Eric Holguin vies to become first out Latino congressman
70
TEXAS IS GOING TO BE BRAND NEW
ODE TO ‘OKLAHOMA’
Out director Kevin Moriarty says musical’s themes are as relevant as ever 36
LEAPING TO STARDOM
Houston Ballet’s Harper Watters shines on social media, in film
Melissa Etheridge predicts blue wave ahead of benefit for Dayna Steele campaign 58
‘NONE TO NUMBER ONE’
Trans phenom Kim Petras on her journey from couch-surfing to the top of the charts
AUTUMN SCENERY
A colorful slate of Houston shows will relieve your midterm election anxiety
61
RAISING THE BAR
Out Houston high-jumper Inika McPherson eyes Olympic gold
50 QUEER PIONEERS
Houston artists Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan tell forgotten LGBTQ stories in 50 States project 74
RAY OF LIGHT
Amy Ray discusses her new Indigo Girls and solo albums before her Houston show
Never Again takes on Texas’ anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice political circus
WEDDING GUIDE
Look-alike grooms Dylan and Mike Valenti-Kanipes dressed identically for their ceremony, except for the ties
Yessenia Berrones and Nelida Rodriguez finally came out after finding each other
KEEPING IT STRIMPLE
Out Houston artist Cody Ray Strimple successfully combines, singing, acting, makeup, and design
STAGES GOES ‘SWIMMING’
The Montrose theater’s production puts the spotlight on homeless LGBTQ youth
67
OUT TO SERVE
Montrose Center partners with LSVA to help LGBTQ veterans
80
SHAW ’NUFF
Houston’s Vickie Shaw headlines Queer Queens of Qomedy tour
90
‘YOU GO ON ANYWAY’
Civil-rights veteran Lizan Mitchell stars in all-black production of Skeleton Crew
Find Yourself Here
POSH AMENITIES
• Lap Pool Courtyard with Outdoor Kitchen, Outdoor Grills, and Charging Stations
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• 10-foot Ceilings
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• Built-in Microwaves and Ovens*
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Contributing Writers Rich Arenschieldt, Susan Bankston, Aisha Bouderdaben, Troy Carrington, Kit van Cleave, Angel Curtis, Karen Derr, Steven Foster, David Goldberg, D.L. Groover, Marene Gustin, Blake Hayes, Suzie Lynde, Donalevan Maines, DavidElijah Nahmod, Neil Ellis Orts, Lilly Roddy, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Janice Stensrude, Brandon Wolf, Grace S. Yung
Photographers/Illustrators
Rich Arenschieldt, Susan Bankston, Jenny Block, Andrew Edmonson, Steven Foster, Sarah Gish, David Goldberg, Marene Gustin, Kim Hogstrom, James Hurst, Lisa Keen, Ryan M. Leach, Don Maines, Joanna O’Leary, Monica Roberts, Lilly Roddy, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Gregg Shapiro, Janice Stensrude, Henry V. Thiel, Megan Wadding, David Webb, Brandon Wolf, Grace S. Yung, Kathryn Way
Photographers/Illustrators
Dalton DeHart, Yvonne Feece, Mark Hiebert, Manuel Lara, David Eduardo Flores Perez
Are you registered to vote? If not, the deadline is October 9.
As of this writing, we are 73 days from the most important election of our lifetimes—and just 59 days from the start of early voting. As David Webb notes in this month’s Rare Reporter column, the future of the LGBTQ equality movement hangs in the balance.
Speaking of midterm elections, what’s wrong with this picture? Montrose, Houston’s gayborhood, has long been represented in Congress by an anti-LGBTQ Republican. As writer Brandon Wolf notes, Democrat Todd Litton is trying to change that in November.
Meanwhile, in our monthly Out for Change series, writer Marene Gustin profi les Corpus Christi’s Eric Holguin, who’s vying to become the first openly gay Latino elected to Congress. And writer Jenny Block interviews lesbian rock icon Melissa Etheridge, who’s headed to Houston for a concert at Pearl Bar benefitting the campaign of Democratic congressional candidate Dayna Steele.
In Unapologetically Trans, columnist Monica
Roberts explains how black women are the cornerstone of the progressive movement, and will be a driving force behind the Democrats’ blue wave in 2018.
At OUTSMART, we embrace diversity, and this issue is another case in point. The cover features Harper Watters, a Houston ballet soloist who is leaping to stardom in social media and film. Don’t miss Gustin’s story and Ashkan Roayee’s dramatic images of Watters.
Elsewhere, writer Joanna O’Leary interviews Inika Hernandez, a black lesbian and Olympic high-jumper from Houston who’s eyeing gold in 2020, and Don Maines chats with civil-rights-era veteran Lizan Mitchell, who leads an all-African-American cast in the Alley Theatre production of Skeleton Crew. Skeleton Crew is part of an impressive lineup of shows and concerts in Houston this fall. For a full rundown, check out D.L. Groover’s annual Arts & Entertainment Preview.
Maines also previews Oklahoma!, which kicks o Theatre Under the Stars’ 50th-anniversary season; Swimming While Drowning at Stages Repertory Theatre; and an
upcoming “country cabaret” featuring local gay singer Cody Ray Strimple.
Finally, Block chats with Houston’s own Vickie Shaw, the popular comedian who is headlining this year’s Queer Queens of Qomedy Tour. Needless to say, Shaw wants everyone to come out to the show at Neon Boots on September 8.
“I also want everyone to vote,” Shaw says. “I know I’m preaching to the choir. But we have to vote and get our friends to vote.”
Amen.
LEAPING TO STARDOM Houston Ballet’s Harper Watters vaults from the stage to social media and film Pg.36
Today is yours for the taking and AARP Houston is here in our community helping you make the most of it. Whether you’re looking to volunteer, shred unwanted documents, learn a new skill, or take advantage of free caregiving resources, we’re connecting you to the tools you need. So go take on today and every day, Houston.
—John Wright
Photo by Ashkan Roayee, assisted by Brandi Shalenberger Garza. Art direction by Alex Rosa
Although he had been approached numerous times over the years about running for public office, Democrat Todd Litton says he always felt he could better serve his community in the nonprofit education sector. But all that changed after president Donald Trump’s election.
In early 2017, Litton and his wife, Jennifer, decided that he would challenge seven-term Republican congressman Ted Poe in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District.
“The president’s hateful, divisive language was something which really shocked us,” Litton says. “It was not representative of our experience here in this city. In Houston, we treat all people with respect, and work together to get things done. Or, certainly we aspire to it.”
The heavily gerrymandered, horseshoe-shaped 2nd District is especially important to Houston’s LGBTQ community because it includes Montrose, the city’s gayborhood. From there it snakes west to Addicks, then north to Spring and east through Humble.
Before deciding to run, Litton and his supporters looked closely at the district’s voting history. “There has been a whole change of demographics since the Republicans redistricted in 2012,” he says. “The district is a lot more diverse, and looks much more like Houston.”
Thirty-seven percent of the district’s voters are white, 30 percent are Hispanic, 12 percent are African-American, and 8 percent are Asian. The district is also high-
ly educated, with 40 percent of voters having at least a bachelor’s degree.
“Ted Poe had a base and was able to raise money and build an organization that could run a significant campaign,” Litton says. And yet in 2016, while Poe took 60 percent of the vote, perennial Democratic challenger Pat Bryan garnered 36 percent with meager funds and a small campaign. Trump, meanwhile, won the district with only 52 percent.
For his campaign, Litton has adopted the slogan “Common Sense and Common Decency.”
“We felt there was an opportunity here if we put our heads together and worked hard— meeting people and finding out what their concerns and hopes are—and also beginning to raise money,” Litton says. “It’s really just a matter of using our heads and our hearts.”
You Make the Call Democrat Todd Litton, who is endorsed by the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, will take on Republican Dan Crenshaw, who believes the LGBTQ community is “trying to destroy the traditions we hold dear.”
Several months after Litton decided to run, Poe announced his retirement, creating an open seat that fueled a surge of candidates.
Before the primary, Litton received the Houston GLBT Political Caucus endorsement after receiving the highest score out of five Democrats who screened with the group. Also backed by the Houston Chronicle, he won the primary without having to face a runoff.
Litton proudly posted the Caucus endorsement on his website, along with his photo from the Pride Portraits campaign. Recently, he appeared at the dedication for the new Houston Pride Wall in the Heights (where he was photographed with special guest Jim Obergefell) and marched in the Houston Pride parade.
Litton’s opponent is former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, who defeated state Representative Kevin Roberts in a runoff
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BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.
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• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.
• The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%).
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to capture the Republican nomination. Crenshaw’s campaign did not respond to questions about LGBTQ issues submitted by O UTSMART However, at a Houston Area Pastor Council forum in January, Crenshaw was asked whether sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected classes.
“I don’t support this because I don’t support fi nding problems where they don’t exist,” Crenshaw said. “What the left is trying to accomplish by adding sexual orientation and gender identity is to evoke their power to force bakers and photographers to participate in ceremonies they do not agree with.
The gender-identity issue is an attempt to destroy the traditions we hold dear—the simple idea that there are male and female.”
Litton feels the Supreme Court’s recent Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was a punt that highlights the need for the federal Equality Act. He also opposes the separation of immigrant families. “It’s not what America is about,” he says.
The Litton campaign has worked hard to
Rorschach
GOP leaders have dramatically manipulated the boundaries of the 2nd Congressional District in an effort to retain control of the seat.
connect with voters, raise funds, and establish a professional operation. “We’re talking to every person we can, in every precinct,” Litton says.
And people are listening.
The Cook Political Report, an independent non-partisan group, recently moved the district from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican.” Meanwhile, The Economist is even more optimistic, listing the district as a tossup.
Litton says the energy he sees among voters
on the campaign trail is “phenomenal,” and fi nds it to be an antidote to Trump’s rhetoric and actions.
Born and raised in Houston, the 48-yearold is a sixth-generation Texan. He attended Houston public schools for his early education before enrolling at the Kinkaid School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a law degree from the University of Texas, and a master’s degree in business administration from Rice University.
Litton’s wife, Jennifer, is a physician at M.D. Anderson Hospital, where she has a breast-cancer practice and does cancer research. The couple has a son and twin daughters.
Litton practiced law for three years and worked in investments for six. But his true love is education, and he specializes in preschool and after-school learning.
Litton says the top issues in the district are expanding educational opportunities, access to health care, and the infrastructure needed to prevent another Hurricane Harvey-type flood.
“The significant di erence between my opponent and myself is that he will be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump,” Litton says. “I will be a check and balance for the president.”
Brandon Wolf is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
Dan Crenshaw
C ommunity
Photos by Dalton DeHart and Edgardo Aguilar
On July 19, Halloween Magic hosted its 2018 O-Kickoff Party and “Big Reveal” at the Mueller residence. Pictured are co-chairs Ken Yancey, Gilbert Perez, and PC Douglas
On August 1, SignatureCare hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting for its Westchase emergency center. Pictured are staff and friends.
On August 10, Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church hosted a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Pictured are conductor Mark C. Brown, director Steven Shannon, and cast.
On August 10, Texas United Charities hosted a check presentation for beneficiaries at Neon Boots. Pictured are Arden Eversmeyer, Melissa Flories, Roxanne Cherico, Barry Larson, Sara Sjolander, Keith Woods, and Bianca Gomez
On August 18, Urban Eats hosted a champagne reception for artist Hugo Perez Pictured are Levi Rollins, Perez, and Eric Munoz
On Aug. 8, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber hosted Brewing Up Business at Orion EMS & Vitality IV. Pictured are Roy Alvarez Jr., Corrie Rhabby Domingo, Corey Allen, Tammi Wallace, Gary Wood, Monica Rhodes, Shaina Conrad, Maureen Maiuri, and Gerard O’Brien
Calendar of Events
Compiled by Marene Gustin
Troye Sivan
The Bloom Tour
Young, hot, and out, Troye Sivan has been taking the music world by storm. Just 23, the Australian, platinum-haired singer/songwriter is bringing his tour for his second album— Bloom —to Sugar Land this month, and tickets are going fast. Sivan’s songs are unapologetically gay, and they have been raved about by the likes of Adam Lambert and Taylor Swift. The single “Bloom” from the new album is a pop
anthem that celebrates bottoming. And “My, My, My!” may be about his boyfriend model Jacob Bixenman. And “Seventeen” is about a relationship he had with a much older man he met online.
Sivan launched his career at 12 on YouTube and came out to fans in 2013 in a vlog post that went viral. Since then, he’s signed a major record deal, strutted the fashion runway, and appeared in a movie. In 2016 his single “Youth” hit the 23rd spot on the
Billboard Hot 100. He’s also performed with Swift and Ariana Grande. On this tour he brings Kim Petras, a trans woman, who’s had some controversy over her working relationship with a man Kesha accused of abusing her (see page 70). But controversy aside, this is one young man whose music is compelling and real. —Marene Gustin
Troye Sivan September 24 smartfinancialcentre.net
2 Radio * Performing Arts A Art & Photography + Other Things V Save The Date
Houston Restaurants Weeks thru 3 + Eat out and support the Houston Food Bank. houstonrestaurantweeks.com
Mike + Doug Starn: Big Bambú Thing Called Life A thru 3 An installation made up of 3,000 bamboo poles. mfah.org
Bucky Miller: Two Raccoons A thru March 31, 2019 Part of the Art on the Lawn series. camh.org
6
B. Anele: I Don’t Play That Game A thru Oct 7 The Houston-based artist’s most recent work, ranging from raw-canvas sculptural garments and portraiture to soft sculpture. obsidiantheater.org
Talk Radio * thru 8 A play about a shock jock. dirtdogstheatre.org
Party at The Grove + An open house for U of H arts. uh.edu/kgmca Houston Fringe Festival * thru 9 Contemporary movement fest. houstonfringefestival.org 7
Art in the Cistern A thru Jan 13, 2019 Site-specific art by Carlos Cuz-Diez. buffalobayou.org 3 4
Toddler Tuesday + Fun for the kiddies at Discovery Green. discoverygreen.com Rebels, Raiders, and Superman * Houston Symphony tribute to John Williams. woodlandscenter.org
Walking Tours + thru 29 Walk and bike architectural tours. aiahouston.org
Troye Sivan comes to Houston on his Bloom Tour. Bloom album cover in triangle at far left.
Hedi Slimane
Fall Katy Home & Garden Show + last day Tiny homes and a design idea center. fallkatyhomeandgardenshow.com
14
Hunger Dinner +
A fundraiser for the Houston Food Bank. houstonfoodbank.org
Emmy Awards *
And the award goes to emmys.com ( See page 22.)
The Fashion District Houston + thru 23 7 days, 37 runway shows. fashiondistricttx.com
Fandemic Comic Con Tour + Prepare to freak out. fandemictour.com
Martini Madness + Sip and shop at the museum. crafthouston.org
Art Auction A Poe Elementary fundraiser. facebook.com/poe90th
Oklahoma! * thru 23 Where the wind goes whistling tuts.com ( See page 84.)
Ribbon Cutting + Celebrating phase two of the haven for organ failure and transplant patients. norashome.org
Never Again * thru 23 A dance performance about the joke that is the Texas Legislature. 6degreesdance.org
Shizen: On the Art of Looking at Nature A thru Oct 25
Mexican artist Agustin Estrada’s work at Rice Media Center’s Main Gallery. vada.rice.edu agustinestrada.com
Transgender Unity Banquet + With emcee Tatiana Mala-Nina. unitybanquet.com ( See page 22.) Wait Until Dark * thru Oct 6 A thriller on the island. islandetc.com
Colour of Music Festival * thru 16 Classical music by black artists. colourofmusic.org
16
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema: A Centennial * thru 23 Classic films by the master. mfah.org
Urban Chic A One-day exhibit of wearable art. clarkeassoc.com Box 13 Artspace A Three new exhibits. box13artspacae.com
Happy Hour + With Lambda Nextgen Houston young professionals. lambdanextgen.com
Les Misérables * thru 30 One of the greatest musicals of all time. houston.broadway.com
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema: A Centennial * last day Classic films by the master. mfah.org
Texas Tribune Festival + thru 29
Conversation and networking in Austin. festival.texastribune.org
Evil Dead: The Musical * thru Oct 27
Blood flies, limbs are severed, and it’s all set to music. obsidiantheater.org
Walls Turned Sideways * thru Jan 6, 2019 Artists confront the justice system. camh.org 25 21 18 23
29
Wynonna Judd * Wynonna Judd and her back-up band. thegrand.com
Time Future Time Past * Pianist Richard Goode. dacamera.org
CraftTexas 2018 A thru Jan 6, 2019 Texas-made crafts. crafthouston.org
Houston GLBT Political Caucus Equality Brunch + A don’t-miss event at Hotel ZaZa. thecaucus.org
Texas Renaissance Festival + thru Nov 25 There be dragons here. texrenfest.com
October 31
Blanket Bingo + Bingo, music and prizes. marketsquarepark.com
Lamda Ladies: Brewery & Bingo + facebook.com/events/2189034301383584/ CineBrew Sip & Screen + Films and beer. cinemartsociety.orgcom
Troye Sivan * The Bloom Tour with guest Kim Petras. smartfinancial centre.net ( See opposite page.) k.d. lang Ingénue Redux Tour * In concert with Mak Grgic. houstonfirsttheaters.com
Galveston Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival + & 29 Shrimp+music=fun! galveston islandshrimpfestival.com
Tickets Go on Sale on October 31 for the return of The Harry Potter Film Concert Series. On February 1 and 2, the Houston Symphony will perform the magical score live from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while the entire film plays in hi-definition on
at
Hall. houstonsymphony.org or 713.224.7575
Calendar of Events
continued from previous page
Transgender Unity Banquet
September 15
–
The Houston Transgender Unity Committee’s (HTUC) biggest community event held in Houston, the Unity Banquet raises funds for scholarships, Pride activities, annual recognition awards, and small grants. Banquet attendees include transgender community leaders; leaders from the broader LGBTQ community; leading local, state, and national equality advocates; political leaders and office holders; helping professionals; business leaders; lawyers; judges; academicians; and younger members of the transgender community. This year’s 26th annual event will be emceed by comedian and show girl Tatiana Mala-Nina. unitybanquet.com 15
70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
September 17 –
And the award goes to 17
hopefully someone gay. And there’s no shortage of out nominees this year—think Ricky Martin, Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Paulson, Jane Lynch, Kate McKinnon, Ellen, and more! Nods were also given to RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and Queer Eye, among others. Tune in to NBC tonight and watch this fabulously fun awards show. emmys.com
Texas Tribune Festival
September 27–29
–
Sarah Paulson, nominated this year, won an Emmy in 2016.
27–29
Head to downtown Austin this week for three days of conversations and networking. More than 300 leading fi gures in politics, public policy, and journalism will join thousands of Texans to discuss big-picture solutions to the most pressing policy issues facing our state and our nation. Hosted by the Texas Tribune, the nonprofi t, nonpartisan newsroom. Events are held at various downtown venues. festival.texastribune.org
Houston GLBT Political Caucus
Equality Brunch
August 23
–
This is a don’t-miss event at Hotel ZaZa this year, hosted by the oldest equality organization in the South. Founded in 1975, the Caucus hosts meetings on the first Wednesday of every month, but you don’t have to be a member to attend this annual fundraising and awards event. Get your tickets online now. thecaucus.org 30
By Grace S. Yung,
Economic Inequality
Survey highlights financial challenges faced by LGBTQ people.
In conjunction with this year’s Pride Month, Experian surveyed 500 LGBTQ people about their thoughts and behaviors related to all things financial and especially their saving and spending habits.
The survey found that LGBTQ respondents devoted an average of 11 percent of monthly income to savings or investment, and 16 percent to discretionary spending.
In addition, more than one-third of respondents reported “bad spending habits” they would like to improve or change, compared to 28 percent of the general population. Similarly, while roughly 38 percent of the general population “struggles to maintain savings,” nearly 45 percent of LGBTQ respondents put themselves in that category.
While almost everyone encounters financial challenges at some point, people in the LGBTQ community face unique problems that can become more urgent as they inch closer to retirement. Even after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and allow same-sex spouses to share in benefits like Social Security, many of these challenges remain.
