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Wednesday May 5, 2021 e VOL. XI, 25

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The out ‘Genera+ion’ star wants to be an example of Black queer joy INDEX Editorial Crossword Guide to the Clubs

5 24 26

8

PAGE 2 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

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Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:  Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.  BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

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Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.  Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0368 04/21

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Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 3

HUGO LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 1995 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP CONNECTING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Hugo’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

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4/8/21 11:08 AM

PAGE 4 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

OFFICE 713-942-0084 EMAIL TheMontroseStart@gmail.com Publisher / Executive

LAURA M VILLAGRAN RANDALL JOBE Production

RAFA ESPINOSA News Features

JOHNNY TRLICA Copy Editor

Scene Writers

JIM AYRES JANICE ANDERSON FOREST RIGGS Distribution

MIRIAM ORIHUELA ELIZABETH MEMBRILLO

NANCY FORD

TH E S TA R CO NTR I B UTI N G W R ITE R S JIM AYRES by day is an employee benefits and human resources writer. By night he turns his creativity toward the local food and restaurant scene. Do you know of a restaurant that needs a review? Info@montrosestar.com NANCY FORD has enjoyed a front row seat to the most remarkable and sparkly Cultural Revolution in the history of mankind. “What a world!” She reflects appropriately. After moving to Houston from Ohio in 1981, Ford became a highly visible player in Texas’ LGBT publishing circles as an editor and contributor to myriad other local and statewide LGBT magazines and newspapers.

RANDALL JOBE has been a fixture in the Houston LGBT Community for several decades in marketing and promotions for top nightclubs, as an actor/director/writer for dozens of theatrical productions, and is also known for his whimsical art pieces. He is the author of the 12-part series “This Old Queen”, which summarized his many experiences living in the gay Mecca, Montrose.

VIC GERAMI is journalist, media contributor and Editor & Publisher of The Blunt Post. Vic grew up in LA and has a BA in Theater Arts. He spent six years at Frontiers Magazine, followed

by LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. His syndicated celebrity Q&A column, 10 Questions with Vic, is a LA Press Club’s National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award finalist. Vic is a contributor for Montrose Star, DC Life Magazine, Out & About Nashville, Q Virginia, GNI MAG, QNotes, Windy City Times, WeHo Times, GoWeHo, Los Angeles Blade, Asbarez, California Courier, Desert Daily Guide, Armenian Weekly, GED, The Pride LA, IN Magazine and The Advocate Magazine.

FOREST RIGGS is no stranger to the adventures of life, he bills himself as a “raconteur with a gypsy spirit.” A former educator, public speaker, hospital administrator, counselor and gay owner, he was instrumental in the formation of OutSmart Magazine in the early 1990s. He has written for several newspapers, magazines and other publications. Recently he completed a collection of short stories about his beloved Galveston and is working on a novel. He currently resides on the island where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life.

JOHNNY TRLICA has called the Houston area home all of his life. Four years ago he founded and still edits the Houston Rainbow Herald and has worked in the apartment leasing industry for the past two years. His passion is keeping the battle for LGBT rights at the forefront of today’s headlines and fighting complacency in the LGBT community.

©2020 GLYP Media. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permision from the Publisher.

The Montrose Star is published every two weeks and distribuited free of charge at choice establishments throughout Houston, the Bay Area & Galveston. Annual mail subscriptions are $54.

All rights to material by outside contributors revert to the author. Views expressed in articles, advertisements, graphics an/o photos appearing in Montrose Star do no necessarily refelcts the views of the views of the editors or advertisers. The Montrose Star is not responsible for unsolicted submissions of articles or artwork. Advertisements accepted for publication in the Montrose Star are presumed to contain information that is true and advertisers are authorized to sell the product(s) shown in his/her ad.

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Business Development Manager

HRH REPORT

You get what you pay for Bars and restaurants running short staffed e By Johnny Trlica

C

OMMENTARY: NO INDUSTRY WAS HIT HARDER

by the pandemic than the hospitality industry.

Bars and restaurants were forcibly closed. Then allowed to open. Then forced to close again.

Business owners were left without any source of income for months at a time. Millions of service industry employees were laid off.

With nowhere to turn, waiters, waitresses and bartenders turned to unemployment compensation to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. When the federal government added an extra $600 a week to regular unemployment benefits, many of the service industry folks realized a significant income increase. Even now with $300 extra per week, a great number of people are making more than pre-pandemic wages. Stimulus checks help provide enough funds to tide many people over this rough patch, as well.

During the height of the restrictions to stop the spread of the pandemic, bars were completely shut down and inside seating at restaurants was severely limited if not shut down altogether. In Texas eateries adapted their business models and stepped up their take-out, catering and curbside service. Some owners laid off their entire staff of cooks, bartenders and waiters and ran their business themselves.

While not getting rich, the limited business options allowed many restaurants to stave off creditors and keep the doors open. Their former employees were on the outside looking in.

As the pandemic eased and vaccinations began, businesses began to reopen. But a funny thing happened on the way to a return to normalcy. Many of the people who worked for poverty wages of $2.13 per hour plus tips were not ready to return to work. And bars and restaurants were not changing their business models to include a livable wage for employees.

Given a choice of staying home or returning to work and minimum wage jobs, they chose to stay home. “Do I stay home or deal with being assaulted by anti-maskers?” they asked themselves. Service employees under 50 years of age and not yet eligible for vaccines were confronted with being put on the front lines against a deadly virus for less money than if they stayed home.

Right-wingers have taken up hospitality worker bashing as their latest cause celebre. Well, that and attacking

transgender youth and voting rights. “People are lazy,” is a common complaint. They are confusing lazy with smart and knowing one’s worth.

“They must have been a sorry waiter if they can make more on unemployment,” said someone who never served a party of 20 and is probably a lousy tipper.

“Socialism makes people reliant on government,” is the right wing’s boogey man.

These people are the same ones who complain about immigrants taking American jobs. You know, the farm laborers who pick your tomatoes, potatoes and other veggies. Many farmers, like restaurateurs, have relied on paying poverty wages for decades.

In past years Galveston restaurants have staffed their businesses during tourist season by utilizing foreign exchange visitors through the J-1 visas program. A J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa issued by the United States to research scholars, professors and exchange visitors participating in programs that promote cultural exchange.

Those people are not here this summer.

Some bar and restaurant managers are complaining that they cannot find enough help. Some claim to have reduced capacity so as not to overwork the staff on hand. Others have reduced hours for the same reason.

None have mentioned that they are raising salaries and increasing benefits. If a business needs employees to serve its customers and is losing business by not having enough employees, the answer is simple: Hire more employees.

And how does one recruit more staff? It’s a simple case of supply and demand. When gasoline demand is low the price at the pump drops precipitously. During the summer when demand is high, gas prices rise accordingly. Employee demand should be no different.

Susan M. Heathfield, author of 10 Tips for Successful Employee Recruitment, posted in The Balance wrote, “Pay Better Than Your Competition: Yes, you do get what you pay for in the job market. Survey your local job market and take a hard look at the compensation people in your industry attract. You want to pay better than average to attract and keep the best candidates. Seems obvious, doesn’t it?

It’s not. Employers every day talk about how to get employees cheaply. It’s a bad practice. Did you hear, “You do get what you pay for in the job market?”

At some point restaurants and bars may require proof of vaccination for a customer to enter. We may see signs reading, “No shirt, no shoes, no vaccine, no service.”

And you thought asking a minimum wage employee to enforce a mask requirement was tough. e

The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of MONTROSE STAR. Johnny Trlica is the administrator of the Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page. Reach him at HRHeditor@gmail.com.

