New England's LGBTQ+ Savoirflair Magazine

NEW ENGLAND’S LGBTQIA+ MAGAZINE

VOL. 16

NO. 2

AMPED UP Architect, Designer Andrew Ashey

Love of Color Artist Elizabeth Fraiser

Jewelry

Christmas in July

Film

P.S. Burn This Letter Please

Books

Randy Rainbow Tells All

Rides

Car Designer Christopher Webb

I Do

EE

23 Ways to Infuse Pride in Your Wedding

FR

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CONTENTS BOOK REVIEWS PLAYING WITH MYSELF

10

QUEER COUNTRY CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO HATE ME DOT & RALFIE: A NOVEL READY WHEN YOU ARE

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

FILM | P.S. BURN WTHIS LETTER PLEASE

BY MARK ADAMS

AMPED UP | ACHITECT, DESIGNER ANDREW ASHLEY

BOSTON PROVINCETOWN NORTHAMPTON PROVIDENCE MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTICUT MAINE VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE RHODE ISLAND

BY D. BULLEN

THE LOVE OF COLOR | ARTIST ELIZABETH FRAISER

BY CHLOE BELLE

18 22 30

34

LGBTQ+ PERSON IN HISTORY | SARAH JEWETT

41

CHRISTMAS IN JULY | WITH THE JEWELRY JUNKIE

44

I DO | 23 WAYS TO INFUSE WEDDING PRIDE

54

RIDES | CAR DESIGNER CHRISTOPHER WEBB

61

BY CHLOE BELLE

BY N. MCARTY

BY HERECOMESTHEGUIDE.COM

BY EMELL DERRA ADOLPHUS | PRIDESOURCE

MARKETPLACE SERVICE DIRECTORY COMMUNITY OWNED AND FRIENDLY SERVICES

PUBLISHER Mary Kennedy EDITOR Nicholas McCarty WRITERS Wendy Mimran | Mark Adams | Jeff Parson Chloe Belle | Bo Rodriguez | D. Bullen John Axelrod | Terri Schlichenmeyer SALES Rena Berman, Sales Director Wendy Mimran, Sales Development Manager Nicholas McCarty | Mark Davis PRODUCTION Louis Chavez | Shorty Kennedy | Bodhi Berman | Orella DeVille | Cleo Marie | Kwame Byrd Pixie Chavez; Proof Reader PHOTOGRAPHY Cover Photo: AAMP Studio Wedding photos as credited Ride photos, courtesy of Pridesource Artists and art photos by Elizabeth Fraiser Stock Photos by Dreamstime.com DISTRIBUTION Crevier Distribution | CTM Distribution Rose Distribution ADVERTISING INFORMATION All inquires may be addressed to KP Media, 333 Washington St. #714 Boston, MA 02108 (617) 423-1515 email: kpmedia@aol.com ©2022 All Rights Reserved. M. Kennedy Publishing, Inc. SavoirFlair Magazine may not be reproduced in part or whole without the written permission of the publisher. Advertising content is the sole responsibility of individual advertisers.

Advertisers participating in this guide are not necessarily LGBTQIA+, but openly welcome the community.

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Book Review x 5

Book Review x 5 Book Reviews by Terri Schlichenmeyer "Playing With Myself" by Randy Rainbow c.2022, St. Martin's Press $28.99, 256 pages

It takes two to tango. And foxtrot, and waltz, and polka, for that matter.You might dance in a circle with other couples but those are couples, remember, not lines of people boot-scootin'. No, it takes two to tango and spaghetti kiss and to sing a duet but, as in the new book "Playing with Myself" by Randy Rainbow, it just takes one to podcast.

People ask Randy Rainbow all the time if his last name is real. Yes, it is, he writes with glee, and it's one of the best things his father ever gave him. Because, seriously, could there be a more fitting name for a gay "topical comedian"?

Being in the limelight has always been in Rainbow's blood: He recalls staging a Disney play for neighborhood parents when he was very young. He was the lead actor, the director, the stage manager, and the costumer. His playmates were rather less-than-enthusiastic but the parents applauded, and Rainbow was hooked.

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It probably helped that his mother was a big Broadway fan and so Rainbow grew up with show tunes. As an adolescent, he collected soundtrack CDs and, after he was introduced to "a form of religion that was... Barbra Streisand," he collected videos of certain performances he grew to love best.

Also as an adolescent, he grew awkward. His other religion was crunchy snacks and he spent a lot of time in his room; His parents had moved the family from New York to Florida; Their marriage was in shreds, and it took a while for Rainbow to get his confidence back. Still, it wasn't until he was in high school that he found that old rhythm, his scathing sense of humor, and a cadre of like-minded theater-and-drama friends.

After graduation, Rainbow returned to New York, where he ultimately found his community and sharpened his talent. Restaurants and clubs kept the lights on while he was learning to monetize the podcasts he was making, when an agent told him that he was "still a nobody!"

"Enter," says Rainbow, "the 2016 presidential candidates."

You didn't really think "Playing with Myself" would be as hilarious as author Randy Rainbow's videos, did you? Yes, this book's funny but alas, not quite as LOL as his parodies.

You probably won't mind, though: Rainbow's biography is still plenty entertaining, nonetheless. From his first pair of Ruby shoes to the shoo-off he jokingly gives readers at the end, we get a peek at how he gained what he admits is "an encyclopedic knowledge of

of those things have seemed LGBT-inclusive and listeners might

Broadway musicals," how his sense of humor was honed, and how

have felt unwelcome, were it not for today’s boundary-breakers

that all led to a library of YouTube bits that roast those in the news.

and “queer country” which, says Goldin-Perschbacher, is becoming

Politicians seem to be special targets for Rainbow – not surpris-

more of a music category with fans. Goldin-Perschbacher is quick

ingly, as you'll see here – but anyone's fair game for the needling.

to say that “queer country” is not a genre on its own. Some out

"Playing with Myself" is slightly bruised by an overdose of

musicians might closer identify themselves with Americana or folk

name-dropping, the presence of which may surprise nobody. Still,

music; k.d. Lang’s music is more countrypolitan, but with humor;

if you don't hate on that and you love a little faux-pearl-clutching,

and you can attend queer Bluegrass festivals, if you want. None of

this book is too good to pass up.

this defines the various artists: In many ways, gay, lesbian, and trans

“Queer Country” by Shana Goldin-Perschbacher

artists have really had no other options than to embrace all labels.

c.2022, University of Illinois Press $110 hardcover;

Then there’s the issue of how to do queer country: Goldin-Per-

$24.95 paperback, 288 pages

schbacher refers often to Patrick Haggerty, who was the first gay

Two steps. This way, two more that way, tap your heels together,

artist to officially record the album Lavender Country. He record-

step-and-bow left, step-and-bow right, turn and again. Eventually,

ed it in Seattle, shortly after Stonewall; At that time, Haggerty was

you’ll get the hang of doing this and you won’t bump into every-

especially determined that his album be honest and sincere in its

body on the dance floor. Also eventually, you’ll see that country

reflection of gay life – things that continue to concern queer art-

music has a place for you even when, as in the new book “Queer

ists who use irony, drag, and camp in their work.