In the Experian survey, a significant majority (62 percent) of LGBTQ respondents reported having experienced financial challenges because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Thirteen percent reported discrimination or harassment at work, 12 percent reported being passed over for a job, 11 percent reported discrimination leading to higher housing costs, and 10 percent reported a lower salary or reduced chance of promotion.
“While the U.S. has made significant progress on protecting the rights of LGBTQ citizens, employers in the majority of the country are still allowed to fire workers for the simple fact of being gay or transgender,” Experian noted. Additionally, many LGBTQ people don’t have children who can take on caregiving duties. In fact, some LGBTQ people are completely estranged from their biological families. This,
coupled with employment and salary discrimination, can make it more difficult for LGBTQ people to afford care from professional home healthcare providers and assisted-living facilities.
Another financial hurdle at the top of the list for many LGBTQ people is student loan debt. In another recent survey conducted by Student Loan Hero, nearly 60 percent of LGBTQ borrowers said they regretted the decision to take out student loans. Meanwhile, more than 25 percent of LGBTQ borrowers characterized their studentloan debt as unmanageable. One reason for these high numbers is that LGBTQ borrowers are more likely than the general population to earn less than $50,000 per year—which can make any debt more difficult to pay off.
It is important to note that while the individuals surveyed by Experian identified as LGBTQ, responses varied—in some cases, substantially— based on age.
For example, nearly half of respondents ages 25 to 34 reported that they struggle to maintain control of their finances, compared to 57 percent of those ages 35 to 64, and 75 percent of those 65 and over.
Likewise, nearly half of LGBTQ people ages 25 to 34 reported bad spending habits that they need to improve or change, compared to only 13 percent of those 65 and over.
The good news is that by working with an advisor who is well-versed in financial and retirement planning concepts (as well as in working with LGBTQ couples and individuals), investors can feel much more comfortable in voicing their long- and short-term financial goals and desires.
There are also some helpful resources available to the LGBTQ community related to money,
business, and long-term care issues. Some of these include the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the Lesbian Business Community, SAGE (Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders), The Montrose Center, AssistHers, and Lazarus House.
There is also financial and retirementplanning information available from the federal government, such as the Social Security Administration’s web page on benefits for same-sex couples at ssa.gov/people/same-sexcouples.
If you’re struggling to get to where you need to be financially in order to meet your short- and long-term goals, it can be extremely beneficial to talk with an experienced advisor who can develop a plan that is based on your specific needs, time frame, and other objectives. It can also be helpful to work with a financial advisor who is well-versed in the laws and regulations that relate to domestic partners, same-sex spouses, and other issues that LGBTQ investors face.
For more on the Experian survey, visit experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/lgbtq-moneysurvey-attitudes-challenges-and-opportunities/.
For more on the Student Loan Hero survey, visit studentloanhero.com/featured/surveylgbtq-student-borrowers-regret-loans.
Grace S. Yung, CFP, is a certified financial planner practitioner with experience in helping domestic partners plan their finances since 1994. She is a principal at Midtown Financial LLC in Houston and was recognized as a “FiveStar Wealth Manager” in the September 2017 issue of Texas Monthly. Yung can be reached at grace.yung@lpl.com.
By David Webb
For LGBTQ Americans, a Critical Moment
Trump threatens to set back our movement by 50 years.
LGBTQ Americans and their friends could find themselves living in a hell they never imagined if the Trump administration’s policies continue unchecked down the path that Christian evangelical extremists have laid out for the president.
The Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation gave President Trump a list of 25 nominees to replace retiring moderate Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy. All 25 represented a threat to the human-rights gains of the past half-century. The president dutifully chose Brett Kavanaugh, of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, from that list designed by his core supporters to reverse progressive measures that Kennedy backed during his time on the high court.
Human-rights organizations and LGBTQ leaders noted that the list of potential nominees included “extraordinarily extreme” advocates of conservative ideology who would harbor contempt for the nation’s LGBTQ community. The inclusion of another staunch conservative to follow Trump’s previous appointment, Neil Gorsuch, could tip the high court toward decades of intolerance.
At risk are same-sex marriage rights, reproductive rights, transgender rights, freedom from faith-based discrimination, and anti-discrimination measures designed to protect all people particularly LGBTQ people and immigrants.
To many Houstonians, the most pertinent ongoing legal battle that may soon reach the Supreme Court involves employer-provided benefits for the same-sex spouses of City workers benefits that have long been enjoyed by heterosexual couples. When former mayor Annise Parker extended same-sex benefits in
Although Donald Trump held up an LGBTQ Pride flag at a rally in 2016, his administration poses a grave threat to our movement.
2013, an uproar from conservative Christians led to a court challenge by Houston pastor Jack Pidgeon.
The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court sided with Pidgeon, claiming a lack of understanding as to what rights same-sex couples are entitled to despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in favor of marriage equality. Then the high court declined to hear the case and sent it back to Texas courts, where Pidgeon v. Turner now sits. The City of Houston will continue to offer same-sex benefits until there is a final resolution of that lawsuit.
If Pidgeon v. Turner returns to federal courts, a new high court that is tipped to the far right would be unlikely to rule favorably for LGBTQ City of Houston employees exactly what the
compilers of the nominees list were hoping for.
To date, no case directly involving transgender rights has been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, but that could happen due to Trump’s determination to ban trans people from military service. Multiple lower federal courts have blocked the president’s efforts so far, but one of the many pending cases, such as Doe v. Trump, could wind up before the high court. Court cases addressing the religious freedoms of Christian bakers, florists, and others who want to refuse service to same-sex couples will surely be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court again. Just before Kennedy’s retirement, justices ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had overstepped its authority when it penalized the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop for ➝
Pissing on Pride
continued from page 26
refusing to bake a same-sex wedding cake. The court’s majority opinion in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission purposely sidestepped the question of whether that baker had unlawfully discriminated against a same-sex couple.
The case of Arlene’s Flowers, Inc. v. Washington, which involves a florist who was sued by the State of Washington for refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding, could be the next religious-discrimination case to reach the high court.
Meanwhile, employment discrimination is the focus of EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes It involves the firing of a transgender woman by a Michigan funeral home after she came out. Federal civil-rights laws do not explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity, and less than half of the states have added such language to their nondiscrimination laws. Observers expect this case, or one like it, to reach the high court.
A “bathroom case” such as Doe v. Boyertown Area School District will also likely be heard by the Supreme Court. The Trump administration rescinded guidelines instituted by the Obama administration for schools, and that has prompted the Pennsylvania school district (and others across the country) to bar trans students from using restrooms according to their gender identity.
Any one of these cases reaching a U.S. Supreme Court with two Trump appointees will most likely lead to unfavorable decisions for LGBTQ citizens and widespread backlash. Conservative pundits claim that the concerns about a new court with an ultra-conservative majority are “overblown,” but LGBTQ Americans or at least the older ones among us know better. We’ve lived through the discrimination once, and we don’t want to do it again.
To all of you LGBTQ supporters of Trump who parrot the president’s claims about his spectacular economic achievements, let me say that money only goes so far to enrich your lives. There was a time, not too long ago, when laws prevented gatherings of LGBTQ people both in public and in private homes. In the 1950s, district attorneys in some Texas cities waged war on LGBTQ people by raiding private homes to disrupt same-couples who were dancing with each other. If you aren’t free to enjoy your life without the fear of discrimination and arrest, you have nothing.
It’s essential that LGBTQ Americans and their friends vote in greater numbers than ever for progressive candidates who can stop Christian evangelical conservatives from eroding 50 years of hard-won human-rights gains.
David Webb is a veteran Texas journalist with four decades of experience in the mainstream and alternative media.
By Monica Roberts
Trust Black Women
They are the base of the Democratic Party; now let’s elect them to lead it.
We are fewer than 70 days away from the most important midterm election in our nation’s history. Anticipation is building as many polls predict that November 2018 will be much better for Democrats than the November 2016 election that gave us the ongoing train wreck that is the Trump misadministration.
It is increasingly likely that Democrats will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November. The Senate, however, is a little tougher to gauge. While Democrats only need to pick up two Senate seats, they will also be defending 25, including several in red states like Montana, North Dakota, and Indiana.
We’ll see what happens on November 6.
One thing that has been a revelation to everyone except black America is that black women are undeniably the base of the Democratic Party. It was black women who nearly put Hillary Clinton in the White House, with 98 percent of them supporting her. African-American female votes also powered the blue electoral tsunami in Virginia last year, along with the upset that resulted in Doug Jones becoming the distinguished senator from Alabama instead of the reprehensible Roy Moore.
The historic surge of black women running for office in 2018 has been powered in large part by the backlash to Trump’s shocking 2016 victory. With candidates like Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, we are poised to make serious gains this year in terms of political representation.
As I frequently like to point out, you cannot get liberal, progressive policies from conservative politicians. But it seems that the nation’s progressive movement still hasn’t learned that it must also trust and elect more black women—
and black people in general.
When I attended the Netroots Nation conference in New Orleans last month, black attendees were disgusted to hear a white keynote speaker bash “identity politics.” Democratic senator Bernie Sanders has made the same mistake by claiming that class is more important than race, and that the Democratic Party needs to get beyond identity politics.
News flash for Bernie, and everyone else parroting that talking point: all politics in the U.S. is identity politics, and white progressive politicians need to stop river-dancing away from that fact. The Republicans have been pimping white grievance for political success since
the 1960s. That’s what fueled George Wallace’s presidential campaign in 1968, and it’s the major reason why Trump is now desecrating the Oval Office.
The fact that 90 percent of legislators are white men has had deleterious effects on communities of color, and especially the black community. Our legislators are supposed to be representative of the people of this country and this state, so we need them to look more like America, not more like the white male slice of America.
And if we want progressive policies like Medicare for All, student-loan-debt forgiveness, criminal-justice reform, reauthorization and ➝
The Struggle Continues Black female candidates on the ballot in November include, clockwise from top left, out lesbian Shannon Baldwin in Harris County, Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, Jahana Hayes in Connecticut, and Stacey Abrams in Georgia.
strengthening of the Voting Rights Act, passage of the Equality Act, strengthening of DACA, a humane immigration policy, and net neutrality, the only way to get them is by not only trusting black women, but also electing more of them to office.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) has been calling for the impeachment of “Dolt 45” for several months. The name of senator Kamala Harris (D-California) keeps popping up when the discussion turns to potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Some of the record number of female candidates running in the 2018 cycle are trailblazing black women like Minnesota state representative Ilhan Omar. Omar is hoping to replace Democratic congressman Keith Ellison, who is running for Minnesota attorney general. Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, is vying to become the first black person to represent Connecticut in Congress.
Our outrage at the Texas GOP over the 2017 state legislative session has also sparked a large wave of female candidates in the Lone Star State. Just three of the state’s 38 congressional districts are currently represented in Washington by women (Republican Kay Granger, and Democrats Sheila Jackson Lee and Eddie Bernice Johnson). Meanwhile, only 37 of the 181 seats in the Texas Legislature are held by women.
But female candidates are winning this year. Over 50 percent of them won their party’s primary races. Here in Houston, those women include 19 African-Americans running for various judicial races in our ongoing effort to turn Harris County blue. Valerie Hefner is running for an open state legislative seat in House District 62 in the Sherman area.
In addition to your campaign donations and volunteer hours, these candidates need your most precious commodity: your vote. If you aren’t registered to vote, you have until October 9. Early voting runs October 22 through November 3.
In the last midterm election, Texas had a pathetic 28.5 percent voter turnout rate—the second-lowest in the nation. We must do better than that if we want to see significant change in the Lone Star State.
I need to say this again until people get it: your progressive base is black women. You must support them in order to ignite progressive victory this fall.
Trust black women, and elect black women. By doing so, you’ll advance the progressive agenda we all want.
Monica Roberts, a native Houstonian, is the founding editor of the GLAAD award-winning blog TransGriot. Her ongoing mission is to educate people on the lives of transgender people and fight for everyone’s human rights.
You enjoyed a colorful 40-year career.
Now you are working on your first greatest hit. You never imagined moving to a community would be so inspiring, and now you couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Be Inspired. License # 148171 of River Oaks
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FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Check out these fabulous events co-sponsored by O ut S mart and our marketing partners.
Sept. 8: The inaugural Woodlands Pride Festival I1am—5pm at Town Green Park. INFO: thewoodlandstxpride. wordpress.com
Sept. 12: Out@TUTS Night presents Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Join us the first Wednesday performance of each show. After the curtain goes down, the party continues with free bites, drink specials, and live music. Mingle with the cast and crew members, sing a few show tunes, and celebrate an inclusive Houston! All are welcome! INFO: tuts.com/out
Sept. 15: Annual Transgender Unity Banquet presented by the Houston Transgender Unity Committee (HTUC). INFO: UnityBanquet.com
Sept. 27-29: Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. INFO: festival.texastribune.org
SAVE THE DATE
Oct. 3: OutSmart Night at Stages for the performance of Swimming While Drowning Join us for a preshow reception. (use promo code: outsmart2018 for discount) INFO: stagestheatre.com
Oct. 6: The Houston Walk For Mental Health Awareness benefitting local health agencies at Stude Park. INFO: the houstonwalk.org
Oct. 11: Montrose Center’s Out for Good Dinner LGBTQ Houston’s premier annual dinner honoring district attorney Kim Ogg. INFO: montrosecenter.org
Oct. 20: Halloween Magic Players presents Kinky Re-Boots...Making America Kinky Again INFO: halloweenmagic.org
Tom Crow (left) and Patrick Hernandez (right) with O ut Smart exploring the streets of Ajijic, Mexico, just south of Guadalajara.
SUCCESS SUITED for
Dancing in
the
digital age with Houston Ballet’s HARPER WATTERS.
By Marene Gustin
Photo by Ashkan Roayaee
Watching Houston Ballet’s Harper Watters dance in a pair of pink platform shoes is poetry in motion. The 26-year-old is a YouTube sensation and socialmedia star with 147,000 followers. Now, he’s also featured in a documentary.
Scott Gormley’s Danseur, now making the filmfestival rounds, came about after the filmmaker’s young son was bullied for taking ballet. The film is a real-life version of Billy Elliot, with interviews of young male ballet dancers who detail the verbal and even physical abuse they have suffered.
“I reached out to the producer,” Watters says. “I just thought this sounded like a great project, and I’m really proud of the documentary.”
➝
Watters’ story started in Dover, New Hampshire— not exactly a hotbed of ballet. He says he was one of those kids who was in constant motion.
“So my parents put me in movement classes, and I loved it,” Watters says. “I was one of only a few boys in a sea of girls. I felt safe there.” It wasn’t dance class as much as coming out as gay that made him fearful.
“I came out at 14,” he recalls. “I was in my room watching America’s Next Top Model, and my friends called and asked what I was doing, and I told them. And they laughed and said I did look like [the show’s judge,] Miss J. Alexander—if I were gay, that is. And it hit me. I walked downstairs and told my parents I was gay, and my mom said she’d known since I was two.”
But he worried about being bullied when he returned to school, so he convinced his parents to send him to the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts. It was a perfect fit, and he recently returned there as a guest teacher.
After learning about the well-known men’s program at Houston Ballet, he went through summer intensive training and joined the student company, Houston Ballet II, in 2009. In 2011, he joined the main company as an apprentice. That was also the year he competed in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne dance competition, capturing sixth place in the contemporary division. He was promoted to soloist in the Houston Ballet last year.
Being a male ballet dancer does invite the gay stereotypes and name-calling.
“Of course I’ve been called names,” Watters says. “But it never deterred me.”
Like so many in his generation, he’s addicted to social media.
“I started just posting things on Instagram,” Watters says, “like food and shopping. Just everyday things. And then I started posting dance videos, and I developed a following.”
One day, he donned a pair of pink sky-high platform heels, a gag gift from a friend, and started running on a treadmill.
“That video went viral, and then media outlets and brands came calling,” he says. You can now follow him on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and his website (theharperwatters.com). He even helped Houston Ballet with its Instagram account, and in the process learned some lessons from the public-relations team about how to promote himself.
Watters is excited about Houston Ballet’s upcoming 2018–2019 season for several reasons.
“We have so much to be grateful for after last year,” Waters says. After Hurricane Harvey caused severe damage to downtown’s
Wortham Theater Center, the company was forced to hit the road and perform in a variety of area theaters. “I’m really looking forward to being back in our own theater to celebrate the Wortham,” Watters says. “And we’re doing a centennial celebration of choreographer Jerome Robbins that I’ll be dancing in.” Plus, in October, the company will take artistic director Stanton Welsh’s Swan Lake to the United Arab Emirates. Watters seems pretty excited by that, declaring that he wants to ride a camel in Dubai.
But for now he’s happy to stay at home in Montrose with his Maltese Roxie, or occasionally drop by his favorite hot-spots like Anvil, Uchi, and Coltivare Pizza Garden.
“I love Houston, and being able to share
Houston on social media,” he says. But he has yet to begin sharing his life with a significant other.
“I’m single, but I would like to find someone [who could] settle down with me and my pooch,” Watters says. “But first I am a dancer, and right now I’m focusing on my career.”
When he eventually retires from dancing, Watters thinks he would make a good talkshow host. He’s even thought about having his own media empire.
“If you want to do something, you should never let anyone discourage you by telling you how to feel,” he says.
Marene Gustin is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
Follow Watters on Instagram @TheHarperWatters
“If you want to do something, you should never let anyone discourage you by telling you how to feel.”
—Harper Watters
By D.L. Groover
WELL, THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS WILL SOON BE UPON US, BUT DON’T BE DEPRESSED. IF YOU NEED A SAFE SPACE IN WHICH TO RAISE YOUR SPIRITS AND ELEVATE YOUR MIND, THERE ARE MANY PLACES TO RECOMMEND— ALL LGBTQ-FRIENDLY, AND A FEW ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. HURRICANE HARVEY MIGHT HAVE PUT A DAMPER ON LAST YEAR’S FALL SEASON, BUT THE SKIES LOOK CLEAR, IF NOT RADIANT, FOR THE 2018-19 SEASON. PICK ANY OF THE FOLLOWING AND YOU’LL BE WALKING ON AIR.
The Moors
Through September 15
Mildred’s Umbrella at Chelsea Market Theater 4617 Montrose Boulevard Jen Silverman riffs wild and woolly on the famed Bronte sisters. Isolated on the bleak English moors, the two sisters (Agatha and Hudley, along with earthy maid Marjory) exist only to flee, if they can. Crazy brother Branwell may lie a-hidin’ in the attic, like Rochester’s deranged wife, while the unannounced arrival of an independent-minded governess adds comic tension. Meanwhile, their loyal mastiff takes a fancy to an errant hen that crashes the 19th-century party. Satire, anachronisms, and witty banter delightfully collide.
On Transcending the Inhibited Space
Through September 25
O’Kane Gallery at University of Houston-Downtown Welcome Center One Main Street
Multi-disciplinary artist Raheleh Filsoofi, an Iranian-American, seeks to give place space, and space place. In Imagined Boundaries, the first of her two installations, you peer through open-ended boxes arranged in a honeycomb pattern. When you peep through, people in Iran look back at you. In The Inh(a/i)bited Space, the synapses of the brain seem to be made visible with a multitude of Persian jars all connected by wires. Soothing bird song and the plucking of a stringed instrument lull you.
Visual Pathology
Through October 7
Galveston Arts Center
2127 Strand, Galveston
Leave it to Galveston to come up with something that sounds positively ghoulish. Five artists (photographers Steve Fisher and Sarah Sudhoff, sculptor Kamilla Szczesna, draftsman Mark Greenwalt, and charcoal portraitist Colleen Maynard) are let loose in the remnants of University of Texas Medical Center’s pathology and surgical collection and find some specimens that have been fading away in their formaldehyde baths since 1891. If you can stand the grisly surrealness of it all, their contemporary take deserves a view. Just hold your nose.
