PRIDE & Equality magazine's 2014 Gay Pride issue

P&E Pride 2014

cover story

18 COLTON FORD Follo wing up with one of our fav orite r ecor ding ar tist about his current pr ojects and what else w e hav e to look for war d to.

featured stories 07 ALEX NEWELL The “GLEE” star talks about what the future holds after the show.

09 MODELS OF HOPE 2014 Learn more about this year’s honorees.

extras 14 IS YOUR INNER CHILD KEEPING YOU TRAPPED IN A BAD RELATIONSHIP? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself; The Answers May Help Set You Free

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Colton Ford - Always sexy and willing to challenge himself when it comes to his music.

THE STORY OF ANGEL Angel Albedrop literally hit bottom the night he leapt from his fifth-floor balcony in December—but a miraculous soft landing and a fresh perspective set his life back on course.

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Beverly McClellan talks about her latest album and making sure T h e Vo i c e i s n t h e r l a s t h u r r a h

departments 5 Words from the Publisher

A Strong Wall of History

20 Minor Details

The Kiss. Oh, the Humanity!

22 The Latest Trends

NJULEZZ

25 P&E Picks

The latest releases on screen, DVD and Blu-Ray.: Hot Guys with Guns, Orange is the New Black,, Campaign of Hate, Musical Chairs

27 Stop, Look, and Listen

Beverly McClellan, Sylvia Tosan

29 The Book Report

Losing It; Hands On

23 Get OUT - P&E Travel

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Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (EXCERPT)

The Art World

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31

What’s Happening

The Final Word

Events throughout the country.

A Ray of Hope

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Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay

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A glimpse into the gay communities of Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1969 to 1973.

featured stories

words from the publisher

A strong wall of history

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VOL X - ISSUE 1 PRIDE & Equality is published every other month by Overdrive Publications.

Contents copyrighted © 2014.

Reproduction in whole or in part by any means without the express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Editorial: Submissions are welcome through mail or by email. Publisher reserves the right to edit, reject, or comment editorially on all material submitted. PRIDE & Equality is not responsible for lost or damaged submissions. For submission questions or to send submissions email to prideequality@gmail.com.

his year is the celebration of Stonewall.

45 years ago, a group of those in the GLBTQ community were tired of the continuous raids conducted by police night after night and fought back.

I remember when MILK came out in theaters. I was aware of the history behind this film before it was released. When I spoke with some in the GLBTQ community, I was surprised to find that a lot of people had no idea what I was talking about. I fear that the same applies to this bit of history. For those planning to attend this year’s Pridefest, which is honoring the 45 anniversary of Stonewall, really stop and reflect. This night was just one of many moments in history that made a difference for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in this country. The people who cried “no more” on the night of June 28, 1969 lead to you being able to express who you really are.

So take a moment to say thank you and celebrate their strength and your life.

Many have come before you to make a difference. These are the days to show praise, so give that praise this month! Happy Pride!

Teresa Robinson-Ewers, Editor-in-Chief PRIDE & Equality magazine

Hard Copies: $15.00. Visit www.myprideonline.com to purchase your copy.

Advertising: If you are interested in advertising, please email prideeequality@gmail.com, call (505) 450-4706, or visit our web site at www.myprideonline.com for rates and information.

Distribution: To have PRIDE & Equality distributed in your store, contact Teresa Ewers at (505) 450-4706.

Overdrive Publications Teresa Ewers, Publisher 4200 Silver SE, Ste. C Albuquerque, NM 87108 (505) 450-4706 www.myprideonline.com

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featured stories

Alex Newell An Interview By Teresa Ewers

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e are excited to have our 2013 Models of Hope honoree, and star of GLEE, Alex Newell visit the Land of Enchantment for this year's Pridefest. We had the opportunity to interview him back in January 2013, during his first few seasons as Unique on GLEE, and was blessed for all of his opportunities and giving GLBTQ youth some great advice, "Be true to who you are,

despite the negativity that may be thrown your way. Despite those people who might say or do horrible things to you, there is always going to be someone who loves and accepts you. I love and accept you, too!".

Newell, who is currently promoting his new single, a remake of Sigma’s hit Nobody to Love, took a moment to speak with PRIDE & Equality about his latest projects and Pride month.

Big changes on GLEE! How do you feel about the ending of Glee Club?

Everything has it’s place and time. Closing this chapter of Glee is special and sad, but it’s needed for the evolution of the show. Although nothing actually ever ends on Glee...

You had the opportunity to do a film called Geography Club.

How was the movie making experience?

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It was fun! A lot different than working a 15 hour day on Glee! There was more time to focus on one specific scene and make it the best that we could.

Congratulations on signing with Atlantic! What can we expect with your first album?

Thanks so much! We're creating something new, exciting, fresh, and fun! I'm working with some of the most talented people in that world and having a blast doing it!

This Pride season you're celebrating with us in Albuquerque, reflecting on Stonewall. What are your thoughts and feeling during this Pride season?

Every performance at a Pride Festival is an honor and I'm thankful for those who have paved the way for us. To me, Pride is about being who you are and it's such an incredible experience to celebrate that with so many people!

Follow Alex on Twitter at @ANew92 or on Facebook at http://www.TheAlexNewell.com.

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Models of Hope 2014

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RIDE & Equality celebrate another year of role models in the GLBTQ community and honored three individuals and an organization who are making a difference in the community and showing our youth that they have people that they can look up to.

Full Name: William Moorman Age: 14 Occupation: Student How did you get involved with your organization(s) in the GLBTQ community?

I saw the news story on Damian Garcia and got mad a school could make him feel bad. That's wrong, you only get to graduate once. So I made my mom help me fix it. We started with a Facebook message that went viral and one of mom's high school friends recommended MoveOn.org. Everything else after that made the news.

What are some of your achievements and/or awards that you've received for your service?

This is the first award. I don't really like being recognized, it’s weird. I just don't like people not being treated right. My mom treats everybody the same (she's an equal opportunity embarasser), so should the rest of the world. I did the petition for Damian and then I started another one for marriage equality both in New Mexico and across the nation. Everybody deserves a chance at love.

