OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE ISSUE 41

AFRICA

MAGAZ I N E Issue 41, SUMMER 2019

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TICKETS T

PA A GE ET D 2 F OR

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MISS DRAG SA

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CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2020 LAUNCHED!

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BELINDA QAQAMBA KA-FASSIE

cape town

PRIDE

ct pride FESTIVAL 2020

www.capetownpride.org

2020/02/14 - 2020/03/01

true to you - be who you are

Mardi Gras & parade: 2020/02/29

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES

2 Editor’s Comment 2 WIN TICKETS TO THE LOVE BALL - MCQP 4 TRAVEL: Magical Montevideo 6 Seen at the Social Bar 8 MCQP 2019 - The Love Ball 10 FEATURE: Belinda Ka-Fassie - Miss Drag SA 2019 12 InterPride World Conference 2019 18 Get Ready for Cape Town Pride 2020 19 Get your Pride souvenir 20 On The Pride Stage 21 Save the Date: Riversdale Pride 22 The Oh So Gay 80’s - Evan Tsouroulis 30 Miss Gay Western Cape - Drag your Horoscope 32 HEALTH: Cut Carbs for a Great Summer Body 34 Word Perfect: Book Review: They Called Me Queer 37 MUSIC MOVES: Renee Zellwegger’s Judy

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30 FASHION 14 - 15 Check Out what’s Trending on the Cat-Walk

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SCENE OUT 24 Pretoria Pride 26 Johannesburg Pride 27 Soweto Pride

REVIEWS

36 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 38 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 40 ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen Mag 1

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FROM THE EDITOR

i all - what an exciting time it has been lately with the various Pride events happening in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto. Then to top it all the Springboks triumphed at the Rugby World Cup sending the country in a frenzy of pride for the team, uniting people of all races, religions, creeds and sexual orientation. The whole nation celebrated and it was fantastic!

But talking about Pride, check out the pictures in our Scene OUT pages, it seems by all accounts, that the LGBTI+ community was out and about, loud and proud.

The launch of Cape Town Pride is upon us and Pride 2020, happening on the 29th February next year is gearing up to be the biggest ever on the African continent. See page 18 for all the info about what’s planned and who will be appearing on the Pride stage.

On the eve of Pretoria Pride at a glittering event at the State Theatre, Miss Drag SA, Belinda Ka-Fassie was crowned. They are on the cover and there is an article and pictures on page 10.

Cape Town saw the crowning of Miss Gay Western Cape at a packed Joseph Stone Auditorium ... turn to page 30 for all the pictures of the pageant.

It’s that time of the year when the biggest LGBT+ party takes place in Cape Town. Attracting people from all over the country MCQP is firmly established on the LGBT+ calendar and this year promises to maintain its reputation as the craziest party with the theme being The Love Ball. Go to page 8 for all the info.

Many people think that this day and age is the best time to be out. Laws have been relaxed in many parts of the world and the LGBT+ community is experiencing freedom like never before.

On page 22 we take a look at the Oh So Gay 80’s when there were so many performing artists at the top of their field who were out, proud and very gay!

Enjoy the read and remember … as you celebrate this festive season, always be safe and don’t drink and drive!

MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 ISSN 2304-859X Published by: PATTERSON PUBLICATIONS P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Tel/Fax: 021 555 1279 E-mail: outmagazine@mweb.co.za outmagafrica@telkomsa.net outlet@telkomsa.net ADVERTISING SALES: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358

CONTRIBUTORS: Daniel Dercksen, Evan Tsouroulis PHOTOGRAPHY: SDR Photo Errol Stroebel, Mambaonline Printed by ABC Press, Cape Town

Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine.

The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.

Cover Photo: Belinda Ka-Fassie (Mambaonline) Mag 2

WIN TICKETS TO

CAPE TOWN’S BIGGEST

OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE & MCQP ARE GIVING AWAY 10 SETS OF TWO TICKETS TO 10 LUCKY READERS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE PARTY OF THE YEAR ...

JUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION AND EMAIL YOUR REPLY WITH MCQP TICKET COMPETITION IN THE SUBJECT LINE, TOGETHER WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT NUMBER TO: OUTMAGAZINE@MWEB.CO.ZA

WHAT IS THE THEME FOR MCQP 2019?

21st DECEMBER CAPE TOWN STADIUM 5 DANCE FLOORS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT OVER 30 DJS & MORE Mag 3

TRAVEL

Destination recommended by the IGLTA

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ucked away on the east coast of South America, Uruguay is a small country of only 3.3 million inhabitants. Located between Argentina and Brazil and on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Uruguay is recognized as one of the most LGBT+ friendly countries on the continent by the IGLTA. Uruguay has had advanced legislation in the recognition of labour and social rights since the beginning of the 20th century. Today these laws and protections have been enhanced with the enactment of anti-discrimination laws, sex-change registration, adoption and same-sex marriage.

Jet setters and adventure seekers alike have started to flock to South America’s smallest Spanish-speaking country to explore the exotic lagoons, breath-taking dunes, and vast plains and in recent years, Uruguay has established itself as a LGBT+ welcoming destination, where tourists can find an open environment, quality services and advanced legislation where respect for diversity prevails.

Although Uruguay is a fairly small nation not much bigger than the Eastern Cape, the relatively diverse landscape and vibrant cities make for a busy trip in this colourful country. The country boasts happening, raucous nightlife spots, charming cities with captivating architecture, art and culture and some of Latin America’s most attractive colonial towns. The ample water sport activities found along the beach-fringed coasts of the Atlantic and Rio de la Plata, the historical port towns, such as Colonia del Sacramento, the many attractions in the happening capital of Montevideo, and the endless opportunities for excursions in the plains means you will never have a dull day in what was once one of South America’s best kept secrets.

Due to its small size the top-class hotels, restaurants, beaches and nature are just some of the options for tourists to enjoy, where everything is close by.

Montevideo, the capital of the country has the largest LGBT+ community in the country. Its Marcha por la Diversidad (Pride) takes place on the last Friday of September. It is the business, event and culture centre of the country but also offers beautiful beaches. Here you’ll find a group of businesses involved in the LGBT+ community, who have formed the Gay Friendly Tourism Board, with the aim of providing tourists with personalised and LGBT+ specific information to help make their experience unforgettable.

Uruguay offers many adventure and sports activities with the option of playing golf on beautiful landscapes between rivers, hills and the ocean. Fishing enthusiasts can find great opportunities in both freshwater and saltwater and even surfing has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Despite its small size, Uruguay has countless green zones that are points of enormous biological diversity offering many possibilities for eco-tourism. When visiting each of these areas you can interact with countless native species and enjoy diverse, green landscapes.

The Uruguayan coast also offers plenty of beaches, which are as extensive as they are diverse. Whether it’s on a small solitary beach surrounded by nature or on rough coasts ideal for water sports, visitors can find a variety of beach experiences throughout the country.

Discover Pirápolis, a popular and charming beach resort, with its European-style boulevard as one of its main attractions.

Punta del Este is also a well-known and trendy area known for its high quality of life. You can also visit Chihuahua, a nudist beach and the location of exclusive gay men’s hotel Undarius.

Other beaches, such as La Paloma or Punta del Diablo, are must-visit beaches for anyone interested in surfing.

There is a range of accommodation available in this warm and hospitable nation, varying from first-class hotels in Montevideo and coastal resorts to cozy, cheaper options found in quaint, traditional towns. However, one of the best ways to experience the real Uruguay is to stay at one of the numerous rural ranches, which tend to offer activities such as horseback riding and provide great local cuisine, such as barbecued meats and chaja (jam and cream sponge cake). The culinary experience of Uruguay is marked by the pairing of world-renowned meats and Tannat, a variety of wine that often wins international awards.

Because of the small size of the country, the weather throughout Uruguay is relatively uniform. Generally, Uruguay has a subtropical climate. The winters can get pretty cold, and the summers (December, January, February) stay hot for their duration. Rain is a year-round phenomena here, with showers breaking up the fall, winter, and spring seasons, while the summers generate impressive thunder and lightning storms.

Because the summer in Uruguay is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, most travellers tend to visit Uruguay between December and February with tourism peaking around January.

Uruguay’s airports, particularly Montevideo’s Aeropuerto Carrasco, are the most common points of entry for tourists, with international flights usually passing on to Buenos Aires in Argentina. Bus and boat trips are also possible from neighbouring Brazil and Argentina. Once there, the most popular choice for around is the extensive bus network, which is one of the best in South America. In addition, taxis tend to be inexpensive in the cities.

Uruguay has truly made progress as one of the most LGBT+ welcoming countries in all of Latin America. What it lacks in worldwide recognition among travellers, it makes up for in offering a friendly and welcoming destination full of diversity.

Get there by flying via Sao Paulo on TAAG ... visit another great LGBT destination Mag 4

Highlights Visit the famous artist Carlos Paez Vilaro’s extraordinary studio, located on the cliffs in Casapueblo Stay at a traditional Uruguayan ranch (estancia) in the vast plains and living the life of a cowboy Feast on barbecued meat at Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto beside the waterfront Stroll along the capital city’s riverfront promenade in the early evening Dance in the streets at the enthralling AfroUruguayan Carnival held every February Trek over the sand dunes at Cabo Polonio towards the mighty Atlantic Ocean

MAGICAL Q+ T B LG ica p o a T Amer s a s outh k n a R S y n i a u n Uruegstinatio D

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#pride A proud supporter the LGBTQ Community

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MCQP PRESENTS THE LOVE BALL from 7pm on Saturday, 21 December – Cape Town Stadium THERE’S NO BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE THE EXPERIENCES OF 2019 THAN HAVING A BALL OF A TIME… AND THIS YEAR’S MCQP GUARANTEES JUST THAT AS MCQP ANNOUNCES THE THEME FOR THE 2019 EVENT, YOU’LL HAVE TO BE A SQUARE IF YOU CANNOT RELATE WITH ENORMOUS ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT!!!

