the legendary Jackie Beat, our annual Pride fierceness pageant turns 10.

Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., 21+, $12 in advance; $20 at the door

FRIDAY, MAY 31

Pride Festival

She’s perfect, she’s beautiful, she’s Aja and she headlines Day 1 of the Pride fest.

Washington Square and Library Plaza, downtown, 1-11 p.m., $10 Pride March and Rally

Rally at the Capitol is followed by a march to the Festival grounds.

Utah State Capitol, 350 N. State, 1-3 p.m., all ages, free Kim Chi

The Kawaii queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race returns to SLC.

Youth Pride Dance

Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 9 p.m., 21+, $20 GA; $40 VIP

Utah Pride Festival grounds, 451 S. State, 8-11 p.m., $5

Come for the “coldest, cheapest and biggest drafts.”

An energetic celebration designed for those ages 14-20 (w/ID).

Naomi Smalls

What’s on the menu? Some sick’ning contortions and hot fashions, that’s what.

Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 9 p.m., 21+, $20 GA; $40 VIP Shine Party

DJ Wondercat does their thing behind the ones and twos.

The Sun Trapp, 102 S. 600 West, 9 p.m., 21+ Bottoms Up!

SLC’s newest LGBTQ space kicks off its opening weekend with performances by Aphrodeity, London Skies and Sophia Azul.

579 W. 200 South, 9 p.m., 18+ Bear Pride Night

Pride After Party

Club Try-Angles, 251 W. Harvey Milk Blvd., 9 p.m., 21+ Gurlesque

Vega Starr hosts this fabulous night of glam and camp.

The Sun Trapp, 102 S. 600 West, 11 p.m., 21+

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 Utah Pride Parade

It’s a little like the Days of ‘47 Parade, but, you know, way more fabulous.

Starts at West Temple and 200 South, 10 a.m.-noon, free Rooftop Block Party

Partly like royalty alongside Princess Kennedy.

The Green Pig Pub, 31 E. 400 South, 10a.m. on, 21+

Where the wild things are.

Pride Festival

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

Washington Square and Library Plaza, downtown, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $10

Club Try-Angles, 251 W. Harvey Milk Blvd., 9 p.m., 21+

Outdoors and Proud

Jordan Park & Peace Gardens, 1060 S. 900 West, 8-11 a.m., all ages, $45 onsite registration

PIZZA WEEK J UNE 10-17, 2019

More info at cityweekly.net/pizzaweek CITYWEEKLY.NET/PIZZAWEEK #pizzaweek

EAT PIZZA. WIN PRIZES!

#UTPIZZAWEEK

City Weekly’s Pizza Week will be giving pizza-loving readers the chance to get special discounts from some of Utah’s finest purveyors of pizza!

Day two continues with oodles of good food and entertainment, including cover boy Wiltavious.

16th Annual Pride Steak-Fry

Cap-off your weekend with some juicy, sizzling meat.

Club Try-Angles, 251 W. Harvey Milk Blvd., 3 p.m., 21+

—Enrique Limón

Find the Pizza Week game board in City Weekly June 6-17.

Prizes include: Utah Beer Fest tickets, tickets to concerts & events, City Weekly Store certificates and more!

MAY 30, 2019 | 51

Come sweat all the vodka off at this 5K.

GET CHEEZY with

CITY WEEKLY’S

52 | MAY 30, 2019

JOHN TAYLOR

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

| CITY WEEKLY |

MAY 30, 2019 | 53

AT A GLANCE

Open: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday, 5-9 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Best bet: Happy Hour! Tuesday-Friday, 3-5 p.m. $10 gets you three snacks Can’t miss: The London broil bruschetta

I

f you’ve visited the Central Ninth neighborhood recently, you’ve no doubt seen a whole lot of changes. This downtown enclave has become prime real estate for residential and commercial properties, and we’re seeing it develop into a quirky, rough-around-the-edges sister to its eclectic east-side counterpart at 9th and 9th. The nucleus of all this development is on the corner of 200 West and 900 South (Harvey Milk Boulevard), and Meditrina (165 W. 900 South, 801-485-2055, meditrinaslc.com) is one of the hub’s major players.

Meditrina’s evolution inuntil moving to Nashville to attend Belmont University for volved changes—some posimusic business that my eyes tive, others not so much. were opened to all that food “Food is something I’ve alcould be.” ways loved wholeheartedly,” Gilroy’s enthusiasm for exchef and owner Jen Gilroy, ploring the different flavors, pictured above, says during textures and presentation is the quick interview permitted on prominent display at Mediby the challenges of running trina. Since its menu consists two restaurants (she also opof small plates and snacks, erates Porch in South Jordan’s there’s really no excuse to Daybreak district). “It wasn’t

It’s hard to talk about food and the upcoming Pride Festival without thinking about how a person’s attitude or opinion toward an unfamiliar dish tends to echo an opinion about diversity in general. Eating something outside of our comfort zones has the power to change our perspective on new ideas and social constructs—we just have to let it.

“Diversity is diversity,” Gilroy says.

“If we continue to grow as people to accept new ideas, much the same as we are willing to try new flavors, everyone will benefit.”

Taking a cue from the Roman healing goddess from which the restaurant takes its name, Meditrina is a place where food and wine offerings have been carefully selected to soothe all that ails us. It’s a welcome combination of casual but polished atmosphere with a menu that gleefully teaches us how good it feels to leave our expectations at the door. CW

| MUSIC | CINEMA | DINING | A&E | NEWS |

Find food, growth and Pride at Central Ninth’s Meditrina.

has made Meditrina such an important dinner destination for those in the Central Ninth.

Its journey from its previous location near Smith’s Ballpark on 1300 South was a difficult one—one that Gilroy undertook voluntarily as an opportunity to find a better location—and the move has continued to present its share of obstacles. “The struggle with Central Ninth is that the neighborhood has been slower to develop than originally anticipated,” Gilroy says. “I’m still excited about the prospect … but I’m hoping I can hold on to benefit from it.” Despite a few setbacks, Gilroy remains positive for the direction the district is heading. “It’s very exciting. Central Ninth is a touch gritty, and I mean that in a great way. It adds its own culture to the downtown scene,” she boasts.

The burgeoning area has long been a bastion for LGBTQ members of the business community like Gilroy, and Moudi Sbeity and Derek Kitchen, the couple behind the neighboring “pop and pop” Laziz Kitchen. The sentiment is even more palpable now, in the run-up to Pride. “I love Pride,” Gilroy says. “My favorite part is the overall camaraderie and connection that hovers over the entire city.”

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

Goddess Bless

hold back. My most recent visit was steeped in lovely acidic notes of citrus and mustard seed and concluded with a boozy ode to Oreo cookies.

I loved every minute of it.

The green papaya salad ($4), for example, tosses shreds of young, unripe papaya in thai chile sauce, creating a cool and refreshing dish that still packs enough heat to prick at the back of your throat. The London broil bruschetta ($14) is a polite name for what is essentially a gigantic, open-faced roast beef sandwich.

Thin slices of roast beef are piled high on a slice of house-baked bread that has been generously doused with herbed cream cheese. The dish would be a success with just these three ingredients, but the mustard seed marinade puts the whole thing over the top. The drunken Oreos ($6) is the kind of dish that the kid in you will enjoy alongside your adult appreciation for a good wine and port reduction. The dessert consists of an Oreo stack topped with locally-made vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with that beautifully rich reduction.

But perhaps it’s the restaurant’s flair for subverting our culinary expectations with dishes like the citrusy pan-seared basil gnocchi ($12) that

the

BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER @captainspringer

Toast to good health

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The downtown Caputo’s Market & Deli (314 W. 300 South, 801-531-8669, caputos.com) is teaming up with the Fourth Street Clinic (fourthstreetclinic.org) for the 2019 Toast to Good Health fundraiser. The event provides an opportunity to contribute to the clinic’s mobile initiative, which brings medical care to homeless and underserved people who can’t make it to the clinic’s central location. Caputo’s hosts an Italian feast that features a selection of the market’s awardwinning cheese, meats, pastas and chocolate, which also includes wine pairings. Representatives from the Fourth Street Clinic are also be on hand to give attendees a tour of their mobile clinic so we can marvel at all the good this local nonprofit does for our homeless community. The event takes place at Caputo’s on Thursday, June 6, from 6 to 9 p.m., and tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.