What was the changing moment in your life that lead to you wanting to make a difference and live life as the real you?

There was no “moment�, I just find pleasure in helping others more than helping myself.

What piece of advice would you give today GLBTQ youth?

Just be yourself and if your friends don't like it, then they aren't good friends.

William Moorman Youth Honoree P&E Pride 2014

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featured stories

Tony Medina Community Honoree Full Name: Anthony Medina Age: 26 Occupation: Sales Associate At Wal Mart How did you get involved with your organization(s) in the GLBTQ community?

I got involved with Albuquerque Pride in 2006, thanks to Pj Sedillo. I competed and raised money for the organization I’ve also been an active member of The United Court of the Sandias for seven years, thanks to Scott Neff.

What are some of your achievements and/or awards that you've received for your service?

• MR Gay Pride 2009 • Received The Paul Gallergar Humanitarian Award 2010 by United Court Of The Sandias • Grand Duke 18 Of United Court Of The Sandias and Count 21 Of United Court Of The Sandias

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Tell us about your history. What was life like when you were a youth?

Growing up as a gay youth was somewhat difficult. I came out at 13 and I was still coming to terms with my disability. I wasn’t sure how other GLBT Individuals would view me. I attended Common Bond Under 21 Group and had family members who were supportive of me.

What was the changing moment in your life that lead to you wanting to make a difference and live life as the real you?

My life changing moment came when I woke up one morning and decided that I wasn’t going to let life’s obstetrical stand in my way. I was going to embrace all the gifts that God gave me and use them to educate people and make the world a better place.

What piece of advice would you give today GLBTQ youth?

What other people think of you is none of your business.

featured stories

Adrien Lawyer Community Honoree Full Name: Adrien Lawyer Age: 43 Occupation: Executive Director, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico How did you get involved with your organization(s) in the GLBTQ community?

I am a transgender man, so my involvement came about initially through my own transition, which was really challenging and isolated. I originally just wanted to help people not go through that experience alone. But as I got more involved with the trans* communities and trans* issues, I realized it was much bigger than our own individual transitions, although folks also do need help with those personal issues.

Tell us about your history. What was life like when you were a youth?

My life as a young person had ups and downs. For me, elementary school was pretty easy, because it was more or less ok for me to be a "tomboy." Things got much more difficult as a hit my assigned, female, puberty. I veered the closest in my life I have come to suicidal thoughts at that age, because I just couldn't stand the thought of living in that female body. And being 15 in 1985, I just didn't even know there was such a thing as a transgender man, much less have that language or awareness about myself. So, it was hard, but I found my home in the lesbian community, as a butch, and was so happy for

the acceptance I found in that world.

What was the changing moment in your life that lead to you wanting to make a difference and live life as the real you?

For me it was just coming out of my second, male puberty, and starting to help other transguys on message boards, and then increasingly, in person here in ABQ. I loved being able to make a difference in other folks' lives, however small. And I had wished so much for someone I could just talk to when I was going through transition. From there it just naturally opened up, because trans* issues are some of the most urgent and distressing issues we see in the LGBTQ arena right now. As I peeled back the lid on what all my brothers and sisters and siblings were facing and experiencing, it was just a natural pull for me to want to help, if I could.

What piece of advice would you give today GLBTQ youth?

I guess the piece of advice I'd give to today's youth would just be to hang in there - to try to find whatever loving community you can - and hang in there. It's hard to see young folks harming themselves and even attempting and completing suicides. There is so much to live for, so much to experience.

Sometimes you just have to find the friends and mentors you can, and then gut it out to make it to a better place.

Reach out!

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featured stories speech group (which was a big deal at Del Norte High School) and even though I wasn’t totally “out”, I am sure everyone knew about Matt (my partner and co-founder of The Dolls) and myself. Out of high school, Matt and I moved to NYC, where gay was the norm. And I think that is where we are headed everywhere now! The progress that we have made is amazing. And I know there is still a long way to go. I have been lucky because I have not encountered a lot of hostility or discrimination. I know that it does exist. And that is why we have to continue fighting for equality and why this “Model of Hope Award” is so important!

The Dolls Business/Organization Honoree Full Name: The Dolls with founder Ken Ansloan Age: 17 Occupation: Drag Theatre Troupe Why is it important for GLBTQ youths to have role models?

Role Models are necessary (especially for youths) because it is important that they see they are not alone and that anything can be accomplished. I know there were times that I felt alone. There weren’t very many “gay” role models around, particularly in Albuquerque. Role Models are important for kids that are bullied and marginalized or made to feel different. They need to understand that they’re not all that different and that it’s OK to be different!

How did you get involved with your organization(s) in the GLBTQ community?

When I moved back to Albuquerque, my partner and I decided to start a theatre troupe. Drag was essentially just lipsynching and hosting and making catty remarks. So I feel very proud that we took drag to the next level. In fact, I would say that it is one of the things that I am most proud of.

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What are some of your achievements and/or awards that you've received for your service?

The Dolls have received many awards.

We have been voted “The Best of Burque” in The Weekly Alibi and “Best Play” by The Albuquerque Journal. We also received “The Into The Light Award” and the Key of The City from former Mayor Martin Chavez and even had a day named after us. October 6th is known as Dolls Day! We have won OUTstanding Performance Group twice and I (Kenneth Ansloan) received the Russell Gray Community Service Award presented by Common Bond. And as corny as it seems…the greatest award is the audience laughter and applause!

Tell us about your history. What was life like when you were a youth?

Well back in the stone age…! I am lucky because I always had a supportive family.

Even though they didn’t know about my sexuality growing up (their “gaydar” is the worst), I always knew that I would have their love and support no matter what. My family moved from New York to Albuquerque when I was 13, so I was actually teased more for being a “Yankee” rather than being gay. In high school I hung out with the theatre and

What was the changing moment in your life that lead to you wanting to make a difference and live life as the real you?

