QSaltLake Magazine | Issue 373 | July 2025

UTAH REP. TARGETS HARVEY MILK BLVD • WHAT SPONSORS PULLED FROM PRIDE?

PHOTO: RYAN MARGETTS.

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from the publisher

Pride: From protest to party and back again

BY MICHAEL AARON

Every June,

we drape ourselves in rainbows, gather in the streets, and celebrate how far we’ve come. But lately, something feels different. Pride, once a defiant protest born from bricks and blood at Stonewall, evolved into a global celebration: a party backed by corporate dollars, slick marketing campaigns, and rainbow-splashed capitalism. Yet today, as major brands step back from visible LGBTQ+ support, many of us are asking: Were they ever really with us? And what happens to Pride when the glitter fades?

The transformation of Pride from riot to revelry didn’t happen overnight. After the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, the first Pride marches in the 1970s were acts of sheer courage: raw, loud, and radical. Marchers weren’t asking for inclusion in the system; they were demanding that the system be changed. But over time, as social attitudes softened, so did Pride. By the 1990s and early 2000s, corporate interest in LGBTQ+ communities began to surge. Pride events became marketing opportunities. Companies like Target, American Airlines, and AT&T showed up with rainbow merchandise, floats, and sponsorships. Some of us cheered. Others worried about co-optation. But the money helped us throw bigger festivals, pay artists, fund local LGBTQ+ centers, and sustain nonprofits.

In Utah, where fighting for LGBTQ+ visibility has never been easy, that support was more than symbolic, it was survival. Corporate sponsorships allowed Utah Pride to grow from a grassroots gathering to a full-blown weekend celebration that draws tens of thousands. But that support, it seems, may have been more fragile than we realized.

This year, a growing number of major brands that once prominently waved the rainbow flag have gone silent. Whether it’s due to political backlash, economic caution, or a shifting PR strategy, their retreat is noticeable and painful. For example, several corporations that previously sponsored Utah Pride or Salt Lake City Pride were absent from the parade

and festival this year, despite having donated in past years. The silence is loud.

And yet, through it all, some have stood firm. Absolut Vodka was the first major brand to advertise in a national gay magazine back in 1981, during the height of the AIDS crisis, when to support us was to take a real risk. Decades later, they still sponsor Pride and partner with queer artists and causes. Delta Airlines has been a regular supporter of LGBTQ+ initiatives and remains one of the few Fortune 500 companies consistently engaged in advocacy, not just visibility.

Locally, the story is even more inspiring. While the big names pull back, small LGBTQ-owned businesses in Utah continue to show up, because they are the community. This very magazine, founded and run by queer Utahns, has never wavered.

Year after year, issue after issue, we have chronicled our stories, celebrated our wins, and mourned our losses. We’ve stood in the rain, danced in the sun, marched through angry protests, and published when money was tight and support was scarcer still. Our pride doesn’t come with a PR team. It comes with purpose.

So where does this leave us?

It leaves us at a crossroads. The retreat of corporate sponsors isn’t just a budgetary challenge; it’s a reminder that visibility without accountability is a hollow promise. That partnerships must be about more than logos on floats. That allyship means standing with us not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. And it’s hard right now. In Utah, we’ve seen a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, from restrictions on inclusive flags in schools to attacks on transgender healthcare and curriculum. We’ve seen

queer books banned from libraries and city leaders threatened for simply flying the Pride flag. These are not just political fights; they are existential ones.

Pride was born in protest. Then it became a party. Now, perhaps inevitably, we find ourselves circling back to protest. But this time, we bring with us the strength of decades of organizing, the lessons of both compromise and courage, and the resilience of a community that has never stopped fighting for its place in the world. If corporations want to stand with us, truly stand with us, they are

welcome. But the invitation isn’t to a party. It’s to the frontlines.

And if they walk away, we will still be here. Queer-owned businesses. Local artists. Drag queens. Trans activists. Youth groups. Elders who remember the closet. We will still be here.

Because Pride isn’t something you buy into, it’s something you live. And if this year has taught us anything, it’s that our most trusted allies are the ones who were never here for the optics. They were here because they, like us, know that being queer in Utah, or anywhere else, is still a revolutionary act.

Look through the two Pride issues we’ve put out and recognize the businesses that advertised to make sure we could publish, and that you would know they support us, even now.

So bring your protest signs. Bring your joy. Bring your truth. The party was fun, but the fight’s not over.

And we’ve always known how to do both. Q

news

The top national and world news since last issue you should know

BY CRAIG OGAN

World Pride 2025 off with few hitches

The 2025 World Pride Celebration in Washington, DC, ended with a parade and rally on the National Mall. Pride organizers were concerned that the political atmosphere in the U.S. might be hazardous for Pride attendees. The committee issued travel warnings to foreign travelers, advising them to come prepared for potential trouble. The cautions included suggestions for transgender people to bring adequate proof of identity and to avoid places that may attract MAGA types. There was no interference by the U.S. government, except for a kerfuffle about Dupont Circle Park. Initially, the National Park Service announced that the park would be closed last weekend. NPS had concerns over a previous unpermitted event and past vandalism during the Pride celebration in 2024. After public backlash, the park was opened. Washington D.C. culture, rampant crime, closed the park again after a shooting and double stabbing, unrelated to World Pride participants, occurred in the area. It was estimated that over 3 million people participated in World Pride in Washington, D.C.

Schiff sunk on Milk ship name

The U.S. Navy named a ship after slain civil rights activist Harvey Milk in 2021. It was the first military ship named after an openly gay person, although the USS John F Kennedy aircraft carrier is unofficially called the Jackie O by its gay crewman. The current administration policy made it easy for SECDEF Pete Hegseth to change the name. California Sen. Adam Schiff led a failing effort to keep the USNS Harvey Milk name. The SECDEF said the Pentagon policy is to name ships after warriors, not activists, and is proceeding to rename the ship. Schiff pointed out that the ship is a John Lewis-class ship. John Lewis was a noted civil rights activist who served in the U. S. Congress. He also noted that other USNS ships are named after Rabbi Joshua Goldberg, the first Jewish rabbi to volunteer for service in World War II, and Thompson Parham, the first African American sailor promoted to captain. Other Ships will be named for labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and abolitionists Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. It’s just the gay thing that puts SECDEF off his feed.

Southern Baptists dance to a familiar tune

Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed a ban on same-sex marriage, calling for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decade-old precedent that legalized it nationwide. At the same time, they voted to curtail sports betting, support policies that promote childbearing, and ban pornography. Some Supreme Court

justices have expressed the view that, like the overturned abortion ruling Roe v. Wade, the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that authorized marriage equality is based on the wrong constitutional interpretation and could be overturned if revisited. The votes were cast at a gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Though sizable, attendance at the meeting has declined significantly from previous years when as many as 45,000 delegates participated.

Surveillance protections ended for LGBT Americans

The federal government has revised its surveillance guidelines, removing protections for LGBT citizens. Previously, surveillance could not be conducted based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity. there had to be criminal or suspicious activity to justify it.

Following the prohibition of DEI policies and practices under a recent executive order, the Department of Homeland Security eliminated protective language from its guidelines. The updated manual now states: “OSIC [Open-Source Intelligence Collection] personnel are prohibited from engaging in intelligence activities based solely on an individual’s or group’s race, ethnicity, sex, religion, country of birth, nationality, or disability. The use of these characteristics is permitted only in combination with other information.” This revision effectively revives an era reminiscent of the “Gay Scare,” where LGBT status could justify surveillance. So far, there has been no public comment on the policy from Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent or

Kennedy Center Executive Director Ric Grennell — both, as J. Edgar Hoover used to say, “are confirmed pansies.”

Actor’s murder now a hate crime investigation

The most romantically successful heterosexual character in the animated TV series King of the Hill was John Redcorn, a Native American character voiced by Native American actor Jonathan Joss. The 59-year-old actor was murdered by a neighbor in San Antonio, Texas. Initially, police closed the case after arresting a suspect. However, the police chief later ordered it reopened and reclassified as a hate crime. Joss’s husband provided evidence of years of slurs and anti-gay behavior by the neighbor. In response, San Antonio’s gay community inundated the police chief with complaints and additional examples of the neighbor’s hostility toward Joss.

DOGE and HIV services

Using the Department of Government Efficiency as cover, HIV treatment and prevention programs have become political footballs in the U.S. federal budget. An executive order has ended many domestic mental health services for people living with HIV, and funds for prevention have been impounded. Foreign aid budgets have been suspended and restructured to eliminate any “lifestyle-oriented” education, based on the rationale that it might condone gay behavior. Meanwhile, funding for PEPFAR, the highly successful HIV treatment program in Africa, was suspended and later shifted to another part of the federal bureaucracy. As a result, the PEPFAR program is not yet operating at full capacity. A federal judge recently blocked

the enforcement of three executive orders that sought to defund nonprofit organizations providing healthcare and services to LGBTQ individuals and those living with HIV. Implementation of these orders will remain on hold pending the outcome of ongoing litigation. In response, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a rescission bill, cutting $400 billion in HIV prevention and healthcare funding. The bill also defunded NPR and PBS public broadcasting appropriations. It is now awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. If the bill passes the House and Senate and is signed into law, it makes the court ruling moot.

Immigration Enforcement in

Calif. It should come as no surprise that many LGBTQ individuals immigrate to the U.S. seeking refuge from anti-LGBTQ policies, cultures, and laws in their home countries. Some arrive undocumented. With current policies prioritizing the deportation of undocumented individuals, a new brief from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law sheds light on the scope of the issue in Los Angeles. Using past surveys and census data, Williams estimates that over 1.25 million LGBTQ adult immigrants reside in the U.S. — likely 18% of the LGBTQ population nationwide. Of these, approximately 122,000 LGBTQ immigrants live in Los Angeles County, the epicenter of a current ICE controversy. Williams estimates that 23,000 of them are undocumented. Additionally, more than 5,200 transgender or nonbinary adult immigrants live in Los Angeles County, including just under 1,000 undocumented individuals.

Angie Craig, Minnesota Senate Bid

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig is serving her fourth term representing Minnesota’s Second Congressional District and has announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Craig, a Democrat and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Minnesota, won her D+1 district by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024. Despite representing a largely rural district, her marriage to a woman has not been a political drawback. “Yes, I’m a lesbian. I’ve been happily married to my wife for 18 years now,” she said. “We’ve got four sons, and we are now proud Mimi and Gigi, grandparents to three grandsons.” Craig is running to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith and will face Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in what is expected to be a competitive and costly Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary.

