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TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME 45 NUMBER 06 SEPTEMBER 2021

06

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

OFM BREAKING Queer Legislative Briefing Denver Beer Queers King Shark is Bisexual Parasol Patrol

22 ERIKA ISHII

34

LUIS & KRISTEN CHEVERE

36 OFM ART

12

The Journey of Embracing my Artistic Identity

OFM HEALTH

OFM CULTURE Dylan Edwards Christa Faust Spaceboy Anime Trash Pixel Terror

4 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

26

NICOLE MAINES

photo courtesy of Nicole Maines

Healthy Gamers Voyage to size euphoria

14

photo provided by Luis & Kristen Chevere

07

photo courtesy of Erika Ishii

AHHH, NERDDOM

40

SKUM LOVE

42

44

OFM MUSIC New Music

TRIPPERS AND ASKERS

photo courtesy of Trippers & Askers

48 OFM STYLE Beauty Beat Get the look body modification

52

OFM READS

SERVING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS SINCE 1976 PHONE 303-477-4000 FAX 303-325-2642 WEB /OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM FACEBOOK /OUTFRONTCOLORADO TWITTER /OUTFRONTMAGAZNE INSTAGRAM /OUTFRONTMAGAZINE

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ZACHARI BREEDING

53

OFM CANNABIS

55

OFM THOUGHTS I hate superheros Trans Nerds A Queer in Recovery

INTERNS AMY PHILLIPS, CLAUDE GROSSI, COLETTE CZARNEKI, RACHEL GALSTAD ART ART@OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM GRAPHIC DESIGNER VERONICA L. HOLYFIELD COVER DESIGN VERONICA L. HOLYFIELD COVER PHOTOGRAPHER JULIUS GARRIDO CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS CHRISTOPHER LA FLEUR, KEEGAN WILLIAMS CARTOONIST DYLAN EDWARDS MARKETING + SALES MARKETING@OUTFRONTMAGAZINE.COM SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE QUINCEY ROISUM JUNIOR SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVES BRIANNA ARMSTRONG,

BRIAN BYRDSONG

56

MARKETING ASSISTANT WESTON BRIXNER DISTRIBUTION

OFM MARKETPLACE

62

OFM LUST Special Agent Denise Bryson Visits TwinPeaks

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COPYRIGHT & LIMIT OF LIABILITY

64

OFM LIT

The Pothos: Part 2

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outfrontmagazine.com 5

FROM THE EDITOR

Ahhh, nerddom.

We all have something we absolutely nerd out over and fixate on as part of the queer experience. Whether it’s a love for Marvel and Star Wars, an affinity for pup play and kink culture, or a desire to watch every, single gardening show and bantering bit Tegan and Sara ever produced, we’re all a sucker for something.

But for queer folks, nerding out goes beyond just an interesting hobby or fun distraction. In this issue, we delve into how video games can provide an outline for trans identity, how comics can serve as a vessel for gender expression, and why creatives turn to art when the world fails them. We also profile some pretty cool queer creators and all-around badass nerds.

From the show-stopping photoshoot, featuring outlaw cosplay, to the personal columns and profiles, one thing is clear across these pages: nerdiness is both a coping mechanism and a creative outlet for the queer community.

Keep it nerdy, and if you have a favorite hyperfixation we’ve yet to cover or explore, drop us a line and let us know.

Addison Herron-Wheeler

6 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

Your Queer Legislative Debriefing

by Ray Manzari

Anti-Trans Bills

“A

s of today, hundreds of bills have been introduced in state legislatures around the country that attempt to erase transgender people [and] make LGBTQ people second class citizens. In order to achieve equality, we need those in positions of power at the largest businesses in the country to rise up against injustice and discrimination; businesses that have increasingly, over the years, embraced the inherent benefits of being socially responsible. …

Companies cannot rise up and speak out against hate in the streets but remain silent when they see hate being indoctrinated in our laws by state legislatures and in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.”

- Alphonso David Human Rights Campaign President

OFM breaking

POLICY UPDATE

Pennsylvania- Human Relations Act Status: in Committee

An act amending the October 27, 1955 ruling, known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act: “The practice or policy of discrimination against individuals or groups by reason of their race, color, familial status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, handicap or disability, use of guide or support animals because of the blindness, deafness or physical handicap of the user or because the user is a handler or trainer of support or guide animals is a matter of concern of the Commonwealth. Such discrimination foments domestic strife and unrest, threatens the rights and privileges of the inhabitants of the Commonwealth, and undermines the foundations of a free democratic state.”

Nevada- SJR8A

Status: Signed/Enacted Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to guarantee equal rights: “Existing law provides numerous prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of sex and other characteristics. This resolution proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution by adding a guarantee that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this State or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.”

Wisconsin- SB 362 Status: in Committee

An act prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, insurance coverage, national guard, jury duty, and adoption and in the receipt of mental health or vocational rehabilitation services. This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s gender identity or gender expression, which is defined in the bill as an individual’s gender-related identity, gender-related appearance, gender-related expression, or gender-related behavior, regardless of the individual’s assigned sex at birth or gender identifiers on official documents issued by a federal, state, or local government agency.

North Carolina- Equality for All Act Status: in Committee

An act to protect all North Carolinians against discrimination in all walks of life: “Equal opportunity for employment and compensation by state departments and agencies and local political subdivisions. All state agencies, departments, and institutions and all local political subdivisions of North Carolina shall give equal opportunity for employment and compensation, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, military or veteran status, age, disability, or genetic information to all persons otherwise qualified.”

outfrontmagazine.com 7

OFM breaking

And beyond the group itself, the Colorado brewery community is a family of its own. When asked about their favorite spots, all four organizers had resounding reviews for a microbrewery called Launchpad. Located just outside Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Launchpad offers over 31 different brews with a fun space and aeronautical theme.

Denver Beer Queers

by Ray Manzari

B

ack in 2016, Denver Beer Queers founders Jim and Mike decided to create a group via the app Meet Up to connect with more local beer-lovers within the LGBTQ community. Inspired by similar brewery meet-up groups, the two friends crafted DBQ in hopes of providing space for queer folks to come out, share some brews, and make lasting connections.

At its humble beginnings, Denver Beer Queers meet-ups saw numbers ranging from 10 to a dozen queer beer lovers. Now, post-COVID, the Facebook group has over 2,000 members, and meet-ups range anywhere from 30 to 40 people. As of July, when the group celebrated their five-year anniversary, DBQ had visited a grand total of 123 breweries: 93 as stand alone meetups and 30 as part of a tour.

Since the group’s inception, one of the founders, Jim, has moved out of state. Filling in as a lead organizer is Stephen Adams, also known as the Colorado Beer Geek, whose vast knowledge of Colorado’s beer scene has helped shape the group to what it is today. Other organizers including Kade and Alex help to make sure DBQ remains a safe and accepting space for all.

“I was browsing Facebook one day when I found the group, and I thought, those are things that I am or like,” says Alex, DBQ organizer. “I went to my first meeting by myself, and I figured, worst case scenario, it’s a bunch of gay guys, and nobody relates to me. But in the end, it helped me not only find my place in the beer world but also within the LGBT community.”

The first thing you’ll notice at a DBQ meetup is that every part of the LGBTQ community is represented by its members, from elder queers to fresh faces, from bi and pan people to trans and nonbinary folks. And they will all treat you like family.

“This is a group about friendship,” founder Mike Paré tells OFM. “There really are no cliques; everyone tends to interact and get along with everyone else.”

8 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

“When I transitioned, and announced my transition from lesbian to transgender male, the first time I came back [to Launchpad], everyone who works there came out from behind the bar and gave me a hug and told me how much they love me and supported me,” says DBQ organizer Kade.

As a community, DBQ offers different things for everyone, including each of the organizers. From forming lifelong friendships to making meaningful work connections, to simply supporting local breweries which have struggled over the last year.

“Generally, I’m quite introverted,” DBQ organizer Stephen Adams says. “But through becoming an organizer here, I’ve taken up responsibility to go up to and say hi to those new people. Which has been a good thing for me to force myself to get out there and become more of a part of that community.”

Currently DBQ posts events via both the Meet Up app as well as their Facebook page. They held four meet ups in July and are planning more for August, as well as possible collaborative events with breweries and smaller tap rooms.

For more information about DBQ and their upcoming events, find them on social media under Denver Beer Queers.

King Shark IS A Bisexual Superhero

OFM breaking

DC Character

is a

by Rachel Galstad

DC’s

b isexual hero, King Shark, is hitting the big screen in the The Suicide Squad’s most recent film. The American superhero team, the Suicide Squad, released their second film on August 5 to be streamed via HBO Max and in theaters to view IRL. There have been many renditions of King Shark over the years, whether they be in print, TV series, movies, and now, live action. The bisexual king has changed characteristics and even story lines over the years. The Suicide Squad version of King Shark is voiced by Sylvester Stallone. His character can be seen in the trailer speaking in short, Grootlike sentences, goofing around with fellow team members, and, of course, ripping enemies limb from limb. He follows suit with the rest of squad members whose morals are dynamic throughout the story line, starting off on the opposite side, but eventually being coerced into protecting the greater good and joining the squad.

His origin story, on the other hand, is what has queers screaming with excitement. This DC queer legend is known for his relationship with John Constantine, another bisexual character from the

DC Universe, but more specifically the animated film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. King Shark had a cameo confirming his sexuality.

It included characters Constantine and Raven being depicted in an underground fight club where Constantine is struck with embarrassment and quite frightened, visibly shaken, noting that his ex is currently facing them. Raven sees Harley Quinn looking in their direction and condescendingly says to King Shark: ”You and Harley? Gross,” to which Constantine then replies “Do I look mad?” immediately after, the cartoon cuts to King Shark standing beside Harley. He then sports a shiteating grin, showing off his man-eating dagger teeth, before suggestively winking at his former lover.

Nevertheless, the LGBTQ community is stoked their maneating King is able to hit the big screens.

Fans have also taken to Twitter to share their opinions on the superhero's sexuality and gush over his queerness.

outfrontmagazine.com 9

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Shielding Queer Youth

by Ray Manzari

On the local front, Parasol Patrol has dealt with a multitude of protestors whom they’ve become intimately aware of.

I

n March of 2019, Mile High Comics in Denver held a drag-for-all-ages event, but online chatter suggested pushback and possible protest at the event concerning children and drag. Parasol Patrol Founder Eli Bazan took it upon himself to walk attendees to and from their cars, as a total of six protesters sat outside the event. A month later, at the same event, the protestors had doubled in number. Bazan bought umbrellas to block out the signs and angry faces, as well as ear protection for the younger attendees, and Parasol Patrol was born.

“Here in Denver, we deal with a lot of alt-right players. You have Louie Howie from Major League Liberty and his Proud Boys. You have former traditional worker party guys, and just an awful lot of QAnon supporters,” Bazan tells OFM.

“And their numbers are doubling,” Eve says. “It went from six to 10 to literally, like, 20. These people, some of them are kind of scary. One guy stabbed someone demonstrating in Fort Collins, and there was a shooting at an event in South Carolina. And they come out in full riot gear, and helmets and weighted gloves.

And why do you need a three-pound mag light, that you’re slapping in your hand at 1 in the afternoon, for a family-friendly “I don’t remember if it was the owner show?” of Mile High Comics or someone else called us Parasol Patrol first, and it just Finding events to shield has proven kind of stuck,” co-founder Pasha Eve tells surprisingly easy for founders Eli and OFM. “These protestors bring bullhorns, Pasha. Drag Queen Story Hour events and the most horrible signs and they almost always bring protestors, as well scream the most awful, awful things, at as other events concerning children children, and at parents, and at us. We’ve and Pride. By following the ongoings of been called pedophiles or pedophile Westboro Baptist Church, Parasol Patrol protectors, and that’s probably the nicest has been able to block religious Right thing they have to say.”

Since that first event, Parasol Patrol has protestors from a taken part in many rallies, marches, and number of events. queer events not only across the Denver metro area, but around the country. So far, Parasol Patrol has shielded patrons at events in Rhode Island, Missouri, Kansas, North and South Carolina, Idaho, California, Hawaii, and just recently took part in Taylor Texas’ Inaugural Pride event.

OFM breaking

PARASOL PATROL

weren’t able to make because we had the commitment in Texas, and plane tickets were $2,500, but we found a point person there, Kerry, who’s amazing and is now one of our first chapter heads for their state,” says Eve. Beyond shielding events from protestors, Parasol Patrol also started a micro-grant program to support struggling youth and their families.

Recipients of the grant receive $100 as well as a ‘Boredom Basket’ filled with games, and books, and even food to help feed the family.

“We always toss a carton of eggs and some toilet paper in there so we can say we’ve egged and TP’ed the kid’s houses” Bazan says. “When we deliver that, one of us will wear this large inflatable unicorn costume, just to add a little bit of joy for the kids.”

Through all the chaos and close calls, the members of Parasol Patrol keep their goal in sight: protecting the kids.

“You know our greatest compliment is when a parent comes up to us and says, ‘My kid didn’t even know there were protestors here,’” Eve tells OFM. As a new grassroots organization, Parasol Patrol can use all the help they can get.