That is an easy question for me…When Matthew and I moved back to Albuquerque after eleven years in NYC, I knew that we were moving away from a city that was the gay Mecca of the world. Now Albuquerque has always been a very gay friendly city but it ain’t New York in that regard. But I had a choice…did I want to be closeted or did I want to be myself? And in the beginning, I was very closeted. But I thought, I am 32 years old…do I want to take a giant step backwards in my life? And I thought how silly it was. It was right about that time that we also decided to start The Dolls….so not only did I come out of the closet but I came out in boas, high heels and miniskirts! It was tremendously freeing. I can’t stress the importance of living life as the real you!

I know it may be difficult in the beginning but it really does become easy very quickly.

What piece of advice would you give today GLBTQ youth?

To continue with the previous question…Be the real you! If you are at ease with who you are, people are going to be at ease with the real you. It’s that simple!

I have found that people are extremely accepting and have the capability of great love. Sometimes, and this is with all of us, we just need to be reminded of that capability!

extras

Is Your Inner Child Keeping You Trapped in a Bad Relationship?

5 Questions to Ask Yourself; The Answers May Help Set You Free

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t happens when we see politicians repeatedly make the same self-destructive mistakes - think former legislator Anthony Weiner’s repeated sexting scandals. Or we hear friends complain repeatedly about the horrible job they’re “stuck” in. Or, in a rare glimmer of insight, we wonder why we’re still hanging on to a “romance” that makes us miserable.

“When people seem mentally healthy and it looks like they could easily make a change that would make them happier, we’re absolutely baffled by why they don’t,” says Steven Jay Fogel (www.StevenJayFogel.com), author of the new book Your Mind Is What Your Brain Does for a Living.

When you’re the “stuck” person, the why may seem more evident: You’re scared, or you think, “If I just keep doing the right things, it will all work out.”

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Either way, it’s likely they—and you—aren’t making a conscious choice at all, Fogel says.

“We think we’re making decisions based on the present, but we’re usually not. We tend to operate on automatic pilot, responding to situations based on the coping strategies and thinking patterns we developed in childhood,” he says.

“When those strategies are dysfunctional, we just keep repeating the same behaviors over and over again.”

The good news is that we can learn to recognize that “default” thinking and rewire the brain to change it, says Fogel.

The cofounder of Westwood Financial Corp., one of the nation’s leading private commercial real estate owners, Fogel draws from decades of neuroscience and mindfulness research to offer solutions.

What can you do to get your-

extras self unstuck? Get started, he suggests, by answering these questions—in writing!

• What is causing your pain? Think about whether you’re in a relationship or job that’s become less and less satisfying and increasingly painful over a long period. Describe in writing the elements of the relationship or situation that are persistently causing you pain and how long you’ve been experiencing these problems. Knowing that there are three ways to end your suffering - accept the situation, change it, or remove yourself from it - write down the reasons you’re staying even though you’re suffering and what is preventing you from choosing Door 1, 2 or 3.

• How are you interpreting your partner’s behavior? If you repeatedly fight about the same issues, describe the issues. Think about whether you’re unconsciously investing the issue with a meaning based on your “autopilot” thinking. For instance, if you’re arguing because your partner’s messy and ignores your requests to be neat, are you interpreting that as disrespect toward you? Do you further interpret that disrespect as a lack of love for you? Is it possible that your partner is just not a neat person and that has nothing to do with his feelings for you?

• Do you have impulsive autopilot behaviors that are causing problems?

We can often check the impulses that stem from our autopilot brain just by stopping to think before we act.

Bursts of anger are one example; suppressed anger that turns into passiveaggressive behavior is another.

• Do you feel shamed or blamed by your partner’s critical comments?

Write down the comments accurately—as they were spoken. Then think mindfully about whether your partner was really shaming you or if you interpreted the comments in that way because of your own inner critic. If it was the former, have a conversation with the person about how you feel when this happens, and state that you’ll be more open to the feedback if the criticism can be expressed objectively.

• Did you bring a myth with you into the relationship? If so, describe the myth. For example, you might have believed that you will cure everything that’s wrong with the other person. Or that she will fix all of your problems. Describe how you came to believe that myth and what it would take for you to release it..

About Steven Jay Fogel: Steve Fogel is a principal and cofounder of Westwood Financial Corp., one of the largest owner-operators of retail properties in the United States. He is a licensed real estate broker and past chairman of the California Arts Council. Your Mind Is What Your Brain Does for a Living, publishing March 11, 2014, is his third book. He is also the author ofMy Mind Is Not Always My Friend: A Guide for How to Not Get in Your Own Way (Fresh River Press, 2010) and The YesI-Can Guide to Mastering Real Estate (Times Books-Random House)

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extras

Falling Hard

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ngel decided that night he could no longer stand the pain.

“A crushing sadness, ten times worse than any physical pain, overtook me,” he recalls. “I felt so afraid, angry, hopeless and alone that death seemed better. I had my reasons for feeling that way, but I didn’t know it was clinical depression that drove me to that point.”

He aimed for the cement but missed by inches, instead landing on a patch of grass. Still, doctors considered his survival a miracle as he escaped with only injuries to his neck and right wrist. Following neck surgery and a one-week hospitalization he fully recovered, but his recovery from addictive behavior and depression is what changed his life.

Born and raised in Mexicali, Mexico, Angel earned an accounting degree from an elite university (the Monterrey Institute of Technology) and landed a job at a major Wall Street firm in 2008. “I loved my job, my colleagues and the Manhattan lifestyle, but somehow I started feeling stressed and sad,” he says. The stress could be explained by 70-hour work weeks, but not the sadness—a classic sign of depression. He tried to overcome it by working and playing nonstop.

“I did nothing but work, go to the gym and hit the bars,” he says.

“Then I met Shawn and he introduced 16

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me to the gay party scene, which meant steroids, drinking, cocaine, ecstasy and sex. Nothing helped. I still felt sad and lonely. Shawn was no different and later he committed suicide after several attempts. I believe now that he also suffered from depression.”

(One in eight urban gay and bisexual men attempt suicide at some point, a rate three times higher than for U.S. men overall.)

Angel thought that a new job, apartment and boyfriend in San Francisco would turn things around.