Stamp of approval for Lesbians

Being featured on a postage stamp has long been considered an honor. Lesbians have been featured on stamps in the United States and other countries for over a century. Here are the most notable:

COLETTE (1873–1954), a French author and Nobel Prize winner, stamps from France and Monaco JUANA INÉS DE LA CRUZ (1648–1695), A Mexican nun and poet, stamp from México GRETA GARBO (1905–1990), Swedish and American film star, stamps from Sweden and the U.S. FRIDA KAHLO (1907–1954), A Mexican Artist, stamps from Mexico and the U.S. “MA” RAINEY (1886–1939), Singer and composer, stamp from the U.S. SALLY RIDE (1951–2012), U. S. Astronaut, stamp from the U.S.

Harvey Milk Boulevard targeted in latest Anti-LGBTQ+ push by Utah Rep. Trevor Lee

Utah State Representative Trevor Lee (R-Layton), who earlier this year passed a controversial law banning Pride and other identity-based flags from being flown in government buildings and schools, is now setting his sights on Harvey Milk Boulevard, a prominent symbol of LGBTQ+ visibility in Salt Lake City.

On June 13, Lee announced via social media that he intends to propose legislation to rename the street, which was designated in 2016 in honor of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California and an icon of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

“To go in line with this change at the federal level,” Lee wrote on X, “I am going to propose simple easy legislation to change the name of Harvey Milk BLvD in Salt Lake City.”

In a follow-up post, Lee justified the move by making a widely discredited allegation: “Utahn’s [sic] don’t want streets named after pedophiles.”

His comment prompted swift backlash from LGBTQ+ organizations, local officials, and community members, who condemned the attempt to erase queer history and culture under the guise of moral concern.

Milk was assassinated in 1978 while serving as a San Francisco Supervisor. He remains one of the most recognized figures in American LGBTQ+ history. Allegations referenced by Rep. Lee have been widely disputed and criticized as part of long-standing efforts to discredit Milk’s legacy.

A STREET STEEPED IN SYMBOLISM

Harvey Milk Boulevard refers to a 20-block stretch of 900 South in Salt Lake City. It was named after Milk in 2016 through a unanimous vote by the Salt Lake City Council. The move was widely praised by LGBTQ+ advocates and positioned alongside the city’s other honorary civil rights designations, including Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Rosa Parks Blvd, and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

Community members raised money to fund the street signage, and the renaming ceremony was held on the same day as the Utah Pride Parade. Equality Utah, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights

organization, called the renaming “an act of courage and inclusion” at the time.

In recent years, Harvey Milk Boulevard has become a central symbol of LGBTQ+ affirmation in Utah, with many queer-owned businesses, art spaces, and advocacy organizations clustered along or near the route.

LEGISLATION IN LINE WITH ANTI-LGBTQ+ RECORD

Lee’s proposed legislation, while not yet formally introduced, is consistent with his legislative record and online rhetoric, which have been overwhelmingly anti-LGBTQ+.

Earlier this year, he successfully passed House Bill 77, which bans the display of LGBTQ+ Pride flags, Black Lives Matter flags, and other “politically expressive” banners in public schools and government buildings. The law permits American, Utah, military, and POW/ MIA flags—but critics have pointed out that it does not prohibit Confederate or Nazi flags, leading to widespread criticism of the bill’s intent and impact.

In the months since HB 77 passed, Lee has used social media to campaign against corporate expressions of support for Pride Month, criticizing Utah sports teams like the Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, and Real Salt Lake for posting Pride messages.

“Utahns overwhelmingly don’t support pride month,” Lee posted on June 1. “Watch for some significant legislation this next session that pushes back onto these woke groups!”

He has also shared posts suggesting that “Pride is about promoting the social acceptance of gay sex, transgender child mutilation and various other forms of iniquity.”

LGBTQ+ advocates and civil liberties organizations have repeatedly warned that Lee’s language and policies contribute to a hostile environment for queer and trans Utahns, particularly youth.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE

Equality Utah, which played a central role in the campaign to designate Harvey Milk Boulevard, responded to Lee’s proposal by calling it “a hostile and intolerant effort to erase LGBTQ+ history.”

“Representative Lee continues to attack the visibility and dignity of Utah’s LGBTQ+ community. Harvey Milk stood for hope and equal rights. His legacy deserves honor, not erasure,” the group’s executive director, Troy Williams, said in a written statement.

Salt Lake City Councilmember Alejandro Puy said on social media: “We are not solving any issues, but creating new ones. Utahns are concerned about real problems — not symbolic vendettas.”

The ACLU of Utah, which has opposed Lee’s previous legislation, reiterated that efforts to remove LGBTQ+ symbols from public spaces are “not about neutrality — they’re about control.”

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

As of this writing, Rep. Lee has not introduced a formal bill regarding Harvey Milk Boulevard. It is also unclear whether such a bill would have support among the Utah Legislature’s leadership. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Schultz declined to comment.

Under Utah law, cities maintain control over local street naming and honorary designations. However, the Legislature could attempt to override or impose restrictions through legislative action, especially if the street is part of a state-managed roadway.

Lee’s proposal fits into a nationwide trend of conservative lawmakers targeting LGBTQ+ symbols, school curricula, and cultural institutions. Across the U.S., Pride flags have become flashpoints in ongoing debates over the visibility and legitimacy of LGBTQ+ people in public life. Q

Utah and SLC Pride events lose sponsorship money this year

As Pride Month rolls on, at least two of Utah’s flagship LGBTQ+ prides are feeling the sting of a nationwide corporate retreat from LGBTQ+ sponsorship. Amid a charged political climate and rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, both festivals are seeing reduced budgets, fewer big-name sponsors, and uncertain financial futures.

This, in a time when all costs are rising.

Utah Pride

“Expenses have gone up considerably compared to previous years,” said Chad Call, executive director of the Utah Pride Center. Hosting a major festival in downtown Salt Lake City has never been cheap, but this year, Call expects a price tag of nearly $1.2 million, even after severe cutbacks since the gross overspending that occurred in 2023. The biggest hike? Infrastructure: fencing, security, and other vendor costs. This year, Utah Pride offered a large discount to vendors willing to set up their own tenting for the event, saving money for both Pride and the vendor.

But the real hit came from corporate dollars that never arrived.

Call said that sponsorships were nearly half what they were in 2022 and 2023.

“We’re on track to be short of

those years by somewhere between $250,000 and $300,000,” he said.

The “Sponsors” page on the Utah Pride Festival website lists 59 sponsors who supported Utah Pride this year. Twenty sponsors from last year are not on this year’s list, including long-time major financial supporters Mark Miller Subaru, Young Subaru, and the Utah Transit Authority.

Companies that were active as major sponsors in 2019 and are no longer contributing include AT&T, Bud Light, Showgear Partners, Bottega, L3, Planned Parenthood, Progressive Leasing, Roofers Supply, Walmart, and xFinity.

A few companies significantly reduced their level of involvement from previous years, including Adobe Systems, Equality Utah, Intermountain Health, Select Health, and Vivint.

On the flipside, several sponsors increased their level of involvement, including BW Bastian Foundation, Delta, Goldman Sachs, Real Salt Lake, and Bridge Investment Group.

SLC Pride

The grassroots SLC Pride festival that is hosting its second annual event is grappling with the same forces.

Realizing back in February that

sponsorships were not going to be on the same level as last year, SLCPride Festival Director Bonnie O’Brien says they had to significantly cut their operating budget.

Last year, SLC Pride spent nearly $144,000 to put on the event. This year, organizers are trying to pull off the 2025 event with just $30,000, Some of those expenses are being personally fronted by organizers using their own credit cards.

Five of last year’s larger sponsors, including Walmart, Lowe’s, Citibank, and public institutions like the University of Utah and Utah Valley University, withdrew after legislative action in Utah effectively dismantled DEI programs.

“This is what DEI looks like. That’s the point. These are companies that supported Utah Pride and SLC Pride last year, but this year, they’re nowhere to be found. They’re not in the parade, and they’re not part of the festivals in any way, shape, or form,” O’Brien said.

To help fill the void of sponsorships, SLCPride had several fundraising events through Spring, and launched Queer Card, a discount program with participating local businesses, to encourage community engagement and generate funds.

Why?

Beyond corporate divestment, Utah’s political climate has cast a long shadow over Pride. In recent years, the state passed a ban on gender-affirming care for youth, restrictions on bathroom access for transgender people, and a prohibition on pride flags at government buildings and public schools.

For many companies, the climate may seem too hot to handle.

“We reach out to hundreds of potential sponsors each year, and even in really generous years, many of those potential sponsors decline our offer for sponsorship for a myriad of reasons,” Call said. “We don’t always know why they choose what they do, but we are grateful for our sponsors who have prioritized supporting our community, and are so thankful for their commitment this program.”

“We can only assume that [this year] is impacted by pressures on a national level,” he said.

Indeed, the national landscape has shifted. Since Trump’s return to the political spotlight, many companies have scaled back their public commitments to

LGBTQ+ causes. Academic experts say this corporate cooling-off is more than coincidence — it’s reactionary.

“It demonstrates that the support was contingent,”

Karen Tongson, chair of gender and sexuality studies at the University of Southern California, told KUER. “It wasn’t unconditional.”

Tongson notes that corporate Pride involvement increased in the 1990s under Democratic administrations, coinciding with efforts to expand markets and diversify audiences. But as LGBTQ+ visibility surged, as well as its estimated $1 trillion in U.S. spending power, many businesses began to “rainbow wash” their brands during Pride without making long-term commitments to LGBTQ+ issues like HIV/AIDS, anti-discrimination protections, or trans rights.

“People are concerned, understandably, that when sponsorships are in parades, is this a surface-level, tokenistic kind of support?” Andy Holmes, a sociology doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto who studies the intersection of corporations and Pride culture, told KUER.

Holmes notes that while corporate sponsorships have helped Pride festivals grow, they have also exposed the community to the volatility of politics and market interests.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “Organizations rely on these dollars. But it does take Pride further from its radical, protest-oriented roots.”

Despite the financial headwinds, both organizations say the spirit of Pride remains intact.

“Pride has always existed,” Call said. “It existed long before most mainstream folks recognized it, and it will continue to exist in one form or another.”

This year’s list of Utah Pride sponsors:

Note that some of these sponsors are in-kind rather than monetary.