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he biggest and most successful costume party on the entire African continent, the unmissable annual MCQP, will not only guarantee that you have a ball of a time as you celebrate all the highs and lows of the year that was 2019, but it will also embrace the very one thing that the entire nation is very passionate about on one level or another, especially now that Siya brought home the bacon!.

Depending on your own personal choice of what makes you excited and comes to mind when you hear the word, you will get to dress up and chase around any kind of ball you desire.

Indeed, the theme for this year’s biggest party highlight on the Mother City’s calendar is MCQP Presents: The Love Ball. The creative team behind its success, who are driven by their passion to provide locals and those coming from out of town to be part of an event that is impossible to ever forget, strives every year to top what has been accomplished before, not an easy task at hand when you have to outdo 25 events from prior years.

The visionaries aim to create such enthusiasm and excitement for one and all, that energy levels skyrocket so during this last stretch of the year, everyone can stay “on top of their game”, feel alive and “kicking” with something to look forward and work towards.

Equally important and as high up on the agenda, as Ian McMahon, Director of MCQP Presents: The Love Ball, points out, is that the theme should be one that will not alienate a single soul to not want to be part of thousands uniting every year as one, where everyone feels wanted, loved and welcomed, no matter how outrageous or bizarre. As he says about this year’s MCQP: “Not only are sport fans of every kind bursting with excitement and finally get an evening to dress up as one of the team’s Mag 8

they passionately support, but you as a unique individual gets to interpret the theme just as you like. The Love Ball could also meet the stylish and outrageous, conjure up images of sport fields or the runway of Milan, and allow you to dress up or dress down as much as you want. So go wild or go silver, even gold and bold!”

Its leather meets ball gown, OTT meets the masked soirée.

And as quickly as tickets can sell out for any type of sport highlight or New York Fashion Show runway, you might become antsy about whether you are going to need to “kick up” a fuss later when informed the event is sold out.

However, rest assured that you won’t have to “bust anyone’s balls” to be there - as by now, tickets have just gone on sale. And if the economy made you “ball” every time you checked your back balance, MCQP’s gift to you is the comfort in knowing that you will still be able to afford it, by not increasing the cost of tickets which similar to last year remains at R350 - available now at www.quicket.co.za.

The MCQP team would much rather see your enthusiasm inflate than yet another increase in cost. However, one cannot discriminate against those who can afford a little more so if it takes VIP areas, private booth luxuries or other up scaled choices to make them feel as happy and special by treating those on their team this way, everyone gets to live their dream night at MCQP. VIP tickets include fast-track access, a private area with 2 VIP floors, lounge and seating area…and as VIPs naturally welcomed with some limited complimentary drinks, canapés and more so they experience the fuss they believe they deserve upon arrival.

By now most are likely already “kicking” some ideas around, and in order to stimulate those creative juices even more, Heyns

explains what you can start visualising about what it will look like at the one gathering where all teams play fair. She says: “Close your eyes as you picture a glitzy, oh so OTT, Viennese style ball which can turn into runways, team sports and even a seduction of all your senses. Whatever you’re into, whether it be high stilettos and soccer sneakers, an excuse to finally wear that big wig you’ve always wanted to or see what happens when you hide behind a masked face allowing your personality alone to win others over, allow yourself this one night of ultimate freedom to make your personal fantasy come true. So even if you are a Naas Botha lookalike or mistaken all the time as supermodel that Leonardo di Caprio would chase if he only knew about you…no one is going to judge as they’ll be pretty preoccupied with their own set of balls.”

As much as MCQP allows for any kind of dress up style, this extends to the entertainment provided as well. “Oh you better believe it,” says Heyns. “5 music areas. Boom! Live performances and the best DJs, and you know you have another slam dunk winner - all provided within a warm indoor, and yes party animals, a wind and rain free venue. There will be loads of food,

drinks, fun, frivolity and festivities.”

At MCQP Presents: The Love Ball, only the best will do, and three contemporary artists were selected to create hand-made bespoke trophies for the ball’s winners. Andre Karl van der Merwe, Phillip Tyers and Kobus Dippenaar were hand-picked to create the coveted prize-winning laurels for “the best dressed, best teams and other categories part of the MCQP team’s own strategy to walk away as winners that night, simply by knowing that one and all had the best time of their lives”.

MCQP keeps the event fresh by doing something new ever year, so expect some new energy drinks to keep you going all night long, a fresh design and concept, focus artistic direction of style, decor and music, and the never-failing, time and again triedand-tested creative consume collaboration collective…only for the 26th staggering time this year.

Visit www.mcqp.co.za or join the conversation on social media: Facebook (ILikeMCQP) and Instagram (MCQP).

SEEN AT THE BIGGEST QUEER PARTY IN THE PAST

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BELINDA KA-FASSIE MISS DRAG SA 2019

WINNING THE PRESTIGIOUS TITLE AT THE STATE THEATRE IN PRETORIA Mag 10

Belinda Qaqamba Ka-Fassie was crowned Miss Drag SA at a glittering event held in Pretoria on the eve of Pretoria Pride.

Cape. At this year’s star-studded, glitzy event they not only stunned the judges with their spectacular presentation on stage but also with their insight into the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. When asked by judge Coenie Kukkuk, what their advice would be to a member of the LGBTQ community who lives in a country in which they face the death penalty.

nigma Von Hamburg, pageant director, owner and founder of Miss Drag South Africa, lauded the winner.

“Belinda is indeed the right person for the job. Her contribution to our projects about ‘drag with a purpose’ and her commitment to making a positive change in our communities is extremely inspiring and well received.”

Belinda replied, “Each and every country has their own set of struggles, my advice would be, ‘be yourself in those small spaces where you can be yourself. But, also… keep on challenging the normative, keep on challenging the systems…” Concluding by stressing that, “It is better to die for a purpose than to live for nothing.”

Belinda Qaqamba Ka-Fassie who hails from the Western Cape took the 2019 Miss Drag South Africa title, wowing both the judges and the audience at the crowning event at the State Theatre in Pretoria walking away with a prize package of over R100 000, which included R30 000 in cash and a oneweek all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong.

Speaking to MambaOnline after returning to the Cape, Ka-Fassie said, “The journey towards Miss Drag South Africa has been challenging and exciting at the same time. To finally reap the fruits of my hard work is heartwarming and surreal at the same time.”

Ka-Fassie explained to Mambaonline that they would use their reign to continue their project which focused “on the struggles of black queer, gender non-conforming and trans bodies who navigate their daily lives in the townships.”

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They competed against eight other contestants from around South Africa for the prestigious title, which has the theme of promoting “drag with a purpose.” As part of the pageant, each of the finalists had to present a ‘drag with a purpose’ project or campaign. These ranged from subjects such as mental health, body positivism and drug addiction to transgender health. The top 5 included Chante Herries (Parkwood, Western Cape), Laylah Zokufa-Khan (Boland, Western Cape), Kem Blank (Welkom, Free State) and Emogen Moore (Mitchell’s Plain, Western Cape) and of course Belinda.

Ka-Fassie who is a post-graduate student in Education at Stellenbosch University, identifies as genderqueer and apart from winning this prestigious title has also been Miss Gay Western

“It’s about shedding light on intersectional struggles and exposing the high climate of discrimination and harassment these bodies face on a daily basis. There are still untold stories out there,” they said.

Ka-Fassie added that Miss Drag South Africa “gives a platform for each finalist to find their voice, to find their purpose and augment the power in that purpose.”

Pageant Director, Enigma Von Hamburg, also announced that Miss Drag South Africa 2020 will take place in Durban.

Article & pics sourced from Mambaonline

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WORLD CONFERENCE AND AGM 2019 M

atthew Van As attended the InterPride World Conference & AGM 2019 in his capacity as the Festival Director of Cape Town Pride, Regional Director for Region 16 (Africa) and the Global Advisory Council member for Africa.

The 2019 InterPride World Conference and AGM was held in Athens, Greece where over 300 Pride organisers from all over the world attended from the 17th October to 20th October.

Attending this conference opened my eyes to what is happening all around the world, where we can take Prides on the African continent but more importantly spread the news on what is actually happening on African continent from the point of Human Rights and the atrocities happening on our beautiful soil.

Each day consisted of Board meetings to discuss where InterPride is going to in the future and what goals we want as a

see how we can help each other. In attendance were people from South Africa, Uganda, Kenya Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. There was a unanimous decision to create an organisation of Pride event organisers called ‘The United Prides of Africa’. This group will be used to supply support, information and crucial Human Rights messages to our governments to support and recognise the LGBTI+ communities in the various countries involved. Each person has made a commitment to reach out to various Pride Events in their countries and also Pride Events in neighbouring countries to offer support.

Other that all the serious matters discussed there was also a lot of fun festivities. There was Reception held at the Dutch Embassy in Athens where their Ambassador made a commitment to the LGBTI+ worldwide that the Netherlands would support and always fight for the rights of the LGBTI+ community.

One of the greatest feeling is to be in a space where you can just be yourself and not have to explain anything.

