Los Angeles Blade, Volume 10, Issue 02, February 13, 2026

FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 02 • AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

FEATURES

From the Desk of AJSOCAL: How the QTAPI community celebrates Lunar New Year

Our queer and trans Asian Pacific Islander siblings are celebrating the new year on Feb. 17, channeling chosen family, new traditions and the transformative power of the Fire Horse.

Read how various local advocates are finding power and community in this time.

By KRISTIE SONG For many, the New Year starts on January 1st, but for some in the queer and trans Asian Pacific Islander (QTAPI) community, the new year begins in the middle of February. For many in the larger AAPI community, celebrations of the Lunar New Year mark the start of spring, bringing families together through reconnection, traditions, and shared meals.

Lunar New Year is a time when folks usually celebrate with family, but as LGBTQ+ folks, many of us have found a home or a safe space with our chosen families instead. As a result, we include traditions that are inherently “QTAPI,” blending our LGBTQ+ identities and our AAPI heritage. Today, we are highlighting a few diverse community leaders from our QTAPI community and how they are planning to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse later this month.

For Chinese astrology enthusiasts, the last Year of the Fire Horse was observed in 1966, marking a generational return of passionate, expansive possibility and intense reconstruction and manifestation in 2026. If there’s a year to be brave and be intentional, the time is now – it’s not in the face of an oppressive government trying to deprive us of our futures.

Civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) spoke with various QTAPI community leaders and allies about how they celebrate and renew the Lunar New Year through a queer and trans lens.

Viki Goto is the Board co-president of PFLAG San Gabriel Valley API Chapter, an organization that supports AAPI families with LGBTQ+ children.

Kay P. is a parent involved with PFLAG San Gabriel Valley API Chapter.

Maria Do is the Community Mobilization Manager for the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Kathy Khommarath is the Institutional Giving Manager at AJSOCAL. Marshall Wong is the principal author of Los Angeles County’s Human Relations Commission’s annual hate crime report, and previously spearheaded queer and trans AAPI organization API Equality-LA, now known as Moonbow.

What does Lunar New Year mean to you?

Goto: Lunar New Year was always about eating good food for me. [But] once I learned

more about the traditions and the history behind them, I realized that the Lunar New Year’s importance has expanded as a representation of Asian cultural heritage. As more communities across Southern California host festivals, parades, and educational events, a greater sense of belonging and appreciation for our unique stories is fostered among people with different cultural backgrounds. This is vital to creating an inclusive and affirming society where everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves.P.: Growing up in a mostly white community in the Philadelphia suburbs, I didn’t know about Lunar New Year. It really wasn’t until I moved to California and saw that it was celebrated in my children’s schools that I felt that it was a real holiday, and it felt good to be represented. [It’s] a recognition of me and my Asian American community.

Do: Lunar New Year is traditionally a holiday spent with family. For me, this includes chosen family. While the turn of a new calendar year is often viewed as a time for personal reflection and goal setting, the Lunar New Year offers a chance to set those intentions with one’s community. It’s a celebration that is deeply hopeful, which is why I always look forward to it every year.

Khommarath: While I don’t personally celebrate Lunar New Year because I am Lao American, I deeply respect the holiday and the way many Asian communities mark it as a time of renewal and connection. In Lao culture, our major new year celebration is Pi Mai, or Lao New Year, which takes place in April.

Even though the timing and customs differ, the spirit behind Lunar New Year feels intimately familiar. Both Lunar New Year and Lao New Year are centered on renewal, community, cleansing away the past year, and entering the new one with intention and joy.

Wong: The Lunar New Year is the most important celebration for two billion Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese people, and many other communities worldwide. It is a time for families and friends to come together to wish one another luck, prosperity, and progress in the coming year. Growing up, it was a time for beloved traditions, like parades, lion dances, firecrackers, special foods, and red envelopes containing lucky money for children. For many people, it involves rituals of ancestral worship, deep cleaning of homes to signify

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new beginnings, displaying decorations, and wearing special clothes.

How do you celebrate your QTAPI identity?

Goto: As part of the PFLAG San Gabriel Valley Asian Pacific Islander chapter, I’ve marched in the Golden Dragon Parade for the last several years in Chinatown as part of the Asian Pacific Islander Rainbow Coalition (ARC) contingent. ARC is a group of API LGBTQ-serving organizations that work to advance LGBTQ+ equality in the Asian Pacific Islander community and to support our LGBTQ+ friends and families through education, community organizing, and advocacy.

We have been so fortunate to help carry VROC’s (Viet Rainbow of Orange County) rainbow- and TGI-colored dragons in the parade.

It’s an amazing feeling to see the faces of people in the crowd light up as we pass by and to hear them cheering and popping firecrackers.

We frequently have people run into the street to take a picture with us. One of our founding PFLAG members is a crowd favorite with his “I Love My Gay Son” sign!

P.: We attend monthly API PFLAG meetings and visit with our community there.

Do: This year, I am honored to be helping co-produce HOTPOT’s Lunar New Year special event, Year of the Horse, with my dear friend and HOTPOT’s founder, Jordyn Sun. It will take place on Friday, February 20, at Apt 503. I will be one of the hosts, so feel free to stop by, say hi, and celebrate with us!

I will also be joining VietROC for their Tết festival in Orange County on February 13 and marching with the entire collective of QTAPI orgs at the Golden Dragon parade on February 21.

That said, every day is technically a celebration as a person existing at the intersection of being queer and Asian. Finding and welcoming other people in the queer Asian diaspora here in Southern California has helped me become more proud of who I am and where I belong!

Khommarath: Although I’m bisexual, I often move through the world as straight-passing because my spouse is a cis man and we’re raising our three visibly cis boys (as far as we know for now?). That visibility gap has pushed me to be intentional about how I honor my QTAPI identity — not just privately, but in ways

Members of PFLAG San Gabriel Valley API Chapter marched together in last year’s Lunar New Year Parade.

(Photo courtesy API Rainbow Coalition)

that stay connected to community, culture, and the experiences that helped me understand who I am.

In fact, I didn’t fully embrace my bisexual identity until I started working as a community organizer at API Equality-LA. I had just graduated from LMU and was suddenly surrounded by queer and trans API individuals, leaders, and organizers who created a space where I felt safe, seen, and able to name parts of myself I had never had the language or community support to articulate. Being in that environment, being held by people who lived their truths so openly, helped me embrace mine.

Those years were foundational. They shaped not only my politics and career but also my understanding of self, belonging, and pride.

Becoming a parent changed how I could show up in those spaces. I had to step back from the day-to-day organizing and intense participation to focus on the kiddos. But I’ve worked to make sure my QTAPI identity doesn’t fade just because my life looks “straight” from the outside. I celebrate in ways that fit the life I have now.

A lot of those celebrations look like family-centered rituals that connect my children to queer Asian American community spaces. For example, I’ve taken them (and intend to take them this year!) to the Golden Dragon Parade during Los Angeles Chinatown’s Lunar New Year celebration. These events include queer API groups marching or organizing, and being there with my children feels like bringing together the multiple communities that raised me and my identity. It’s a way of showing them that our cultures are vibrant and diverse, and that queer stories are part of our family’s and community’s fabric.

So, while I’m not celebrating in the same ways I did when I was younger (e.g., late-night meetings, rallies, coalition convenings, organizing 1:1 conversations, marches), I continue to celebrate my QTAPI identity through community events, storytelling, and the values that shaped me. I’m raising my children to understand, honor, and take pride in that part of me, too.

CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

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LOCAL

Project Angel Food is now able to feed 10,000 people daily with expanded building On Thursday, community gathered to celebrate Project Angel Food’s new kitchen and campus building, which allows them to serve more of the county’s critically ill community.

By KRISTIE SONG On Feb. 5, community members gathered at 922 Vine Street to celebrate the expansion of Hollywood-based non-profit Project Angel Food. That Thursday morning, the organization cut the ribbon for its Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Kitchen and Campus: one of two new buildings that greatly increase its capacity to provide healthy food and nutritional resources to the county’s critically ill community members.

Project Angel Food was founded in 1989 by author and activist Marianne Williamson and blossomed from a dire need to feed people impacted by HIV/AIDS during the epidemic. Today, the organization cooks and delivers over 1.5 million meals, tailored to specific needs that include chronic illnesses and gastrointestinal issues, to 5,000 people across Los Angeles.

In August 2023, the organization launched its “Rise to the Challenge” campaign, a multi-year expansion and renovation project backed by $51 million. Now, its first phase is complete, and its impact is expected to double.

With the new Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Kitchen and Campus, Project Angel Food’s kitchen staff — which, like the rest of the organization, is majorly powered by volunteers — has access to 16,000 square feet of expanded space, which includes more ovens, walk-in freezers, and hot cook lines than they’ve ever had access to previously. Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub explained today that this will allow staff and volunteers to serve 10,000 people a day.

The organization’s executive chef, John Gordon, explained to the Blade that “space issues” were a major hindrance previously. Before the new kitchen was opened, staff worked out of a much smaller Lincoln Heights facility. “If you didn’t get the rack, you don’t have the sheet pans. If you got the sheet pans, you don’t have the last chiller,” Gordon said, explaining how difficult it was before to balance multiple tasks in the same space. Now, their team of seven chefs, 12 kitchen assistants, dishwashers, and volunteers can work in several cook lines at the same time.

“We’re much more efficient this way,” Gordon continued. In the kitchen, the day begins at 8 a.m. Someone will pick music for the morning, setting a groove for staff as they sync up to review recipes, pack meals prepared from the day before, and cook meals for the next day ahead. After a lunch break, they continue to work until 4 p.m. to make sure they’re meeting the needs of the community they serve.

For locals like Celeste, a Project Angel Food client who is affected by multiple sclerosis, this service is crucial. On days the disability “really takes effect,” being able to receive nutritious meals customized to her needs makes a meaningful difference.

“Some days, I’m not able to get up,” Celeste said. “Just that one meal [can] give me an extra boost [and] allow that sun to shine brightly even on my rainy days.”

For advocates and Project Angel Food supporters, Thursday’s celebration was also an act of resistance and a bold declaration against the federal administration. Jamie Lee Curtis, the honorary co-chair of the “Rise to the Challenge” campaign, spoke of the “love” that lay at the core of Project Angel Food’s foundation: a kind of love she finds completely absent in the federal administration.

“We are a community here today the same way they are in Minnesota, and I feel like what they’re doing is what we’re doing,” Curtis said to the crowd, defiance firm in her voice. “And we’re only going to get any shit done if we do it together and defy these motherfuckers.”

County supervisor Lindsey Horvath, a former delivery volunteer at Project Angel Food, affirmed this statement and guaranteed the county’s continued support in the organization. Horvath spoke of the government’s “glaring absence” during the HIV/ AIDS epidemic: one that is “eerily similar” to its attitude now.

As the government mobilizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents,

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sending immigrant communities spiraling into crisis, on-the-ground organizations like Project Angel Food are standing in firm support of their marginalized and ill community members. Horvath’s confirmation of county support is also rooted in this mission.

The building’s exterior also reflects the organization’s dedication to its residents.

On the south side, a new large-scale mural painted by esteemed local muralist Robert Vargas highlights the stories of local volunteers and vendors who live and work in the neighborhood. Vargas explained that seeing these people in action “crystallized” the dedicated service and harmony that exists among the organization’s volunteers, clients, staff, and nearby community members.

On Tuesday morning, JAMIE LEE CURTIS, artist ROBERT VARGAS, AMELIA BOLKER, CHUCK LORRE, Project Angel Food CEO RICHARD AYOUB, TRISHA CARDOSO, and County Supervisor LINDSEY HORVATH celebrated the organization’s new kitchen and building.

Next, the second building of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Kitchen and Campus begins construction this summer. This space will house the organization’s nutrition, volunteer, and client services and will also include its first department dedicated to research and policy. There will also be a training kitchen, where clients will be able to learn how to cook meals on their own.

As Project Angel Food’s growth continues, Ayoub hopes community members who are able to pitch in will do so. While public funding can feel unsteady, he explained, community strength and sustainment can fill those gaps of doubt. The organization is $2.3 million away from its goal in securing capital for this second building, and Lorre will match donations up to $1.5 million.

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

SPORTS

Michael Ferrera is paving a path of safety and liberation for queer athletes The Blade interviewed the C.E.O. of Out Athlete Fund, which has sponsored six out athletes competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and is creating the first U.S. Olympic Pride House in 2028.

By KRISTIE SONG Michael Ferrera was 10 when he first watched U.S. figure skating duo Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner cascade like currents across the ice, their arms forming delicate shapes in sync as they jumped, spun, and dominated national and world competitions in the late 1970’s.

As a young closeted kid, Ferrera’s admiration for the skaters and the sport was a source of comfort: a place where he could see men embody the nuances of gender. “I saw this mixture of masculinity and grace and expression, and that they were fully themselves as men,” Ferrera told the Blade.

Today, after decades of LGBTQ+ non profit work and leadership in Los Angeles, Ferrera is directing his passion for advocacy and queer affirmation towards that initial childhood love: sports. He leads Out Athlete Fund, an organization that supports and uplifts queer athletes, championing their visibility in public arenas. Recently, Out Athlete Fund announced its sponsorship of six U.S. athletes competing at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which began today.

Out Athlete Fund is also producing Pride House L.A./West Hollywood, their most ambitious undertaking yet. With over $1 million in funding support from L.A. County and the City of West Hollywood, the organization will take over West Hollywood Park for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Pride House L.A./West Hollywood will be the first-ever U.S. LGBTQ+ hospitality house for the Olympic Games, joining a burgeoning fight for queer representation in professional sports.

The first Pride House was created in 2010 during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, forming a foundation that Ferrera hopes to build upon. “We’re trying to lift the movement [and] create a through line,” Ferrera said, who is weaving stronger connective roots between the various Pride Houses that come before him, and the ones that will follow.

The Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade announced today that it will serve as the exclusive queer media sponsor for Pride House, and will cover the organization’s plans, interview queer athletes, and report

on upcoming events.

We sat down with Ferrera for the first of these exclusive interviews. In this conversation, Ferrera tells us about the growth of Out Athlete Fund, what people can expect from Pride House L.A./West Hollywood at the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, as well as the importance of LGBTQ+ safety, representation, and celebration in professional sports.

How did your journey with Out Athlete Fund begin?

This [opportunity] with Out Athlete Fund came out of the pandemic. That was a tough time. L.A. Pride got shut down in 2020. For those of us in the nonprofit world, there weren’t new jobs. That became quite a journey, trying to consult and be creative about how to get through that time.