RUBY LEVEL:

BW Bastian Foundation

Delta Airlines

TOPAZ LEVEL:

Goldman Sachs

iHeart Media

Real Salt Lake

JADE LEVEL:

Bridge Investment Group

QSaltLake Magazine

Third Sun

SAPPHIRE LEVEL:

ACLU

Adobe Systems

Best Friends

Big Cottonwood Ski Resorts

Broadway Media

CHG Healthcare

Equality Utah

Flourish Therapy

High West Distillery

Lending Club

Marathon Oil

Master Control

Mountain West Hard Cider

Ogdens Own Distillery

Rocky Mountain Power

Salt Lake City Corp

Snowbird

Target

Zions Bank

AMETHYST LEVEL:

1-800-Contacts, ABC 4 Utah

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Advanced MD, Chartway Credit Union, Discover, eBay, Habitat Burger & Grill, Hilton City

Center, Hotel Monaco, Hyatt, Intermountain/Select Health, Key Bank, KUER 90.1, Lucero Hair and Wellness, Melting Pot, Mountain West Veterinary Specialists, Nexus IT, Nordstrom, Pluralsight, Rio Tinto, Salt Lake Brewing Co, Seniors Out and Proud, SLUG Magazine, Swire Coca Cola, Tiffany & Co, TruFru, Tsuki Sake, Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoths, Vivint, xFinity, zao Modern Asian Cafe

Hiking for hope: Utahn treks 800 miles to support Trans rights

This spring,

Millcreek Utah resident Kyle Ricco took on an extraordinary challenge: hiking all 800 miles of the Arizona Trail from the Mexican border to the Utah line to raise funds and visibility for Utah’s trans community. In doing so, he became a moving testament to resilience, advocacy, and allyship.

Kyle’s mission sprang from a moment of frustration and concern shared with a close friend.

“In February, I was sitting with my friend, a trans man, discussing travel plans. He wanted to go to Portugal. But he was stressing as the State Department had been told to not issue new gender

markers, and to even change gender markers if there was a record of a change in the past.”

“He hadn’t yet updated his birth certificate, either. We were seeing in real-time updates from other transgender folks in the media, such as Hunter Schafer, being issued the wrong markers. He now had to scramble to correct his documents and worry about what international travel might look like.”

“I was utterly frustrated, and pissed off for him, to be frank.” He continued, “He’s just another American, trying to enjoy his freedom to travel, and everyday life. I had to ask myself what gives these other people the power to control his life? And also ask myself, is there some way I can help the community?”

have a direct impact on trans and gender-nonconforming folks in the local Utah community, who may be feeling discouraged.”

The 48-day trek brought camaraderie and hardship.

“A few days into my hike, I really got to know another hiker named Airheart. We found out that we had quite a bit in common, and conversations revolved around our gender identities and orientation, as well as standing for the trans community. It was so refreshing to meet completely at random, and find that we shared many of the same life views.”

In Patagonia, Ariz., Kyle felt a sense of welcome from total strangers.

“Arriving at the Terrasol hostel, we were welcomed by pride flags and inclusivity. I was touched by the generosity of one of the residents there, Linaea, who taught me how to sew, as my tent door zipper had broken. That fix lasted me to the end of the trail.”

High on Mt. Lemmon, Kyle encountered a trail icon.

Kyle’s passion for hiking was sparked through the LGBTQ outdoor group Venture Out, when he hiked a short stretch of the Appalachian Trail. That first taste led to longer hikes, including 250 miles on the John Muir Trail. And now, he decided to do his most ambitious yet.

The 800-mile Arizona Trail.

“I knew that I had seen many sports raising money for charity in my time, and I thought, why not do the same with my thru-hike?”

He set an ambitious yet symbolic goal: $8,000, or $10 per mile. To keep donations accessible, he encouraged sponsors to give as little as one cent per mile, just $8. “This would show some support and visibility for the community, as well as

“I got to meet ‘Sugar’ Lyla Harrod, who is the first trans woman to ‘triple crown,’ She is a huge inspiration to me. She advocates for visibility and mentoring for queer people on these largescale hikes. I was gooning the small bit of time I got to be in her presence.”

But not all moments were uplifting. Kyle grappled with illness.

“I unfortunately came down with a head cold just before arriving at the Grand Canyon portion of my hike. We had experienced snow and freezing conditions the week before, so it just made for a lousy time,” he said. But even as the Grand Canyon’s grandeur tested him physically, it also rewarded him emotionally. “Seeing the Grand Canyon in

person, for the first time ever, and by foot after nearly 700 miles on trail, was so surreal.”

PERSEVERANCE AND PURPOSE

Despite fatigue, illness, and solitude, Kyle never considered quitting:

“After being so sick on the trail before the Grand Canyon, I really thought I might have to call it quits. Thankfully, the next day I was able to get into a town and shack up in a hotel for 24 hours,” he said. “But mentally, there was no way I was going to let myself

quit. The Grand Canyon was just ahead, and finally getting to the Utah border and finishing all 800 miles was so important for my fundraiser. I kept thinking how sad it would be to let people know I didn’t make it. I was going to finish those last 100 miles no matter what. 800 miles, 8,000 dollars for Genderbands – that’s what kept me going.”

Kyle was buoyed by unexpected support:

“My good friend, and many trans colleagues, were SO supportive during my

journey, and even contributed to my fundraiser. I was extremely touched,” he explained. “My friend Drew actually met me near Flagstaff to bring me some supplies and a surprise meal! To see a friend after so many weeks was so heartwarming, and a HUGE morale boost.”

A MESSAGE OF COMMUNITY AND HOPE

Kyle has clear intentions for the trans community in Utah:

“I hope they see that there are folks like me in the community who are willing to put in the work to support them. That amidst the current climate, there are so many of us who want to see them thrive and succeed. That we understand the importance of diversity and freedom. That if they feel discouraged, they have local resources for them. At the end of the day, we aren’t doing thoughts and prayers, we are getting to work.”

He calls on other LGBTQ people to support the transgender community during this time when politicians and their followers target them.

“We all have a part in standing up for our community and promoting the rights of

our trans and gender-nonconforming family. And no part is too small. Set up your own fundraiser. What skills do you possess that would be valuable to have sponsored? Social media is an amazing tool for connecting and raising funds. Vote, contact your congresspeople, and make a donation. No amount is too small. Share fundraisers on social media. Raise a pride flag. Seek connections in the community. And never give up hope. We are a robust and resilient people.”

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY

Kyle concluded his trek on May 16, reaching the Utah border with the full 800 miles completed. Though tired, he’s not done. Genderbands is celebrating its 10th anniversary, aiming to raise $100,000 this year, and Kyle is turning his experience into future advocacy. He invites LGBTQ+ outdoors lovers to connect with groups like Utah Rainbow Hikers. His message remains one of unity, action, and persistent hope. Q

Follow Kyle’s Journey on Instagram at @ kyle_treks or TikTok @amateurbackpacker. Kyle’s GoFundMe can be found at bit.ly/KyleTrek.

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views quotes

“You may feel like no one hears you — but we do.”

—Pedro Pascal, Ariana Grande, Daniel Radcliffe, and many others in an open Trevor Project letter

“I’m dating a woman, and it’s great.”

— Anna Camp (from Pitch Perfect) She shared this about her current romance as she openly discusses embracing queer love

“I dress based on how gay I feel each day.”

Mean Girls’ Reneé Rapp

“...this Pride Month not only marks 10 years since the legalization of same‑sex marriage but also celebrates the inclusive family I helped create.”

—Jason Mitchell Kahn, gay wedding planner and guncle

“I feel, like, so queer… I’ve always told myself I’m a lesbian, and I think being here I’ve realized: ‘Oh, I’m not a lesbian, I’m queer.’”

JoJo Siwa of Celebrity Big Brother

HarveyMy name is Chris Everett, and I’m here to recruit you

BY CHRIS EVERETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UAF LEGACY HEALTH

Milk used the words in the title of this piece in 1977 in a now-famous plea for hope for the gay community.

I’m using them now as a plea for hope for sustainable healthcare in Utah’s LGBTQ+ community.

A few years ago, it felt like we were getting closer to something radical: LGBTQ+ people receiving healthcare that’s respectful, informed, and easy to access, just like everyone else. No extra hurdles, no navigating bias. Just care.

But that moment is slipping away.

Across the country, we’re watching a quiet retreat. Institutions that once felt safe are scaling back or shifting focus. Programs disappear without notice. And too often, queer people are left with nowhere to go but back into systems that were never built with us in mind.

This isn’t just a temporary setback. It’s a wake-up call.

Healthcare built on symbols alone — rainbows in June, inclusive language in brochures — won’t protect us when policies change or budgets shrink. According to the Center for American Progress, LGBTQ+ Americans are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination in healthcare settings, and nearly one in three trans adults say they’ve had to educate their own provider on basic trans health.

That’s not okay, and it won’t fix itself. Here’s the truth: If we want care that lasts, care that sees us, care that protects us, it’s up to us to build it.

Why the Current System Isn’t Enough

Healthcare systems in Utah — academic, nonprofit, and for-profit — have made real efforts to include LGBTQ+ communities. Many of those efforts were well-intentioned. However, even the best of them are often constrained by

bureaucratic hurdles, political pressures, and risk management considerations.

The result? Programs get scaled back when things get tense. Clinics close. Staff are reassigned. The progress evaporates.

We can’t afford to be optional anymore. Our care can’t depend on whether it’s politically convenient.

At UAF Legacy Health, we’re not an add-on. We’re not a side project. Queer care is the whole point. We’re building something rooted in community values— something designed to outlast the noise.

The Real Cost of ‘Inclusive Enough’

Even when LGBTQ+ programs exist, they often end up benefiting the institution more than the community. They attract insured patients, bring in grants, and make the hospital look good, while uninsured and underinsured folks are shuffled into systems that don’t have the training, resources, or compassion to provide real care.

That’s not care. That’s exploitation. UAF doesn’t extract value from the queer community, we reinvest it. Every insured patient who comes through our doors helps fund care for someone who can’t pay. Every visit keeps someone else from falling through the cracks.

What You Do Matters

This isn’t a pitch. It’s a call to action. Because healthcare equity won’t happen unless we all make it happen. This is where you come in.

IF YOU’RE LGBTQ+: Make UAF Legacy Health your healthcare home. Not just because we’re affirming, but because when you show up, you’re investing in care for your whole community. Every visit helps fund someone else’s. That’s how we build a system that lasts.

IF YOU’RE A QUEER-AFFIRMING PROVIDER: Send your LGBTQ+

patients our way. Tell your colleagues about us. Help us build a care network that’s built for long-term resilience, not just short-term optics.

IF YOU’RE AN ALLY: This is your moment to do more than wave a flag. Get your care here. Refer a friend. Use your privilege to stabilize access for people who don’t have the same safety nets.

This system is yours to support. Yours to strengthen. Yours to sustain.

What We’re Building, and Why You’re Part of It

At UAF Legacy Health, we’re designing care that doesn’t disappear. That doesn’t waver when politics get messy. That doesn’t vanish when the headlines change. We’re creating:

Community-led governance based on trust, equity, and dignity

Trauma-informed, peer-accountable care that centers on lived experience

Financial models that protect access for those with gaps in insurance or income

Continuity of care, no matter your status, identity, or ability to pay

But none of that means anything without you.

