Lavender Magazine 761

L E T ’S GO ALL IN. Shake up your next beach vacation in St. Pete-Clearwater.

Start with colorful, gay-friendly towns and neighborhoods like Gulfport and St. Pete’s Grand Central District. Add all the world-class art and dining you could ask for. And then top it off with St. Pete Pride, Florida’s largest pride festival. Let’s shine.

CONTENTS ISSUE 761 July 25-August 7, 2024

Pride In Pictures 16 Rochester Pride 18 East Central Minnesota Pride 20 Golden Valley Pride 21 Saint Paul Pride 22 Twin Cities Pride Grand Marshal Reception & Community Awards 24 Valley Wide Pride Fest 26 Twin Cities Pride Festival 30 Twin Cities Pride Ashley Rukes Parade

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26 OUR LAVENDER

8 From the Editor 9 A Word in Edgewise

OUR SCENE

10 Eat The Menu: All Saints 12 The Queerest Minnesota Fringe Possible: A Guide

OUR RESOURCES

32 Community Connection 33 The Network

OUR AFFAIRS

34 Books

ON THE COVER

Photo by Sophia Hantzes 26: Photo by Sophia Hantzes, 10: Photo by Mike Hnida, 12: Photo by Randy Duerr, 22: Photo by Sophia Hantzes

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

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Volume 30, Issue 761 • July 25-August 7, 2024

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Randy Stern 612-461-8723 Editorial Assistant Linda Raines 612-436-4660 Editor Emeritus Ethan Boatner Contributors Lakey Bridge, Buer Carlie, Natasha DeLion, Alyssa Homeier, Terrance Griep, Elise Maren, Noah Mitchell, Jen Peebles-Hampton, Linda Raines, Alexander Reed, Madison Roth, Jamez L. Smith, Susan Swavely, Carla Waldemar, Todd P. Walker, Emma Walytka, Spencer White

ADVERTISING

Locally sourced advocacy and advice from lawyers you know.

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CREATIVE Creative/Digital Director Mike Hnida 612-436-4679 Photographer Sophia Hantzes

ADMINISTRATION Publisher Lavender Media, Inc. President & CEO Stephen Rocheford 612-436-4665 Chief Financial Officer Doug Starkebaum 612-436-4664 Administrative Assistant Michael Winikoff 612-436-4660 Distribution Metro Periodical Partners 612-281-3249 Founders George Holdgrafer, Stephen Rocheford

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Inspiration Steven W. Anderson (1954-1994), Timothy J. Lee (1968-2002), Russell Berg (1957-2005), Kathryn Rocheford (1914-2006), Jonathan Halverson (1974-2010), Adam Houghtaling (1984-2012), Walker Pearce (1946-2013), Tim Campbell (1939-2015), John Townsend (1959-2019), George Holdgrafer (1951-2024) Letters are subject to editing for grammar, punctuation, space, and libel.

They should be no more than 300 words. Letters must include name, address, and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be published.

Priority will be given to letters that refer to material previously published in Lavender Magazine. Submit letters to Lavender Magazine, Letters to the Editor, 5100 Eden Ave, Suite 107, Edina, MN 55436 or e-mail editor@lavendermagazine.com.

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

Entire contents copyright 2024. All rights reserved. Publication of the name or photograph of any person, organization, or business in this magazine does not reflect upon one’s sexual orientation whatsoever. Lavender® Magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertising. This issue of Lavender® Magazine is available free of charge during the time period published on the cover. Pickup at one of our distribution sites is limited to one copy per person.

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OUR LAVENDER | FROM THE EDITOR

“I Made It In Lavender Magazine!”

BY RANDY STERN

Pride season is all about being there. To celebrate ourselves. To fly our flags. To become a part of a larger LGBTQ+ community.

And, we want to be seen!

After a couple of years’ absence, we mark the return of our annual Pride In Pictures issue.

This is an issue full of photos – and a few words. Then again, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

These photos are taken by our Lavender Lens – the one and only Sophia Hanztes. A professional during business hours. At all other times she turns into the chronicler of our community.

As some people have said, Hantzes is everywhere! At Lynx games, Pride celebrations, special events…just everywhere!

With a simple question, Hanztes can make your day by taking your photo and put it, first, onto our website. In this issue, you might appear in these following pages.