“And it’s not just boots on the ground; we understand not everyone can do these long marches; not everyone can stand for hours on end in the heat. But there are other things you can do to help organize, or find events,” Eli Bazan says.

You can find more information on Parasol Patrol and how to get involved at parasolpatrol. org, or through any social media platform at Parasol Patrol.

“We get a lot of people messaging us for help at their events. Even if they’re out of state we can help organize from here. So, the event in Rhode Island we

outfrontmagazine.com 11

OFM health

Be the Healthy

You Deserve to Be

by Zachari Breeding, MS, RDN, CSO, LDN, FAND

L

ike many others, I grew up around video gaming systems. The now-ancient D-pad with the A and B action buttons only utilized your thumbs and likely contributed to my now-worsening carpal tunnel. But these days, folks have access to gaming systems where you can connect with people around the world, create your own virtual reality, and even achieve your personal exercise goals! Just as RPGs and other types of games have gained the momentum of graphic improvements and complexity of content, games that allow the user to stand up and move have grown to be more interactive and fun. Not only is this kind of engagement fun, but the benefits of physical activity are key to reducing the risk of so many chronic diseases –heart disease, diabetes, and cancer–just to name a few. I have done the leg work, pun intended, to showcase the most advanced workout games on the market today.

Ring Fit Adventure: Nintendo Switch This RPG requires the Ring Fit device, which is included with the purchase of the game. The game places you in battle with a dragon in Story Mode, where you squat and crunch your way to the end through worlds of monsters and collectable items. Mini games are also included that allows the user to focus on isolating specific areas of the body where muscle tone is most desired. The Ring Fit device is basically a large wireless resistance-band wheel that attaches to a singular Switch controller. There is also a leg strap to catch lower body movements. Each level offers nonstop exercise for periods of two to 10 minutes, during which the user jogs and jumps (sometimes through literal hoops) to accomplish the goals within the game and progress to the next stage. Pick up magical potions, defy your enemies, and purchase additional gear in shops to help you defeat each baddie along the way.

BOXVR: Playstation VR (PSVR) This game has been called one of the best VR fitness titles out there. Basically a boxing game, the user has to punch their way around targets while blocking and avoiding barriers by squatting or straight-up dodging. This fairly intense fitness game is just that–so don’t expect exciting baddies and complex worlds to travel through. The curated workouts give you a variety of sessions to engage your upper and lower body for anywhere from two to 60 minutes. The virtual leaderboard 1 2 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

makes your workouts more competitive, so grab your friends and vie for the highest score! Though featured as a PSVR game, BOXVR is also available on Steam, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Rift.

Beat Saber: Steam This VR game is pretty straightforward, but super engaging and fun. You barely notice you’re burning calories and picking up your heart rate as you swerve through flying blocks while swinging your arms to slice as many as you can.

One unique feature of this game is the adrenaline-pumping music, perfectly crafted to the rhythm of gameplay. Listen to jams from top artists such as Billie Eilish, Green Day, and BTS. If the game seems too easy at first, just increase your level of difficulty all the way to Expert+, which will have you panting and maybe even sore the next day. The interactive elements come in two forms: party mode and multiplayer.

Party mode features a leaderboard where friends from around the globe can compete, while multiplayer allows for friends to play together at the same time. Though featured as a Steam game, Beat Saber is also available on PSVR, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Rift.

Just Dance 2020: Xbox One + Kinect An update to an oldie-but-goodie, this game allows the user to dance up a sweat to the latest hits by artists such as Ariana Grande, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish. For those who have a hard time maintaining regular physical exercise, dancing has always been a more fun way to attain cardio goals. If you are looking for a challenge, gameplay increases in difficulty so you can always keep working up a sweat. This game brings hardcore cardio into your living room, and some platforms require no console camera or motion controls with the use of the Dance Controller smartphone app. The interactive functionality allows up to four players, and Co-op Mode allows multiple users to combine scores against a common opponent. The main interface features Just Dance Unlimited, where you can download more songs and content, World Dance Floor, with community events and tournaments, and All Stars Mode, where you can access a digital catalog of music from the last ten years of the game!

If you’re like me, the gym just doesn’t always cut it. Driving home from work in the snow or rain, for example, is a surefire to way make sure I go straight home and take a nap in lieu of working out. Games such as these can get someone moving while having fun in the peace and quiet of your own space. Remember that the importance of exercise is not to achieve socially-pressed body standards, but to achieve and maintain a body that supports health (not disease). While weight-bearing movements support lean body mass which promotes the body’s metabolism and overall functionality, cardiovascular activities help strengthen the heart and lungs while sweating out toxins. At the end of the day, the key to optimizing health is not which activities you do, but keeping moving and most importantly–having fun doing it.

Tales of a Fierce, Fat, Fit, Femme

OFM health

A

few Halloweens ago, I was excited to dress up in Star Trek cosplay. I wasn’t picky about which character or series; I just wanted a cool, retro, scifi outfit to wear to whatever I was doing for the holiday.

Looking through the racks at the costume shop, I flipped through small after small, and mediums and larges that didn’t look much more promising. Glancing at the sizing chart, there was no way in hell anything in the store was going to fit.

My straight-sized friend bounced back over, asking what I had found.

“Oh these are way too expensive; I’m just gonna throw something together at home,” I said, pulling her forcefully away from the racks of tiny clothes before she could protest or ask what changed my mind, when just minutes before, I had been so excited about my potential costume.

This is often the experience of plus-sized people who want to cosplay or dress up in costumes, unless they have the skill to make things themselves. Bummed as I was, I resigned myself to the fact that a tiny Star Trek getup wasn’t in the cards.

A year or so later, I headed to Denver Pop Culture Con wearing a graphic tee of a favorite fandom and jean shorts.

I told myself that since I was there for work, the outfit was more practical, but I snuck secret glances of envy at all the cool costumes, from high-priced looks to pieced-together compromises and brilliant, homemade creations.

On my break, I wandered the aisles looking for comic books, art, and other goodies. I passed a costume booth and almost walked past, but was intrigued by their signs promising bigger sizes. Skeptically, I stepped in and started to browse.

It wasn’t long before I found a golden, handmade, Original Series-style Star Trek dress in size 2XL. I sized it up, and it looked true to size, so I ducked off the floor and into a dressing room to test it out.

Suddenly, I was no longer a late-20s editor at Pop Culture Con shopping around, but a futuristic space babe, stepping off the bridge after a shift next to the captain. With my hair pinned back and my cat-eye glasses, I imagined myself a science or communications officer flying through space at the speed of light.

I bought the dress and wore it the rest of the day and to my event that evening, feeling size euphoria the whole time. Not only did I find a dress that fit, it fit flatteringly and looked authentic and cool.

I wish I could remember the name of the place to give them a plug, but the moral of the story is this: having size options was the difference between me being silently crushed, my plans canceled before they began, and me feeling euphoric and making a purchase.

And while I can’t speak from experience, I imagine people with disabilities and people of color feel the same way when accommodations are accessible or different skin tone options are represented. Inclusivity doesn’t just mean not excluding; it means actively including.

Voyage to Size Euphoria

by Addison Herron-Wheeler

outfrontmagazine.com 13

OFM culture

DY L AN D

ylan Edwards has been an artist for as long as he can remember.

As a comic artist today, he recounts looking at newspaper comics as a child, copying Peanuts and Garfield illustrations and hoping one day it would be his name next to the daily panel of illustrations.

“It was not until I found out that being a newspaper comic strip artist meant producing 365 comics a year, I was like, ‘Perhaps that is not the path for me,’” Edwards says, though he moved forward in his creative pursuit, eventually majoring in art in college and embracing traditional drawing and painting.

Edwards says he didn’t start producing comic work on a regular basis until after he came out as queer, which has since acted as a prevailing theme throughout his work.

“That was when I got inspired by the idea of doing comics that focused on queer themes,” Edwards says.

“Before that, I just kind of spit out a few different ideas, but nothing had really solidified into a project that could maintain my attention, so I started doing comics, kind of on a semi-regular basis.”

Soonafter, Edwards also came out as trans and began to explore that in his comics.

This was in the early 2000s, when the comic industry’s queer representation was nearly non-existent.

At the time, Edwards began searching for queer newspapers and publications to publish his work, eventually starting a regular queer sports comic for howstuffworks.com, which led to consistent work creating editorial cartoons for a queer newspaper in Texas for several years.

Edwards says one of his main aims was to tell stories that have yet to be told. He says the comic space in the 2000s was predominantly cis, white men talking about their experiences and writing from their lenses, and while queer comics existed, they were not plentiful or accessible.

“When I started doing comics, there were almost no trans cartoonists with any visibility to speak of,” Edwards says. “I know that there were one or two other people out there who are working on comics 1 4 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

EDWARDS Tackling the Comic World as a Queer, Trans Artist

by Keegan Williams

OFM culture

with trans themes, but there was just, you know—it was kind of this like vast wasteland of nothingness if you wanted comics that had, you know, positive portrayals of trans characters written by trans people.”

Edwards created the representation he didn’t have for himself, moving forward to create comics specifically from his lens as a queer, asexual, transmasuline person, leading to his autobiographical series QAT (Queer, Ace, Trans) Person.

Edwards says that the landscape for queer and trans comic artists has change pretty drastically since he first began more than 20 years ago.

He believes this is, in part, because over time publishers found there was a market for queer and trans material as society’s attitudes toward LGBTQ continued to progress. He also says that there has been a major shift of queer and trans comics being seen solely as adult material.

“You know, if you have a story with straight people, where a husband and wife kiss each other, or a kid has a crush on another kid, that isn’t automatically considered to be adult material, and the same standard should apply to queer stuff. So, that conversation has happened a lot over the past 20 years, to the point where now, there are a lot of mainstream publishers who are like, ‘We totally want to publish stuff for queer kids.’”

He says that he’s noticed the shift in demand for queer, young adult content as well, with more parents and enthusiasts at conventions approaching him for stories for the queer and trans children in their lives over the years.

Currently, Edwards is dipping his toes into this new realm, with his web comic Valley of the Silk Sky, a young adult series heavily focused on trans and queer characters in a sci-fi setting. Edwards says that diving into fiction that allows for world building also allows him to create a universe for LGBTQ people where queerphobia and transphobia don’t exist.

“What happens when you build a culture from the ground up, where they are not transphobic? Like, (the characters aren’t) going through a period of transphobia; they’re not going through a period of homophobia, and then getting over that—they never had that in the first place. So how does that change how the culture perceives gender in the first place?”

Edwards hopes the comic world will continue grow in the future, specifically that queer comic artists are able to write queer stories, and stories featuring queer characters, without being typecast or pigeonholed as that being their exclusive niche.

“For the most part, when I’m doing a panel at a convention, they’re like, ‘We’ll put you on the trans panel; we’ll put you on the queer panel,’ but it’s like, ‘No, put me on the fantasy world-building panel,” Edwards says. “I mean, there’s definitely been ways in which opportunities have expanded, but there’s still a lot of gatekeeping going on in ways that people might not even quite appreciate that they’re gatekeeping.”

Edwards says he currently has “a bunch of irons in the fire right now” as far as current projects. In addition to Valley of the Silk Sky, Edwards also produces OFM’s monthly comic. He still produces QAT Person and other anthology comics, which he typically publishes online until there are enough to publish in a collection.

To keep up with Dylan Edwards’ work, check out his website studiondr.com.

For more on Valley of the Silk Sky, visit valleyofthesilksky.com.

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I

n 2021, Colorado Health Network celebrated the two-year anniversary of the opening of the Medical Clinic in Denver. The Medical Clinic at CHN made its official debut in January 2019, and since, has greatly widened its scope of care and services for only people living with HIV, but other health conditions, too. This includes introducing primary care, gender-affirmation therapy, trauma-informed care, harm reduction care, telehealth care, and accepting many new forms of insurance to make access to care easier for the client.

Clients will now have access to new and expanded services as of this year.

Additionally, since March, the Medical Clinic at CHN is officially a licensed Ryan White Clinic, which allows CHN to offer care to under-insured or uninsured clients, further increasing its reach and impact on the community. The clinicians at CHN remain committed to meeting the diverse and emerging needs of the communities we serve, and our team member Sally Bowen, CHN’s newest nurse Practitioner, stands out as an exceptional provider of service.

Sally has brought with her an immense amount of talent and expertise that have led to a significant boost in client retention and new admissions! If you or someone you love is living with HIV or other health conditions, see if you qualify for access to the Colorado Health Network Medical Clinic located in Denver. At this time, CHN is closely monitoring guidelines around resuming in-person services and invites anyone interested to reach out for more information by visiting the CHN website at coloradohealthnetwork.org or calling the front desk at (303) 962-5317.

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Christa Faust

photo courtesy of Christa Faust

T

By Brian Byrdsong

his month, on September 29, 2021, the trade paperback version of Christa Faust’s Redemption will hit shelves.

OFM had the opportunity to learn a bit more about Redemption and the author behind it.

How did you get into writing, comics, and novelizations?

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember.

I was a voracious reader as a kid and created my own ‘books’ as soon as I was able to write. As far as publishing, I kinda fell into it backwards.

Retrospectively charting the course of my wildly unpredictable career through all those different types of writing, the one thing that remained consistent was the element of luck.