Country” by Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, you never thought you

And there’s that struggle to go mainstream. Goldin-Perschbacher

had a place for it. Usually, when one thinks about country music,

writes about k.d. lang’s career and how it progressed. You’ll read

rural living comes to mind: cowboys, pick-ups, Christian values,

about Chely Wright and Lil Nas X and how they used non-tradi-

conservatism, heartbreak and honky tonks. Stereotypically, few

tional ways to rise to stardom. And you’ll read about many artists

savoirflairmagazine 11 11 savoirflairmagazine

Book Reviews who do what seems best for them, and count LGBTQ+ listeners and cis audience members among their fans.

There really is no way “Queer Country” could ever be considered a “beach read.” This isn’t the relaxed, rangy kind of book you want to sunbathe with; instead, author Shana Goldin-Perschbacher speaks to the academic, rather than the casual listener, with language that seems to fit better in school, than in sand. The analyses border on the high-brow just a bit, with some amount of repetition to underscore various points. Even so, this is an important work.

In writing about this almost-hidden branch of country music, Goldin-Perschbacher also tells of the efforts she’s made to help some artists to gain a wider audience. This lends more of an insider feel; the intimately extensive interviews with artists, and exerpts from other works, let readers know that they should keep their eyes (and ears!) open...Give yourself some room to absorb, if you tackle this book. It’s not for everyone, but C&W listeners and “queer country” fans may find it necessary. Step one is to find somewhere comfortable to sit. Reading “Queer Country” is step two.

“Conversations with People Who Hate Me: 12 Things I Learned From Talking to Internet Strangers” by Dylan Marron c.2022, Atria, $27.00, 272 pages Sometimes, it just makes you feel gruff.

Seriously, the internet should be the G.O.A.T. invention. It should be a place to connect with friends and share laughs, a safe place to

12 savoirflairmagazine

Book Reviews go when you want to be yourself. It should be a place to tell you

happy with that, and with subsequent “Conversations...”

r story, free of danger and full of truth. Nobody should butt heads

But after he quit his job at Seriously.TV to go it alone, he found

online, or be victim of a bully-goat. Instead, as in “Conversations

himself at an impasse.

with People Who Hate Me” by Dylan Marron, we gotta deal with

The old way of doing his conversations needed to expand to in-

the trolls.

clude a wider angle and different guests. Marron imagined himself

The fact that Marron had a “HATE FOLDER” in his email should

bringing together hater and target on bigger subjects. He’d learn

speak volumes.

more about people – and in the process, he’d learn more about

As a gay man and a writer-performer, he expected a certain

himself.

amount of negativity online; that’s the nature of the internet. But

The lesson was underscored a few Sundays ago: something huge

as a creative employee of Seriously. TV, the emailed hate, death

happens, something loud, and everybody’s got an opinion. “Conver-

threats, and homophobia just got to be too much.

sations with People Who Hate Me” helps show that we can talk

Before his job at Seriously.TV, he’d acted, reported, waited tables,

civilly about issues without insults.

and cultivated a “prompt” that served him well. “What am I going

But will haters – the people who presumably need this book – be

to do about it?” is what he asked himself every time he was faced

willing to read it?

with something that bothered him and this time, the answer was a

Surprisingly, on one side of this book, author Dylan Marron shows

series of conversations with haters who’d commented.

that that’s entirely possible: once he approached his interviewees,

He began to mine the HATE FOLDER for people to talk with.

many people who hid behind the ‘net rued their actions and words.

The first was a guy Marron calls “Josh,” a decent guy who was a lot

Granted, the haters he hosted were highly, carefully curated, but

like Marron. Their conversation, done remotely, was a hit with fans

Marron’s approach shows hope.

and it gained Marron a lot of “points.” In a small way, it gained him

The other side of the book is the one that teaches tolerance and

a friend, since he and Josh came to an understanding. Marron was

a sort of Zen approach when you’re the target of a troll. Haters gonna hate, as they say... but with enormous grace and thoughtfulness, Marron offers better ways to perceive it.

Readers looking for another way to invite open dialogue, and those who are aghast at spewing commenters on social media will love this book. If you want to do better, “Conversations with People Who Hate Me” could help make happy bridges.

“Dot & Ralfie: A Novel” by Amy Hoffman c.2022, University of Wisconsin Press, $16.95, 147 pages There is one alternative to growing older.

Never mind, though, it’s not on your radar. You’re more focused these days on not groaning when you get up each morning, and keeping your joints oiled enough to work. Years don’t really mean much when you’ve got places to go and people to see before that alternative happens but in the new novel “Dot & Ralfie” by Amy Hoffman, keep one eye on that calendar...

Neither Dot nor Ralfie could agree on how they met, except that it was back when good lesbian bars still existed, before the internet. Dot recalled, but Ralfie denied, that they met over a pool game and Ralfie wandered away. They both remember a cocktail party when Ralfie first took Dot home with her.

These days, though, “home” is a third floor walk-up in a Boston neighborhood. It’s been a great place and Dot & Ralfie like the neighbors and all, but Dot’s sixty eight and Ralfie’s over seventy

savoirflairmagazine 13 13 savoirflairmagazine

Book Reviews and three floors of steps are a problem. A big problem, especially

That’s because this is an adorable book. It’s funny in all the right

when you’ve had knee surgery like Ralfie’s had. Especially when

parts, good-naturedly grumpy where it needs to be, and wonder-

you’ve had a teensy little heart attack and walking makes you

fully, wryly sarcastic, but author Amy Hoffman also nudges her

winded, as it does Dot.

readers to think about their own futures and what each might en-

And so, Dot’s sister, Susan, has been pushing Dot and Ralfie to

tail. Who will care for us when we only have similarly-aged friends

move to a senior living complex, which Ralfie refers to as Maple

to rely on?