This was the InterPride World Conference and AGM Global community but more importantly there were multiple lectures given by world renowned speaker in their fields in regard to Pride.

Some of the lecturers that I did attend were: Stonewall Myths, Inclusivity In Prides, Telling Your Pride Story in a Locally relevant way, Volunteer Empowerment, Global Pride partnerships and The Pride experience for LGBTI+ refugees.

The most important experience that happened at the conference was the ability for various Prides from around Africa to sit in one space to discuss what is happening on the African continent and Mag 12

There was a Party hosted by Athens Pride at the most fabulous club called Shamone in Gazi (the LGBTI+ area of Athens). All 300+ Festival Directors had a chance to let their hair down and party the night away. For those of you planning to visit Greece just remember that everything only starts at 11pm and goes onto 5-6am.

Finally, there was Dinner and Gala host at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre hosted by the City of Athens.

The glitz and glamor came out in full force which was supported by performing artists from the 3 Competing cities for World Pride 2023.

On that note Sydney Mardi Gras won the bid for World Pride 2023, which means that World Pride will be hosted in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time EVER and we, at Cape Town Pride and Africa, cannot wait to support our Brothers and Sisters in Australia for this momentous occasion. The bids from Montreal and Houston were also absolutely amazing and hopefully, in the future, Cape Town will bid for World Pride.

Finally, I was recognised and received an award by Fondo de Asistencia Para el sida and Tijuana GLBTI Pride Mexico for the work I’m doing in developing regions across the world. It was a great privilege and I was humbled by the experience and the award.

All-in-all I would like to thank my Directors at OUTReach Africa and Cape Town Pride for allowing me to represent Africa in such a big way. To all the friends that I made at InterPride, especially all the crazy Canadians and Australians that made the trip unforgettable. Finally, for Africa putting their trust in me to represent them on such a Global scale.

Heres to Cape Town putting their bid in for the Mid-Year InterPride Conference Mag 13

COOL SUMM

SEE ON T RAM THE SA MEN WE SPRI SUMME

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Designer: ONE I AM featured flowing white apparel ideal for our hot South African Summer ... Step out at the beach in this cool, loose, easy-to-wear ensemble

MER LOOKS

EN THE MP AT 2019 NSWEAR EEK ING / ER 2020

Designer: XM CREATIONS featured cool, loose-fitting comfortable clothing ideal for the coming long hot summer ... Make where-ever you are sizzle in this relaxed, sophisticated attire.

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FASHION

Above: Designer: One I Am

Above & Right: Designer: Throwaway Twenty

COOL

SUMMER

LOOKS Photographer / SDR Photo.

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Left: Designer: XM CREATIONS

Left: Designer: Good Good Good Mag 17

CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2020 TRUE TO YOU - BE WHO YOU ARE With over 30 events planned in the 2-weeks prior to Cape Town Pride 2020, the lighting up of buildings, and the biggest line-up of artists performing on the Pride stage at Mardi Gras.

Cape Town Pride is set to firmly establish itself as the biggest, best Pride celebration on the African Continent.

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ape Town Pride 2020 kicks off on the 14th February 2020 with the annual PINK PARTIES at all the LGBT venues in the city. These include Crew Bar, Zero21, Social Bar, Hot House, and Versatile. There is a special price for those in Pink and once you have paid at any of the venues the rest are free to enter or at worst have a minimum charge.

where and which authors will be talking about their books on the night.

Also on the 15th February is the annual MISS & MR CAPE TOWN PRIDE PAGEANT. This will be happening at the Joseph Stone Auditorium and is always hugely popular so it is advisable to get your tickets early to avoid being disappointed.

PRIDE MOSQUE is on the 22nd and is being organised by ....

The MOVIE NIGHT is on the 18th February. Well supported so check out the website to see what’s showing.

On the 19th February is the PRIDE INTER-FAITH SERVICE. The following two weeks leading up to the main Mardi Gras event are then packed with events and functions as follows: 20th February is ART NIGHT. This will be a cocktail evening where you will meet the artists as you admire their works.

THE LIFESTYLE CONFERENCE on 15 Feb. At the time of going to press the venue had not been confirmed so check out the Also on the 20th February is THURSGAYS at Zero21 ... dance website: www.capetownpride.org for final arrangements. This and party to the beats of the Zero21 resident DJ’s and party the event is free to attend and will cover such a variety of topics, with night away. invited speakers to address attendees in subjects.

The PROUDLY FUNNY COMEDY NIGHT happens at a MEN’S NIGHT at the Social Bar on 15 Feb. - Men’s night is venue to be confirmed on 21st February and will feature Chantel always well supported and the Hothouse is next door for those of “JAX” Venter, Eugene Matthews as well as new-comers on the you who want to party on. stand-up comedy scene.

There is a DRAG BRUNCH at Grounded Bistro on the 16th February. Guaranteed to be well attended and will be full of fun, laughter and of course great company.

The 17th February is KARAOKE NIGHT. This year it will happen at Versatile. Again a night of raw and in some cases brutal talent but always good for a laugh and great entertainment.

The first of two BOOK NIGHTS is on the 17th of Feb. Again the venue has not been confirmed so check out the website to see Mag 18

TEEN PRIDE is on Friday 22nd at a venue to be announced, welcoming all teens who want to mix, chat and be with likeminded young people.

One of the most popular and well attended Pride events is the COSI POOL PARTY on the 22nd February. The party will be at one of the Radisson Hotels but check out the website for the venue and times, prices etc.

Also on the 22nd is the CASI PRE-PRIDE event. This takes place at in Guguletu or Nyanga. But check the website for the confirmed venue.

There is a PRIDE QUIZ NIGHT at Grounded Bistro on the 22nd so get a team together and test your LGBT knowledge which will be hosted by a local drag diva...

There will be a PRIDE CLUB NIGHT at all the venues on 22nd Feb but don’t party too hard because the PRIDE RAINBOW FUN RUN is on the following morning 23 February at the Sea Point Promenade. The run (or walk) leaves from the Mouille Point Lighthouse along the Sea Point Promenade and ends back at the Lighthouse. Each year the event gets a little bigger, so for serious runners and fun-runners alike dress in drag or your most outlandish running gear, bring your dog and come join in the fun. Free refreshments, medals and certificates to take home will make it a fun morning you will want to repeat.

There will be a 2nd DRAG BRUNCH on the 23rd so if you had a whale of a time at the first one get there again and take some friends with you.

BOOK NIGHT 2 is on the 24th Feb and as with the first you need to check out the website for more info.

The 2nd MOVIE NIGHT is on the 25th Feb There is a COCKTAIL PARTY & PRIDE AUCTION on the 26th Feb. This will be a great evening where you will be able to sip on a dora as you bid for a bargain.

GET YOUR PRIDE SOUVENIRS NOW Cape Town Pride 2020 are selling a variety of goods to wear on Pride day or just to keep as souvenirs ....

THE PRIDE BASEBALL CAP Available in black only and printed with the Cape Town Pride Logo R80 if purchased online with your Pride ticket R100 normal price without the ticket special

PRIDE T-SHIRT Available in all colours indicated and printed with the Cape Town Pride Logo.

Sizes: S, M, L, XL & XXXL R90 if purchased online with your Pride ticket

The POETRY NIGHT is on the 26th. This night is always well supported so check out the website for times etc and don’t miss out.

R110 normal price without the ticket special

The 27th Feb, Zero21 will host the hugely popular DIVA’S EXTRAVAGANZA where the best drag diva talent will take to the stage for a glitzy night of fabulosity.

PRIDE GOLF SHIRT

PRIDE SHABBAT is on Friday 28th at Temple Israel in Sea Point If you thought there wasn’t a girls night - think again. GIRLS CONNECT is on Friday night 28th Feb. The venue hasn’t been confirmed so check out the website closer to the time to see where you ladies will be getting it on!

The biggest day in the PRIDE 2020 calendar is the PRIDE MARCH AND MARDI GRAS on Saturday 29th February The march, as per last year, will leave from Prestwich School, Prestwich Street, de Waterkant at 12:00 (noon). It will follow Somerset Road to REDDAM FIELD, where CAPE TOWN PRIDE MARDI GRAS will happen from 1:00pm onwards.

This year there is a huge line-up of the best talent South Africa has to offer as well as a special international guest star.

The MARDI GRAS day is always the best fun ever! Here you will meet friends and strangers who will soon be friends. It is a day of celebration of the rights LGBT+ people have fought for years to achieve. It is day when we remember those who fought for the rights we have won and a day to remember that on the African Continent there are so many countries where our LGBT+ brothers and sisters are still discriminated against, where countries like Uganda are trying to bring in harsher penalties for LGBT+ people and those who support them and a host of countries where gay men are put to death for their sexuality.

The fight for equality is NEVER over and Cape Town Pride as a proud member of InterPride the international body supporting Prides all over the world, and the United Pride’s of Africa is carrying the rainbow flag high.

Everything said, with so many events leading up to the Pride festival Cape Town Pride 2020 promises to be the best yet!

Available in black and embroidered with the Cape Town Pride Logo Sizes: S, M, L , XL & XXL R230 if purchased online with your Pride ticket R250 normal price without the ticket special

PRIDE COFFEE MUG Printed with the Cape Town Pride Logo on both sides R70 if purchased online with your Pride ticket R90 normal price without the ticket special

PRIDE TOTE BAG Printed with the Cape Town Pride Logo on one side R80 if purchased online with your Pride ticket R100 normal price without the ticket special Go to www.capetownpride.org and get your souvenir with your ticket to Cape Town Pride 2020 or book with Quicket and get your souvenir for the special ticket price.