And then, when [lockdown] was over, my friend Erik Braverman, who’s also on the board for Out Athlete Fund, came to me and said, “Michael, there’s this great thing going on. My friend Cyd Ziegler from OutSports and Les Johnson from Gay Games are involved. I think you should meet them, because they need somebody to run their nonprofit, and you have that experience.”

He knew that I love sports. I was born into a Boston, New England family, and you don’t have any choice. So I met Cyd, [who] really is one of the preeminent voices in this world of out athletes, and it just seemed like a good fit. Honestly, the first two years, working with Out Athlete Fund, we didn’t have money to pay staff. Everybody was volunteering, including me.

We’re really excited because we haven’t been doing this very long. Our first real event was last year. At the end of the summer, we [screened] A League of Their Own at the Autry Museum. [For today’s] Milan opening ceremony watch party, we have almost 600 RSVP’s.

We’re focused on our visibility mission and raising money to support athletes. We have six at Milan. When we started the year, our goal was to sponsor two, so this is growing so fast. I’m just so excited.

When it comes to the Winter Games in Milan, they’re happening under a government that is similar to ours in its anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes. How does that af-

fect your mission of supporting athletes on world stages in places that aren’t accepting of their queerness?

Our sponsorship of these athletes is much more than just writing them a check.

It’s letting them know that they have a community behind them. That’s really what Pride House does. It’s bringing together fans and allies so that these athletes feel like they have a community. And the fans know that there are people like them who are excelling in these sports and don’t have the artificial ceilings that are placed upon them.

Now I think there’s 44, at the moment, out athletes at Milan, and that’s a record for the Winter Olympics. That’s so important: that they know that they have the support of fans in their community, financially, emotionally, in a country that is right now pretty hostile to them, and to have Pride House there.

So that’s what we’ve got to do. We have to stake a claim, right? And with Pride House L.A./West Hollywood, we want to do that here. We’ll be the first Olympics Pride House in the United States, and we want to grow that [and send the message]: We are here.

Our athletes are here. We’ve got their backs.

You should, too. I think that’s how we make slow change.

What will be unique about Pride House L.A. and what will programming look like?

We want to [translate] the power of Los Angeles. We have the entertainment community here. We have a lot of business here, and it’s an exciting city, and it’s got a lot of flash.

When we take over West Hollywood Park, we will have the whole park. We have 17 days, 12 hours a day to program things.

We’ll have a concert stage. We’ve had meetings in the last couple of weeks about A-list celebrities who will come and do a tribute concert to athletes. And we’ll have a smaller stage too that’ll have community performances, meet and greets with athletes.

[There will be] panel discussions inside an exhibition hall, where there’ll be a million TV screens so that people can watch every single competition that’s going on.

[There will also be] big screens outside and on the concert stage. We’re going to

MICHAEL FERRERA champions queer visibility in professional sports, with his organization Out Athlete Fund. (Photo by Kristie Song)

have Paralympic sports exhibitions, a history museum about our athletes, where a lot of art will be involved. We’ll have a restaurant. We’ll have food trucks. We’ll have bars.

Almost everything will be free of charge to the public. Competitions are expensive to go to — now, you can come watch with your community and have fun.

We’re still figuring it all out, because our imaginations are the only things that limit what we can do in all those days and with all those hours: everything from a gay employee group having an afternoon together, to having the youth at the Laurel Foundation come for a camp day, to a seniors day.

I want my community to be up front. I want them to see Pride House reflect them, because if it doesn’t reflect them, it doesn’t reflect all the athletes that are potentially out there too. So that’s a big part of the job.

It’s making sure this community has a voice and has the opportunity to contribute and help us make it the best it can be.

There’s so much community activation in the works. What can athletes expect at the hospitality house?

One of my proudest things that we’ve established for Pride House L.A./West Hollywood is that we’re going to have a dedicated athlete area. We’ll have shuttles that go between UCLA, where the Olympic athlete village will be, and this second athlete village.

This is already sanctioned by the Athlete Relations Director for LA 28.

[Queer athletes will] know that there’s a space that they can go to outside of the [general] athlete village, outside of the politics and the limitations that are there. They can come to this place that’s really for them, and they’ll have their own entrance. The dream of that is that if an athlete comes from Egypt or Iran or Russia — some place where they feel like they can’t be themselves, [where] laws are against them — they can come here and see what experiences they can have being in a place that’s safe and inclusive and celebratory.

CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • 05

NATIONAL

Trump admin removes Pride flag from Stonewall Monument flag last week, including the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the National Parks Conservation Association. None were able to provide details about whether the flag was still flying at that time but it has since been removed.

A rainbow Pride flag flying at the Stonewall National Monument in New York was removed at the direction of Trump administration officials at the National Park Service, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to the Blade on condition of anonymity.

The source said the move had been in the works for weeks and is part of ongoing efforts by the Trump-Vance administration to erase LGBTQ identity from federally controlled landmarks.

In response to the Blade’s request for information about the new flag policy, the National Park Service provided the following statement: “Current Department of the Interior policy provides that the National Park Service may only fly the U.S. flag, Department of the Interior flags, and the Prisoner of War/

Missing in Action flag on flagpoles and public display points. The policy allows limited exceptions, permitting non-agency flags when they serve an official purpose.

These include historical context or reenactments, current military branch flags, flags of federally recognized tribal nations affiliated with a park, flags at sites co-managed with other federal, state, or municipal partners, flags required for international park designations, and flags displayed under agreements with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for Naturalization ceremonies.”

The statement also included official guidance on the display of non-agency flags issued by Trump-appointed National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron.

The Blade reached out to other organizations to confirm the status of the Pride

Bad Bunny shares Super Bowl stage with Gaga, Martin

Disney’s Gay Days ‘has not been canceled’ despite challenges

Bad Bunny on Sunday shared the stage with Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, Calif.

Martin came out as gay in 2010. Gaga, who headlined the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show, is bisexual. Bad Bunny has championed LGBTQ rights in his native Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

“Not only was a sophisticated political statement, but it was a celebration of who we are as Puerto Ricans,” Pedro Julio Serrano, president of the LGBTQ+ Federation of Puerto Rico, told the Washington Blade on Monday. “That includes us as LGBTQ+ people by including a ground-breaking superstar and legend, Ricky Martin singing an anti-colonial anthem and showcasing Young Miko, an up-and-coming star at La Casita.

And, of course, having queer icon Lady Gaga sing salsa was the cherry on the top.”

La Casita is a house that Bad Bunny included in his residency in San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital, last year. He recreated it during the halftime show.

“His performance brought us together as Puerto Ricans, as Latin Americans, as Americans (from the Americas) and as human beings,” said Serrano. “He embraced his own words by showcasing, through his performance, that the ‘only thing more powerful than hate is love.’”

STAFF REPORTS

Gay Days in Orlando is preparing for its 2026 gathering though organizers have yet to release full details.

Concerns emerged about the status of the annual meetup of LGBTQ people at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., after social media posts and multiple news outlets reported the event would not take place this year.

In response to inquiries from the Blade, Josh Duke, co-owner of Gay Days, clarified that an update would come this week.

“At this time, I’d like to clarify that Gay Days Orlando has not been canceled,” an email to the Blade said. “We are currently finalizing details regarding our plans for 2026 and will be making an official announcement later this week.”

Earlier this week, Gay Days posted about a pause in their plans for the annual meeting, which quickly gained traction online.