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Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 5

OP-ED Cre e p of t he W e e k

Florida’s anti-trans athlete law e By D’Anne Witkowski

W

HENEVER I WANT TO BUM

myself out, I do a Google news search for “Florida.” Because if terrible things are happening in the country, I can always count on Florida to kick the awfulness up a notch.

For example, Gov. Ron DeSantis (vomit emoji) just signed an “anti-riot” bill into law.

That must be good, right? Surely it’s a response to the reprehensible attack in Washington, D.C. by terrorists intent on overturning a lawful election, right?

Alas, not right. The bill was created to address the audacity of people protesting against the murder of Black people by the police and daring to declare that such murder not only shouldn’t happen but that it also should be punished when it does. The bill gives law enforcement more muscle to crack down on these protestors. That’s the real threat, folks: they aren’t called “social justice warriors” for nothing. We must protect law enforcement from protests against their unchecked abuse of power by increasing the power that law enforcement is abusing in the first place.

And then there’s Florida’s anti-trans athlete law, called “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,”

which includes the added dehumanizing feature of “genital checks” to the already harmful and discriminatory measure.

According to the Orlando Weekly, “Under the measure, students’ schools would have to resolve disputes ‘by requesting that the student provide a health examination and consent form or other statement signed by the student’s personal health care provider which must verify the student’s biological sex.’”

In other words, student-athletes who are suspected to “actually” be boys will need a note from their doctor asserting that they have vaginas, I guess?

Also key is the word “disputes.” This indicates that there is a current problem. There isn’t. It also is a chilling prospect. That a young woman who stands accused of being biologically male would be subjected to a level of intrusion and suspicion that, regardless of the findings, she would likely never shake. It’s a policy rife with possibilities for abuse.

But let me back up a minute. First, I’d like to address the title of this bill. It’s about fairness in “women’s” sports. It targets, specifically, athletes who are suspected of not being female.

It doesn’t target athletes who want to play for male teams who might be transgender boys or men. Why is that? Sexism and homophobia (not to mention complete ignorance about sex and gender generally).

In sports, men and boys are perceived to have the advantage over women and men and never the other way around. Men are the better athletes, full stop (though I know a certain U.S. women’s soccer team who might have something to say about that).

So trans men and boys aren’t competitive threats because they don’t have an “unfair” advantage.

As transphobic as this country is, trans men and boys are also not seen as a threat in the

same way that trans girls and women are when it comes to perceived moral abomination. In the eyes of these transphobic lawmakers, men who “become” women are committing the worst possible gender treachery because why would a man want to lose the status and power afforded to him? What could be worse than becoming a woman? Why would any man do that?

Meanwhile, women who “become” men are trading up. They get access to power and privilege that comes with being a man in this society. The anti-trans folks may not like trans men, but they at least think they know where they’re coming from.

This line of thinking, of course, leads directly into the claim that trans girls and women must have something very wrong with them.

And they must have an underlying motive of wanting to gain access to places where they can possibly see naked cisgender women like locker rooms and restrooms. Because to the folks writing these anti-trans laws, most of whom are cisgender men, that is the only motivation that makes any sense to them.

Thus, cisgender girls and women need to be protected from these deviants.

Note that this doesn’t speak well of cisgender heterosexual men. The fact that they cannot imagine any other reason why transgender women exist except to “disguise” themselves in order to prey upon cisgender women and girls is basically saying, “Because that’s what we would do in that situation!”

Mike Huckabee even said as much, stating that had he known he could just decide to be a girl one day and go into the girls’ locker room he totally would’ve.

But do go on about how it’s transgender women who are dangerous predators. e

MAY 5, 2021 | VOL. XI, 25

COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM Meet the meat

10

REVIEW Local author Phillip Johnson debuts ‘Die Fotografie’

14

D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBTQ politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

CONTENTS HRH Report.......................................................... 4 OP-ED.................................................................... 5 Cooking with Paula Dream........................... 10 Foodie Diaries.................................................... 11 What a World..................................................... 12 Review................................................................. 14 Across the Causeway .................................... 17 Community........................................................ 20 Crossword Queeries...................................... 24 Guide to the Clubs.......................................... 26 ©2020 Montrose Star All Right Reserved Montrose Star™ Newspaper since 1976, is owned

by GYLP Media, a Texas minority-certified company est. in 1990.

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CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATION May 5, 2021. None as of press time.

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PAGE 8 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

The out ‘Genera+ion’ star wants to be an example of Black queer joy

e By Chris Azzopardi

L

AST SUMMER, JUSTICE SMITH WASN’T COMING

Photos HBO Max

out but, instead, making a statement in solidarity with the Black trans and queer community. On Instagram, the 25-year-old actor posted a video while attending a protest against white supremacy and police brutality in New Orleans. He acknowledged he’s queer, yes. And yes, he revealed he was partnered, with thenboyfriend and “Queen Sugar” star Nicholas Ashe (the two have since broken up, Smith told us).

Still, he didn’t intend for the post to be about his own identity, exactly. It was more about visibility: “If your revolution does not include Black Queer voices, it is anti-Black,” he wrote.

“If your revolution is OK with letting Black trans people like #TonyMcDade slip through the cracks in order to solely liberate Black cishet men, it is anti-Black.”

Nearly a year later, the “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” actor is using the power of representation to continue these conversations with his role on HBO Max’s supremely gay series “Genera+ion.” On the show, he portrays Chester, a defiantly gay Gen Z’er who struts his high school halls in nipple-exposing crop tops — dress code be damned. In many ways, the series’ commitment to LGBTQ+ storytelling is next-level teen queerness. Writing for MEL magazine, Joseph Longo described it as “post-‘It Gets Better’ TV,” noting that, when it comes to queer representation on TV, “It’s good we’re finally seeing our messes splayed on screen, not excused.”

Recently, Smith spoke about how Chester has emboldened him to embrace his femininity, being a role model for young Black queer boys to channel their Black joy, and going from being “so noticeably un-hot” to a half-naked heartthrob. a

I think the most vious question to start with is: How many mesh shirts has Chester inspired you to buy?

(Laughs.) Um, so far zero, but I definitely am looking at the racks and being like, god, I really wish I had the confidence to get that crop top or to get that yada-yada-yada. I will say that there’s been a few hoodies in my closet that I am like, “This doesn’t need the bottom half of it,” and I just cut it into a crop.

It’s liberating wearing clothes like that, you know?

Has Chester been influential in not just your style evolution but how you look at your own sexuality?

Chester has really done a lot for my own sense of feminine power. I think that everybody contains masculine and feminine qualities. And I think as a man, you’re taught to repress or hide your femininity, and I’ve realized by playing Chester, who is somebody who rejects labels in general and expresses himself through all means of the gender spectrum, he’s given me a sense of my own feminine power. Something that I’ve kind of ignored because of how I have internalized the messages that I have received from society.

You’ve played a lot of quiet introverts, until Chester, of course.

What was aaait like to step into someone who’s unapologetically himself and also unabashedly loud about who he is?

I feel like I have that quality in my personal life; authenticity is really important to me, and I am someone who, at least within my close-knit group of friends, is bold and loud and not afraid to ask for what I want. But for some reason I was getting cast (as) a lot of these characters who were meek and insecure and quiet, which, you know, I also have those sides.

I still do consider myself an introvert. But I knew that it was time to show the world that I have all of these different sides of me, and that’s what I set out to do: being an actor I set out to kind of express the multitude of my being, and I think Chester was the perfect person to show that side of me, of this, like, boldness.