Healthcare doesn’t have to be a system we react to. It can be something we shape, something we own.

So here’s the challenge: Be a part of this.

Don’t wait for someone else to fix it.

Bring your care here. Tell others.

Talk about it.

Support it.

Because this time, we’re not just asking for a seat at the table. We’re building the table ourselves. And you?

I hereby recruit you. Q

Info can be found at UAFHEALTH.ORG

YouRFK Jr. and ‘We’re All Going to Die’ Joni Ernst

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI

learn something new every day (though with the Republican crackdown on education and villainizing of scientists, who knows how much longer that will be legal). Today I learned that Bitcoins make noise. Or, more specifically, that the mining of Bitcoins makes noise. I’m not talking about a bunch of guys underground with pick axes. I’m talking about “the powerful computers that create and protect the cryptocurrency [that] need fans on the go constantly to cool them down.” According to The Week, these facilities are located “across rural, mostly Republican towns” and the constant noise is not only annoying residents, it may also be making them sick. Sounds bad! Apocalyptic, even. Should I be second-guessing my decision to use my life savings to buy Donald Trump meme coins?

Anyway, recently, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has a long history of fighting against LGBTQ+ rights, held a town hall where attendees also learned something new and were made sick.

Ernst was talking about her support of the Republican-backed budget bill that, if passed as-is by the Senate, would make drastic cuts to Medicaid in order to give bigger tax breaks to the richest Americans.

About 80 million people in the U.S. are on Medicaid, including those with low income, children, and people with disabilities. Their lives literally depend on Medicaid in a myriad of ways. Medicaid pays for hospital visits, insulin, home health services, and more. People are, quite understandably, very scared about what cuts to Medicaid might mean for themselves and their loved ones.

When someone at Ernst’s town hall yelled “People are going to die” regarding Medicaid cuts, Ernst replied, “Well, we all are going to die, so, for heaven’s sake, folks.”

For some reason, people took issue with this callous and flippant response. But don’t worry. Ernst apologized. “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall,” she said the day after in an Instagram video. She continued, “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. I’m really, really glad I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.”

Get it? Because only idiots believe in the tooth fairy and she thinks her constituents, especially the ones with their fucking lives at the mercy of Republicans who could not give less of a shit about them, are idiots.

Because she is a Good Christian Woman™, she added, “For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”

Remember, folks, everyone has the right to life. Unless you’re on Medicaid. Then you’d better stop sucking at the government teat and start praying that you never get in a car accident, that your cancer doesn’t come back, and that God will give you lots and lots of money so that you, too, can look down on the most vulnerable people in the country and hope they just die already.

Meanwhile, in the Trump Death Cult, HIV/AIDS research is being gutted in the U.S. Apparently, Republicans want to make sure it isn’t just people in other countries who suffer due to HIV/AIDS funding cuts.

According to The Daily Beast, “Research programs at Duke University and the Scripps Research Institute that are working to deliver an HIV vaccine were told by the National Institutes of Health that their $258 million funding would be stopped. The vaccine manufacturer Moderna said that its clinical trials, funded by

the NIH, have also been paused.”

“This is a terrible time to cut it off. We’re beginning to get close,” Dennis Burton, an immunology professor at Scripps Research, told CBS News. “This is a setback of probably a decade for HIV vaccine research.”

That’s a lot of time and a lot of money down the toilet.

“The cancellation of the funds comes weeks ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s June 19 deadline for deciding on approval of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable drug to prevent HIV,” CBS reports. “The drug’s availability could lead to a significant drop in HIV cases worldwide, since a study found it was 100% effective in preventing transmission.”

In other words, right as scientists are on the cusp of an HIV vaccine, their funding gets yanked.

Could this be related to the fact that Health and Human Services and Dead Brain Worm Host Robert Kennedy, Jr. is an anti-vaxxer and AIDS denialist?

Yes. Of course it’s related.

It’s almost like the meanest and dumbest people are in charge of this country right now, and your death would mean absolutely nothing to them.

Haha. I don’t really mean it. The “almost” part. Q

D’Anne Witkowski is a writer living with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBTQ+ politics for nearly two decades. Follow her on X @MamaDWitkowski.

ShortlyThink before you ask

BY CHRISTOPHER KATIS

after we moved back to Utah, Kelly and I found ourselves at the bank with a two-year-old Niko. As we waited in line, an older woman approached and asked if she could ask a question. She wanted to know if we had an older child. We nodded. Then she added, “I bet that kid is easy, so you thought, why not get another?” We nodded, and she walked away laughing. Niko was indeed a handful.

That was one of the best stranger-asked questions we’ve ever had. Not all of them were that funny. And whereas I encourage folks to ask LGBTQ+ parents appropriate questions, there are some inquiries that should remain off limits. Indeed, the family building resource organization Gay Parents to Be suggests there are questions no one should ask queer parents.

WHO’S THE KID’S REAL PARENT? Obviously, this is likely to be asked when someone knows LGBTQ+ parents have used a surrogate or used in vitro fertilization. Talk about an insanely personal question. As GPTB notes, no one would ever think of asking straight parents a similar question.

My suggested response: Why on earth are you interested in my/our body fluid(s)? Do you ask your straight friends that question?

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE KIDS WHO THEIR

REAL PARENTS ARE? This question implies that there’s a secret in your family, and that one of you (or both) is a false parent. There are no hidden truths that need to be revealed. Kids know who their family is.

My suggested response: We’re both the real parents.

IS THE BABY FROM A PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP? We heard this one quite frequently, especially with our oldest Gus. When he was younger, most people who saw him with me assumed he was my biological kid. We both have dark hair, and whereas he has a more olive complexion than I do, it’s not that far off. With Niko, people actually asked me if my ex-wife was Latina.

My suggested response: My kids are adopted, but why do you care? Every family comes together in a different manner.

ARE YOU WORRIED THERE WON’T BE A MALE/FEMALE INFLUENCE IN THEIR LIFE? There are so many issues with this question. First, it ignores the fabulous parenting done by nearly 11 million single parents in the country. Certainly, some kids may miss having a dad or a mom, but multiple studies have shown that they have no significant differences with friends, spouses, or careers as those raised by a mom and dad. Secondly, it assumes that only a parent can be a role model.

My suggested response: Our

kid has many role models, both cisgender and nonbinary.

HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY FOR YOUR BABY? I like to think that people are curious if adoption or surrogacy or IVF is very expensive. But asking how much we paid? And this isn’t just a question LGBTQ+ parents hear. When we first moved to our neighborhood, a couple down the street with a son adopted from Cambodia shared with us that another neighbor had asked how much they’d paid for him. I mean, think that

through. How much they paid for a child of color?

My suggested response: There are many different routes to parenthood, and some have more costs associated with them than others. You can research options online. (By the way, our neighbor said for his son it was a bale of hay.)

Stop and think before you ask LGBTQ+ parents intrusive questions. Would any reasonable person consider it too personal? If the answer is even “maybe” stick to asking why we’re so damn fabulous! Q

SLC Pride ‘OUTlaws’ returns June 28–29 with free entry for all

Salt Lake City’s

newest Pride tradition returns in bold style this summer as SLC Pride 2025 hosts its second annual Pride Festival on June 28–29 at The Gateway, with the rebellious theme: “OUTlaws.”

Organizers say the theme reclaims and celebrates the radical spirit of queer

gins,” said Tami Mandarino, media director of SLC Pride. “We’re reclaiming this narrative and celebrating the revolutionary spirit that has always been at the heart of our movement.”

A Festival for Everyone

After drawing more than 10,000 attendees in its inaugural year, the 2025 SLC Pride Festival is expected to be even bigger and more accessible. The event is free to attend, with no ticket required, though donations are encouraged to support programming and community impact.

resistance, from the Stonewall uprising to today’s ongoing fights for trans rights and social justice. It honors those who’ve lived outside of society’s norms and turned defiance into progress.

“Being an ‘OUTlaw’ means standing proudly in your identity, even when society tries to push you to the mar-

The Gateway, a longtime supporter of inclusive events, will once again host the two-day festival, which spans multiple blocks in downtown Salt Lake City.

“Last year’s inaugural Pride Festival was a tremendous success,” said Julissa Breslin, marketing director for The Gateway. “The Gateway is committed to hosting a wide array of inclusive festivals to celebrate various cultures and communities in Utah.”

Festival Highlights

Saturday, June 28 (Noon–10 p.m.)

Sunday, June 29 (10 a.m.–7 p.m.)

Multiple entertainment stages

Community booths representing local nonprofits, services, and queer-owned businesses

Youth Zone and Neurodivergent Zone Drag King Brunch on Sunday All-Trans Takeover Stage on Saturday, featuring Die Shiny and Venus Death Trap Food trucks, vendors, and art installations

Entertainment details will be updated regularly at slc-pride.org.

Queer Joy Meets Advocacy

Organizers say SLC Pride doesn’t just celebrate, it builds visibility for LGBTQ+ Utahns and strengthens connections across identities, ages, and experiences.

“Pride has always been about community, visibility, and resistance,” said Bonnie O’Brien, festival director. “In a state where many LGBTQ+ people still face real challenges, Pride creates space for joy, connection, and advocacy.”

The festival will also include accessibility services, gender-neutral restrooms, and quiet spaces, ensuring everyone can participate comfortably and safely.

Get Involved

SLC Pride is currently seeking volunteers and sponsors to help bring the festival to life. Details are available at slc-pride.org and on social media at @slcpride2024.

STAGE LINEUP

This year, SLC Pride features three outdoor stages. Here’s what you can expect from all three:

SATURDAY

June 28

KRCL ROWDY

STAGE

100 S. AND RIO GRANDE

NOON Pink Prism

Pink Prism is a non-binary trans femme musician. This is their second year performing at SLC Pride after joining the Variety Show last year as Nu-tral. This will be their first year as a DJ for SLC Pride!

1:20PM NuaNua

Nua Nua is a collective led by, and for, Queer and Trans People of Color. The events and initiatives they host and partake in are all rooted in a deep love for community and recognizing the need for spaces that are built with intention. They’ll be bringing back a variety line-up of gender-diverse performers, including Mo Nasty, NAMI, Rena Ripley, and Fale O Le Lole (aka Haus of Candy.)

2:20PM Flat Solid Surface

Flat Solid Surface is a four person Soft-Punk band from Southern Utah whose music embodies somber, high-energy existential rage in a heart-shaped glass. The members Hal, Bri, John, and Emma met first through a folk/rock band backing up Ryler Farnsworth and the Desert Rats, where they bonded, bantered, and broke the occasional object. They just hope their guitarist doesn’t break anymore stuff.