You can also buy you souvenir at Pride 2020 on the day Mag 19

ON THE PRIDE STAGE

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s in the past the performers appearing on the Pride stage include some of the best local talent the City of Cape Town has to offer and this year is no different. This year however, we have an International celebrity guest, brought out by the Swedish Embassy to help make Pride 2020 a truly spectacular event to rival some of the best Prides in the world.

Headlining the Pride stage will be the international artist who at the time of going to press had not been confirmed by the Swedish Embassy. However, Sweden has a worldwide reputation of having some of the best performers ... remember ABBA! They always do well at the Eurovision Song Contest, having won it 5-times, most recently in 2015 when the drop-dead gorgeous Måns Zelmerlöw took the coveted title.

Local diva, Natalia da Rocha will take to the stage with her rendition of the famous Vicky Sampson hit African Dream.

Måns Zelmerlöw

The Voice SA season 2 winner, uber-sexy Craig Lucas, who came out to his fans and is one of the city’s most popular singer/songwriters. This year he will once again rock your socks off with a line up of hit songs which include Hearts Exposed, Smother and I Said This to name a few.

Craig

Lucas

Also hailing from the Mother City and no stranger to the Pride Stage is the outstanding Latheem Gabriel, who’s latest upbeat song Seed of Unease has been getting loads of airplay on our radio stations.

Another superb performer who always gets the crowd on their feet is that dynamic dynamo Zoe Zana. This pint-sized ball of energy, who also comes from Cape Town blew us away with her hit number Bulletproof. This year will be no different I am sure.

A new comer the the stage is Cape Town born hit maker, Jarrad Ricketts, who has been wowing South African and European crowds with his captivating live performances and chart-topping radio hits.

Having established a solid fan base with the hit singles Take Me To Your Heart and New Life, His latest release Thinking Bout is sure to endear him to the Cape Town Pride community.

Those well-known, ever-popular, larger-than-life 3 Tons of Fun will rock the crowd with their fabulous sound and over-the-top infectious enthusiasm.

SA’s Got Talent finalist and top performer Manila Von Teez will again get the crowd screaming for more with her boundless energy, superb choreography and visually spectacular performance.

3D, that trio of diva’s who have blown your minds with their performances in the past will once again send the crowd in to a frenzy with their remarkable talent and energy.

Another new-comer is upcoming young Pretoria North pop star, Miloh Ramai, who aims to take the country and world by storm with his first official single Run which he released earlier this year and which has been getting lots of airplay on the country’s main radio stations.

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Natalia da Rocha

Latheem Gabriel

Jarred R

ickerts

For the first time the small Western Cape Town of Riversdale will he holding a Pride Weekend.

The event called the HESSEQUA FESTIVAL will take place in the 13th & 14th of December. The festival kicks off on the 13th with 7’s rugby and netball. This is followed in the evening by a pageant to select the Miss Gay Hessequa and the fabulous 3-D will be performing.

Day 2 starts off with the 7’s Rugby finals followed by a car parade and show, followed by a party which will go well into the night with DJ’s, local celebrities and more & more fun...

So if you are in the area and are looking for a weekend of fun, laughter, music and shows get on down to Riversdal(e) Adding to this incredible line-up are comperes Chantel “Jax” Venter & Eugene Matthews, who will be pulling the afternoon’s performance together. Both Chantel & Eugene are household names in South Africa, having established the stand-up comedy careers and entertaining South Africans on stage and on television.

The DJ’s for the afternoon will be Zero 21 resident DJ’s, Groovy Q and the ever fabulous Spin Sister Mitzi. At breaks between the performers these DJ’s will keep the vibe going, keeping you on your feet boogying and patsying the day away.

At the time of going to press the brilliant Lutrice Royale from Rue Paul’s Drag Race hadn’t been confirmed, so she may be appearing as well as the Mzansi Gay Choir from Gauteng.

This amazing lineup of performers and DJ’s is guaranteed to make Cape Town Pride 2020 bigger, better, more popular and more fun than any other Pride celebration in the country.

3-D

With drink/driving laws being strictly enforced don’t ruin your day by driving drunk. The exercise is not only dangerous but the jail time and court case costs can be crippling. Uber will have a special pick-up point at the main Pride day so rather be safe and don’t drink & drive There will also be a number of stalls selling goodies and paraphernalia for LGBT+ customers and NGO’s will be on site to give you freebies and info about the wonderful work they are doing in the community.

3 Tons of F

un!

There will be a number food stalls selling tasty treats from burgers to chips, fish and fries etc.

There will be bars for both light and alcoholic refreshment. Note that no alcohol will be allowed into Pride 2020.

Go online to www.capetownpride.org to find out the latest info about what’s happening and where.

Chantal “JA

X” Venter

on Teez

Manila V

Get your tickets online at www.Quicket.com to avoid the queues at the gate and make sure that you are not disappointed. This is very important the police turned people away at the gate once they deemed the venue had got too crowded last year.

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The Oh SO GAY 80’s Words: Evan Tsouroulis

Recently I saw a post on Facebook commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the release of Bronski Beat’s album The Age of Consent. For the next couple of weeks, I played the album nonstop. It’s a great album which still sounds good thirty-five years on. But as I was enjoying my meander down memory lane, what struck me was how unapologetically gay Bronski Beat were. My Bronski Beat binge led me to listen to more music from that era, and guess what, so much of it is so gay and so very much more so than anything that’s around today. The early 80’s were rich in in terms of openly gay and some not so openly but obviously gay artists (like Boy George who famously quipped he preferred tea to sex when quizzed about his sexuality). Not to mention the string of one hit wonders which got us up on to the dance floor, such as the Weather Girls’ It’s Raining Men and Cruisin’ the Streets (sadly a lost art) by the Boys Town Gang. And who could forget Eartha Kitt’s spectacular resurrection in 1984’s Where is My Man. The New Romantic movement of the early 80’s blurred gender lines. Androgyny was King, or Queen as the case may be.

Prince, Annie Lennox and Grace Jones, who sang that she felt like a woman but looked like a man in Walking in the Rain, personified androgyny.

Then there was a new sound in the clubs, Hi–NRG, a thrusting, thumping poppersfueled dance genre which succeeded Disco and preceded House. They were exciting times. Looking back, it seems as if many artists got away with more than what today’s conservative music executives might allow. This is not to say that we do not have many wonderful queer musicians today -Todrick Hall, We Love You! But many seem kind of lame in comparison.

This gay golden age reached its zenith just as the world was becoming aware of AIDS. This new health crisis put a temporary dampener on the Over-the-top in your face gay imagery that was everywhere to be seen. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the confidence and chutzpah of these artists from the early 80’s made it easier for those who followed.

Here are some of the artists that made the early 80’s Oh So Gay: B52’s This American outfit has been described as Mag 22

the “queerest, weirdest, band of all time”.

Their greatest hit Rock Lobster is classic, kooky surf rock ode to manta ray, jelly fish and boys in bikinis, with girls sporting beehives being mistaken for drag queens. The B52’s had an apologetic campy, queer sensibility, which make sense considering four of the five band members were LGBT and the fifth was the sister of one of the gay guys in the group! The B52’s are currently on their 40th Anniversary World Tour, still making people dance like nobody’s watching!

SYLVESTER Sylvester was the ultimate Disco Queen, known for is in your face flamboyant and androgynous appearance and falsetto voice. He was a member of the notorious drag ensemble The Cockettes in San Francisco before going solo. His 70’s hit Mighty Real remains the pinnacle of Disco Fag Trash. Sylvester entered the 80’s with the Hi-NRG stomper Do You Want to Funk with Me, which was followed by a string of hits until his AIDS related death in 1988.

D.A.F (DEUTSCH-AMERICANISHE FREUNDSHAFT) This German duo have been described at the Godfathers of Techno due to their minimalist industrial dance sound. They consciously absorbed the visual elements of Berlin’s underground gay club scene, especially the BDSM and fetish aspects.

They were controversial for fetishising the homoeroticism of fascism in a time when it was still taboo to deal with Germany’s Nazi past. The irony of songs like Der Mussolini was lost on the mainstream, but gay fans lapped it up. Their softer side came out in songs like Der Rauber und der Prinz which is basically a gay fairy tale about a prince and his robber kidnapper who fall in love. D.A.F were the trailblazers for bands such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

SOFT CELL This British synth-pop duo took the world by storm in 1980 with Tainted Love, a little-known soul song from the Sixties reworked for the dawn of the new decade. Mix Punk and Disco and what you get is Marc Almond. His plaintive vocals set to a stomping beat quickly established the song as a Gay Anthem.

The title of their first album, Non-Stop Electric Cabaret said a lot. Although

The controversial in-your-face DIVINE

Almond didn’t officially come out until 1987, he flaunted his sexuality. His cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, a collaboration with Bronski Beat, remains a nu-disco classic. Post Soft Cell, Marc has a successful career as a torch singer.

The band recently re-formed for their 40th Anniversary Tour.