It’s also being in that 24/7. Like, every day I go to set being in that confidence and boldness, it’s cathartic, it’s inspirational. It just juices up that self-confidence that I felt like I already had but definitely ignored.

I love hearing that. A little different than running away from Tyrannosaurus Rex. A little different, but marginally. (Laughs.)

Running away from toxic masculinity and the patriarchy.

(Laughs.) Yeah, exactly. They are essentially the same thing.

I have been loving how much attention you’ve been getting for this role. How do you process comments on Twitter, or beyond Twitter, that are like, “I want Justice Smith” or “I can no longer ignore how hot I find Justice Smith.” There was another one that v Facebook.com & t Twitter Find us on P

said, “Justice Smith, having a hot boyfriend. Mmmm, I wanna make it a throuple.”

Oh, no. Oh, wow. I don’t ... I don’t even ... I didn’t even know that that was a thing (laughs). I’m, like, blushing. It’s so funny because you spend most of your life being so noticeably un-hot and unattractive (laughs), and you’re like, “I better develop a personality, because I don’t really got anything else going for me.” And then, I guess, as you get older, something clicks. I also do feel like a little bit is the way you hold yourself. Confident people just kind of are more attractive, so I think when they see me being confident on the show, they’re like, “Oh, he’s hot,” but I’m like, “Nah.” (Laughs.) In real life, no, ’cause that’s like an energy thing that I’m doing.

There’s something to be said about who you are on the show, you know, baring your midriff in almost every scene. I guess that’s not you in real life, is what you’re saying.

No, no, no, no. But this show has made me, at first, very insecure, but now very secure in my body, because it’s like I have to work out all the time because Chester’s an athlete, and I am nothing of the sort. But also, I remember when we first started out, I wore that crop top and I was just like, “Don’t you fucking breathe, tense all your muscles, act like you’re, like, chilled but actually, inside, you’re freaking the fuck out.” And now I tell our costume designer, Shirley Kurata, “This needs to be sluttier; we need to show more skin.” (Laughs.)

In the pilot, I was not breathing. When I do that strip-tease thing, I didn’t breathe for one second. I was like, “Suck in, tense all of your abs.” (Laughs.) It was intense. I was so nervous. But now it’s like, “I am so used to being naked on set.” Because I do it all the time.

While spending your teen years in Orange County, were you surrounded by as many queer people as Chester is in “Genera+ion”?

Yeah, because I went to an art school in Orange County, I got — maybe that’s a stereotype that, you know, “artists are just queer, they are fluid.” That’s why I love artists. There’s a lot of artists that are not queer, but sometimes young queer people are drawn to art schools.

Like at my high school, all the popular kids were queer kids and it was predominantly female, and there were a lot of straight people too, but it just was not uncommon for people to embrace who they were. It was a little bit of

Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 9

IN MY (JUDGMENTAL) OPINION

A new series

a bubble, which I am grateful for in some ways, because it shielded me from the way the world thought about queerness, and when I got out into the real world, I was like, “Oh shit, that’s not good.” But I had a lot of strength from being surrounded by queerness all (during) my upbringing.

Do you have a specific idea in mind of what you hope to accomplish in an industry that has been predominantly white and straight?

I was just talking to my little brother about this today: I find that the most radical protest is unapologetic self-love and self-acceptance, and that there is so much leading I can do by example, by putting my face on screen so that young Black and biracial boys can see themselves represented. It’s unfortunately radical, but also, it shouldn’t be a radical thing, just my existence, but it is. And the fact that I can utilize it and be like, “Well, then I am going to represent myself, and people who look like me and people who love like me, and make them feel less alone.” That I realize is my greatest power in all of this.

I am just doing what I love; acting is what I love to do, it is what I’ve always set out to do, and I just happen to exist in a Black queer body. And while I am very invested in social issues, it’s unfair that as a Black queer person I am almost forced to speak out about social issues, when people of the majority are not necessarily inclined to do so or obligated to do so. I hope that paradigm shifts, in that white, straight, cis people are obligated to talk about social issues just as often as BIPOC or queer people have to when they exist in the public zeitgeist.

But until that happens, I’m so cool with just being like, “This is my face, this is who I love.” Like, “Kids, see yourself in me. I am here; you can do this too.”

I know that a part of that is you putting your relationship out there. I mean, that is also making a statement saying, “Well, queer love is love.” I wonder how conscious you are of making that kind of statement by making your relationship public, but also: Do you draw a line somewhere?

It’s interesting, because I have thought about this. That relationship was incredibly expansive to me. We’re no longer together, but it really opened me up as a person. I don’t wanna go into it too much, which is ironic ’cause that is exactly what we are talking about — how much I revealed about my relationship — but I think, moreover, there’s so much Black boy, Black queer joy in my life, and there is so much Black pain in the zeitgeist, and I want to make sure that people know that I am aligned with this pain, and I am feeling this pain intimately, because I am a part of this community. But moreover, I want people to see the example of Black queer joy.

I was just talking to my little brother about this too: When you surround yourself (with) images of pain and tragedy and solitude constantly, or you internalize those messages that society gives you, it starts to manifest in your life. The minute you start to surround yourself with just images of joy, specifically of people of your community experiencing joy, it also shapes your brain, and it’s like, “Oh, no, no, no, no; there is happiness for me out there. There is love out there for me, there is success out there for me, because I can see it. I see someone like me doing it.” And so that was really important to me to just be like, I have all this Black boy joy, all this Black love, this Black queer love, and I want people to see it, so that other Black queers are like, “No, in all this pain there is light. There is love. There is happiness. There is joy.”

But I do want to say, to answer your question, which I didn’t (laughs), is that I am really private about my relationships. But I think that was more of a statement to my community, just to remind them of the good in all of this.

Your single “Bed” just came out. Can you tell me a bit about the song and how it came about? Also, are we going to get a full album at some point?

Yeah, the song I wrote about three or four years ago, about a relationship I was in, and I was really just in love with this person. I realized how much a relationship exists in the framing of a bedroom. Not just in a sexual way, but how the

Judg-ment/ jaj-ment (noun): an opinion or evaluation by

discerning and comparison O-pin-ion (noun): a view or judgment not necessarily based on fact or knowledge

“There is brutality and there is honesty, but there is no such thing as brutally honest.” —Anonymous e By Randall Jobe

A

bedroom is a place where you share intimacy, where you share conciliation, where you can be lazy with one another, where you can laugh with one another, you can sit around watching TV. You can argue, you can cry. It’s the most private, pure form of a relationship when you are with your partner in bed.

And an album — yes! I would love to make an album.

I have all these songs written. So I am just so honored that we get to share (this) with the world now, because it’s something I never thought I would really do. But here I am.

You’re going to have a lot of moments in your career when you are going to say that to yourself.

Yeah, that’s true. That’s very true. But that’s always where the most growth happens: when you do the things that you thought you would never do. e Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. v Facebook.com & t Twitter Find us on P

LL RIGHT, DAMNIT, I’LL ADMIT IT. IN MY

opinion, I am judgmental to the point of possibly being mistaken for a bitchy queen. I know, hard to believe, right? Many of my “opinions” are not based on Webster’s definition of “careful thought.” Who has time for that? I need about 7-1/2 seconds to peruse someone or something and land my verdict on face, body, wardrobe and whether they are wearing a permanent resting bitch face or just sucking on a lemon wedge. I’m not proud of it, but at this stage in my long-lived life’s experience, what can I do?