I know people hate to hear that because they want to believe there’s a magic formula that they can duplicate and be successful, but for me, that’s just not how it worked. I got into novelizations because someone I knew was unavailable for a project and recommended me at the last minute. Comics, I just happened to have a little pet project I’d been tinkering with when my prose publisher decided to take a stab at creating a comic line. Things could have easily gone a different way, but they didn’t, and I got lucky.

I like to tell anyone looking for advice on how to ‘break in’ as a writer that you should think of yourself as a boxer. Watch and study every fight ever recorded. Practice your footwork, skip, work out, work the heavy bag and focus pads. Hone your craft.

Then, when you get lucky like I did and you finally get your chance to throw a punch, you’ll knock ‘em out.

Why was it important for you to explore the thematic elements in a Western setting, or was it important at all?

I’m a character person first and foremost, and what’s most interesting to me about the classic, Western archetype is the character of the grizzled, old outlaw. Since I’m now in my 50s, I’m especially interested in highlighting older characters, but you rarely see stories that center the voices and experiences of older women. Older male characters are still allowed to be tough and cool and sexually active, whereas older women are relegated to supporting roles, either as comic relief or somebody’s mom.

Also, who is a more dangerous outlaw than an older, queer woman who doesn’t give a damn what men think of her?

Why was it important for you to include strong female characters, and more specifically, queer female characters?

It’s always been important for me to include strong female characters in the stories I write, so much so that it feels as fundamental and invisible as breathing. I don’t write simplistic, shallow, or male-gaze-oriented, cliché characters because I don’t know any. I write about the women I know.

I write about queer women, marginalized women, and sex workers because I am one and because I want women like me to see themselves on the page in all their complicated, messy, and imperfect glory. I’m tired of people like us being nothing but a pretty body in a dumpster that exists simply to make the male hero feel manly feelings.

I love that there are other writers out there creating upbeat, queer stories with heroic, aspirational protagonists who get to live happily ever after, but that’s never gonna be my jam.

I love the gray areas, the darker places in the human heart, and the ways in which we all struggle just to make it through the day.

What do you want people to take away most from Redemption?

I want people to care about older women. After we get above a certain age, we become culturally invisible, and I’m determined to challenge that. I want people to see that perceived ‘fuckability,’ or even more general likeability, isn’t all female protagonists have to offer.

What’s your favorite fandom? And why?

Did I mention I’m old? So old, apparently, that I don’t even honestly know what to make of this question. I’m not sure any of the things that I like are associated with what could be called fandom. I’m a Film Noir fanatic and have been attending the Film Noir Foundation’s Noir City film festival every year for nearly 20 years now. I love to get pie and talk about the movies with my fellow Film Noir enthusiasts, at least I did back in the Before Times. That’s gotta count, right?

Also, don’t forget to take a light wrap in case it gets chilly later; stand up straight, and close the damn door because I’m not paying to heat the whole neighborhood.

Do you have any other projects or books in the works that you are able to share with our readers?

I’m currently working on something new with AWA, but if I told you about it, I’d have to kill you. Needless to say, strong female characters are involved. And even though it’s not exactly new, I really hope you’ll all check out my graphic novel Peepland. That one is really close to my heart. It’s based on my own life growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in NYC in the 80s and working in the Times Square peep booths. But, you know, with murder.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just that you can chat with me about Westerns or Film Noir or queer pulp novels or rescue pets or whatever on my various social streams.

And no, your Auntie Christa is not on TikTok. #GetOffMyLawn

OFM culture

Wild West Gender Outlaw

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OFM culture

Spaceboy Spaceboy Spaceboy Spaceboy Spaceboy Science Fiction for a Better Tomorrow

by Addison Herron-Wheeler

S

cience fiction is, in Nate Ragolia of Spaceboy Press’ words, “an opportunity to create the world you want.”

But for so many, that is not the experience they have with the genre. Sci-fi overwhelmingly remains white and straight, and marginalized people who write sci-fi often face snobbery both inside and outside the subgenre. Ragolia is determined to change this, or at least do his part by providing an outlet for marginalized voices, but he refuses to do so in a tokenizing way.

“I’m repulsed any time I’ve worked anywhere and heard people talk about some kind of quota or checklist for diversity,” he admits. “I think the point is making space and being intersectional and welcoming. For example, I didn’t go, ‘I’m going to reach out to the 10 white guys I know who read science fiction and ask them to write a book for us to put out. We’ve always been about new voices, and that way, we meet so many amazing people. We find out about new stories and other peoples’ experiences, which is so important in writing.

In addition to not intentionally trying to check boxes, Ragolia says the process of telling expansive stories happened organically. By publishing diverse writers he discovered and appreciated, more marginalized voices started being drawn to Spaceboy. He has put out my queer short story collection, a Black author’s perspective on the future, a woman-written take on space travel, books that could easily have gotten overlooked without his efforts.

“Our initial intention was, we knew people who were writing really interesting science-fiction stories, and we just saw there wasn’t a place for those stories necessarily. There

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wasn’t room in this very insular environment with Tor and the other big, sci-fi book publishers. So we were like, ‘Well, let’s give the weird and wonderful an opportunity.’”

But don’t mistake all this for color-blindness. Ragolia is well aware of the positive impact he can have as a white, male ally publishing books.

“I’ve stopped caring, not in the sense of a conservative way where I ‘don’t see race,’ but more like feeling like we can be better when everyone is fully together. By mixing and not being segregated, that's how we become the best people and have the most honest and real experiences. The beauty of science fiction has always been that it allows for us to confront the realities of now through the lense of something that makes it seem safer. It puts a narrative lens between you and what’s actually happening, because a lot of sci-fi is about civil rights, the environment, the government, dystopian society. So, it would be stupid and wrong not to voraciously welcome all sorts of ideas and stories because that’s honestly the only thing we’ve got; it’s the essence of so-called American innovation.”

“Every publisher should be seaking the best possible stuff anytime,” he adds. “So many stories have already been told, and we’re living in a world where everything is franchised out to the point that the same story is told again and again.

I think it’s about telling the most honest story; just write your story the way you want it to go because that’s what’s important.”

Look out for more books to be published in 2022, and to be considered for publication, email readspaceboy@gmail.com.

A CHAT WITH JENNIFER LEE MARANA

OFM culture

ANIME TRASH

by Rachel Galstad

W

hether you watch subbed or dubbed, if you’re a weeb for anime, you’re alright with us. Living for the fantasy you could only dream of having, anime is a way to immerse yourself into another dimension while escaping reality just for a moment, indulging deep into stories and characters you wish you could emulate yourself.

LGBTQ Artist Jennifer Lee Marana, and selfproclaimed “anime trash” has been creating and designing her own anime-fandom-inspired illustrations for years. Her Instagram account @doro_kai is where she shares all her colorful and cute creations, and where she jokes there are “too many fandoms, so little time.”

When did you start drawing anime fandom-inspired pieces?

I really hit it hard when I was 12 or 13.

My friend showed me an anime edit of characters with music playing, and I was like, ‘What is that; that’s amazing.’ Then I just started watching a bunch of anime after that, and we just dove super deep into drawing every character we could think of.

What inspires you to create these adorable animations?

All the content I’ve taken in since being little. I’ve always been crazy into cartoons; my mom fed me cartoons a lot as a form of entertainment.

My grandmother was an artist, and she took me to art shows and events where she sold her own art. She was set up in an art shop, and she taught at the community college, so she was a huge influence.

Being a queer artist, does it reFLect in your art illustrations?

Definitely. I have always found women attractive since a very young age, and I didn’t realize until high school that I actually was romantically and sexually attracted to them. I definitely prefer drawing women, mostly because I think they’re more fun to draw. My hands enjoy it, and my eyes enjoy women more. It helped me come out as a person because I was able to display affection in art, like, two women or two men.

What kind of commissions do you do for people, and how can one secure one of your costume pieces?

I do a lot of simple portraits or close-ups, but I’ve done a lot of fan art of characters.

A lot of portraits of people I know, or people who want a photo reenacted, and I definitely let them know it’s going to be cartoony and anime-ish. Finding me on my Insta is usually a good place, because it’s a good reference to all my work and my style: @Doro_kai on Instagram. outfrontma ga zine.com 19

OFM culture

How does it feel to advocate for the LGBTQ and weeb communities?

So empowering, I’ve never had an opportunity like this, and I feel I can speak up for a lot of people who don’t because I used to be very shy and super introverted. Now, I just stopped caring because a lot more people have come out and embraced their inner weeb as well. It feels empowering; it feels inspiring, and I hope to continue my work because of it.

What does it mean to be “anime trash”?

To think about it on a daily basis, to keep in touch with it very often, and be inspired to create something based off of it, whether it’s physical or just a conversation or a relationship with someone over it.

I proudly say, I’m trash for the anime culture.

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To date, what’s your favorite piece you’ve created?

My most recent digital piece really drove me. I felt inspired because I really care about my two roommates. I wanted to show them how much I care about them and how much they truly inspire me to push myself creatively.

What are your hopes for future creations?

Big goal was to create a comic book, but now, a webcomic would be a better, modern version of that idea. Although ideally, I’d like to have a show of my own.

To have your characters come to life would be everything because I’ve had this universe stuck in my head since I was around 15, and it hurts my brain. It’s hard to share it all in a sentence, so I want to be able to share it the best way I can—in a physical form.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Never be upset with your past work. It’s always a reflection of what you’re going to be better at or what you freakin’ accomplished in the first place when you went through the trouble of making something. Especially if it’s animebased, don’t be ashamed of anything you create, weeby or not; you fucking did a thing. I just feel really bad at words, and that’s the reason why I draw.

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Erika Ishii

by Denny Patterson

photo courtesy of Erika Ishii

OFM culture

A Familiar Voice in the World of Gaming

The Voice of Gaming

by Denny Patterson 2 2 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

As one of gaming’s most sought-after voiceover actors, she has brought to life brilliant and memorable characters including Ruth Dzeng in Cyberpunk 2077, Domina Venomblade in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, and Maddy Cho in Marvel’s Avengers—just to name a few. Earlier this year, it was announced that Ishii would voice lesbian character Valkyrie in the ninth season of Apex Legends, which is considered the biggest and queerest season yet. Openly genderfluid, Ishii has a strong presence in the LGBTQ community. She was more than ready to take on this badass character, and the Apex fandom embraced her with open arms.

Born into a family of Hollywood professionals, Ishii began booking commercials when she was 4 years old and landed a guest role on the hit sitcom Full House. She took a hiatus from acting to concentrate on the violin, then went on to graduate cum laude with a degree in communications from UCLA before returning to the spotlight.

OFM had the opportunity to connect with Ishii and talk more about Apex Legends, how being her authentic self benefited her career, and how she hopes to help change the world with stories.

For those who are unfamiliar, can you begin by telling us more about Apex Legends?

Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale, and Arena’s new game. Essentially, long story short, the combatants are dropped on an island and have to battle it out “King of the Kill” style. I play Valkyrie, the newest legend for Season Nine, and it is thrilling because I was a fan of the game before I got to be a part of it.

Who is Valkyrie? You have tweeted saying you have been waiting to play a role like this character.

Yes! Valkyrie is mixed Japanese-American; she’s a lesbian, but Valk is Valk. Her defining traits are that she is bold, brass, and cocky. She is totally a maverick, and she is trying to live up to the legacy of her famous father, who she looked up to and admired.

In your opinion, what makes Apex Legends worth checking out?

First of all, from a gaming point of view, the mechanics are incredible, and the movement is buttery smooth. It is satisfying. The design is great, but I also love the narrative.

Before I was in the game, I remember seeing the story trailer for Season Four, and it was purely a story-based trailer.

Having that level of attention to the lore and the character building is something that is very, very special for online games because they are under constant pressure to put

OFM culture

Erika Ishii may have a career spanning across all verticals of entertainment, but she will forever be known for her work in the video game industry.

something out, update everything, put out new characters, new mechanics. Having a story and characters centered is truly special.

Do you consider yourself a gamer?

That is such a loaded term these days [laughs]. Like, do you consider yourself a movie-goer? It’s funny that there is an identity wrapped up in this medium, but yes, I have been playing games for as long as I can remember. Even before I was in video games, I was playing them and discussing them professionally.

Do you have a favorite fandom?

I cannot play favorites with my fandoms! Before I got a chance to tell stories for beloved franchises, I was active in many fandoms. I have dressed up for midnight releases, written fanfiction and poetry, and posted in forums for many stories including, but not limited to, Lord of the Rings, Sailor Moon, Harry Potter, which is currently a complicated relationship, Star Wars, D&D and roleplaying games, Cowboy Bebop, Invader Zim, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Legend of Zelda.

In addition to voicing multiple video games characters, you have appeared on stage, film, and television, and even have family roots in Hollywood. Has acting always been your passion?

I was very, very fortunate that as a child, my parents saw that I was extroverted and loved the limelight. So, they put me into acting. I grew up around sets and in theatre, and I feel very, very fortunate to have had a family that was supportive of acting. I know that is not the case for a lot of my fellow performers.

As a genderfluid person who has a proud presence in the queer community, how has being your authentic self benefitted your career, and do you believe the industry is beginning to recognize the value of authenticity and inclusion?