BRONSKI BEAT Very few bands wore their heart on their sleeve the way Bronski Beat did. On the inner sleeve of their first album, The Age of Consent, was a list a countries where homo-sex was legal, and included the legal age of consent which in most cases was higher than the age of consent for straight couples. Smalltown Boy, about homoprejudice which forces a young gay man to leave his home for the big city, is as relevant today as it was then. And it’s a great dance track. The song’s inclusion in the opening scene of the South African film Kanarie, has exposed Bronski Beat to a whole new audience. Why its about gay bashing. No explanation needed for I Need a Man Blues, sung by a man. Lead singer Jimmy Somerville put himself on the line singing about openly gay themes while so many of his contemporaries were hiding behind their eyeliner. Bronski Beat managed to gloriously amalgamate politics and pop music. Jimmy later moved on to form the Communards, and has had a successful solo career.

DIVINE Divine shot to fame as a regular actor in John Waters’ film in the 70’s, most notably in Pink Flamingos. His drag aesthetic ruffled the feather boas of many contemporary queens because he did not try to hide the fact that he was a cock in a frock.

In the 80’s Divine reinvented himself as a Disco Diva, although he couldn’t really sing (but then neither can RuPaul or Madonna), and he had a string of Hi-NRG hits like Shoot Your Shot, You Think You’re a Man and I’m So Beautiful CULTURE CLUB Culture Club’s brilliant musicality was often eclipsed by lead singer Boy George’s outrageous behaviour. His androgynous appearance caused lots of speculation about his sexuality. He was always coy when asked. But to a myriad of young gay fans, he was very much a role model. Of course, he eventually came out publicly. In his 1995 biography Take it Like a Man he admitted that many of the songs he wrote with Culture Club were about his secret relationship with the band’s drummer Jon Moss. Post Culture Club, George pursued a solo career and is also a well-known DJ. THE SMITHS The Smiths may just have been the

gayest band ever, thanks to lead man Morrissey’s incredible lyrics, his highly camp stage performances and the band’s homoerotic record sleeves. For every young Disco Queen dancing his tits off to poppers-fueled Hi-NRG, there was an angst-ridden love-sick gay boy sitting in a darkened room listening to The Smiths. Apart from his unique singing style, Morrissey also had a finely-honed camp sensibility, and has written some of the wittiest lyrics in rock. He identified with fellow Anglo-Irish drama queen Oscar Wilde. Morrissey never explicitly proclaimed his sexuality and when asked he replied, “It’s all there in the lyrics.” Indeed, how many straight rock stars sang odes to “this charming man” or implored a lover to “shove me on the patio/I’ll take it slowly”?

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD The band’s name derived from a headline in the New Yorker Magazine about Frank Sinatra “Frankie Goes to Hollywood”. It was fronted by two openly gay singers, Holly Johnson and Paul Rutherford, who drove their Butch- Clone homo-erotic, S & M, image. Their video of their single Relax was banned by the BBC thereby ensuring No.1 placement on the charts for five weeks in 1984.

PET SHOP BOYS There’s a joke about had they known they would still be so popular and successful the Pet Shop Boys they would have called themselves something else.

Nothing as tragic as a 60-year-old pop star calling himself a boy. Nonetheless, the Pet Shops Boys launched themselves with great aplomb in 1984 with a lush sound and clever lyrics. Which gay man can’t relate to lyrics such as “I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks…let’s make lots of money” from Opportunities or “I love you more, you pay my rent” from Rent? Collaborations with Dusty Springfield and Liza Minnelli further cemented their camp credentials. And they have been making amazing dance music for thirty-five years… “Che Guevara to a Disco Beat”.

ERASURE Vince Clark was the man behind the quirkiness of Depeche Mode’s first album, before they got dark. After that he joined forces with Allison Moyet to form Yazoo, resulting in the dance classics Don’t Go and Situation. But it was only when he teamed up with Andy Bell, an openly gay singer, that Clark found his kindred spirit. Erasure produced some of the quirkiest pop songs of the decade, beloved by dancing queens the world over. A Little Respect remains an anthem of note, while Take a Chance on Me, their homage to ABBA is a camp classic.

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SCENE OUT PRETORIA PRIDE

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JOHANNESBURG PRIDE

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Pictures courtesy mambaonline

SOWETO PRIDE

Pictures courtesy mambaonline

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u t n u Um untu m u g N u t n a b a g N nda Fassie e r B by

We The Brave chatted with Lesego Teddy Mohlala, the Call4Care Client Communications Liaison Manager, about his passion for connecting people with the healthcare and sexual health resources that they need.

WTB: For those who have been sleeping under a rock, who are you? Where are you from, and what do you do?

Lesego: Well, I’m Lesego, from Soshanguve (on the side of Pretoria North), currently Jozi-based and I am the Call4Care Client Communications Liaison Manager, which means I am one of the fabulous people that will answer you when you text or call.

Call4care is a linkage line for sexual health care for anyone who needs it, including men who have sex with men (MSM).

WTB: What type of people can benefit from Call4Care and what services do you provide?

Lesego: Well, so far I have managed to help almost every type of person that needs access to sexual healthcare information or resources: adolescent girls, all types of men, but we are very proud of helping the MSM in South Africa who want to know about sexually transmitted infections, finding a clinic, HIV testing and treatment, ARVS, PrEP, condoms, lube and just about anything else you can think of regarding men and sex.

Call4Care is here for anyone who wants to know more about sexual healthcare.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a top or bottom, a muscle Mary, a queen or anything in between!

Call4Care | 071 683 3226 | Monday - Friday | 09h00 - 16h00 Read the the full story on www.wethebrave.co.za

MISS GAY WESTERN CAPE

DRAG YOUR HOROSCOPE

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Photo’s: Errol Stroebel

S

aturday evening, 02 November 2019, saw the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone once again filled to capacity as patrons from all over the Western Cape attended to witness the crowning of a new Queen. They had all arrived for the 11th edition of the Miss Gay Western Cape Pageant, as well as the 11th year in a row that the event was sold out!

The evening began with the yearly three minute count down, with the audience chanting along to the countdown clock from the 10 second mark. As it hit Zero, the audience was treated to a video clip of the previous years of the pageant.

The formal proceedings of the evening then began: MC’s Nathan Kayser and PJ Smith had the audience in stitches and kept the flow of the show going perfectly. Contestants were judged in three categories on the night: Theme Wear, Swim Wear and Evening Gown. The Theme, Drag Your Horoscope had the finalists giving their star-sign a “Drag” Twist whilst showing the audience the traits of their horoscope and how it best described them. There were literal and figurative interpretations, from Crab Claws to Bull Horns, all of which were tasteful and took great thought and creativity. The “swimwear” section was spectacular and the “evening gown” category was amazing with many a reveal and rhinestone to be seen!

Entertainment saw drag diva’s and royalty, with Manila von Teez. Kat Gilardi, and Emogen Moore, on stage with the dancers from WeDfy accompanying their performances. They were breathtaking, bringing the enthusiastic crowd to their feet, bopping and clapping along to the beat and getting thunderous applause for their fantastic performances. Mzansi Gay Choir vocalist Dominick Innocent flew in for the event - he was spell binding in an all white garment. SAMA nominated singer, Jarrad Ricketts also performed, he too was accompanied by the WeDfy Dancers, and was a huge hit with the audience.

Once all sections had been judged the top 5 finalists were selected and the “Question & Answer” section began. Beauty and brains must’ve been a sub-theme for the evening so accomplished they all were at answering.

After the previous winners had done their final ramp, including the final walk from 2018 Queen Wendy La Rosa, who paid an emotional tribute to all her friends, family and supporters, it was time to announce the winners.

The results were as follows: Miss Gay Humanitarian – Natalya D’Maserati Best Theme Wear – Maxine Wild Best Dressed – Maxine Wild Miss Personailty – Tatijana Lopez Miss Body Beautiful – Maxine Wild 2nd Princess – Zandile Sithole 1st Princess – Chloe Barbie Fortune Miss Gay Western Cape 2019 was – Maxine Wild Maxine Wild, is a 24year-old make-up artist, from Belhar and was the deserved winner. Earlier in the year she had been crowned Miss Cape Town Pride 2019, so has enjoyed a highly successful year. Maxine is actively involved in the LGBTI+ community with events such as Performer as well as assisting where she can with her fellow sisters entering pageants and learning the art of Drag.

Maxine thanked supporters and everyone who made the event such a success through her Facebook page saying that, “The winning of such a prestigious pageant is overwhelming to say the least, it took me a few days to grasp the idea of being your queen and I promise to uphold and uplift the Miss Gay Western Cape

title and reign with grace and dignity throughout .

Once again thank you, thank you to everyone that supported not only me but everyone that was on stage.”

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CUT CARBS FOR A GREAT SUMMER BEACH BODY

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etting your body ready for the summer isn’t just about exercise. It is also about eating right and if you are a bit overweight following a specific diet may help speed up the process.

Friends of mine have been following the ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short), which is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. Of course before following any diet it is important to check with your GP that the diet is okay for you … If you get the go ahead, you can begin transforming your body … don’t forget to include an exercise regime in tandem with the eating plan for maximum benefit, it’ll will also speed-up the process.

In fact, over 20 studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight and improve specific health issues, and may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

WHAT IS A KETOGENIC DIET? The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and other low-carb diets such as the banting diet.

It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

When ketosis happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.

Ketogenic diets can cause massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels. This, along with the increased ketones, has numerous health benefits.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF KETOGENIC DIETS There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including: Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderateprotein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs.

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 highcarb days.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.

High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

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However, only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.

So as can be seen there are several versions of the keto diet. The standard (SKD) version is the most researched and most recommended, although many of the same principles also apply to the other versions.

WHAT FOODS ARE OK, WHAT FOODS ARE NOT The “do” list includes: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables that grow above ground, nuts and seeds, fats and oils, and some dairy products.