In an official statement on social media, Gay Days organizers cited several factors behind what had initially appeared to be a cancellation of their 2026 event.

“Changes to our host hotel agreement, the loss of key sponsorship support, and broader challenges currently impacting LGBTQIA+ events nationwide made it impossible to deliver the experience our community deserves,” organizers wrote. However, the statement added, “This is a pause — not an ending.”

In a longer message shared with supporters, organizers elaborated on that now-re-

06 • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

(Photo courtesy National Park Service)

versed decision.

“Gay Days Family — it is with very heavy hearts that we share Gay Days 2026 will not take place this year. This was an incredibly difficult decision and one that was only made after every possible option was explored.

“Gay Days has always been more than an event — it is community, family, and a place where so many memories are made. While this pause is painful, it also gives us the opportunity to step back, listen, and begin shaping a stronger and reimagined GayDays for the future. Thank you for your continued love, patience, and support. This is not goodbye — it’s a reset, and we look forward to creating the future of GayDays together.”

GayDays, which began in 1991, encourages queer Disney fans to visit the Orlando theme park while wearing red shirts to identify one another. Originally focused on gay men reclaiming the childhood joy often denied due to homophobia, the event has expanded over the years to include LGBTQ+ families on summer vacations and queer couples honeymooning in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney made history in 2019 by holding its first-ever official Pride event at its European park, Disneyland Paris. In 2023, Disneyland California hosted the first U.S. official Pride event.

Concerns about the potential cancellation had arisen amid broader challenges affecting LGBTQ events nationwide. These include changes in hotel agreements, sponsorship

This action aligns with other moves targeting and erasing LGBTQ history. In September, the Blade reported that three organizations originally slated to receive more than $1.25 million from the National Park Service’s Underrepresented Communities Grant Program would no longer receive funding: In Washington, D.C., the Preservation League had been awarded $75,000 to document LGBTQ+ historic resources. In Providence, R.I., the Preservation Society was slated for $74,692 to conduct an LGBTQ+ survey and prepare a National Register nomination. And in New York, the Fund for the City of New York, Inc., had been awarded $32,000 to nominate the residence of Bayard Rustin — the iconic civil rights and LGBTQ activist — as a National Historic Landmark.

JOE REBERKENNY

(Photo by Ben Gingell/Bigstock)

support, and Florida’s increasingly restrictive anti-LGBTQ policies under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida currently has an equality score of -3.00 out of 49 from the Movement Advancement Project, which evaluates states based on policies affecting relationship and parental recognition, nondiscrimination, religious exemptions, LGBTQ youth, healthcare, criminal justice, and transgender identity documentation.

Recent legislation in Florida has included prohibitions on hormone replacement therapy for transgender minors, restrictions on adult access to treatment, bans on drag performances for those under 18, bathroom bans for transgender people in state buildings, and expansion of the Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly called the “Don’t Say Gay” law. These measures limit public school instruction or discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gay Days Anaheim is scheduled to take place at Disneyland Resort in September.

More details about this event are expected to be released on Friday.

JOE REBERKENNY

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VIEWPOINT

Are we done with ‘Drag Race?’

While the show may feel a bit formulaic, and we long for the days of earlier seasons, where we met luminaries like Alaska, Jinkx Monsoon, and Bob the Drag Queen, the larger question is whether the show is more focused on straight audiences.

By CHRISTIAN CINTRON RuPaul’s Drag Race has left an indelible mark on history. What started as the bastard love child of America’s Next Top Model, Real Housewives, and Project Runway has birthed an entire industry of drag race content, from tours to review podcasts. It’s elevated its stars to international stardom and reshaped the queer economy with its impact on bar culture, marketing to queer people, and Mama Ru pushing her girls to sell.

While conservatives have declared war on drag, the show has held strong. Now in its latest and 18th season, a show that has united the whole LGBTQ community in inside jokes and pop culture references has offered the community its own sports equivalent and instant “in” to a conversation.

The question arises: Are we done with Drag Race?

Considering how Heated Rivalry became a ratings behemoth despite being an independent Canadian drama, and viewers seem more galvanized about the queer representation on The Traitors, have we developed Drag Race fatigue? The show hit a high point with franchises in countless countries, with RuPaul even crossing the pond for the UK and the earlier versions of the Australian series.

The political and economic fuckery of our current state of affairs has even hit Drag Race.

While the show may feel a bit formulaic and we long for the days of earlier seasons, where we met luminaries like Alaska, Jinkx Monsoon, and Bob the Drag Queen, the larger question is whether the show is more focused on straight audiences. In a post-Trixie & Katya world, it seems there’s a choice in the world of drag: are you courting queer or cis-het audiences? Do you become gay famous and never pay for a drink again, or do you pander to straight women and make bank?

The issue may not be that Drag Race as a show has become the problem, but it’s just become too normative. How could a show with new queens each year feel…less than fresh?

The show seems to have drawn a line in the sand by defining what is “good drag,” so you end up with a cast that could be anyone with a Sephora gift card, OCD, and a budget for lavish costumes.

The latest season broke from its recent trend of casting young, social media-savvy queens opting for more seasoned performers in their 30s and 40s. They’re then labeled as old. “Be still, my heart!”

Part of what drove the show and the major cultural movements was queens being themselves and finding artistic solutions to their shortcomings. But we’ve reached ouroboros with queens communicating entirely in Drag Race references. The contestants are self-producing and trying to force storylines, catchphrases to sell merch, and court a yet-to-be-determined audience to try to make back the money they invested or try to stay relevant in a pool of girls that’s reached three digits.

The show is becoming a bit too self-aware. The challenges are a bit repetitive, and seasons of Drag Race are starting to feel a bit like a Law & Order episode. By episode 4 or 5, you can peg who is the winner, who is the delusional starlet whose ego RuPaul must crush to claim 7 more years of youth (hi, Jan!), and who is the villain.

The predictability betrays what’s behind the curtain. There’s a bit of manipulation to venerate queens who have the savvy to carry the brand. But is it at the cost of some of the show’s integrity? For example, this season, it was clear Mandy Mango was not on par with the other girls with regard to styling and make-up, but having the

judges tell us that she wasn’t funny in her sketch or that she didn’t win a lip sync feels a bit too far. In an era of “fake news” and media manipulation, can you trust a show that tries to tell you the sky is not blue but fierce?

In an earlier season, a personality like Mandy’s might have won, a la Jinkx Monsoon. There is also all that we don’t see, given a notoriously toxic fandom, the show runs the risk of activating a fanbase primed with racist torches and pitchforks.

It’s an open secret that RuPaul’s Drag Race is more of a reality show than a competition, but that might be impacting its longevity.

With Tyra Banks facing a documentary covering some of her insane stunts on America’s Next Top Model while Project Runway is still alive and kicking, it’s clear that if Drag Race wants longevity, it needs to value its integrity.

After all, in an alternate timeline where Drag Race was honoring its LogoTV roots, it might have featured Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams as guest judges or tapped Alexander Skarsgard from Pillion rather than female celebrities who offer the A or B-list equivalent of bachelorettes at drag brunch like the now-canceled Nikki Minaj and Whitney Cummings.

As we careen closer to an autocracy, do we deserve a reality show that keeps it real? We have reached a point where what we have allowed to continue has come to bite us. Choosing capitalism over integrity is a tacit support for corruption. In a time where the queer experience is fundamentally unfair, should we have a reality comparison that’s inherently unfair?