Grave because that’s what’s next, isn’t it? Yeah, and Susan is so

To soften the soberness of that question, Hoffman gives readers a

determined to have Ralfie and Dot move into senior housing that

handful of very charming characters that fuss at one another, ar-

she buys a way-off-the-beaten-path Maple Grave apartment of her

gue, make up, scheme, and fuss some more. It’s a little like a lesbian

own, for her and her lover, Germaine.

“Honeymooners” episode, only much sweeter and better.

But Germaine’s not happy: She’s more than a decade younger than

There aren’t a lot of novels specific to lesbian seniors who want

Susan and besides, she’d miss her friends back in the city, just as

something reflective of their lives so seek out “Dot & Ralfie.” If

Ralfie would miss the guys at her job at the DPW, and Dot would

you’re tired of the usual literature, it’s the perfect alternative.

miss the kids at the school library where she worked. And it would be such a hassle for Dot to see the older librarian that she had a little affair with not long ago. Viola was ailing, and needed Dot’s help.

Still, those stairs. What was the next step?

The meme is correct: Old Age Ain’t for Sissies. But what are ya gonna do about it? You’re gonna read “Dot & Ralfie,” that’s what.

“Ready When You Are” by Gary Lonesborough c.2022, Scholastic PUSH, $18.99, 245 pages Loud thunder booms.

Spiders and snakes. The number thirteen, clowns, cemeteries, and heights. There are a lot of things that you can fear, just as there are a lot of ways you can overcome phobias, if you want. Vanquish those shivers by taking classes, being brave or, as in the new novel, “Ready When You Are” by Gary Lonesborough, you can let someone gently help you.

If he had to admit it, seventeen-year-old Jackson Barley had a lovehate relationship with Christmas.

He loved its traditions, and because it was something out-of-theordinary.When hanging out with your mates on the Mish is all you normally do, it’s nice to have the holidays to break up the sameold. But over Christmas break, his Aunty Pam always brought his cousins around and the house was full of little kids. Jackson loved his younger brother and his cousins, but man, could they make a racket!

This year, another thing was unusual: Aunty Pam arrived Christmas Eve with a teenager she was caring for, a boy named Tomas who’d just gotten out of juvie. Of course, Jackson’s mother said that Tomas could bunk in Jackson’s room and that wasn’t cool, not at first.

Jackson’s mind was elsewhere: his girlfriend broke up with him for reasons he couldn’t discuss.

For most of his life, he had known that he was “different.” He tried to be like other boys, but it just didn’t work that way and he was afraid to even think about his feelings. And now there was this outlaw kid, another Aboriginal boy like him lying on a mattress in Jackson’s bedroom and oh, Tomas was beautiful.

14 savoirflairmagazine

Book Reviews But Jackson wasn’t gay, or at least he wasn’t ready to be. He wanted a summer with his mates, and girls, but he wanted Tomas to kiss him, too. How could he be true to himself? And what would people think?

There are three main characters inside “Ready When You Are”: Jackson,Tomas, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol, and teenagers who are often excessively drunk, which almost totally mars the sweetness of this novel. Put aside endless Outback parties and repetitious beach forays, though, and you might be charmed by this familiar-not-familiar boy-meets-boy tale.

In placing his novel in an Aboriginal community, author Gary Lonesborough gives U.S. readers a unique setting and immersion in a culture where life feels more relaxed than perhaps they’re accustomed – but yet, coming-out struggles for gay teens still exist.

This leads to a story that, scene-for-scene, is predictable and common in YA romance novels –an aspect the genre’s most fervent readers passionately rely on. They’ll also love Jackson, a boy in a man’s skin who acts responsibly and genuinely, but who’s not yet too self-assured about it. Life through his eyes is the best part of this book.

Though you’ll likely find this novel in the Young Adult section, it’s absolutely appropriate for grown-ups with fond memories of first love. “Ready When You Are” has its lows, but it might also make your heart go boom.

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P.S. Burn This Letter Please

By Mark Adams, Photos Courtesy of the Film Producers “Fabulous!” “Heartwarming!” “It’s about time!” These accolades, from me and countless others, are in celebration of the brilliant not-quite-new documentary P.S. BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE, a look back to the drag scene in the 50s. I say “not quite new” because the film was 5 years in the making, and appeared in 2020 at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Outfest Festival It has just surfaced on the Discovery+ streaming service in the states. The film was developed after the discovery of a 60 year old box of letters, which revealed the mostly untold history of drag in the early LGBTQ+ days. These letters, along with photos and other memorabilia from the era, were originally sent to a common

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friend of theirs, a talent agent, and were recovered following his death in 2010. Co-producers Jennifer Texieria and Michael Seligman, and their really talented team, have put together an outstanding reflection of what life was like back in the pre-Stonewall days. It is a work of art. I discovered the film’s existence during the Pandemic, after a discussion with some friends of what the younger LGBTQ+ community really knew about their history. Sure, they were probably familiar with Stonewall and the AIDS horrors of the 80s — they may have seen the film PARIS IS BURNING, the 1990 documentary about the drag ball culture in NYC, and, more recently the award winning TV series POSE, a fictional look at the scene in the 80s. But this is the real thing, a part of our history greatly ignored.

So I guess you can tell I liked it. So I got in touch with co-producer Jennifer Texiera, who generously agreed to speak with me.

ME: The film is mind-blowing. Why haven’t I even heard about it till now (I get around, you know)?

JENNIFER: Ha! Well unfortunately this is what we’re commonly up against when it comes to making independent films. We do the festival circuit, which is great but that doesn’t always have the biggest reach and then there’s distribution. Many indie films don’t even end up getting distribution but we were very lucky to partner with Dis-

covery+ and the film is available on their streaming platform. Discovery+ is fairly new and not entirely available internationally so that has been limiting as well. Getting the film in front of people is always a struggle, especially when you are a team of only 5 people.

M: Which came first…the idea to do a film on a subject too long ignored, or did finding the letters set it in motion?

J: The letters. Our producer, Craig Olsen stumbled upon them in a storage unit and right away knew that he had discovered something pretty special.

He called my co-director Michael Seligman and shortly thereafter the idea of turning this discovery into a documentary was born.

M: How long did it take from conception to completion?