In terms of drinks, most keto diet guides advise people to stick to water and skip diet soda, even though it’s artificially sweetened.

The basic rule is cutting out all carbohydrates, this means eliminating the likes of potatoes, rice, bread and pastas etc – all those delicious carb-filled foods that for many of us are basic foodstuffs. They are all a huge NO, NO. The diet also eliminates all sugar. So sugar, syrups, jams and the like are excluded. Most fruit is packed with sugar so most of them are out of the question … a huge blow to those of you who love your fruit and fruit juices. There are certain fruits that can be eaten, these are mainly the berries: blue berries, strawberries, black berries, raspberries etc. Sugar substitutes such a Xylitol are okay so ne need for bitter coffee or tea.

Avocados are the best fruit to eat and can be eaten daily. Cantaloupe is also fine but not daily. So it isn’t fruit free.

Leafy green vegetables are fine and must be consumed every day – so delicious green salads in summer are welcomed. Tart up the salads with tomatoes, onions, chillies and nuts.

Cauliflower and broccoli are basics of the diet and can be eaten in any quantity. Some supermarkets are selling cauliflower rice, cauliflower noodles and cauliflower mash which are excellent substitutes for high-carb alternatives and are delicious, helping in making meals more varied.

Regular breads are not permitted on the diet, but banting breads made with almond or coconut flour are fine and can be spread with lashings of butter, peanut butter or other delicious carb-free spreads.

Full cream milk, cream, cheeses are all permitted.

Eggs are a staple on the diet and can be eaten anyway you prefer.

The meats allowed include beef, pork, chicken, lamb and turkey. So, tuck in to juicy steak with a pepper sauce and a green salad on the side – what could be better than that!

Alcohol should be avoided, but if you do feel like a drink the occasional vodka is ok. Sugar laden soda’s are to be avoided. Mineral water is the best drink, so if you do have a vodka mix it with mineral water – that’s ok.

So as can be seen the diet has loads of food choices … the most important thing when shopping for the diet is to check out the labels. If there are carbs or sugar, then put it back and look for an alternative.

You’ll be ripped before you know it!

KETO DIET FOOD LIST ANIMAL FATS

DAIRY

* Butter * Ghee * Lard * Tallow * Fish * Organ Meats * Fatty Beefsteak * Bacon * Pork Belly * Shellfish * Egg Yolk

* Soft Cheese * Hard Cheese * Heavy Cream * Greek Yoghurt * Sour Cream * Cottage Cheese

VEGETABLE & FRUIT PLANT-BASED FATS * Unrefined Coconut Oil * Olive Oil * Avocado Oil * Walnut Oil * Macadamia Nuts * Brazil Nuts * Almonds * Olives TIP:

Nuts are higher in carbs so eat them sparingly

PROTEIN * Chicken * Ground Beef * Bacon * Turkey * Duck * Sausage * Lamb * Pork * Salmon * Tuna * Mackerel * Tilapia * Crab Meat * Shrimps * Scallops

* Broccoli * Cauliflower * Zucchini * Mushrooms * Spinach * Lettuce * Cabbage * Kale * Avocados * Raspberries * Blackberries * Bell Peppers * Cucumber * Celery * Onion * Bok Choy * Jalepeno

CONDIMENTS

TIP: Use these condiments to add flavour to your meals

SPECIALITY * MCT Oil * Collagen Pills * Gelatin Pills * Brain Octane Oil * Fish Oil * Supplements Use / eat sparingly

* Salt, Pepper, Black Pepper * Paprika, Cayenne * Garlic Powder * Lemon Juice * Mustard * Apple Cider Vinegar * Balsamic Vinegar * Basil * Rosemary * Mayonnaise

BEVERAGES * Black Coffee * Green Tea / Oolong Tea * Herbal Tea * Unsweetened Almond Milk * Unsweetened Coconut Milk * Bone Broth * Water * Sparkling Water Mag 33

WORD PERFECT

Words: Evan Tsouroulis

THEY CALLED ME QUEER A new volume of South African queer stories.

A

ll too often the lives of queer people, and particularly of those who are also black, are erased from mainstream society. They Called Me Queer is a collection of essays written by South African Queer People of Colour who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+). Across the continent, and throughout the world, South Africa has become known for its tolerance towards the LGBTQIA+ community. But be that as it may, even with the legal protections the law provides, South Africans live in a devastatingly segregated and unequal society, where the combination of race, class, gender and sexual identities still have an impact on every part of our lives.

This anthology shines a light on the lives of black queer South Africans, telling stories of this community’s struggles, but also its joys and triumphs. These are tales of acceptance and rejection, of young love and old lovers, of families and communities, of the agonising thrills of coming out and coming into one’s self.

They Called Me Queer was compiled by Kelly-Eve Koopman and Kim Windvogel.

Koopman is a storyteller and activist. With her partner Sarah Summers she has developed the web series, Coloured Mentality. She is a delegate on the Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity and co-director and one third of FemmeProjects, an organisation focused on intersectional approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education.

Windvogel is a Human Rights Defender, and also a co-founder and Advocacy Officer of FemmeProjects. She had this to say about They Called Me Queer: ”It was birthed from my friendship with one of the editors of She Called me Woman - Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak, who was very encouraging of us creating our own South African edition, but mostly it was birthed from a need for us to centre Queer People of Colour’s experiences of queerness in South Africa, a country that has a love of white-washing absolutely everything. In the same breath, this book is for everyone, whether you are queer or not, white, of colour or black. It took a lot of hard work, team work, individual work, collective pain, joy and working through fear, for this labour of love to be ready.”

So that’s the background to the genesis of this anthology. What of the stories themselves? The first story, Becoming: The Fourth Stage by Haji Mohamed Dawjee sets the stage for the tone of this volume. Identity and identity politics are strong themes in many of the stories. Like most queer people, she grapples with several identities. It is almost impossible to pick an all-encompassing one. As she writes, she is still becoming.

Lyle Lackay’s story has a great title: Eating Chicken While Poking My Penis: A Contemplation of Gender. There are advantages to having both a penis and Cupid’s bow lips. You can see life from both sides, the good and the bad parts.

Craig Lucas won The Voice South Africa in 2017. But regardless of his success and being in a relationship with an amazing man, he was angry, depressed and suicidal.

In Open Letter, which he originally posted on social media, he describes how he recovered after reaching rock bottom.

A lot has been written about corrective rape perpetrated on township lesbians, but nobody talks about what happens when the same thing happens to gay men. Carl Collison’s contribution, Of Names and the Blood that Falls is a harrowing story about sexual violence and male rape.

Kim Windvogel’s To Poly or Not to Poly ponders polyamorous relationships and the possibilities of loving more than one person at the same time. I enjoyed Free, So Furiously, a conversation between Maneo Mohale and Neo Baepi about the process of coming out.

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In all there are over 30 contributors to this tome, including, Lwando Scott, Ling Sheperd, Chase Rhys, Wanelisa Xaba, Jamil F Khan, Khanya Kemami, Janine Adams, Shelley Barry, Lester Walbrugh, Kat Kai Kol-Kes, Sandrine Mpazayabo, Clio Koopman, Jamil Khan, Nicole Adams, Qondiswa JameIs, Mary Hames and Zoey Black.

They all have interesting and relatable stories. It has been quite a while since such a riveting collection of short stories written by South African queer writers has been published. It has been worth the wait. There is great value in reading about our lives. Activist Bev Ditsie says of this anthology:” This is a celebration, this is rage, this is love. The stories are as devastating as they are exhilarating…There’s nothing as affirming as seeing oneself through the eyes of your siblings”. I would have to agree.

An interesting aside is the choice of the cover image. It is a photo of Ismail Hanif, better known as Piper Laurie, a denizen of District Six in Cape Town and part of a queer community that was highly visible and integrated into the broader community. They sometimes identified as gay men and sometimes identified as women. Piper Laurie and her contemporaries generally used feminine pronouns in referring to each other, even though they may not necessarily have identified as queer in the sense that we do today.

They Called Me Queer is now available in all major book stores and can be purchased for R250

HAPPY HOLE DAYS 6, Sixth Street, New Doornfontein, Johannesburg · Phone 0114025258 · 083-9652227 Email: hlabanga@me.com · Open at 12 noon every day of the year · Closing times: Mon-Wed 3am Thur-Sun 6am · GPS lat: 26.1989 long: 28.0629 DECEMBER diary Sunday 1st World AIDS Day free entrance for activists · Sunday 15th Reconciliation Day Party Reconcile With your Lust · Friday 6th Leather Night - Free entrance with leather gear · Thursday 12th Full Moon Party Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 13th Long Schlong Night - Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 20th Fetish Night - Indulge your fantasies · Tuesday 24th-Thursday 26th Make Santa Cum more than once · Friday 27th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Tuesday 31st New Year's Party - Free bubbly at midnight JANUARY diary Friday 3rd Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 10th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 17th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm+ · Friday 24th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 31st Public Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund FEBRUARY diary Friday 7th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Saturday 9th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 14th Long Schlong Valentine’s Day - Come be everyone's Valentine-free entrance for 20cm+ · Friday 21st Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 28th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund ·

Mondays: Daddies & Toy Boys – R30 entrance between 6 & 9 for under 20s and over 50s Every Tuesday is Buddy Night. Bring a friend for free!