Oh, absolutely! Even in the short time that I have been a regular performer, I have seen great strides in representation in casting, ethnically and gender-wise. We still have a long way to go, though, in terms of the ways talent is sought out.

I am very fortunate that I have been coming up in a time in which people have valued authentic voices. When I was starting out, I remember being given the advice to keep my personal life private. That being open about who I was would exclude me from roles, but that has been the absolute opposite for me. I am very grateful for that.

What more do you hope to do with your platform to continue changing the world through stories and the communities that form around them?

I think that there is something incredibly universal and empathy building about storytelling. Sometimes, our passion for characters and stories will bridge a gap that simple data can’t. I hope that by continuing to tell these stories and by being very publicly and openly who I am, it gives others permission to do the same.

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OFM culture

The Superhero We Want and Need

by Denny Patterson

F

or the last three years, actress Nicole Maines has showcased the importance of trans representation by bringing to life Nia Nal, a.k.a. Dreamer, a beloved character on The CW series Supergirl. Playing the first-ever trans superhero on television, viewers could not wait to watch her fight crime and kick ass all while highlighting important social issues.

However, long before Maines donned a face mask and took to the streets of National City, she had already spent her early years as something of a real-life superhero fighting for trans rights, equality, and visibility. Most notably, she was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, where she argued her school district could not deny her access to the female bathroom for being transgender. The court ruled in favor of Maines.

Maines tells the whole story of her transition in her biography Becoming Nicole, written by Amy Ellis Nutt, and has appeared on documentaries like The Trans List, Not Your Skin, and Visible: Out on Television. Now, pursuing a career in Hollywood, Maines will continue to use her space for activism and shine a spotlight on the strides made toward acceptance.

To celebrate the final season of Supergirl, Maines took some time to chat with OFM about the importance of Dreamer, being a trans voice on camera and behind-the-scenes, what led her to acting, and how one can get involved with activism.

The second half of Supergirl Season Six just premiered. Without revealing too much, what’s in store for viewers?

It gets crazy really quick. We are finally going to see sort of what Nyxly is up to, which I am excited about. There is a lot of stuff between Nyxly and Nia. I always like to be involved in the big, bad stories, and Nia is very much involved with this one. We also see a glimpse of Isabel, Nia’s mom, who we have not seen since Season Four. If you thought Nia was going to catch a break, she is not, and the poor girl needs one! It just would not be Nia Nal if she could have two damn seconds to catch her breath.

Nia Nal/Dreamer is the first transgender superhero to be on television. How groundbreaking is this?

I never thought I was going to see it, and I definitely never thought I was going to be that superhero.

Nia and Dreamer, I am so endlessly passionate about them, their story, and the potential that I see for them in the D.C. universe. Honestly, even her transness aside, what I get so excited about with

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photo courtesy of Nicole Maines

OFM culture

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OFM culture

Nia and Dreamer is that they are really cool. She is not trans just for the sake of being trans. There is so much more to her character than that.

In terms of representation, that is what I have been wanting to see for so long. I wanted to see trans people portrayed as who we are. Three-dimensional characters with faults, strengths, and struggles that are not just centered around going to the bathroom. She is so, I cannot think of a better word than ‘cool.’ Her powers, her backstory, and we have gotten to see her grow so much. Going into Season Six, we are going to see her continue to grow. Every episode, she is getting stronger. When you look at Season Four, you’ve got Supergirl at full power. Dreamer is not. Dreamer is just getting started. The further we go into this show, the more we are starting to see this snowball of, wait, she is the moment!

Several fans and parents have reached out saying what a huge inspiration you are. How does it feel to know that in some ways, you are an actual superhero?

I cannot do flips, and I can barely make a fist, but I am honored. It is very sweet, and I am not a person who really knows what to do with compliments. Especially compliments like that. However, it is nice to know that people are aware of the monumentality of this character. It is nice that people appreciate how important she is and getting to talk with fans, parents, and kids about this has been fulfilling. I will go to conventions or something, and people will come up to me in tears. They are like, ‘I never thought I’d see myself as a superhero.’ Like, I didn’t either. I know how major this character is, and we are all so enthusiastic about her. It has lit a fire in me where I really want to keep her going.

Were you a fan of nerd culture even before being cast on the show?

Oh, yes! I am still not as avid of a comic book reader, as I feel like I should be, and most of my comic book knowledge comes from deep-diving on the internet, but I have always loved superheroes and nerd culture. Being a trans girl growing up in the middle of nowhere, anything that was happening in different worlds and universes, I was always very interested in that. I love anything nerdy and geeky.

Do you belong to any fandoms?

Yes! Absolutely Star Wars and Disney. I feel like I am not supposed to say this, but Marvel. Sorry, D.C., but I like those movies! I love D.C. too! I was all about Arrow in high school.

The episode “Reality Bytes” focused on the topic of violence against trans women. What was like to be part of that process, and was that episode emotionally challenging?

It was not so much emotionally challenging as much as it was, like, the pressure is on. There was so much to cover and so much to talk about, and I was kind of the resident trans person in the writers’ room for this episode, but I don’t know everything.

So, the hard part was trying to figure out what absolutely needed to make it into that episode. For “Reality Bytes,” there were a couple things that I was like, “Regardless of what story you want to tell, these are the points that need to make it into this episode. I do not care what else you cut. These points need to be in it,” and one of them was Yvette having recognition for her own situation.

I did not want her to just be like, “How did this happen?” She knows that she is a Black, trans woman living in the city, and she knows that there are some risks involved with going on

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that date. That’s why she asks Nia to come with her in the first place. We travel in packs for safety, but it clearly does not always work out. So, I wanted Yvette to be aware of her own situations. She is not an idiot.

When we started talking about the rates of trans violence and trans mortality rates, I wanted that number to be accurate at the time of filming. I was like, “Just Google it before the scene.” People need to know what is actually going on, and it’s not some made-up thing we are doing for a superhero show. This is a real issue that a lot of trans women face, again, mostly trans women of color. I really wanted to drive that point home and make sure that people knew what was going on.

You were already well-known for your activism work.

How did acting come about? Have you always wanted to pursue a Hollywood career?

Acting was something I always loved to do because I always loved to play dress-up as a kid. It was that one time when my parents were not quite on board yet that I was able to wear clothes and portray characters that I identified with.

My parents couldn’t say anything about it because it was just pretend. It was always a happy place for me and something that I loved.

If you could have one superpower in real life, what would it be?

The Accio spell from Harry Potter, being able to summon things. I am such an airhead, scatterbrain. I am peak bimbo energy. The amount of time that I spend just looking for things is absurd. Just the other day, I ran to the gas station because I wanted a Vitamin Water, and while I was walking home, my phone died. It was like a five-minute walk, so no problem, but I guess at some point walking home, I lost my keys. I dropped my keys somewhere. Honestly, if just finding keys was my superpower, that would also be acceptable.

If Dreamer could team up with any superhero from any universe, who would you love for it to be?

Nightwing. One, I think their suits would be really cool together. He’s got the black and blue and she’s got the silver and blue, so they would look so cool standing next to each other. I also think their energies would play well off each other, and I kind of want to see her take on more of a detective role.

Honestly, even Batman because he is so stoic, dark, and brooding. I feel like she would ride up on a pink razor scooter, and he would be like, who is this person? She’s like, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were still doing the dark and brooding superhero thing.” That is so Nolan universe, come on.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as an artist and an activist?

I just want to keep doing cool shit [laughs]. I feel like, in terms of representation, the next step is going to be these characters just being trans. It will not be a big deal, and it won’t need to be the headline in every article they are in. They can just be trans. I feel like we reach a point of diminishing returns after a certain point when that is the center of what we are talking about with these characters. That is working against our message. We are saying, look, we are more than just trans. We are three-dimensional characters, and that is what we are trying to portray, but then when every article is headlined, trans this or trans that, it is contradictory.

We need to talk about these characters like we talk about everybody else.

N E W C U S T O M E R S R E C E I V E 3 0 % O F F*

During increasingly digital times,

some things are better in analog

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I T AN O R E H Designed by Veronica L. Holyfield

the Anti-Hero: A protagonist who lacks traditional qualities and attributes of a hero while using unconventional means to create positive change for humanity Photographer Julius Garrido paired with models Issac and Candi to capture the essence of the anti-hero.

To be continued...

The

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CannabisCandi

“

Tank Girl

I shaved my head not that long ago, and that was one of the things I was most excited about: doing a photoshoot with a less feminine appearance. I think being able to dress up like Tank Girl and do this gender-bender type thing, it was a representation of what queer is.

All gender roles are dead, but I just loved that we were able to bring this gender-bender mix.

“I’ve always been a big fan of comic books and graphic novels. The Walking Dead graphic novels are probably my favorite, but it started as a love as a kid. I would go to the comic book store, and my first Barbie was Storm from X-Men.”

“

“It felt so transformative; I felt so cool, and I totally get why people do cosplay all the time because it is empowering, and I just felt like a badass bitch.”

“

I identify as pansexual, and I try to use my modeling as advocacy for cannabis, mental health, body positivity, as well as queer rights.

“

“

“

[The Nerd Community] is a community where you feel accepted, and I’m actually really big into the EDM community, too. It’s a nonjudgmental world, it’s a world that you go into and you dress how you want, you act how you like, and everyone just supports you for it. That’s what queers do; that’s what nerds do; that’s what the EDM community does, and I think it’s beautiful.

3 0 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

“

The saga goes on...

Arty Boy

Suicide Squad

“

When it comes to conceptualism and inspiration, I’m definitely inspired by rave culture and alternative fashion. When it comes to the anti-hero, the fashion in

Suicide Squad is everything to me, and

Birds of Prey. All of

those mixed together gave me this idea of being this messy person who happens to save lives.

“I’m more of an anime freak myself.

I’m currently watching Hunter x Hunter, and one of my favorite anime is My Hero Academia.”

“

“I felt super powerful; the liberty spikes really are the most for me.

I love a good liberty spike.”

“

Anime fashion is definitely top-tier in my opinion; the artists that create the animated characters know what they’re doing.

Anime fashion is definitely effective because they’re superheroes, so they have to have some kind of harness or something to put their weapon in, but at the same time, it looks nice; it looks good.

“I enjoy Eijiro Kirishima; his superhero name is Red Riot. I would love to cosplay his outfit.”

“

“His superpower really isn’t super great, but he knows how to work with what he’s got, and that’s what I respect about him as a Character.” outfrontmagazine.com 31

PIXEL R O R TER

by Christopher La Fleur

“I made ‘Pixel Terror’ for the nerds!”

I grew up on classic cartoons and science fiction, and I wanted to tie in those reference points with the anime focus of this issue in order to tell a short story about the joys and freedom of coming out.

I created the SourCute Invasion series to make it easier to talk about the challenging parts of life. Coming out isn’t always easy, but I think we can all agree—a life in full color is what we need.

Christopher La Fleur @christopher.LaFleur.arts christopherlafleurarts.com AVAILABLE: “Pixel Terror,” 2021 34” x 44,” acrylic and ink on primed canvas.

3 2 OFM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1

outfrontmagazine.com 33

Chevere From the B Salon to the Ring

by Denny Patterson

Not only are Luis and Kristen Chevere partners in life, but they are also partners in adventure.

3 4 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

ased out of Austin Texas, Luis and Kristen are a multifaceted wrestling duo known as the “Cult of Crowley.” Going by their stage names, Alexander and Lilith, as a team, they have created their own wrestling character in their entirety, making their own costumes and investing in their own entrance song.

Kristen was introduced to wrestling at an early age after moving to Texas.

“It was either you like football, or you like wrestling,” she says. “Wrestling was huge because it had the theatrics to it. I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s acting, but you are beating people up. This is the best thing I have ever seen.’”

Growing up in Puerto Rico, like Kristen, Luis’ passion for wrestling also began while young.

“I was kind of born into it,” he says. “When you live on an island, there’s not really a whole lot you can do. So, the local wrestling shows were something me and other children would do together. Yell obscene things.”

In 2020, Luis and Kristen began booking local and statewide wrestling shows, and the pair have now traveled around the country wowing audiences with their talent, creativity, and love for the wrestling universe. More recently, they created original

Photos courtesy of Luis & Kristen Vhevere

OFM culture

Luis & Kristen

huge because it had the theatrics to it ... it’s acting, but you are beating people up.

”

custom gear for WWE wrestler Karrion Kross, which he wore when he debuted, and can now be seen on his 2021 action figure.

Before entering the ring, both Luis and Kristen found success as hair stylists.

Starting his education in cosmetology school, Luis’ hair career took off after graduation when he began to teach cutting techniques. In 2016, he chose to venture into the world of independent education. That move earned him six hair award

nominations and opportunities to travel to Russia, Canada, Ireland, and London on the international education circuit.

Kristen, on the other hand, had different aspirations after graduating cosmetology school. In 2010, she was able to achieve her dream in opening her very own hair salon, Now Salon, in San Antonio. The business continues to thrive today.

When Luis and Kristen met in 2016, he encouraged her to put her talent in hair coloring on social media, which led her to become a color educator and award nominations. Kristen describes their meeting as a modern-day love story.