At first it did, but after a few months, his new boyfriend Jason began cheating on him and demanding that he move out. It was Angel’s 38th birthday, Jason had left town and Angel began drinking. Three bottles of wine later, he swallowed dozens of Vicodins and Ativans, expecting to die. Jason found him unconscious and called an ambulance.Angel was okay, but as soon as he got back home, he stepped over the balcony railing to jump. Jason grabbed his arms, just enough to alter the flight of his body as it plummeted five stories to the life-saving patch of lawn. He remembers realizing that it was a mistake the moment Jason tried to stop him.

“I was sick and I didn’t know it,” Angel says now. “I thought I was worthless and everything was my fault.” Unsure of his next move—but

promising himself he would make something of his second chance at life—he returned home to Mexico to visit family. “I cried for many days and nights in my room, but then I started enjoying the little things, like my mother’s voice, the smell of her tortillas, and the sound of my father’s breathing as he fell asleep each night in front of the TV. I reconnected with my sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts, who were all there for me. I met with a spiritual teacher, a meditation expert and a therapist. I read books that gave me a new, positive outlook, which I practice every day.”

Even after that break, the same feelings of hopelessness and sadnessAngel felt for three years returned. He saw a San Francisco therapist, who immediately put him on medication for depression. “In combination with therapy sessions, the meditation I learned in Mexico and a new attitude, it worked!” he rejoices. “I started to be motivated again at work, resumed exercising, reconnected with friends and stayed sober. I have new ambitions, not all of them material, and I want to tell other people that you can get past disappointments with love, friendship, therapy and treatment. You don’t have to stay unhappy.”

Written by Bob Cooper

cover story

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e remember when we first heard the name Colton Ford. PRIDE & Equality was just a baby back in 2004 and we were told that we had to have him for our launch party. I didn’t know what to expect. Were we going to get a diva that would make the night unbearable?

Far from it. Ford is one of the most kind, well-mannered, down-to-earth men you could ever meet. Oh, and he can sing, too! Colton also appeared in our first issue, so it just seems fitted that he is back in Albuquerque for Pridefest and on the cover of our annual issue. Ford has been keeping busy, showing the world that he has something to offer in the music industry.

Currently working on his next video for his single, Look My Way, Ford sits down with us to talk shop, look back and look forward.

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“Their [my fans] support is something that I value and appreciate very deeply, and something that I don’t take for granted.”

I feel like we're coming home with you. You were in our launch issue of this magazine, did the launch party and ten years later you are still going strong. What is your secret for longevity in this business?

Damn time flies! I just continue to do what I love to do and what I’ve done professionally now for over 30 years. If you’re going to pursue a career in entertainment, you have to be down for the long haul. It may morph and change through the years, but the creative juices are always flowing.

You had the opportunity to work with Marco Ovando, an amazing photographer and videographer.

What was the experience like?

It was great. Marco and I met and discussed different ideas he had.

His inspirations where some of the 80’s videos we all know and love, and the Tom of Finland aesthetic.

Everyone brought their talents to the table at the shoot, and we just rocked it out!

The Way That I Am. Once again you are bringing some great music to the industry. Your previous albums have had a strong soul, R&B feel. The Way is more of a

strong dance album. Tell us a little about the concept of this album.

Thank you! I worked with several collaborators on The Way I Am, which organically brought a lot of creative variety to the project. We wanted the record to encapsulate all of the musical genres I love: Soul, Funk, R&B, Electronica, Pop and Jazz. It even includes two ballads! I think this record is my most commercial effort, and speaks to a diverse audience with its variety of material.

One song that stands out is Alone.

Where did the idea of this track come from?

This is actually the only cover song on the record. It was written by Swedish recording artist Stephen Simmonds, who released it in 1997 on his album of the same name.

My manager, Bill Coleman, asked if I would record it as he thought it would be a good addition to the record, and he was right. I loved it when I first heard it, and really love how it turned out!

You have a strong fan base, Colton. What do they mean to you?

The people who have been with me

on this journey of mine inspire me and keep me motivated through all of the challenges that artists face pursuing a career in music. Their support is something that I value and appreciate very deeply, and something that I don’t take for granted. It’s pretty amazing!

What upcoming projects do we have to look forward to?

We are getting my next single, Look My Way (off of The Way I Am), ready for release. I wrote it with Chris Willis and Count De Money, and we have some amazing remixers who have worked their magic on it. I am shooting the video for the single at the end of May. I also have a new EP titled Take Me that I did with UK Producer/Songwriter, David Barratt, that will be coming out soon. It’s a more acoustic soul record that reflects my R&B roots.

I’ve been writing songs for other artists, and I also have a couple of other projects in the works, including a TV show and a possible film.

Keeping my creative juices flowing!

Check out Colton’s Kickstarter campaign to help fund his new video Look My Way. To learn more visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/546628135/c olton-ford-look-my-way.

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minor details

The Kiss. Oh, the Humanity!

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he first openly gay player drafted into the NFL, Michael Sam, kissed his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, a swimmer for the University of Missouri from 2009-2012, right there for the world to see on TV. And, yes, that meant America would watch a black man kissing a white man, to top it all off.

The couple wasn’t trying to rub it in.

They knew they were on TV, and knew there’d be a reaction for sure.

They weren’t naïve.

But, anyone watching could see that they were expressing human emotions of relief at the conclusion of a series of events that ended happily for two people who love each other.

They weren’t in any closet.

From that moment on, people all over were talking about “the kiss.”

Though some, gay or straight, who are annoyed by public displays of affection expressed discomfort, the media actually invaded what was a private residence. Reporters seeking ratings and sensation were tantalizing viewers to stay tuned.

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Emotions are emotions, common to all human beings who allow themselves to feel what’s really going on inside. And what turned out to be a much-talked-about event expressed really first and foremost basic, understandable, common, human not exclusively gay - emotions.

Think of what transpired. There was the multi-day built-up of tension in the room. The issue was whether the NFL would even draft an AllAmerican who should have been picked in the top 20 according to analysts like Fox News’ Bob Beckel.

Beckel’s co-host on “The Five,” Eric Bolling, would later pontificate snidely that Sam was picked because he was the first openly gay player; “I don’t think he would have been drafted if he had not been.”

“Everybody who passed him by, the owners and general managers, were afraid of a gay person on their team,” Beckel countered, comparing Sam to Jackie Robinson. “And I would say, ‘a pox on your houses.’”