I will admit that I am always completely amazed by Hantzes’ energy. During Pride season, her schedule is phenomenal. If you try to

follow her – forget it!

This issue is all about her and what she has captured throughout this Pride Season so far.

However, we only have space for so many photos in here. If you do not see yourselves in these pages, click onto our website and scroll over to the category “Event Photography.” We have many photo sets of events year-round – in particular, during our Pride Season. You might even find yourself on these pages – or online!

We also post the links to these photo sets on our Facebook page, too!

Because this issue is all about pictures – and perhaps a few words from our regular columnists – it is best for me to stop here and show you some photos. In particular, photos of YOU! Enjoy!  Lavender Magazine would like to thank Linhoff Photo, The Print Refinery. - especially Matt Vollum and his staff for assisting us with these photos you are seeing in this issue.

Photo by Sophia Hantzes

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OUR LAVENDER | A WORD IN EDGEWISE

Never Give Up! …Really?

BY E.B. BOATNER

With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, high stakes balancing in the winds of glory, “never” is a word many hold as gospel. Never is sometimes necessary–saving a child from a burning building–and sometimes fatal–simply entertaining others.

Consider Simone Biles during the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympics: she pulled out of the women’s team final and four subsequent individual finals explaining, it was “to focus on my well-being.

There is more to life than just gymnastics.” Not a diva move; she had suffered a disturbing case of what gymnasts call the “twisties,” a situation when air-borne of losing the mind-body synchronization necessary to determine up from down; a loss of “air awareness.”

Never mind the “twisties” is literally life-ordeath, with death holding trumps, and her bowing-out was, to use layman’s terms, sane, there were those who felt she’d “failed us,” was a “coward” who had betrayed the expectations of Them, watching at home from sofas and recliners with cold brews in hand.

Some pointed to young Kerri Strug in 1996 as a true (therefore satisfactory) hero. After

she bobbled one vault, badly injuring her ankle, when exhorted by her coach Béla Károli (who feared a Russian victory) to take her second shot, she did, eyes wide with terror, nailing the landing on one foot before crumpling to the ground in tears, to be carried off in Károli’s arms. And ending her career as gymnast. (The US would have won without her sacrifice by an­–admittedly slim–0.305 points) Biles didn’t withdraw and slink away, she stayed and attended each event, cheering on her teammates. On the final day of competition, having practiced behind the scenes and removed the twists from her balance beam routine, Biles won bronze despite the routine’s lowered difficulty level.

At first disdaining the bronze medal, she began to realize what it took to claim it. She realized she’d been competing for other people (including, along with many other former teammates, sexual abuse of former US team doctor Larry Nasser) in an atmosphere of “corrosive gymnastics.”

Biles was given what Strug lost: time. Strug’s potential as a gymnast was cut short, while Biles

is set to enter her third Olympics in Paris (July 26–August 11) with a team of young women that have been able to see her take charge of her own life, and advocate for her own mental and physical health. At a 2023 training event in Now Arena in Illinois, Biles said, “I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to compete again because there were multiple times this year where I was in the gym and I was like, ‘I’m actually terrified of this full-in, like I’m not doing it again, never going to do it. And then I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to come back another day, another day.’” And she did.

She’s now 27 and married. This will be her third Olympics. No one, however, retains full capability forever. I’d like to think that seeing the bevy of younger talent about her, many of whom she’s cheered and mentored, Biles will know when to take her final curtain call. After all, she does have other things than gymnastics, and her four Paris team mates - Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera, and Minnesota’s Suni Lee - are well prepared to carry the torch on into the future. 

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OUR SCENE | EAT THE MENU

House of Worship

BY CARLA WALDEMAR

This is my idea of perfect summer evening in the city—lounging on a brick patio under trees brimming with twinkle lights, shielded by bounteous umbrellas while sipping the beverage of one’s choice and catching up with longtime friends as, just beyond a leafy border, the busy world slides by.

10 LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

That’s the scene at All Saints, a dining delight not far from the river in the East Hennepin neck of town. Since All Saints came marching in, a few years back, it’s won a place in my heart (and diet) as a sweet, modern bistro heralding a menu where not only do veggies get their due, they shine.

Small plates – nearly two dozen of them (most under $20) – are the rule here. My dining pal and I plotted a perfect meal by sharing four of them while making plans for a quick return for four more as soon as we could manage.