“We met through Instagram, and he was teaching at one of my friend’s barbershops,” she says. I thought he was just a new hire. So, I had a friend of mine lurk his social media, first to see if he was gay or straight, and then to see if he was in a relationship.

Turns out, he was straight and single. I reached out for him to come teach at the salon that I own, and it kind of just developed from there. It was kind of love at first sight, so to speak.”

From there, the couple have had the extraordinary opportunity to not only work together but perform together on the same stage.

OFM culture

“ Wrestling was

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OFM art

The Ongoing Journey

of Embracing My

Artistic Identity Words and art by Keegan Williams

3 6 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

Sometimes the label feels almost fraudulent, as I’ve never commissioned a piece; I’ve been saying for months I’m going to open up an online art store (still coming soon); I make a recurring joke about how I’m a selfish artist and hoard most of my art in my space, even though I am eager to push myself to embrace my artistic identity in a public and professional capacity.

Even as a child, I feel like I operated under a similar idea, fully aware that I loved art class over any of the others, that I loved to create new things that came solely from my mind.

But I never prioritized this passion, as the older I grew, the more I internalized the messages around artists being broke, or making a career as an artist being unrealistic and risky. Though, admittedly, I went into the journalism and media communications major at CSU knowing that the huge umbrella of “media” would surely give me something to pursue post-grad as a creative.

As I write this, I also think about how harmful it can be to equate my success as an artist with whether or not I’m able to monetize it. I look at my space, which is collaged wall-to-wall ( featuring a good amount of my work), and recognize how my expression provides a safe and comfortable place for me to dwell, and how this space tells any person exactly what they need to know about the person who lives here.

I primarily create surreal art with people, and faces, at the forefront. I often play with vibrant and fully unnatural color palates, and I love making work that elicits a feeling, whatever it may be. Sometimes, I embrace my more cartoony, caricature style and create pieces that are more humorous, which is typically how I approach video content, though I often veer into the polar-opposite direction with work that might feel a little sinister or strange on the surface.

I’ve also found another part of my artistry that I’ve embraced increasingly over the past several years. Through my teenhood, I obsessed over getting every line perfect, almost

always feeling as if I needed a fully fleshed-out idea before I could sit down to make something.

Anymore, it’s almost always the opposite. Unless I have a specific plan for a piece, most of the work I’ve produced recently made its way onto paper straight from my brain.

Most of the time, I have no idea what something will look like until it’s nearly finished. I’ve also embraced a more sketch, doodle-based approach at times, where the mess, the chaos my pen sometimes brings to paper, is the focal point of the art.

OFM art

I

t was after college when I began specifically selfidentifying as an artist. In post-grad fashion, I fumbled around for a good three years before I even dove back into the creative space. Instead of fielding the “What do you do?” question with a forlorn answer about working in the service industry, I started to say, “I’m an artist.”

I think back to my days in the midst of the pandemic doing tech support, chatting on the phone for 10 hours a day from my apartment with some of the most irate people I’ve ever experienced, always with a pad of paper next to me. At the end of nearly every shift, I was met with at least one full page of scribbles and doodles that, in their chaos, somehow make a cohesive end product.

Through my adult, artistic evolution that keeps shifting and changing, I recognize that I am, have always been, and always will be, an artist.

In the abundance of writing I do as a freelancer, I create art.

On my goofy TikTok account that somehow took off this year, I’m creating art. Hopping on Garageband to make some silly jingle about being a Pisces rising for a video—it’s art.

There is something so gratifying and grounding about crafting something out of thin air that would not exist had I not sat down to do it that gives me a rush I cannot begin to describe.

That’s how I know I was made to create and share new things.

As the eyes on this magazine have maybe seen my name before next to a story, I’m thrilled that this is the first time people will be able to spy my name and see my art right next to it. While exploring freelance, creative work, over my previous ventures working full-time under a single company, continues to be a bit of a hustle and learning curve, it also allows me the opportunity to explore those things about myself I know I’ve been tabling so long and that I know are essential to my identity.

Will I be dishing out art full time, relishing in my booming success, in a year’s time? I don’t expect that to happen, and again, I don’t know if that’s essentially my aim as an artist, either. But, having the space to share and explore my art in a greater capacity, in the way I’ve wanted to for so long, well, I think that this issue of OFM is a pretty good start.

For updates and to check out my writing, videos, and art, go to keeganmwilliams. com or linktr.ee/ promwitch.

outfrontmagazine.com 37

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photos courtesy of Skum Love

OFM music

Skum I Love SHEDS LOVE AND LIGHT ON DARK AND SERIOUS TOPICS

by Denny Patterson 4 0 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

n July, Los Angeles-based dark rock band Skum Love released their new single, “The Dark,” along with a music video that has a relatable message resonating around the grave emotions many of us experienced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Written under duress while quarantined, “The Dark” depicts unsettling imagery of four characters dealing with the weight of mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

Inside this darkness is a ray of light in the shape of a hand reaching out to pull them out of the turmoil and bad decisions.

Additionally, Skum Love partnered with the You Rock Foundation, a campaign created to serve as a safe haven to help those suffering to move forward with life, as part of the single.

Skum Love—consisting of vocalist Skum Love, Robyn Sin on guitars, Cisco Z on drums, and J. Diablos on bass—has been at the forefront of the L.A. music scene for many years with a worldwide following. They have put out several independent releases, as well as two full-length albums. Combining punk rock ethics with a heavy, rock groove bordering on metal with an industrial influence, Skum Love is never one to jump on a bandwagon. Instead, they stick to their guidance and play what they want.

Things like that and very sexual innuendos. See if people understand. One of our heaviest fast songs called ‘Disease,’ it is really about how religions kind of keep people at bay. I talk about coming out of the closet, bringing the skeletons out of the closet, and being who you want to be in the lyrics, and there are little innuendos in there that if people read them, they would go, ‘Holy shit! I know what he’s talking about!’

At first, I thought I would be shunned and this and that, like anybody else would in those predicaments, but there are a lot of bisexuals in rock ‘n’ roll. There are a lot of gay men and women in rock ‘n’ roll, and some of them are still in the closet. Some of them are out. My wife dated women before she dated me, and we just clicked. We always joke about finding the loophole in gay marriage. She’ll even tell you, ‘If this doesn’t work out between us, I’m going back to women.’

We have been together for over 10 years. Together, and within my own music, we bring a lot of that together where we are like, ‘We have to express who we are. We cannot hold that back.’

OFM music

Can you begin by telling us more about the concept and inspiration behind your new single, ‘The Dark?’

During COVID, of course, we were all kind of, as I call it, in the dark. A lot of people started to become depressed, and I am not a depressed person. I am a very happy-golucky, always making jokes, kind of guy. Suddenly, I was becoming depressed, angry, and very anxious. So, towards the end of the year, I ended up writing these lyrics that were kind of explaining what I was going through, and I started to realize these feelings were the same feelings that other people were telling me that they were going through. I was sitting there strumming my guitar, and it came out very naturally. Like, the most natural song I have ever written.

Everything went together perfectly, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this works. I started recording in my home studio, and after I shared it with a couple friends, they were like, ‘Oh my God. Lyrically, this is how I feel.’ I started to get a lot of, ‘That’s how I feel.’ I was not alone. A lot of people felt like me, and it was reassurance that it was OK. I lost a lot of people during COVID. Not just to COVID, but to heart attacks and suicide. I lost 27 people last year, so my grief was huge. I was crying all the time and dealing with things I have never dealt with before. So, the song is really about how I was feeling in that dark place, but how so many other people felt the same way. That we are together in that dark place.

The music video features a lot of strong visuals focused on mental health and substance abuse. Was showcasing these topics a way to deal with your grief ?

Yes, definitely. For me, as I found out, a lot of my stuff was grief. For many others, it isn’t. I had friends that were dealing with being abused while they were home. Physical abuse, bullying, broken hearts. Losing their jobs, freaking out, and becoming suicidal. I took all those certain aspects and decided to put those views in the video. It is more, I guess, relatable to a lot of people instead of just what I was going through.

What specifically drew you to the rock genre?

Honestly, it was stuff like Alice Cooper, Kiss, the lights, the dressing up, the flamboyancy of just being able to go out there and just go crazy, be something that you would have to hold in when you are in regular company [laughs].

Iggy Pop, if I was religious, he would be my god. Hearing the aggressiveness of the music and the look of everything, that was my favorite part. Looking at Alice Cooper and the theatrics of it all.

Would you consider your look and style to be a goth cosplay?

It could be! I really like dressing up. I remember the first time I wore a skirt out on stage and did myself up, people were like, “What are you wearing?” I would wear a big, black goth tutu, and people were freaked out about that at first.

For some, I guess it is kind of a cosplay thing, but for me, I dress like that all the time. I am wearing a beautiful, long, black skirt right now, and I work for a guitar company.

Since you are bisexual, do you like to incorporate LGBTQ themes into your music?

I am kind of doing what Rob Halford did in the beginning. He would stick little pseudo things in there and see if anybody gets it. I am very tongue-in-cheek and throw things in to see if people understand what I am trying to say. Like, the song ‘I Am Your God,’ I say, ‘open up wide and swallow the light.’

o u t f r o n tm a g a z i n e.co m 41

OFM music

TRIPPERS & ASKERS

acorn

by Veronica L. Holyfield

4 2 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

W

e have heard the phrase “Life inspires art,” but every artist knows that it is often the creative sensibilities of others, synthesized with the paradigm of life, that real inspiration is born. Such is the case for the new album Acorn, a concept album by singersongwriter Trippers and Askers sparked by Octavia Butler’s rousing Parable of the Sower.

The novel is set in 2020 and imagines a dystopian society that is falling apart due to climate change, corporate greed, and economic inequality. Butler’s message was that of a blaring siren warning us that the fertile grounds of corruption would sprout and spread like disease if the ideals and systems that be are not dismantled. In 2021, many devastatingly consider

The manner in which Sower’s protagonist Lauren Olamina is disciplined in her quest for freedom through creation, Hammond weaves in the complexities of these massive and heavy themes while remaining precious about the music. In the truest form of folk and jazz songwriting, the collaborative process is unparalleled and exemplified in the work. As a music collective, Trippers and Askers orient the dawning of every piece toward an experience of connection, experimentation, and improvisation. From songs one through eight, Acorn is a journey, a story from top to bottom with special guest appearances from some of the most talented jazz and instrumental musicians in the world.

Hammond is drawn to the style of improvisational jazz not only because of the collective energy and freedom of everchanging and collaborative music, but because of the folks he has had a chance to work with and get to know on a deeply personal level. Having met Ken Moshes, a percussionist and one of the creative collaborators on Acorn, through playing music together, the conversations that then ensued were deeply impactful on both an art and human level.

“It wasn’t just about playing music with him, but it was then learning more about his life, about the experiences he’s had. He was a Black Panther in the late 60s, early 70s, who was targeted by the CIA and FBI and whose family was torn apart by programs like COINTELPRO. He was unhoused for a while and became an advocate for the homeless in Northern California through that experience,” Hammond says. “I didn’t know any of this when I met Ken, but the more we played together, the more there was this bond that happened musically that enabled us to be able to talk about a lot of things.

“It’s very intimate, improvising with people, so it opens up the door to getting to know people on different kinds of levels,” he explains.

In addition to collaborating with a collective of musicians, Hammond tapped the shoulder of graphic novel illustrator, winner of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, and professor John Jennings to design the cover of the album. As a researcher and educator of Afrofuturism, politics, visual rhetoric, and hip-hop culture, Jennings was not only an immaculate and clear choice due to his talent in illustration, but because of his connection to Octavia Butler’s work.

In 2012, Jennings and his creative partner Damian Duffy were approached by Abrams Books to create a graphic novel adaptation of Butler’s Kindred, which they completed and published in 2018. Quickly to follow was the release of a graphic novel adaption of Butler’s Parable by the pair, and it became Hammond’s dream to commission a piece from Jennings that would encompass the intention, impact, and artistry of Acorn.

“After listening to the music and thinking about some of the ideas I wanted to get across, when they’re traveling to get to Acorn, or what will become Acorn, it is kind of like this pilgrimage. I was trying to create something that was oddly comforting but also uncertain at the same time; unsettling,” John Jennings says.

As an educator of the arts in his own right, Hammond studied music at Columbia University and has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University. His book manuscript, “Trad Acorns cover artwork by John Jennings Jazz: Pre-War Aurality in the Postmodern City,” argues that contemporary expressions of traditional jazz open debate on salient issues of race, generation, and genre. Having a desire to impact cultural change through analyzing the intersections of creativity and social constructs, Hammond continues to overlap his creative expression with his intellectual ideology.

“I write about music; I have an article coming out that’s about the gentrification of New York and New Orleans and how it has affected the lives of jazz musicians in those two cities,” Hammond says. “Certain mediums are good for certain problems at certain times, and as many angles you can take on a problem, it doesn’t really matter what medium I use.

Acorn is about using song, and thinking about song, as a mechanism for changing societal structures.”

While Hammond leans into the intellectual articulation of music, and is often creatively informed by literature, art, and collaboration, songwriting still holds a therapeutic space for him as well. The first Trippers and Askers record called Nightcap was released in 2018 and was sparked by the fact that he had a very close family member pass away from an overdose. Songs that are based on the opioid crisis in America and how it affects small, rural places, was a way for Hammond to process the pain.