Festa Junina

AS SEEN ON “ DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES”

Serving American Comfort Food Since 1930 -CREEKSIDE PATIO-89 YEARS AND GOING STRONG-BREAKFAST SERVED DAILY UNTIL 4PM-DELICIOUS MIMOSAS & BLOODY MARY’S-LIVE MUSIC ON THE PATIO-SCHEDULE AT RUTHSDINER.COM“In a perfect world, every town would have a diner just like Ruth’s” -CityWeekly

“Like having dinner at Mom’s in the mountains” -Cincinnati Enquirer

The Brazilian Festa Junina kicks off on the first of June, and those interested in getting a taste of this holiday can check out Braza Grill in Murray (5927 S. State, 801-506-7788, brazagrillutah.com). This traditional festival dates back to 1500 and was initiated by Catholic colonists from Portugal. As Festa Junina originates in Europe, some of the activities and traditions resemble similar midsummer festivals that take place throughout the continent. At its core, Festa Junina is a harvest festival, so food plays a central role. Braza’s traditional Brazilian steakhouse menu will be in full force, along with music and other performances. The celebration takes place on Saturday, June 1, and lasts from 5 to 10 p.m.

Sauce Boss opens

5370 S. 900 E. / 801.266.4182 M ON-T HU 11a-11p / FR I -SA T 11a-12a / SU N 3p-10p

Celebrat i

25

year

s!

In 2016, Sauce Boss debuted as a local food truck that specialized in bringing traditional Southern soul food to the people of Salt Lake. Earlier this month, Chef Julius and his crew opened a brick-and-mortar location called Sauce Boss Southern Kitchen (877 E. 12300 South, 385-434-2433, facebook.com/saucebosstruck). Since the location opened its doors, their social media feed has been flooded with photos of cast-iron cornbread, catfish po’boys and broccoli kale salads, along with some of the great work that has gone into getting the storefront up and running. Southern food is among America’s finest contributions to the culinary ecosystem, and we’re excited to see what Sauce Boss will be cooking up.

Quote of the Week: “Cheese is milk’s leap toward immortality.”

—Clifton Fadiman

4160 EMIGRATION CANYON ROAD | 801 582-5807 | WWW.RUTHSDINER.COM

italianvillageslc.com

ng

54 | MAY 30, 2019

Pasta for the People since 1968

Back Burner tips: comments@cityweekly.net

ninth & ninth 254 south main

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GRAND OPENING SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY LOCATION

801-969-6666

123 S. State Orem, Utah 84058

801-960-9669

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801-905-1186

5668 S. Redwood Rd. Taylorsville, Ut 84123

3620 S. State Street SLC, Utah 84115

THREE LOCATIONS!

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3 6 2 0

Hours: M-Thurs 11am-9:30pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm, Sunday 11am-9pm

MAY 30, 2019 | 55

Lunch Buffet: $8.95 Adults, $4.95 Kids, Mon-Fri 11am-3:30pm Dinner Buffet: $12.95 Adults, $7.75 Kids, Mon-Fri 3:30pm-9:30pm Saturday, Sunday & Holidays $12.95 All Day / Take-Out: Lunch $4.75/lb Dinner $6.25/lb

F O O D H E AV E N N A M R E G man Delicatessen & Restaura nt

Ger

A sample of our critic’s reviews

ENRIQUE LIMÓN

20 W. 200 S. • (801) 355-3891 Open Mon-Wed: 9am-6pm Thu-Sat: 9am-9pm siegfriedsdelicatessen.com

Lomito’s

NOW OPEN

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56 | MAY 30, 2019

REVIEW BITES

This family-owned Argentine and Chilean restaurant has brought a welcome dose of South American sandwich culture to our backyard, a testament to the sandwich’s ability to balance flavor and textures. The lomito sandwich is a powerhouse in Argentina and Chile; the basic foundation consists of thin slices of grilled beef tenderloin or filet, ham and fried eggs.

So once you’re at Lomito’s, your first priority is to order anything with the word lomito in front of it—like the lomito Argentino ($8.59, pictured), which is about as perfectly balanced as any sandwich can be. The bread itself is crucial to this balance—it’s like a toned-down version of focaccia that packs just enough spring in each bite to bring this party together.

The choripan ($6.99) is a fist-sized explosion of grilled chorizo, lettuce, tomato and mayo that lands somewhere between a hot dog and a sandwich. Rounding out the menu are deep-fried empanadas ($1.99-$3.99) and a decadent dessert called milhojas ($2.25); think of a Napoleon cake made from layers of flaky puff pastry and thick, dark dulce de leche. I’d take a lomito joint on every corner over a Subway any day of the week. Reviewed April 11. 180 W. Center St., Orem, 801607-1602, bit.ly/lomitos-orem

ALL YOU CAN EAT

HIBACHI

SO GRILL KOREAN BBQ AND SUSHI 111 W. 9000 S. Sandy, Ut | 801.566.0721

Mon - Thur: Fri - Sat: Sunday:

11:00am - 9:30pm 11:00am - 10:30pm 12:00pm - 9:00pm

3370 State Street #8 South Salt Lake, UT 801-466-8888 | Full liquor license

LUNCH - $11.99 DINNER - $19.99

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT SAKURAHIBACHISLC.COM

GOODEATS Complete listings at cityweekly.net Featuring dining destinations from buffets and rooms with a view to mom-and-pop joints, chic cuisine and some of our dining critic’s faves.

Pulp Lifestyle Kitchen This trendy fast-casual restaurant in downtown’s Gallivan Plaza boasts fresh, health-forward ingredients. Order a Mid-Youth Crisis smoothie or avocado toast to feel like a true millennial, or up your breakfast game with the Soccer Mom (Greek yogurt with fruit, honey, granola, chia and hemp) or the Skinny Jeans (an egg-white breakfast burrito). Dinner options are also available. The menu is labeled for a variety of diets (paleo, gluten free, vegan), and the options, whether a sandwich, a green juice or a Buddha bowl, are sure to appeal to most eaters. 49 E. Gallivan Ave., 801-4562513, pulplifestylekitchen.com

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20162018

423 Broadway (By Homewood Suites) 801.363.0895 | samesushi.com

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Japanese Cuisine

BEST OF STATE

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150 South 400 East, SLC | 801-322-3733 www.freewheelerpizza.com

MAY 30, 2019 | 57

705 S. 700 E. | (801) 537-1433

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Award Winning Donuts

Life is a Cabaret

MUSIC

Twilite Lounge offers an open-house alternative to Pride festivities.

BY ERIN MOORE music@cityweekly.net @errrands_

T

he word “cabaret” summons images of fanciness that seem somewhat lost to reality these days. When imagining it, visions of low-light, thickly made-up entertainers in sparkling attire and velvet curtains come to mind.

DJ Daioujou, a booker, DJ and frequent performer at the Twilite Lounge, muses that cabaret is “fringe and ostrich feathers.” The reason he/she (the entertainer’s preferred pronouns) muses on the subject is the cabaret nights held at the bar—known as the Doom Lounge on Wednesday nights and the Electronic Doom Lounge on Sunday nights— with the help of fellow organizers and bookers Cecil Smith and DJ Falchion. Smith describes cabaret best: “Cabaret is a style of show … [that’s] been around since before dada. Putting on a cabaret is like a multithemed performance.” It only makes sense then that their cabaret will welcome throngs of people during Pride week—the perfect time for a variety show.

Smith, along with DJ Falchion and DJ Daioujou, want to create an open-house of sorts, a day for people to come see what goes on back by the fireplace on Wednesday and Sunday nights. They emphasize the cabaret is free and oriented around local music, where all the musicians volunteer their time. Smith dislikes the police presence at the Pride Festival, plus costs of admission to some events (oneday general admission for this year’s festival is $10; with discounts for seniors and students). And they cite booking snafus at previous festivals.