3:20PM RibCage

Jess (HE/SHE/THEY ),stage name Ribcage, is a Reno-based solo indie-punk, bedroom-pop, indietronica, and electropop artist. In February, they released several projects, including chapstick, a brand new way of living, and pharmaceutical. Their dreamy, DIY aesthetic resonates through streaming platforms.

4:20PM Shecock

Shecock is a fierce three-piece rock band from Salt Lake City. Known for electrifying sound and intense performances, the trio blends punk, grunge, and hard rock, delivering raw riffs and catchy hooks showcasing their bold style and themes of resilience. Get ready to rock out with yer shecock out.

5:20PM

Zaza Van Dyke and Something Special

Zaza a poc, trans-femme parent, performer, songwriter and artist. You can find her anywhere she can be loud and proud with an instrument in hand playing something to move you. She’s the girl at every campfire and party, singing and playing guitar and speaking truth.

6:20PM Venus Death Trap (OPENING HEADLINER)

Venus Death Trap is a queer punk band from Salt Lake City, Utah. Venus is all about the dramatics, the theatrics, and recycling that old Halloween costume.

7:20PM Die Shiny (HEADLINER)

Die Shiny, the electro-pop powerhouse from Salt Lake City, fuses dreamy synthscapes with bold, alt-hip-hop energy. Led by non-binary duo Callie Crofts and Zac Bryant, the band is known for catchy, purpose-driven anthems, explosive live shows, and a growing cult following. Fierce, unapologetic, and rooted in activism, Die Shiny is redefining what it means to be queer and loud.

8:30PM

Variety Show

Anya Bacon

Anya Bacon is everyone’s favorite breakfast! She is a Broadway baby at heart and loves making people laugh. Pulling references from decades past, current pop culture, local happenings, and more, you’re sure to find something you know and love with her performance. Anya is very excited to be sharing her special brand of tomfoolery with SLC Pride this year! Let’s get loud and proud!

Ash the Pyro fell in love with flow arts and fire dancing in 2017, performing twice in Burning Man’s fire conclave. After COVID, Ash embraced solo performing, diving into LED arts and joining Utah’s top rave production team. From desert parties to corporate gigs, Ash brings energy, leads workshops, and makes every show feel personal—igniting connection with every spin.

Black Luscious ( THEY/ THEM) is a thriving non-binary performer. From theater stages to your nearest karaoke bar they are a powerhouse who can’t be missed. Not quite drag, not quite

normal Luscious enjoys filling the room with velvet vocals and smooth tones. They are passionate about all forms of art and hope to create beautiful art to share with the community.

Citrus Pastel (SHE/ HER) is a drag artist full of color and glamour. From designing and making most of her wardrobe to twirling onstage to a pop track, she has a passion for fashion. She is Latina and is heavily influenced by Selena, Barbie, and pop culture. Her message has always been about bravery, being yourself, and to inspire to create, because all those things never go out of style.

Claire LesWhisper & Friends love lighting up a crowd across Salt Lake and beyond. Suede Visage and Claire LesWhisper also enjoy shaming people into being quality dog parents and eating copious amounts of skittles.

Heels in Motion offers a diverse range of music styles that complement the movement of heels. It fosters confidence, creativity and provides a space to feel sensual with your body. You will discover self-love and build connections with numerous members within the dance community. Lexi Gold started drag in Provo, where she made friends for life. Since 2022, she’s become a rising star in the Salt Lake City drag scene and famously fell off the stage! You can find her every week at the Sun Trapp performing at their Thursday night show and hosting viewing parties for RuPaul’s Drag Race on Fridays. All that glitters is Lexi!

Luna Sol (SHE/HER) is a Venezuelan burlesque performer ready to take the stage with latine vibes. Luna is well known as both a performer and a producer here in Utah, she is incredibly passionate about bringing more sapphic spaces into our hive and is the dreamer behind @SapphoSLC.

OUR MISTRESSES OF THE MIC OUR MISTRESSES OF THE MIC LADY DELISH & J’LEE LADY DELISH & J’LEE

ANNOUNCING SOME OF OUR ANNOUNCING SOME OF OUR ENTERTAINMENT! ENTERTAINMENT!

SPONSOR, VENDOR, & VOLUNTEER APPS OPEN UNTIL 7/6/25 SPONSOR, VENDOR, & VOLUNTEER APPS OPEN UNTIL 7/6/25

11th Annual

11th Annual

AUGUST 1ST-3RD 2025 AUGUST 1ST-3RD 2025

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 -- SST T ALL AGES QUEER PROM ALL AGES QUEER PROM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 -- ND ND RALLY & GLITTER IN THE AIR RALLY & GLITTER IN THE AIR – THE ULTIMATE P!NK EXPERIENCE – THE ULTIMATE P!NK EXPERIENCE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 -- RD RD ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD, FUN, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD, FUN, AND SO MUCH MORE! AND SO MUCH MORE! BRING THE WHOLE CREW BRING THE WHOLE

AND CELEBRATE LOUD AND CELEBRATE LOUD WITH US! WITH US!

Lydia Chlamydia is spreading all across Salt Lake City. Thursdays at the Suntrapp, monthly at Evo Hotel, Squatters Pub and now you can catch her at SLC Pride! As a girl who got her start in the scene in an unconventional way (the 999 bike ride), community is of the utmost importance to Lydia.

Sara-Ann Rapp is a live singer, producer, and the clingiest queen of Salt Lake City. Serving fierce vocals and a whole lot of heart, she’ll have you hooked with every note and leave you wanting more.

Shortcake the Clown is the colorful eyesore of salt lake city, the clown known from the greatest local spots such as under your bed or in your walls. This friendly, albeit a little too obsessed, clown is merging the local drag scene into the circus world.

Styxx is a talented, award-winning variety artist and boylesque performer. A jack of all trades, who wears many hats, and is confident in his ability to pull off just about anything. Give it up for the sexy clown with that big styxx energy!

Out of the Shadows Theater Group provides an alternative aspect to the performing arts and cinema. Catering to cult film followers and encouraging audience participation, they are a presence in Salt Lake City through local media, live performances and community events. Their shadowcasts are known for their improvisations and witty call backs while performing to well-known and loved cult films.

Victory Red, aka Kirsten Bigelow Caron, is a dancer and producer of the award-winning troupe Hot! Take Burlesque, winner of the Lusty Wench award, and instructor at UofU Lifelong Learning. She is a partner, parent, and bisexual badass.

White Chocolate blends a love of makeup, music, and powerful women into a drag persona inspired by icons like Madonna and Lady Gaga. A classically trained singer, she often performs live vocals and recreates legendary looks.

ROCK CAMP FAMILY STAGE

NORTH LAWN OF THE GATEWAY

NOON

The Rec Center

The Rec Center is a local Utahn who got into electronic and dance music the way many people fall in love with it by going to a few too many late-night shows and realizing the energy and power a DJ could bring to a party. Ever since then, he’s been practicing mixing his own music in hopes to be able to one day give other people the amazing nights he’s been given.

1PM

The Lavender Menaces Brass Collective

The Lavender Menaces are a new rogue street marching band composed of only women, non-binary and trans people based in Salt Lake City. Their collective breaks society’s expectations for who is allowed to take up space by fiercely and unapologetically bringing high energy brass music and loud noise to the streets and our community.

1:40PM DJ

2:40PM

Mandy Lynn Danzig

Salt Lake City’s Mandy Lynn Danzig’s award winning, multi-instrumental music and songwriting focuses on love, light, laughter, and Queer joy. Backed by Alisa Jo’s vocal harmonies, her acoustic music will take you on a journey through activism, self-discovery, and love.

3:40PM Mended Hearts Club

Indie folk duo Mended Hearts Club Aiden Barrick (HE/HIM) and Judith Rognli (SHE/THEM) blend violin-driven folk rock with beat poetry. With influences like Brandi Carlile and Bonny Light Horseman, their sound is tender, raw, and magnetic. On stage, their chemistry shines, inviting audiences into moments of honesty, vulnerability, and connection that spark deeper conversations and radical compassion.

4:40PM

Serenity Renegade

Serenity Renegade is more than music it’s a movement. Rooted in stillness and emotional truth, it resists chaos and challenges oppressive systems designed to drain us. It’s about finding joy, choosing rest, dreaming big, and living with intention. Serenity Renegade honors those who quietly rebel each day, rejecting imposed expectations while fiercely protecting their softness and inner peace.

5:40PM Grace Wawro

Grace Wawro is a Salt Lake City-based singer/songwriter who began singing when she was 6 years old and has loved performing since. Grace aims to build community with her music, especially for marginalized groups to have a safe space to express themselves. You could describe her music as sparkly, synthy, and full of love. Grace enjoys teaching music, playing Stardew Valley and having craft

nights with her friends. Her debut EP ‘THE DREAMHOUSE’ is out on all streaming platforms.

6:40PM

Raffi and Ischa

Raffi & Ischa (formerly MiNX) bring theatrical flair and undeniable chemistry to every show, whether backed by bold production or stripped-down acoustics. Their album Being MiNX showcases versatility and heart, rooted in years of genre-bending performance. With influences from Prince to Norah Jones, their music blends depth with fun—defying convention and celebrating creativity on their own vivid terms.

7:40PM Leo Cody

Leo grew up singing and dancing across Utah, from fairs and theme parks to an international tour through Asia and the Middle East. Performing in luxury venues abroad, he caught the rock star bug early. Back in Utah, he released his debut EP Bruised and continues to wow local crowds with powerhouse vocals and an infectious stage presence.

8:30PM

The Disco Papi

The Disco Papi has been lighting up dance floors since 1999 with uplifting, vocal-driven house music. A proud gay man and longtime force in Salt Lake City’s queer nightlife, he’s both DJ and promoter, creating joyful, inclusive spaces. Whether at clubs or LGBTQIA+ events, his signature sound keeps the crowd moving—and the community connected through rhythm, love, and pride.

KARAOKE BLOCK PARTY STAGE

BETWEEN THE NORTH LAWN AND 100 S INTERSECTION

This stage is ALL-KARAOKE ALL-WEEKEND! Expect good vibes and non-stop jams!!

Sunday June 28

PREFESTIVAL BRUNCH

NORTH LAWN OF THE GATEWAY

A family-oriented, all-ages drag show featuring an all-kings cast. Pancake brunch is $5 and benefits “We Outside” a Black Lives Matter summer camp. Come early and get pancakes, coffee, and iced chai with the whole family.

HOSTED BY Liam Manchesthair

Liam has been entertaining as a king for over six years. He has produced, taught performer classes, and is a titled winner. He is passionate about supporting the local drag king community. He is your Chunky Hunky king of Salt Lake City.

Billy the King by day, teaches at a university. By night, they’re a gender-bending pole artist channeling love, power, and radical joy. In this duet with violinist Judith Rognli, real-life friendship fuels a haunting, passionate performance exploring queer connection, longing, and resilience in a world that often misunderstands difference.