Who steps out on the town to eat beets? Well, we did (and Dining Pal doesn’t even relish them).

But this composition of chunky golden beets (milder in flavor, or is that just my imagination?), was abetted by a welcome wake-up via an attention-getting cumin-y, coriander-y shake of dukkah, balanced by generous mounds of limpid, ultra-creamy burrata. A red-beet drizzle melded with the white cheese into a dreamy pink.

We next ordered the grilled peas, elevating what’s too often a mound of boring, carbo-pebbles in a new guise. Crisp unshelled pea pods provided crunch and crackle among leaves of mint-infused salad greens strewn with savory pistachios, all bathed in a suave, house-made ranch dressing. Eat on!

More veggie combos beckoned—summer squash carpaccio to charred cabbage with anchovy salsa verde; Yukon potatoes with chorizo and olives in garlic aioli to salt-and-pepper mushrooms with scallion dip—but we had our eyes on the scallops composition: hunky, sweet and tender critters paired with a creamy, also-sweet carrot hummus kissed with oranges and a crunch of walnut tabouli.

Just enough and just right.

Finally, the unexpected winner of the night: meaty, juicy, deeply-flavored duck confit whose fatty nature was balanced by a nest of bitter greens (radicchio, etc.), then brightened by a toss of tiny currants with their mini-explosions of sweetness, all tempered with a banyuls (red wine) vinaigrette.

Next time (which cannot come soon enough): the grilled broccolini with avocado tahini and candied peanuts. The Hamachi crudo, attended by rhubarb shrub, habaneros and shiso. The (yes!) fried chicken in harissa honey.

Swordfish in an Asian preparation. Or the Italianate crab orecchiette with seafood sauce and saffron. OK, even the cheeseburger. Four tastysounding full-size entrees also are on offer, but why bother?

Indeed, there’s also a pair of desserts, which we couldn’t manage. Had we more restraint earlier, we might have savored the buttermilk panna cotta or chocolate cake with buttercream and sumac ($10).

Service was smooth, informed ands adept.

Construction on the avenue was not. To ease it, we Ubered.  All Saints 222 E. Hennepin Ave. (612) 259-7507 www.allsaintsmpls.com

Scallops, Fried Chicken, Crab Orecchiette, Buttermilk Panna Cotta. Photos by Mike Hnida LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | ARTS

Barbara Barker Center for Dance

Antistrophe to an Andro-Sapphic Tragedy (Greta Mae Geiser) A poetic Neo-Greek tragedy that is at the same time enormous and intimate — a reflection on female sexuality, bodily autonomy, and all the things we hold sacred in a world eager to strip us of our agency.

Bryant Lake Bowl

Open Tab (Communal Beverage) A sketch show by a group of Chicago trained actors and comedians, about family dynamics, coming of age nightmares, and our absurd insecurities!

The Corner Bar – Underground

A Monster Scientist and a Tattooed Anarchist Walk into a Bar (Mermaid Productions) “Two of the twin cities finest solo performers share a stage – only it’s small so they have to alternate! 5 Monster Science shows! One Tattooed Anarchist in Covid Lockdown!”

Corner Coffee Uptown

The Queerest Minnesota Fringe Possible: A Guide

BY BUER CARLIE

Minnesota Fringe Festival is back again this year, and we all know what that means: some of the most innovate, hilarious, unsettling, and thought-provoking theater of the year is just around the corner. The Fringe Festival is known for including genres of all kinds, its occasional irreverence, and its often low-budget, high-creativity content. Whether it’s one person shows, short form interpretations of classic theater, puppets, dance, or silly musicals, you’re sure to strike metaphorical gold at most (if not all) Fringe performances. And honestly you might leave some a little disturbed or confused or even unimpressed. That’s the fun of Fringe.

We here at Lavender have a goal of experiencing the queerest possible Minnesota Fringe Festival this year and we figured that some of our readers might be similarly inclined. In that spirit, sorted in alphabetical order by venue, we have created a roundup of every production that includes LGBTQ themes just for you.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival runs from August 1-11 at theaters (and other interesting venues) across Minneapolis. For more information on showtimes, tickets, passes, and the rest of the shows at Minnesota Fringe this year go to their website, listed below.

Here’s hoping that we run into each other at a show or three!