When the hopeful phone call finally came on the third day of the draft

telling Sam that the St. Louis Rams had chosen him as the 249th pick in the seventh and final round, what person in touch with their own emotional spectrum couldn’t relate to the tears of happiness, relief, and celebration of a man who finally knew that he would be allowed to begin living his dream?

The emotion in the moment wasn’t checked. It was raw, leading to the supportive and joyful kiss between two young people who stood together sharing an important moment in their life as a couple. What’s wrong with those who don’t see that through their prejudices?

At a press conference later with a swarm of media, Rams’ general manager Les Snead was all class. “All of us in the draft room,” he said, sitting next to Sam, “were aware of the magnitude of the decision; knew it would be a pivot in history….What’s nice about that, is there’s going to be a timeline here: Michael is the first.”

“Somewhere in the future, guess what? He’s just going to be a

minor details name...that a kid in middle school has got to memorize. We won’t think it’s anything special because it will be normal.”

Rams coach Jeff Fisher agreed: “Michael’s value as a football player was off the charts. We got the historical part. But that’s not why we did it.” Fisher even had his former player and gay activist, Wade Davis, speak with the returning Rams players and front office personnel about Sam. I grew up in Wisconsin, so the Green Bay Packers are in my DNA. But this is enough to make one a St. Louis Rams fan.

And it’s not to buy into what so many might be expecting – Michael Sam will be judged as the representative of all gay men in sports. Those who criticize him now will be thinking that every career mistake and misstep has to do with his sexual orientation.

It’s the privilege of those in any dominant group to blame the whole nondominant group for an individual’s mistakes and flaws but never do the same when those in their own group screw-up royally. An unfathomable amount of pressure is on Sam just as it was for the first member of any from a minority to play in any sport Instead, it’s to identify with a team that is willing openly to fight the crowd and face any fears about what others will think. Almost every family of an LGBT person knows that they too must go through a coming out process to friends and neighbors by facing their fears of how others will react.

It’s also to have empathy for the emotions of the young couple we saw celebrating who will find their relationship strained by the pressures of celebrity added to everything else in the day-to-day living of any cou-

ple’s life. I wish them tons of luck.

There are few couples who can last through all that and find even the level of support that heterosexual couples get from every institution of our society. Even with all the support for those couples, they still flounder.

So, I’m hoping these young people can make it together.

I know theoretically and academically why there are people who cannot appreciate human emotions that surround love when the lovers don’t fit their definition of who should love whom. But I still can’t fathom in my heart why common emotions don’t break through their prejudices.

I know that the cause of the critics’ deficiencies is found in the realm of emotions such as fear, disgust, and hate, not in the realm of rationality.

These constitute the personal depths few human beings are willing to plumb But in a world filled with hate, in a society based on fear, I’m convinced that we need to celebrate love wherever it is even just attempted. And I believe we should celebrate it no matter how ineloquently it’s tried.

If there’s anything with which we should all be able to identify, it’s the common foibles of our own human attempts to love as we’ve plowed through our own lives, attempts that we today would not describe as anything like eloquent.

---------------------------------------Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, is author of When Religion Is an Addiction; Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard to Be Human: and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society.

Contact him atwww.FairnessProject.org.

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the latest trends

NJULEZZ

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JULEZZ is a small women's fashion label for women with mainly LGBTQ-orientated clothes.

Founded in 2011 by Sabrina Dirks, it made its first public appearance the same year at the largest German Christopher Street Day in Cologne.

Since then shirts, hoodies, and much more have been availabe in the evergrowing online store www.njulezz.com, which has won customers from all over Europe and the United States.

Reactions to the label were very positive from the outset. Customers appreciate the high-quality shirts (many of them organic), patterns you don't see on every street corner, cuts that sit perfectly, and the unconventional, direct communication with the bosses. Germany's

most famous lesbian magazine LMag has already had the label on its cover. In 2014 NJULEZZ is planning on representing itself on stalls at Prides throughout Germany ,and for the first time ever in neighbouring European countries at Europe's largest purely lesbian event, LBeach.

Dirks and her partner Kathi Lindner are fascinated by the idiosyncratic fashion of the LGBTQ scene, which develops completely independently of the mainstream and is constantly reinventing itself. “A lesbian as a trendsetter is not as unlikely as it was five years ago - and we want to be right at the heart of the action�, is how Sabrina Dirks summarises her passion for the label.

For more information visit www.njulezz.com.

get out

Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (EXCERPT)

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f all the continents, Asia is the gayest. Deep down, you’ve probably had your suspicions all along, and I’m here to tell you those suspicions are correct.

Let’s do the maths. Of the world’s ten most populous countries, six of them (seven if you count Russia) are in Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan. Across the continent are close to four billion people, making Asia home to the majority of the world’s people. So doesn’t it stand to reason that most of the world’s queer people – lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and transsexual folk – live in Asia too, sharing one hot, sweaty landmass and filling it with breathtaking examples of exotic faggotry? I would think so.

Perhaps I’m biased. You tend to reach for massive generalisations after spending nearly a year skipping between seven Asian countries, sitting backstage with Bangkok ladyboys prepping themselves for beauty pageants, chatting to Tokyo’s celebrity drag queens, marching in the heat with Mumbai’s fierce queer rights activists, listening to the testi-

monies of Melaka preachers who claim they can heal homosexuality, and hanging out with Bali’s moneyboys and the old foreigners who hire them.

But in 2009, Time magazine ran a major story, ‘Why Asia’s Gays Are Starting to Win Acceptance’. It was an interesting piece about globalisation and a region in flux, one exploding economically but still wedded to strict religious and cultural traditions when it came to sex and marriage. The story started in Nepal and moved through developments in China, Japan and India, and argued that when it came to gay rights, momentum was building.

‘If nothing else, people aren’t denying the existence of homosexuality anymore,’ said one commentator. ‘The Asian social institutions and beliefs that often stood in the way of tolerance – religious conservatism, intense emphasis on marriage and having children, cultural taboos against openly discussing sexuality – are weakening.’