Mik Jager is a Pasifika Drag King and member of the Nuanua Collective, which uplifts Queer Pasifika in Utah. Through bold performances, often at Club Tryangles with Those Bitches, Mik aims to inspire QTBIPOC visibility in SLC nightlife and create space where all are welcome, seen, and celebrated..

Daddy the Clown comes from the moments between being awake and falling asleep, a surreal dream acted out before you. They always bring a unique, emotionally-charged experience that breaks the barriers of drag and high-concept performance.

Notta Genda is the genda benda with an agenda. Notta is a non-binary drag king who

loves to create high-energy performances that play on parts of their identity, like their queerness, gender fluidity, and confidence in their big body.

Hardy Harr is chaotic-good boy, with more charisma than a bard. This performer/ producer has officially been living the drag fantasy for a year, and is ready to take you all on an adventure! Let’s get rolling with Hardy Harr!

Justin Secrecy is the Prince of Salt Lake City, having undergone a magical transformation of his very own. His love and passion in life is sharing art and trans joy with the queer community as a burlesque artist, drag king, and dancer. Follow @ justinsecrecy on Instagram.

Rowdy Rosalind, the time traveler drag creature, is here to bring some whimsy & color to this world and share their knowledge from their many travels around different multi-verses!

KRCL ROWDY STAGE

100 S. AND RIO GRANDE

NOON

DJ Suzy

DJ Suzy brings 11 years of high-energy, open-format DJing to the stage, blending queer anthems, modern hits, underground beats, and country. A pro with experience on major sports teams, she creates inclusive, electrifying atmospheres where everyone feels seen. Her sets are more than music—they’re celebrations of joy, unity, and self-expression.

1:40PM Masculine Artifice

Masculine Artifice is an all queer, women led hardcore band. We are radical leftists, feminists, pro LGBTQIA+, and anti-imperialists. Our music is angry, political, and unapologetic.

2:20PM

Perfect Storm

Perfect Storm is a transgender solo artist blending raw, vulnerable lyrics with rock-driven guitar. With 22 years of guitar experience and over three years singing, Sammy draws from ’90s and early 2000s rock, blues, classic rock, and classical guitar. They’ve written two albums awaiting recording, promising heartfelt, genre-spanning music.

3:20PM

Fight the Future

Fight the Future is a hardcore punk quartet that draws inspiration from the spirit of New York hardcore and the melodies of Bay Area punk. Led by the unapologetic vocals of Kelly Green, the band embodies the spirit of leftist activism, queer liberation, and feminist resistance.

4:20PM

Somebody/ Anybody

Hey-yo! Who’s ready to party?! Somebody/Anybody is a gaggle of wizards making ear candy for aliens and they apologize in advance if (when) their our songs get stuck in your head. If you hate having fun, this is not the show for you!! But if you’re looking for a good time, don’t call just anyone... call Somebody/ Anybody!

5:30PM

TINKFU

Salt Lake City native TINKFU has electrified Utah’s DJ scene for over 20 years with her genre-defying sets. As co-founder of Priss Collective, Utah’s leading all-female DJ crew, she pushes local boundaries and spins nationwide—from Waikiki to Miami. Known for high-energy performances and deep crowd connection, TINKFU’s passion and skill leave a lasting impact everywhere she plays.

ROCK CAMP FAMILY STAGE

NORTH LAWN OF THE GATEWAY

11:50AM Aria Darling

Aria Darling is a Salt Lake Citybased singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, performing with indie bands Somebody, Anybody and Cher Khan. She teaches guitar, bass, mandolin, and vocals, sharing her passion with aspiring musicians. Offstage, Aria just got engaged to her partner Amanda, marking a joyful new chapter in love.

12:50PM

Trash Pandas

An all-youth, all-local cover band, Trash Pandas have been on the SLC Scene for over two years and spreading their tunes and joy all over the city. With several Rock Camp SLC Alumni in their group, Trash Pandas will bring the energy and set the tone for the Rock Camp Open Mic at this year’s festival.

1:50PM

Rock Camp Open Mic Mix

3:40PM

Judas Rose

Judas Rose is a multi-genre musician and drag artist local to the Salt Lake Valley. They see drag as a vehicle for their voice and songwriting to shine through, along with their poetry and comedic storytelling. They are very active in the local open mic scene and are excited to continue to collaborate and evolve alongside the other creative minds in the city.

4:40PM

Zaza Historia VanDyke

Zaza a poc, trans-femme parent, performer, songwriter and artist. You can find her anywhere she can be loud and proud with an instrument in hand playing something to move you. She’s the girl at every campfire and party, singing and playing guitar and speaking truth.

5:40PM Ruh

Ruh is a non-binary songwriter that has traveled the world with their guitar and ukulele, writing songs on boardwalks and mountain tops and jamming with strangers along the way. Inspired by the folk music they were raised on, their music is a lyrical and acoustic catharsis. Each song is lived a story; from “Naked Man in the River” to “Generational Wealth,” they are songs of joy, trauma, grief, self-actualization and love.

KARAOKE BLOCK

PARTY STAGE

BETWEEN THE NORTH LAWN AND 100 S INTERSECTION

This stage is ALL-KARAOKE ALL-WEEKEND! Expect good vibes and non-stop jams!! Q More info at slc-pride.org

Ogden Pride announces entertainment, events

Ogden Pride is turning up the volume this summer with its 11th annual Pride Festival, taking place Sunday, August 3, at the Ogden Amphitheater and adjacent Municipal Gardens. With the powerful theme “Pride Cannot Be Silenced,” this year’s celebration isn’t just a party — it’s a statement.

The main event caps off a full weekend of activities running August 1–3, all organized by Ogden Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and supporting Utah’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. More than 6,000 attendees are expected for Sunday’s festival, which will include over 150 vendors, food trucks, entertainment, community resource booths, and plenty of ways to celebrate out loud.

A Weekend of Pride and Purpose

The festivities kick off Friday, August 1, with an all-ages QUEER PROM , offering young people and families a space to express themselves joyfully and safely.

Saturday, August 2, brings the OGDEN PRIDE RALLY — a high-energy gathering centered on solidarity, activism, and visibility.

GLITTER IN THE AIR: THE ULTIMATE P!NK EXPERIENCE brings the powerhouse energy of P!NK to life in a dazzling, full-production tribute unmatched in its artistry and creativity. Originating from Denver, this six-piece ensemble features lead vocalist/aerialist/ pianist Michelle Cottrell, who channels P!NK’s raw vocal power, choreography, and signature aerial skills. Backed by seasoned musicians covering drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, and harmonies, the show spans three decades of hits from “Missundaztood” to “Just Give Me a Reason,” delivering a high-octane stage performance that blends musical fidelity with visual spectacle . A sensory celebration of rebellion and empowerment.

Then on Sunday, August 3, the spotlight shifts to the heart of downtown Ogden, where the amphitheater will transform into a kaleidoscope of flags, families, and fierce performances. This year’s entertainment lineup will feature mistresses of ceremonies Regent Empress XXIV LADY DELISH and Emperor XXIV J’LEE Utah’s Queer, all-trans glam-punk

band SHECOCK WITH A VENGEANCE , led by Sofia Scott, is known for their fierce riffs and in-your-face energy, they debuted with A Taste of Something Sweet to Put In Your Mouth in 2018 and returned in 2023 with the hard-hitting EP Trannosaurus.

Ogden’s premier drag cast FUSION PRODUCTIONS , founded and led by IRCONU Empress 22 ERICKA

LEE DAAE’ RILEY AIRE CHANEL

DIAMOND DE’LYNN , brings electrifying shows to life to Junction City. Blending high-glam artistry, theatrical flair, and fierce inclusivity, they elevate the drag experience with, charisma, unapologetic pride, nerve, and talent, continuing to inspire and uplift audiences throughout the region.

‘Pride

Cannot Be Silenced’

In a year marked by increasing political rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the nation, Ogden Pride’s 2025 theme hits with particular resonance.

“Now more than ever, our community needs to be seen, heard, and supported,” said organizers in a statement. “Ogden Pride stands firm in our belief that Pride is not just a celebration—it’s an act of resistance, resilience, and radical love.”

Community Roots and Ongoing Programs

Ogden Pride’s impact goes well beyond the festival weekend. The organization operates year-round programs like Youth OUTreach, which offers safe spaces and mentorship for LGBTQ+ youth; STARS in Action, which supports youth-led advocacy and leadership; and Queer Connections, which helps build social support networks for adults in the community.

All of these programs are funded by generous donations, sponsorships, and volunteer efforts — many of which are still being accepted through July 6 at ogdenpride.org.

“We rely on our community to help make this happen,” said Ogden Pride staff. “Whether it’s through volunteering, sponsoring, or simply showing up, everyone plays a part in keeping this momentum alive.”

Free and Family-Friendly

Ogden Pride 2025 is free and open to all ages, with a focus on creating a welcoming and inclusive space for people of all identities and backgrounds. Attendees are encouraged to bring their friends, chosen family, and full selves for a day

of joy, empowerment, and community. Vendor, volunteer, and sponsorship opportunities are available now at ogdenpride.org, and those wanting to stay in the loop can subscribe to the Ogden Pride newsletter or follow YourOgdenPride on Facebook. So mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate loud — because in Ogden, Pride cannot be silenced. More information at ogdenpride.org

QSaltLake Lagoon Day returns Aug. 10: A sea of red, joy, and queer community

Each summer, Utah’s LGBTQ+ community claims a day of joy, connection, and roller coasters at Lagoon Amusement Park. This year, QSaltLake Lagoon Day is set for Sunday, August 10.

The annual gathering draws hundreds, sometimes up to 2,000, queer Utahns and allies to the iconic Farmington amusement park. Attendees are encouraged to wear red

to stand out in solidarity and celebration. The Honey Locust Pavilion will once again serve as the community’s home base as an all-day hangout for picnics, rest, and meeting new friends. A group photo is scheduled for 4 p.m.

“Seeing two young guys holding hands, laughing, and wearing matching red shirts … It changed something in me,” shared Tyler Bennett,

a past attendee. “It was a simple moment, but I’ll never forget how free they looked.”

While the event is not exclusive, since general visitors will also be in the park, the energy on QSaltLake Day is unmistakably queer and welcoming.

Lagoon, Utah’s largest amusement park, boasts ten major coasters, dozens of games and rides, a water park, and the historic Pioneer Village. Opened in 1886 and still family-owned, the park

also carries a legacy of civil rights. Under the leadership of Robert Freed, Lagoon formally desegregated in the 1940s, ahead of many public venues in the state, a move that earned Freed recognition from the NAACP.