American School of Storytelling

More Better Stories (American School of Stor ytelling) 9 nights/ 18 engaging stories from 5 exceptional raconteurs – Marie Cooney, Howard Lieberman, Loren Niemi, Leslie Polk and Sufian Zhemukhov – in the American School of Storytelling’s 1762 Hennepin Ave theater.

“4 Bisexuals and 2 Guys Named John Kill Dracula“ by Lady Chamberlain Productions(2023). Photo by Randy Duerr

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

Holy O (Lauren Hance of Out of Mind Productions) Vera is contemplating becoming a nun, but can’t let go of her vibrators. Step into the role of “saint,” and help Vera make the biggest decisions of her life, starting with what shirt to wear.

HUGE Improv Theater

Becoming My Mother: The Other Origin Story (The Other Jeannie Retelle) Scared of turning into your mother?

Through drag & storytelling, this show examines intergenerational connections, breaking cycles & embracing the cycles you can’t break.

Think Norman Bates, but make it funny.

Boy Soprano (Henr y Golden-Starr) A musical comedy revue by transgender actor, Henry Golden-Starr (BOOMBOX, 2017 Fringe) that explores gender, creativity, the human voice, and childhood through the lens of a children’s television show.

Kaleidoscope (Black and Foxy Co)

Mixed Blood Theatre

5 Episodes of Minnesota Tonight; 4 Minnesota Fring3, it’s Minnesota 2Night’s 1st Time at Minnesota Fringe (Denzel Belin Presents) Minnesota Tonight brings music, comedy, sketch, interviews, games and more to the table!

Highlighting and celebrating Minnesota and the talent and excellence that is here, there is five unique shows to see!

Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves (Emily Boyajian)

31st Annual Minnesota Fringe Festival AUGUST 1-11, 2024

A performing arts celebration putting the spotlight on theater, dance, puppetry, musicals, storytelling, improv, and more from hundreds of local, national, and international artists.

Tickets and show info at minnesotafringe.org

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This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

OUR SCENE | ARTS

Open Eye Theatre

Beanie Baby Divorce Play (Melancholics Anonymous) At the peak of the Beanie Baby craze, a family’s messy divorce case is turned upside down when an ancient, hungry entity known as the Beanie Thing appears…

I Favor My Daddy: A Tale of Two Sissies (Jamie Brickhouse) A gay, alcoholic son uncovers the truth about his martini and bikini loving conservative father in this darkly comic, intimate, enthralling show that shines new meaning on the old question: “Who’s your daddy?”

Secrets Under the Christmas Tree: A Deedee Wallaby Mystery (Deft Pictures) A typical Christmas party descends into mayhem when mysterious gifts appear that threaten to reveal secrets for all in attendance. But have no fear for Deedee Wallaby is on the case!

VILE (Francesca Montanile Lyons) Pizza, Disaster, Butthole! VILE is a funny, surprising, disgusting, and tender clown-and-buffon-driven exploration of muddling through depression, surviving rape culture, and drowning in modernity.

Phoenix Theater

Close Call: A How-Not-To Guide to Being a POS (Navel Gaze Productions) A one-man show exploring the paths not taken, and the darkness that they could have led to. Why did we become what we are, when it would be so easy to be something else?

Francis Grey and the Case of His Dead Boyfriend: a One-Man Whodunnit (nayXnay productions) Francis Grey & the Case of His Dead Boyfriend is a one-man whodunnit that explores the concepts of family, love, justice, and revenge. How far will he go to get justice for someone he loves?

The Ribs of Humanity at Campbell Plaza

The Wind Phone (Broken Wing Productions) Set in a quiet Minnesota park, characters use a broken phone, not connected to any earthly system, to “call” their loved ones in hopes of finding the peace and solitude grievers need to work through their pain. These are the stories the wind will carry to those they love who have gone ahead.

The Southern Theater

How to Train a Queen (A Shakespeare Playground) This play-in-a-play explores the youthful Queen Margaret d’Anjou at the dawn of the Wars of the Roses. Tavern guests at The Wife of Bath Inn step into characters, led by a traveling falconer who knew her well.

PARTS (Mikala Bierma) Hot off a sold-out run at Bryant Lake Bowl, PARTS is a triumphant celebration of being a parent, person, and performer. It’s 60 minutes of legitimately hilarious material created by a powerhouse comic.