Did you ever think, hey, this is just too much work?

J: About 5 years. For me personally, I think there is always a point in the documentary making process where I think this is too much work. But then you finish and you are so exhilarated and proud and those other thoughts vanish… and you’re on to the next one. 5 years for an Indie doc is actually pretty normal!

M: ‘Normal’ is seldom what I deal with. Speaking of which, do you just love the 93% rating the film gets on the Rotten Tomatoes site (though I’d go a little higher than that)?

J: Of course! But I’m not gonna lie, that 1 bad review really gets to us!

M: This is such an important part of LGBTQ+ history, and I, as you, am always concerned that it is not often available.

Have you thought about making it available for younger students to see…maybe in…oh, Florida?

J: Wouldn’t that be a dream? I don’t even know what to say when it comes to Florida…

P.S.BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE is, as mentioned, available on the Discovery+ streaming service, for the 2 or 3 of you who may subscribe to it. Of course, there’s always the 7-day free trial, but I digress.

If you’d like further info on the production, check out the film’s website below, where you can get the dirt on the incredible staff who put this all together, or a site in the name of Edward F. Limato, the agent who kept all those letters hidden away for 60 years is also worth a look.

For more info see: limatofoundation.org www.psburnthisletterplease.com/

Mark Adams has been a popular contributor to LGBTQIA+ Media for many years, writing extensively on film and video of interest to the community.You can email him at vidioview@gmail. com with any of your favorites for a future scribbling.

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AMPED UP WITH AAMPED STUDIO’S ARCHITECT, DESIGNER

Andrew Ashey

by D. Bullen When architect and designer Andrew Ashey moved to Portland, Maine three years ago with his husband, they bought a 130-yearold Victorian house in a small, livable, up-and-coming city that was experiencing a boom. They also got access to a world-class airport that made it easy for them to travel to clients, job sites, and offices around the country.

This flexibility is essential to Andrew’s work, with residential and commercial architecture, design, and branding projects that span the continent, from Maine to Toronto to Los Angeles, as well as Denver, Louisville, Kentucky, D.C., and Savannah, Georgia, among many others.

Andrew is one of two principals at AAmp Studio, along with Anne-Marie Armstrong.

They have been working together harmoniously since they met in architecture school

22 savoirflairmagazine

at Yale in 2007. They partnered on a project in the first year

cocktail bars, Death & Company, in Denver, New York, and LA,

and immediately realized they were drawn to a similar mini-

while working on design for a fourth, in D.C.

malist aesthetic, with room in the creative process for clients’

Andrew and his husband, Alex Day, met in LA in 2015, and

interests, values, and ideas. They also had a complementary

lived together in Silver Lake before moving to Maine, but they

way of working. Andrew says that Anne-Marie is an early bird

still maintain close ties with Los Angeles. In addition to the bar,

and that he is a night owl, so after a few overlapping hours of

they have family there, and AAmp Studio has a strong base of

design collaboration, they could spend quality production time

clients, consultants, and contractors there as well, so Andrew

independently in our respective hours, and maintain fully equal

and Alex return to LA every four to six weeks. Andrew says

roles in design and practice. In their third year, they traveled to

that in spite of their busy transcontinental travel schedule, they

Brazil, Istanbul, Berlin, Portugal, Rome (where they lived for six

are currently looking to add a dog to the family.

weeks) and then LA together before going their separate ways

After putting down roots in LA, AAmp Studio expanded its

after graduation in 2010.

operations when Anne-Marie relocated to Toronto, where she

Andrew went to NYC and Anne-Marie to LA, but when An-

serves as Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream at Univer-

drew moved to LA four years later, they reunited for a joint

sity of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Land-

project for the Compartes Chocolate Shop, on Melrose Place.

scape, and Design. Now with Andrew’s relocation to Portland,

They founded AAmp Studio in 2014 with a design ethos fo-

AAmp Studio has become a nation-wide operation, with a staff

cused on developing custom projects in close collaboration

of six, spread out between the three locations, and plans for

with their clients, harmonizing their ideas with the building

hiring more as demand continues to grow.

sites, local architecture, and nature. Demand for their services

Andrew says that AAmp Studio’s business has been evenly split

has been growing year to year as people see the beauty, livabili-

between residential and commercial projects, mainly in the

ty, and integrity of their designs, and as clients spread the word

hospitality industry, with projects ranging from cocktail bars to

that Andrew and Anne-Marie earned their trust by including

a chocolate shop to a bourbon distillery and tasting room. An-

them in the design process. They have worked on projects na-

drew says that ever since Covid, the changing nature of home

tion-wide ever since.

work spaces has affected the demands people make on their

Geographic flexibility and ease of travel are important for An-

buildings. With more people working from home together, cli-

drew’s husband’s work as well. As one of the founders of hos-

ents have been looking for second homes, or ‘accessory dwell-

pitality group Gin & Luck, he is often flying to work on hospi-

ing units’ they can use as offices, then transform into guest

tality projects, in addition to checking in on his three high-end

houses on occasion. Andrew also notes that the trend of large,

Ell House Prince Edward County, ON — In collaboration with Ravi Handa Architect, Photo by Maxime Brouillet ( Photoshop Filter applied) Photo of Andrew Ashley by AAmp Studio

savoirflairmagazine 23

AAmped Studio’s Andrew Ashey open floor plans has been giving way to more compartmentalized designs, as families try to balance the requirements of working from home together.

Families are also relying on vacation homes to get them away from their work and their home offices, and Andrew says that about half of AAmp Studio’s residential projects are for second homes or remote retreat homes, but even these homes need to be more flexible than ever, in order to accommodate larger numbers of guests, and to allow for dividing spaces when guests come with children.

Andrew says that it is always a delightful challenge to watch clients’ intentions take form. He says that clients can have dif-

learned to estimate cost-per-square-foot to make sure that expectations are clear at all times, notwithstanding the current fluctuations in materials and labor cost markets.

While a certain elemental simplicity and livability are consistent throughout their designs, AAmp Studio does not have a house style. Each of their projects is a one-of-akind design.