Was that true? Eventually, I would discover nothing is ever so straightforward, especially in Asia. Some countries embraced

their transsexual people, but didn’t care for lesbians. Other countries didn’t hate homosexuals as such; they just didn’t really get them. Some celebrated transsexuals but denied them basic rights; others didn’t mind if you were a gay man, just as long as you married a woman.

I might have been Australian, but I was ethnically Asian too.

For me, it was time to go back to my homelands, to reach out to my fellow Gaysians: the Homolaysians, Bi-Mese, Laosbians and Shangdykes. I would journey through their cities by foot, plane, cross-country train, bus, rickshaw, trishaw, tuk-tuk, taxi, motorcycle, scooter and a utility truck that was originally designed to carry livestock. I would experience the deathly cold of Haridwar, get drenched in Bangkok’s downpours and feel my face melting off in a Beijing heatwave. I would contract heat rash, whooping cough and dehydration from Indian food poisoning so intense that, by the end of it, I saw the eye of God. (From what I remember, it was brown.)

Asia is a big place, a sprawling and intoxicating mix of landscapes and languages. Where to start? I decided to begin where most Australians did: taking it easy on the Indonesian island of Bali, leisure-filled paradise and island of the gods. But first, for reasons you will soon understand, I would have to get naked. Very, very naked.

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what’s happening

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL May 29, 2014 7:30pm Morningside Park Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108 LOS RANCHOS PRIDE 4TH ANNUAL June 1, 2014 10:30am - 5:00pm Hartnett Park (Corner of Chavez Rd. and Rio Grande) Los Ranchos de Albuquerque https://www.facebook.com/events/2 66871030159094/?ref=br_tf PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE June 5, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church 601 Montano Rd. NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107 GAYEST BAKE SALE EVER!!!

June 6, 2014 10:00am Cid's Food Market Taos, NM https://www.facebook.com/events/1 438030263112146/

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PRIDE & EQUALITY MAGAZINE PRESENTS THE TRÉS CHIC HAIR COMPETITION AND FUNDRAISER August 1, 2014 7:30pm - 10:30pm African American Performing Arts Center Albuquerque, NM http://www.myprideonline.com/tres -chic.html PRIDE ON PARADE 2014 & PRIDE BLOCK PARTY October 11, 2014 6:00pm 4th Avenue Tucson, Arizona https://www.facebook.com/events/2 51095905061261/ ROCKY HORROR THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW October 24-25, 2014 Guild Cinema Albuquerque, NM http://www.myprideonline.com/roc ky-horror.html All event submissions need to be placed one month prior to publication. Please send all request to prideequality@gmail.com or call (505) 450-4706.

p&e picks

Doug Spearman goes behind the camera with his new movie Hot Guys with Guns

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oug Spearman, star of Noah's Arc, turns his talents to behind the camera for his directorial debut in the new comedy Hot Guys with Guns.

You get hooked with the movie's opening, a James Bond inspired theme, but the movie brings more entertainment than just the opening credits. The movie revolves around Danny Lohman, an actor on a quest. He wants a job, desperately, on a "Crime And Punishment". His favorite show is going to re-cast the lead, a salty, renegade of a private investigator. Danny, being the good method actor that he is will do whatever it takes to prepare for his big break. Including taking a night class at Santa Monica Junior College in becoming a Private Investigator. The funny thing is, Danny’s actually good at it. His teacher, a former PI himself, who’s been around and seen it all, Jimmy Peppicelli is deeply disappointed that his best student is only busting his ass to make it on the small screen.

Danny’s PI homework includes spying on his recently ex-boyfriend, Pip Armstrong. Pip is a beautiful, popular party boy born and reared in Beverly Hills.

Currently Pip is living in the pool house on his mother’s estate.

And that’s exactly where his mother, Patricia Armstrong Van Allen wants him. Where she can keep an eye on her only chic and keep him away from Danny. After all, it’s she who holds the strings to the family trusts, and with a few well-meaning words broke Danny and Pip up.

Pip and Danny stumble quite literally into an opportunity to show off Danny’s detective skills when Pip finds himself the victim of a robbery. One neither he, nor any of the other men who were robbed can report. See, someone’s come up with an ingenious plan to rip off A-list sex parties in and around Hollywood.

Careers, marriages, contracts, and reputations would disappear like the mist over the Pacific if any one opened their mouths.

Pip looses his father’s antique Rolex and pleads with Danny to help him get it back. Reluctantly the two team up and discover that it’s more than a watch they’re going after. Under Jimmy’s tutelage in the finer points of pointing a gun, talking to informers, and out-running the cops and the bad guys, Danny and Pip actually come out on top. After all, they’re Hot Guys With Guns.

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p&e picks

MUSICAL CHAIRS

CAMPAIGN OF HATE: RUSSIA AND GAY PROPAGANDA

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ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK - SEASON ONE

Every sentence has a story in the smash hit series Orange Is The New Black – Season One arriving on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD May 13 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The hugely popular dark comedy from “Weeds” creator Jenji Kohan broke viewing records for its premiere season. Starring Taylor Schilling (Argo, Stay) in a Golden Globe® nominated performance, Orange Is The New Black also won “TV Program Of The Year” from the American Film Institute (AFI).

Based on the best-selling memoir

by Piper Kerman, Orange follows engaged Brooklynite Piper Chapman, whose wild past comes back to haunt her and results in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates.

The set is packed with bonus materials fans will love including numerous featurettes that contain behind the scenes interviews with author Piper Kerman, series creator Jenji Kohan and favorite cast members, along with a gag reel and special episode commentaries with the series producers. $39.97 and $39.98, respectively.

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s the Olympic torch burned bright in Sochi, Lucas returned to his native country with codirector Scott Stern to shine a light on the truth of LGBT men and women in Russia and their ever-increasing persecution. Documentary filmmaker, Michael Lucas presents Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda. A powerful display of what the world is witness in Russia when it comes to treatment of the GLBT community. As most of the world moves forward toward gay equality, Russia is seemingly heading backward. Antigay sentiment and legislation are spreading rapidly throughout the country.

Campaign of Hate shows both sides of the debate, leaving you angry and looking for a way to end this hateful discrimination.