“Karaoke After Dark“ by Orthogonal Productions. Photo by Barb McLean

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

Strike Theater

“Cli-Mate ‘Just’-Us”: Renewable Comedy Meets Gay Love Adventure (Clear Power Vision) Intelligent humor that culminates in a gay erotic fiction scene constructed solely from climate & clean energy terms, piecing profound connections between both social movements into a quilt of nonstop laughs.

A Material Boy Living In A Madonna World! (Jason Schommer) Life lessons of a pop icon through the eyes of a super fan!

Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History (Boiled Horse Productions)

Theatre in the Round

Juliet & Juliet: Improvised Shakespeare (Juliet & Juliet) Juliet & Juliet improvise eloquent, oddball, feminist Shakespeare. They love language. They love murdering one another. They definitely love empowering female characters more than Will did.  Minnesota Fringe Festival August 1-11, 2024 Select theaters across Minneapolis minnesotafringe.org

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Rochester Pride May 18, 2024

PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

East Central Minnesota Pride June 1, 2024

PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Golden Valley Pride June 8, 2024

PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Saint Paul Pride June 15, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Grand Marshal Reception & Community Awards June 15, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

22 LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Valley Wide Pride Fest June 22, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Festival June 29-30, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Festival June 29-30, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Festival June 29-30, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

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OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Ashley Rukes Parade June 30, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

FOR MORE PHOTOS, LOG ON TO LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

30 LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

OUR SCENE | PRIDE IN PICTURES

Twin Cities Pride Ashley Rukes Parade June 30, 2024 PHOTOS BY SOPHIA HANTZES

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COMMUNITY CONNECTION Community Connection brings visibility to local LGBTQ-friendly non-profit organizations.

To reserve your listing in Community Connection, email advertising@lavendermagazine. com.

ANIMAL RESCUE

Second Chance Animal Rescue

Dedicated to rescuing, fostering, caring for, and adopting out dogs and cats into forever homes.

P.O. Box 10533 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 (651) 771-5662 www.secondchancerescue.org

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS

Quorum

Minnesota's LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce working to build, connect, and strengthen for a diverse business community.

2446 University Ave. W., Ste 112 St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 460-8153 www.twincitiesquorum.com

CASINOS

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

Nonstop gaming excitement with slots, blackjack, bingo and more plus distinctive bars and restaurants.

2400 Mystic Lake Blvd.

Prior Lake, MN 55372 (800) 262-7799 www.mysticlake.com

ENVIRONMENT

The Nature Conservancy

TNC is an environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature thrive.

1101 W. River Pkwy., Ste. 200 Minneapolis, MN 55415-1291 (612) 331-0700 minnesota@tnc.org www.nature.org/minnesota

EVENT VENUES

Landmark Center

A classic venue, with a grand cortile and beautiful courtrooms, accommodates celebrations of all sizes.

75 W. 5th St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 292-3228 www.landmarkcenter.org

GRANTMAKERS/FUNDERS PFund Foundation

PFund is the LGBTQ+ community foundation that provides grants to students and grants to non-profits.

PO Box 3640 Minneapolis, MN 55403 612-870-1806 www.pfundfoundation.org

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Aliveness Project

Community Center for individuals living with HIV/AIDS – on-site meals, food shelf, and supportive service.

3808 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55102 (612) 824-LIFE (5433) www.aliveness.org

32 LAVENDER AUGUST 8-21, 2024

Family Tree Clinic

We're a sliding fee sexual health clinic and education center, now in Minneapolis.

1919 Nicollet Ave. Minneapolis MN 55403 (612) 473-0800 www.familytreeclinic.org

Keane Sense of Rhythm

Celebrate your true self with Tap dance!

1st week free, Join us now!

2161 University Avenue W., Ste. 117 St. Paul, MN. 55114 (612) 251-4744 info@tapcompany.org www.tapcompany.org

NAMI Minnesota

(National Alliance on Mental Illness) Providing free classes and peer support groups for people affected by mental illnesses.

1919 University Ave. W., Ste. 400 St. Paul, MN 55104 (651) 645-2948 www.namimn.org

Rainbow Health

Providing comprehensive health services for LGBTIA+ people, those living with HIV & folks from underserved communities facing healthcare barriers.