Thursdays: Student Night. R50 with student card, all day

OUT ON FILM ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN In the quirky The Good Liar (29/ 11) Ian McKellen plays a cunning career con artist who targets a well-to-do widow (Helen Mirren), but when she opens her life and home to him, a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life; in Knives Out (29/ 11) Daniel Craig plays an experienced detective who tries to unravel the murder of a wealthy crime novelist where everyone in the family becomes a suspect.

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

Gavin Hood’s thrilling Official Secrets (13/12) tells the true story of British Intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley) , who prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council; the big screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical Cats(20/12) promises to be one of the biggest films of the box office calendar in 2019; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (20/12) is the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come; Knuckle City (27 /12) is South Africa’s official Oscar submission for the 2020 Academy Awards and explores ‘The boxing mecca’ of the Eastern Cape; and Midway (27/12) explores the clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII.

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS

Robert Downey Jr. steps into the shoes of the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (10/01) who embarks on an on an epic adventure with his furry friends to a mythical island to find the cure for the gravely ill Queen Victoria; Kristen Stewart fights sea monsters in Underwater (10 / 01) , Renée Zellweger plays Judy Garland in Judy (10 /01) and celebrates the voice, the capacity for love, and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer”, two British soldiers embark on a dangerous mission to save 1,600 men from certain doom during World War I in 1917 (17 /01), Inspired by the French riots of 2005, Les Misérables (17 /01) tells the story of a marginalised migrant community in Paris; Female employees at Fox News take on a toxic male culture in Bombshell (24 /01), leading to the downfall of media mogul Roger Ailes; Poppie Nongena (31 /01) tells the story of an isiXhosa mother who was caught in the crossfire of her children’s needs, her husband’s illness, community anger and repressive laws; and A Hidden Life (31 /01) depicts the life of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian conscientious objector who imprisoned after refusing to fight for the Third Reich in World War II.

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS

Harriet (7 /02) is based on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad; Harley Quinn, Gotham City’s lovable queen of crime and her superhero buddies battle the evil crime lord Black Mask in Birds Of Prey (07 / 02); as a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man and his protégé must race against time to stop them in the period action spy film The King’s Man (14/02); Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell (21 /02) depicts the Centennial Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia and its aftermath, where security guard Richard Jewell found a bomb and alerted authorities to evacuate, only to later be accused of having placed it himself; Mag 36

Ian McKellen & Helen Mirren star in “The Good Liar” and Burden (6 /03) tells the true story of Mike Burden who opened the world famous Redneck Shop and KKK Museum on the historic town square of Laurens South Carolina in 1996, and was subsequently wrenched out of the clutches of this hate family through the love of a single mother.

FUGARD BIOSCOPE

Now its 9th year, the Fugard Bioscope World Arts Cinema Season is set to continue bringing audiences the very best offering in recorded live performances all screened in the comfort of the beautiful Fugard Theatre. Ballet lovers can indulge in The Bolshoi Ballet’s Nutcracker (23 /12 at 3pm & 7pm), Romeo and Juliet (9 March at 3pm & 7pm); theatre buffs will enjoy Oscar Wilde’s comedy A Woman Of No Importance ( 6 Jan at 3pm & 7pm), The Lehman Trilogy (20 Jan at 7pm), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (3 Feb at 3pm & 7pm), and Noël Coward’s provocative comedy Present Laughter (24 Feb at 3pm & 7pm), and for opera lovers there the Paris Opera’s La Traviata (13 Jan at 3pm & 7pm). Visit https://thefugard.com or call 021 461 4554 Exhibition on screen Cinema Nouveau’s Exhibition on Screen, the award-winning and much-loved series exploring the lives and artwork of history’s most revered artists, takes a close look at the life of Lucian Freud in March through the landmark self-portrait exhibition taking place at The Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Kiera Knightly in “Official Secrets”

MUSIC MOVES

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udy, the latest biopic to hit the big screen has been playing to rave reviews at cinema’s in the United States, UK and Europe. The film is set to be released in South Africa early in January ... why we have had to wait for so long for this much anticipated movie is a mystery. For those readers who are familiar with the iconic diva, revered by thousands in the States, and who’s funeral in New York 50 years ago, co-incided with the Stonewall uprising - this movie is long overdue .

Renée Zellweger already has strong musical cinema form, Her role as Roxie Hart in Chicago garnered her second Oscar nomination. However, playing and singing Judy Garland was a whole different ball game.

The film Judy takes a late-Sixties run of London dates as the prism through which to view the Hollywood star at the end of her life, focusing on both the triumphs and the damage wrought by her celebrity roller-coaster career.

The soundtrack, on the other hand, doesn’t often intimate those highs and lows so much as capture her hyperjolly, go-get-‘em film persona.

Zellweger inhabits the vocal role impressively. On her sultry rendition of the standard You Made Me Love You she convincingly channels a recognisable version of Garland, especially when the music drops out and she archly makes a meal of the phrase, “The very mention of your name sends my heart reeling.”

By the nature of Garland’s music, there’s a hefty dose of syrup, but songs such as By Myself and The Man That Got Away combine the easy listening swing of the mid-Fifties with something heartfelt inside.

That said, much of the album represents Zellweger ripping through peppy froth such as The Trolley Song, Garland’s hit moment from the smash 1944 musical Meet Me in St Louis, or the sappy Zing Went the Strings of my Heart.

Rufus Wainwright and Sam Smith add to the light cabaret atmosphere, lending duet support to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Get Happy, respectively, but this is

very much Zellweger’s album (excepting a zippy Latin-flavoured burlesque jazz instrumental honouring the Talk of the Town club where Garland performed).

Ultimately, Renée Zellweger nails it and, if the film is well-calibrated, this sassy music will colour its emotional impact, but surely, after watching it, most will wish to dig out the Garland originals, especially of Somewhere Over the Rainbow”? Then again, the successful careers of multitudes who’ve endlessly tackled and retackled the great American songbook suggest many will find much to enjoy here too.

self with the style of Judy Garland. I can’t recommend this more.

Some Garland aficionados have criticised Zellweger for singing Judy’s standbys - I say thank you Ms Zellweger, Judy, the movie is a beautiful gift from you to your gay fans.

This Judy Garland bio-pic has garneredmuch critical acclaim left and right. One of the key things about the movie is that Renee Zellweger, performs all of the singing herself. Whilst her voice doesn’t have the power of Judy’s, who’s does? - but she belts out this repertoire with no overdubs or voice-overs!

Zellweger performs 7 songs in the movie, all of which are featured on this soundtrack (but not in the order that we hear them in the movie), plus this soundtrack adds 5 additional tunes not featured in the movie. Renee mixes herMag 37 Mag 37

OUT ON DVD IN CELEBRATION OF PRIDE, LET’S LOOK AT QUEER CLASSICS THAT SHAPED BEING OUT AND PROUD.

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n this edition we will look at highlights from films released from the 30s to the 70s that you can add to your DVD collection. In our next issue we will explore classics from the 80s and 90s.

The daring Mädchen In Uniform (1931) was set in a boarding school for daughters of officers in Northern Germany and explored a sensitive pupil’s infatuation with a sympathetic teacher.

Outlaw poet Jean Genet left his mark on the work of various queer directors – see Fassbinder’s ‘Querelle’ or Todd Haynes’s ‘Poison’ – but 1950’s Un Chant d’Amour was the only film he made himself. Barely half an hour long, it unfolds without words in two of Genet’s regular registers, incarcerated and bucolic, as it explores the love of two separated inmates and the jealousy of their guard. It features set-piece sequences of erotic dancing and masturbation, but neither is as hot as one captive blowing smoke through the wall into the other’s cell. The US Supreme Court declared it obscene.

“Madchen in Uniform”

Dirk Bogard is outstanding in “Victim”

Dirk Bogarde’s trailblazing performance is at the centre of the landmark gay classic Victim (1961) denounced the poisonous, institutionalised homophobia gay men of all classes faced.

Bogarde’s closeted, married lawyer Melville Farr is drawn into exposing a terrifying blackmail ring when an admirer (Peter McEnery) commits suicide rather than implicate him.

Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine play headmistresses at a school for girls who are accused by a student of being in a lesbian relationship in The Children’s Hour (1961). While the accusation is false, it nearly ruins the women’s standing in their community and threatens their friendship—and forces one of them to re-evaluate her own identity.

Numrich and Glenn Mangan in “Private Romeo”

Kenneth Anger’s half-hour 1963 joyride Rising can lay claim to a whole bunch of firsts: it was the first movie to mash up 1950s biker culture with the story of Jesus, as well as pioneering the use of pre-existing pop songs to score a picture (including the likes of Blue Velvet and Wipe Out). By fetishising auto accidents, it anticipated David Cronenberg’s ‘Crash’ to boot.

A wittily observed and edited scrapbook of perverted dreams, it clocked up another first when the California Supreme Court ruled that, racy content notwithstanding, it didn’t count as obscene because of its ‘redeeming social merit’.

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1968 fable Theorem has the formal rigour of an experiment. Working with professional actors for the first time, the radical Italian director sets a cat among the pigeons of bourgeois family life in the preternaturally beautiful shape of Terence Stamp. His enigmatic, sexually omnivorous, possibly angelic visitor has sex with each member of a household in turn – mother, father, daughter, son and maid – upending their lives in the process. The results are wildly various but universally queer compared to everyday conformity: the comfortable deceptions of domesticity give way to the harsh purity of the desert.