Heathers: The Musical
September 7–23
Art Factory, 1125 Providence Street
Just how far would you go to be popular? Murder? Fake a suicide? Blow up your school? They do all this and more at Westerberg High, where the trio of Heathers don their red scrunchies and make hash of anyone not near their pedestal. This rock musical, with book, lyrics, and music by Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness and Desperate Housewives) and Lawence O’Keefe (Legally Blond: The Musical ), adapted from the 1988 movie, knows how to maneuver around dark satire with bite and social purpose. There are psychotic bullies, gay dads, a sad-sack heroine, fake suicides, and real bullets. A grand mash-up of Grease and Matilda, with a whiff of Spring Awakening and Little Shop of Horrors, this little musical-that-could has become quite a cult favorite itself. High school was never like this, was it?
The Book of Will
September 8–October 7
Main Street Theater, 2540 Times Blvd.
In a delicious irony, one the most famous people in history is almost entirely a mystery. There are more books about Shakespeare than any other writer, but we still know next to nothing about him. The foundations of his famous Globe Theater were recently discovered, with the remains of the audience pit filled with hazelnut shells (a popular Jacobean snack during performances). He finagled a coat of arms, although his father was only a glove maker; his plays were major successes, and his troupe was financed and protected by King James himself—quite a major accomplishment. His troupe played before Elizabeth (and later, James), but neither of them thought it important enough to mention him in their voluminous writings. Nobody cared about the man who so thoroughly entertained all levels of society at the theater. Only Ben Johnson praised Shakespeare immediately after his death, and the only portraits may or may not actually depict the writer. Lauren Gunderson’s answers to these historic mysteries will be, at best, only suppositions until more forgotten archives and manuscripts are unearthed.
Oklahoma!
September 11–23
Theatre Under the Stars
See page 84.
Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony
September 13, 15, 16
Houston Symphony
Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana Street
The riches of composer Gustav Mahler’s sublime works lay hidden for almost a century after their premieres. His lush music, written for a titantic orchestra and influenced by the sonic chromaticism of Richard Wagner, hearkened to another world, languid and full of angst. It wasn’t until NY Philharmonic maestro Leonard Bernstein unearthed these treasures in the ’60s that Mahler finally got his due. It was a long time coming, but worth the wait. Regardless of the influence of late romanticism, Mahler has his own distinct voice. His diminished-sevenths reek of unfulfilled promise, his military marches sound the call to action, and his high strings, recalling the song of angels, summon the divine. His Symphony No. 2, subtitled “The Resurrection” (1867), is epic and sprawling, using chorus and large orchestra, offstage trumpet fanfares (one of his signature effects), and swelling climaxes. No other music sounds like Mahler’s—a cry from the heart writ very large indeed. ➝
JAN.
HGO
Martini Madness
September 14
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main Street
Here’s a fundraiser we can raise a glass to, and I mean it this time. Special martinis, noshes, a theme party based on Manhattan styles from any era, a photo booth (for all you Dorothy Parkers and George F. Kaufmans), and handmade artisanal martini glasses to take home after the bash. If you don’t want your own souvenir glass, you can arrive fashionably late, after 9 p.m., for all the other festivities. Lest you think you’re partying without a cause, a portion of your donation benefits Houston Food Bank and Craft Emergency Relief Fund, which supports Texas artists affected by Hurricane Harvey. We’ll drink to that.
Opus Cactus
September 14
Society for the Performing Arts Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. Cutting-edge dance company Momix is filled with magic. They can turn anything and everything into thrilling voyages of discovery. Earth, wind, air, fire, lizards, flowers, sand— whatever you want. The four main elements are just the starting point for Moses Pendleton’s stunning stage pictures that illuminate the Southwest desert. For 90 minutes, they mesmerize. Momix conjures with such precision and wondrous theater magic, it’s like Cirque du Soleil for the smart set.
Da Kink in My Hair
September 20–October 14
Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main Street
Eight black women in Toronto, recent immigrants from the Caribbean, meet in a hair salon to celebrate, inspire, and goad each other into sisterly solidarity. When she touches their hair, owner Novelette can read their histories. In Trey Anthony’s 2001 dramedy, music and dance (naturally) play a major part in the beauty parlor’s magic realism. When Novelette’s former boyfriend dies, his sister demands repayment of the loan that set up the business. The rousingly entertaining music is by S. Renee Clark, e’Marcus Harper, Carol Maillard, and Michael McElroy. You’ll be dancin’, too—probably during the show.
Re-gifting with Royalty
September 21
Ars Lyrica
Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center, 800 Bagby
Who’s the royalty here? Composers Bach and Couperin, or the star-studded performers?
You be the judge after hearing Bach’s fifth and sixth Brandenburg concertos, his stunning cantata Non sa che sia dolore, and a panoply of François Couperin’s instrumental chamber works performed by harpsichordist Matthew Dirst, soprano Lauren Snouffer, Baroque flutist Colin St-Martin, Baroque violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock, and the sterling Ars Lyrica ensemble orchestra. By the way, check out Blumenstock’s 1660 Guarneri violin. Now that’s royalty!
Never Again
September 21–23
6 Degrees
See page 86.
The Reopening of the Menil Collection
September 22
The Menil Collection. 1533 Sul Ross Shuttered for months to complete a needed
renovation, the famed Menil, Houston’s crown jewel of an art museum, opens its doors again. New floors, new gallery design, new lighting, and more bathrooms will greet visitors who have missed the gentle gray giant on Sul Ross. All our favorites will be on display: the monkey-fur Kono mask, the existentially whimsical Magrittes, the glorious sunken relief of Horus from Egypt’s New Kingdom period, those glowing gilded Byzantine icons, Jaspar Johns’ kaleidoscopic colors, the Tlingit carved wooden pipe. There’s a whole world of art awaiting, and it’s always free. Go be refreshed.
Troye Sivan: The Boom Tour
September 24
Smart Financial Centre
18111 Lexington Boulevard, Sugar Land Step aside, girlyboy Justin Beiber, there’s a new sensation breathing down your skinny geek neck. And he comes with gay pedigree, phenomenal Internet hits, a YouTube blog followed by millions, and a burgeoning movie, theater, and singing career unmatched by any other Gen-Z-er. Flash in the pan? Today’s latest LGBTQ flavor? Maybe, but you can’t discount his meteoric rise to quasi-stardom with his electro-pop baritone and the galvanizing force of his gay pride.
Les Misérables
September 25–30
Broadway at the Hobby, 800 Bagby
One of the truly great theater works, this blockbuster mega-musical adapted from Victor Hugo’s classic novel displays remarkable staying power and enduring appeal. Those soaring, emotive pop-operatic anthems composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg (with libretto by Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel, ably adapted into English by Herbert Kretzmer), perfectly capture the soul of this ultra-romantic/ultraearthy tale. Swirling underneath the story of thief Jean Valjean and his ultimate redemption is a bold denunciation of 19th-century French social ills. Among the downtrodden are a prostitute, her illegitimate daughter, a young revolutionary, and a street urchin who embody Hugo’s grand theme that “to love another person is to see the face of God,” which is trumpeted in blistering arch-romantic music. It works like gangbusters in the context of the universal struggle of the hopeless. A juggernaut of contemporary musical theater in all its grandeur, Les Mis never disappoints and very often enlightens.
HGO and PlácidoComing Home!
September 26
Houston Grand Opera
Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Who else in the world of opera has had a longer, more distinguished career than celestial tenor (now baritone) Plácido Domingo? His international career began with his years at New York City Opera in the ’60s, but his early career included conservatory training in Mexico City and journeyman service at Tel Aviv’s Hebrew National Opera Israel (where he earned $16 a performance). His rise to international superstardom was jump-started by performances with Beverly Sills and Renata Tebaldi. The Spaniard conquered wherever he sang. He survived when many faded, and his distinctively robust and masculine voice was an undimmed force of nature. Even today, after his move into the baritone repertoire, his voice is stento- ➝
Domingo
Bringing the World’s Best to Houston
MOMIX Opus Cactus
September 14 • 7:30 p.m. • Jones Hall
Rocky Horror Picture Show
October 20 • 7:30 p.m.
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
Soweto Gospel Choir
October 24 • 8 p.m. • Jones Hall
National Geographic LIVE! When Women
Ruled the World
Egyptologist
Kara Cooney
November 10 • 7:30 p.m.
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
Becoming Kareem
November 17 • 7:30 p.m. • Jones Hall
Roman Rabinovich
November 30 • 7:30 p.m.
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
The Brian Setzer Orchestra 15th Anniversary Christmas Rocks! Tour
December 12 • 7:30 p.m. • Jones Hall
Join
page and smooth to Wortham ravages Hurricane Harvey, Grand Opera is throwing a party—and who better to consecrate the return than the Great Domingo? He will be joined by Houston favorite soprano Ana Maria Martinez, a student of Domingo’s. A gala banquet follows the gala performance.
Evil Dead: The Musical
September 27–October 27
Obsidian Theater, 3522 White Oak Drive
Five clueless young ’uns, hopped up on sex and beer, go to an abandoned cabin in the woods. Guess what befalls? Oh, the horror, the unleashed undead spirits, the chainsaw, the splattering blood, the screwy squirrel, the laughs. Written, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, by George Reinblatt with music by Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, and Melissa Morris, this campy musical (2003) has had its own zombie life, playing all over the world. There’s even a version in Korean! Be warned, there’s a splatter zone. Don’t wear white.
Wynonna & The Big Noise
September 29
The Grand, 1894 Opera House - Galveston Island
The Grand opens its 2018–2019 “Jewel of a Season” with a one-night-only appearance of my favorite country singer. SPA brought her in last season, but a year is too long to wait to hear her again. I don’t think there’s currently another female singer in her league with such a resonant voice. Rich and chocolaty, her powerful belt is Mermanesque, if not operatic. She can growl like a rocker, or purr like Fitzgerald. Unlike her Mother Judd, I don’t believe Wynonna’s a nasty woman. Her voice is too pure, her style too unique, her sassiness too down-home. Pumped by her band, The Big Noise (led by husband/manager/drummer Cactus Moser), she’ll be ready to shake it up. Bring it on home, darlin’.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
October 3–21
Classical Theatre Company
Chelsea Market, 4617 Montrose Boulevard
Mr. Holmes, that smart detective with the deerstalker hat and meerschaum pipe, abetted by his trusty loyal pal Dr. Watson, makes a return in Timothy Evers’ adaptation of several Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short-story adventures featuring the intrepid pair. Apparently, this play is thrown to Watson, portrayed again by company member Andrew Love (who first played Watson in Classical Theatre’s previous
foray into English crime fiction, The Speckled Band ). CTC’s artistic director, John Johnston, parlays Holmes with enthusiastic wit and a gymnast’s grace.
Swimming While Drowning
October 3–21
Stages Repertory Theatre
See page 88.
Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol
October 7, 2018–January 27, 2019
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1001 Bissonnet
Nobody gets tired of the royals, do they? If you want to refresh your Downton Abbey fantasies or relive The Queen of Wolf Hall, the MFAH has a show for you. Bring your Liz II purse, wear a Eugenie fascinator, and dress like Kate as you check out 500 years of royal portraits. All your favorite monarchs are on imperial display—painted, photographed, or sculpted by Hans Holbein, Sir Peter Lely, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Cecil Beaton, Andy Warhol, and Annie Leibovitz. Thanks to an MFAH partnership with London’s unparalleled National Portrait Gallery, you’ll see works that have never traveled outside of England. Additional loans have come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, and Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado. Gaze upon spread-legged Henry VIII’s girth; see the madness encroaching upon George III (who didn’t approve of our independence); remember the sadness in Diana, Princess of Wales; and the indomitable strength of current ruler Elizabeth II, the longest reigning English monarch. I hope Prince Harry is on view somewhere. Rule, Britannia!
Savage Winter
October 19
Aperio, Music of the Americas MATCH, 3400 Main Street
Aperio lets us hear new musical voices from North and South America that we wouldn’t necessarily know. Winter is a one-act chamber opera by Douglas J. Cuomo, which had its world premiere by Pittsburgh Opera last February. The piece is scored for amplified tenor (Tony Boutté) and three on-stage musicians— amplified trumpet, piano, electric guitar, and plenty of electronics. Using translations of William Muller’s poems, this is angst made into music, an existential cry from the heart as the Man confronts his past and tries to atone for all his mistakes, his lost love, his guilt. Part acid jazz, art song, punk, and searing electronics, the music might sizzle your brain, but you won’t forget it.
Halloween Magic presents Kinky Re-Boots, Making America Kinky Again
October 20
Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church, 2025 West 11th Street
They’re back! Those gay loons responsible for the best comedy revue in town have returned, finally. And what’s in store with this edition? How about a Real Housewives of the White House skit? This show is a satire, right? Written by Gary Rod, John Tucker, Craig Stephens, and Stewart Zuckerbrod, all these irreverent crazies (and I mean that as a compliment) reunite for the ribald challenge—especially Gilbert Joseph Perez, a veteran Halloween Magic performer who channels the Cuban spitfire Venezuela Maria Concepción de Los Angeles Valdez Vallejo González. The accents will fly, as will musical numbers, wicked wit, and plenty of barbed darts. Since its founding in 1988, the organization has raised more than $1 million for various Houston AIDS service organizations. Olé, we shout from the rooftops!
The
Wiz
October 23–November 4
TUTS - Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby
“Don’t nobody bring me no bad news,” sings Evilene, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, in Charlie Smalls, Timothy Graphenreed, Luther Vandross, Zachary Walzer, and William F. Brown’s very sassy uptown take on Baum’s immortal Wizard of Oz series. This Tony winner from 1974 has snap and dis in its genes. There’s no bad news at all. Sidney Lumet’s film version of the show (1978), even with Michael Jackson’s luminous appearance as the Scarecrow, was limp and lifeless, with a way-too-old
by Emilio Rodriguez
October 3 - 21, 2018
Angelo and Mila are fifteen and homeless. Angelo is a dreamer and Mila is a street-wise hustler, but when they become roommates at a shelter for LGBTQ teens, they build a fragile bond that inspires them to reach for understanding and self-acceptance. Emilio Rodriguez’s poetic coming-of-age story celebrates the healing power of hope and the beautiful mystery of being a teenager. directed by Alice Gatling
Diana Ross as Dorothy, which skewed the fairy tale into uncomfortable feminist territory from which it couldn’t recover. This show skews in all the right ways. Let’s all ease on down the road and enjoy.
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
October 26, 27, 28
Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana Street
Tchaikovsky’s stupidest decision of his life was to marry his former student Antonina Miliukova, who had literally stalked him from their first meeting. The marriage was a total sham, since the famous composer was thoroughly gay (as was his brother and many of his close friends in St. Petersburg). Maybe he thought that once they were officially married, she’d leave him alone. When he fled from Antonina (who would later die in an insane asylum), he found solace in writing his luscious Violin Concerto in D The two most famous violinists of the day and friends of his, Iosif Kotek and Leopold Auer, refused to play it for the premiere, citing the work’s extreme difficulty. It’s a tour de force, for sure, but it is also rhapsodic and folk-like, fiendishly rhythmic, and now universally regarded as perhaps the best of the best. A grand night for music.
La bohème
October 26–November 11
Houston Grand Opera Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
If there’s anyone out there who’s never seen Puccini’s eternal tale of Bohemian love on the rooftops of Paris, here’s your chance. (And where have you been? Did you miss Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge? Or Jonathan Larson’s Rent ?) It doesn’t matter—go now and see the original. This 1896 opera, whose premiere was conducted by the legendary Arturo Toscanini, has been a staple of every opera house in the world and is renowned as the most popular and most performed work in the rep. It deserves every accolade.
The Joint Is Jumpin’: Big Band Favorites
October 27
Houston Chamber Choir
Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Dr. Dust off that zoot suit, put your hair in a snood, pull up those bobby socks, and take the A Train up to Miller Outdoor Theatre for this jumpin’, hoppin’, and jivin’ concert of Big Band favorites. Houston Chamber Choir channels The Andrews Sisters, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and other masters from the Greatest Generation. Best of all, the admission is free. Hubba hubba.
Macbeth Muet
November 1–11
Main Street Theatre, 2540 Times Boulevard This sounds absolutely intriguing: Shakespeare’s Macbeth performed without words. It’s from the quirky Québec theater collective La Fille du Laitier, who drive around the city performing out of a refurbished ambulance— much like medieval traveling players in those days of yore before permanent theaters. The company of three (Jon Lachlan Stewart, Caroline Belanger, Marie Helene Belanger) call themselves a theater-delivery service, and that’s exactly what they do by driving through neighborhoods and performing spontaneously. They are mad, full of imagination, and startlingly original.
Così fan tutte
November 9, 11, 15, 17 Opera in the Heights 1703 Heights Boulevard Mozart’s comic sex masquerade by librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte is regarded as one of opera’s crowning glories, so it’s hard to believe that an opera with such mastery, wit, and finesse could be shoved in the closet, unloved, for over a century. When Ferrando and Guglielmo, two army officers, crow about their lovers’ faithfulness, old cynic and friend Don Alfonso bets them that within the day, their fiancées, sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi, will be unfaithful. In his plan, the men pretend that they’re called to the front but immediately return in disguise as two Albanians, with great plumed mustaches, to each woo the other’s betrothed. Needless to say, the women prove inconstant. The title freely translates to “they’re all alike.”
At the time it was gleefully shocking with its ultra-modern theme of infidelity and casual sex. Così is a sophisticated ensemble piece unlike anything that had been seen before on the opera stage.
When Women Ruled the World
November 10
Society for the Performing Arts
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center 501 Texas Ave.
Way back in ancient Egypt, about 3,824 years ago, a woman called herself “king” and was worshiped as a god. Her name was Neferu-sobek, which means “Sobek is beautiful.” Sobek was the crocodile-headed god of the Nile and offered protection from its dangers. This distaff pharaoh, who reigned for maybe four years, had all the power in the known world. Find out about political intrigue, patriarchy, and sexual politics (millennia before Hillary, Elizabeth, or Alexandria) when noted Egyptol-
When Women Ruled the World
ogist Dr. Kara Cooney examines her life, along with two other fascinating queens (kings) of Egypt: Nefertiti and Cleopatra. You may know Nefertiti, wife of the heretical Akhenaten, from the incomparable painted bust of her that is an icon of ancient Egyptian sculpture. And everybody knows about Cleopatra, right? Wait to answer until you hear Cooney’s insightful investigations.
Panto Star Force
November 21–December 30
Stages Repertory Theatre
3201 Allen Parkway
You know exactly what to expect at Stages’ Christmas panto productions: bad puns, jukebox music, raucous kids, scenery-eating actors, and blue jokes for the adults. Sometimes the magic works. Our favorite pantomimist, Ryan Schabach, returns as the irrepressible Buttons (and as a co-writer). Hey, maybe we’ll be pleased to accompany farm boy Jed from planet Cypress, and his zany pals. May the force be with them.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
November 23–December 23
Main Street Theater, 2540 Times Boulevard
Calling all Janeites! By my troth, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, feminist writer Lauren Gunderson (Silent Sky, The Revolutionists—both recently produced by Main Street with radiant ease) has a whirl with her sequel to Pride and Prejudice. With empire-waist dresses a-flowing, ringlets caressing dewy cheeks, and hearty men in riding boots and greatcoats, Ms. Austen and her world, newly minted, is in fine hands for the holidays.
The Nutcracker
November 23–December 29
Houston Ballet
Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Houston Ballet’s Stanton Welch’s holiday perennial is a Barnum & Bailey production, the likes of which you’d only see on Broadway. The house is solid and large, the Christmas tree literally bursts through the ceiling, the land of
continued on page 69 ➝
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Queer Pioneers
Houston artists Jake
Margolin and Nick Vaughan tell forgotten LGBTQ stories
in 50 States project.
By Brandon Wolf
Houston artists Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan say they’ve found their calling: using their talent and passion to help change the world.
“Creating something meaningful and making an impact is what drives me,” Margolin says.
“If you’re not doing something important, you’re wasting your life,” Vaughan adds.
Margolin and Vaughan, who are also a married couple, have long been fascinated with LGBTQ history, especially preStonewall. Now, they are merging history and art by uncovering little-known LGBTQ stories and building art installations around them.
Their signature project, 50 States, will take an estimated
25 years to complete. The finished work will have 50 installations that will celebrate “lost LGBTQ narratives” from all 50 states. Since beginning the project in 2013, the artists have completed the Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas segments. “The project’s structure is one that will never get boring,” Vaughan says.