701 S. 4th Ave., #1500 Minneapolis, MN 55415 General: (612) 341-2060, MN AIDSLine: (612) 373-2437 info@rainbowhealth.org www.rainbowhealth.org

Red Door Clinic

HIV and STI screening, treatment, education, and referrals. Doxy PEP, nPEP, PrEP, and Reproductive Health.

525 Portland Ave., 4th Fl. Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 543-5555 reddoor@hennepin.us www.reddoorclinic.org

LIBRARIES

Quatrefoil Library

Your LGBTQ+ library and community center. Free membership, events, and e-books/audiobooks. Check us out!

1220 E. Lake St. Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 729-2543 www.qlibrary.org

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

Radio K

Radio K is the award-winning studentrun radio station of the University of Minnesota.

330 21st. Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 625-3500 www.radiok.org

MUSEUM

Minnesota Historical Society

Create your own adventure at MNHS historic sites and museums around Minnesota. mnhs.org

Walker Art Center

Showcasing the fresh, innovative art of today and tomorrow through exhibitions, performances, and film screenings.

725 Vineland Pl. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 375-7600 www.walkerart.org

PERFORMING ARTS

Chanhassen Dinner Theaters

The nation's largest professional dinner theater and Minnesota's own entertainment destination.

501 W. 78th St. Chanhassen, MN 55317 (952) 934-1525 www.ChanhassenDT.com

Children’s Theatre Company

Children’s Theatre Company excites the imagination with world-class familyfriendly theatre for kids, teens, and adults.

2400 3rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 874-0400 www.childrenstheatre.org

Guthrie Theater

Open to the public year-round, the Guthrie produces classic and contemporary plays on three stages.

818 S. 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 377-2224 www.guthrietheater.org

Lyric Arts Main Street Stage

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Everyone is welcome at Hennepin Church! Vibrant Worship. Authentic Community. Bold Outreach.

511 Groveland Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 871-5303 www.hennepinchurch.org

Plymouth Congregational Church

Many Hearts, One Song; Many Hands, One Church. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

1900 Nicollet Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 871-7400 www.plymouth.org

St. Philip's Lutheran Church

We invite and welcome those of every spiritual background, ethnicity, gender orientation, or economic situation.

6180 Hwy 65 Fridley, MN 55432 (763) 571-1500 www.splcmn.org

University Baptist Church

Theater with character. Comedies, musicals, & dramas in a professional, intimate setting where all are welcomed.

420 E. Main St. Anoka, MN 55303 (763) 422-1838 info@lyricarts.org www.lyricarts.org

Creating safe and inclusive spaces for 175 years, UBC stands proudly with our LGBTQ+ family.

1219 University Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612) 331-1768 www.ubcmn.org

Minnesota Opera

An open and affirming congregation, welcoming persons of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities.

1200 Marquette Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 332-3421 www.westminstermpls.org

World-class opera draws you into a synthesis of beauty; breathtaking music, stunning costumes & extraordinary sets.

Performances at the Ordway Music Theater - 345 Washington St., St. Paul, MN 55102 (612) 333-6669 www.mnopera.org

Minnesota Orchestra

Westminster Presbyterian Church

SENIOR LIVING Friends & Co

Led by Music Director Designate Thomas Søndergård, the Minnesota Orchestra, one of America’s leading symphony orchestras.

1111 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 371-5656, (800) 292-4141 www.minnesotaorchestra.org

Fostering meaningful connections for older adults for 50+ years. Offering quick drop-in chat line, phone & visiting companionship services.

2550 University Ave. W., Ste. 260-S St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 721-1400 www.friendsco.org

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Senior Community Services

Leading performing arts center with two stages presenting Broadway musicals, concerts & educational programs that enrich diverse audiences.

345 Washington St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 224-4222 info@ordway.org www.ordway.org

Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus

An award-winning chorus building community through music and offers entertainment worth coming out for!

1430 W. 28th St., Ste. B Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 339-SONG (7664) chorus@tcgmc.org www.tcgmc.org

RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL

All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church

A welcoming, inclusive, safe place to explore and discover God’s love for ALL God’s children.

3100 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 824-2673 www.agcmcc.org

Providing non-medical services that meet the changing needs of older adults & support their caregivers.