Discount ticket codes for the August 10 event will be released in late July. Q

For more information about the park, go to LagoonPark.com. For more information about the QSaltLake Lagoon Day, see our Facebook Event.

Regional Prides this summer

The 2025 Pride season is brimming with vibrant celebrations across Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Here’s a chronological guide to the regional Pride events, each offering unique experiences and opportunities to support the LGBTQ+ community.

SLC Pride Festival

JUNE 28–29 (SALT LAKE CITY)

Not to be confused with Utah Pride the first weekend of June, SLC Pride returns to The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City for its second annual festival, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community with a weekend full of joy, inclusivity, and empowerment. The festival kicks off with Genderfuq, a trans-centered punk rock event on Thursday, June 27, at Sugar Space Arts Warehouse. The main festival runs Saturday and Sunday, featuring live performances, a variety show, local vendors, and community organizations. Attendees can also enjoy the Transcake Breakfast on Sunday morning, a special event celebrating transgender individuals and their allies. SLC Pride is committed to creating a safe, accessible, and family-friendly environment for all.

SLC-PRIDE.ORG

Idaho Falls Pride

JUNE 27–28

Idaho Falls Pride returns for its 13th year with a powerful theme: Putting the Unity in Community. Festivities will begin Friday, June 20 with Pride Night at the Chukars game. On June 27, the official Drag Show will light up the Westbank Convention Center. The weekend wraps up June 28 with a family-friendly parade and all-day festival at the Greenbelt, featuring live

entertainment, vendors, and more—all celebrating LGBTQ+ pride in eastern Idaho.

IDAHOFALLSPRIDE.COM

West Valley City Pride

JUNE 28 (WEST VALLEY CITY)

West Valley City hosts its inaugural Pride event at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. This free celebration includes live performances, local vendors, interactive art experiences, and a reflection of the city’s diverse and dynamic community. It’s a historic moment honoring pride, progress, and unity.

CULTURALCELEBRATION.ORG/PRIDE

Ogden Pride Festival

AUGUST 1–3 (OGDEN)

Celebrating its 11th year, the Ogden Pride Festival spans three days under the theme “Pride Cannot Be Silenced.” Events include a Queer Prom on Friday, August 1, a Saturday event still in the works, and the main festival on Sunday, August 3, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Ogden Amphitheater and Municipal Gardens. Expect over 150 vendors, food, resource hubs, and performances celebrating strength, unity, and resilience. OGDENPRIDE.ORG

Trans Pride-N-Joy Fest

AUGUST 9, (SALT LAKE COUNTY)

Celebrate and uplift Utah’s transgender and nonbinary community at the 6th annual Trans Pride-N-Joy Fest, hosted

by Genderbands on Saturday, August 9, 2025. This vibrant, all-ages festival centers trans joy and visibility with live entertainment, local vendors, food trucks, and a welcoming, affirming atmosphere. The event also features a sensory-friendly Chill Zone, ASL interpretation, and accessibility measures to ensure everyone feels included. Tickets are $5, with volunteer opportunities available for those unable to pay. After-parties, including a family-friendly show, a 21+ drag event, and a Trans Pool Party, will follow the main festival.

GENDERBANDS.ORG/TRANSPRIDE

Logan Pride Festival

SEPTEMBER

6 (LOGAN)

Logan Pride is in the planning stages for its upcoming festival. Details regarding the date, location, and activities will be shared soon. The festival aims to bring together the community in celebration of diversity, inclusion, and love.

LOGANPRIDE.ORG

Boise Pride

SEPTEMBER

6 (BOISE, IDAHO)

Boise Pride is gearing up for their biggest festival yet. Ann Morrison Park ffers more space for bigger crowds for a powerful celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, visibility, and community. Get ready for

an unforgettable weekend.

BOISEPRIDEFEST.ORG

Northern Nevada Pride

SEPTEMBER

6 (RENO, NEVADA)

Reno brings the LGBTQ+ community of northern Nevada together for a Pride at Wingfield Park and a one-mile parade along Virginia Street from Under the Arch to Over the River.

NORTHERNNEVADAPRIDE.ORG/

Pride of Southern Utah

SEPTEMBER

27 (ST. GEORGE)

Pride in the Park, Southern Utah’s largest LGBTQ+ festival, returns Saturday, Sept. 27, at JC Snow Park in St. George. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy live performances, food vendors, and a vibrant queer marketplace. This free, family-friendly event celebrates love, identity, and community. Everyone’s welcome!

PRIDEOFSOUTHERNUTAH.ORG

Las Vegas Pride

October

10 (Las Vegas)

Las Vegas starts with its nighttime parade and block party on October 10 in Downtown. The next day is the Festival, which begins as a family-friendly PG-rated experience until the clock strikes 7, when PRIDE After-Dark takes over with plenty of R-rated entertainment.

.LASVEGASPRIDE.ORG

‘& Juliet’ is a Shakespearean jukebox musical romp, sans Romeo

BY BLAIR HOWELL

Imagine an alternate ending to “Romeo and Juliet.” That’s the whimsical premise of the effervescent, crowd-pleasing “& Juliet.”

In the Broadway musical, Shakespeare and his feminist wife Anne bicker about the classic play’s conclusion. She says his ending is shit and argues for something more girl-powered. Juliet doesn’t kill herself. Instead the she hightails it out of Verona to Paris — on a carousel horse-driven pedicab. Adding to the antics is a pop music soundtrack.

Shakespeare sings Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” about the original script, but at Anne’s insistence, Juliet begins a more fanciful Parisian life. The heroine explains it all to the Bon Jovi/ Sambora hit “It’s My Life” and Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is.” When a character from the first act reappears, he learns what’s happened with Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

What ties the music together are the songs written by hit-maker Max Martin and friends, credited in the playbill, with David West Read, who helmed “Schitt’s Creek,” authoring the show’s book. The songs don’t propel the story; they are tangentially related. The authors unabashedly embrace these shoehorned songs, as seen by the jukebox prop on stage, for this jukebox musical. “& Juliet” is largely enjoyable for the energetic cast’s Broadway-ized renditions of mis-

matched songs. (Noted that Martin is also a lead producer of this polished package.)

The cast is expert, but the standout is Luke Sheppard, who lead-helmed the Olivier award-winning West End premiere, the Tony-nominated Broadway transfer, and this North American tour. The director creates an evenly lively, eye-popping staging jam-packed with bright imagery and a dizzying array of creative stage movement. Set pieces fly, float, and spin. In lesser hands, this could have been a frenetic mess. Sheppard runs a tight ship, and his staging eschews the fatal (and too often boring) pitfall that befalls other shows with songs not written for theater.

Choreographer Jennifer Weber is capable of seemingly infinite variations through her wide dance vocabulary. Weber’s style incorporates the moves of boy bands and pop divas. Sexy, fluid, and riveting. And performing the choreography, the entire company is razor sharp and deeply impressive.

Rachel Simone Webb is a powerful Juliet, a strong portrayal to hinder Romeo obsolete. She has a striking, effortless belt. Corey Mach is a playful Shakespeare opposite standby of Shelby Griswold’s commanding Anne.

As if the plot centered around Martin’s hits wasn’t gay enough, “& Juliet” gives us a center-stage queer love story. A nonbinary character named May (enjoy-

ably played by Nick Drake) is caught in a love triangle with their love interest, François (Mateus Leite Cardoso), and the titular character. It’s incredibly rare to see a queer nonbinary character be desired by a straight cis femme character and not just a queer best friend.

Drake has a moving solo of Brintey’s “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” that is reinterpreted as a song about living outside the gender binary with the lyrics: “Feels like I’m caught in the middle / That’s when I realize / I’m not a girl / Not yet a woman.” It’s followed by Katy Perry’s bisexual anthem “I Kissed A Girl.” Though May refers to themselves with she/her pronouns through the lyrics, they clarify with the line “You know I’m not a girl, right?” to which François says, “I don’t care. I just like kissing you.”

The aim of jukebox musicals is not Pulitzer lofty, and a Best Musical Tony win would only be possible in a lean season. Many theatergoers will proclaim “& Juliet” as a warm crumpet with a heaping helping of tasty golden syrup. Showing its longstanding appeal, New York previews began in October of 2022, and the musical is still running. Once rights are available, watch for it to be widely regionally staged by high schools and colleges, where 90 percent of live theater is produced.

ECCLES THEATRE, through June 22.

PHOTO: MATTHEW-MURPHY

Have you recently come out and need resources to share with your parents?

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IPlayright Pedro Flores counters Cho Chang with Juan Jose

BY PEDRO FLORES

originally

came up with the idea for JUAN JOSE AND THE DEATHLY VATOS after I had just bombed an audition for a comedy show. I was venting about the experience to one of my best friends and realized I had a different monologue that would have worked better, and could not believe I forgot to use it. It was a very funny monologue from Rick Najera’s Latinologues called “East L.A. Baywatch,” in which a chola plays a lifeguard at the community pool. It was a combination of ideas that motivated me to

q scopes

JULY

BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS

ARIES March 20–April 19

You’re a trailblazer, and right now, the path ahead is yours to forge. Embrace your pioneering spirit, but remember even the boldest journeys require preparation. Ground yourself before taking that first step into the unknown.

TAURUS Apr 20–May 20

You’ve been carrying a weight that no longer serves you. It’s time to assess what truly matters and release what doesn’t. Letting go isn’t about losing control; it’s about choosing where to invest your energy for the most meaningful returns.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

Your curiosity is a gift, leading you to new ideas and connections. Every conversation is an opportunity to learn and grow.

say, “You know what? Fuck it! I’ll write my own monologue and it’ll be the funniest shit anyone has ever heard.”

I began toying with an old idea/critique of J.K. Rowling’s world of wizards. You see, I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan, and one of the first things that I found hilariously ridiculous about this fantasy world was a particular Asian witch by the name of Cho Chang.

When I first saw the movies (I never read the books) as an adult, I believe I had to pause and ask, “Is her name really Cho Chang?” to which my girlfriend at the time answered, “Yes.” To which I replied, “So the only Asian

witch’s name is Cho Chang??? I bet if J.K. Rowling wrote a Mexican wizard, his name would have been Juan Jose!”

So I began to write myself a monologue based on these ideas. I only intended it to be a page long. Two pages max. But one turned into two and two into four, and suddenly I found myself writing an entire play about a “what-if” world of Harry Potter from the perspective of a Latino.

Juan Jose is an amalgamation of myself as a kid, my critiques of Harry Potter as an adult, and boosting my culture and background, combining them to create a ridiculous (yet hilarious) narrative. Q

Pedro Flores has created roles in several Plan-B Theatre productions, most recently FULL COLOR. Plan-B presents the world premiere of his first work as playwright, JUAN JOSE AND THE DEATHLY VATOS (which he also performs) July 24 through August 3, as part of the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Tickets and details at planbtheatre.org/juanjose

While your mind races ahead, take moments to pause and reflect, ensuring you move with intention.