The film is available for viewing at https://www.reelhouse.org/bgp/campaignofhaterussiagaypropogand?utm_s ource=Campaign+of+Hate+Reelhouse &utm_campaign=Russia&utm_medium=email to rent or you can purchase the DVD from https://www.wolfevideo.com/products/campaign-of-haterussia-and-gay-propaganda/.

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usical Chairs is one of the most touching movies I've seen in a long time.

Capturing the beauty of New York in the backdrop, this movie focusing around Armando Ortiz from the Bronx and Mia Franklin from the Upper East Side, who's love of ballroom dancing brings them together. But before their relationship has a chance to bloom into something more, a tragic accident changes Mia’s life forever, but the tragedy only make their love stronger.

Armando helps Mia overcome the everyday challenges in her time of transition.

In the process of healing at the rehab center, Mia and Armando are introduced to a group of colorful characters, all dealing with life in a wheelchair.

After Mia's many refusals to get back to dance, Armando convinces her and "the gang" to take part in a wheelchair ballroom dance competition being held for the first time in New York City.

Filmmaker Susan Seidelman shows us in this movie that love and human determination can get us through, no matter the difficulties. With a cast including the fabulous Laverne Cox, this movie provides color and depth to this beautiful story.

stop, look and listen

Beverly McClellan is defining her future in music without fear

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everly McClellan is making a name for herself beyond her appearance on The Voice. But the show has made her a household name and she is using the momentum to push her career forward. McClellan recently released her album Fear Nothing, sharing her truth with her fans, who are loving McClellan’s in your face, bold lyrics that anyone can relate to. She just recently finished the Olivia cruise, where she took a moment from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about what her time on The Voice, her new album and what new projects we have to look forward to.

Your experience on The Voice has made you a household name.

What was it like on that stage?

It was fun, it was Hollywood at its best.

Tell us a little about Fear Nothing.

What was the inspiration behind this album?

The Truth, my truth, told by me, with the help of Etta James' band and Keb Mo. What projects do you have coming down the pipeline?

I am going to do an Indiegogo campaign to record and put out my new album. I want to explore the world and sing them my songs.

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www.myprideonline.com

stop, look and listen

Sylvia Tosun - The Dragon Flies “The Dragon Flies” - a symbolic double entendre of rebirth and spiritual awakening.

The Dragon and the Dragonfly, in their strength, both bend and twist with the wind, and move along with the vicissitudes of life.

It represents the transformation of everyday life into something magical and hopeful.

Inspired by the philosophical underpinnings of the HBO masterpiece, “Game of Thrones”, the idea is that when a dragon flies, it is believed to be an auspicious omen for entering into a time of power and prosperity.

“The Dragon Flies’ is the latest single from VENSUN, a new name in Electronic Dance Music. The collaboration between renowned French DJ / Producer, David Vendetta and esteemed songstress, Sylvia Tosun is released on New York City’s independent label, Sea To Sun. Sylvia Tosun was classically trained at Juilliard School of Music and is on a unique mission to merge the art of classic songwriting with the cutting edge of electronic music. She serves as a USO Ambassador and has performed the National Anthem of various countries across the

world. This led to the release of a very unique CD entitled, ‘Anthems’ containing 12 national anthems from around the world. The CD drew attention from producers of the 2005 Great China Wall Concert, who invited her to perform in Beijing, alongside Alicia Keysand Cyndi Lauper where she sang in Mandarin Chinese suspended 200 feet in the air atop the Great Wall.

Her voice is featured on the worldwide hit trance sensation, ‘An Angel’s Love’.

Recorded with Alex M.O.R.P.H., This song has become a trance music anthem and has been a staple in sets of one of the world’s most popular DJ’s, Armin van Buuren. Her single “Push n Pull,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Club Chart and Top 5 on the U.K.’s Music Week Upfront Club Chart.

“The Dragon Flies“ EP features three new singles spanning the sounds of house, techno and EDM. In addition, a powerful remix package is punctuated with a Disco Fries remix who are gaining popularity in large due to their collaborations with superstar DJ/Producer, Tiesto. Please look out for the official music video for “The Dragon Flies” which is currently in production with NYC motion design company, Dorian Orange. Learn more about Sylvia Tosun at www.sylviatosun.com

the book report

Losing it:

Hands On:

How we popped our cherry over the last 80 years

A Manual for Getting the Job Done

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iley is twerking low, Pussy Riot are stripping down, Sheryl Sandberg is leaning in - but in this increasingly sexualized world is it time to make some room for the sex tales that are still so far from glamorous? If Lena Dunham’s Girls has taught us one thing it’s this – clumsy, bumbling and nude is the new black. As we rise above our blushes, the differences and touching similarities between those untold tales of sexuality can teach us something special about what it really means to be a sexual person in the 21st century. Kate Monro goes looking for the story we’re often too embarrassed to tell – our first time.

"I think ultimately what brings men and women to tell me their stories is that we all have an innate desire to want to compare our experiences with other people. We all just want some sort of affirmation to know that we are normal."

Losing It brings together an astonishing collection of stories. From the experiences of Edna, who lost her virginity on her wedding night in 1940 to Charlie, the young disabled punk rocker whose story most would envy and the young people from all over the world who have poured our their hearts via Kate's blog, The Virginity Project, Kate reveals the poignant, funny, sometimes shocking and often surprising truth about other people's most intimate sexual experiences.

Publication Date: April 15, 2014 $15.95 B-format PBK ? $10.99 eBook

W

hile some people dream of a man who writes poetry and others swoon for the irresistible allure of a hedge fund manager, there are those who are more the type to imagine— in quiet, solitary, extremely private moments - a man who really looks his best attired in a tool belt. This book is for them.

Perfectly suited for anyone who needs a hand around the house, this titillating guidebook is told from the perspective of a group of hunky handymen. Featuring 10 easy-to-follow home improvement projects with instructions, dozens of photos, and plenty of eye-candy between the covers, Hands Onis the perfect housewarming gift for the just-moved single woman or man who admires the male form.