With diversity at the forefront of the planners’ minds, the Twilite Lounge Pride Party takes place June 2, starting after the Pride Parade wraps and running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It features an entirely free day of music chock-full of local artists. While the cabaret nights are usually indoor events, this one takes place primarily outside in the parking lot around Twilite. There’s not only musical performances, but a small fenced-off outdoor bar, a snack vendor, and an arcade bus run by DJs Daioujou and Falchion, called the Gallery of Fine Hyper Art. The bus contains handmade, artistically-minded, musical arcade games—some quarter-operated, some free, all fun.

The two DJs plan to spend the day emceeing the event, providing variety-show acts and DJ sets between the many musical performances. The day opens with a set by DJ Parker, an employee of Twilite Lounge, followed by local musician and veteran of multiple local bands Elisar Soueidi, then music from the “’90s singersongwriter style” Baby Pink. Savage Daughters provide some heavy rock ’n’ roll around 1:30 p.m., followed by rockabilly harmonies by way of Midnight Palm. Shecock & The Rock Princess, who headline the GenderFuQ Pride Kick-Off event at Metro Music Hall, make a rocking appearance in the lot at 3 p.m., and are followed by the noisy Violet Temper and freak-ish-folk Bly Wallentine (FKA Officer

ERIN MOORE

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58 | MAY 30, 2019

SPECIAL EVENTS

Left to right: DJ Daioujou, DJ Falchion and Cecil Smith at Twilite Lounge Jenny). PK Opal—Smith’s techno singer-songwriter project—plays just before 6 p.m., before Goldie & The Guise bring some danceable ’70s disco to the party. Fittingly, post-punk act Corner Case and the downtempo goth solo act Ani Christ bring the outdoor activities to a close at 8:30 p.m., just as the sun gives way to dusk.

Attendees can then enjoy more music inside, as a standard cabaret night commences. Smith and DJ Daioujou say they hope attendees get something out of this segue from Pride to their usual Sunday Electronic Doom Night. “I just hope more people are exposed to the local artists. They put a lot of effort into being here. And I hope people have fun,” Smith says.

DJ Daioujou concurs. “I hope the artists get to feel celebrated,” he/ she says. “I hope that a lot of people go and that everybody feels like they have a little more permission to do arts.” That is, so long as they follow DJ Daioujou and Smith’s three rules: Players must be conscientious, part of an ensemble, and lounge-sensitive (that means quiet). What remains unspoken is the feeling that the tradition they’re trying to establish is similar to the Pride ethos in many ways—the creation of a place that is dependable for its warmth, diversity and acceptance, all held together by goodwill and good music. CW

TWILITE LOUNGE PRIDE PARTY

Twilite Lounge 347 E. 200 South Sunday, June 2, 21+ 11 a.m.-9 p.m. facebook.com/twilitelounge1947

Welcome to Millcreek’'s Newest

Watering Hole!

Quality Spirits • Excellent food • Live Music

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801-484-1718

1306 E. Woodland Avenue, Millcreek Wed-Sun 5pm-1am | riverbankbar.com

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Dog Friendly Patio Coming Soon!

2106 W. North Temple. Salt Lake City, Utah 801-741-1188

10% off for military, firefighters and law enforcement

GenderFuQ Pride Kick-Off Party

One of the most exciting times of year is here: It’s Pride week! There is no better way to kick off this unparalleled time of love, acceptance and visibility for the LGBTQ community than attending the GenderFuQ Pride KickOff Party. Located at Metro Music Hall, and hosted by the fabulously fierce Mona Diet, the evening is full of punk rock, cabaret and drag performances—and guests are expected to come in their “greatest genderfuckery.”

The evening stars Shecock & The Rock Princess, who deliver heavy punk rock jams; Fists in the Wind, with punkish, comedic folk music; noisy rockers Press Gang Union; and jazzy, ukulele-fueled indie poppers Stop Karen, all accompanied by the drag performances of Gene Banner, Havoq Luscivia and Polly Yester. Sofia Scott—guitarist and vocalist of Shecock & The Rock Princess, and producer of the event—describes it this way: “GenderFuQ is a way for performing artists and musicians to collaborate, collectively taking a stand for transgender rights, visibility and awareness. Everyone has a masculine and feminine side whether they’re queer or not and I see this as a way to embrace that and bring everyone together for Pride. We need the support now more than ever.” With this goal in mind, let’s kick off Pride by being ourselves and being proud of it—and soundtrack it with a great night of music. (Kara Rhodes) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., $15 presale, $20 day of show, metromusichall.com

PAUL DUANE

Ostrich Elk Buffalo Wild Boar Venison Wagyu

THURSDAY 5/30

Music Festival—where Shecock & The Rock Princess she’ll be preceded by Band of Heathens and opening locals Pixie & The Party Grass Boys—caps a night not to be missed. After all, it’s not often that one has the opportunity to witness a living legend. (Lee Zimmerman) Fort Buenaventura, 2450 A Ave., Ogden, 6 p.m., $40–$120, ofoam.org

Wicked Bears, Fountain View, Odd Robot, Pity Party

FRIDAY 5/31

Mavis Staples, Band of Heathens, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys

Even at the age of 80, Mavis Staples has yet to slow down, continuing a career that began when she was a member of the preeminent gospel group The Staples Singers in the ’60s and ’70s. Her career still melds the threads of rock, R&B and sophisticated soul. Staples’ new album, We Get By, her 12th solo set, finds her joining forces with Ben Harper to create one of the most exhilarating efforts of her more than half-century as one of the music world’s most essential artists.

Known for injecting passion and purpose into her performances, she continues to make humanity a mantra, while singing about important causes—such as justice, dignity and mutual respect—that are too often ignored. Indeed, Staples has always helped remind us that there are certain precepts that ought not be forgotten, yet another reason why she remains a beacon of inspiration in today’s troubled times.

It’s little wonder that when the Americana Music Association named its nominees for 2019’s Artist of the Year, Staples was included as a chief contender. Her appearance on the opening evening of the Ogden

Mavis Staples

They might hail from Salt Lake City, but Wicked Bears’ sound is so steeped in the SoCal sounds of the ’80s and ’90s that one could be forgiven for assuming the band came straight out of Cali. The band’s debut full-length Tuning Out is a blast of sun-soaked, sugary melodic hardcore that brings all the expected angst of pop punk, but presents it with a biting wit and eloquence rarely seen in the genre. For example, “Nickel Arcade” opens on an encounter with an attractive arcade employee, but where many bands in their vein would devolve into awkward adolescent fantasizing, frontman Casey Keele instead uses it as a jumping-off point for a lacerating tirade against late-stage capitalism. This Friday, Wicked Bears bring their tunes to The Underground for a night of loud, catchy fun. Joining them are fellow SLC pop-punkers Fountain View, whose new album This Song is About Friends serves up earworm hooks and anthemic choruses with impressive brevity, with nearly every song clocking in at less than 90 seconds. Also playing are Californian “chainsaw pop” act Odd Robot, and Oakland emo outfit Pity Party, both fresh off releases of their own within the past year. (Nic Renshaw) The Underground, 833 S. Main, 7 p.m., $7, beehivecollectiveslc.com

Wicked Bears

GILBERT CISNEROS

Exotic Burgers!

LIVE

MYRIAM SANTOS

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THIS WEEK’S MUSIC PICKS

COMPLETE LISTINGS ONLINE AT CITYWEEKLY.NET

BY RACHELLE FERNANDEZ, NIC RENSHAW, KARA RHODES & LEE ZIMMERMAN

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MARGARET LORD

Immortal Bird

TUESDAY 6/4 Immortal Bird

DAILY DINNER & A SHOW

OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR • NO COVER EVER

MAY 29

MAY 30

THE SILVER TONGUE DEVILS BAND 7PM

JOHNNY UTAH 6PM-9PM ROBOT DREAM 10PM-1AM

MAY 31

JUNE 1

SWANTOURAGE 6PM-9PM FUNKY FRIDAY W/ DJ CHE 10PM-1AM

JUNE 2

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10-3 MARMALADE CHILL 6PM

JUNE 4

BLUEGRASS JAM WITH PIXIE AND THE PARTYGRASS BOYS 7PM TOURING ARTISTS SOUR BRIDGES 10PM

SATURDAY BRUNCH 10-3 PRIDE PARTY WITH FAT APOLLO AND THE CELLULITES 6PM CHASEONE2 10PM

JUNE 3

MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ SESSION WITH DAVID HALLIDAY AND THE JVQ 7PM

JUNE 5

Nature is metal. Think about it: Every aspect of nature involves something dying for something else to live. So what better way to commemorate how brutal nature can be than by paying homage via blackened death band Immortal Bird? What started as a project between vocalist Rae Amitay and guitarist Evan Berry turned into a full-time, hard-hitting, no bullshit band. And their members aren’t just limited to the typical metal chops and growls.