OFM music

this imagined world a reality of the life we live in now. The prophetic piece written in 1993 is unfolding before us, and in that, it is only by the will of hearts and minds that we may reverse course from Sower’s destiny.

Trippers and Askers, led by vocalist and jazz improvisationalist Jay Hammond, has absorbed the sci-fi novel and taken its intended, cautious message to new heights with the release of Acorn. The radical approach of songwriting showcases the arc of childhood humanity, and the creation of the religion Earthseed, then takes us through the delighting, heartbreaking, and disturbing life of a tumultuous adulthood.

“Those books really paint a very convincing picture of what our world looks like already for many people, and what it could look like for most of us in the next 20 years if things don’t change pretty drastically,” Hammond says. “I think our society tells us that art doesn’t really mean much, or that it’s about being famous, or it’s about vapid things. But I think something about that book really convinced me to pay attention to the part of me that really wanted to keep making music, to create and to put music out in a serious way, and to take it seriously as a force for societal change.”

“Putting a piece of work out there that was so blatantly about me processing that was hugely therapeutic,” he says.

“There’s all the rituals around loss and grief that occur, but then I also had the ritual of having put that music out into the world. Now, I still have those songs as little mantras for myself when I’m re-processing that grief, which is something that doesn’t ever end.”

Whether it’s processing life that creates the artistic expression, or it’s an influence by a piece of art that perpetuates more art, Hammond uses the cyclical nature of information, craft, and evolution throughout his work.

In community, Trippers and Askers challenge what it means to conceptualize, craft, and create, all while searching for ways to spark conversation, impact change, and improve the conditions of a life as we know it. outfrontma ga zine.com 43

OFM music

OFM NEW MUSIC This month’s must-catch new releases from the artists you already love and the musicians you need to know.

LANY

Little Simz

BAYLI

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

stories from new york

The fourth studio LP released by pop group LANY sees them at their best yet. The new record mixes massive hooks with reflective lyricism and stays true to frontman Paul Klein’s velvety vocal pairing with their dreamy melodies. By letting go of his creative hangups, Klein found freedom through trusting his inner voice and making music he loves.

The soulful, synth-pop band finds magical moments through diving into unknown waters and exploring bits and pieces of songs that are often left on the cutting room floor.

Releases September 3, 2021.

The British-Nigerian rapper-singer Little Simz releases her fourth LP and is already being hailed as a living legend. The year in reflection that was 2020 has ushered Little Simz, aka Simbiatu Ajikawo, into a transformative era where she confronts her fears and counts her blessings. As a rapper rooted in hip-hop, she pulls from influences as vast as soul and funk to jazz and grime. Ambitious and fiercely talented, her authentic individuality shines through the new tracks.

Releases September 3, 2021.

With a steadfast intention of making an impact in pop music, Bayli is off to a solid start with her debut EP, stories from new york. Infectious tracks that dive into the culture and diversity that vibrates from Black culture, the alternative artist weaves storytelling through both music and fashion, and lands in a space where life influences art. The lyricism evokes images of strength paired with overcoming trials, all centralized around unrelenting drum beats and hard-hitting, innovative pop-dance tracks.

Sleigh Bells

Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine

POPPY

The American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens has a preoccupation with epic concepts, and the upcoming, collaborative record is no different.

Indie-rock meets dreamy pop in A Beginner’s Mind, as the pair delve deep into cult-classic and popular horror/thriller films that inspire the new record. Folksy, sweet, sincere, and harmonically effervescent, they remain firmly planted in melancholy folk while investigating the cinematic and paranormal experience of living in New York during pandemic times.

Releases September 24, 2021.

The enlivened artist is back with her fourth, full-length release, and flux is met with mixed reviews. The artist who prefers to use the genre “contemporary metal” to describe her sound, still holds true to the mysterious and heavy leanings of hard rock meets melodic pop. Grungy, crunchy, guitar-driven tracks that are as dissonant as they are catchy, don’t be deceived by the influence of an aesthetically appealing Poppy, she still knows how to deliver weird in all the best ways.

gg bb xx

Texis

American noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells, consisting of vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Edward Miller, have re-emerged with a new spin on their classic sound.

Loud, rhythmic, experimental, and delicate, somehow the pair are able to capture it all, and Texis delivers a hardcore, metallic-esque bouquet of new songs. Setting the stage in 2020 with a more pop-leaning release, Sleigh Bells combines it all and drives home the fact that when you find what works, work it.

Releases September 10, 2021.

4 4 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

A Beginner’s Mind

Releases September 10, 2021.

flux

Releases September 24, 2021.

HIGH NOTE DEB NEVER

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

The queer artist who favors genres of hip hop and alt rock has gone deeper into the underground influence and is bringing a fresh, new sound with the new EP Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

The artist who once attempted to forge a presence in the industry as a part of group projects, Never has carved her own path and stands strong as a solo artist. The singer-songwriter is self-possessed and leans into what we love about indie music: tracks that rest within the space between self-deprecation and self-assurance.

From wrestling demons and dissociation to embracing the wreckage of a careless, all-consuming love, Where Have All the Flowers Gone brings a new perspective to overcoming life lived under the pressures of scrutiny and filling up the empty spaces with intention.

Melancholy lingers amid uplifting melodies, and battles within ballads showcase the complexities of the human existence.

Mixing genres is nothing new for Never, and influences of 70s rock, 80s hip hop, and 90s new wave weave throughout the eight-track record.

Through weighted choruses, fast drum beats, and introspective lyrics, Never has released a stand-out album of 2021.

Releases August 27, 2021.

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o u t f r o n tm a g a z i n e. co m 45

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OFM style

Beauty Beat

TIPS TO SAVE YOUR KEESTER

by Angel Rivera

W

e can all speak from personal experience that our makeup looks aren’t always on point. We can do better! Rain or shine, looking good takes time and pure patience, and we have your pro and “oh no” tips for everything you need for your fierce looks.

Start with the simple trick of eyeliner.

Have you ever had an amazing, warm, red-and-vermillion eye look but only have black and blue liners in your arsenal? Well, if you have pigment/ eyeshadow and setting spray, then you have custom, liquid eyeliner. Scraping a small bit of your color of choice onto an artistry pallet or a sterile surface, add a few drops of your fave setting spray and you can easily mix any eyeshadow into a liner for the day.

Have you ever dropped and shattered your favorite compact of foundation, highlighter, or blush? You can save it! Smash the rest of the pigment in its original casing; add a few drops of isopropyl alcohol, and use your fingers, smooth it out. Set it aside to dry for 24 hours, and voila, you have a saved product.

Next, this is a fave hack of the beauty gurus, and it is so good for makeup newbies. If you are looking to create a shadow look that will get people talking, start by using your favorite flat eyeshadow brush to streak dark to lighter shadows in your eye.

4 8 OFM AUGUST 2 0 2 1

Starting at the far end of your eyelid, line your first color (the darkest) in a slanted motion, and move in with your transitional colors until you reach the inner corners of your eye, using your lighter colors and foil or sparkle shades at the innermost point. Then take a fluffy, blending brush to lightly mix from the inner corner to the middle, and from the middle to the edge of your eye and temple.

Finally I wanted to include something that anyone—even people who don’t use eyeshadow but love a complete complexion—could use. We all know the brush-versus-sponge argument, but why not use both? Starting with clean, moisturized skin to avoid patchiness, apply your favorite foundation onto your face with a dense, circular brush.

Buffing in circular motions from the center of your face to your hairline, make sure to get every part of your face.

Then go in with your beauty sponge to pat down any areas and create a flawless complexion.

Finally, what sets this apart is, before you set your face, spray a nice amount of setting spray onto your sponge, and pat down areas that like to crease or pull apart throughout the day to melt the makeup into the skin and get you ready for longwear days.

C

OFM style

Get the look

loset osplay

by Angel Rivera

W

hether you are into fashion, anime, or superheroes, we can all agree that we want “the look.” Be it a runway doop or the outfits we see on the silver screen, everyone wants to look like their favorite character/model.

The way we can achieve this is with “Closet Cosplay.” Cosplay being a portmanteau of the words costume and play, originating sometime in the mid-to-late 90s. You might be wondering how cosplay and closet cosplay might differ. Well, I am here to tell you that both of these are both a unique artform in themselves.

With cosplay, we have a more technical skill of creating outfits and regalia to be worn from scratch. No notes, no know-how, just elbow grease, a sewing machine, and an imagination to picture images in three-dimensional space. Cosplay is a highly valued skill which some people develop over years of measuring their own body and cutting and sewing fabric, the same way a seamstress or a fashion designer would their own clothing. There are plenty of tutorials and subreddits to help those get started on their journey to start creating their own cosplay and clothing.

As fun as creating your own cosplay seems, it is very time-consuming, and usually, most people who have full-time jobs or are in school just don’t have the time and resources to dedicate toward all of that. That, my friends, is where closet cosplay comes into play. It sounds like exactly what you think it is: taking inspiration from your favorite creative sources and putting together an outfit that is both contemporary and pays homage to the source material. Most of the time, you can dig through older and newer versions of your wardrobe to throw together items that you may have never thought of.

Closet cosplay is not a new concept; for ages people have been trying to put together outfits and looks that are similar in taste and texture to what they

are copying. However, with the recent explosion of TikTok closet cosplay and the creativity people put into their cosplay has urged people to be savvy with antique outfits and willing to place avant garde pieces into their everyday wardrobe.

A quick search for “(your fave’s name) closet cosplay” will bring up a load of videos and quick bits that will be sure to give your creative juices a stir. Even just searching plain old closet cosplay and enjoying the sheer genius that some alone time and passion can fuel fellow geeks, nerds, and even fashion aficionados to create something inspirational.

So before you decide to buy your own cosplay, or simply don’t have the money or resources to ensure your cosplay is in optimal condition, try closet cosplay. It’s affordable, as most of what you wear could be pulled from your own closet or found at your local thrift store. Not to mention, it is as simple as picking a character and letting your imagination run wild. With the state of the world and possibly another lockdown on the horizon?

We could all use a creative outlet in our life. Stay bold; stay beautiful, and stay proud. o ut fr o ntm a g a z in e.co m 49

OFM style

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BodyModification AS SELF-EXPRESSION FOR ANY AND ALL PEOPLE Words and art by Keegan Williams

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OFM style

A

It’s more likely today, in my experience, that I will stop an older person in their tracks with my ink only to receive a compliment, not a statement of shame or disapproval.

I’ve stepped into shops and witnessed seniors getting their nostrils or lips pierced. I’ve had an abundance of friends slap something from Star Wars or Pokémon on their bodies as a way of connecting with a dear fandom and memories from their childhoods. I talk to people with similar experiences as my own, referencing tattooing as a crucial tool for body affirmation and esteem.

Most people I’ve chatted with about tattoos have heard me reference a Miami Ink syndrome of sorts. The 2000s saw a huge boom in visibility in tattooing, and the different types of people seeking tattoos, from TV. Each tattoo often had a HEAVY emphasis on meaning, on the “story behind the tattoo,” which I find echoes regularly in the question, “What does your tattoo mean?”

This type of media surely helped to normalize tattooing, a display to the masses that mirrors the essence of my message in this column: body modification doesn’t discriminate and is for everyone.

It’s my hope that we begin to move away from these blanket assumptions, that all people approach body modification for the same reasons, that all people with tattoos and piercings are part of some alternative group, and start to see the immense diversity in people with body modifications and their personal, spiritual, and/or cultural motives in adorning them.

The “meaning” generally boils down to, just like clothing, According to an Ipsos poll from 2019, three in 10 (30 percent) jewelry, hair styles—body modifications help people to of Americans have at least one tattoo, compared to 21 percent better be themselves; the rest of the story is just details. in 2012. The vast majority (92 percent) with at least one tattoo said they are happy with it. Additionally, 16 percent of those 55 and older said they had at least one tattoo. While this might seem like a small number, I think of my parents and so many folks in that generation who lived nearly their entire lives with the message that body modification was negative, a job-killer, a delinquent act.

s I walk around my neighborhood in a tank top, my tattoocovered hands, arms, and chest beaming out for all to see, what I often notice (and, frankly, relish in) is that visible body modification has become increasingly normalized and common across American society.

I get more stares or passing comments when I wear a skirt or crop top than if my tattoos are out for all to see.

I got my first tattoo 10 years ago. By that time, both of my parents, who were in their 50s, had already gotten their first tattoos, just a few years shy of me. They were always fairly open-minded when I was growing up, though it wasn’t until my sister turned 18 and started getting tattoos when I saw their interest in getting inked themselves, the excitement as they workshopped ideas and special stories they could potentially turn into a tattoo for themselves.

It’s easy to forget how taboo body modification really was in this country until the late 20th century. Acceptable, visible body piercings were limited to ears, and men generally weren’t part of that conversation at all. Tattoos were regularly associated with crime and delinquent activity.

Sometimes I’m hard-pressed walking around the grocery store to see a person without visible piercings or tattoos. I follow piercers, tattoo artists, and other body modification professionals on social media and see the huge variance in their customers.