TEAMing up
Margolin and Vaughan met in New York City in 2005 while working with TEAM, a Brooklyn-based ensemble. Margolin was an actor and singer, and Vaughan was a set and costume designer. They recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2008 marriage in Toronto.
“We not only enjoyed living together, we liked working together and admired the thought processes of the other,” Margolin says. Merging Vaughan’s graphic talent and Margolin’s sense of narrative, they were able to create works that would have been impossible alone. Their 2008 wedding brought into focus several issues surrounding gay marriage. The couple felt ambivalent about being mainstreamed, and gave a lot of thought to the iconography of American masculinity at its two poles. On one end of the spectrum lies domestication and the small space offered by suburbia, and on the other lies the loner in a wide-open frontier, epitomized by the Marlboro Man.
They became fascinated with the American cowboy, and discovered that gay cowboys were popular in homosexual erotica that took heterosexual imagery and gave it a gay twist. The couple created a series of art pieces from this early gay erotica, aptly calling it Pinups. But they felt something was still missing—not just from their art, but from their lives.
An epiphany at 5 below
That elusive element finally revealed itself during an artistic journey in 2013. The couple had discovered the book Men in Eden, about early-1800s pioneer Sir William Drummond Stewart and his Native American-French Canadian lover, Antoine Clément.
The intimate relationship of the highlyadmired and colorful duo was no secret in the fur-trading world of that era. Margolin and Vaughan realized that gay men must have existed as an integral part of the Old West—and not just as gay versions of straight men.
They decided to follow the trail of a 12,000mile expedition that Stewart and Clément led in 1843, from St. Louis to the stunningly beautiful Lake Fremont in Wyoming. They planned to then build an art installation to honor it. The couple carried with them a series of pigmented wax panels. Every 80 miles, they spread dirt on a panel and drove over it, creating an artistic tire-track record of Stewart and Clément’s pilgrimage.
Two-thirds of the way through their journey, on a bitter, five-degrees-below-zero morning, they stood on the banks of the North Platte River outside of Casper, Wyoming, surrounded by a majestic vista.
Until that moment, they say they had felt like outsiders looking in. “For the first time in our lives, we felt like we belonged there,” Margolin says. “It was a complete paradigm shift.” The couple finally realized, “Our community has always been there throughout history, but our stories have been ignored by the dominant culture in their history books and classrooms. This has [prevented us] from developing a
healthy sense of identity.”
This realization led them to commit to building an art installation for each state, revealing hidden histories of the gay community and showing how they fit into the bigger picture of American life.
“We spent so long in our work trying to find our political teeth—that point where we could merge our love for making things with wanting to bring about change in the world,” Margolin says. “Now, we’ve started to feel like this is where we could make a difference.”
In praise of everyday courage
Margolin and Vaughan view the lives of early LGBTQ Americans as noble acts of courage—individuals bucking established societal norms and existing genuinely.
This perspective is apparent in their oneoff installation, The Scene. After resettling in Houston in November 2014, they visited Vaughan’s aunt, photographer Janice Rubin.
Rubin recalled that she had photographed a “USO Drag Show” event on the back patio
area of Mary’s, the now-closed Houston gay bar. The artists were struck by those images of people excluded from society who were having an exuberantly good time.
To honor their new city, Vaughan and Margolin created eight pieces that can either be displayed alone or hung together to form the shape of Houston’s freeway map. Each piece features imagery on glass backed by sequins. Turn your head slightly, and the whole work sparkles. Among the entertainers featured are The Fantastic Five, a 1970s drag ensemble that performed in Houston. Three members of that group were lost to the AIDS epidemic.
Houstonians got a firsthand look at this tribute to Houston’s drag culture from 1969 to 1980 (Stonewall to AIDS) when it was displayed at Houston’s Devin Borden Gallery in April.
The late Naomi Sims, Donna Day, and Tiffany Jones look out from the piece confidently—even somewhat defiantly. Margolin and Vaughan flew to Las Vegas and Dallas to visit surviving Fantastic Five members Hot Chocolate and Tasha Kohl. As the artists
The Artists Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin
Unearthing LgBtQ history
continued from previous page
studied Rubin’s photos of the Mary’s show, they looked beyond the entertaining performance images and were struck by the everyday courage of LGBTQs of the era.
In addition to The Scene, the gallery exhibit included a darkened exhibit room with two “infinity” pieces made up of mirrors reflecting mirrors in plexiglass cubes. Revolutionary Implements: Molotov Cocktails combined high-heel shoes, microcrystalline wax, canvas, and ash. The title explores the power of a pair of heels worn by a drag queen who becomes an instrument of revolution simply by being herself. Revolutionary Implements: Nail Polish featured a bullhorn painted with pink nail lacquer. Once again, the couple emphasized the revolutionary aspect of drag queens being themselves in a judgmental world.
A Fireside Chat with Kelly Lauren featured a video interview with Lauren that was projected onto the wall of the building that used to house The Old Plantation bar, where she once performed.
The men continued to expand their artistic portfolio at the Aurora Picture Show in May, with the five-channel video installation Political Gestures The installation was then taken to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, as part of the city’s TahlEquality Pride festival.
The monumental 50 States project
The theme of everyday courage is evident throughout the four 50 States installations already completed.
50 States Oklahoma introduces Lynn Riggs, the gay Cherokee playwright whose Green Grow the Lilacs eventually became the iconic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!
50 States Colorado celebrates a pioneering late-19th century trans man, Charles “Frenchy” Vosbaugh, who was assigned female at birth but lived as a man for more than 60 years in Trinidad, Colorado.
50 States Texas is based on an 1895 romantic lesbian novel, Norma Trist, written by John Wesley Carhart of La Grange. A lesbian, who is on trial for murdering a lover who had left her for a man, is acquitted after making the case that her sexuality is innate, and therefore God-given.
For the Texas installation, the artists made stencils of the entire novel and applied graphite onto 100 linear feet of parchment paper. The piece emphasizes the temporal ephemerality of life. The slightest breeze could blow the raw carbon from the parchment, showing how delicate our history is and how easily it can be lost.
The four completed installations are now in storage, and are brought out for gallery exhibitions. The couple has a studio in the Box 13 Artspace gallery on Houston’s east side. They say they create enough artwork to pay the bills.
50 States Wyoming Making Tire Tracks
Beyond that, their riches lie in the fulfillment of political and social agendas—and creating imagery of neglected LGBTQ history. Their installations cost tens of thousands of dollars to create, and part of those expenses are offset by art grants.
This project, they say, is “an affirmation that the road to LGBTQ progress was paved by really ordinary, anonymous people who had the extraordinary bravery to live their lives the way they felt they should.”
The artists are currently working on their 50 States Arkansas piece, and “staying as involved in saving some semblance of our democracy as we can.”
For more, visit NickandJakeStudio.com.
Brandon Wolf is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
Campaigning with Courage
Eric Holguin vies to become first out Latino congressman.
By Marene Gustin
Eric Holguin says a similar scenario has played out at more than one of his campaign rallies this year: while speaking, he notices a young person off to the side or in the back, looking at him nervously. Upon meeting Holguin afterward, the young person says something along the lines of, “Oh my God, you’re LGBTQ? So am I. It’s so weird seeing someone who’s openly LGBTQ run for office.”
“I came from their neighborhoods; I came from their schools,” Holguin told the Millennial Politics podcast recently. “So a lot of LGBTQ youth—a lot of LGBTQ people in general—are very inspired, because they see someone who is fearless. I don’t really care what people think about me and my sexual orientation.”
Holguin, the 31-year-old Democratic nominee in Texas’ 27th Congressional District, will face anti-LGBTQ Republican incumbent Michael Cloud on November 6. If Holguin wins, he will become the first openly gay Latino elected to Congress.
“I’m glad I’m a role model in that way, and I’ll continue to encourage others who are scared to go for something like this because they feel like they don’t fit in,” Holguin said.
The 27th is an oddly shaped district that stretches along Texas’ Gulf coast, and it has an odd history.
First carved out in 1983, it was drawn as a Hispanic “opportunity district.” The seat was held by Democrat Solomon Ortiz, the former sheriff for Nueces County from 1983 until 2010, when Ortiz was defeated by Republican Blake Farenthold by fewer than 800 votes. At the time, the district was 70 percent Hispanic. But after the 2010 census, the district was redrawn to make it more Republican. It is now only about 50 percent Hispanic and includes an arm that snakes toward Houston and its heavily Republican suburbs.
Farenthold was easily re-elected three times until his resignation in April 2018, in the wake of reports he had used public money to settle a sexual-harassment lawsuit. He has said that he would pay back the $84,000, but has not yet done so.
“There were still a lot of congressional decisions being made about Harvey relief in Washington at the time, so [governor Greg Abbott] called a special election to replace Farenthold,” Holguin tells O utSmart. He was one of nine candidates in the June 30 special election, finishing second with 32 percent of the vote to
Cloud, who captured 55 percent.
Both candidates had already won primary runoffs in May, and they will face off again in the general election.
“The turnout was very low,” Holguin says of the special election. “People were confused. We’d call and they would say, ‘Didn’t we just vote for you?’ Plus, there wasn’t a lot of time to campaign.”
Born to a working-class Tejano family in Odom, Texas, outside of Corpus Christi, Holguin was raised to appreciate education—one of his key issues, along with healthcare, infrastructure, and LGBTQ rights. In college, he ran for a Corpus Christi City Council seat.
“I ran because of brain-drain,” he says. “There are a lot of colleges and universities in South Texas, but there weren’t jobs for these young people when they graduated.” In fact, after graduating from Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi, Holguin moved to New York to find work as a talent agent. But it wasn’t long before the lure of public service came calling. He went to work for Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (who recently endorsed Holguin) and later for the New York City Comptroller’s Office.
During his stint in New York, Holguin helped organize an effort involving a group of global investors who sent a letter to Texas Republican leaders warning about the potential economic impacts of passing an anti-transgen-
der bathroom bill.
“After the 2016 elections, I knew I needed to do more,” Holguin says. So he moved back to Corpus Christi and prepared to run for Congress himself.
With just two paid campaign staffers, Holguin says he is running a grassroots campaign with lots of postcards and knocking on doors. “And we don’t take PAC or corporate money. It’s all three-, five-, and ten-dollar donations.”
But even with his busy campaign schedule, Holguin says he finds time to run four to five miles every day.
“It helps clear my head—and helps with all the barbecue and tacos people keep feeding me on the trail,” he says.
Cloud has received support from the conservative economic advocacy group Club for Growth. Although that group is not openly anti-LGBTQ, it supports many Republican candidates who are. On his campaign website, Cloud lists “religious liberty” and “family values” among his top issues, alongside the Second Amendment and border security.
“The essential building block of a healthy, productive society is the family. Yet political forces are at work to discriminate against and destroy this sacred institution,” Cloud writes. “We need Representation that recognizes the essential role of the family—and works to enact policies that recognize parental rights,
Editor’s Note: This article is part of “Out for Change in 2018,” a monthly series on LGBTQ candidates in Texas, who were the subject of our January issue. For more, visit tinyurl.com/outforchange2018.
Taking Back the 27th
Originally drawn as a Hispanic opportunity district in 1983, Texas’ 27th Congressional District was later redrawn to favor Republicans, who have held it for the last eight years.
Campaigning with Courage
respect marriage, and protect life.”
Cloud didn’t respond to a request for comment. Despite Cloud’s anti-LGBTQ views, Holguin says his sexual orientation has not yet come up.
“It’s 2018. I think people are more accepting,” he says. “It hasn’t been an issue—not once in this campaign.”
Cloud’s site also states that he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Access to healthcare is one of the things I’m hearing on the campaign trail—also, education,” Holguin says. “But the top two issues are jobs and Harvey recovery. In some parts of South Texas, it’s as if the hurricane was yesterday.”
Holguin says he’s been encouraged by conversations he’s had with Democrats on the national level.
“They think it’s winnable,” he says of the district. “I don’t think I would have gotten into it if I didn’t think the timing was right for a Democrat.”
In another sign that the district is in play in 2018, President Trump’s re-election campaign contributed the maximum amount allowed to Cloud’s campaign in July.
Holguin thinks the district is more blue than red, but Democrats haven’t been showing up to vote. He’s hoping that by reaching out to Hispanics and millennials, he can change that.
“As much as we are all Texans, we are very diverse, and the best part of this has been getting to meet people and hear their stories,” Holguin says. “I’ve always been a fan of biographies, and I love learning about people’s histories.
“I was at an event in Victoria, and a man came up to me and wanted to shake hands, but with his left hand,” he recalls. “And he showed me the watch he was wearing on his left wrist, and said it was his son’s watch. He said I reminded him of his son, and that his son would have voted for me.”
Holguin is one of three openly LGBTQ congressional candidates in Texas who will be on the ballot in November. The others are Lorie Burch in District 3, and Gina Ortiz Jones in District 23. The state has never elected an openly LGBTQ member of Congress.
Marene Gustin is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
Michael Cloud
‘From None to Number One’
Trans phenom Kim Petras on her journey from couch-surfing to the top of the charts.
By Lourdes Zavaleta
Pop music’s newest princess, Kim Petras, has had a breakout year. Since releasing her debut single, “I Don’t Want It At All,” in August 2017, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter has garnered millions of streams on Spotify and rapidly deveoped a massive, heavily LGBTQ fan base.
Petras’ popularity in the queer community is in part due to her transgender identity. The native of Germany first gained media attention at age 12 when she began hormone therapy. At 16, Petras made headlines worldwide as the youngest person to undergo gender-confirmation surgery. ➝
Petras has participated in several LGBTQ campaigns, including a September 15 performance at GLAAD’s 2018 Gala San Francisco, which celebrates digital influencers who are moving queer acceptance forward.
Determined to become a pop star, Petras moved to the U.S. in 2014 after struggling to succeed in the German music industry. At the beginning of her U.S. career, Petras wrote more than 600 songs while couch-surfing. Today, she is represented by Britney Spears’ manager and has collaborated with the likes of Charli XCX and producer SOPHIE.
Petras’ partnership with Dr. Luke, her producer (who allegedly sexually and emotionally abused singer songwriter Kesha), recently became controversial after Petras spoke in favor of working with him. After criticism from the #MeToo movement, Petras apologized for her statement, and was supported by fans as well as gay pop sensation Troye Sivan, with whom she is now touring.
Petras will be the special guest when Sivan’s Bloom Tour comes to the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on September 24.
Lourdes Zavaleta: What was it like to attend your first major TV awards show in August?
Kim Petras: The VMAs were amazing. I’ve always dreamed of going, and I finally got to. I was so excited to see Madonna, who is one of
“I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong, and I’m trying my best at it.”
—Kim Petras
my biggest inspirations. When she got on stage, I freaked out. It was one of the best nights of my life.
Do you plan on releasing your debut album anytime soon?
For sure. I have so many finished songs that I’ve worked on. For now, though, I’m just releasing singles and trying to put out as much music as I can.
Your music seems to get better with each new song release. What inspires these songs?
Anything and everything. I write about conversations I have with my friends, relationships, being heartbroken, and being happy. Every song comes from a different place. I’m always looking to be inspired. I live my life trying to find inspiration.
UT HEARTS PROGRAM
Does being trans play a role in your music?
It doesn’t play a major role in my music, honestly. I don’t write songs about being transgender. I mainly write about my emotions, which, in my life, don’t have much to do with being transgender. I do love the LGBTQ community, though, and am very proud to be a part of it.
Were you ever told that openly identifying as trans would hurt your career?
Never. Nobody has ever told me that being trans would hurt my career, but some have doubted that a trans person, like myself, could be a good artist. Some religious people have also said that supporting my career goes against God, and I find that to be really sad. I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong, and I’m trying my best at it.
Being an out trans woman makes you an inspiration for tons of LGBTQ people—even some who maybe aren’t out yet.
I hope so. I want those people to know that it’s the best feeling to be yourself. No one should have to conform to what others want from them. I know that can be really hard, especially when someone doesn’t have much support from their friends or family, but there’s an entire community, including myself, rooting for them.
continued on page 64 ➝
Raising the Bar Out high-jumper Inika McPherson of Houston eyes Olympic gold.
By Joanna O’Leary
Inika McPherson sets her sights high, literally.
The openly gay Olympic high-jumper, Port Arthur native, and current Houston resident is laser-focused on becoming the best— ever—in her sport.
Although athletic achievement came early and easily for the ultra-talented McPherson (a Texas state champion as a freshman in high school), maintaining that level of success has at times been more difficult.
McPherson, now 31, captured the U.S. indoor track and field championship in both 2013 and 2014, as well as the U.S. outdoor championship in 2014. However, her struggle with depression led her to self-medicate with drugs at one point. In 2014, she tested positive for a banned substance, resulting in a 21-month suspension from international competition. She later finished in a somewhat disappointing tie for 10th place at
the Tokyo Olympics in 2016.
But the Inika McPherson of the past is a far cry from the confident, inspiringly intense, and ultra-polite woman with whom I had the privilege of speaking recently about her career, and life beyond track and field.
Joanna O’Leary: So, I think readers will find it entertaining to hear how I first came to know you. We met while you were training for the 2016 Olympics at my gym in Houston. I remember thinking, “I cannot believe I am working out in the same space as an Olympic athlete.” After recovering from my fan-girl moment, I learned you were a local. What was it like growing up in Port Arthur?
Inika McPherson: [Laughs] You know, it was full of love, but also full of hate. There were ➝
Photo by Matt Dunham
gangs, and definitely folks on both sides of the track. I had family members affiliated with gangs. You had to figure out early how you wanted to live your life and where you wanted to focus your attention. I decided I wanted to focus on being the best athlete I could be. Fortunately, I had a lot of support from area track clubs. They really motivated me to become the athlete I am now.
Were you always drawn to track, and specifically to jumping?
I loved playing basketball. That was one of my passions as well. But when it came time for high school, one Port Arthur high school was really good at basketball and the other one was good in track and field. My mom made me go to the track and field school, and even though I cried at the time, I’m happy I did because that’s how I got into the high jump.
Did you have a moment, while you were just starting out with jumping, when you thought, “You know, I think I could be really good at this”?
Yes, from the beginning. Back in fourth grade, when the gym coach taught us about the high jump, I loved it and I gave it my all. And then when I starting competing with the track club and I saw I was winning a lot, I thought, “I could really go far with this.” Because I was a shorter jumper, many people thought I should focus on other things. I didn’t even have a coach, but I felt a fire burning inside of me. I decided, “This is what I’m gonna do; this is what I’m gonna be.” And I have always loved a challenge. I decided that I wanted to show people that anything is possible.
Do you have a particular mentor or hero in track and field, someone whose career you model yours after?
I actually love Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Even though she wasn’t a high-jumper, per se, because she did multiple events, she was such a strong woman and didn’t let anything get in her way. She was always doing her own thing, not caring what other people thought. She really inspired me to keep working hard.
Roger Federer famously called Serena Williams “the greatest tennis player of all time—man or woman.” And Williams herself has noted she does not want her accomplishments to be evaluated through the lens of her sex, let alone her race. Given your similar status as a gay female athlete of color, have you faced issues with regard to feeling “boxed in”?
Definitely. Because of the way I look and dress—I am of mixed race—it’s more about people trying to figure out what I am. I have
diverse roots, including Scottish and West African heritage. I love everything that has made me who I am today. And I’m a little tomboyish, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love being a woman. I was born a female, and I will die a female. It’s interesting to me how people interact with me or how their perceptions change depending on what I’m wearing. Depending on my look, they might call me “sir” or “homie.” I like to have fun: On a red carpet, I might feel a little feminine and wear a dress. Maybe another day I’ll wear a baseball cap. I believe everyone should be able to feel that free.
For me, though, I don’t look at race when I see people. But as a person of color, I stand strong for the empowerment of our culture. There’s a difference between race and culture. I have followed my community’s struggles through history—the Jim Crow laws, etc., and the struggles we still go through today. I hope to help break down those barriers. I want people to see that if I can do it, you can do it. I know what history we’ve come from. We’ve come a long way since then, and we need to keep pushing forward. I want to be known as the greatest high-jumper, period.