Amitay’s background is in piano, and she graduated from Berklee School of Music.

She explains that Berklee was expensive and that she does hope it impacted her in some way. Maybe it was the schooling that inspired the dark intros that kick off each of their songs from their 2015 debut Empress / Abscess. Immortal Bird are touring the west for their second album Thrive on Neglect, set for release this July. “We’re pretty decent live, we practice a bunch, we like to move around, and we even warm up beforehand,” Amitay says. Tongue in cheek, she adds, “Imagine hearing the music from our albums … now, imagine that four people are recreating those sounds in a room that you paid between $5-12 to stand in! It’s sort of like that.”

(Rachelle Fernandez) Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court, 7 p.m., $10 presale, $12 day of show, kilbycourt.com

Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy, Roosevelt Collier

Thirteen might seem like an unlucky number for some, but for Brooklyn-based band Snarky Puppy, luck isn’t really needed. Led by bassist Michael League, the group has released 13 critically acclaimed albums at a remarkable rate, dating from the group’s formation some 15 years ago. An uncommon combination of fusion-type experimentation and jam band fluency, Snarky Puppy isn’t the smart-ass ensemble the name otherwise implies, but rather an intelligent and highly literate band of players capable of shifting styles and adapting to whatever realms are called for. Recent projects have found them working with such disparate artists as David Crosby (who recently incorporated Snarky Puppy into his current backing band), jazz-folk artist Becca Stevens, Crosby’s colleague Michelle Stevens, and Indonesian singer Eva Celia, among many more. In theory, the ensemble—which can number as many as 20 players—appears to be the latest descendants of a progressive crossover approach pioneered by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Return to Forever, artists who expanded the parameters of traditional jazz and made it exciting and enticing to younger audiences who favored the power and passion of rock ’n’ roll. The band’s list of accolades and accomplishments testify to their prowess—three Grammys, several JazzTimes Readers and Critics’ Poll Awards and a pair of similar citations from Downbeat magazine.

Likewise, the group’s latest effort, Immigrance, further exemplifies their prowess, having debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Jazz chart. Here’s to tossing this particular puppy yet another welldeserved bone. (LZ) The Commonwealth Room, 195 W. 2100 South, 8 p.m., $60-$75, thecommonwealthroom.com

NATE ROBINSON TRIO 7PM

JUNE 6

TOURING ARTIST ROBERT MABE BAND 6PM ROBOT DREAM 10PM 326 S. West Temple • Open 11-2am, M-F 10-2am Sat & Sun • graciesslc.com • 801-819-7565

STELLA K

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LIVE

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DAILY ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY, MAY 30

FRIDAY, MAY 31

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5.29 MICHELLE MOONSHINE

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31 east 400 SOuth • SLC

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3200 E BIG COTTONWOOD ROAD 801.733.5567 | THEHOGWALLOW.COM

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64 | MAY 30, 2019

WEDNESDAY 6/5

CONCERTS & CLUBS

DARREN LAU

Johnnyswim

THURSDAY 5/30 LIVE MUSIC

Belle Jewel (Rye) GenderFuQ Pride Kick-Off Party feat.

Shecock & The Rock Princess + Fists In The Wind + Press Gang Union + Stop Karen (Metro Music Hall) see p. 60 Miss City Weekly Pride Pageant (The Depot) see p. TK Pearl Earl + The LNRS + Radio Blonde (Kilby Court) Petty Plus (Lake Effect) Reggae at the Royal (The Royal) Sirsy (Hog Wallow Pub) Spirit Machines + Absent + The Dead Zephyrs + MMEND (Urban Lounge)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

Marriage can be challenging enough as it is, and domestic bliss isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. So credit any couple that can work together and create a harmony literally and figuratively. The L.A.based duo Johnnyswim—comprised of husband and wife Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano—have consistently accomplished just that. With three albums to their credit—their latest and best yet, Moonlight, was released on April 19—they share their buoyant melodies, pervasive hooks and close-knit harmonies in a way that’s arched and enticing. Sudano comes by that talent naturally; the daughter of Donna Summer and Bruce Sudano (the man who wrote many of his wife’s hits), she inherited a music gene that serves her Dusty Grooves All Vinyl DJ (Twist) Hot Noise + Guest DJ (The Red Door) Synthpop + Darkwave + Industrial + Goth w/ DJ Camille (Area 51) Therapy Thursdays feat. Jack Beats & Craze (Sky) Tropicana Thursdays feat. Rumba Libre (Liquid Joe’s)

FRIDAY 5/31 LIVE MUSIC

Bruce Music (Park City Mountain) Che Zuro (The Yes Hell) Christian Mills Band (Hog Wallow Pub) Green River Blues (Urban Lounge) Ivie Brie (HandleBar) Jared & The Mill (The State Room) Junction City Blues Band

well. Ramirez received his musical education at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Fla. It’s little wonder then that the pair has reaped such positive response, with Rolling Stone, NPR, The New York Times, Huffington Post and VH1 consistently singing their praises. Naturally then, this is a team effort, one that started strong and hasn’t faltered since. Their 2013 debut, an EP titled Heart Beats, spawned the single “Don’t Let It Get You Down” and garnered 17 million-plus Spotify streams in the process. The next single, “Home,” culled from their first full-length outing Diamonds, was chosen as the theme song for HGTV’s popular program Fixer Upper. Its successor, 2016’s Georgica Pond provided the impetus for sold-out shows worldwide. Clearly, Johnnyswim is wading in the right direction. (Lee Zimmerman) Johnnyswim @ The Union Event Center, 235 N. 500 West, 7:30 pm, $28-$103, theunioneventcenter.com

(Garage on Beck) L.O.L (Club 90) Live Local Music (A Bar Named Sue) Live Music (Lake Effect) Mavis Staples + Band of Heathens + Pixie & The Partygrass Boys (Fort Buenaventura) see p. 60 NAV (The Depot) Retro Riot Dance Party (The Royal) RIVALS (Kilby Court) Sage Junction (Outlaw Saloon) Swing Annie + Hotel Le Motel (Brewskis) Sydnie Keddington (Lake Effect) The Salt Frogs (Ice Haüs) Tito Kennedy (The Spur) Wicked Bears (The Underground) see p. 60 Wimpy & Fritz (Alleged)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

All-Request Gothic + Industrial + EBM + and Dark Wave w/ DJ Vision (Area 51) Dance Music (Chakra Lounge) DJ Sneeky Long (Twist) DJ Stario (Downstairs) Dueling Pianos feat. Troy & Mike (Tavernacle) Funkin’ Friday w/ DJ Rude Boy & Bad Boy Brian (Johnny’s on Second) Funky Friday w/ DJ Godina (Gracie’s) Hot Noise (The Red Door) New Wave ’80s w/ DJ Courtney (Area 51) SKYFALL: Pride Party feat. DJ Dan Slater (Sky) Top 40 All-Request w/ DJ Wees (Area 51)

PRIDE WEEKEND! PRIDE PARTY

10 TH ANNUAL PRIDE PARTY

PRIZES • RAFFLE & AUCTION BENEFITING VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA

FRIDAY MAY 31ST TALIA KEYS & THE LOVE

FRIDAY MAY 31ST IVIE BRIE

PRIDE PARTY! Friday May 31st

W/ SHECOCK AND THE ROCK PRINCESS

SATURDAY JUNE 1ST GINGER & THE GENTS W/ SIRSY

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66 | MAY 30, 2019

GARAGE ON BECK

ERIN MOORE

BAR FLY

SATURDAY 6/1 LIVE MUSIC

Bear’s Den + Vera Sola (The Commonwealth Room) Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears + Amasa Hines (Urban Lounge) Hooda Fugawi (Ice Haüs) Joy Spring Band (Sugar House Coffee) Korene Greenwood (Harp and Hound) L.O.L (Club 90) Live Bands (Johnny’s on Second) Live Local Music (A Bar Named Sue) Live Music (Lake Effect) Live Music on the Plaza Deck (Snowbird) Live Trio (The Red Door) Loud and Proud Pride After Party feat.