And this is reflected in data .

These folks are now out doing it themselves, which I find incredible.

While I usually approach this column from a queer lens, it was time to state the obvious: body modification is for everyone.

Seeing the unique ways each person approaches it in regard to their body, and how the practice is surely not limited to any one “type” of person, helps to usher it into our everyday lives, to kill the stigma that a modified body is somehow less employable or more taboo than any other. I surely can get behind that.

When I got my first tattoo, and my first piercings, I’ll admit, it was to stand out, to give myself a bit of an edge. Shedding the skin of my previous emo and scene phases and heavily dabbling in “alternative” culture and piercings through my teens, it eventually became part of myself.

I think of keeping up with old high school classmates and spotting their “new tattoo!” post on Instagram. I recall the “type of person” they were or the cliques they were part of, realizing these two ideas truly don’t have any correlation, when I might have thought they did before.

As I shuffle through the double-digit amount of piercings I’ve since retired, the handful I’ve kept, and evaluate the reasons behind some of my tattoos over the past several years, I see that I’ve naturally just narrowed down the body modifications that help me feel like myself. outfrontmagazine.com 51

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PLATINUM COOKIES N’ CREAM CHOCOLATE Not everyone is a chocolate fan, so it’s great when companies make sweet, decadent alternatives to edibles. There’s a little chocolate crunch here, but the main flavor profile is Oreos-meets-white-chocolate.

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With 1200mg in each preroll, they can be enjoyed on more than one occasion or shared with friends. They come in an assortment of flavors, each with a potent punch of bliss. Try the Pink Lemonade, Watermelon, or Gelato for a sweet summertime refresher.

Sometimes you need an edible that hits right away, and if that’s the case, you can speed up the process with these fast-acting treats. They are potent and come in exciting flavors like Appletini, Island Punch, and Colorado Sunrise. If you’re substituting your happy hour with 420, these are a great alcohol alternative.

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OFM reads

Book ReviewS

L

ooking for your next nerdy read? OFM has you covered! Be sure to check out each of these titles.

They’re all amazingly written and powerful stories that run the gamut from bleak nail-biters to comedic comics to steamy fantasies. These titles are sure to entertain all who pick them up.

Redemption

by Christa Faust

This post-apocalyptic, Western comic follows a trio of heroines in an openly hostile world. These heroines are not your conventional damsels in distress! This is well worth a read. The complete, five-issue series is now available all together as a trade paperback

The Eighth Key

by Laura Weyr Fantasy and erotica meet in a world where magic has all but disappeared except in the hands of Corwin, a mage who, despite what Weyr calls the ‘drought,’ is still able to use it. When he and Lucian meet, more than just an adventure kicks off between the two of them.

Gravity is Heartless

by Sarah Lahey

Gravity is Heartless follows Quinn Byers, a scientist who creates a climate model just a bit too late.

This novel weaves many different threads in order to weave a tale that explores the all-too-real consequences of climate change in a future that could await our own world.

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Kitra

by Gideon Marcus Stranded in space with little hope for survival, Kitra and her shipmates, including Kitra’s exgirlfriend, Marta, must work together with few resources to ensure they survive the perilous far reaches of space

Fanny Galactic: Crime & D’Sorder Written by Chris Fildes, Art by Edward Bentley The follow-up to the successfully Kickstarted graphic novel, Fanny

Galactic: Tuck to the Future; Crime & D’sorder follows our titular Drag Queen hero on their continuing adventure in a Future that’s not quite what they expected. As of now, the Fanny Galactic series is only available through Kickstarter.

I HATE

SUPERHEROS

by Addison Herron-Wheeler

I

know what you’re thinking: oh god, here we go. Another hipster rant about why superheroes suck and are mainstream and basic and boring. And I’d be lying to you if I told you I didn’t have the proclivity for those kinds of opinions.

But I promise, I’m going somewhere with this.

Super heroes never resonated with me, except for a few here and there. Wolverine’s blue-collar ethos got me stoked, and SheRa and the whole Masters of the Universe universe always stood out to my young, queer self. But other than that, they seemed to emulate wealth and privilege, to represent at first the things I didn’t understand, but abstractly despised, and later, the things I was actively against.

Superheroes felt very corporate, very American, cis, straight, white, male. They seemed to represent morals that didn’t completely line up with my own, cleancut and straightlaced, but then not always reliable in a pinch. And they also exude a cheesiness that turned me off.

I’m clearly not alone in this way of thinking. Superheroes are now becoming the butt of the joke in a lot of media. Both Invincible and The Boys are both more superhero parody shows than anything, and Suicide Squad definitley has an element of that as well.

Mainstream audiences are even getting hip to the fact that superheroes often feel fake, pretentious, and performative, especially in this day and age.

And the queer portrayal in shows like The Boys highlights the shallow attempt by Hollywood to include queer representation in feature superhero films. When the show’s superheroine badass, Mave, comes out as bisexual, her revelation is immediately silenced, and she’s told to fit into the lesbian mold, that it will feel confusing if she’s seen with a man, and that her girlfriend needs to appear more masc so the relationship contains a traditional gender dichotomy. Feels very familiar.

Not that superhero movies, corporate as they may be, haven't been doing a much better job of portraying diversity of all kinds lately. I can admit and celebrate that despite being a film snob, it’s wonderful that we’re finally seeing a Black Captain America and Black superhero franchise, and other promising signs of representation. But it often can feel forced, tokenizing, or overly categorized, which is exactly what The Boys is hinting at.

And, while some detractors of these more violent superhero universes can get upset about how gory they are, I don’t believe that the gore doesn’t have a purpose. By reflecting back the realistic body horror that would result from a superhero fight, they show just how much capitalist America celebrates casual violence, and what it would really look like if militarized superpolice ran rampant.

So, if you also hate superheroes, get stoked, because a new era of television and movies is dawning, one that may speak to you on a deeper level.

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nd he aradigm hifts They Bring

T

by Errynn Rodgers

The Wachowsky Sisters In the late 90s, Lanna and Lilly Wachowski released their genrebending hit, The Matrix. Both women, as film nerds, created the extremely popular franchise which brought science fiction films, a once realm of sole nerdom, into the mainstream.

Even deeper, however, are the intense trans allegories of trans people’s experiences with technology and expression. People’s concept of their “digital selves” versus the reality that existed outside of the matrix hits hard for many of us.

OFM thoughts

TRANS NERDS A T P S

Notable Trans Nerds

rans women will nerd out on a variety of subject matter Wendy Carlos: Trans Nerd Synth Queen and skill sets, from martial arts to computer programming, In 1968, Wendy Carlos released her first album, to electronic dance music. If something is possible to geek called Switched on Bach. It was one of the first albums out on, a trans woman is likely to be found doing so. made entirely with electronic instruments and This explains the myriad nerdy trans women, from tactical the first platinum classical album in the U.S. girlfriend to that anarchy-cat-girl trans to trans girl therapist.

She was six months into gender-affirming Trans people front excessively intimate understandings of a hormone therapy when the album was broad range of subject matter, which is the true definition of released; unfortunately, it was released under nerddom. Whether you are a train nerd, a history nerd, or a D&D nerd, the scope of trans-nerd existence is exceptionally her dead name. Once she got her hands on the now-famous Moog synthesizer, she made soundtracks for such nerd classics diverse. as tron and other hits like Clockwork Orange and The Shining.

Obviously, Games

There aren’t many throwaway experiences in life where you get to pick your gender. Video games offer this in shovelfuls.

Beyond the basic gender selector, video games often offer highly customizable player characters, meaning that a closeted trans woman gets clothes to pick, make-up to put on, and hair to do. Many games today are online with a few to hundreds of other players to interact with, allowing closeted trans people the ability to play themselves in a way you just can’t do in real life.

Trans representation in games

Fallout: New Vegas Fallout: New Vegas is a piece in an apocalyptic series of games called Fallout. The posts and memes about trans girls and this game are so prevalent that some of you giggled or rolled your eyes when you saw we were going there. Where else can you shoot fascists while wearing a summer dress? Or just look cute in raider gear, being gay and doing crime.

Throw in a few gender-bending mutants, and it’s a not necessarily an entirely cis-het experience.

While there are other Fallout games, this one stands out with trans women, transmascs, and nonbinary people, specifically due to the great writing done by the developer, Obsidian.

Mass Effect Andromeda: Hainly Abrams In the Bioware blockbuster Mass Effect Andromeda, a trans character named Hainly Abrams outs themselves in their first conversation. Seen as problematic for a trans character to do so, Bioware released an update for the game to correct the issue.

It represented not only a clearly defined moment of trans visibility, but a moment in trans allyship where a creator was held accountable for a problematic portrayal of trans women and rose to the occasion to amend it.

Lynn Conway Put away your phone; get rid of the laptop; take the smart out of your TV, not to mention HD; give up your Playstation, GPS, wifi. Without transgender engineer Lynn Conway, we would still be stuck with tube televisions and computers that took up buildings. She wrote the book on silicon chips and integrated circuitry design.

Before Intel, before AMD, before GPUs, we had the hard work of Lynn Conway. Literally, she’s a max-level nerd pioneer whom we owe large parts of our modern culture and indeed a paradigm shift in humanity’s existence and how we interact with our world. We owe the future of our humanity to a trans woman nerd.

Having had her work uncredited, she was fired from IBM for transitioning.

She fled outside the U.S. for transition support. She had to return and start over. She rebuilt her career in “stealth mode,” quickly moving through common chipanies like Memorex and then on to Xerox were she created VLSI, a specific way to design silicps that was so groundbreaking it was taught in more than 100 universities.

Just nerdy trans girls nerding nerdom so nerdily that they nerded the whole world over and over again.

The harsh reality is that of trans existence. Trans experience is traumatic. Many of us grind out our trauma into anything that will distract us from the harsh reality of modern, trans existence. Thousands of hours later, we are Rubiks Cube champions, Twitch streamers, or engineers. The games or approach may be different, but trauma, trauma never changes.

That is the bottom line. Trans people are nerds by necessity and many times the product of their trauma from being trans.

Building beautiful things from our pain is a matter of trans existence, and that looks like, for trans people, being nerdy as a way of life. outfrontmagazine.com 57

OFM thoughts

A Queer in Recovery

o r e H e l b m u A Not-So-H

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Hi, my name is ________, and I’m an alcoholic.

The number of times I have said the serenity prayer over the last 10 months of sobriety is almost nauseating. Luckily for me, “exposure therapy” to the concept of God has brought me to a place of spiritual ambivalence and indifference, which is a major step in the right direction. After all, how can you pray to something you hate, or rather, something you have been taught hates you?

I was 21 years old for approximately four months before I stepped into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous for the first time. I wasn’t convinced that I was truly an alcoholic then, but I knew that my drinking was causing significant problems in my life. As I walked into that 12-step meeting, wide-eyed and shakyhanded, I quickly found myself skeptical of what exactly was being taught.

Banners hung around the room with the 12 steps written out in full; people talked in turns and shared equally about what they were succeeding and struggling with; members of the group hung around after the group, talking and laughing. All of these things, regardless of what and where, all seemed to circle back to one central theme, a subject that I least expected: God. I found myself asking, “What does religion have anything to do with addiction?” I was baffled, distressed, and downright turned off. Was this a religion? Did I get tricked into coming to church? If so, I was almost certain they wanted nothing to do with my queer ass.

Similar to my relationship to alcohol, I’ve had my ups and downs over the

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HP

OFM thoughts

years with God. I was raised Southern Baptist, but I became a rebellious teenager and rejected my faith. I ran back to God after sexually traumatic events, but I walked away when it didn’t help. I went to an LGBTQ-affirming church after I came out, but I left the church when my community disbanded due to differing opinions. Through it all, I would say that my feelings toward spirituality went from requirement to desperation, then from anger to ambivalence.

At that first AA meeting, I was told that this program was different; it wasn’t a church, cult, or religious institution.

In fact, it was unlike any doctrinal belief system that I had ever witnessed. Each individual person in that room had a different concept of God, or a Higher Power (HP), and no two versions looked alike. I didn’t have to buy into the white, bearded guy in the sky. Or I could if I wanted to. No one gave a shit. All they cared about was that I stayed sober, and for many of them, the way to do that was through the reliance on a power greater than themselves.

Well, needless to say, I did not stay sober from the age of 21, and in fact, I had to spend the better part of a decade in active addiction because I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, admit that I truly had a problem. There was no way that some HP was going to save me from my misery, of that I was convinced. And even now, as I still wring my hands at the idea of God, I do know for a fact that I can’t stay sober on my own. So, what’s a queer to do?

To me, God is like a Marvel superhero: something that is made up in order to make us feel safe and taken care of. In the fantasy of theatrics, the worries of this world are forgotten and replaced with an alternate universe, a reality that resembles ours but is fantastical and sensational. There is the birth of the hero, the struggle to accept their unique gifts, the appreciation and usage of said gifts, and the happy ending where the hero wins, and the bad guy loses. It’s the journey of life, wrapped up in a two-and-a-half-hour package.

So, isn’t that God? Something that is made up as a way to tie a neat bow around a lifetime, give us purpose, and give reason for pain and struggle?