THE ELL HOUSE, TORONTO, CAN. In collaboration with Ravi Handa Architect, photos by Maxime Brouillet One recent showcase is the Ell House, a ground-up project they built in 2020 in Prince Edward County, Ontario, on the water northeast of Toronto, on what Andrew

ferent aesthetics for their second homes or vacation homes,

describes as the ‘Cape of Canada.’ The ell-shaped house com-

depending on factors like geography or use.

bines the elemental simplicity of vernacular design with the el-

When starting a new project, Andrew and Anne-Marie take all

egance and amenities of a beach house, with high ceilings, clean

these needs and uses into consideration through an in-depth development process. Playing complementary roles—Andrew leans more extrovert, Anne-Marie more introvert—they work to understand clients’ values and visions. They meld the client’s vision with the architectural tools and techniques that will open up the project’s possibilities, and educate clients about their design approach and the possibilities they see through their craft. Andrew and Anne-Marie then help clients narrow down and refine their options till they arrive at designs that will give them what they want most in their space, be it beauty, simplicity, flexibility, utility—or a lush profusion of elements that create one-of-a-kind branding for hospitality clients.

lines, and large windows to take advantage of the stunning Lake

In order to provide their clients with transparency throughout

Ontario light. The house also includes a patio that is both en-

the design and building process, Andrew and Anne-Marie have

closed within the ell and open to the water.

24 savoirflairmagazine

TOWER HOUSE, ME Photos by AAmp Studio The Tower House is a Mid-coast Maine home that takes inspiration from Maine’s abundance of lighthouses. This home bal-

Above Drawing: An axonometric view of theTower House on Maine's

ances livability and openness, intimacy and long vistas, with two

coast. The taller tower holds the master suite and guest bedroom, while

towers that use the seacoast light as a key element. The taller tower, which serves as the master suite and guest bedroom,

the smaller tower serves as a double-height space for the living room.

Between the two is a roof deck accessed by the master suite

offers large windows for views of the Atlantic, whereas the smaller tower uses high windows below a tall ceiling to fill the ground floor living space with light. The living room and master bedroom have floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the grounds and the oceanview. The interior has an open and unpretentious design that would complement any carefully chosen Modern or Mid-Century decor.

Two long gravel walkways extend from the structure to glass entrance doors,

which allow views all the way through the house to the opposite ocean-scape. A rooftop deck, between the two towers, can be accessed from the master suite. As with the Ell House, the Tower House contains a patio, this time with a pool, in a space that embraces residents while framing ocean views. While the Tower House is not a traditional home found on Maine’s coast, it pays homage to Maine’s seafaring traditions in a beautiful, sophisticated and modern manner.

savoirflairmagazine 25

AAmped Studio’s Andrew Ashey minimalism behind when they designed the furniture, furnishings, and equipment for the lush, moody interior of the Ramble Hotel and the high-end Death & Co. cocktail bar in Denver, Colorado. For this space, AAmp Studio provided interior design to create an interior that extended the company’s established branding, while balancing elements of openness and intimacy, adding dark design elements to give texture and a sense of warmth and human scale to a large, open space, with light HOLLYWOOD DELL,

from walls of windows.

HOLLYWOOD, CA Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Photos by AAmp Studio On a lighter note, AAmp Studio is currently showing their fun and adventurous side in the Hollywood Dell project, a two-bedroom guest house that doubles as a home office in the Hollywood hills, beginning construction this summer. To accommodate a tight footprint behind the primary house, the building is shaped as an equilateral triangle, with three sixty-degree external angles, although there are some right-angled interior walls. An external staircase leads to a rooftop deck among the palm trees.

DEATH & CO., LOS ANGELES, CA Photos by Alex Day AAmp Studio also designed and offered branding consultation for the below-ground Death & Co. Bar in Los Angeles, which uses a variety of textures including wood, stone, fabric, and lights, to create a layered sense of intimacy in a 30-seat bar, as well as in a more open 80-seat bar, where booths tucked strategically between columns provide a sense of enclosure and refuge.

THE RAMBLE AND DEATH & CO. COCKTAIL BAR, DENVER, CO Death & Co., Denver, in collaboration with Avenue ID. Photos by Elliott Clark At the other end of the design spectrum, AAmp Studio left

26 savoirflairmagazine

SOUND ADVICE, BOSTON, MA Photo by JM Leach A sense of warmth can also be seen in AAmp Studio’s Sound Advice cocktail bar design for a multiplex theatre in Boston.

In this case, their characteristic elemental simplicity builds on strong, large elements, with lush, dark curtains balancing the plentiful sunlight from third-story windows, and a marquis over the bar presenting an expansive-but-textured surface that serves as one of many design elements, along with text, symbols and line-types, that lend themselves to adaptation in a range of

rently looking to grow their staff, to keep up with increasing

the cinema’s printed and digital media formats, which AAmp

demand while keeping the workload bearable for everyone.

Studio developed in its branding campaign for the theatre.

The firm also plays a role in its communities, for Anne-Marie is currently a Board Member for People for Education and Director of Mentorship and Education for the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA). As a BIPOC-led architecture firm, AAmp Studio bids on projects for architects from underrepresented groups, and while Anne-Marie is not part of the LGBTQ+ community, AAmp Studio has also participated in a Pride design festival in Toronto during Covid.

Andrew says that he and Alex moved to Portland shortly before the pandemic, but in spite of covid, they have been overwhelmed, in a great way, by the Portland LGBTQ+ community, and Alex is currently in the process of opening

AAMP STUDIO CULTURE

a restaurant in Port-

Andrew was proud to add that he and Anne-Marie have ex-

land’s West End this

tended the firm’s culture of respect to staff as well as clients,

spring/summer, so they

and that they treat their business as one of their ongoing, evolv-

plan to engage more

ing projects. Andrew and Anne-Marie foster a strong sense of

actively soon.

work-life balance for the firm. They hold regular studio re-

Andrew and Alex have

treats, and they have instituted a one-hour lunch, to ensure that

yet to build a house for

staff do not end up eating at their desks, in between meetings

themselves,

and calls, or working evenings and weekends. They are cur-

they have renovated

although

their Portland Victorian.

Between running

the business and keeping about twelve proj-

AAMP STUDIO BUSINESS PARTNER ARCHITECT, ANNE-MARIE ARMSTRONG

ects running at any one time, there are plenty of outlets for creativity, and Andrew says that AAmp Studio continues to be in demand for projects nation-wide, so the dog and any personal projects may have to accommodate a steady diet of travel.