One definition of judgment would have me “discerning” based on fact and comparison. Now, that is exactly what I do. Here are the facts. Exhibit A is a prissy wannabe, compared to B, who is not. I’ve had enough encounters, in and out of the sack, with viscous, backbiting, twofaced, whoring queens to know.

But, who’s judging? In all fairness, my ability to quickly assess a person, place or thing is my gift.

So, let’s begin with my latest pullmy-hair-out opinion of one the latest fashion trends. (My apologies to those who know me well. They’ve heard this rant a dozen times. This week.)

The so-called fashion designer who decided that no socks and clam digger length pants is fashion should be whipped with a weighted tape measure or forced to binge watch Keeping up with the Kardashians.

Don’t grown men (especially the metrosexuals) realize how ridiculous they look in a fastidiously puttogether ensemble only to have the focus be on 6 inches of godless, sockless ankles?! “All of you focus on my feet, please.” Especially offensive are the milk-skinned offenders whose ankles glow like radioactive waste.

My theory is this: Envision a pissy fashion show with models all set to parade the runway like show poodles.

The designer barks at his assistant as to why they are not wearing the socks he has careful picked to accompany each flawless ensemble. The petrified flunky admits that he has forgotten them. A bitch slap later the designer realizes there is no alternative. “Go! he screeches. “Go!” Thus, the fashion crime of the decade was launched, joining the return of the fanny pack and jeans laden with saucer-sized holes. Not every trend is a winner, guys.

Currently the guiltiest of the ankle-bearing criminals is pseudocelebrity Ryan Seacrest who’s weekday talk show hosting has me throwing my shoes at the tube, and not in a Jennifer Hudson, good way. His skin tone sans socks is so close to the pristine white tennis shoes he wears with everything, dressy or casual, makes it impossible to discern between the two shades of “nay.” Sunglasses, please.

Though I try to separate my humble opinions from judgmental verdicts that would lock bare-ankled felons in a sock factory, I realize that like mullets and bellbottoms, this too shall pass. Not soon enough for me. No socks with a beautiful suit is like cake without ice cream, or sex with no dirty talk. Why? Why? As I’m anguishing over no socks, there is a fashion faux pas in hot pursuit of the newest trend trophy: short shorts for men. Unless your legs are insured for a million dollars or you’ve time traveled from the ‘80s, I beseech you. Do not follow the lemmings off the fashion cliff. You look ridiculous.

But, that’s just my opinion.

Next issue: Mannerless millennials. e

PAGE 10 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM

Meet the meat e By Paula Dream ( A K A K a l e H a y g o o d )

I

N THIS ISSUE, IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW

you handle your meat. Here are three easy recipes that will make you look like you slaved over a hot stove all day. With Mother’s Day at our door, maybe you can treat Mom to one of these dishes.

I hope everyone is getting their vaccine and has dodged the Covid. Be safe and keep those masks handy.

2 7 10 Montrose Blvd.

Houston, T X 7 7 006

ORANGE HAM STEAK

SALISBURY STEAK

1 bone-in ham steak 1/4 cup orange marmalade 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1 teaspoon corn syrup 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger In a large greased iron skillet, brown ham three to four minutes on each side; remove from skillet. In the same skillet, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add ham back to skillet. Cook covered one to two minutes until heated through.

1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup saltines, crushed 1/4 cup egg substitute 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 pound ground beef 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 cup water 1 envelope dry onion soup mix 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour In a large bowl, combine onion, saltines, egg and pepper. Add beef. Mix well with your hands then shape into patties. Add oil to a large skillet. Brown patties over medium-high heat on both sides until done. Remove patties from skillet. Combine water, soup mix and flour into skillet and mix well, bringing to a boil. Return patties to skillet and simmer for three to five minutes. e

LEMON-ROSEMARY PORK TENDERLOIN

713.526.0202 Order Online www.pepperonis.net

1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 garlic clove minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 tenderloins, 1 pound each In a small bowl, combine first nine ingredients. Rub mixture over tenderloin.

Place on rack in shallow roasting pan.

Place in preheated 400 degree oven. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until internal temperature is 160 degrees.

1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced (or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary) 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

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Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 11

FOODIE DIARIES FRENCH CUISINE

Will Maison Pucha succeed where others failed? e By Jim Ayres

W

HEN MY FRIEND BILL

suggested we have dinner at Maison Pucha, I jumped at the chance. Even though I wasn’t sure what Maison Pucha was.

I learned that Maison Pucha is the house of the three brothers Pucha, who began their culinary adventure in Deleg, Ecuador. At Maison Pucha, classic French dishes are given an Ecuadorean twist, and the result is a wonderful restaurant I’ll return to again and again.

Manuel, the chef, has quite a pedigree in Houston. Coming from New York City to join Bistro Moderne at Hotel Derek, he reunited with New York City buddies Philippe Schmit and Jose Hernandez. Manuel soon became executive sous chef at Philippe, Schmit’s namesake restaurant near the Galleria.

He became executive chef at that space’s next incarnation, Table on Post Oak. Today, Maison Pucha hums in the space previously known as (take a deep breath) Bedford, Stella Sola, Black & White and possibly others. Although this is, according to PaperCity, “The Heights’ Most Cursed Restaurant Location,” the Pucha brothers have a 10-year lease, so they’re greatly confident.

If the dinner we had is any indication, I’m confident too. A brilliant Emmolo Napa Valley Merlot started things off. The label may have said Merlot, but its opulent texture and finish assert “Cabernet Sauvignon-lite.”

Beef empanadas with an aji rocoto salsa-ish of red onion, radish, cilantro and jalapeno were a perfect starter to enjoy with the wine. The crunchy shells had a sandy mouth feel that enhanced the richly spiced beef within.

I, of course, had to order the wedge

salad. I had no regrets. This ice-cold iceberg came with candied pecans, cherry tomatoes and a house-made bleu cheese ranch dressing. Those candied nuts were the first thing I devoured, and as the old Toyota ad went, “Who could ask for anything more?”

As our excellent server replenished our glasses, entrees arrived. Previously, I asked our server his choice between coq au vin and steak frites. As lovely a dish as coq au vin usually is, he couldn’t help but hiss “you can get that anywhere!” I appreciated his honesty.

And his wisdom. The steak frites was among the best I’ve ever had. The certified Angus beef was tender, almost creamy, and cooked to a perfect medium rare.

Maison Pucha’s grandiose menu says that the steak is seared “a la plancha.”

Sounded exotic to me, but griddled (what it means) was just dandy.

Bill’s Scottish salmon was a revelation. I got a couple of bites of this hickory smoked salmon and its accompaniments, including asparagus risotto, tomato pesto and lobster foam.

My eyes went to the ceiling and my tongue did a tango as the fish went down. It’s hard to imagine a more satisfying salmon dish than this one.

For a shared dessert, we couldn’t resist the Astrodome (what Houstonian could?). It’s an Ecuadorian chocolate and guava mousse — bet you can’t guess the shape of it — with seasonal berries all around. It was a delightful way to end our exquisite meal at Maison Pucha. e

Maison Pucha’s steak frites

Maison Pucha 1001 Studewood, Houston, TX 77008

7 1 3 - 6 37- 4976 MAISONPUCHA.COM

Maison Pucha’s beef empanadas

EXCITED FOR BRUNCH? SO ARE WE! SUNDAY BRUNCH 11AM - 3PM LAURENZOS.COM / 4412 WASHINGTON AVE / 713.880.5111

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PAGE 12 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

WHAT A WORLD

Doing battle on Lesbian Visibility Day e By Nancy Ford

H

EY, EVERYONE! DID YOU HAVE A NICE LESBIAN

Visibility Day on April 26? I sure did! To celebrate, I went shopping at Costco, and bought one of their renowned rotisserie chickens. I was fully masked, of course (Covid, you know), but I’ve been feeling so empowered since I received my Pfizer booster vaccine that I took off my mask before I got to my car! I revealed my whole, naked face right there in Costco parking lot. I know — max visibility!