All this being said, Drag Race is still doing its part to support the bar industry. Some viewers have found it hard to watch Drag Race without purchasing episodes, potentially because its ties to CBS/ Paramount/MTV World of Wonder are still creating content for the community.

Canada’s Drag Race still takes chances and casts a diverse group of queens, and it seems like a fairer contest. Surviving a revolving door of hosts, the show has managed to stay fresh and engaging.

Drag Race UK also has retained a lot of the interqueen chemistry that drives the show with drag queens who know how to read, kiki, and maintain good working relationships rather than pandering to television drama.

Drag Race is essentially sports for people who don’t like sports.

Drag Race gives us our own arena where our queers can highlight aesthetics, drama, stunts, and humor. We all make our draft picks during the Meet the Queens premiere, and we wear merch for our favorite players. But if the show divests from queer culture to make a buck, you end up with straight women criticizing the work of multiple artists and tens of thousands of dollars of effort because they don’t like someone’s aesthetics or they have “bad make-up.”

The show started as a platform for a forgotten but timeless art of queer people dressing up as women to lampoon toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia while serving as den mothers, brassy broads, and queens of our community to help make being gay a little more fun, flirty, and cunty.

I hold out hope for Drag Race, but I do think it would serve them to be a bit more beholden to the queens they cast, the community they serve, and focus on the contest itself rather than choosing fairweather political allies and lookie-loos and homogenizing drag at the expense of its political punch.

08 • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

V O L U M E 10 I S S U E 02 PHONE 310-230-5266 E-MAIL arodriguez@losangelesblade.com INTERNET losangelesblade.com PUBLISHED BY Los Angeles Blade, LLC PUBLISHER ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ arodriguez@losangelesblade.com, 310-230-5266 x 8080 EDITORIAL NATIONAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x 8088 LOCAL NEWS REPORTER KRISTIE SONG ksong@losangelesblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER KAREN OCAMB karenocamb@losangelesblade.com CONTRIBUTORS

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VIEWPOINT

RANDAL C. SMITH

is a Chicago-based attorney and cultural writer whose work sits at the intersection of Black life, queer masculinity, love, and the legal system.

Unconventional love: Or, fuck it, let’s choose each other again On Valentine’s Day, the kind of connection worth celebrating

There’s a moment at the end of “Love Jones” — the greatest Black love movie of the 21st century — when Darius stands in the rain, stripped of bravado, stripped of pride, stripped of all the cleverness that once protected him.

“I want us to be together again,” he says. “For as long as we can be.”

Not forever. Not happily ever after. Just again. And for as long as we can. That line alone dismantles the fairy tale.

“Love Jones” earns its place in the canon not because it is flawless, but because it is honest. It gave us Black love without sanitizing it. Black intellect without pretension. Black romance without guarantees.

It told the truth: that love between two whole people is often clumsy, ego-driven, tender, frustrating, intoxicating— and still worth choosing.

That same emotional truth lives at the end of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” my favorite movie of all time. Joel and Clementine, having erased each other, accidentally fall back into love.

When they finally listen to the tapes that reveal exactly how badly they hurt one another, Clementine does something radical: she tells the truth.

“I’m not perfect,” she says.

“I’ll get bored. I’ll feel trapped.

That’s what happens with me.”

She doesn’t ask Joel to deny reality. She invites him into it.

Joel’s response isn’t poetic. It isn’t eloquent. It’s not even particularly brave. He shrugs.

“Ok.” That “OK” is one of the most honest declarations of love ever written. Because it says: I hear you. I see the ending. I know the risk. And I’m choosing you anyway.

Both films are saying the same thing in different languages. Nina and Darius. Clementine and Joel. Artists and thinkers. Romantics who hurt each other not because they don’t care — but because they do. Deeply. Imperfectly. Humanly.

They argue. They retreat. They miscommunicate. They choose pride over vulnerability and distance over repair. Love doesn’t fail because they’re careless — it fails because love

is not clean.

What makes “Love Jones” the greatest Black love movie of the 21st century is that it refuses to lie about this. It doesn’t sell permanence. It sells presence. It doesn’t promise destiny. It offers choice.

And at the end — just like “Eternal Sunshine” — the choice is made again, this time with eyes wide open.

When Nina asks, “How do we do this?” Darius doesn’t pretend to know.

“I don’t know.”

That’s the point.

Love isn’t a blueprint. It’s an agreement to walk forward without one.

I recently asked my partner if he believed in soul mates. He said no—without hesitation.

When he asked me, I told him I believe you can have more than one soul mate, romantic or platonic. That a soul mate isn’t someone who saves you — it’s someone whose soul recognizes yours at a particular moment in time.

He paused. Then said, “OK. With those caveats, I believe.”

That felt like a Joel shrug. A grown one.

We’ve been sold a version of love that collapses under scrutiny. Fairy tales promised permanence without effort.

Celebrity marriages promised aspiration without truth. And then reality — messy, public, human—stepped in. Will and Jada didn’t kill love for me. They clarified it.

No relationship is perfect. No love is untouched by disappointment. No bond survives without negotiation, humility, and repair. What matters isn’t whether love lasts forever.

What matters is whether, when confronted with truth, you still say yes.

“Love Jones” ends in the rain. “Eternal Sunshine” ends in a hallway. No swelling orchestras. No guarantees. Just two people standing at the edge of uncertainty saying: Fuck it. I love you. Let’s do it again.

That’s not naïve love. That’s courageous love.

And on Valentine’s Day — of all days — that’s the kind worth celebrating.

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • 09

Meet LA’s Most Eligible LGBTQ Singles Our list arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day

By ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ The Most Eligible LGBTQ Singles is a long-standing event with our sister paper, the Washington Blade. In celebration of the Los Angeles Blade’s continued growth in the community, we decided to bring it to LA. Last month, we opened nominations, and the community came through, suggesting a wide variety of LGBTQ singles who are bringing some light and love to SoCal. Let’s meet Los Angeles Blade’s Most Eligible Singles for 2026:

Jason De Puy aka Salina EsTitties

This self-described “most single drag queen on Earth,” Jason, is also known as Salina EsTitties and became a national sensation for her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15. California-born and raised, he has spent the past decade as a leader not only in the Los Angeles drag community and sober community, but as a “booked and blessed diva” in the entertainment industry at large.

Committed to social justice activism, she partners annually with with the AIDS Life Cycle x LGBT Center of Los Angeles, the Alliance of Housing and Healing through an annual Best in Drag Show, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.

Age: 35 Occupation: Artist/Performer, Entrepreneur, Producer How do you identify?: Gay…He/Him What are you looking for in a mate?

I’m looking for a partner who’s secure in themselves and understands the ride of being an artist. Financial stability matters, but more so, I want someone who respects the vision—someone who’s excited to invest in our growth, not threatened by it. I value compassion, a shared understanding of the entertainment world, and a mutual push toward staying active and adventurous.

Emotional awareness and spiritual curiosity are huge, too—conversations that go deeper. And, of course, someone who has their

own passions—separate from mine—so we can both grow as individuals while being each other’s biggest supporters. And, you know, someone who can get sexy when the moment calls for it! And trust…there will be many moments, so stamina is important. ;) Biggest turn off: My biggest turnoff is a lack of kindness, especially toward service workers or anyone in a vulnerable role. If someone can’t treat others with respect, it’s an immediate no. I’m also turned off by someone who’s not willing to grow or self-reflect—emotional immaturity is a big no-no for me.