In Robert Aldrich’s macabre lesbian psychodrama The Killing Of Sister George (1968) Beryl Reid wolfs down the scenery as the sweet Sister George in a TV soap but in real life a boozed-up monster given to molesting nuns in taxi cabs. Her behaviour threatens both her work and her relationship with pliable Mag 38

“The Killing of Sister George”

erotic imaginings of an idling gigolo, these gorgeously imaginative scenes were released anonymously in 1971 as Pink Narcissus.

Their ability to quicken the pulse while retaining a kind of kitsch innocence made them an influence on French artists Pierre et Gilles, among others.

A decade before he sparked outrage with Cruising (in which the leather scene supposedly nudges Al Pacino towards homicide), director William Friedkin presented this portrait of a group of New York gay friends on the cusp of liberation in Boys In The Band (1970) and was one of the first features dealing with gay life on its own terms, including copious boozing, relationship strains and lacerating self-recombination.

Bobby Kendall in the “Pink Narcissus” Dirk Bogard in “Death in Venice”

In John Schlesinger’s acclaimed drama Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) a divorced woman and a middle-aged gay man are both having an affair with a charming and stylish artist—and they’re aware that the lover they share isn’t exclusive to them.

Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti adapted Thomas Mann’s 1912 novella in Death In Venice in 1971, with Dirk Bogarde as a troubled, unwell ageing man increasingly obsessed with a young blonde male hotel guest.

For two hours, German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder locks us inside the flat of Petra von Kant (Margit Carstensen) a world-famous fashion designer The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972), the raunchy S & M relationship between her and an assistant works until she becomes obsessed with a young female model and the master becomes a slave.

John Hurt is brilliant in “The Naked Civil Servant” Childie (Susannah York), yet Reid maintains our sympathy.

John Schlesinger’s sad, soulful portrait of a male prostitute trying to get by on the unforgiving streets of New York City in Midnight Cowboy (1969) was the first X-rated film ever to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

‘I am examining ancient Rome as if this were a documentary about the customs and habits of the Martians’ said Federico Fellini of his decadent, surreal Fellini-Satyricon (1969) that opens with two male students quarrelling over a beautiful young boy. In the pursuit of pleasure, decadence piles upon decadence – never has the term Felliniesque been so appropriate.

Goings-on behind closed doors have always been part of the LGBT experience – including LGBT filmmaking. Throughout the 1960s, James Bidgood shot a series of no-budget luxurious fantasias on 8mm film in his New York apartment, featuring hot young thing Bobby Kendall in such guises as a sexy matador, a sexy belly dancer and a sexy slave boy. Strung together as the John Hurt played Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant

Bob Fosse’s delightful Cabaret (1972) was set in 1931 Berlin, where the sassy Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) and writer (Michael York) have an affair with a rich playboy baron.

Fox and His Friends (1975) might just be the unstoppable Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s most lacerating, mordant and righteous takedown of post-war bourgeois hypocrisy. The enfant terrible of radical German cinema stars in his own 1975 feature as a working-class gay boy who wants love, craves acceptance and happens to have won the lottery — the cue for his merciless exploitation by more savvy acquaintances. As well as being a trenchant case for class consciousness, it’s a bruising reminder that people can share your sexuality without giving a shit about your welfare.

Iconic Quentin Crisp (John Hurt) makes the bold choice of exhibiting his homosexuality in the highly conservative environment of England in the 1930s and 1940s in the superb Naked Civil Servant (1975), navigating the streets of London with caution as he comes of age against a backdrop of homophobia. But when he is confronted with criminal charges, he must decide how willing he is to defend his lifestyle.

In the rousing Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Al Pacino’s Sonny attempts to rob a bank in Brooklyn, and things do not go well. The instant, intense media fame Sonny earns feels more relevant than ever, and things turn surprisingly tender when we learn he plans to use the stolen money for his lover’s gender confirmation surgery.

Queer cinema during the 70s ended on a high with La Cage aux Folles (1978), featuring the outrageous gay couple Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michel Serrault) who are happy that their son is getting married. Unfortunately, the bride’s father is a die-hard conservative -- and Renato and Albin are rather conspicuously gay.

To ensure that the marriage goes off without a hitch, Albin uses his skills as a drag performer to play mom for a meeting with the in-laws. This classic marked the first film adaptation of Jean Poiret’s 1973 play La Cage aux Folles, followed by La Cage aux Folles II (1980), La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding (1985), and the Robin Williams’ remake Birdcage (1996).

Mag 39

ON STAGE

EXPERIENCE IT LIVE! WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN

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NATIONWIDE

Jarryd Nurden, who plays Rocky in Rocky Horror

ince it first opened in London in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show has become the world’s favourite Rock ‘N’ Roll musical, having been performed worldwide for 45 years in more than 30 countries and translated into over 20 languages. This stunning new production stars Craig Urbani as Dr Frank’n’Furter and Kate Normington as the Narrator, and is on at Artscape in Cape Town (6 / 12 – 12 /01) and at the Teatro Montecasino (17 /01 – 1 /03).

Book at Computicket.

Take a journey to Neverland with Peter Pan On Ice! showcasing 23 former World, European and National Championship-level skaters at the Teatro, Montecasino (6 / 12 – 11 /01) and Artscape Opera House (15 /01 – 2 /02)

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CAPE TOWN

xcitement mounts at the Baxter Theatre with Marc Lottering’s latest sensation, Aunty Merle – It’s A Girl! runs until 1 Feb with matinee and evening performances. You can also see Ben Voss as conservationist, environmental campaigner, and only man to have walked the length of Africa barefoot, revealing all about what it takes to survive the African bush… and for the African bugs to survive in the hilarious Benny Bushwhacker (10 / 12 – 18 /01). Visit www.baxter.co.za or call 021 685 7880 Fall in love with Simon and Garfunkel all over again with Here’s To You – The Simon & Garfunkel Songbook, a dynamic and uplifting musical journey through more than 20 classic hits at Theatre on the Bay (31 /01 – 8/ 03).

The ABBA Show gives fans of all ages a chance to re-live the ABBA concert experience at the Grand Arena, Grandwest on 18 January at 8pm.

At Gate69 the down-and-dirty Adult Pantomime Three Blind Mice will run until Saturday 01 Feb; Non-Specific, will be returning due to public demand for a limited season only ( 5/02 – 21 /-3), and the new show Eros will enjoy a limited run from 27 March – 04 July. 5 things that will make Christmas special for Cathy Specific, who will be taking a well-deserved break from 22 Dec to – 08 Mag 40

PRINCE ALBERT

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t Prince Albert’s Showroom Theatre: Mathys Roets’ Songs of Leonard Cohen (15 Dec), the wacky Radio Kalahari Orkes (20 Dec), singer/songwriter Madeleine Barnard aka “Mads” will be launching her new CD, Mother City Jazz/ Small town Blues (21 Dec), Karoo-born musician Byron Minnie (28 Dec) and the sensational Monique Cassells and James Marais in Golden Oldies: A Trip Down Memory Lane (31 Dec). Visit www.showroomtheatre.co.za for bookings and info

January are Mince pies (lots of them), a break from the phone, emails and any social media, that everyone has somewhere special to go on Christmas day, great weather for all those planning an outdoor do, and a hunky South American in her Christmas sock!

To Be… How Shakespeare Could Change Your Death! (18 – 29 Feb); and from 2 – 21 March a beautiful Hungarian ex-model, married to an extremely wealthy entrepreneur with severe narcissistic tendencies, consults a self-styled psychotherapist in The Narcissist. Call 011 883 8606

JO’BURG

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t the Joburg Theatre you can enjoy Janice Honeyman’s panto Jack and The Beanstalk until 22 Dec, and the Joburg Ballet’s Don Quixote is on from 3 – 22 March.

At the Auto & General Theatre on the Square you can see Michael Richard in Steve Solomon’s hilarious comedy My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy! until 22 Dec, the thought-provoking Evil (14 – 25 Jan) features Jaques De Silva in the chilling account of the teenage years of Erik Ponti, a victim of bullying, Join an award-winning cast for a night of songs from your favourite musicals with Loving You (28 Jan – 15 Feb), New York based actor, playwright, and scholar, Simon Fortin, animates Shakespeare’s death speeches in Or Not

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t Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom’s Rockwood Theatre The Parlotones’ Kahn Morbee, Neil Pauw and brothers Glen and Paul Hodgson take to the stage for 2 performances only ( 19 & 20 Dec at 8pm), A Tribute to the most Popular Music from Hollywood’s Greatest Movies to ever hit the big screen! is an unforgettable journey through the music from movies at The Rockwood Theatre until 26 January; Nothing But 90s (30 /01 – 5/ 04) is a celebration of this decade filled with a variety of pop, rock, alternative, hip-hop and a collection of one-hit wonders; and at the iZulu Theatre The ABBA Show gives fans of all ages a chance to re-live the ABBA concert experience (13/12 – 12/01) Experience Theatre Live and visit www.writingstudio.co.za, featuring listing of theatres in South Africa and internationally.

Celebrating

In 10 years, we’ve provided services throughout the country on the health needs of other high-risk male populations, including displaced persons and refugees, prison populations, commercial sex workers and intravenous drug users.

We’ve been able to strengthen linkages, improve numbers of MSM knowing their HIV status, decreased stigma, provided services for over 26 000 MSM in both in the Private and Public sector. In just 10 years, we’ve achieved remarkable results and global influence.

Here’s to another decade.

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY

31st Dec 8pm

AT TAU + CREW

TICKETS FROM R295

CAPE TOWNS VERY BEST NIGHTCLUBS 2 DANCEFLOORS

VIP OPTIONS AVAILABLE www.mcqp.co.za