And that, dear friends, was my moment of visibility on National Lesbian Visibility Day. Truth be told, even though I have considered myself to be a relatively visible lesbian since 1977, I was not aware that April 26 is Lesbian Visibility Day. That’s why you didn’t get a card. I only found out it was a holiday that same morning when I received an email that announced the National LGBTQ Task Force was sponsoring a Zoom chat that very evening with a panel of highly visible lesbians. Sign me up!

The announcement noted that the panelists would engage in a conversation with topics ranging from “the paradox of lesbian visibility versus lesbian erasure to gender-critical and anti-trans sentiment in the lesbian community to the role feminism is playing in the larger queer community.”

Let’s party!

Of the eight women who took part in the discussion, I recognized only one: Urvashi Vaid, who many of

you know as possibly the quintessential lesbian intellectual of our movement. I won’t list all of Urvashi’s accomplishments here, but suffice it to say that our community’s quest for equality might likely have been dramatically delayed without her influence. She’s a bestselling author whose work tackles the intricacies of HIV/AIDS, as well as public policy, sexuality and civil rights. Years ago, she even established her own personal think tank, The Vaid Group, for crying out loud.

Brains are sexy, don’t you agree?

Perhaps the most compelling evidence of Urvashi’s demonstrated wisdom and good judgment is her choice of life partner. She and the legendary Godmother of Dyke Comedy, Kate Clinton, have been together since 1988.

The online session was titled “What the L?: Lesbians, Feminism and Where We Fit in the Queer Universe in 2021”. It turned out to be an appropriate name, because the live comments section was rife with women intent on doing battle with each other. The point of contention was largely focused on if biologically born women and lesbians have the right to meet and organize and just generally live their lives without accepting transwomen — for whatever reason — into their world. The transwomen identifying as lesbians who had also logged on to the session weren’t having it, to say the least.

Unfortunately this conversation, as important as it is, dominated the message boards throughout most of the online discussion, pulling focus from the panelists’ comments. Regardless of which side of the issue one falls on, that was just rude and very unproductive. When I logged off, instead of feeling inspired or empowered, I felt sad and frustrated: sad that there is still so much division within our lesbian community, and frustrated that this was how so many of our lesbian sisters — trans or not — chose to celebrate their visibility.

Plus, there was no cake. What the L kind of celebration is that?

Then, at the very end of the session, just as I was about to bail in disgust, another woman posted the following:

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Kate Clinton (left) and Urvashi Vaid (2015).

Photo via 365DaysOfLesbians.tumblr.com

“I’m crying. I loved this. I’m not out yet, but this has been wonderful. Thank you so much.”

I don’t know her name, but this woman absolutely made my Lesbian Visibility Day. She reminded me that even when we as a community have conflict with each other, rolling around in the weeds, getting all dirty as we try to claim our own patch of ground.

It’s fine to tussle, figuratively, as long as once in a while we all look to the sky to find our individual and collective rainbow. Where’s my insulin?

“One of the things I’ve learned from being a lesbian is realizing how many different kinds of lesbians there are, and how wide and interesting and huge our communities are. It’s plural — it’s not just one community,” Urvashi diplomatically offered as the comments battle raged on.

Then, appearing in a unexpected, welcomed cameo, Kate Clinton herself popped her head into Urvashi’s zoom space. Suddenly the comments box was filled with friendly greetings: ”Hi, Kate!” “We love you, Kate!” And calm and sisterhood was restored — at least temporarily, until the next time we all meet.

Thanks, Kate; you saved the day. But next year I’m bringing cake. e

Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 13

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PAGE 14 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

REVIEW

Local author Phillip Johnson debuts ‘Die Fotografie’ MONTROSE STAR: Tell us a little about

e By Jim Ayres

M

ANY PEOPLE IN HOUSTON’S

LGBT community know Phillip Johnson through social events. But now, Johnson can add “author” to his legacy with the release of his first book, Die Fotografie.

He recently spoke to MONTROSE STAR about the book, his writing process, and what is next for him.

Phillip Johnson

yourself.

PHILLIP JOHNSON: I was born here in Houston, at Hermann Hospital.

However, my dad was a visionary and we moved when he bought a guest ranch 35 miles NW of Austin on Lake Travis. I attended small country schools in the area until my parents bought a second home in Austin. I majored in design in college in Dallas.

I was a “normal gay student” and was harassed a little — but being over six feet tall helped with that!

After graduating from college, I moved back to Houston in 1975 and have been here ever since.

MS: You’re a bon vivant in the Houston LGBT community, and you’re very well connected.

PJ: I have been a member of many gay organizations over the years. These include the Mystery and Fantasy Mardi Gras Party, the Krewe of Olympus, Four Seasons and the Diana Foundation.

I love to have dinner parties in my home and celebrate most holidays here with close friends. Of course, I have an alter ego, “She-needs-a Cocktail”! I bring her out for charity functions and, well, almost any event.

MS: Your first novel, Die Fotografie, is now available. What was the one thing that inspired you to make the book a reality?

PJ: The inspiration for this book came from the photograph that’s on the cover of the book.

MS: So, how long has the seed been planted?

What told you that now is the time to tell this story?

PJ: Some 25 years ago, my best friend and I visited the Holocaust Museum here in Houston. There is displayed the picture of three boys who were traumatized at Auschwitz. After seeing the picture at the museum, I immediately started thinking of how I would go about writing a book.

I’ve been working on outlines and rough drafts for years. But within the last 18 months, the pandemic has given me the time I needed to finish the book.

MS: What is Die Fotografie about?

PJ: This book is about three 10-yearold boys at Auschwitz who were used for sterilization experiments, and their complicated lives until the three of them meet again 20 years later due to an emergency.

MS: Die Fotografie is a vast story, centered in Germany of course, but with stops in Africa and South America along the way. How did you organize your research?

PJ: I did many years of research — I must admit, not terribly organized at times — and watched every program on the History Channel on World War II! From there, creating the characters and scenarios for the book was challenging but a lot of fun. v Facebook.com & t Twitter Find us on P

The book was smaller in scope at first, but as I researched the events being portrayed, I realized this would be a much bigger project. This book is what scholars call a historical fiction — the melding of fictional characters and events into a broader portrait of what was going on at the time.

I have always been interested in the Holocaust and this book has been a labor of love for me. I was inspired to learn of the atrocities and share the book’s many different storylines with others — from abused children to LGBT characters to redemption.

MS: Your first drafts were handwritten.

PJ: One thing that everyone knows about me is that I am not a computer person! I wrote my first thoughts and a short version of story in handwritten pages in notebooks.

Believe it or not, when it was time to turn my ten-page short story into a 360-page book, I used my iPhone and texted chapters to Tom, my ghostwriter.

MS: Who is the character in the book with whom you most identify?

PJ: When you read the book, you’ll meet Gabby, who started off as a boy and had a kind of “fairy tale” journey to become a lovely lady.