Sports is often referred to as the last frontier for LGBTQ rights. Can you speak to the challenges associated with being an openly LGBTQ athlete?
I really haven’t faced any challenges head-on as others have. And when I say “head on,” I mean to my face. I don’t have sponsors yet—I’m not sure why, because there are other LGBTQ athletes with sponsorships. I’ve witnessed discrimination and feel (like with anything) that if you stay positive, positive results will follow. I stay strong in my being and hope that others will too, and not feel they have to conform to be
a part of society as a whole—[both in and out of the] sports arena.
I love seeing your throwback photos of the Rio Olympics. Do you think about the next Tokyo Olympics in 2020, or are you just hyper-focused on what’s immediately ahead, such as your next major competition in September?
Oh, yes! I’ll be there in 2020, and I’m going to win it. That’s going to happen. I’m going to win gold and have the American record and hopefully the world record. But to do that, I have to sacrifice. Sometimes I still get tempted and want to go out on the weekends. I can’t. I have to focus and work hard for the next three years.
Obviously, a lot has been written about your past struggles—the drugs, the ban, etc. You seem to have transcended those times. What have you learned?
Although I do want to keep it in the past, it is something I definitely talk to kids about. For me, so much of it came from depression, and so many kids these days are depressed. Partying won’t help. Don’t go down that road, because it’s hard to dig yourself out. I tell them to talk to someone—anyone. Reach out for help.
What might life have in store for Inika McPherson after high-jumping?
I was talking to a friend the other day about how to strategically brand myself after I leave the sport. It’s extremely important to me to teach youth high-jumpers. There are so many talented kids in the United States who don’t have coaches—or coaches that really care or are knowledgeable about the sport. I want to change that. I see kids out there working so hard, and no one is with them. My dream is to have a local indoor facility for track and field, and have the kids do a camp once in a while so they can have the opportunity to train with professionals.
We’re also filming a documentary now that chronicles my journey to Tokyo. I have had the dream of going to the Olympic games forever. And while you always want to win it, that was not always my focus. I didn’t have the mindset that I could win it. I had to change that, going into the next games.
Finally, I know you are very strict with your diet, but can you share with us your favorite cheat or reward meal?
Oh, man—chips and queso, or enchiladas. I love that!
A true Texas gal.
Joanna O’Leary is a frequent contributor to OutSmart magazine.
McPherson
What was it like struggling to break into Germany’s music industry and coming to the U.S. in pursuit of your dream?
It was difficult. When I was 14, I was basically knocking on every producer’s door. I was trying to work with anybody, but no one took me seriously. Not many German acts do English pop, which is what I always wanted to do. I moved to L.A. at 19, had no money, knew no one, but now I think I’m doing pretty good for myself.
Now you’re a pop star on the rise. How does that feel?
It’s amazing. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. When people sing my lyrics back to me during my concerts, or fans I meet tell me my songs mean a lot to them, it’s everything.
You tweeted an apology for the comments you made about working with Dr. Luke. How did people receive it?
Most people reacted well, including Troye Sivan, who stuck by me through this. I’m very thankful to be given another chance by people who had every right to have their opinions on the matter heard. I’m really excited to go on tour and show people that I’m an artist worth supporting.
Tell me about the The Bloom Tour. What should your Houston fans expect?
It’s going to be incredible, especially because of Troye—he’s amazing. My set will feature all of my best songs, and some that no one has ever heard before. The show will be full of surprises. I have new visuals and a new vibe altogether. I’m so ready to have the fans see what I’ve been cooking up.
What: The Bloom Tour, with Troye Sivan and Kim Petras
When: 8 p.m. September 24
Where: Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington Blvd, Sugar Land
Tickets: Tinyurl.com/PetrasSivanHouston Lourdes Zavaleta is a staff writer for OutSmart magazine.
SEP 22 - OCT 6 And don’t miss….
Julie Dodson|Dodson Interiors’ 3rd Annual Designer Dream Spree: “Exceptional Discoveries” at THE COMPOUND during the Round Top Antique Fair September 25 | 4:00 PM
Followed by a Reception with Carson & the “A-List” Designers.
Limited Seating. Tickets $35 Benefiting Area Animal Shelters on line under “Upcoming Events”
Troye Sivan
Out to Serve
Montrose Center partners with LSVA to help LGBTQ veterans.
By Lourdes Zavaleta
Anson Klaber was moving up the ranks of the U.S. Coast Guard until he was medically discharged due to migraine headaches in 1999.
“It was a shock to me when I was retired,” recalls the 43-year-old veteran, who identifies as gay. “I was planning on making the military my career. I had just become a petty officer third class and was leading a team. But then, suddenly, I was back at my mother’s home, unemployed.”
Klaber, a Louisville native, struggled to adjust to civilian life in his hometown. His troubles, similar to those that many veterans face, included challenges associated with reentering the workforce and a battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
After living with his mother and working at his father’s furniture business for seven years, Klaber became a Realtor—a job that took him first to Tampa and then to Houston, where he now lives.
In Space City, Klaber found community in the Lone Star Veterans Association (LSVA), a nonprofit that provides members with social activities and aims to strengthen their careers and families. Klaber is 14 years sober and serves as a community leader in LSVA’s LGBTQ Affinity Group that kicked off in 2017, in part due to his efforts.
“I struggled in Kentucky because there weren’t any resources like the LSVA,” Klaber says. “What we do to help vets is groundbreaking. The LSVA is working to become the most LGBTQ-friendly veteran’s organization in the nation.”
In July, the LSVA launched its latest LGBTQ outreach program in partnership with the Montrose Center. The program offers counseling, case management, and links to services for LGBTQ veterans and their families.
The Montrose Center is now a one-stop shop for LGBTQ veterans. Those who visit the center have access to recovery coaches, thera-
pists, and a personalized outpatient program designed to fit their needs.
LGBTQ folks sign up for military service at three to five times the rate of their nonLGBTQ peers. An estimated one million gay and lesbian Americans are veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. And about 150,000 transgender individuals have served in the U.S. armed forces, according to The Williams Institute.
Despite these numbers, there is an overwhelming lack of resources for LGBTQ veterans, according to Kennedy Loftin, the Montrose Center’s chief development officer.
“LGBTQ folks have always faced discrimination in the military, even after ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was repealed in 2010,” Loftin says. “We’ve had eight years to change this culture, but being anti-LGBTQ still plays a role in some places. Many veterans who received a dishonorable discharge because they were LGBTQ have never been able to get assistance from the VA.”
Unlike most federally funded programs, the Montrose Center’s veterans program does not look at discharge status to determine eligi-
An Officer and a Gentleman
Anson Klaber, shown in his Coast Guard uniform below, struggled with addiction and other problems after being medically discharged. Then he found the Lone Star Veterans Association in Houston, where he helped launch an LGBTQ affinity group.
bility for services.
The partnership between the Montrose Center and the LSVA is funded by the Texas Veterans + Family Alliance, a grant program administered by the State of Texas. The grant funding covers the cost of a case manager and counseling services for veterans and their family members whose incomes are at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Elibeth Andrade, the wife of a veteran, was hired in March 2018 as the case manager for the program. She and LGBTQ veterans who serve as community leaders have been trained to provide culturally competent resources to clients.
In 2017, LSVA president Kevin Doffing and Klaber toured the Montrose Center with Loftin. Doffing realized that his organization lacked an affinity group for LGBTQ veterans.
“While on the tour, I saw how many services the Montrose Center offered that veterans needed,” Doffing says. “Both communities face high levels of mental-health issues, substance abuse, and PTSD. I wondered, ‘If both groups face these issues, what happens continued on page 100
Deborah Duncan
snow is a blizzard of flurry steps and explosions of confetti, the land of sweets has an English bulldog with a cigar and an African lion in a caftan. It’s eye-popping, tremendously theatrical, and certainly amazes the little ones who are often attending their first ballet. Although you’ll be wowed by the sets, glistening costumes, and CGI effects, the dancing is still the star, and all the blockbuster numbers from Lev Ivanov’s 1892 original have been caressed and enlarged by the incomparable artists of Houston Ballet.
Who’s Holiday!
December 5–30
Stages Repertory Theatre
3201 Allen Parkway
This one-woman parody of Dr. Suess’s Christmas stories by Matthew Lombardo (Looped, about Talullah Bankhead; High, about a tough-love nun) is definitely adultsonly. Since that infamous crime from years past, when the Grinch attempted to steal Christmas, little Mary Lou Who has grown up fast and loose and hard. Bleached blond, she survives in a trailer on Mount Crumpit and tells us her story of woe. Apparently the Grinch stole something more than her presents under the tree. Do I hear a Who?
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
December 11–23
Theatre Under the Stars
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby
Here it comes again! This perennial Disney chestnut started right here at TUTS, which co-produced the show with Disney Theatrical. Beauty closed on Broadway in 2007 after running 14 years. If you’ve seen the animated movie (really, you’ve never seen it?), the show is as faithful a reproduction as it can be, and the creative team knocked itself out to be somewhat true to the comic tone. This version, staged especially for Houston’s Hobby Center, will be brand-new.
D.L. Groover writes on the arts for the Houston Press , OUTSMART magazine, Arts & Culture, and Dance Source Houston. He has received two national awards for his theater criticism from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN), and has previously won three statewide Lone Star Press awards for the same. He is co-author of the irreverent appreciation Skeletons from the Opera Closet (St. Martin’s Press), now in its fourth printing.
“We need people who understand what freedom means. It’s freedom for all. It’s not just freedom for some.”
—Melissa Etheridge
‘Texas Is Going to Be Brand New’
Melissa Etheridge predicts blue wave ahead of Pearl Bar benefit for Dayna Steele campaign.
By Jenny Block
Photo by John Tsiavis
Life is a strange and circuitous journey. Former radio DJ Dayna Steele is running for Congress, and lesbian rock icon Melissa Etheridge is performing an intimate concert to raise money for Steele’s race.
The two first met in the 1980s when Steele, a longtime LGBTQ ally, was music director/assistant program director at KLOL in Houston, and Etheridge was trying to make a name for herself. The singer/songwriter would bring her music to Steele and ask her to give it a listen.
In those days, few female artists were featured on the radio, and their songs were almost never played back-to-back, Steele says. So getting air time for Etheridge was no easy feat. But Steele believed in Etheridge’s music from the beginning, and she made sure it got as much play as she could wrangle.
Thirty years later, when Etheridge learned via Twitter that Steele was running for Congress, she immediately jumped in to help.
“To me, that was exactly what I hoped for after November 9, 2016,” Etheridge tells O utSmart. “I realized that solid people need to start running.”
After Etheridge encouraged her Twitter followers to support Steele’s campaign, the candidate reached out directly, and within two weeks they had arranged a benefit concert in February featuring both Etheridge and David Crosby. Now that Steele is the Democratic
nominee in Texas’ 36th Congressional District, Etheridge is headlining another campaign fundraiser for her at Pearl Bar in Houston on October 21.
“This is what I can do to help bring about the change and healing that I feel we need,” Etheridge says.
Steele, who does not accept any campaign contributions from corporations, PACs, or other special interests, she says she has been overwhelmed by Etheridge’s generosity. Steele faces an uphill battle in the historically Republican district currently represented by antiLGBTQ incumbent Brian Babin.
“We have to do these sorts of things in order to get me in Congress. I cannot change it from the outside, and the opposing side is so entrenched in corporate money and greed,” Steele says.
“Melissa is doing everything in her power to get me elected. She’s so honest and interested—genuinely interested in change for the better.”
Tickets for the Pearl Bar show range from $101 for general admission to $1,000 for VIP passes.
“If you believe in equality, health care, and education for everyone; if you believe that enlisted men and women shouldn’t have to be on food stamps and kids shouldn’t be in cages, that is what [your concert ticket] is paying for,” Steele says. “You’re buying healthcare, jobs, education,
immigration [reform], and an end to the hateful rhetoric. I think that’s a heck of a deal.”
Etheridge says she is optimistic that America can overcome that long list of challenges. She believes many of them are based in fear—adding that President Trump didn’t create hate, he merely emboldened it.
“He blew air on those little embers of fear and created a big fire,” Etheridge says, adding that “the policies of the Trump administration hurt his very base, and they don’t know it.”
“They don’t know it because he is still talking to their fear,” she says.
Etheridge urges people not to forget the day after Trump’s inauguration, when millions of women took to the streets in protest. “That’s the majority,” she says. “There are good people who do not fear, who know there is a world of peace and hope waiting. If we keep moving forward, we will eventually drag people toward it. That’s just the way change is.”
“Helplessness is not the way our forefathers set up this country,” she adds. “We need people that understand what freedom means. It’s freedom for all. It’s not just freedom for some.”
When it comes to LGBTQ people, Etheridge believes those who hate us simply don’t know us—our stories, our families, and our lives.
“They don’t know how incredible the LGBT world is. Come on, we have more fun than anyone.” Not to mention, she adds, that they ➝
might be confused themselves. “They are trying to [fit in to] some box that was drawn for them.”
She says the best response is to “stand there, with love.”
“Remember Martin Luther King. Remember Gandhi. Remember the Buddha. Remember Jesus,” she says. “Remember all the people who led with love, and know that you’re in good company. Keep loving. I guarantee, the more you love, the more you’ll see love.”
To avoid being pulled under by rampant corruption, hate, and hypocrisy, Etheridge says she sometimes has to “turn it off.”
“I go on my Twitter, and then I read the news, and then I turn it off,” she says. “The best thing I can do for my life, for the world, is to make it a beautiful, loving, peaceful life, as much as I can. Because then that creates more of that for the world. I garden. I have a bunch of succulents that I am just crazy about. I play the guitar. I live in a cannabis state, so I can do that. I wish that for Texas.”
Etheridge has been happily married for four years to Linda Wallem, the creator and executive producer for the hit show Nurse Jackie. Etheridge’s current tour, The Rock Show, wraps up this month before her
‹
Rocking the Vote
Melissa Etheridge (l) and Dayna Steele are shown at an August fundraiser for Steele’s campaign at the home of legendary songwriter Holly Knight.
25th-anniversary Yes I Am tour begins.
She has also spent the last year writing and recording, with a new album set to be released in early 2019.
“2018 has been very, very inspiring,” Etheridge says. “Some of the songs are structured
VENTURE POOLS
around the [political] issues. A lot of the songs are very personal. [It’s] pretty much a very straightforward Melissa Etheridge album with all those different flavors in it.”
As our interview draws to a close, Etheridge makes one final pitch for her Pearl Bar show in support of Steele, saying the concert “will make you feel better, with everything going on in the world right now.”
“It will make you feel like you’re doing something,” she says. “You come out to this benefit and you put a few bucks down to help this woman, so that we can create change. This is how it works in America. We can create change. We are going to get [Steele] elected. It’s going to be a gorgeous blue wave in Texas. Texas is going to be brand new.”
What: Melissa Etheridge
When: 6 p.m. on October 21 Where: Pearl Bar, 4216 Washington Ave. Tickets: Secure.ActBlue.com/ Donate/BrownPearl
Jenny Block is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
MICHAEL J. CAHILL
SEMI-ANNUAL SAMPLE SALE 9/1 – 9/30 UP
FRAMES BARTON PERREIRA TRUNK SHOW 9/14 – 9/15 RIVER OAKS
Ray of Light
Amy Ray discusses her new Indigo Girls and solo albums before her Houston show.
By Gregg Shapiro
Photo by Brian Fisher
Years in the making, Indigo Girls
Live with the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra (Rounder) is a breathtaking experience. Even if you don’t like live albums (you weren’t there, were you?), this should be an exception. Made up of 22 songs, the compilation draws from 9 of the 13 Indigo Girls studio albums.
The iconic lesbian duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers included the expected hits (“Power of Two,” “Galileo,” “Kid Fears,” “Go”) and popular deep cuts, as well as a generous supply of more recent numbers (“Sugar Tongue,” “Able to Sing,” “War Rugs,” “Happy in the Sorrow Key”). Not surprisingly, the stunning symphonic set closes with a rousing rendition of “Closer to Fine,” complete with an audience sing-along. As familiar as your oldest friends, you’ll never hear these songs the same way again.
Never one to sit idle, Ray is also releasing a new solo record this month, her sixth. Holler (Compass/Daemon) is in a countrified vein similar to 2014’s Goodnight Tender. Featuring guest musicians including Brandi Carlile, Vince Gill, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), and Rutha Mae Harris (of The Freedom Singers), Holler is another powerful musical statement from Ray. I had the pleasure of speaking to Amy in advance of Indigo Girls’ October 3 show at House of Blues Houston.
Gregg Shapiro: Indigo Girls are no strangers to live albums, with at least two such previous releases —1995’s 1200 Curfews and 2010’s Staring Down the Brilliant Dream. Why was now the right time for a new live album such as Live with the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra ?
Amy Ray: Mostly because we’ve been touring with symphonies for about four or five years now. We felt like we’d gotten to a place where we knew the material well enough and wanted to document it. Then we came upon a symphony that fit all the parameters that we needed to make a live record with a symphony—the Uni-
versity of Colorado Symphony. So, it worked out. It was kind of a long process. We had been hoping to get it done for a couple of years.
Your new solo album Holler continues the country-oriented style of your 2014 solo album, Goodnight Tender. Is this a direction you see yourself going in for the near future?
I don’t know. This was just what I was writing. I have a band that I’ve been touring with for four or five years. This is really a strong suit for them, and for us together. As we tour and get more and more in the groove with them, we’ve been working on old songs from the rock and punkier stuff. It’s adaptable to that. When I was writing Stag and Prom, I was playing a lot with The Butchies and I was writing to their style. My collaborators typically have a lot of influence over what I’m writing. They’re who I’m creating with, touring with, playing with from day to day. I like a lot of different kinds of music. I don’t prefer this to that; it’s where I’m at. This record has a little more of the earlier punky, eclectic style mixed in with traditional country. I think I was crossing over that line in my writing a little bit.
I’m glad you mentioned collaboration. As always, you have a stellar lineup of guest musicians on the new album, including Brandi Carlile, Vince Gill, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Rutha Mae Harris of The Freedom Singers. When you are writing a song—“Last Taxi Fare” for example—do you hear the guest artist’s voice (in this case, Brandi Carlile) as part of the process?
Sometimes. On that particular song, as I was finishing it, believe it or not [laughs] I actually did hear Brandi, and I did hear Vince. I wrote that song over a very long period of time. I think I had watched a CMT award show or something, and Vince was singing with Taylor Swift and Allison Krauss and a few other people. I’ve always loved him, but in that moment I was like, “That guy
can really sing harmony!” In any situation. I was working on that song, and it was in my fantasy head that Brandi and Vince would form a trio with me. It’s the weirdest thing, but Alison Brown, who plays banjo on the record, happens to be friends with Vince. It was one of those moments where it was like, “I can’t believe this is going to work out.” In that case, I was definitely hearing them. Vince was an “if you could have anything in the world” kind of thing.
I love the duality of “Oh City Man,” which features the builders of skyscrapers juxtaposed with moonshine makers, and the image of you walking down Broadway during a Manhattan blackout in “Fine with the Dark.” Even though you’ve lived outside of a city for a while, would it be fair to say that you feel the pull of urban living?
I think that I’m mostly a country person, but I feel the pull of the dynamics of urban living, and the poetry of it. I’ve spent so much time in New York City, and cities like London and Berlin—places where I feel the darkness and light, the pull of that, the “Patti Smith” of it. Jim Carroll and The Basketball Diaries and all my great punk-rock icons. I feel their personalities and art in those spaces. I often have to have those spaces in my life, [where I can] get down and walk the streets and spend all night out on the town with myself and the city. It informs what I do. But I find it interesting that even in the city (and the country, too), you have to think about what came before you and how things got built—what was sacrificed so that you can have what you have. That’s the tie between the land I live on in Georgia (which was Cherokee land) and New York, where you’re walking among these incredible buildings built by proud artisans who were brilliant at their craft. They were working for rich people, but none of it was for the artisans. People in New York will say, “They just don’t build buildings like they used to,” when they are around historic areas. I’m like, “That’s because they don’t ➝
Ray of Light
continued from page 74
have a hundred people working for 10 cents an hour—slave labor.”