You can learn more about Andrew and AAmp Studio, with stunning pictures of their projects, at their website, aampstudio.com. savoirflairmagazine 27

28 savoirflairmagazine

savoirflairmagazine 29

Portland Maine’s Elizabeth Fraiser for the love of color

Portland Head Light | 6’ x 6’ | oil on cradled wood panel

Elizabeth Fraser, who has an art studio on Munjoy Hill, is a spirited member of the Portland, Maine LGBTQ+ community. She adores color and loves exaggerating it on canvas, no matter what she is painting.

Her work is cheerful, bright, expressive, sometimes 'moody' and includes many subjects from coastal seascapes and landscapes to still life and pet portraits which “captures feelings through colors on canvas.”

She says, “Being an artist means soaking up the beauty that surrounds me and exploring the places and subject matter that spark something inside of me. I start each day with a sunrise walk on the Eastern Promenade with my pups–that always sets the perfect tone for

Sunrise Meditation | 48” x 24” | oil on 1.5” deep canvas

30 savoirflairmagazine

Poppies Alla Prima | 6’ x 6’ | oil on canvas

my day–and from there I carve out time to create, whether it be

She says, “It fills my heart to get to spend time making such mean-

in my art studio, outside on location, in the local pottery studio

ingful pet pieces for people.”

or in the kitchen.”

On a more personal note, Elizabeth describes her life apart from

In 2006 she began a six year daily painting project–the goal was

painting: “My partner, Maureen, and I have lived in Portland

to complete and post a painting for sale to her blog each day. She

since 1999 and we currently have 3 pets: A peppy, senior Boston

says, “It changed my life as an artist. The exercise in discipline was

Terrier and a soft, fluffy cockapoo (often mistaken for a stuffed

extraordinary, as it helped me fine-tune my ability to see com-

animal) and a chubby, long haired calico cat. A few of my favorite

positions, colors and shapes.” Thousands of paintings later, she

things include taking pictures, making and eating tasty vegan cui-

paints most days but without the pressure of maintaining a daily

sine, making pottery, riding my bike, traveling, swimming, beach

painting blog.

combing, reading books and of course, spending time with friends

She is often asked, how the pet portrait thing got started, “When I

and family.”

began my daily painting project, I would paint our pets from time

Elizabeth certainly personifies an accomplished, proud, creative

to time (my partner, Maureen and myself had five back then).”

member of our community. We are delighted to have her as a

This led to requests for paintings of other peoples pets. It certainly

member of our greater LGBTQ+ family. You can see her im-

helped that Elizabeth is a huge animal lover and longtime vegan.

pressive selection of art at www.fraserartstudio.com

savoirflairmagazine 31

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New England’s LGBTQ+ Person in History

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)

Photo courtesy of archive.org

By Chloe Belle Born in 1849, Sarah Orne Jewett was a lesbian writer most wellknown for her poems and short stories that richly captured life on the coast of Maine.

Sarah Orne Jewett was born to a wealthy New England family in South Berwick, Maine on September 3, 1849. Her father was a doctor who specialized in ‘diseases of women and children.’

Sarah was very close to her father and often joined him on his house calls throughout her hometown. She contracted rheumatoid arthritis at an early age, for which her father prescribed long walks. These walks planted a love for nature and an imaginative spirit in Sarah. She was educated at Miss Olive Rayne’s School and then later at Berwick Academy, but she discovered her love of books by spending many hours in the library of Hamilton House, her family’s home.

Cabinet photograph, New York, 1883, Photographer unknown

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She first leaped onto the literary scene at age 19 when one of her stories was published in the Atlantic Monthly. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, she became famous for her representation of country life and, as Willa Cather described, her “rich accounts of women’s lives and voices.” Sarah’s most popular works are the novella, The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896), the novel A Country Doctor (1884), and a collection of poetry titled A White Heron (1886).

Sarah never married in her lifetime and her life partner was a fellow writer named Annie Adams Fields.

Sarah first met Annie through her husband, James Thomas Fields, who was the co-owner of the publishing house Ticknor and Fields.

After James’s death in 1881, Annie moved in with Sarah and the two would be together for the rest of their lives. The relationship, now understood to be a lesbian partnership, would have been called a “Boston marriage” or “romantic friendship” in the late Nineteenth Century. Their shared home in Boston became somewhat of a literary salon, hosting many popular writers who Sarah and Annie had befriended. Throughout their life together, Sarah and Annie also frequently traveled to Europe where they networked with writers such as William Thackeray and Mary Cowden Clarke.

On September 3, 1902 – her 53rd birthday – Sarah was injured in a serious carriage accident. The in-

juries she sustained virtually ended her writing career and set Sarah on a path of failing health. In March of 1909, she suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed. After suffering a second stroke in June of that year, she would die on June 24, 1909 in her and Annie’s home in South Berwick, the town of her birth and the inspiration of so many of her

literary tales. Following her death, Annie published a collected titled Letters of Sarah Orne Jewett. However, after pressure from their close friend and editor Mark Anthony Howe, several passages indicating the romantic and sexual aspect of Sarah and Annie’s relationship were taken out of the collection.

The Portrait-Story Project

A project that manifests in-person media solidarity within geographically-delineated and liberatory grassroots self determination movements when local community reifies this participatory phenomena.

To Learn More

portraintstoryproject.org postkatrinaportraits.org

voicesforappalachia.org facesofmadtown.org

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Christmas in July with the Gay Jewelry Junkie

by N. McCarty (the Gay Jewelry Junkie) Established in the 1930s, Harry Winston became renowned for the acquisition of estate jewelry as well as his skilled jewelry design. The most prestigious acquisition would be the Hope Diamond, later donated to The Smithsonian Institue. We can acquire or gift a piece of Harry Winston history through his Logo Collection. I chose the Logo Collection as an example of how to own a piece of the pinnacle of Jewelry design that is within reach of the average person. Select items in this collection that make a perfect gift for any gender at anytime with affordable rings between $2200 to $2500, set in yellow, white, or rose gold, with a small centerpiece diamond. It can mark an engagement or simply say I love you with style!