Kandy (The Complex) Music Without Borders (Alleged) Parachute (The Depot) Sage Junction (Outlaw Saloon) Salt Lake Metal Fest (The Royal) Spazmatics (Liquid Joe’s) Spirit Adrift + Pinewalker (Kilby Court) The Garcia Project (The State Room) Tribe of I (Hog Wallow Pub) Whiskey Rebellion (The Spur) Will Baxter Band + Vaudeville Nouveau (Lake Effect)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE Dance Music (Chakra Lounge) DJ Juggy (Downstairs) DJ Latu (The Green Pig)

I go to Garage on Beck at the end of a long, crappy afternoon navigating the Salt Lake City housing crisis, or as it’s also known, getting an apartment. Having just moved back to SLC, I feel a weird nostalgic pull to the bar, where I used to go occasionally when I lived in Marmalade. The bar is out of the way—located on Beck Street, at the bottom and back side of Capitol Hill, past a busy intersection. Parking’s a puzzle, the fear of being a sitting duck for cops looms with each sip of beer and the oil refinery that is right next door behind a high chain-link fence rumbles continuously as white clouds bloom from its tall towers. And yet Garage on Beck is a comfortable place to be. When I visit, I let myself into the spacious back patio, where there is a fire pit, cornhole games, and a general Western dude feel. I sit at a sunny table where I can see the green grass on the gravel-mined hill across the street rising up over the bright tin roof of the bar. I order myself some Habanero Molasses vegan wings and a hoppy-but-approachablyso Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point, followed by a simple Rainier later. Yes, I spent a few hours there, decompressing and listening to the roar of the snappy breeze, the refinery and Beck Street traffic. I left as the sun began to lower, and more people began filling up tables and the spots around the fire, while some smoked cigarettes, and some came with their dogs. Buzzed and happy, I left them to enjoy their Garage on Beck, knowing I could come back for my own some other day. (Erin Moore) Garage on Beck, 1199 Beck St., 801-521-3904, garageonbeck.com

DJ Soul Pause (Twist) Gothic + Industrial + Dark ’80s w/ DJ Courtney (Area 51) Dueling Pianos feat. Drew & Jules feat.

JC (Tavernacle) Scandalous Saturdays w/ DJ Logik (Lumpy’s Highland) Sky Saturdays w/ DJ Fashen (Sky) Top 40+ EDM + Alternative w/ DJ Twitch (Area 51)

SUNDAY 6/2 LIVE MUSIC

Inter Arma + KEN mode + Thantifazath + Wayfarer (Kilby Court) Live Bluegrass (Club 90) Live Music on the Plaza Deck (Snowbird) Marmalade Chill (Gracie’s) Memphis McCool (Park Silly Sunday Market) Patrick Ryan (The Spur) Real Estate + Kacey Johansing (Urban Lounge) The Electric Moose Band (Park Silly Sunday Market) The Joe McQueen Quartet (Garage on Beck) Twilite Lounge Pride Party (Twilite Lounge) see p. 58

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE Dueling Pianos (The Spur) Sunday Night Bluegrass Jam w/ Nick Greco & Blues on First (Gracie’s)

RANDY'S RECORD SHOP

Matt Calder + Talia Keys (Lake Effect) Snarky Puppy + Roosevelt Collier (The Commonwealth Room) see p. 62

MONDAY 6/3 LIVE MUSIC

Archspire + Inferi + Vivum + Wormhole (Kilby Court) Mitch Raymond Trio (Lake Effect) Eligio Garcia Magic Harp (Noches de Verano en Parque de la Ciudad) Amanda Johnson (The Spur) Heartland: Woodland Creatures (Urban Lounge)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE Industry Night Mondays w/ DJ Juggy (Trails) Monday Night Open Jazz Session w/ David Halliday & the JVQ (Gracie’s) Motown on Mondays feat. J Godina + Street Jesus + Chaseone2 (Alibi) Open Blues Jam w/ West Temple Taildraggers (The Green Pig)

TUESDAY 6/4

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

Groove Tuesdays (Johnny’s on Second) Locals Lounge (The Cabin) Tuesday Night Bluegrass Jam w/ Pixie & The Partygrass Boys (Gracie’s) Tuesday Night Jazz (Alibi)

WEDNESDAY 6/5 LIVE MUSIC

Crescent Super Band (Gallivan Center) Cupidcome + Men In The Kitchen + Ani Christ (Urban Lounge) Jeremiah and The Red Eyes (Hog Wallow Pub) Johnnyswim (Union Event Center) see p. 64 Live Jazz (Club 90) Michelle Moonshine (Lake Effect) Riley McDonald (The Spur)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

LIVE MUSIC

Big Band Tuesday (Gallivan Center) Billie Eilish + Denzel Curry (Saltair) CJ Ramone + Mean Jeans (Urban Lounge) Daniel Torriente (The Spur) Demon Lung + The Violet Temper (Metro Music Hall) Immortal Bird (Kilby Court) see p. 62

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CINEMA

FILM REVIEW

His Song

Rocketman is not the film you think it is at all. Oh no, no, no.

BY ERIC D. SNIDER comments@cityweekly.net @ericdsnider

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

H

Taron Egerton in Rocketman the conflicted performer while also meeting the demands of the music. The major points of John’s career are addressed, but they aren’t the focus. There are never any captions telling us what year it is, or what people’s names are. Centered more on John’s personal arc and its relatable themes, this could almost be the story of a fictional rock star, culminating in a powerful, theatrical climax where he faces the demons of his past.

Unfortunately, the spell is broken by the onscreen titles at the end that tell us how many albums Elton John has sold, how much money he’s raised for AIDS research and how he did eventually find true love. The movie—for which John is an executive producer—never feels like a vanity project until that moment. Still, one misstep (curse you, tropes!) can’t undo the electrifying goodwill built up over the previous two hours. The way Fletcher incorporates music and emotion into the story should be instructive to anyone making a rock biopic hereafter. CW

BBB.5 Taron Egerton Jamie Bell Bryce Dallas Howard R

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Rami Malek Lucy Boynton PG-13

801-363-0565 580 E 300 S SLC theartfloral.com

MAY 30, 2019 | 67

Eddie the Eagle (2015) Taron Egerton Hugh Jackman PG-13

Art l a r o Fl

The

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Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) John C. Reilly Jenna Fischer R

make someone ’ s day

ROCKETMAN

PAIRS WITH Billy Elliot (2000) Jamie Bell Julie Walters R

Funerals weddings Birthdays

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more apropos to their lyrics, including a sweet scene where John composes “Your Song” and sings the words, penned by his lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), to Taupin, the heterosexual man with whom John is hopelessly in love; their friendship is the film’s tender, wholesome center. That’s not how that tune actually came to be composed, but “The Bitch Is Back” already established that that’s not the point. John, his band and the audience didn’t all briefly float in the air when he played “Crocodile Rock” at the Troubadour in 1970, either, but it’s a hell of an exhilarating image.

Young Reggie (played as a tween by Kit Connor) has a free-spirited mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) but a withholding father (Steven Mackintosh) who responds to a request for a hug with “Don’t be soft.” The boy’s lifelong struggle to love himself and feel worthy of love stems from this, and influences all of his adult relationships: his romance with manager John Reid (Richard Madden) that turns sour; his brief, futile marriage; a promiscuous phase depicted symbolically in a musical number. The film is more open about John’s sexuality in the ’70s than John himself was, but it’s still pretty chaste in terms of what it actually shows, painting him as one who was keen on drugs and rock ’n’ roll, but only occasionally interested in sex.