Biggest turn on: I love playful flirtation and a partner who’s not shy about initiating—whether that’s a text or making the first move. Great communication, being touchy-feely, and making me feel wanted are all key. I’m in a place where I want to be pursued, not doing all the chasing. Oh, and big hands, someone bigger in stature than me, cause I’m a big girl.

Hobbies: I’ve structured my life so that a lot of my passions are tied to my work—creativity, performing, and crafting immersive experiences. Outside of that, I crochet in the evenings to unwind. Lately, I’ve reconnected with bowling, something I did with my dad, and I’m now in my second bowling league season—new ball and all! I also love cinema; I’m a wannabe cinephile in the making, always up for film discussions and trips to the movies. Right now, I’m on a Marilyn Monroe kick and diving into Stella Adler interviews—I love watching conversations about the craft of acting and how movies/music/productions are made.

What is your biggest goal for 2026?

My biggest goal for 2026 is to become truly secure in myself—owning the confidence in the success I’ve built. I have exciting projects on the horizon that will expand my creativity—whether that’s music, events, or other expressions of who I am. But beyond the work, I want to feel grounded, fully in my body, and passionate about everything I’m creating.

Ultimately, my goal is to feel that solid sense of inner security, while being respected, celebrated, and—yes—paid accordingly for the work I love.

Pets, Kids or Neither?

I absolutely love dogs—especially big, loyal, friendly protectors, like a sweet pit bull—but I’m open to even the little yappers charming their way into my heart. As for kids,

10 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026

it’s something I’d only consider if my partner and I were truly aligned. Right now, I’m not personally focused on having children myself, but if I’m in love and my partner is in a place where they’re ready and able to fully support that journey—both emotionally and financially—I’d be open. But for now, kids aren’t on my immediate horizon.

Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

I’ve been in a relationship before where our political views didn’t align, and I realized it’s a dealbreaker for me. For something longterm, I need us to share core values. So, no, I wouldn’t be able to date someone whose political views strongly conflict with mine—especially when it comes to fundamental issues of human rights and equality.

Celebrity crush: I’m not huge on celebrity crushes, but let’s be honest—Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans— any superhero named Chris is totally a vibe.

But truly, I’m more about real-life connection, so I save my real crush energy for someone who steps into my reality!

Name one obscure fact about yourself: I have 14 years sober, oh, and I was actually eliminated on the Steps of Knowledge on the adult reboot of Legends of the Hidden Temple. Turns out, the 12 steps won’t save ya on the steps of knowledge!

ing and playwrighting debut with his suicide awareness play, right before I go, after touring with it across America.

Age:66 Occupation: Writer/Director/Producer How do you identify?: Gay What are you looking for in a mate? Smart, funny, curious, stylish, empathetic Biggest turn off: Selfish, closed minded, insensitive Biggest turn on: Fun and flirty Hobbies: Running, swimming, music, theatre, travel What is your biggest goal for 2026?

Keeping my heart open and challenging myself creatively and emotionally Pets, Kids or Neither? Maybe a cat one day Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

Probably not. Right now, it’s more than just politics; it’s about one’s moral core.

Celebrity crush: Still Brad Pitt or Derek Hough. Okay, Shawn Mendes Name one obscure fact about yourself: I used to study ballet.

Joshua Marin-Mora

Stan Zimmerman

Stan has two WGA noms for Best Comedy Writing: The Golden Girls, Roseanne. Stan also wrote and produced Gilmore Girls, co-created the Lifetime sitcom Rita Rocks, and wrote both Brady Bunch movies. He was Host/ Showrunner on Sean Hayes’ Bravo reality show Situation: Comedy. TRWshows publishes and licenses Stan’s work — Yes, Virginia, Silver Foxes, and right before I go. Stan’s book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, was released by Indigo River Publishing. This past September, he made his Off-Broadway act-

Joshua works throughout the Westside as a government office field representative.

He also serves as the Political Vice President for Stonewall Young Democrats. As a proud Latino and LGBTQ+ young person, Joshua is committed to furthering SYD’s mission and engagement throughout the greater LA area.

When not at community events, you can find him out with friends in West Hollywood or recharging at home, getting lost in a new book.

Age: 26 Occupation: Field Representative How do you identify: he/him What are you looking for in a mate?

I’m looking for a mix of adventure and stability. Emotional maturity is a must. Looking for someone who knows how to communicate and be consistent.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

Theatre West presents The World Premiere

A sexy, dark, gay comedy that will make you laugh, blush, and maybe want to dance.

Written & Directed

by Michael Van Duzer

February 13 — March 15, 2026 | Fri/Sat @ 8pm • Sun @ 3pm 323-851-4839 | theatrewest.org 3333 Cahuenga Boulevard West, Los Angeles, CA 90068

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • 11

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

LA’s Most Eligible LGBTQ Singles continued Biggest turn off: Someone with no plans. If you don’t have plans, whether personal or professional, it’s probably not going to work out.

Biggest turn on: Someone who is decisive.

And bonus points if you can dance.

Hobbies: Love traveling, reading, volunteering, and going out with friends.

Biggest goal for 2026: I’m going to focus more on my health and fitness.

Kids, Pets or neither? Maybe kids.

Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours? No. Celebrity crush: Jonathan Bailey Name one obscure fact about yourself: I like to eat the fries first.

Liliana Perez

Liliana T. Pérez serves as the Cultural Affairs Director for the Los Angeles Chargers and is responsible for building strategic partnerships within California’s dynamic and versatile economic, cultural, and social sectors. Prior to joining the Chargers, Pérez had made a career in public service, holding senior leadership roles in the office of six Speakers of the California Assembly.

Pérez has been recognized for her advocacy work on behalf of marginalized populations, including the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and women. Pérez remains passionate about social justice and civil rights causes and is active with numerous organizations. Her volunteer and philanthropic work includes serving on the Commission on the Status of Women for the City of Los Angeles and on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Redistricting Commission.

Age: 55 Occupation: Sr. Director of Cultural Affairs, LA Chargers How do you identify?: Bisexual What are you looking for in a mate?

Beautiful, passionate, work hard & play hard…successful, community advocate, honest, loves to dance bachata, merengue, and Rock en Espanol!

Biggest turn off: Cheaters, liars, half ass everything

Biggest turn on: Hell Yes Energy! Loves live theatre, live entertainment, stand-up comedy, enjoys volunteering & raising money for worthy causes; enjoys cooking and eating… so I can share my love language by also cooking.

Hobbies: I don’t have any.

What is your biggest goal for 2026? Buy a vacation/ retirement home in Puerto Vallarta Pets, Kids or Neither? None.

Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours? No! Celebrity crush: Big time crazy crush is Paola Ramos… dreamy!

Name one obscure fact about yourself: I love Neil Diamond.

make my party EDYN a staple in West Hollywood.

Pets, Kids or Neither? Neither Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

I don’t think I could if the foundation of our views differs. If there are slight differences that aren’t affecting the rights of others, then I could potentially.