Passion for true values since 1880 | www.christianbauer.us

savoirflairmagazine 41 41 savoirflairmagazine

Christmas in July Other companies like Leibish and Company and James

en/transgender people found at Shreve's. By the way, I

Allen deal in single stones. Prices range from affordable

never met a female gym teacher without a pinky ring.

to astronomical or as I like

Maybe because pinky rings

to jest "Don't ask, Don't

are traditionally good luck.

tell." Yet, when you do pur-

I guess gym teachers heard

chase something you are

about this? One of my fa-

purchasing only the best.

vorites is a Lapis Lazuli pin-

Buying your own stones to

ky ring in 14k, again easily

create a design is always an

crossing the gender barriers

adventure, getting exactly

so that gift giving is simple

what you want for yourself

and luxurious, a win win

or for your partner. You

situation. If pinky rings ar-

can purchase online, your

en't your thing or your gift

stone shows up in this very

preference, try heavy sterling

elegant presentation box, a

bracelets and chains which

perfect gift box. Isn't shopping online amazing? Noth-

have a very macho look for men and women. Perfect

ing like spending thousands at the simple click of a

for the the macho gay man and the butch lesbian. You

mouse. I'm beginning to feel a little excited myself.

may have to go with a lighter silver and gold for the femmes and gender benders with charm bracelets.

Of course, if the aforementioned may be a little too pricey, let's come up with some ideas for our LGBTQ+

To personalize gift giving even further, whether for

Community. Local jewelry shopping is always fun.

Christmas in July or any day, try birthstone and astro-

Boston has some of the best jewelry shopping areas for

logical stone jewelry. To find

our Christmas in July gift

the birthstone of a loved one

giving excursion. We have

simply go to your computer

333 Washington Street, The

or smart phone and search

Jewelers Building, Newbury

out the month of your be-

Street, The street level of

loved, partner or friend and

Washington Street and Win-

it will give you the correct

ter Street.

stone to shop for. You can

I am thinking of searching

also personalize with astro-

out some pinky rings and

logical stone shopping by

bracelets from macho to

using the same method. Go

super femme for gifts. Let's

to your computer put in Ar-

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ies, Aquarius, Capricorn, etShreve, Crump and Low’s Lapis Lazuli pinky ring in14k

cetera, and it will tell what

Christmas in July stone or usually stones in this case are blended well with your partners personality. There is nothing like a personalized touch that tells someone that you thought about the gift, making it all that extra special.

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23

Ways To Infuse LGBTQ+ Pride Throughout Your Wedding

Courtesy of our friends at www.herecomestheguide.com

Kathleen Marie Ward Photography

Let your pride flag fly! Love is love...just like weddings are weddings. But if you’re looking to put your LGBTQ+ pride on full display, here are 23 vibrant ways to work it into your big day!

1.

Wear colorful cufflinks... see above

2.

Or rainbow-soled shoes!

Casey Hendrickson Photography | The Farm at Brusharbo Lisa Pleasant Events | Converse Pride Collection

44 savoirflairmagazine 44 savoirflairmagazine

3.

Incorporate lines from the Supreme Court ruling for same-sex marriage into your ceremony readings, or signage.

Ladyfingers Letterpress

4.

Can’t get enough of these rainbow socks.

7.

Be loud-and-proud with a wedding ceremony sign like this one!

Mak Rabbitt Photography

5.

Go bright and bold with your flowers.

Northern Red Photography

8.

Create a colorful ceremony backdrop– or use rainbow ribbons for handfasting!

Lara Hotz | The Sisters

6.

We’re swooning over these dip-dyed dresses...

Penny Photographics

9.

These balloons make a great photo prop…

Shelly Beck Photography | Kedall Point | Botanika Falkirk Mansion | Vivian Chen

savoirflairmagazine 45

23 Ways to Infuse Pride in Your Weddings

10.

These vibrant smoke bombs make an Instagrammable photo op!

Ashley Smith Events | The Holly Farm | D Lillian Photo

11.

Get fun accessories and werk those wedding photos.

13.

Matching tattoos are a sweet sentiment...

Swatch Studios | Your Perfect Day

14.

This ombré overhead installation + matching florals make a grand statement.

Shifted Focus Photography

12.

Put your pride up in lights (and then hang it in your home!).

Redfield Photography | Rabbit Rabbit Crew Allium Floral Design | Bacon & Lox Society

15.

Who can resist a good color-blocked seating chart?

PrintMeHappy Birds of a Feather | La Boheme Events | Hollyflora

46 savoirflairmagazine 46 savoirflairmagazine

23 Ways to Infuse Pride in Your Weddings

16.

Complementary chair signs are an affordable yet, adorable touch.

Elysia | Brisbane Wedding Decorators

17.

This “guest book” frame is a great way to incorporate your pup!

xoBSpoke

18.

Moving on to the cake...how’s this for a surprise spectrum?

19.

We love the idea of topping the tiers with figurines in your likeness.

Kenzie Rae Photography | Flowers at the House

20.

Most importantly, celebrate the notion that love ALWAYS wins.

Michael Anthony Photography

21.

Encourage your guests to “Love in color” with these DIY wedding favors.

The Budget Savvy Bride | Oriental Trading Steve Steinhardt | Beth Helmstetter Events | Charm City Cakes

savoirflairmagazine 47

23 Ways to Infuse Pride in Your Weddings

22.

Get a bunch of rainbow sparklers…

Photo Hawaii

23.

Give yourselves an EPIC send-off.

Jessica Hunt Photography | By Invitation Only...

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Hobart Village

Antique Mall Chloe Belle with Dick Fiorentino

Hobart Village Antique Mall is located in picturesque North Central Massachusetts. The name of the mall is derived from the historic Inn located on the property. The Inn was built in 1774 on a land grant given to William Hobart. Prior to and during the revolution the tavern in the Inn was a gathering place for the townspeople. An old register, now in the possession of the Fitchburg Historical Society, contains the names of famous people who stayed there, including: General Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Henry Ward Beecher and Brigham Young.

In the late spring of 1994, Dick and Janice Fiorentino, along with their daughter, Robin Silva, and their son-in-law, Tony Silva decided to buy the old Elsa Williams’ buildings in W. Townsend. This large property has been completely transformed and now houses the Hobart Village Antique Mall. The complex measures 16,500 sq. ft. and boasts a wide selection for its customers to explore. The second floor of the old Elsa Williams’ warehouse has become a group shop for antiques and collectables. It has 10 rooms, 85 glass cases, 8 open shelf units and 15 open booths and hosts over 80 dealers. Locat-

52 savoirflairmagazine

ed on the first floor of the complex is the West Village Antique Shop. West Village is a large shop filled with estate furniture, glass, china, prints and lots of accessories. Across the hall is the Re-Creation Rooms. This shop has a large selection of reproduction country furniture made in the New England Area including hand crafted farm tables, painted cabinetry, tiger maple furniture and mission oak furniture from the Amish in Pennsylvania. The many accessories include mirrors, prints, yellow ware, candles, country hanging lamps and much more.