Egerton, who starred in Fletcher’s Eddie the Eagle as another real-life person who was famously much less handsome than himself, shows range and vulnerability as

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

aving seen your share of formulaic biopics, you brace yourself when the first scene of Rocketman has Elton John (Taron Egerton) in full concert regalia—orange bird-man costume with devil horns—striding down a corridor in slowmotion while the music swells. “He’s on his way to take the stage,” you think with an internal sigh, “only he’s going to pause and have flashbacks about his whole life first.”

Then he bursts through the door and enters ... a support group. He’s in rehab.

Rocketman doesn’t subvert all the tropes, but it shows enough creativity to distinguish itself from its shopworn brethren. One of those, last year’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, was half-directed (after Bryan Singer was fired) by Dexter Fletcher, who has now directed all of Rocketman with the fervor of one liberated. Watching the film’s energetic, imaginative musical numbers and impressionistic approach to history, it’s amusing to think how hamstrung Fletcher must have felt by Bohemian Rhapsody’s earthbound literalism (not to mention its, uh, other problems).

Unlike that film, Rocketman is a full-on musical. People burst into song, and the songs they burst into are Elton John songs.

The screenplay (by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall) uses rehab as John’s excuse to reminisce about his past. Asked about his childhood, he starts singing “The Bitch Is Back”—“I was justified when I was five / Raising Cain, I spit in your eye”—and we transition to a scene in the muted pastels of ’50s suburbia where 6-year-old Reggie Dwight (Matthew Illesley) leads townsfolk in a rousing song-and-dance number through the streets.

Do the lyrics to “The Bitch Is Back” accurately describe Reggie Dwight’s childhood?

Not really. (How could they? He didn’t write them.) But the song conveys the feeling that the film needs in that moment, and that’s enough. Other songs are used in situations

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68 | MAY 30, 2019

CINEMA CLIPS MOVIE TIMES AND LOCATIONS AT CITYWEEKLY.NET

Awakens to one showing The White Ribbon. Behind all the highminded talk, Assayas finds people finding it hard to face a world in which the legacy they want to leave might amount to nothing.

Opens May 31 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. (R)—Scott Renshaw

NEW THIS WEEK

ROCKETMAN BBB.5 See review on p. 67. Opens May 31 at theaters valleywide. (R)

Film release schedules are subject to change. Reviews online at cityweekly.net

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS [not yet reviewed] Oh no! There goes Tokyo!. Opens May 31 at theaters valleywide.

(PG-13)

THE GREATEST: DOCUMENTARY CLASSICS At Broadway Centre Cinemas and Tower Theater, May 31-July 2 (see p. 14)

MA [not yet reviewed] A lonely woman (Octavia Spencer) gets just a bit too attached to a group of teenagers. Opens May 31 at theaters valleywide. (R) NON-FICTION BBB Built on the armature of conventional bedroom farce, the latest from writer-director Olivier Assayas feels almost as much about fears of artistic obsolescence as his Clouds of Sils Maria. This time, the milieu is the publishing industry, as publishing house editor Alain (Guillaume Canet) and novelist Léonard (Vincent Macaigne) wrestle with radical shifts in what, and how, people read. Much discussion is devoted to the topic, even as Léonard carries on an affair with Alain’s actress wife (Juliette Binoche), and Alain has his own affair with his company’s “digital transition” hire. Assayas effectively captures the pretensions of his characters, whose fretting over people no longer reading books plays out as mere personal anxiety over becoming irrelevant; one great bit finds Léonard changing the location of a sexual encounter in his book from a movie theater showing The Force

CURRENT RELEASES ALADDIN B.5 Disney’s live-action remakes of its animated films continue to prove mostly an exercise in pointlessness. This new Aladdin lacks the charm of the animated version, and cannot even decide if it’s a musical or not, with characters awkwardly breaking into stilted snippets of song at random intervals. The shoehorned-in new song is an embarrassing sub-par go-girl ballad for Princess Jasmine. The story is lifted intact from the 1992 movie, with street urchin Aladdin (Mena Massoud) wooing Jasmine (Naomi Scott), daughter of the sultan of the city-state of Agrabah, with the help of a Genie (CGI’d Will Smith). The leads have no chemistry, and the villain—Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar, vizier to the sultan—lacks all bite. It’s just watered-down pastiche, on ice, set at Epcot. (PG)—MaryAnn Johanson THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM BB.5 John and Molly Chester give up city jobs and buy a dilapidated farm with the goal of making a farm that’s completely natural.

John (a veteran TV director) knows a good image, and aptly shows the perils and rewards of building from nothing a farm that is one with the surrounding world. However, John the producer should have fired John the voiceover artist, because as narrator, he comes off as sanctimonious and officious. Plus, as good as some of the footage looks, John the director makes John the character occasionally look like a jerk to his employees and volunteers. The film works best during its first half-hour, as the Chesters learn farming the hard way and their hippie agricultural expert Alan York has a bunch of screen time. But there’s too much vanity and not enough agitprop. (PG)—David Riedel BOOKSMART BBB.5 Female-centric crude comedies aren’t so rare now that we can talk about what makes the good ones good. This teen coming-of-age story follows Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), high-school high-achievers who decide on the day before graduation that they want one real party night. Echoes of Superbad‘s R-rated episodic misadventures are unmistakeable, but the leads carve out distinctive characters as they throw their nerdy selves into an unfamiliar world. What really kicks it into another gear is that first-time feature director Olivia Wilde actually directs it with inventive visual style, rather than just serving up f-bombs and masturbation gags. It’s wonderful to reach a point where we expect more than the shock value of women saying “fuck,” and can celebrate women making a comedy that’s fucking terrific. (R)—SR BRIGHTBURN BB.5 As horror premises go, “What if Superman were a sociopath?” is a great one. This nasty low-budget effort—produced by James Gunn and written by his brothers Brian and Mark—executes it fairly well, feeding on parental fears about the unpredictability of child-rearing but leaving potentially fruitful layers of horror untouched. In 2006, a Kansas farm couple (David Denman and Elizabeth Banks) adopts a marooned alien baby; now, at the onset of puberty, young Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) starts to show his

powers and true nature. The film is deliberately gory at times, low-grade suspenseful throughout, with committed performances by the three principals. But there’s much more they could have done with this scenario, which feels like it’s setting up a more disturbing sequel—one I’d definitely watch. (R)—Eric D. Snider

A DOG’S JOURNEY BB This sappy sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose is about a boy, Ethan, who grew into Dennis Quaid and was cute-stalked through his life by a perpetually-reincarnating dog called Bailey (the voice of Josh Gad). Here, Ethan commands the latest reincarnation of Bailey— Ethan has sorta caught on to what’s happening—to watch over his step-granddaughter, CJ (Kathryn Prescott). Movies don’t get more inoffensive than this, in which there isn’t anything that a canine friend cannot put right, from grief and trauma to potentially fatal illness, as CJ’s bestie Trent (adorable Henry Lau) endures.

People might suffer big, profound problems, yet all is put right as long as a dog is by one’s side. Is that even inaccurate, though? I’m not crying, you’re crying. (PG)—MAJ

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM BBB.5 The franchise isn’t just about brilliantly-choreographed action sequences, but also the rich mythology of its contract-killer subculture. Chapter 3 picks up moments after Chapter 2 ends, as John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finds a $14 million bounty on his head for violating the rules of his one-time superiors. What follows is largely a gleeful series of set pieces involving John assassinating his would-be assassins, including the hilariously violent consequences of a room full of knives. Yet the details of this underworld are still terrifically realized, including an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) meting out punishments to violators, and the revelation that there are John Wick fanboys among his fellow killers. While our taciturn hero’s motivations aren’t particularly engaging this time around, it’s always a delight to watch him kick ass in this weird world. (R)—SR

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I prefer live theater over movies. The glossy flawlessness of films, accomplished by machines that assemble and polish, is less emotionally rich than the direct impact of live performers’ unmediated voices and bodies and emotions. Their evocative imperfections move me in ways that glossy flawlessness can’t. Even if you’re not like me, Gemini, I invite you to experiment with my approach for a while—not just in the entertainment you choose, but in all areas of your life. As much as possible, get your experience raw and unfiltered.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I invite you to meditate on this proposal from freelance writer Radha Marcum: “The spiritual definition of love is that when you look at the person you love, it makes you love yourself more.” I hope there’s a lot of that kind of action going on for you in the next four weeks. According to my assessment of life’s secret currents, all of creation will be conspiring to intensify and deepen your love for yourself by intensifying and deepening your love for other people. Cooperate with that conspiracy, please!