In the four years between the release of Holler and Goodnight Tender, we have had to endure the election of Donald Trump and all that came with it. Am I on the right track when I say it sounds to me like you address that somewhat in the songs “Sure Feels Good” and “Didn’t Know a Damn Thing”?
Yes, for sure! I don’t know if I was affected specifically by the presidential election or more by the whole vibe of the country and my own community—the polarization, and thinking about the issues around being a Southerner. [I was] trying to take on some accountability myself, as well as trying to understand where people are coming from. It’s easy to dismiss people because they don’t agree with you, or you think they’re going to feel a certain way about things, or you think it’s not possible for them to come around to a place of tolerance or understanding. That’s not where I exist. I exist in a place where you get to know your neighbors and you help each other out, regardless of where you come from. Eventually, those barriers start to fall away, and you begin to understand each other. Hopefully, things change. Racism is the hardest thing to change
in the South, but I’ve found that there are still people who do change. I’ve also found that there are people who have a knee-jerk reaction because of the way we’re put into niches and demographics. When people aren’t being their best selves all the time, I say, “I know you’re a better person than this. I’ve seen you in my community. I’ve seen the things you do to help other people. And I’ve seen you at church. I know you have it in you to be better than this.” We all can be better than this.
Every year there seem to be more and more queer female country artists releasing albums, including H.C. McEntire and Sarah Shook in 2018. Because Holler is so steeped in that tradition, what do you think that says about country music and its listeners?
I think country music is opening up. Sarah Shook and Heather (H.C. McEntire)—I’m a big fan of both of them. Both of those artists have found that they have a place in Americana, which is the progressive side of “country.” It’s the place where people who play country, but don’t fit into a more conservative demographic, feel comfortable. Pop country musicians like Sugarland and Dixie Chicks (and others, probably) also feel like they don’t want to be restricted to a certain political perspective. I don’t think music categories need to be restricted by political perspectives in any way, on any side. To me, it’s great that all these artists are
getting some play, and that they have someplace where they can sit comfortably and be honored in a way that makes sense to everybody.
Since we’re talking about female country acts, I recently received a press release about a forthcoming Bobbie Gentry box set. Wow!
In the pantheon of female country-music artists, where does Bobbie Gentry fall on your personal list of icons?
I would say she has been iconic, probably from my youth—a formative person that made me go, “Oh, I can do this! I’m a female!” She’s like a role model. But for me, I’ve probably looked at someone like Dolly Parton and stayed with that. Dolly would probably be an icon for me in a bigger way for her songwriting and longevity and generosity and vision—the pure star-power.
Have you ever had a chance to play with her? I’ve never played with her, but I have met her. She’s in a class all her own.
What: Indigo Girls in concert
When: 7 p.m. on October 3
Where: HoB Houston, 1204 Caroline St. Tickets: HouseofBlues.com/Houston
Gregg Shapiro is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
JOE TRAMONTE
Keeping It Strimple
Out Houston artist Cody Ray Strimple successfully combines singing, acting, makeup, and design.
By Don Maines
Cody Ray Strimple’s first love is country music.
“It’s in my blood,” says the openly gay performer, who is thrilled to be singing in a “country cabaret” in Midtown on September 16.
“I am singing a solo, ‘More than a Memory’ by Garth Brooks, which is hands-down my favorite ballad by him. So I am extremely excited,” says Strimple. The song was the first number-one single from Brooks’ 2007 album The Ultimate Hits
Strimple also will harmonize with three fellow singers—Seth Daniel Cunningham, Shannon Nichols, and Amanda Parker—on Little Big Town’s breakout hit, “Boondocks.” The cabaret will be presented by Pitch Me This (PMT) Productions at Charlie’s Big Top Lounge.
“It’s your soon-to-be favorite dive bar,” says
PMT’s founding artistic director, Eduardo Guzman. Many of PMT’s performers hail from little big towns in the bay area southeast of Houston. The company, which presents local singers, dancers, and musicians in a variety of formats, begins its fall season at 7 p.m. September 7 and 8 with their “PMT Is Fringe” concert event at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center (MATCH).
“We are Houston artists. We want to tell Houston stories,” Guzman says.
Strimple has stirred cocktails at South Beach, Tony’s Corner Pocket, and Crocker Bar, and has competed twice for Pride SuperStar, including a duet with Ashley Hennessy.
His next gig for PMT will be in October as the hair/wig/makeup designer for a children’s musical-theater camp in Friendswood, and as
the assistant stage manager for a show the kids will perform called Barnyard Follies. It was written by Sam Carner, a musical-theater lyricist in New York City; Strimple was a featured soloist in Carner’s traveling show Bigger in Texas at Music Box Theater.
Strimple, 27, plans to join Carner in the Big Apple after about five more years honing his craft as a singer and cosmetologist in Houston. Broadway might seem like a long hike from Deer Park where Strimple grew up, but he began performing with the highly regarded Jr. Art Park Players when he was just 11. “The more I did theater, the more I noticed I had a knack for hair design and makeup,” he says. “It’s been really cool to get to work on shows that highlight both of my passions. There really is a way to make it happen. Anything is doable.”
Strimple recently performed double duty for Art Park Players on a production of The Wedding Singer, a musical based on the popular 1998 “date movie” that starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
Onstage, Strimple played the title role’s flamboyant gay sidekick, George, who dresses like Boy George and sings in falsetto (and in Hebrew) at a bar mitzvah. “George was very quirky and off the wall, so I got to wear colorful stuff like neon-striped Beyoncé braids. A running joke was that our bandmate, Sammy, had no idea George is gay.” In contrast, when Strimple came out tentatively to a friend at age 13, “She was like, ‘No shit,’” he laughs.
Behind the scenes of The Wedding Singer, Strimple designed goofy wigs for the show’s slate of amateur celebrity impersonators. “I got the idea from how in the show they’re always addressed as ‘Fake Tina Turner’ or ‘Fake Cyndi Lauper,’ etc.,” he explains. “I wanted to play off of how they clearly weren’t convincing as celebrity impersonators. I had way too much fun hunting down these awful wigs.” The impersonators also attempt knockoffs of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Billy Idol, Mr. T, and Imelda Marcos, whose $10 up-do was “like combing through Christmas tinsel.”
In Houston, Strimple has appeared in the ensemble of American Idiot for Standing Room Only Productions. Closer to home in Deer Park, he has played Ren in Footloose, Tommy Ross in Carrie the Musical, and has had featured spots in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Producers (with Christina Wells), The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and The Addams Family Musical
What: PMT Pop Up: Country Cabaret
When: 8 p.m. on September 16
Where: Charlie’s Big Top Lounge, 3714 South Main St.
“Pay what you can” tickets are available for purchase at PitchMeThis.com.
Don Maines is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
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Hunky Tonk Cody Ray Strimple, shown in a recent production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical at Art Park Players, will perform hits by Garth Brooks and Little Big Town at Charlie’s Big Top Lounge this month.
Shaw ’Nuff
Houston’s Vickie Shaw headlines Queer Queens of Qomedy tour.
By Jenny Block
The mere existence of lesbian comics seems like a political statement these days. Put a few together on stage, year after year, and you have nothing short of a movement.
On September 8, the 12-year-old Queer Queens of Qomedy tour returns to Houston at Neon Boots, with a portion of proceeds benefitting local LGBTQ nonprofits.
“I created it to give myself a job,” says host and creator Poppy Champlin, who has appeared on Showtime, LOGO, VH-1, Comedy Central, Oprah, and The Joan Rivers Show where she won the title of America’s Funniest Real Woman.
“The show is always a hit,” Champlin says. “It’s a lesbian comedy fest in your own backyard. It is a great gathering for our tribe—a happy gathering.”
Headlining this year’s show will be the unstoppable Vickie Shaw, a native Texan who was part of Comedy Central’s flagship show Premium Blend . She also stars in Logo’s onehour comedy special You Can Take the Girl Out of Texas!
Before Shaw was a lesbian comic, she was your “classic” suburban Texas mom.
“Republican women’s club, children’s choir director, and handbell ringer,” Shaw says. “I was a Southern Baptist, straight, white mom doing all the things to ‘make’ me happy. I had to stifle all the feelings I really had. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about it. It was just so pushed down and so repressed. I thought I was demon-possessed. So I went to therapy.”
After hearing Shaw’s story, the therapist looked right at her and said, “You’re going through a time here that’s very difficult. You’re coming to terms with who you are. It’s going to be hard. But you’re handling it very
healthily, and you’re fine.” Shaw says she had two words for the world at the time: “I thought, ‘f--k you. I’m not going to live my life trying to please you anymore.’
“I had been taught that God loves me unconditionally, except for that,” Shaw says, adding that she eventually came to realize that “God made me. I am purposely this way.”
Her other major concern was how her children would react. But ultimately, she says it boiled down to “How can I tell my kids to be themselves and not be myself?”
Shaw says she has no regrets, other than
hurting her ex-husband. “I don’t regret marrying him. I wouldn’t have my three kids. That was meant to be—it’s all for a reason.”
One thing that didn’t change was Shaw’s sense of humor. Even though people had told her she should be a comedian, Shaw didn’t think she was anything special. “I thought everyone made everyone laugh,” she says. “We all have gifts. Our gifts are something that are easy for us to do, so we don’t realize that not everyone does that.”
Finally, under pressure from friends and family, Shaw took the stage at open-mic ➝
The Best Medicine
Vickie Shaw, who was a Southern Baptist housewife before she came out and first stepped on stage at the Laff Stop on West Gray, says comedy is especially vital in these dark political times.
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Shaw ’Nuff
continued from page 82
night at the Laff Stop on West Gray. “I froze,” she says. “It was the longest five minutes of my life.” She isn’t sure why she decided to go back, but the second time she was more prepared.
Open-mic-night audiences are typically made up of seven drunk people and a bunch of comics, Shaw jokes. “You’re doing it for the comics, really,” she explains. Those comics encouraged her, helped her with her set, and opened up new opportunities, including, ultimately, the success she enjoys today. A professional comedian, Shaw shares her life with her police-officer wife whom she affectionately refers to as “Sergeant Patch.”
Shaw says she wants everyone to come out to Queer Queens of Qomedy, but more importantly, “I also want everyone to vote. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but we have to vote and get our friends to vote,” she says, adding that she tries to get the word out with a quirky collection of LGBTQ-themed T-shirts. “People say ‘I love your shirt’ and I say, ‘Make sure you vote.’”
going out. You’re representing.”
Comedy is especially important—even vital—right now, Shaw says. “People are hungry. ‘Please make me laugh,’” her audiences seem to be saying. And when she does, they are eternally grateful. “Thank you so much. I needed this tonight,” they tell her. While Shaw doesn’t consider herself a political comedian, she admits that “it’s seeping into my act.”
“You can’t not mention it. It’s on everyone’s mind,” she says. “[There’s] a cloud of hurt and anger and frustration and fear. Fear for ourselves and our country. The politicians, the Republicans, the State of Texas—they want to take gay marriage and adoption and Roe v. Wade I say in my act, ‘We cannot let go. We thought we had it, but we don’t, and we cannot let go.’”
Champlin agrees.
“There is high anxiety right now with the world,” Champlin says. “We need to relax and enjoy ourselves. This show is always a positive vibration for us to go forth and laugh and relax and breathe just a little easier.”
What: Queer Queens of Qomedy
For advertising and subscription info, call 713/520-7237.
Her favorite T-shirt is one with an image of Jesus that reads, “Guys. I said, ‘I hate figs.’” Shaw hopes others will follow her lead. “I want you to wear your T-shirts to Walmart,” she says. But then she adds, “If you’re gonna wear your T-shirt, comb your hair. Pretend you’re
When: 7 p.m. on September 8
Where: Neon Boots, 11410 Hempstead Road
Tickets: QueerQueensOfQomedy.com
Jenny Block is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
Ode to ‘Oklahoma’
Out director Kevin Moriarty says musical’s themes are as relevant as ever.
By Don Maines
Kevin Moriarty asks himself three questions when directing a show such as Oklahoma!, which Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) will present this month to kick off its 50th-anniversary season.
First, he asks, “Why does this play matter to me?”
For one thing, Oklahoma! is the first musical that the “currently single” gay director ever saw at age seven or eight, growing up “surrounded by cornfields in rural Rensselaer, Indiana.” When Curly opens the show at TUTS by singing “The corn is as high as a’ elephant’s eye,” Moriarty admits it warms his soul.
But there has to be more than nostalgia. What is it about the story itself that speaks to Moriarty?
To answer that question, he says he looked at when Oklahoma! was written and first performed. Its Broadway premiere was March 31, 1943, in the midst of World War II.
“The lives of our citizens were at stake as we considered what [it means to be a] just society,” Moriarty says. “It was not an abstract question. People were giving their lives.”
Armed with that history, Moriarty looked at the show’s setting, the unincorporated Oklahoma Territory of 1906, where farmers, cowboys, and merchants cussed and scuffled before coming together as “brothers” to form America’s 46th state.
“Oklahoma! posited an argument that farmers and cowmen should and could be friends,” he says. “They had to look each other in the eye and envision building relationships and forging together a community that lives in harmony.”
Next, Moriarty asks, “How does the play speak to an audience today?”
At its heart, the show is a love triangle that
finds an optimistic cowboy, Curly McLain, and a sullen farmhand, Jud Fry, vying for the attention of local beauty Laurey Williams.
However, Moriarty sticks with his idea of community, characterizing Jud as a loner, “an expression of violence,” and drawing parallels to today’s combative culture.
“We are at a moment at which we have to decide how we are going to get along, and what kind of society we will be,” he says. “Whether we have the opportunity to find love and express that, and to be open and vulnerable, is a real question for us today in America. Jud isolates himself in the shed where he lives, and very possibly has reduced love to the pornographic images he gets from magazines. That speaks to how easy it
If You Build It, They Will Dance Kevin Moriarty (below) says Oklahoma! was the first musical he saw growing up surrounded by cornfields in Indiana. He directs a production of the show at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars this month. ‹
is for us to retreat to our own ‘sheds’ and live out our days in solitary and isolation instead of making authentic human relationships.”
Oklahoma! succeeds in its presentation because of its “joy, optimism, and hope. That is what was needed then, and that is what is needed now,” says the director.
Thirdly, Moriarty explores how his cast and crew can convey the essence of a story “past the footlights and into the bloodstream of the audience.”
For that, he examined Oklahoma! and found three distinct elements: words, music, and dance. The show’s dialogue is based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated together for the first
time to compose the songs, and legendary choreographer Agnes de Mille staged the dance sequences that propel the story.
“It’s a play with very little underscoring of music; they talk for a long, long time between songs, and then the singing stops for extended expressions of dance,” Moriarty says. “All three [elements] exist fully on their own. If you were to tell me today that you’re writing a show in which all three somehow harmonize, I would think that it would be an absolute mess.”
Moriarty, who is the artistic director for Dallas Theater Center, is confident that his direction will be complemented by his longtime friend Kimberly Gigsby as conductor, and Houston Ballet’s artistic director, Stanton Welch (whom Moriarty has admired from afar) as choreographer.
TUTS artistic director Dan Knechtges agrees. “We wanted to make this show the most special it could be by collaborating with one of the top-rated ballet companies in the country, Houston Ballet,” he says.
The production will incorporate Houston Ballet dancers with professional actors from Houston, Broadway, and across the country, as well as students who are training in ballet and musical theater, Moriarty says. “It is one of the most unbelievably diverse casts in terms of age, race, and ethnic background.”
Moriarty remembers “dancing around the house” to the original Oklahoma! cast album, but as a youngster he never imagined making a career in theater. “It didn’t enter my mind. No one I knew had ever done that.”
Instead, the one-time high-school drum major studied music education at the University of Wisconsin, then became a publicschool teacher in Minnesota. “The principal assigned me to direct the school play—the Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides. I found out how much I love directing. I left Minnesota and went to New York to embark on a new career.”
Moriarty says it “strikes me as mildly funny and kind of ironic” that, without academic training as a director, he led a master of fine arts program in theater directing for Brown University, which is an Ivy League university. Theater also provided a safe environment in which Moriarty could come out as gay in the 1980s.
“Otherwise, I don’t think I could have come out so openly,” he says. “I wonder if I might have gone into a more traditional profession where I would not have fully owned and expressed myself as a gay man.”
What: Oklahoma!
When: September 11–23
Where: Hobby Center, 800 Bagby St. Tickets: TUTS.com
Don Maines is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
rob snell timeless
High-Wire Resistance
‘Never
Again’ takes on Texas’ anti-LGBTQ, antichoice political circus.
By Neil Ellis Orts
For years, Toni Leago Valle has watched Texas Republicans whittle away at reproductive rights.
Even before the famous Wendy Davis filibuster to stop a restrictive abortion bill in 2013, Valle was thinking about how to address what she saw happening in her artistic medium of dance.
Valle’s company, 6 Degrees Dance, is presenting the culmination of her research and development, Never Again, at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center (MATCH) this month.
“I was perplexed by how to use this reproductive-rights material in a way that people will want to see [in a dance] show,” she says, explaining her process for putting nascent ideas onto dancers’ bodies. “I didn’t want to make an angry show.”
So she sat with the ideas, continued to research, and kept watching the circus that politics can be. Then she started taking classes in aerial dance, which is commonly seen at circus shows and performed with a trapeze. “It all came together,” she says of her “a-ha” moment. “I have to do this as a circus. I have to make this the entertainment that we’re [already seeing in the political debate].”
Valle began gathering dancers for rehearsals and trying out ideas. The movement became big and exaggerated, including clownish makeup and expressions. The first pieces she developed were riffs on themes from the January 2017 Women’s March, and the common “they’re asking for it” response to rape victims.
Toni
Valle (inset), a longtime observer of Texas politics, was inspired to create a circus-style dance show about the state’s never-ending attacks on reproductive rights. Carlos Perez, above, is among the LGBTQ cast members. ‹
As one might imagine, working on these first pieces created a lot of conversation at rehearsals. After a handful of her cast selfidentified as gay or queer, Valle (a straight, cisgender woman) started listening to their stories of resistance—particularly the role that humor plays in LGBTQ activism. Suddenly, pieces about bathroom bills and immigra-
tion rights and gun violence started emerging. “It started out as [being about] women’s issues,” Valle says, “but working with these dancers, it’s become human-rights issues.”
And that suits the dancers just fine. Kate Rash, who identifies as queer, was particularly enthusiastic about working on Never Again “I just did a show about how society views
The Greatest Shitshow on Earth
Leago
women’s bodies, and how that in turn shapes how we view our own bodies,” Rash says, referencing her recently completed artist-in-residence stint at Dance Source Houston. “It was interesting to do my own show and work with women and realize that this is not part of their daily dialog like it is for me.” While recognizing the seriousness of the themes, Rash sums up working with Valle by saying, “I hate to use
the word fun, but it’s really fun to do this.”
Tyler Scarberry, who has a solo addressing gun violence that uses a cracking whip as a stand-in for guns, echoes some of Rash’s feelings. “Everything that’s going on in this show, I strongly agree with,” he says. He’s been with Valle from the start of the project and notes that engaging these subjects in dance may have made him more articulate on the
‹
An Intersectional Extravaganza In response to stories of resistance from LGBTQ cast members such as Davis Stumberg (from left), Kate Rash, and Tyler Scarberry the focus of Never Again was expanded beyond women’s issues.
issues. “I don’t think it has changed [my views, but now] I can have these conversations with people.”
One of the younger dancers, Carlos Perez, grew up in Kuwait, where being overtly political wasn’t an option. “I met Toni a year after I moved to the U.S.,” he says. “I wasn’t really paying attention back then.” Working with continued on page 109
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Stages Goes ‘Swimming’
Montrose
theater’s production puts spotlight on homeless LGBTQ youth.
By Don Maines
Like a fly on the wall, Emilio Rodriguez’s play S wimming While Drowning hones in on the bond that forms between two 15-year-old boys at a revolving-door LGBTQ homeless shelter somewhere in these United States.
“It’s less about plot, or what happens, than it is about meeting two people you don’t often see onstage,” Rodriguez tells O utSmart in a phone call from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the playwright works at the University of Michigan. He hopes to attend several performances of the October 3–21 production that will open the new season of Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston.