Susan Anderson is a fine art and professional photographer who shot the bestselling Porn for Women series, so this wasn’t her first time trying to act cool around semi-clad men. Her work has been published in numerous magazines including Los Angeles, Playboy, and Glamour. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Hands On: A Manual for Getting the Job Done

By Susan Anderson With Carrie Snow Running Press $12.95 US · $15.00 CAN 5 x 7 · 128 pages · Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7624-5250-7 E-book ISBN: 978-0-7624-5251-4

The Summer that wasn t me

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nvelope-pushing YA Author Jess Verdi’s newest novel The Summer I Wasn’t Me digs deep into the world of gay teen, Lexi Hamilton, who is sent to “conversion therapy camp” by her own mother. Reminiscent of the film But, I’m a Cheerleader, Lexi is desperate to do whatever it takes to bring her mother—the only family she has left— back from the darkness of her lifethreatening depression… even if it means learning to like boys. Lexi agrees to go to New Horizons—a Christian summer camp where teens are taught to resist their same sex attractions and follow God’s righteous path.

When Lexi meets Carolyn—a gorgeous blonde athlete who has her own secretive reasons for wanting to become straight - her determination begins to waver. As the summer goes by and the “degayifying” exercises become more intense, Lexi discovers that love is the most powerful force.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me doesn't shy away from issues of teen sexuality, religion, and abuse. As a writer who grew up in the throes of the sexual revolution and advent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 80s, Verdi believes that exposure to honest books about contemporary issues helps teens become compassionate individuals who are able to see past their own world to a brighter future.

April 2014 ISBN 9-781-4022-7788-7 Trade Paper; Ages 13+

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the art world

Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay

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he Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are pleased to present Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay, a photographic series of more than 75 vintage prints that chronicles the gay communities of Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1969 to 1973.

Coinciding with San Francisco’s annual Pride events and the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, this exhibition will be on view at the de Young from June 14, 2014 through January 11, 2015.

For more than 40 years, American photographer Anthony Friedkin (b.1949) has documented people, cities and landscapes primarily in his home state of California. The Gay Essay, created during the culturally tumultuous years of the late 1960s and early

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1970s—a turning point in the history of political activism in the gay community in the United States—offers an expressive visual chronology of a vital moment of historic change in our culture.

“We are proud to present The Gay Essay in its full depth and range for the first time. It accords with our goal of bringing to light important, and sometimes neglected or overlooked, bodies of work that enrich the history and study of photography, a medium that is central to art and society today,” said Colin B. Bailey, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “We are delighted that 94 vintage prints from The Gay Essay are now part of our permanent collection, thanks to the generosity of donors Dan and Mary Solomon and Nancy Ascher and John Roberts.”

A native of Los Angeles, Friedkin began taking photographs at age 8 and was developing film in a darkroom at age 11. The artist formed a deep connection to the medium and later sought to combine a photojournalistic tradition with an individual statement. In the spring of 1969, when Friedkin was 19 years old, he embarked on The Gay Essay as a self-assigned project. His goal was to create the first extensive record of gay life in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and to chart the emerging and shifting visibility of the gay communities in California.

Influenced by the work of Henri

Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész and Josef Koudelka, among others, Friedkin found his place in an approach that retained the outward-looking spirit of reportage combined with individual discovery. As an extrovert with an avid curiosity, he developed close relationships with his subjects that enabled him to create portraits that are intimate and devoid of judgment. He did not aim to document gay life in Los Angeles and San Francisco slavishly, but rather to show men and women who were trying to live openly, expressing their individualities and sexualities on their own terms, and improvising ways to challenge the dominant culture. Whether photographing in city streets, motels, bars or dancehalls, Friedkin approached his subjects with an open and inquiring mind to achieve empathic portraits that celebrate pride, dignity and the expression of love between people of the same gender.

“More than four decades after this work was created, The Gay Essay stands as both a record of historic change in our culture and an eloquent testimony to Anthony Friedkin’s passion for the art of photography,” said Julian Cox, curator of the exhibition and chief administrative curator and founding curator of photography at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “We are left with a beautiful, sensitive record fit for the ages.”

Tickets and more information are available at deyoungmuseum.org.

the final word

A Ray of Hope

by Adrien Lawyer

W

hen I was asked to write a transgender themed piece for Models of Hope, I have to confess that my first thoughts were not incredibly hopeful. In fact, they ran to the terrible discrimination and danger that members of all the different transgender and gender variant communities are exposed to on a daily basis.

I couldn’t shake the statistic (from the groundbreaking Injustice At Every Turn) that while the general population attempts suicide at a 1.6% rate, transgender and gender variant folks self-reported a suicide attempt rate of 41%.

Discrimination in every area of life including education, housing, employment, health care and more is a daily reality for transgender people. We will often harm our own bodies rather than use a public restroom. We are afraid that others will not be able to love us and face many obstacles in learning to love ourselves.

But what are Models of Hope if not the people who defy those odds, those statistics, that fear? And here

in Albuquerque, and New Mexico, we have so many transgender and gender variant models to look to. In the western part of our state transgender individuals are leading the charge to create a new LGBTQ Center. To the east, it was transgender men who took the lead in creating the first ever Pride celebration in that region. Trans performers are integral to the drag scene all over New Mexico but especially in Albuquerque where members of our communities not only perform and hold public titles, but also work tirelessly to raise money and help others, within and without the LGBTQ communities. In the south, trans and gender variant youth are starting to organize and build community as the up and coming activists of tomorrow. And our staff at the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico are beyond excited about what we have already accomplished and what is coming for 2012. We should be receiving our tax exempt status from the IRS very soon and have plans to move into a physical location in January. In

addition to the support, education, referrals, youth services and information we are already providing, this should allow us to expand our programming and vision even further. We will be working actively on HIV Prevention and will be partnering even more extensively with other agencies in the state to bring services and assistance to transgender people, their families and loved ones for many years to come.

If there is a single, brightest source of hope for transgender and GV folks other than the awe-inspiring talent and gifts that we transpeople possess and can use to help our own communities, it is our allies. So many LGBQ and straight people throughout our state are willing to stand side by side with us as we move forward with tearing down the walls of ignorance and fear that keep transgender people marginalized and and unsafe in their cities and neighborhoods. We know that only together can we bring about a world in which every gender identity and expression are respected.

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