1. Tubby 2. Shrink in fear 3. Van ____ & Arpels (jeweler) 4. Hannibal Lecter's bean type 5. Get a Venmo request, say 6. "I'm gonna be sick!"

7. Give some space, say 8. 12th grader 9. Jazz Appreciation Mo. 10. #24 in 24 All-Star Games 11. Mountain lion

54. Italian wine town 55. Tablet since 2010 56. ____ pickle 57. Falco of "The Sopranos" 59. Blow, as from a volcano 61. Place for a stud to go 62. "Fuhgeddaboutit!"

63. Greyhound stop: Abbr.

Last week’s answers

MAY 30, 2019 | 69

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Has a part of you become too timid, docile, or prosaic? Is there an aspect of your beautiful soul that is partially muzzled, submissive, or housebroken? If so, now is a favorable time to seek an antidote. But listen closely: the cure isn’t to become chaotic, turbulent, and out of control. It would be counterproductive to resort to berserk mayhem. Here’s a better way: be primal, lush, and exciting. Be wildly playful and unpredictably humorous and alluringly intriguing. Try experiments that rouse your rowdy sweetness, your unkempt elegance, your brazen joy, and your sensual intelligence.

DOWN

12. A Swiss army knife has a lot of them 13. Calligrapher's collection 18. Uber rival 19. Smith who was a QB for both the Jets and Giants 24. Yours and mine 25. Source of tweets 26. Gushed on stage 28. Fix, in a way, as golf clubs 29. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls" 30. Mecca for oenophiles 31. Diez x diez 32. Once, in olden days 33. Doorframe part 34. Mideast bigwig 35. Paleontologist's find 39. Night, to Nero 40. Lecherous person 41. White-tailed raptor 43. Vehicles clearing a no-parking zone 46. Makeup smearer 47. Janitorial tool 48. What tillers till 51. Not suitable 52. World capital whose name means "victorious" 53. Actor/dancer Gregory

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Geologists aren’t exactly sure why, but almost 6 million years ago, the Strait of Gibraltar closed up. As a result, the Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean, and within a thousand years, it had mostly disappeared. Fast forward 600,000 years. Again, geologists don’t understand how it happened, but a flood broke through the barrier, allowing the ocean to flow back into the Mediterranean basin and restore it to its previous status as a sea. I propose that we invoke that replenishment as a holy symbol for the process you’re engaged in: a replenishment of your dried-out waters.

1. Bleeping government org.?

4. They may be technical 9. Rally, as a crowd 14. HuffPo purchaser in 2011 15. "Well, shucks!"

16. Remote control button 17. Modern remake of a Henry Fonda movie where, now, no one gets a snack break?

20. "Toodles!"

21. Compete 22. Backtalk 23. "Carmina Burana" composer Carl 24. Date for New Year's Day 27. Modern remake of a Christian Slater movie where, now, his love interest is a dude?

33. W's bro 36. Gaelic language 37. Radio station sign 38. Surrounded by 40. Changes a wrapped bandage on 42. One with a fake ID, maybe 43. Zipped (through) 44. Member of an underground colony 45. Modern remake of a Steven Seagal movie where, now, the action is set across the pond?

49. Herman of kids' television 50. "That's gotta hurt!"

54. Congressional staffer 58. Takeoff and landing overseers: Abbr.

59. Egyptian peninsula 60. Modern remake of a Tobey Maguire movie where, now, his character puts off female listeners?

64. Shire of "Rocky" 65. Be grandiloquent 66. ____-K 67. Slacker 68. "Oh, hogwash!"

69. How-____ (books for DIYers)

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Is there a creature on earth that’s more annoying than the mosquito? I’ve never heard anyone gaze upon one of the pesky monsters sucking blood out of her arm and say, “Aw, what a cute little bug.” And yet every year there is a town in Russia that holds a jokey three-day celebration in honor of the mosquito. The people who live in Berezniki even stage a “most delicious” competition, in which people allow themselves to be pricked by mosquitoes for 20 minutes, with an award going to whomever accumulates the most bites. I highly approve of the spirit of this approach for your own LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 2003, a group of thieves in Antwerp, Belgium, pulled off the use in the coming weeks, Capricorn. If you have fun with the things biggest jewelry heist in history. To steal the diamonds, gold, and that bother you, I bet they won’t bother you as much. other gems, together worth more than $100 million, they had to outsmart security guards, a seismic sensor, a protective magnetic AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): field, Doppler radar, infrared detectors, and a lock. I mention this, It’s the Forever Season, Aquarius. You have a poetic license to act Leo, because I suspect that in the coming weeks you will have a as if your body will live for a hundred years and your soul will live comparable ability to insinuate yourself into the presence of previ- for all eternity. You are authorized to believe that in the coming ously inaccessible treasures and secrets and codes. You’ll be able decades you will grow steadily wiser, kinder, happier, and wilder. to penetrate barriers that have kept you shut off from valuable During the Forever Season, you might have dreams like flying things. (P.S. But I hope that unlike the Antwerp thieves, you’ll use over a waterfall at sunset, or finding the lost magic you were promised before you were born, or discovering the key to a healyour superpowers in an ethical manner.) ing you feared would always elude you. As you careen through this unpredictable grace period, your understanding of reality VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the northeast corner of Spain, bordering France, is an area might expand dramatically. I bet you’ll get practical epiphanies known as Catalonia. With its own culture and language, it has about how to express yourself with greater effectiveness. a long history of seeking complete autonomy. On four occasions it has declared itself to be independent from Spain. The most PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): recent time was in 2017, when 92 percent of the Catalans who A musical historian from Cambridge University decided it would voted expressed the desire to be free of Spain’s rule. Alas, none be amusing to perform forgotten songs that were written in the of the rebellions have succeeded. In the latest instance, no other Rhineland 1,000 years ago. His research wasn’t easy, because nation on earth recognized Catalonia’s claim to be an indepen- musical notation was different back then. But he ultimately recondent republic. In contrast to its frustrated attempts, your own structed the tunes in ways that he felt were 80 percent faithful to personal quest to seek greater independence could make real the originals. He and other musicians subsequently performed and progress in the coming months. For best results, formulate a recorded them. I propose a somewhat comparable assignment for clear intention and define the precise nature of the sovereignty you in the coming weeks, Pisces. You will benefit, I believe, from trying to recover the truth about events that occurred a long time you seek. Write it down! ago and/or by trying to revive old beauty that has new relevance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A Libran blogger named OceanAlgorithms wrote, “I’m simul- ARIES (March 21-April 19): taneously wishing I were a naturalist whose specialty is finding In the coming weeks it will make good sense for you to travel undiscovered species in well-explored places; and a skateboard- down winding paths replete with interesting twists and proing mathematician meditating on an almost-impossible-to- vocative turns. The zigzags you’ll be inspired to pursue won’t solve equation as I practice my skateboard tricks; and a fierce be inconvenient or inefficient, but rather will be instrumental forest witch who casts spells on nature-despoilers; and a gothic in obtaining the healing you need. To honor and celebrate this heroine with 12 suitors; and the sexiest cat that ever lived.” I oddly lucky phase, I’ll quote parts of “Flying Crooked,” a poem love how freewheeling and wide-ranging OceanAlgorithms is by Robert Graves. “The butterfly will never master the art of with her imaginative fantasies. In light of current astrological flying straight, yet has a just sense of how not to fly: He lurches omens, I encourage you to do the same. Give yourself permission here and here by guess and God and hope and hopelessness.