10201 Wayzata Blvd., Ste. 335 Minnetonka, MN 55305 (952) 541-1019 www.seniorcommunity.org/lav

SOCIAL SERVICES

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

Serving all Minnesotans with personcentered services that promote full and abundant lives. lssmn.org | (651) 642-5990 | (800) 582-5260 Employment Opportunities | lssmn.org/careers PICS (Partners in Community Supports) | picsmn.org Pooled Trust | (888) 806-6844 Supported Decision-Making | (888) 806-6844

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS Discover St. Louis Park

Minnesota’s Sweet Spot! Visit us for exceptional dining, attractions, shopping, hotels and event space.

1660 Hwy 100 S., Ste. 501 St. Louis Park, MN 55416 (952) 426-4047 www.DiscoverStLouisPark.com

THE NETWORK Locally Owned & Operated Since 1950

Estimates 7am-4:30pm

Bill’s Gun Shop & range More Guns - More Lanes

MORE FUN!

billsgs.com Make sure your business, organization or event is part of

LAVENDER’S

2025

PRIDE PAGES! Minnesota’s annual LGBTQ+ guide featuring LGBTQ-friendly Businesses, Organizations and Wedding Resources.

Deadline: December 4, 2024

Published: December 26, 2024

Call 612-436-4660 to speak with a Sales Executive and reserve your space today.

LAVENDERMAGAZINE.COM

33

OUR AFFAIRS | BOOKS

Books

BY E.B BOATNER

Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine

The Road to Dalton

On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America

A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces that Shaped Queer Women’s Culture

Raised by their physician mom, Uché and twin sister Oni expected to become doctors–and did. After Harvard, they attended Harvard Medical School.

Their vigorous, athletic mother died early of leukemia at 47. The daughters launched medical careers. This memoir is a tribute to her mother, Dr. Dale Gloria Blackstock, and to explain the urgency of her current role as physician and thought leader on bias and racism in health care; founder and CEO of Advancing Heath Equity. Her mother wrote, “In looking back, I believe that many of my negative experiences were as a result of race, not sexism,” and while neither dismisses the “sluggishness” of women’s progress, Blackstock examines the ongoing cycle of racism and the losses incurred by both physicians and patients.

The numbers have been coming in for some time; former sun-seeker home owners in our own country are home-bound during lengthier rising summer temps. Many poor, unable to move outdoor workers or in climate-vulnerable occupations–face immediate risk. Rising, lengthier heat spells affect farming and agriculture, lowering yields, killing some crops altogether. Current and coming trends are the migration of peoples, industries and crops to hold sustainability.

It’s a matter of economics at bottom; who can afford to relocate, what happens to those who can’t; are some northern destinations (eg. Duluth) already getting warmer. Lustgarten predicts the next 30 years will see 13-100 million Americans potentially moving. And, there’s the rest of the globe, and the world population that just keeps expanding. Already too late?

34 LAVENDER JULY 25-AUGUST 7, 2024

If you read Where the Forest Meets the River first (I reviewed it here first) you won’t be disappointed to go back now to the origin stories in The Road to Dalton.

So many nuances become clear, so many outcomes are foreshadowed, others left in suspense. Bowring’s ability to make the citizens of this small Maine town come to life as the results of a minor accident on an icy night play out through all the community. Two older married ladies and their special relationship, a young boy torn between conflicting desires, self-medicating with food, a widower attracted to an abused young mother. A rescue from an icy river. Tensions, passions run high, but all is solidly based on the importance of communication and love.

Thomas, a co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times’s T Magazine, Advocate, and Marie Claire. Here she explores six iconic spaces that lesbians created over the years which include rural communes, vacation areas, sex-toy boutiques and bookstores, among the latter of which was Minneapolis’s Amazon, and its struggles with the rapacious Amazon we know today. Another interesting chapter, “The Softball Diamond,” involves the engagements, athletic and amatory of that sport. Along with the many and detailed interviews, Thomas shares her own experiences which offer a broad-band view over decades illustrating numerous changes between exclusive women’s spaces of the 1970s that evolved into today’s more inclusive LGBTQ+ communities. Thomas’s personal involvement makes for a highly readable and informative history. 

life. at your summit.

In those crucial moments following an injury, the immediate attention of a skilled orthopedic professional can make all the difference in getting you back to your goals and ambitions.

We are always ready with the right treatments at the right time to get you back to living life at your summit as quickly as possible.

IMMEDIATE CARE AT OUR ORTHOPEDIC URGENT CARE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE METRO