These rooms give the customer a quality alternative to our fine antiques.

Advertising - Hobart Village Antique Mall What makes Hobart Village different from other

How would you

collectible stores?

characterize these

The shop is different from others due to the fact that

clients versus non

we carry a wide variety of antiques and collectables. We

LGBTQIA+ commu-

also carry used furniture, and we also have new furni-

nity members?

ture made by the Amish and Mennonites which attracts

Gay guys love an-

younger generations that want better quality furniture.

tiques, such as silver,

An alternative to Ikea, Wayside and Bobs stuff.

high style figurines, doesn’t have to be antique, Just pretty and decent quality.

Do you have any LGBTQIA+ staff?

Yes I have a friend who comes in on Saturday mornings sits behind the counter and his job is talking to people.

We have been friends for about 40 years, he loves antiques, and I guess you could say he is the only person other than me who can speak about antiques.

What are some of the popular trends in recent years?

The trend is away from brown furniture, and more to-

What advice would you give someone who wants to

ward painted and colored stains. The trend of the

purchase an antique?

Millennials is more toward Mid-Century M

Buy what you like, if you liked it someone else will like

odern.

it also.

What’s the antique market like currently?

In todays marketplace its hard to make a mistake in buying things, young people are not interested in antiques so the prices have dropped dramatically. Not to repeat myself young people do not want antiques .

What makes you proud of owning a business like Hobart Antiques?

I am not a proud man, my favorite word is reasonable.

What is the biggest challenge in the retail and service end of your business?

Selling things fast enough, 25 years ago you could sell Do you have many LGBTQIA+ customers?

whatever you bought quickly. Kids don’t want stuff.

Yes a lot of gay guys, I have had many gay people cus-

They have been programed to not have too much clut-

tomers over the years.

ter, bear walls etc.

savoirflairmagazine 53 53 savoirflairmagazine

CAR DESIGNER Christopher Webb His career in car design has a lot of miles and great memories...

By Emell Derra Adolphus, courtesy of Pridesource In his work as senior creative designer at General Motors Industrial Design, Christopher J. Webb draws on a childhood fascination for the engineering and elegance of automobiles.

“I used to call out the name, make and model of cars,” Webb recalled of his holiday drives to the English countryside with his parents. “I could even tell [the] brands at night from their headlamp and taillights.”

Born and raised in Bristol, England, Webb only recently became an American citizen after moving to Michigan over 20 years ago to start his career at GM. A recruiter offered him an associate creative design position on the spot upon seeing his graduate show. continues on page 56

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Christopher Webb continued from page 54 “I’ve always enjoyed design and been artistic,” Webb said, who studied fashion and textile design in with business studies in England at the University of Brighton.

“By sheer chance, we were told to do a project where we used non-traditional fashion fabrics. Just outside of Brighton is Caterham, home to the Caterham sports car, and I visited their facility for inspiration,” he said. “They generously gave me carbon fiber and glass fiber to make garments from and, jump forward to my final degree show, I was approached and offered a job by GM design recruiters.”

Over the span of his career, Webb has received the 2005 GM Chairman’s Honors Award for being on the team to streamline the exterior paint development process and an award for his support of the American Heart Association Gala. He has worked in color and trim designing, selecting the color and materials for concept cars, designing exterior car colors for production and concept vehicles as a colorist, and now to his current role: leading design for GM’s internal and media events.

“Probably the best and most simplistic way to describe our role is we work on all projects and products that surround

and support the vehicle but not the actual vehicles themselves,” Webb said. “Growing up, I saw vehicles as a means to independence and a way to see all my friends, so they very quickly became significant in my life for that reason.”

The journey from collecting toy cars to designing cars as collectible toys has been a dream come true for Webb, and he credits his love of cars in helping to build a better understanding of what it means to be LGBTQ across communities.

“The industry in which one is working impacts dramatically how numerous, comfortable and visible their LGBTQ community is,” he said. “Like anyone who comes into an industry as ‘someone different,’ new fresh eyes can be a wonderful and sometimes scary and threatening thing.”

As a member of GM PLUS — the company’s LGBTQ & Ally Employee Resource Group for direct, contracted and retired employees of General Motors, its subsidiaries and affiliates — Webb said that he’s come to know a surprising number of LGBTQ people in the car industry.

“We are, of course, a small group in comparison to the other affinity groups at GM, but we thankfully have a visual presence and senior executive support.” continues on page 58

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Christopher Webb continued from page 56 Beyond GM’s ERG, that support comes directly from the top in the form of GM’s chief diversity officer and first-ever female CEO, Mary Barra, Webb said.

“Of course fashion, interior design and the cosmetics industry have always been highly supportive and welcoming industries for us. [In] automotive, if you were LGBTQ you were mostly not out,” he said. “I personally feel that things have dramatically changed for the better for all diversity groups including all those [who are] LGBTQ. Diversity is so important and, in my opinion, if this company wants to have long-term success the people designing, building, marketing and selling our products should be as diverse as the customer they are serving and trying to connect with.”

Websites such as gaywheels.com have made a point to remind car brands that not only do LGBTQ people need cars, too, they also care about quality in design and engineering. Webb, whose first car at 16 was a bright green Mini Metro, has since refined his tastes to dreams of owning an Aston Martin.

“I love the balance of performance and handmade crafts-

manship, and if it’s good enough for British Royalty then its good enough for me,” he said with a laugh. “If I could have any vehicle today, it would be a Cadillac Escalade if it were to be an SUV … A daily driver, I’m happy with my Cadillac XT4 Sport.”

Although Webb didn’t come from a family involved in the automotive field, “My father was a policeman, my mum a nurse and my sister is a science teacher,” he hopes the continued support of LGBTQ people in the industry will encourage others to take an interest in in it like he did.

“The numbers of openly LGBTQ employees has increased in this industry, and I am confident it is striving to be even more inclusionary as we move forward,” Webb said. “I can’t really say it’s a ‘gay thing’ or a ‘fashion design background thing,’ but the way I perceive and handle materials and colors is definitely different from the traditional automotive designer. I would like to think I have learned as much and have imparted to others over my time at GM.” He added, “I feel the best is yet to come.”

But in the meantime, he’s enjoying the drive.

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NEW ENGLAND’S LGBTQIA+ MAGAZINE

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