Celebrity crush: Bad Bunny Name one obscure fact about yourself: I can do the splits all 3 ways

Cecilio Asuncion

Prince Joshua

Prince Joshua is a natural-born performer driven by movement, fashion, and unapologetic self-expression. From nightlife stages to Pride festivals, he brings high energy, bold charisma, and a signature presence that blends dance, music, and style. He performs as a dancer, rapper, and MC, known for electrifying shows, fearless flair, and a radiant edge. His work has been featured on OUTtv and on major stages across the country, and in 2025, he was honored as Go-Go of the Year and Local Music Artist of the Year. He is also the creator and host of EDYN, an EDM dance party at The Abbey WeHo, where music, movement, and energy collide.

Age: 28 Occupation: Party Promoter and Go-go How do you identify?: Gay What are you looking for in a mate? Passion, success, drive, loyalty, and connection.

Biggest turn off: Seeing someone treat others poorly.

Biggest turn on: Knowing someone is putting effort into wanting to understand and take care of me as a person and not just focus on the physical attraction.

Hobbies: Weightlifting, yoga, and making music.

What is your biggest goal for 2026? To

12 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026

Cece Asuncion (he/him) is an out and proud gay Filipino producer, director, and advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. He is the founder of Slay Model Management, the world’s first transgender-exclusive modeling agency, and a GLAAD Media Award-winning producer of STRUT on the Oxygen Network, co-produced with Whoopi Goldberg. His groundbreaking documentary What’s The T?, which follows the lives of five transgender women, received global acclaim, screening at festivals like the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Choice Award, and Rio Gay de Cinema in Brazil. As a sought-after speaker on transgender advocacy, he has presented at NYU, Stanford, and the University of Colorado, using his platform to educate and inspire.

Most recently, he founded and serves as Executive Director for the CinePride Film Festival, fostering the next generation of LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, ensuring they have the resources and support to bring their visions to life.

Age: 49 Occupation: TV Producer How do you identify?: Gay What are you looking for in a mate?

Chemistry, obviously—but chemistry that holds up on a random Tuesday. Someone smart, warm, and grounded, who can laugh at dumb shit, communicate honestly, and isn’t afraid of real intimacy. I’m attracted to people who are passionate about what they do and generous in how they show up. Bo-

nus points if they’re emotionally fluent and can keep up in both a deep conversation and a ridiculous one.

Biggest turn off: Arrogance and inconsistency. If someone is charming but unreliable, that’s an immediate buzzkill.

Biggest turn on: Competence. Watching someone be really good at what they do—and still be kind about it.

Hobbies: Exploring new food spots, cooking for friends, avoiding hiking, traveling, and building creative projects that probably should count as hobbies at this point.

What is your biggest goal for 2026? World domination.

Pets, Kids or Neither? Pets 100%!

Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

Not in this climate, or ever, no.

Celebrity crush: Seth Rogen Name one obscure fact about yourself: I hate long walks on the beach.

Brynn Allen

Brynn was born in Seattle, Washington, and was raised on Occupied Duwamish Territory. She graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Puget Sound. Although she focused on theatre making and acting in college, she also pursued studies in other fields such as criminal justice, filmmaking, gender/queer studies, politics, interpersonal communication, and communication through technology. Social justice and advocacy are always a priority in her artistic work and everyday life.

Age: 27 Occupation: Actor How do you identify? Sapphic Queer What are you looking for in a mate?

I am looking for a partner who is a classic Dyke. Someone who knows how to build a fire, appreciates the arts, is emotionally mature, able to take initiative romantically, used to play softball, has a strong sense of self, confident in their individuality, ideally able to

lift me, has Socialist values, is community-oriented, able to riff, and embraces whimsy.

Biggest turn off: Cockiness or being mean, because why are you acting like that?

Biggest turn on: When someone has a well-curated closet, or they’re a good dancer.

Hobbies: Sitting in a park and reading, going to the beach, going to see live music, short hikes or long walks in nature, supporting my friends’ creative projects, shopping at an antique mall, and watching movies at the nearest AMC. What is your biggest goal for 2026? To prioritize my creative endeavors and take more risks Pets, Kids or Neither? Neither Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours? No ♥ Celebrity crush: All members of MUNA Name one obscure fact about yourself: I used to be an Alpine Ski racer.

Patrick Murray

Biggest turn on: Big brown puppy dog eyes and a kind smile make me melt. A man who initiates and knows what he wants, because I can get shy sometimes.

Hobbies: Interior design and fantasy house hunting, baking cakes no one asked for, taking walks to unlock my daydreams, going out dancing or going to the opera, Unsolved Mysteries marathons What is your biggest goal for 2026?

To grow my business, fall in love, and swan dive from the top of a building into a tiny cup of water Pets, Kids or Neither? Love pets! Kids are wonderful via FaceTime.

Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

I mean, I could probably date a moderate democrat. That’s about as far right as I’d go.

Celebrity crush: Cooper Koch, Francois Arnaud, Hasan Minhaj (and Piker!)

Name one obscure fact about yourself: My parents named me my name so it would look good in the newspapers when I scored touchdowns…but now I’m in the paper for being gay and single, so the joke’s on you, Mom!

Hera Anderson

Patrick is a Los Angeles–based entrepreneur, former opera singer, and certified triple-threat conversationalist, fluent in three languages, making him perfect for dinner date banter. After years onstage, he traded songs for sausages and founded Franzl’s Franks, an Austrian-inspired food brand that mixes European flair, queer joy, and serious culinary chops. Equal parts creative and ambitious, Patrick is tall, personable, and unapologetically himself. He’s proof that the most eligible single in LA can sing, sell, and serve.

Age: 40 Occupation: Entrepreneur How do you identify? Gay What are you looking for in a mate?

Someone ambitious, so we inspire each other to be better, patient, and kind through life’s chaos, with the wit to match mine as we laugh our way through adventures.

Biggest turn off: A lack of curiosity about the world. Someone who doesn’t strive for more or isn’t interested in personal growth probably wouldn’t be the best match. Also, chewing with your mouth open is instant no.

queen shows, developing her own film projects, and writing her new stories to share.

Known for her confidence, warmth, and bold presence, she brings authenticity and charisma to every space she enters. Hera is passionate about storytelling, connection, and building meaningful relationships both on and offstage.

Age: 40 Occupation: Actress/Writer/Producer How do you identify? Transgender Woman What are you looking for in a mate?

Peace and passion. Someone emotionally mature, consistent, and kind, with a playful side. I’m building a big creative life, so I’m into a partner who’s self-sufficient, communicative, and genuinely excited to grow together.

Biggest turn off: Bad hygiene, flakiness, cruelty, and negative energy. If you’re disrespectful to people “below” you, I’m out.

Biggest turn on: Warm eyes, a great smile, confidence without ego, emotional intelligence, and someone who’s generous with affection. I love a creative mind and a person who plans dates instead of just texting “wyd.”

Hobbies: Trying new restaurants, dancing, movies, writing/creating, live shows, beach walks, exploring LA, and traveling whenever I can.

Also, I’m a sucker for a cute coffee spot.

What is your biggest goal for 2026?

To fall in love with someone ready for commitment and a shared future.

Pets, Kids or Neither?

Puppy mom, and yes, I’m open to having kids in the future with the right person Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

We can disagree on opinions, not on human rights. Respect, empathy, and basic decency are non-negotiable.

Celebrity crush: Jason Statham, Chris Pratt, Matthew McConaughey, Mark Wahlberg Name one obscure fact about yourself: I’ll go out “for one coffee” and somehow leave with a full day’s plan and three new ideas.