Rodriguez, who identifies as “Latino and LGBT, Puerto Rican and gay,” describes the play’s teenage leads as a study in contrasts. Angelo is a sensitive gay Latino who believes “the only way to survive is to find someone to trust,” while his reluctant roommate, Mila, is a
It Gets Better Director Emilio Rodriguez, left, says Swimming While Drowning showcases characters seldom seen on stage homeless LGBTQ teens. University of Houston professor Trevor Boffone (below), who uses the play annually in one of his classes, says it “hits on all the issues,” including coming out and living up to ideals of masculinity.
brooding gay black-Latino who thinks “survival depends on being very careful who you trust.”
“It sounds heavy, but it’s really, really funny, too,” says Trevor Boffone, a queer University of Houston professor who has championed Rodriguez’s script since Boffone attended its 2015 “developmental reading” at a Chicago festival called Latinx Theatre Commons’ Carnaval of New Latinx Work.
Ever since then, Boffone has shared the play with students in his Introduction to LGBTQ Studies classes at UH. “They really like it. They find it quite authentic in how teenagers talk and what they talk about. The play has some pretty in-depth conversations about homelessness, coming out, and things like living up to ideals of masculinity. It hits on all the issues.”
Some of the story is told through poetry, which Mila says is “for bitches” but Angelo enjoys as an outlet for his feelings. The
poetry-writing class that Angelo enrolls in at the shelter is similar to a theater class that Rodriguez has taught at a homeless shelter for teenagers in Detroit. He tells Mila, “You can join. The program is pretty small. I’m the only kid there.”
“I was a poet before I officially started in theater,” says Rodriguez, recalling how the first poem he wrote, about trees, won the Arbor Day poetry competition in fourth grade at his elementary school. “Later, I found out I was the only kid who entered, but I still hold on to that award.”
Rodriguez grew up in Riverside, California, and studied theater at the University of California-Irvine. In college, he began performing in spoken-word showcases. After graduating, he joined Teach For America. His two-year commitment, to serve as an educator in a school in a low-income community, landed him in Detroit.
Boffone says the poetry in Swimming While Drowning “is very much like slam poetry. It’s very current. When my students pick their favorite lines in the play and write about why, they typically choose lines of poetry. Those are some of the best lines and their favorite moments.”
The cast is comprised of Reginald Choyce as Angelo and Isaiah Holloway as Mila. Both young actors are performing at Stages for the first time. Holloway graduated from Taylor High School in Alief, which he represented at the 2016 International Thespian Festival, winning the national prize for duet acting with a classmate.
The play is directed by Alice M. Gatling, who made a splash last season at Stages as the director of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s 2012 play We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Südwestafrika , Between the Years 1884–1915
Boffone is “very excited” at the prospect of seeing a play by Rodriguez performed on a professional stage in Houston. “I really believe in his work. It is very powerful. He is telling stories that need to be told. We don’t have a lot of clear representation of Afro-Latinos or Latinos in mainstream culture.”
O utSmart is the media sponsor of Swimming While Drowning, and will host O utSmart Night on October 3, including a special reception at 6:30 p.m. before the show at 7:30 p.m.
What: Swimming While Drowning
When: October 3–21
Where: Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway
Tickets: stagestheatre.com (get 20 percent off any performance with promo code OutSmart2018)
Don Maines is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
‘You Go on Anyway’
Civil-rights veteran Lizan Mitchell stars in all-black production of ‘Skeleton Crew.’
By Don Maines
Double Discrimination
The main character in Dominique Morisseau’s dynamic drama Skeleton Crew is Faye, an out and proud lesbian.
“No bones about it: she is not without flaws, but she feels good about being Faye,” says Lizan Mitchell, the Harlem-based actress who leads an all-black cast in the opening production of the Alley Theatre’s 2018–19 season.
“She is really helping me open up to myself because of her courage to be who she is, unapologetically. Basically, she is okay with Faye,” Mitchell adds.
Skeleton Crew premiered off-Broadway in 2016, but its setting is the break room of one of Detroit’s last automotive stamping plants in 2008. “The whole country was in recession at that time, and the auto industry was in particular peril,” Mitchell recalls. In a tight 90 minutes, loyalties are tested and boundaries are crossed among Faye, who is the union steward, two entry-level co-workers, and a tight-lipped manager, as rumors fly about the factory closing.
Faye endures an “extra serving” of potential discrimination because she is both black and gay, as well as the oldest worker and oh-so-close to retiring with a pension. Mitchell, who is not gay, grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, which she calls “one of the places at the center of the civilrights movement” in the 1950s and ’60s. She was just a youngster when, unescorted, she hopped on a bus leaving for the March on Washington in August 1963 and saw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
“Being politically aware was part of the lifestyle. It was normal,” she recalls. “When we marched for desegregation, almost the whole town went to jail. They were booking people in a building the size of a convention center.”
Mitchell tells LGBTQ rights activists and allies that in the face of oppression, “You go on anyway. You do it with strength,
Diverse Drama
The opening production of the Alley Theatre’s 2018-19 season, Skeleton Crew features an all-black cast.
love, and stamina. That is the foundation of happiness. We have the power to do what is just.”
Recently, Mitchell’s eyes were opened to the world of transgender people when she
co-starred with actress Kim Tatum, aka Mzz Kimberley, in a London production of Chisa Hutchinson’s play Dead and Breathing. Mzz Kimberley gained fame as the trans “Rollerskating Wonder Woman” who performed
LGBTQ FAMILY LAW
Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” on Britain’s Got Talent Dead and Breathing was a tug-of-war between Carolyn, a sick rich woman (Mitchell) who tries to convince her nurse (Mzz Kimberley) to assist in her suicide. Mitchell had created the role of Carolyn off-Broadway when the play premiered at the National Black Theatre in 2015.
“It was my first time in the UK,” says Mitchell. “Kim introduced me to her friends in Liverpool who are transgender. They were all so loving. They are not joking.”
In March, Mitchell returned to the States and will perform in Houston for the first time.
Appearing with her in Skeleton Crew will be Alley Resident Company member David Rainey as Reggie, Candice D’Meza (Alley’s The Cake, Main Street Theater’s Men on Boats) as Shanita, and Brandon J. Morgan (Alley’s The Great Society, Stages Repertory Theatre’s My Mañana Comes) as Dez.
Skeleton Crew, directed by Taibi Magar, will be performed on the Alley’s smaller Neuhaus Stage.
Don Maines is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
Wedding Ringers
By Marene Gustin
Wearing identical Calvin Klein navy velvet tuxedos, Dylan Valenti-Kanipes and Mike ValentiKanipes took their vows on February 24, 2018.
“Because people always think we look alike, I wore a regular tie and Mike wore a bow tie,” Dylan says.
Everything else, down to their shoes, was the same. The rings they exchanged that day were di erent, but both were family heir-
looms. Dylan, 26, and Mike, 24, say family and friends are very important to both of them—so much so that Dylan’s proposal in Hermann Park was an elaborate plan that took months to mount.
“We talked about getting married, and since I am the older one, we decided I would do it,” Dylan says.
Their best friend was a woman who worked in Congress and lived in Washington
DC. Dylan got her to send him an o cial-looking email saying she had to appear at a political event in Houston—one that she wanted to invite Dylan and Mike to attend with her.
“So Mike thought we were going to a political fundraiser,” Dylan says. “We got dressed up and went to the McGovern Centennial Gardens in Hermann Park.”
All of their family and friends were there. Even the couple’s rescue dog, an odd-looking
Look-alike
grooms Dylan and Mike Valenti-Kanipes dressed identically for their ceremony, except for the ties.
terrier mix with di erent-colored eyes that Mike says looks more like a squirrel.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Mike says. “And all of them knew about it months before I did.”
The two met while they were students at Texas A&M University in 2014, introduced by a mutual friend. Their fi rst date was at an Italian restaurant, because Mike is Italian. Clearly, it was a romantic evening.
“There was a sprig of rosemary on one of
Mike (center, left) and Dylan Valenti Kanipes, whose fi rst date was at an Italian restaurant, tied the knot at The Gallery, a Mediterranean-style venue near the Galleria. The reception included a pizza bar featuring deep-dish Italian pie.
the dishes,” Mike says. “I wanted to keep it, and Dylan took it home and put it on the window sill to dry, but a roommate thought it was trash and threw it away.” But they did use rosemary in the wedding decorations, as well as many other sweet, sentimental touches like the white lace on the sign-in table at the reception that came from Dylan’s mother’s wedding dress.
“We’re lucky that both our parents were
very supportive and involved,” Dylan says.
“Our mothers walked us down the aisle and our fathers were both there, and they loved it,” Mike adds. “Dylan had even asked my father for his support—not for my hand, but for his support, before he proposed to me.”
The couple didn’t use a wedding planner, but spent more than a year deciding exactly what they wanted for their special day. During that time, they also adopted another rescue dog and moved into a duplex in Montrose. “I don’t know what we were thinking, but it all worked out,” Mike says.
And it did. The wedding and reception turned into a gorgeous and fun event at The Gallery, a Mediterranean-style wedding venue in the Galleria area. The wedding was held in the main courtyard as a light rain held o , and the reception featured an open bar, a pizza bar, and a DJ.
“We just wanted a big party atmosphere, but at fi rst our mothers were against the idea of pizza,” Dylan says. “When we explained it was the authentic deep-dish Italian pie from Barry’s Pizza, served by uniformed waiters, they agreed.”
The couple made the table centerpieces by cutting the bottoms o wine bottles and putting them over candles. Dylan says that took a lot of drinking, and they even had to recruit friends to help out.
“But now we can add glass-cutting skills to our résumés,” Mike says. The couple has since made their own headboard for their home and refurbished an antique dresser from Mike’s father.
After a honeymoon in Mexico, they returned to Houston to start married life together.
“I hate to say it, but it’s exactly like it was before,” Mike says. “We lived together for two years before we got married. The only di erence is that now I get to say ‘my husband’ this and ‘my husband’ that, which is pretty great.”
As for the future, both mothers keep asking about grandkids.
“We’re still young and poor.” Dylan says. He works as an architectural associate, while Mike is an investment banker. “But kids are defi nitely in our future. We even mentioned that in our vows, so the mothers are excited about that.”
Marene Gustin is a regular contributor to OUT SMART magazine.
That’s Amoré
Berrones (r) and Nelida Rodriguez had both been in opposite-sex marriages before they unexpectedly
in 2016. They were the first same-sex couple to marry at the Houston Municipal Courts
Unhidden Love
Yessenia Berrones and Nelida Rodriguez finally came out after finding each other.
By Henry Thiel
Yessenia Berrones, 26, was born in Coahuila, Mexico, and works in a clothing warehouse while studying for her GED. Her wife, Nelida Rodriguez, 30, is from Naguabo, Puerto Rico, and works at the YMCA.
They chose to get married on September 22, 2017, because it was the first day of fall. They were the first LGBTQ couple married
at the Houston Municipal Courts building on Mikawa Road in southeast Houston.
“The wedding was special for us from the beginning to the end,” Berrones says. “What we liked best was when they announced us as Mrs. and Mrs. Berrones.”
The couple met in 2016, when they were both online looking for friends. They never thought they
On November 13, 2016, they met at Fonder Park, which was close to Berrones’ home. “We had a nice evening walking in the park, and a very animated conversation,” Rodriguez recalls. “The chemistry between us was so special and strong, that Yessenia asked for my permission to kiss me.”
“I always knew I was a stud lesbian,” Berrones says, “but it was hard to accept because I didn’t have my parents’ support. Because I wanted to please them, I tried to be with a guy. I got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.”
Rodriguez had also been closeted.
“I never told anyone that I was lesbian,” Rodriguez says. “I, too, married a guy. We divorced shortly thereafter, and I moved to Houston. I never thought that I would find someone who would make me brave and love me as I deserved to be loved. Yessenia made me feel so strong and brave that I told my parents that I had fallen in love with a girl, and that I was very happy in my relationship,” Rodriguez adds.
But they still had to work at it.
“I was in a bad place, and had a lot of bad influences in my life,” Berrones says.
They learned that open and frequent conversations are the key to a healthy relationship, along with a lot of laughter.
“I just love it when Yessenia whispers in my ear,” Berrones says.
“And I adore her kisses,” Rodriguez adds.
They also keep the romance alive by surprising each other with romantic date nights, including candles and wine.
‘The most romantic thing that Nelida has done for me,” Berrones says, “was when she showed up at my job on Valentine’s Day and surprised me with a big panda bear and chocolates.”
would make a love connection while looking at photos, but they liked each other’s smiles.
After several late-night phone conversations, they decided to meet.
“I desperately wanted to see her smile in person,” Rodriguez recalls.
“And I just wanted to hear her voice. I love her accent,” Berrones says.
Berrones says she realized Rodriguez was “the one” after seven months, and proposed to her in the summer of 2017.
“We went out to eat, and afterwards I took her to the park where we had our first date and kissed,” she says. “I remember saying to her, ‘Since I met you, I have become a better person. You have
Stars Aligned
Yessenia
met online
building on Mikawa Road, right.
supported my decisions, and you have been with me when I least deserved it. Will you be my wife?’”
Rodriguez said yes through tears of joy.
The newlyweds decided to forgo a honeymoon due to their work schedules, and because they are planning to have a big wedding celebration in 2019.
They both want children. Rodriguez has a condition that makes it difficult to get pregnant, but they are confident that she will.
They also understand that marriage requires chemistry, mutual respect, and a lot of love.
“As we like to say, marriage is an adventure that both want to enjoy. It’s easier when you remember why that person is the love of your life.”
The newlyweds live in Houston.
Henry V. Thiel is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine. He loves weddings.
Jazzy Affair
Jeremy LeBlanc (l) and Max Jones marched through the French Quarter with a brass band and their wedding party, then tied the knot at the historic Columns Hotel in the Garden District.
Talley is a former editor-atlarge at Vogue
Dana Goldberg
(Advocate.com, 7.17.18, Ariel Sobel) Chelsea Handler tweeted the other day “Jeff Sessions is a bottom,” and someone got so mad, they’re like “You’re using bottoms as an insult,” and my response was “If you’re going to be offended by something, be offended that someone is actually having sex with Jeff Sessions!”
Insulting?
Out comedian Dana Goldberg (seen here at GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles this past April): what’s she saying about Jeff Sessions? ‹
Big Freedia
( Vice News, 8/9/18, HBO)
I am a gay male with [long] hair and [long] nails, so if you say “he” or “she,” it doesn’t matter.
I know who I am.
Corey Camperchioli
(The Huffington Post, 8.9.18, Jamie Feldman)
Looked Down Upon?
Corey Camperchioli (seen here in the film Femme ): is it a bad thing to be like women?
I would go out to gay bars, and I would see how masculinity was so prized. If you’re telling me I’m femme . . . I was raised by beautiful, smart, intelligent, fierce women. Are you saying that that’s a bad thing that I’m like them? . . . The way that femme people are looked down upon in the community is 100 percent a symptom of misogyny. And I think it’s society’s deep fear of the power of women.
Compiled by Blase DiStefano
By Gregg Shapiro
Q-Music: Complete Coverage
The Supremes, Joan Baez, Betty Buckley, and more.
In the history of modern pop music, certain singers are closely associated with the songwriters behind their biggest hits. Dionne Warwick will forever be linked with Burt Bacharach and Hal David. While they had hits written by others, The 5th Dimension’s most memorable hit singles were penned by Laura Nyro. Motown divas The Supremes (Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard) are another perfect example. It’s hard to imagine where they would be without the songs composed by the team of Lamont Dozier and Brian and Eddie Holland. Essentially an expanded reissue of the 1967 album, The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (Motown/ UMe) is a double-disc set that features both the original mono and stereo LP mixes, as well as a dozen bonus tracks on the first disc. Featured are number-one hits such as “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and the dramatic “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone,” as well as The Supremes’ readings of “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” and eight more. The extended hit mix and the film version of “The Happening” are among the best of the bonus cuts. Disc two features the live The Supremes at the Copa recording.
Even though it was Joan Baez herself who wrote what is probably her greatest song—“Diamonds and Rust”—she was probably best known during her long career as an interpreter of others’ songs. In fact, her biggest hit to date was a cover of The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Baez’s 21st-century albums find her covering Eliza Gilkyson, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Josh Ritter, Gillian Welch, and out singer/songwriter Diana Jones, to mention a few. Whistle Down the Wind (Bobolink/ Razor & Tie), Baez’s first studio album in 10 years, is a welcome return. The titular tune, written by Tom Waits (whom Baez has covered before) is marvelous, and her rendition of trans singer/songwriter Anohni’s “Another World” is, well, out of this world. Never one to shy away from political statements, Baez has her say in
Zoe Mulford’s “The President Sang Amazing Grace” and Tim Eriksen’s “I Wish the Wars Were All Over.”
An actress whose extensive résumé includes Broadway, film, and television, Betty Buckley is about to embark on the national tour of the recent stage revival of Hello, Dolly! as Dolly Levi. Throughout her esteemed career, Buckley has had the privilege of singing songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Schwartz, and countless other musical-theater legends. However, it’s her pair of recent live albums, 2017’s Story Songs and her latest, the exceptional Hope (Palmetto), that are especially fascinating. Buckley lends her distinctive voice to a number of unexpected covers that will most likely expand the palates of her longtime fans. Story Songs featured her stellar interpretations of Radiohead’s “High & Dry” (really!), Emmylou Harris’ “Prayer in Open D,” and Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up.” Buckley continues to challenge and reward listeners with her versions of Lisa Loeb’s “Falling in Love,” Steely Dan’s “Any Major Dude,” Joni Mitchell’s “Shades of Scarlett Conquering,” Paul Simon’s “Quiet,” and T Bone Burnett’s “Dope Island.”
There is little question that most people know the work of Fred Neil via Nilsson’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin’,” featured on both his 1968 album Aerial Ballet and the 1969 soundtrack to the movie Midnight Cowboy Keith Sykes covers the songs on the appropriately titled Everybody’s Talkin’: A Tribute to Fred Neil (Y&T Music). Sykes is among the better-known performers on this various-artists compilation, which also includes Rodney Crowell (performing “Candyman”), Eric Andersen (singing “The Dolphins”), and Charlie Pickett (doing “The Other Side of This Life”).
Leave it to the Brits to concoct a ridiculous jukebox stage musical such as Mamma Mia! and then unleash it on ABBA-loving Americans. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a truly hateful and horribly miscast movie version landed with a thud in movie theaters in 2008. But wait—
now there’s a prequel/ sequel starring Cher, with its own accompanying album Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: The Movie Soundtrack Featuring the Songs of Abba (Capitol). In addition to new-version rehashes of songs featured in the 2008 movie, the soundtrack includes Cher singing “Fernando” (with Andy Garcia) and taking a lead role on “Super Trouper” (featuring the whole cast). The biggest treat is, believe it or not, Meryl Streep singing the 1982 non-LP Abba song “The Day Before You Came,” which features updated lyrics.
As albums by Tony Award-winning Broadway divas go, Take Me to the World (Ghostlight Deluxe) by Sutton Foster is in a league of its own. Just listen to choral renditions of “I’m on My Way/On My Way” (featuring Megan McGinnis, Darcie Roberts, Jodi Cotton, Johnna Allen Tavianini, Elizabeth Truitt, and the Ball State Cabaret Class Female Student Singers) and “Every Time We Say Goodbye” (with the Ball State Cabaret Class Student Singers). To say Foster plays well with others is an understatement. Throughout the disc, Foster shares space with other vocalists and a fantastic group of musicians for a marvelous musical journey.
With the exception of two original compositions, the songs on Changes (Concord) by Arianna Neikrug, winner of the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, are covers. Among the most thrilling are her unexpected pairing of Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me” with “Be Cool,” a marvelously jazz-inflected reading of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” and the medley of Nat King Cole’s “Never Let Me Go” combined with The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”
Gregg Shapiro is a regular contributor to Out Smart magazine.
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Out tO Serve
continued from page 67 when the two populations overlap?’ I knew we had to do something about this.”
The LSVA’s first LGBTQ gathering, a happy hour in April 2017 at JR’s Bar and Grill, drew more than 100 people—its highest attendance to date for a social event.