The book has many historical characters too, including Dr. Horst Schumann, the photographer Hugo Jaeger, and nurse Maria Stromberger who intentionally sought a job at Auschwitz so she could confirm rumors about what was happening there.

MS: There came a point you knew it was time to collaborate in order to get this project into high gear. How was it working with Tom? Did he have new perspectives to bring to the book?

PJ: I hired Tom Loesch to be my ghostwriter and with his help and ideas we were able to bring this book to life.

We were like Lucy and Ethel writing a book together! But there was lots of hard work and determination.

MS: How did you become interested in self-publishing?

PJ: My friend Lee Ingalls wrote a book, Ingalls on the Prairie: The Gene and Fern Ingalls Story, and he used Amazon for publishing. He shared the process with me, and it was a good fit for me as well.

MS: So, the $64,000 question: Will you do it again?

PJ: Absolutely! This book was the most important thing I have ever accomplished, and I am already writing a sequel. It follows all the main characters through the years and their continued adventures.

Die Fotografie can be ordered as a Kindle download or paperback on Amazon. Autographed copies are available at DieFotografie.com.

Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 15

POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Black AIDS Institute founder Phill Wilson on living through dual pandemics e By Ashley Innes

W

E’RE COMING OFF A HISTORIC

year in 2020. A year that devastated us and empowered us. A year that tested us and made us stronger. A year that put systemic racism and health disparities front and center for the world to see. It reminded us that there is still much work to be done in the fight for equality and equity yet inspired us to act toward progress.

We are still in the middle of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 500,000 Americans, but amid the struggle we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As the COVID vaccine allows us to feel hope, I reflect on what this feeling must be like for long-term survivors of HIV. Many remember when a new unknown virus emerged that was claiming the lives of their loved ones.

A virus that they still live with today.

As we work to manage the current pandemic, many who have been living with HIV for decades once again find themselves losing loved ones. Reliving the past, grateful for what science has brought so quickly, and cautious to not let history repeat itself.

I recently had a conversation with Phill Wilson, founder and former CEO of the Black AIDS Institute.

As many know, Phil is a gay Black man who has been living with HIV since 1981. He has been a champion and leader in this work for decades and understands better than anyone the concerns facing people living with HIV and the parallels to COVID, especially in Black communities. He says: “This experience presents both an emotional as well as a physical health risk. We’re living dual experiences because we’re not yet finished with the HIV pandemic, and we’re now living with COVID. There is kind of a painful déjà vu going on as COVID-19 is manifesting itself in our communities in the way HIV continues to manifest itself in our communities.

Chief among them are the disparities.

Black communities were slow to respond

to the HIV/AIDS pandemic while we were disproportionately impacted, and policy makers were not sufficiently concerned about our needs. That is being replayed with COVID-19 as well.”

It should be very apparent at this point that ending HIV and COVID-19 is about more than just access to medicine and vaccines. It’s about dismantling the systems of oppression that allow these viruses to thrive and recognizing that Black and other marginalized communities have a long history of distrust of the medical system. Many remain traumatized by the Tuskegee experiment, Henrietta Lacks, the experimental procedures performed on enslaved women, and the list goes on.

“Black people have very legitimate reasons to have medical mistrust because the medical community has not always been responsive to our needs,” Wilson says. “The most dominant way we have been mistreated by the medical community is by them withholding treatment from us.” Tuskegee is an example of that, as the Black men involved received no treatment for syphilis, and Wilson believes that is exactly why we should be fighting for information and access to the vaccine now.

Phil Wilson

I wholeheartedly agree with him and at the same time understand that as much as I urge Black communities to get into HIV care, utilize PrEP and take the COVID vaccine, I know it’s not that simple. Medical racism is real, and the challenge is on America to overcome it.

We can urge people to take this vaccine without shaming them or judging them for being skeptical. It’s not Black people’s fault that they don’t trust the medical system. America has been medically unethical since the founding of this country. That legacy never goes away.

Therefore, my job and that of everyone who calls themselves an advocate or is a part of the medical system in any way is to improve trust by providing equitable care and accurate information that allows people to make informed decisions about their health. We need all of us collectively working together. So many people have already lost their lives. Wilson cautions us to not repeat past mistakes, saying: a“These are lessons that we’ve learned and, frankly, the consequences of screwing up. I’m hoping we can take the lessons of HIV/AIDS, apply them, and come up with more equitable solutions as we fight the pandemic. And one of them is making sure that medicine, vaccines, and prevention tactics and strategies are open and accessible to Black, brown and other marginalized people.”

Simply put, we honor the past by fighting for the now, fighting for the future. Let’s ensure we all survive. e Ashley Innes is a writer and HIV advocate. Follow her on Twitter @AshInnes. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ and Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ+ wire service. Visit their websites – http://thebody.com, http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com and http://poz.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

Ashley Innes

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PAGE 16 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

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SECTION B

≈ Deep Inside Hollywood..................

18

Netflix’s ‘Single All the Way’ turns a queer eye to Christmas MONTROSE STAR.COM

THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE!

Wednesday May 5, 2021 e VOL. XI, 25

ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY

The merry month of May “The world’s favorite season is the spring.

All things seem possible in May.” —Harriet Ann Jacobs e By Forest Riggs

W

HEN IT COMES TO MONTHS THAT ARE MOST

celebrated in thoughts, songs, poems and movies, next to December would be the merry month of May. Finally, May has arrived and brings the onset of the summer vacation period that traditionally runs through Labor Day in September.

May is known for celebrating spring in full swing.

With spring comes sweet May and universe’s way of declaring “One more time.” Originally the third month of the year in the Roman calendar, with the addition of three “new” months, May became the famous fifth month of the year. Known for its brilliant birthstone, the emerald, and dainty flower, Lily of the Valley, May is symbolic of love, health, and beauty.

Galveston welcomes the month and all the visitors and tourists will that cross the causeway to explore the “Little Baghdad in the Gulf.” Already the Seawall is lined

with cars and the newly sanded beaches are full of folks enjoying the cool, southern breezes and warming waters.

As the song says, “What good is sitting alone in your room?” when gay Galvetraz offers so much fun and summer excitement. Rumors Beach Bar along the Seawall offers a fantastic deck where bar patrons can sit, sip, soak up rays, and watch the world pass by below. 23rd Station Piano Bar’s revamped outdoor patio bar is ready for some summer fun, creating a real getaway environment and “Margaritaville” setting. Robert’s Lafitte, always a hot spot and must-do, is still the place to gather, hang out with locals, and even take a dip in the pool. The drinks are always flowing and the amiable staff is ready to serve.

“With each day going by, hope is reborn, Dreams come true and a little step is taken toward happiness.

May this May be unbelievably exceptional, Amazingly colorful and filled with joy, laughter and love.”

—Anonymous

In 1599, the English Elizabethan dramatist Thomas Decker wrote a play, “The Shoemaker’s Holiday” and in it, were the lines: “O, the month of May. The merry month of May, so frolic, so gay and so green, so green, so green! O, and then did I unto my true love say, Sunset Peg, thou shalt be my Summer’s Queen.”

This is perhaps the first mention of the “merry” month of May in recorded literature. It did not take long for the word “merry” to become the descriptive adjective commonly placed in front of the word for the fifth month.

Just about everyone knows, or has heard the song “Strolling through the Park One Day”. The tune conjures images of striped-suited dandies wearing bowler hats and dancing with a bent bamboo cane. Published in 1884, the original title by songwriter Ed Haley was “The Fountain in the Park”. However, due to the immense popularity of the first line, the title changed over time to its present form referencing a stroll in the park.