Kevin Peter Berg

Hera Anderson is an award-winning transgender actor, film producer, and writer raised in Europe and settled down in the USA a few years ago, pursuing her career in the entertainment industry. She’s been in the industry for more than 15 years, proudly creating her own history. She’s been performing in drag

Kevin is a West Hollywood–based entertainment legal and business leader with a long career in film and television. Known for his thoughtful leadership and commitment to inclusive storytelling, Kevin brings both heart and intellect to everything he does.

Deeply connected to his community, he proudly supports Project Angel Food, GLAAD, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Off the clock, Kevin’s vibrant life in SoCal reflects his love of culture, authenticity, and living boldly

KEVIN PETER BERG

at every stage. Grounded yet adventurous, he values authenticity, good conversation, and relationships built on curiosity, respect, and shared joy.

Age: 57 Occupation: General Counsel How do you identify? Gay male What are you looking for in a mate?

A true partner—someone with a great sense of humor, a spirit of adventure, and a love of travel. I’m drawn to men who are emotionally intuitive, secure, and confident, yet still playful and open-hearted. Bonus points if you enjoy musical theatre and a good romantic comedy as much as a holiday getaway. Ultimately, I’m looking for a connection built on laughter, curiosity, and the joy of discovering life together.

Biggest turn off: Lack of communication and connection – physically and verbally Biggest turn on: Confidence Hobbies: Travel & exploration, fitness, social connections with friends (movie, live theatre, brunch, trivia nights) What is your biggest goal for 2026? Focus on new career opportunities Pets, Kids or Neither? Pets (one cat) Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours?

No, as that would create too many opportunities for conflict Celebrity crush: Ryan Reynolds Name one obscure fact about yourself: I lip-synch songs in front of the bathroom mirror

LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026 • 13

FILM

As Oscars approach, it’s time to embrace ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ If you’ve resisted it, now’s the time to give in

By JOHN PAUL KING If you’re one of the 500 million people who made “KPop Demon Hunters” into the most-watched original Netflix title in the streaming platform’s history, this article isn’t for you.

If, however, you’re one of the millions who skipped the party when the Maggie Kang-created animated musical fantasy debuted last summer, you might be wondering why this particular piece of pop youth culture is riding high in an awards season that seems all but certain to end with it winning an Oscar or two; and if that’s the case, by all means, keep reading.

We get it. If you’re not a young teen (or you don’t have one), it might have escaped your radar. If you don’t like KPop, or the fantasy genre just isn’t your thing, there would be no reason for that title to pique your interest – on the contrary, you would assume it’s just a movie that wasn’t made for you and leave it at that.

It’s now more than half a year later, though, and “KPop Demon Hunters” has yet to fade into pop culture memory, in spite of the “new, now, next” pace with which our social media world keeps scrolling by. It might feel like there’s been a resurgence of interest since the film’s ongoing sweep of major awards in the Best Animated Film and Best Song categories has led it close to Oscar gold, but in reality, the interest never really flagged. Millions of fans were still streaming the soundtrack album on a loop, all along.

It wasn’t just the music that they embraced, though that was definitely a big factor – after all, the film’s signature song, “Golden,” has now landed a Grammy to display alongside all of its film industry accolades. But Kang’s anime-influenced urban fantasy taps into something more substantial than the catchiness of its songs; through the filter of her experience as a South Korean immigrant growing up in Canada, she draws on the traditions and mythology of her native culture while blending them seamlessly into an infectiously contemporary and decidedly Western-flavored “girl power” adventure about an internationally popular KPop girl band – Huntrix, made up of lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho), lead dancer Mira (May Hong), and rapper/lyricist Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) – who also happen to be warriors, charged with protecting humankind from the influence of Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), king of the demon world, which is kept from infiltrating our own by the power of their music and their voices. Oh, and also by their ability to kick demon ass.

In an effort to defeat the girls at their own game, GwiMa sends a demonic boy band led by handsome human-turned-demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) to steal their fans, creating a rivalry that (naturally) becomes complicated by the spark that ignites between Rumi and Jinu, and that forces Rumi to confront the half-demon heritage she has managed to keep secret – even from her bandmates – but now threatens to destroy Huntrix from within, just when their powers are needed most.

It’s a bubble-gum flavored fever-dream of an experience, for the most part, which never takes itself too seriously. Loaded with outrageous kid-friendly humor and pop culture parody, it

The KPop Demon Hunters get ready for action. (Image courtesy of Netflix)

might almost feel as if it were making fun of itself if not for the obvious sincerity it brings to its celebration of all things K-Pop, and the tangible weight it brings along for the ride through its central conflict – which is ultimately not between the human and demon worlds but between the long-held prejudices of the past and the promise of a future without them.

That’s the hook that has given “KPop Demon Hunters” such a wide-ranging and diverse collection of fans, and that makes it feel like a well-timed message to the real world of the here and now. In her struggle to come to terms with her part-demon nature – or rather, the shame and stigma she feels because of it – Rumi becomes a point of connection for any viewer who has known what it’s like to hide their full selves or risk judgment (or worse) from a world that has been taught to hate them for their differences, and maybe what it’s like to be taught to hate themselves for their differences, too.

For obvious reasons, that focus adds a strong layer of personal relevance for queer audiences; indeed, Kane has said she wanted the film to mirror a “coming out” story, drawing on parallels not just with the LGBTQ community, but with people marginalized through race, gender, trauma, neurodivergence – anything that can lead people to feel like an “other” through cultural prejudices and force them to deal with the pressure of hiding an essential part of their identity in order to blend in with the “normal” community. It plays like a direct message to all who have felt “demonized” for something that’s part of their nature, something over which they have no choice and no control, and it positions that deeply personal struggle as the key to saving the world.

Of course, “KPop Demon Hunters” doesn’t lean so hard into its pro-diversity messaging that it skimps on the action, fun, and fantasy that is always going to be the real reason for

14 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 13, 2026

experiencing a genre film where action, fun, and fantasy are the whole point in the first place. You don’t have to feel like an “other” to enjoy the ride, or even to get the message – indeed, while it’s nice to feel “seen,” it’s arguably much more satisfying to know that the rest of the world might be learning how to “see” you, too, and by the time it reaches its fittingly epic finale, Kane’s movie (which she co-directed with Chris Appelhans, and co-wrote with Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechan) has firmly made its point that, in a community threatened by hatred over perceived differences, the real enemy is our hate – NOT our differences.

Sure, there are plenty of other reasons to enjoy it; visually, it’s an imaginative treat, building an immersive world that overlays an ancient mythic cosmology onto a recognizably contemporary setting to create a kind of whimsical “metaverse” that feels almost more real than reality (the hallmark of great mythmaking, really) and still allows for “Looney Toons” style cartoon slapstick, intricately choreographed dance and battle sequences that defy the laws of physics, slick satirical commentary on the juggernaut of pop music and the publicity machine that drives it, and plenty of glittery K-Pop earworms that will take you back to the thrill of being a hormonal 13-year-old on a sugar high. But what makes it stand out above so many other similar generic offerings is its unapologetic celebration of the idea that our strength is in our differences, and its open invitation to shed the shame and bring your differences into the light, So, yes, you might think “KPop Demon Hunters” would be a movie that’s exactly what it sounds like it will be – and you’d be right – but it’s also much, much more. If you’ve resisted it, now’s the time to give in.

At the very least, it will give you something else to root for on Oscar night.