Even the acrobatic swift has not his flying-crooked gift.” to dream and scheme extravagantly.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’ve got a message for you from Cancerian poet Tyler Knott Gregson. Please read it every day for the next 15 days, including when you first wake up and right before sleep. Here it is: “Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves that you forget, truly forget, how much you have always loved to swim.”

ACROSS

No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.

Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

HANGRY

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9.

B R E Z S N Y

© 2019

SUDOKU

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CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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Counting Us

It seems a bit early to be writing about the 2020 census, but there’s a lot of jabber going around about the pros and cons that are coming next year.

The census is important and it’s one of the country’s oldest counts of everyone living here. The U.S. Census Bureau had only six questions in the very first count, which included: 1. Name of the head of household; 2. Number of free white males 16 and older; 3. Number of free white males under 16; 4.

Number of free white females; 5. Number of all other free persons living on and in the property; and 6. Number of slaves owned.

The first count was taken by 650 U.S. marshals who went house to house (unannounced) on horseback to anywhere they could find people (white people). The Washington Post reported this first count cost $45,000, but our government is predicting the 2020 census will cost $15.6 billion or about $100 per household.

WTF do we need a census? There are at least nine censuses mentioned in the Bible. They were taken to figure out taxes to help run cities, governments and empires.

America has a count every 10 years. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2010, 74% of households returned their forms by mail. Those who didn’t send in the form were tracked down by an army of paid census workers. This information is collected and then released to any of us who want to see it. It’s used for a bazillion reasons, to wit: Allocating federal funds for community and education programs, education, housing, health care services for the elderly; job training; determining where state, local and tribal funds will be distributed for new schools, roads, bridges, law enforcement, and fire departments. Our 911 systems are based on maps from the last census and it helps rescuers plan ahead for disasters.

Census data can help you qualify for a pension and help establish your citizenship.

That last one is what’s all abuzz in the media.

The Trump administration wants the citizenship question asked of all people within our borders. Opponents fear undocumented immigrants will not answer the census at all, which could mean less data in some areas. Less numbers means that an area could lose electoral votes during a presidential election, federal funding, and the number of political representatives that area would have in Congress. The census is coming, and the final questions haven’t yet been decided. Will there be queries into the number of wives living in a household? If married LGBTQ people will be recognized as legally wed? How will transpeople be counted if their birth certificate is different than how they present? We’ll know these answers very, very soon. n Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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WEIRD

Recurring Theme In April, News of the Weird reported that sweat bees were found to be living in the eye of a woman in Taiwan. Now, United Press International reports doctors at a hospital in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, found a small spider building a nest inside a man’s ear. The man, identified only as Li, arrived at the hospital complaining of discomfort in his ear. Doctors said the spider was too small and fast to be caught with tools, but they were able to flush it out using water.

Chutzpah!

Ricci Barnett, 41, refused to stop when a police officer tried to pull her over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street in Las Cruces, N.M., on April 21. The Associated Press reported that when she paused at a red light, the officer showed her his badge, to which she replied, “I don’t think so” and drove away.

Barnett was eventually apprehended and charged with aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer and reckless driving.

Cuteness Alert Hugo the dog is a frequent boarder at Happy Tails Pet Hotel and Playland in St. Ann, Mo. In early May, according to KTVI, Hugo proved how much he loves his pals at the doggy day care: He ran away from home, navigated a busy street and covered more than a mile to get to Happy Tails, where he ran inside to greet his canine friends.

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Government in Action New Zealand’s House Speaker, Trevor Mallard, ejected National Leader Simon Bridges from the chamber on May 7, claiming that Bridges’ conduct was inappropriate during Question Time.

“The member earlier made a barnyard noise of the sort that would not be accepted in a junior classroom,” Mallard said. But Bridges objected, saying, “I made no such noise and it is entirely unfair for you as a speaker to say that sort of unprofessional comment.” The New Zealand Herald reported that Bridges later said Mallard’s comments made him feel like a “naughty boy”; later inspection of video from the session revealed that Bridges had made a loud sound of disapproval after an answer given by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Florida A police officer in Haines City, Fla., was inside a local business on May 4 when he heard “a loud noise” outside. In the parking lot, he found Gary Wayne Anderson, 68, had just crashed his riding lawnmower (with trailer carrying a red cooler) into the officer’s cruiser, reported the Miami Herald. “Fuck it, I’m drunk,” Anderson told officers, according to an arrest affidavit. “Take me to jail.” He was so intoxicated, police said, that he failed a field sobriety test and “almost fell to the ground multiple times.” At the police station, Anderson accused police of poisoning him and requested that he be taken to a hospital, where test results found his blood-alcohol content to be three times Florida’s legal limit.

Anderson has two prior DUI convictions and has not had a valid driver’s license since 1978. “It’s never a good idea to get behind the wheel drunk,” noted police Chief Jim Elensky, “even if that wheel is to a Craftsman, Massey Ferguson or John Deere.”

Awesome!

Cinema’s Freddy Krueger has nothing on a winged resident of the Cascavel city zoo in Brazil. The Amazonian parrot started his life at the zoo about four years ago, after being shot in the upper beak during a raid at a drug den, which disfigured his face and earned him the name Freddy Krueger, reported The Guardian. In April, Freddy survived being bitten on the leg by a (nonvenomous) snake, which resulted in profuse bleeding. Just days later, armed thieves broke into the zoo and stole Freddy, along with another parrot and a cylinder of gas. But true to Freddy form, the parrot made his way back to the zoo, where veterinarian Ilair Dettoni speculated that Freddy’s deformities might have made him less desirable to the thieves. “I don’t know if Freddy is really unlucky or really lucky,” he said. The other parrot and the gas cylinder have not been located.

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n Baby’s First Shoes: When Olivia the giraffe gave birth to her son on May 2 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, zookeepers noticed his rear feet were not in normal alignment, a condition called hyperextended fetlocks. So the 170-pound baby, as yet unnamed, was fitted with casts to correct the problem, and along with them, his own custom-made pair of therapeutic shoes made of plywood and polyethylene. “I’m hopeful they will help

Rules Are Rules Keith Cutler, senior circuit judge of Winchester and Salisbury in England, had what would seem to be an airtight reason for avoiding jury duty in April: He was scheduled to be the presiding judge for the case. Even so, when Cutler contacted the jury summoning bureau to say, “I would be inappropriate, seeing I happened to be the judge and knew all the papers,” the bureau refused to excuse him, suggesting he could “apply to the resident judge.” Cutler eventually had to call to explain that he is the resident judge, reported The Guardian. He noted that he would have been happy to serve under other circumstances: “I would have liked to have done the jury service to see what it was like and whether I would have liked the judge,” he said.

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n The Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Argus Leader reported that Brody Fuchs, 25, of Tyndall was arrested on April 23 and charged with second-degree burglary after a local man contacted police about items disappearing from his home over the course of a couple of years—about $500 worth of sex toys. The man had installed security cameras in the house, which caught Fuchs entering the home, staying for about 40 seconds, then leaving, according to the affidavit. Bon Homme County Sheriff’s officers searched Fuchs’ residence and found a number of toys the victim said belonged to him. It was unclear whether the homeowner and Fuchs were acquainted.

him walk better,” zoo veterinarian Dr. Tim Storms told KIRO. He expects the treatment will continue over several months.

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Crime Report A 25-year-old man from Kapaa, Hawaii, will likely spend seven years in prison after going on a drug-fueled rampage in his former boss’ home in December. Forrest Broyles pleaded no contest on May 7 to charges that he broke into the home to claim his fair share of fish the two men had caught together. Broyles told Kauai police he was using the hallucinogenic concoction ayahuasca when he used a machete to break the glass front door of the home, reported The Garden Island. He threatened the boss and his wife, saying he “was going to kill him and chop him up,” then attacked the house instead, hitting a television, breaking windows, a sliding glass door, kitchen cabinets, the stove and microwave and a canoe paddle, among other items, amounting to about $3,000 in damages. “That is what the whole incident was about,” Broyles told a detective at the scene. “He owes me choke ahi.” Broyles was on probation at the time (for allegedly threatening two people with scissors); he is scheduled for sentencing in August.

HAPPY PRIDE!

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