“While strolling through the park one day, In the merry, merry month of May, I was taken by surprise By a pair of roguish eyes, I was scared but did not run away.”

And so it was that May was to forever be known at the merry month of May. When you think about all the summer adventures that lay ahead, May is an exciting time. May is a sort of magical door or portal into an upcoming summer filled with endless possibilities. The large LGBTQ community on the Island is waiting to make sure everyone has a great summer and makes the most of their getaway or road trip down from America! With the tanned and hot-looking visitors, there are bound to be some roguish eyes taking people by surprise. Don’t be shy, don’t be scared and, most of all, don’t run away. You just might find some island treasure that ol’ Jean Lafitte forgot to bury! e A resident of Galveston where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life, Forest Riggs recently completed a collection of short stories about his beloved island and is working on a novel.

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PAGE 18 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

Netflix’s ‘Single All the Way’ turns a queer eye to Christmas e By Romeo San Vicente

A

CHRISTMAS-THEMED ROM-COM GOING WHERE

Hallmark still hasn’t, “Single All the Way” promises to turn Netflix into a queer Santa’s Village. Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of “Spring Awakening,” is taking on the project that stars Michael Urie, newcomer Philemon Chambers and veteran Hallmark Channel leading man Luke Macfarlane (who is openly gay but who routinely shows up on that network to romance all sorts of heterosexual women). Urie plays a man whose mother wants him to settle down and get married, so he brings his best friend (Chambers) home for the holidays to trick Mom into thinking he’s finally taken the monogamy plunge. Meanwhile, the matriarch has other plans, fixing up her son with a local personal trainer (Macfarlane, who’ll then have a character-based reason to be shirtless). There’ll be supporting turns from Barry Bostwick (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), Jennifer Luke Macfarlane Coolidge (“Promising Photo KathClick.

Young Woman”) and Kathy Najimy (“Veep”). And we’ll be watching it just to support the cause, obviously, but after seeing every basic cable variation on the Christmas rom-com under the sun, what we’re looking for here is a happy throuple ending. Netflix, make it so.

Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass fall into friendship in ‘Language Lessons’ ueer actress Natalie Morales (“Dead to Me,” “Parks and Recreation”) has directed her first feature film, “Language Lessons.” Shot during the pandemic, primarily over Zoom, it stars Morales as a Spanish language tutor and Mark Duplass as a gay man (yes, the queer woman plays hetero and the hetero man plays gay and that’s why it’s called acting). They connect for what is at first a business transaction, but their connection grows deeper and more intense over time, especially when unexpected tragedy enters the picture. Duplass wrote and produced the film, which recently premiered at South by Southwest, and its complex approach to human relationships, especially those forged online, is a rarity. Think about it: When was the last movie you saw about the growth, nurturing and fracturing of a platonic friendship? Look for this one sometime later in the coming year, maybe even when arthouse theaters reopen for big screen entertainment again.

Q

Raven-Symoné is coming over to judge your furniture aven-Symoné got married to her partner Miranda Maday in the middle of the pandemic. And if that weren’t celebratory enough news for the 30-something TV veteran, she’s also got a new series coming to HGTV. If you remember the fashion makeover show “What Not to Wear,” you’ll understand the premise of “What Not to Design.”

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(That’s the working title; it’s… fine.) Raven-Symoné and her team of experts, designer Nina Ferrer (“Design Star”) and craftsman James Worsham, will swoop into badly furnished homes – they’re coming for your wildly overgrown Funko Pop collection, so tremble – and lovingly convince the inhabitants to turn from their bad-taste ways and get a lot of new free furniture in the process. We love a reality show that both punishes and rewards, and we believe in the Raven-Symoné’s inalienable right to entertainment world domination, so this ought to be a lot of fun.

HBO gives Pee-wee Herman the tribute documentary he deserves here is no overestimating the importance of Peewee Herman to the cultural landscape of the 1980s.

This may sound like hyperbole but it’s not. Weirdness, queerness and Mr. T Cereal-ness were his love languages, and it’s all because of his real-life alter ego, comic actor Paul Reubens. And because Reubens’ magical character — a persona built on stage with Los Angeles’ Groundlings comedy group — first gained national exposure on an early ’80s HBO special, it’s only fitting that HBO would become the home to a two-part documentary film about Reubens and his career. To be directed by Matt Wolf (“Spaceship Earth”), the film will be produced by “Uncut Gems” directors Josh and Benny Safdie, Sebastian Bear-McClard and “Joker” producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff. This will be a rare moment in the career of the extremely private Reubens that he allows the outside world to enter his life; longtime fans are going to love it, and probably want to marry it.

T

Romeo San Vicente knows the secret word of the day and will scream real loud when you accidentally say it.

Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 19

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PAGE 20 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

COMMUNITY

LARRY KRAMER: Remembering a leader e By Anthony T. Eaton

M

AY 27 WILL MARK TWO YEARS

since Larry Kramer’s passing and our loss of one of the most influential leaders in the LGBTQ+ community. With the coming of the annual Pride celebrations in June, we must remember the impact Larry had in the fight against AIDS and the struggle for our rights.

Larry was an accomplished man earning a degree from Yale, an academy award nomination as a screenwriter, two-time Obie winner, Pulitzer prize nominee, and activist.

Born in a time when being out was unheard of and the role models we have today did not exist, he had his own struggles with coming to terms with and accepting himself as a gay man, as many did and still do. Going as far as attempting suicide while in college, Larry would come to terms with who he was and go on to lead a movement that would change our world.

While not initially interested in activism, Larry would become a leader in the gay rights movement and the fight against AIDS when gay men began to get sick in 1980 with a then-unknown disease. Larry was instrumental in so many ways, from forming the first AIDS organization, which would become the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), to ACT UP in 1987 after years of the government and the world turning a blind eye to what was happening. Larry forced gay men, the government, and mainstream news to pay attention and respond to the AIDS crisis, starting with his lengthy essay titled “1,112 and counting”, of which Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner said, “With that one piece, Larry changed my world. He changed the world for all of us.” Indeed, he did.

Larry exemplified what it means to stand up and take action even when that makes you unpopular and a target. While many were willing to stand back because they were afraid of being outed in a time when we had few, if any, rights, Larry said no. He stepped forward, mobilizing a movement that would bring forth money for research to fight AIDS. He would not let all those that had died were dying, and suffering do so in vain. Widely criticized for his methods even by the gay community, GMHC ousted him in 1983 due to his “in your face” approach; that approach resulted in the intended outcomes. People and the government took notice and took action. Larry knew someone had to do something, and he did.

“You’d think one day we’d learn. You don’t get anything unless you fight for it, united and with visible numbers.” —Larry Kramer While we now know that HIV had probably been around for decades, it was not until 1981 that the virus seemed to take hold and spread. If you were born

“Some reporter called me ‘the angriest gay man in the world’ or some such. Well, it stuck, but I realized it was very useful.”

—Larry Kramer

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after 1981, chances are you don’t know what effect the disease had back then, the toll it was taking. I was 14, and I remember clearly the fear that permeated the gay community and the lack of response or even acknowledgment of the government to do something because it was that “gay disease.”

I remember my fear as a young gay man, seeing all those who were sick, dying, or who had passed. Had those infected with HIV been white straight men, things would have been much different. Now more than ever, that fact is not lost on me when I see the world’s response to the COVID pandemic compared to what happened back then.