My sponsor, a trusted friend in the program of AA who works the steps with me, is at times derailed by my resistance to this HP concept. I’m a logical yet dismissive person, and we have very colorful debates to help challenge my way of thinking.

While I appreciate any chance to play devil’s advocate (pun intended), these conversations bring me some concern. If I don’t choose a God, does that mean I’ll relapse? If I never feel a spiritual connection, is there something wrong with me? If I remain ambivalent, indifferent, and disinterested, will I have to fake it in order to be accepted by my recovery community?

I started wondering about all of the possibilities, including the off-chance that I could believe in something greater than myself. Is there such thing as a God that fits a mold which I can understand, appreciate, and seek a relationship with,? If yes, what would it be? If I reflect back on moments in my life that I was able to reach a different level of consciousness, a higher plain of spiritual connection, it’s always been through music that I felt some connection to something bigger. The power of music makes me believe that there is a power that I cannot understand but that I 100 percent believe in. So, as an

exercise in trust, I have decided to make the effort in calling my God music, just to see what happens.

It may be whimsical; it may be fantastical, and it may still resemble that comic-book superhero, but for me, music has saved my life. It has given me hope when I felt alone; it has allowed me to feel pain; it has provided space for grief; it has brought me pure, open-hearted joy, and it has been used as a way to express love. Music is beauty; it is acceptance; it is healing; it is unconditional, and it is always there: that’s the way that I want to think of God, if one exists.

As I continue on this road of recovery, I’m learning that it’s not about always having faith, but rather the willingness to try things I never thought I would. I can’t keep doing what I always did because I have resigned to the certainty of that road leading me to death and destruction.

If I had closed my mind to the possibilities, I would have never accepted the help my family offered ten months ago, I would have never been able to get sober, and I would have never been able to use my story to help others. I may not call my HP “God,” but I call it music, and that is working great for me so far.

-An anonymous queer in recovery Email a.queer.in.recovery@gmail.com for additional support and resources.

outfrontmagazine.com 59

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DENVER SWEET 776 N. Lincoln St. Denver (720) 598-5648 denversweet.com EL POTRERO 4501 E. Virginia Ave. Glendale (303) 388-8889 Facebook- @elpotreroclub

TIGHT END BAR 1501 E. Colfax Ave. (303) 861-9103 tightendbar.com

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TRACKS 3500 Walnut St. Denver (303) 836-7326 tracksdenver.com

TRADE 475 Santa Fe Dr. Denver 1336 E. 17th Ave. Denver (720) 627-5905 (303) 993-5812 Facebook@tradedenver hamburgermarys.com/denver HAMBURGER MARY’S

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3053 Brighton Blvd. Denver (303) 862-7376 Facebook- @fusionsbardenver

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4958 E. Colfax Ave. Denver (303) 320-9337 Facebook- @randrdenver

BROADWAY

FUSIONS

R&R LOUNGE

DOWNING ST.

1526 E. Colfax Ave. Denver (303) 484-8548 bluebludenver.com

ICONS 3 E. Bijou St. Colorado Springs (719) 300-7863 Instagram- @icons_colorado

DOWNING ST.

BLUSH & BLU

outfrontma ga zine.com 61

OFM lust

Special Agent Denise Bryson Visits Twin Peaks

Setting: Twin Peaks, Washington Summer 1991 6 2 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

S

pecial Agent Dale Cooper—known as Coop to his friends and colleagues—is awaiting trial for wrongful drug charges. At the Twin Peaks sheriff ’s station, Cooper sings the praises of his former colleague who’s been called in from the DEA to help clear up the case.

“Dennis Bryson and I worked together in Oakland,” says Cooper.

“One of the finest minds in the DEA. Harry, we’re in good hands.”

by Amanda E.K. He’s talking to Sheriff Harry Truman as they commune in a private room with Deputy Hawk.

There’s a knock at the door, and in walks a tall brunette in a burgundy skirt suit, full makeup, nylons, and heels.

“Coop,” drawls the woman, a coy smirk playing at her lips.

Agent Cooper leans forward and squints as though he recognizes her but isn’t sure how. “Dennis?” he says as it dawns on him.

“It’s a long story, but actually I prefer Denise, if you don’t mind,” says Special Agent Denise Bryson as she confidently whisks into the room and takes Agent Cooper’s hand in hers.

Coop smiles, welcoming his old friend with a handshake and a simple, “OK.” He then introduces Bryson to Sheriff Truman and Deputy Hawk.

Sheriff Truman blushes beneath Denise’s disarming gaze, curious tingles prickling below his gun belt. There’s something about the way Denise is looking into his eyes that makes him feel seen in an unfamiliar way. He’s not sure if he likes it, but he’s intrigued. He shakes off his confusion and re-centers his attention to the reason Agent Bryson is here in the first place. There are criminals to catch and a cocaine ring to bust.

“I understand we’re both staying at The Great Northern,” Denise says to Cooper after they’ve discussed the drug charges.

“How’s the food up there?”

“Denise,” says Cooper with a delighted smile, “You’re in for a real surprise!”

“So are they,” Sheriff Truman says under his breath. But as soon as he says it he regrets it. Normally he wouldn’t think twice about making an off-color joke, but now, it gives his stomach an unpleasant twist. Denise is clearly an intelligent, competent, and self-assured person. The Great Northern will be lucky to have her. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like anyone heard his remark.

Either way, he’ll make sure not to say anything so insensitive again.

Denise turns to leave, taking Sheriff Truman’s hand in goodbye. “It was a pleasure to meet you, sheriff,” she says in a sultry voice that makes the sheriff ’s cheeks glow as red as a police light.

After work, Sheriff Truman visits his girlfriend, Josie Packard— the widowed heiress to the town’s lumber mill. She’s quiet and emotionally evasive, wrestling with her inner shadows. She looks to the sheriff for comfort, inviting him into her bed to help ease her fears.

Sheriff Truman—who’s in love with Josie but has recently started questioning if she is who she says she is—slips off his shoes and unbuckles his gun belt, hanging it on Josie’s headboard before joining her in bed. He holds her in his arms, kissing her neck, her mouth, slipping down the straps of her satin negligee, when suddenly, he realizes that his mind is somewhere else. He’s aroused, of course, and eager to make love, but his fantasies have turned to another woman.

A woman with long brown hair and dark red lipstick. A woman who walks through the world with more daring than he’s been known to exhibit in his bravest moments on the job.

He moans into Josie’s neck, his growing erection pushing out against his khaki Dockers as she sighs into him. He traces his work-roughened fingers down her slender arms, imagining how different it would be to graze the muscular curves of Agent Bryson’s athletic arms ... imagining how she might flip him on his back, pinning him to the bed and holding him there, teasing him with her suggestive smirk and leaving him to wonder what she might do next.

He’s surprised to suddenly picture himself with a more assertive lover. He enjoys making love to typically submissive Josie, but the more he imagines being with Denise, the more his fever grows.

Josie undoes his pants and takes him out, aweing at his hardness.

“Look at you,” she swoons, gripping his earnest cock that’s stiffer than usual at her touch.

Sheriff Truman tosses his pants and shirt to the floor, burying himself in Josie’s fragrant flesh. As his climax rises, he imagines Denise’s mouth taking his full length to the back of her throat while she looks up at him with flirty eyes. The sheriff moans so loud he practically shouts. Josie giggles with delight at her own seductive powers. Harry is too easy, she thinks.

Over the course of the week, Sheriff Truman finds himself bumping elbows with Denise on several occasions as they work together to strategize the drug bust, and most recently, to find a way to free Cooper, who’s being held captive by the traffickers.

While Sheriff Truman goes over plans with Agent Bryson in his office, he comes up with an idea he believes will save Coop. Halfblushing, he looks down at Agent Bryson’s legs. “How would you feel about wearing a waitress uniform?” he boldly asks.

Denise raises her eyebrows. “I’ll wear anything you like, sheriff.”

Sheriff Truman clears his throat, a blushing smile lifting his lips.

“But one question,” says Denise. “Where will I keep my gun?”

Her teasing question warms him like a fine whiskey on a winter day. He takes her teasing a step further, and says, “I was thinking … a garter? High up on your thigh?”

Denise crosses and uncrosses her legs, drawing Sheriff Truman’s eyes to them.

“Are you saying, Sheriff, that you think my legs are a distraction?”

The sheriff clears his throat again. “Yes I am.”

Denise stands and puts her hands on Sheriff Truman’s shoulders and gives them a gentle squeeze. She leans in, her mouth against his ear, and whispers, “Thank you.”

Sheriff Truman pulls back to look her in the eyes, the whiskey warmth now spreading throughout his chest. “I’m really glad to know you,” he says. He takes a deep breath, realizing just how much he means this.

“So am I, sheriff,” says Denise, squeezing his shoulders one more time. “Now let’s go make a scene!”

Sheriff Truman grins at Agent Bryson. Whatever may happen between them in the future, they make one hell of a team today.

Spirit of Matthew Award Honoree:

Schuyler Bailar

Dennis Dougherty Award for Community Leadership Honoree:

Craig Hella Johnson

Making a Difference Award Honoree:

Announcement Coming Soon!

PRESENTED BY

*Based on the TV show Twin Peaks, Season Two, episodes 11-13.” outfrontmagazine.com 63

Part

The PothosII

OFM lit

BlinQ

“S

o, you previously mentioned that you feel unappreciated. Can you elaborate on that?” Sharon said.

“Yeah, well … it’s just that I’m everywhere all the time. I pop here, and I pop there; I come home from a hard day’s work of keeping people safe, and then I turn on the news when I get home, and what do I see? Some two-bit news anchor calling me a menace. It’s hurtful, you know? I mean, I may have the power to teleport and enhanced strength, but at the heart of it all, I really am just a woman, trying her best to be helpful.”

Tabitha said.

“Hm,” Sharon said. “Have you ever given any thought to just … living for yourself ?”

“Believe me, I have,” Tabitha said. “But when I try to take a hiatus, the news turns; suddenly, I’m no longer a menace or a threat to society. If I take a break, then suddenly, ‘Denver’s Hero, BlinQ, has forsaken her people!’” Tabitha continued. “You know, I even once called that misogynistic douchebag, The Northman, to cover me, just so I could take a day trip to Lake Havasu, and it was a disaster! He saved everyone just fine, but I got destroyed by the press! Biggest PR disaster I ever had.”

Sharon mulled over Tabitha’s words for a few moments and then gave her an option.

“Look, I know it’s tough, but the people will eventually get it. If you want to let it go and leave it for some period of time, it will be fine. We have firemen and EMTs and emergency social workers for a reason. I think it would be really helpful for you to take some time to yourself … self-care, right?”

“Oh, well! Will you look at that! Time’s up for this session! I’m out! And don’t worry, Samitha will make sure you get paid! Thanks!” Tabitha said before disappearing into a cloud of purple and golden smoke.

Sharon wrote ‘avoidant behavior’ in her session notes for Tabitha and began to pack up for the day. She grabbed her car keys and her messenger bag. She flung the bag over her shoulder and left the office. As she exited the shared building, she found herself staring at the buildings that surrounded her, and she wondered how she wound up at this point in life … therapist to the superpowered. Sharon began to walk to her car, fixing her orangeand-blue-gridded blouse. Suddenly, a feeling swept over her. It had been several days now that she had been feeling this same feeling. She felt like someone was watching her.

Sharon paused to look around. She saw nothing but buildings and people walking across the pathway in front of her. She brushed it off as nothing more than a feeling and breathed a sigh of relief. She hopped in her car and began to drive home. In the distance, she could see plumes of purple smoke near Mile High Stadium. She shook her head and hoped that at some point, Tabitha would take a break.

Sharon arrived at her home and almost immediately noticed that something was off.

Her front door was ajar, and the lock to her backyard fence had been snapped. Sharon’s heart began to beat faster. Hazards of the job, she thought. She slammed her car door and headed inside. She pushed the door open slowly.

“Hello?” she said, hoping to elicit a response from whomever had broken into her place.

No response came. Instead, she heard a whimper and a grunt.

“Hello?” she said once again. Sharon tiptoed her way through her house, across the hardwood floors of her living room and into the kitchen across the pristine, white linoleum. Sharon flicked the light switch, hoping to see someone. All she saw was a kitchen that looked like she hadn’t been there in weeks. Truth be told, she hadn’t cooked in that kitchen for quite some time … not since her wife, Kristin, left.

Sharon exited the kitchen and made her way up to the second story of her house. She tread carefully on the beige-carpeted stairs, and as she turned the corner, she saw BlinQ, wounded and leaned against her closet door.

“Doc,” Tabitha said. “You’ve got to help me.”

As Sharon listened to Tabitha speak, the full shock and horror of the scene that lay before her finally began to set in. There was blood spatter all over the second floor, and oddly, leaves lined the floor.

“Tabitha, what happened? Why are you here?”

In between tears and fits of screaming, Tabitha found the will to respond. “She’s here.

She’s here. I can’t believe she would do this to me!”

“Who, Tabitha? Who?!” Sharon said, confused and alarmed.

Tabitha slumped over and stopped responding. Downstairs, Sharon could hear the rustling of leaves growing ever closer. She could hear the footsteps making their way to her.

by Brian Byrdsong

6 4 OFM A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

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