The LSVA LGBT Affinity Group Social became a recurring event that is now held at Guava Lamp the first Friday of every month. Doffing says those who have attended the social include veterans who were closeted for most of their lives.
“For the most part, the military has been conservative, right-wing, and unaccepting,” Doffing says. “However, when we started our socials, I knew we had hit a home run. A man who could never come out got in uniform, came to Guava Lamp, and told me he was himself for the first time in 70 years.”
In addition to the monthly happy hour, the LSVA now hosts LGBTQ picnics. And on September 29, the Executive and Professional Association of Houston (EPAH) will host Houston’s first LGBTQ Military Ball benefitting the LSVA.
Klaber served in the military for four years and was stationed in New York City and Paloma, California, while “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was in place. While in Paloma, Klaber says he worked alongside several other LGBTQ folks who were closeted.
“Nobody was out. We just knew who was LGBTQ amongst ourselves,” Klaber says. “We had to repress ourselves unless we were off base. Being gay was very frowned upon. I knew I’d lose my livelihood if I told.”
After moving to Houston, Klaber met Doffing, an Army veteran who identifies as straight, through the Leadership Houston group.
Over the last year, Klaber, Doffing, and other LSVA members have worked together to create a community for LGBTQ veterans. Klaber hopes that his story inspires other LGBTQ veterans to participate in the LSVA’s all-inclusive events.
“The LSVA got me out of the house and introduced me to so many amazing people,” Klaber says. “Our goal is to find veterans in need and point them in the right direction. Veterans are proud people who sometimes need a push. I want to provide that push.”
For more information about the LSVA, visit LoneStarVeterans.org. For more information about the Montrose Center, visit MontroseCenter.org.
What: EPAH Military Ball and Fundraiser
When: 7 p.m. on September 29
Where: Le Meridien, 1121 Walker Street Tickets: LoneStarVeterans.org
Lourdes Zavaleta is a staff writer for Out Smart magazine.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
‘The Boys of Fairy Town’
Stories of Windy City ‘Boys’ who might otherwise have been forgotten.
And Then We Danced: A Voyage into the Groove
Henry Alford
Author Henry Alford is a journalist who’s been immersed in dance his whole life. Dance, he says, is a “universal language” an art, yes, but so much more. Dance, he says, can be a social entrée (such as a debutante ball) or social commentary (such as the Cakewalk, a dance that slaves devised to mock their masters). Teenagers know that dance can be a form of rebellion and emotional release. In church, dance can be spiritual; with the right group, it can bring on feelings of nostalgia. And dance can be healing, if that’s what you need. Alford provides a brief autobiography by recalling his days as a gawky kid who tried very hard to ignore his gayness which made junior-high boy-girl dances understandably more awkward. His universal tales will make you laugh, while anecdotes from the life stories of Arthur Murray, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Savion Glover, Toni Bentley, and other famous dancers will amuse you. All in all, it’s a quick-stepper, and for a hoofer, ballet lover, line dancer, or anyone who shimmies and bops, And Then We Danced will have you up on your feet. (deystreet .harpercollins.com). Terri Schlichenmeyer
Dates, places, and old dead guys. When you were in school, that’s all history was to you: a list of names and years to memorize and then forget, 20 minutes after finals week. So maybe now it’s time to find a history book that’s relevant to you a book like The Boys of Fairy Town by Jim Elledge.
Because Chicago was considered to be a “largely male frontier city” when it was established in 1837, the Windy City has always been home to a strong population of gay men, cross-dressers, and male sex workers. Here, Elledge tells the stories of some of the ones who might otherwise have been forgotten.
Take, for instance, John Wing, whom Elledge says “was a sodomite.”
That’s the term many post-Civil War Chicagoans would have used for Wing, although most people back then only had a vague idea of what a sodomite was. They knew it was something bad, though, even as Wing did something good: he was a faithful
‹ The Boys of Fairy Town
• by Jim Elledge
• 2018
• Chicago Review Press (chicagoreviewpress.com)
• 290 pages
• $29.99
diarist and left his volumes to be preserved for posterity.
Female impersonators were tolerated in Chicago in the late 1800s, but sometimes only barely. The most acceptable gay men were the ones who put their feminine sides to work as entertainers; for others, the desire for women’s clothing was meant for strictly private times. For families, such things were often an embarrassment: Elledge cites a story of “Mrs. Noonan,” who was married and worked at a nearby military fort. Despite her final wishes, the “women at the fort” went to prepare her body upon her death, and discovered that Mrs. Noonan was a man. Her third husband swore that he hadn’t known, but he was so ashamed that he killed himself.
Gay men posed nude for other gay men in perfectly respectful and artful ways that went mainstream. Newspapers reported on same-sex love sometimes kindly, sometimes
scandalously. Gay lectures were open to the public, and entire neighborhoods became hubs of openly gay life. Living as another gender was easy until the tide started to turn in the 1940s when, alas, being gay could suddenly get a man arrested.
At first blush, it may seem like The Boys of Fairy Town is just another historical tome. Dates, places, old dead guys. But look closer and you’ll see that it’s bursting with stories that are irresistible.
In his introduction, Elledge explains how he chose the tales he shares in this book, and why recording these stories for public consumption is absolutely essential. In addition to being lively and relevant, the tales show the ever-changing historical trends of acceptance and persecution in a youthful America that was just dipping her toes into the pool of difference and duality. While readers are left with a feeling of pride, they may also be disturbed when Elledge shows the tide turning.
The Boys of Fairy Town contains nudity, but also the kind of delight you get when you come across a pile of old newspapers in Grandma’s attic: it’s quaint, informative, entertaining, and totally worth your time.
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old, and she lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.
Soaked: “Hou-Chella” - Impulse Group Houston
Clé Houston - August 4
Photos by Dalton DeHart & Edgardo Aguilar
LGBT Affinity Group Social - Lone Star Veterans Association
Guava Lamp - August 3
Houston’s 22nd Annual LGBTQ Film Festival QFest - July 26-30
Photos by Dalton DeHart & Edgardo Aguilar
Photos by Dalton DeHart & Edgardo Aguilar
Get your business listed here. Call 713/520-7237 ext 10 for details.
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continued from page 87
Valle stirred some feelings he hadn’t named before. “I’m like, ‘I see your point, I understand where you’re coming from, and I can see where you’re going with this.’ I feel like [I experienced] a lot of these issues while growing up as a gay man in the Middle East.” Making an empathetic connection between his experience and women’s experiences, he was able to say, “Yes, let me stand up against this, too.”
Aerialist Davis Stumberg, who is working with Valle for the first time, says the choreography has a distinctly circus feel, using words like “angular” and “clowny” to describe the movement Valle wants. As for the show’s content, he’s very measured in his thoughts. “I think it’s very important that as Americans we have this platform—that Toni is allowed to say whatever she wants to say.” He also hopes that the audience receives the work thoughtfully. “I don’t think art should force anything down anybody’s throat,”
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continued from page 112
have tried to push ahead, but you are feeling that you are making little progress. That should all change after the 6th, when you feel the urge to get back on track. In the early part of the month you are still in a planning phase, but after midmonth you are more than ready to put your plans into motion. This is a big career month for you, so step up and take on a leadership role. Friends and business organizations can be helpful and supportive in your quest to improve your long-term career goals. Relationships need some clarity about direction and commitment. You are your own best resource!
AQUARIUS (January 20–February 18). In September, you are ready to move forward on your projects that you had to put on hold in July. Mars, planet of action and confrontation, will be visiting your sign until midNovember. This will give you plenty of energy. You will also feel that there is always— always —something to do that must get done right now! Mars can make it difficult to sleep and exercise, but physical work can help with that. You won’t mind tell-
he continues, “but it should give them an avenue to question their own ideas, and question what they’ve been told.”
Rash, Scarberry, Perez, and Stumberg are four out LGBTQ performers in a cast of 10, and Valle credits them with turning Never Again into the show it has become. She already had her circus theme, but the discussions about LGBTQ discrimination and resistance inspired her to expand beyond reproductive rights and rape culture. What Valle characterizes as “the positivity that the gay community as a whole fights with” informed many of her decisions. “We’ll fight you with rainbows and unicorns,” she says admiringly.
For more info, visit 6degrees dance.org.
What: Never Again
When: September 21–23
Where: MATCH, 3400 Main St. Tickets: Matchouston.org
Neil Ellis Orts is a Houston-based writer and performer. Visit him on the web at NeilEllisOrts.com.
ing people exactly what you think! Relationships can be testy, especially if there are unaddressed problems. Career and long-term security is very active by midmonth. You will be reviewing your current choices and considering new directions. You are going to be doing things differently as you release yourself from previous obligations.
PISCES (February 19–March 20). Relationships are on the menu this month. You will want to spend some time renewing your social bonds, or looking for close friends who can help you with that goal. You are needing some clarity and reflection. There is plenty of social energy out there, but you are being extraselective about who you spend your time with. You will be reviewing your business contacts and friendships to determine if they are really being supportive and helping you move forward. By midmonth, you are more focused both on greater levels of intimacy and managing your money better. Career opportunities will be opening up, especially in November!
For more astro-insight, log on to lillyroddy.com.
BEHIND the BAR
CHRIS McDONALD
Tony’s Corner Pocket
817 W. Dallas St, Houston
Thursday—Sunday
THE RIPCORD
This multi-roomed leather bar boasts a busy patio, especially on the weekends. The Forge shop located inside the club. Saturday nights with DJ Tad Dvorak 715 Fairview Ave • 713.521.2792.
RUDYARD’S
The eclectic British pub is known for its craft beers as well as for the burgers. Most weekends you’ll find up-and-coming local bands rocking the house. 2010 Waugh Dr. • 713.521.0521 • rudyardspub.com.
SOUTH BEACH
Closed for remodeling.
TONY’S CORNER POCKET
This comfortable club has one of the friendliest bar staffs in town. Amateur dance contest each Thurs., Fri., & Sat. at 11pm. Opens daily at noon. 817 W. Dallas • 713.571.7870 tonyscornerpocketbar.com.
VIVIANA’S
Happening weekend-only gay dance club with Latin DJs, singers, talent shows & Sunday strippers. 4624 Dacoma • 713.681.4104.
BEAUMONT
RUMORS BEAUMONT
Grand Opening on Labor Day Weekend in the old Orleans Street Pub location. Drag shows with Dessie Love-Blake, Lady Shamu, Kara Dion and more. 650 Orleans •713.539.5183 rumorsbeaumont.com
BRYAN/ COLLEGE STATION
HALO VIDEO BAR
The only LGBT dance club in Bryan/College station, this sleek spot is open Thurs.–Sat. smack in the middle of Aggieland. 121 North Main • 979.823.6174 • halobcs.com.
What is your favorite shot to make? To drink?
Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Smirnoff Whipped, Pineapple Juice and grenadine.
What are you best known for? Flaming Lamborghinis—they are a tower of fire!
Who are the hardest customers to please? Bachelorette parties.
If you weren’t a bartender… what career would you choose? I’d definitely be a sports agent!
Do you have any pets? One. A 6-year-old black lab named “Mariah”
What is a current bar drink trend you’d like to see end? No more Jager Bombs!
GALVESTON
23RD ST. STATION
The bar features daily drink specials and the weekend is filled with pulsing music hot dancers, drag shows, and a Sunday Tea Dance. 1706 23rd St. • 409.621.1808.
ROBERT’S LAFITTE
The Island institution features a private patio with swimming pool. On Sat. and Sun. nights, the Ladies of Lafitte show takes the stage. 2501 Avenue Q (at 25th) • 409.765.9092.
RUMORS
BEACH BAR
Drink specials every night and daily day drinking specials starting at Noon. Great drag shows Friday – Sunday and karaoke Sunday – Thursday at 8p. Sunday Drag Bingo. 3102 Seawall Blvd. • 409.497.4617 rumorsbeachbar.com
SPRING
RANCH HILL SALOON
With its two pool tables, 52-inch plasma televisions, and large dance floor, this popular northside spot also offers DJs Thursday–Saturday. 247041 I-45N Suite 103 • 281.298.9035 • ranchhill.com.
THE ROOM BAR AND LOUNGE
This bar and video lounge has a laid-back atmosphere including daily drink specials, karaoke, free pool, drag shows, and live DJs several nights a week. 4915 FM 2920 • 281.907.6866 • roombarspring.com.
Tonys_Corner_BG_Mar16.indd
By Lilly Roddy
September Is a Busy Month
And start your new projects before September 23.
This is an especially busy month, especially with Saturn and Pluto going direct. However, Venus goes retrograde on September 23, and there is also an upcoming Mercury retrograde from November 10 through December 11. • It would be best to start new projects before September 23, since Venus (our planet of love and money) goes retrograde from the 23rd through December 15. That would be an excellent time to connect with people from your past for work, friendship, and possibly even romance. We are still on our “two steps forward, one step back” rhythm that we started back in June, and this pattern will continue through the end of the year.
ARIES (March 21–April 19). You are working on getting back to your routines and getting your life in order. This is an excellent month to get back on your exercise and health regimen. Your career activities are especially heightened during September. This is the time for you to step up and take a leadership role at work, or to consider starting your own business or stepping up to a leadership role within your community. By midmonth, relationships take over your focus. With Venus going direct, the latter half of the month is an especially good time to put energy into revitalizing your relationships. Some relationships are not working, so they will need to be corrected or potentially eliminated.
TAURUS (April 20–May 20). As the month begins, you continue to be in a creative cycle. Now is the time to act on those ideas. Your career area is especially active, so you may not have much patience with situations that continue to irritate you at work. You will want to speak up about the situation, especially during the middle of the month. All of that mental activity could mean that you won’t sleep very soundly. By midmonth, you are willing to take on the role of the mediator at work, and speak up about conditions that need improving. Relationships also take the spotlight in mid-September. This is an excellent time to examine ways to solidify your relationships and bring an end to the ones that aren’t working. This applies both to personal and business relationships.
GEMINI (May 21–June 21). Home, roots, and family are highlighted as the month begins. This is a good month to do needed home repairs, redecorate, or invite friends over for a cookout. You will want to create a friendly place of retreat. By midmonth, you will focus on being more creative and spending more time with your children. Work and health routines are put under the microscope from
the end of September through the end of December. Employee problems will surface at work, and they will need to be dealt with. This turmoil at work might even lead to moving your office or relocating your place of business. This is also an excellent month to get back on your health regimen.
CANCER (June 22–July 22). The Moon Kids have been feeling sort of stuck. You have had plenty of ideas, but you’re certainly lacking the momentum you need to put those ideas into action. You will feel your momentum begin to build, especially after the 6th. You are in a much better period for setting long-term career goals and generally making decisions, especially in the first half of the month. The latter half of September has you focused on your home and family. This can be a good time for home remodeling, or bringing the family together to heal old wounds. Personal relationships will also need some attention. This is an excellent month to set new goals with your relationship partner! Personal boundaries are especially important this month.
LEO (July 23–August 22). The first half of the month is a very good time for you to make decisions, clear up problems at work, take care of health issues, and set some boundaries so you don’t feel taken advantage of. You are reestablishing your personal routines to make your life run more smoothly. Some previous areas of responsibility are being eliminated through this process. In the latter half of the month, family relationships (or the lack of relationships) will be highlighted. This is an opportunity for you to let go of resentments and move to some sort of resolution. You are much more willing to confront these issues, especially after midmonth.
LIBRA (September 23–October 23). As the month begins, you are in a retreat mode and need some time to yourself. This is an excellent time for a short vacation or a trip to the beach! By midmonth, you have come out of hiding and are feeling the pressure to make some decisions about your career direction and a possible relocation. You have been somewhat stuck, but now you’re feeling better about moving forward. With your ruler, Venus, going retrograde, you will be reviewing relationships and decisions from the past. In all of your relationships, you’re looking for clarity about commitments so you can feel comfortable moving forward. This is also an excellent time to clear up any financial matters from the past. This time frame is strong from September 23 through December 11. Decisionmaking is easier in the first half of the month, and you are more reflective during the latter half.
SCORPIO (October 24–November 21). This is an especially busy month for you. In the first half of the month, there’s a lot of demand for your time and you are more willing to deal with those demands. In the latter half of the month, you definitely need more time to focus on you. Although you’ve been trying to create a new routine, you had a lot of setbacks earlier this year. Now you’re feeling more confident and ready to put those plans into place. In many ways, you are reinventing who you are and what you do. In the latter half of the month, personal relationships take on a whole new meaning. This is an excellent time to renew those bonds. If you’re having problems in your relationship, those issues will come to the surface so you can resolve them.
VIRGO (August 23–September 22). Happy Birthday to the Virgoans! This is your personal yearly cycle where you get the chance to review your activities from last year and set new goals and directions for your new personal year. You are in a reflective mood and may need some time to yourself. By midmonth, you are ready to get back into your routines, pay more attention to your health, and speak your mind more freely. The latter half of the month is an especially good time to take care of finances, reexamine your investments, or explore a better way to utilize your resources.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21). You are keeping your business in line and focusing on your future as the month begins. Your chart is fairly social over the next couple of months. September is a good month to promote yourself or your services. Friends and business organizations can be very fruitful for you. You may be looking at changing jobs or job locations as that builds toward the end of the month. In late September, you are also being more selective about the people you allow into your life. Home is still your favorite place to retreat to! Pay attention to your finances in the latter part of this month. You are working on getting those finances organized and maybe even setting a budget for yourself.
CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19) . You have been in a big period of slowing to a stop! You
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On July 23, Avenue 360 Health & Wellness hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting for South Central Health Center at 4405 Griggs Road. Pictured are Houston mayor Sylvester Turner, Avenue 360 CEO Joe C. Fuentes Jr. , and Avenue 360 board chair Luis Torres.
On July 28, the Human Rights Campaign and the Houston GLBT Political Caucus presented an Equality Action Academy at Palmer Episcopal Church. Pictured are Sissi Yado, Maria TrevinoRodriguez , Eddie Velazquez . Lisa Madry, and
From July 26–30, QFest 2018 presented the 22nd annual LGBTQ film festival. Pictured are Melelani Petersen, Stephanie Saint Sanchez , Kristian Salinas, Mark McCray, Michael Robinson, Robin Mack , and Jennifer Alfaro.
On July 28, the Houston Gaymers hosted a Summer Meetup at Guava Lamp. Pictured are Charlie LeBlanc , Raul Moneyhan, Juan Soto, Penny Pennington, Kevin Quam, president Eric Hulsey, and vice president Jeffery Huynh .
On August 10, Kiehl’s hosted its ninth annual Life Ride
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On August 14, PFLAG hosted a planning meeting for its upcoming 40th-anniversary celebration.
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, and Michael Migura
On August 1, the Bayou Blue Democrats hosted “Criminal Justice One Year After Harvey,” featuring Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Pictured are Rufi Natarajan, Ogg , Sherri Cothrun, and David Feldwisch .
at the Highland Village store. Pictured
Hana Yoon
Toni Holmes
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Beverly Ly
Pictured are Arden Eversmeyer, Gail Rickey, Brenda Godsey, Jane Smith, Irv Smith (in back) Rosemary Cloud
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Mike Webb.
On July 25, the Executive & Professional Association of Houston (EPAH) presented a Military VIP Host Reception at Le Meridien. Pictured are EPAH members, sponsors, and friends.
On August 16, the Alley Theatre hosted ActOut before a performance of The MouseTrap. Pictured are (back row) Ali Amir, Rachel Applegate, Mike Mumford, Ronald Maldonado, and Damon Price ; and (front row) Lauren Pelletier, and Tina Berry
On August 5, the Krewe of Olympus 2018 hosted a Trash Disco at Rich’s. Pictured are Dwane Todd, Tracy R. Wald, and Rex Marzke
On August 3, the Lone Star Veterans Association’s LGBTQ Affinity Group hosted a social at Guava Lamp. Pictured are members and friends.
On August 4, the Harris County Democratic Party hosted an open house for its new headquarters at 4619 Lyons Avenue. Pictured are Virg Parks, judge Steven Kirkland, Shaun McDade and Blake Ellis (with son Calder), and senator Sylvia Garcia