“AIDS was allowed to happen. It is a plague that needs not to have happened. It is a plague that could have been contained from the very beginning.” —Larry Kramer Had it not been for Larry and others like him, we would be in a very different place today. Because of his courage, we should all recognize that one person, each of us can make a difference even when the stakes are high, we are afraid, and there is much to lose but also much to be gained.

Today more than ever, we all need to be like Larry and stand up against all that is wrong in the world and our own country.

Renowned immunologist Anthony Fauci said of Larry, “In American medicine, there are two eras. Before Larry and after Larry.”

Larry’s life and courage should be a catalyst for our own response to the lack of leadership in our country, to the continued and pervasive racism and bigotry that still exists, the inequality and injustice of anyone.

We must raise our voices; however, we can.

We must demand change and not stand by meekly and wait for someone to do it for us. We must unite not as groups of color, gender, or sexuality but as human beings.

Larry’s passing should be a call for action, so we do not let all those who have gone before us, who have sacrificed, risked, and even lost their lives to have done so in vain. Each of us must have a cause and do something to advance that. We must get involved by voting, writing our representatives, raising our voices. Like Larry, we must act up.

Larry’s legacy should remind us that the rights we have gained are fragile and can easily be stripped away as we continue to see. Leadership comes in many forms and people, but most often, it comes from those we least expect.

Larry Kramer was 84. e

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CROSSWORD QUEERIES

Straight Talk? Not! Across 1 First two quarters of a Miami Sol game 5 Lily Tomlin, for one 10 Mary had a little one 14 Declare firmly 15 Big name in refrigerators 16 Sharif of “Funny Girl” 17 Paris, to Debussy 18 Jocks’ antitheses 19 Adriatic seaport 20 Start of a quote in the news recently 23 Aflame 24 Summer for Bonheur

Pointe, e.g.

49 In difficult times 51 Gay partner, in slang if not law

Measure” role 13 “War Requiem” composer Benjamin

53 Shaft output

21 Kinsey Scale heteros

54 Exclusion of gays

22 You can serve

from the military, e.g.

55 It requires several G-strings 56 Source of the quote 59 Proof part

your meat this way 27 One with a home in Nome 29 Type of hit on Broadway

60 Come together

30 Composer Thomas

61 Mine, to Verlaine

31 “The Bell” author Murdoch

62 WWII gun

33 “Chicago” producer Neil

63 Cicero’s father

34 From the top

64 Go down (on)

36 Like a wall picture of a hottie

25 Straight, for a fuzzy navel

12 “Measure for

26 Pester persistently

Down

28 Neckwear for

1 Estate for Frida

38 Miss in a Cole Porter song 40 Tallulah Bankhead’s home 41 Explosive force unit

the well-hung?

2 Earhart and others

30 Route for a jet

3 Cry from the closet

32 Oil containers

4 Ukulele neck detail

33 More of the quote

5 Dugout items

35 Hollywood canine

6 Long O, on Lesbos

36 Bas reliefs of Lincoln

7 French Revolution figure

37 Affairs in the evening

8 Memorial Day

39 “Gay Sutra”

race, briefly

43 End of the quote

9 “Les Miz” list

46 Worked the hayfields

10 Arcing shot from

47 “Le Monde” article

Mauresmo

57 Bambi doe

48 P-town’s Crowne

11 Dental compound

58 Batman portrayer Kilmer

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42 Deep throat tissue 43 Comes too quickly 44 To some extent 45 Takei of “Star Trek” 46 Kiss from Kahlo 49 Old hat 50 Phallic fish seeker 52 Once a Mattress 53 Skip past

Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 25

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PAGE 26 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday May 5, 2021

GUIDE TO THE CLUBS

HOUSTON n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN Barcode Houston

n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN

n NW HOUSTON

817 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 526-2625 • facebook.com/barcode77006 Shows | Neighborhood Bar | CD/Trans

Moon Tower Inn

La Granja Disco & Cantina

3004 Canal St, 77003 (832) 969-1934 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Hot Dogs | Beer Gardens

5505 Pinemont Dr., Houston (713) 518-6753 • lagranjadisco.com Latin dance club

Buddy’s

Neil’s Bahr

Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon

2409 Grant St Ste A, Houston (281) 310-1050 Cocktails | Beer | Karaoke |Pool | DJ’s

2006 Walker St, 77003 (281) 352-7456 • NeilsBahr.com Premier Nerd | Gamer

Crocker Bar

Tout Suite

2312 Crocker St, Houston (713) 529-3355 Large Deck | Karaoke

George’s Country Sports Bar 617 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 528-8102 Sports Bar | Pool & Darts | Patio

JR’s Bar and Grill & Santa Fe 808 Pacific St, Houston (713) 521-2519 • jrsbarandgrill.com Videos | Patio | Karaoke | Shows

Michael’s Outpost Piano Bar 1419 Richmond Ave, Houston (713) 520-8446 Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Piano

Papi’s Houston 570 Waugh Dr, Latin gay club (713) 524-3359 | Dancing Drag Game shows all week long!

Rebar Houston

2001 Commerce, 77002 713-227-8688 • toutsuitetx.com Bakery | Cafe | Pub

Voodoo Queen 322 Milby St, 77003 713-555-5666 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Casual | Po’ Boys | Games

n DOWNTOWN / WARDS 1-4 Tony’s Corner Pocket 817 West Dallas Street, Houston (713) 571-7870 • tonyscornerpocket.com Neighborhood Bar | Pool | Dancers

n HEIGHTS / WASHINGTON CORRIDOR Pearl Lounge 4216 Washington, Houston 832-740-4933 • pearlhouston.com Neighborhood Art Bar | Live Music | Women

n HOUSTON - NORTH SIDE Ranch Hill Saloon

202 Tuam Street, Houston (346) 227-8613 facebook.com/rebarhouston/

24704 Interstate 45, Spring (281) 298-9035 • ranchhill.com Country | Cowgirl | Neighborhood Bar

The Ripcord

The Room Bar

715 Fairview St, Houston (713) 521-2792 • facebook.com/ripcordhouston Leather | Uniform | Fetish | Men

4915 FM 2920 Rd, Spring (281) 907-6866 • roombarspring.com Neighborhood Bar | Shows | Dance | Mixed

11410 Hempstead Highway Houston, TX 77092 (713) 677-0828 • neonbootsclub.com

Viviana’s Night Club 4624 Dacoma St, Houston (713) 681-4101 • vivianasniteclub.com Latino | Tejano | Dance

n SW HOUSTON Crystal Night Club 6684 SW Fwy, Houston (713) 278- 2582 • crystaltheclub.com Latin Dance | Salsa

G A LV E S T O N 23rd Street Station 1706 23rd St, Galveston (409) 443-5678 • 23rdstreetstation.com Piano Bar | Pub | Live Entertainment

Robert’s Lafitte 2501 Ave Q, Galveston (409) 765-9092 • galveston.com/robertslafitte Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Cruise | Shows

Rumors Beach Bar 3102 Seawall Blvd., Galveston (409) 497-4617 • RumorsBeachBar.com Beach bar | Shows

SOLUTION FROM PAGE 24

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Wednesday May 5, 2021 | MontroseStar.com e | PAGE 27

FP NEW AD Megaflix

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Thinking about quitting smoking?

MD Anderson Cancer Center wants to help. We are offering a free, virtual smoking study to help you quit or reduce your tobacco usage – from the comfort and safety of your home.

Study participants must: • Be 18 or older • Have a working phone number • Be interested in quitting smoking Participants may receive nicotine patches, guidance on quitting and compensation up to $450.

Call 713-792-2265 or visit smokefreestudy.com to complete our online questionnaire to learn more.

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