CANCER June 21–July 22

The past has shaped you, but it doesn’t define you. Memories may resurface, not to haunt, but to heal. Embrace them with compassion, then gently let go, making space for the present and future.

LEO July 23–August 22

The spotlight is yours, but it’s your authenticity that will captivate. Share your story with honesty and heart. When you speak your truth, your presence becomes magnetic, inspiring those around you.

VIRGO August 23–Sep 2

Perfection isn’t the goal; progress is. Embrace the beauty in imperfection and the lessons that can be found in chaos. Trust that even when things don’t

go as planned, you’re moving toward growth and understanding.

LIBRA Sept 23–October 22

Balance isn’t about symmetry; it’s about harmony. Embrace the ebb and flow of life, finding grace in movement and change. Sometimes, the most beautiful moments arise from unexpected shifts.

SCORPIO Oct 23–Nov 21

Desire is a powerful force within you. Channel it wisely, allowing it to guide you toward meaningful connections and experiences. Let your choices reflect your values, ensuring they align with your true self.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22–December 20

Adventure isn’t always about distant lands; sometimes, it’s found in the familiar. Seek out new perspectives in your daily life, and you’ll discover treasures hidden in plain sight.

Dec 21–Jan 19

You’ve worked hard to climb the mountain, but don’t forget to enjoy the view. Take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come. What lies ahead doesn’t need to be earned; it simply needs to be embraced.

AQUARIUS Jan 20–Feb 18

The world is shifting, and so are you. Embrace the changes with openness and curiosity. Your unique perspective is needed now more than ever, so step forward and share your vision.

PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19

Your emotions are a canvas, rich with color and depth. Allow them to flow freely, creating a masterpiece of your inner world. Not everything needs to be understood; some feelings are meant to be felt. Q

CAPRICORN

Books for Pride month

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

You’re going to be on your feet a lot this month. Marching in parades, dancing in the streets, standing up for people in your community. But you’re also likely to have some time to rest and reflect — and with these great new books, to read… First, dip into a biography with “MARSHA: THE JOY AND DEFIANCE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON” BY TOURMALINE (Tiny Rep Books, $30), a nice look at an icon who, rumor has it, threw the brick that started a revolution. It’s a lively tale about Marsha P. Johnson, her life, her activism before Stonewall, and afterward. Reading this interesting and highly researched history is a great way to launch your Pride Month. For the reader who can’t live without music, try “THE DAD ROCK THAT MADE ME A WOMAN” BY NIKO STRATIS (University of Texas Press, $27.95), the story of being trans, searching for your place in the world, and finding it

the bookworm sez

in a certain comfortable genre of music. Also look for “THE LONELY VETERAN’S GUIDE TO COMPANIONSHIP” BY BRONSON LEMER (University of Wisconsin Press, $19.95), a collection of essays that make up a memoir of this and that, of being queer, basic training, teaching overseas, influential books, and life.

If you still have room for one more memoir, try “WALK LIKE A GIRL” BY PRABAL GURUNG (Viking, $32.00). It’s the story of one queer boy’s childhood in India and Nepal, and the intolerance he experienced as a child, which caused him to dream of New York and the life he imagined there. As you can imagine, dreams and reality collided, but nonetheless, Gurung stayed, persevered, and eventually became an award-winning fashion designer, highly sought by fashion icons and lovers of haute couture. This is an inspiring tale that you shouldn’t miss. No Pride celebration is complete without a history book or two.

In “TRANS HISTORY: FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY” BY ALEX L. COMBS & ANDREW EAKETT ($24.99, Candlewick Press),

you’ll see that being trans is something that’s as old as humanity. One nice part about this book: it’s in graphic novel form, so it’s lighter to read but still informative. Lastly, try “SO MANY STARS: AN ORAL HISTORY OF TRANS, NONBINARY, GENDERQUEER, AND TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE OF COLOR” BY CARO DE ROBERTIS (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $32), a collection of thoughts, observations, and truths from over a dozen people who share their stories. As an “oral history,” you’ll be glad to know that each page is full of mini-segments you can dip into anywhere, read from cover to cover, and double-back and read again. It’s that kind of book.

And if these six books aren’t enough, if they don’t quite fit what you crave now, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help. There are literally tens of thousands of books that are perfect for Pride Month and beyond. They’ll be able to determine what you’re looking for, and they’ll put it directly in your hands. So stand up. March. And then sit and read. Q

HE’S SO LUCKY, HE’S A STAR

Inside

‘Overcompensating,’ the show Benito Skinner made for the closeted kids who worshiped Britney and survived bro culture

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

There’s a Mariah Carey canvas in my hands and Benito Skinner on Zoom, and somehow, this feels exactly right. My teenage self — the one who lip-synced “Fantasy” in a locked bedroom — would totally get it. And Skinner, who knows firsthand the life-saving power of a pop girlie, greets the moment with the enthusiasm it deserves when I hold up the massive artwork in front of the camera.

After all, his new Prime Video show “Overcompensating” — which he created, produced and stars in — opens with a young Benny watching Britney Spears’ “Lucky” video with a group of boys who don’t get it. For Benny, though, “Lucky” is an emotional lifeline — one that helps him survive the toxic pull of college bro culture. Honestly, the specificity hits almost too close to home for me.

Skinner — best known for his sharp, satirical characters on Instagram and TikTok — makes his biggest leap yet with “Overcompensating,” a tender, chaotic and deeply funny series that explores what happens when you bury your

queerness under a mountain of Axe body spray and forced masc energy. The jokes are biting but what lingers most is the emotional honesty. And yes, I did cry.

During our chat, we talked about going back in time to confront your closeted self, masculinity as performance and which of his internet personas would absolutely terrorize a liberal arts campus if given the chance. (Spoiler: Hailee’s already there.) And before we said goodbye, Skinner brought it all back to where we started — with the elusive chanteuse herself.

“My love to Mariah Carey,” he said. “‘E=MC²’ was huge for me... Randomly, ‘Migrate.’ People don’t talk about ‘Migrate’ enough.”

“From the bar to the club, we migrate,” he added, quoting the song like a benediction.

Clearly I identified with little Benny right off the bat. How did it feel revisiting that part of yourself, those early formative obsessions as an adult with the freedom to fully own them now? That’s exactly it. It was so much fun because I could

own them and now laugh at them, and I think that’s how the cast felt. It’s like we all had enough distance from this time that nothing felt too terrifying, and if it did, it was over quickly. For me, it felt like I finally had so much power over it, whether that be my voice or my mannerisms, and being able to finally laugh at the sadness of it, and maybe obviously cringe.

But yeah, at first, it definitely felt strange being in the dorm room. I remember when I met with Daniel Longino, the director of the pilot. We talked about what the dorm room should look like, and I had this photo of my dorm room. And then in the end, we were just like, “We shouldn’t pull from any references. It should just be the dorm room,” and he said that. He was like, “No, we’re making that dorm room.” And Shane Fox, our production designer, did. And so I stepped into it on the first day of shooting and I was like, “What the fuck have I done?”

But then it was like, boom, my brain could click in and I was like, “Let’s make some people laugh and cry. Let’s

fucking go.” I was like, “We’re telling this story. This is helping me as an actor to get right back into it.” So it was bizarre and I felt so grateful, and by the end, it felt very cathartic for me. I didn’t expect to cry during this show. So for me, too, as a viewer, it felt cathartic. Yeah. I think what happens in the fifth episode was really hard for me. I definitely got back into some of those feelings of putting your love in someone that can’t do anything with it, and it isn’t about actually wanting to be with that person. It’s just an addiction to masculinity and the safety that we all think it can bring because of all the things we’ve been taught for so long in the society we’re in. Trying to forgive myself for not coming out sooner — that’s something I’ve always made fun of myself for. It’s like, who was I kidding? God, I’ve missed out on my life. I went abroad to London and wasn’t out. It’s like, what? Could you imagine? You’re not that old, Benito. You can still make up for lost time. Yeah, I know. And I’ve made up quickly. How many wigs can one man put on? But I feel like I could forgive myself because I think it’s understanding there’s so many reasons. It’s giving yourself the grace of that experience. We all have our reasons for not feeling safe in scenarios or not feeling like we can be ourselves, and that extends to everyone. The show arrives at a particularly charged moment, both politically and in the ongoing conversation about hypermasculinity — especially with the current climate in the White House. How does it feel for you to tackle hypermasculinity in this era? I think I never planned for that. I thought maybe this would happen a little faster, but I feel so fortunate that the show could give anyone a break from the clown parade for even a minute, and to feel like there are people out there who are like you and rooting for you and protecting you and supporting you, and have experienced things that you’re feeling. I feel so fortunate that the show got made and that it’s coming out, and now. And I just want two best friends to watch it in a bed on a laptop. Preferably a bigger laptop. I do think the show’s pretty! That would mean the world. But

to give people that little bit of a break and a little space, and to be able to laugh and cry with your friends and just feel like there is some fucking human decency that exists on Earth, which I think is really hard to remember currently. I feel so lucky that this is the show that we got to make and that these are the actors in it, and I hope everyone sees themselves on screen and is able to just feel a nice moment and feel human empathy. And it’s a very scary time, so I think being able to make comedy is such a privilege. Comedy has long been a tool for survival and protest in the queer community. How do you see “Overcompensating” continuing that legacy? Oh, I think by being as honest as possible through it. I feel lucky that everyone let me do some of these things in the show and that I could say, “I want to be in a harness on a couch with Matt [Rogers] and Bowen [Yang], and that’s it.” And everyone’s like, “Fabulous.” But allowing that, I feel so fortunate. It was just like, how true can we get? OK, I licked a condom, let’s lick a condom. Let’s go to what desire is for queer people. Let’s show a girl who gets it wrong and is doing the best she can, but she Googled “gay” one time and this is what came up, so she’s doing the best she can. It happens. Hey, it happens, and not that I don’t love “Drag Race” or “Brokeback Mountain,” but OK, girl, there’s more here that we could find. But yeah, I think it’s having all of those conversations and not shying away from any of it, and opening a show on Amazon with a kid realizing he’s sexually attracted to a man for the first time, not that he understands that in that moment, but opening with that and being allowed to open with that feels like a protest of sorts. Also the scenes that I got to write where it’s just all these straight guys in a room, showing how uncomfortable those rooms feel and how it’s one performance on top of another. But it also being disgusting and allowing for that, and poking at it and poking at how much of all of this is a performance, and masculinity is such a performance at its core. If you could drop one of your TikTok characters into the “Overcompensating” universe, who would cause the most

chaos? Oh my god, I kind of did! So Hailee was one of my first characters. I had her as this girl who went abroad, and then I think she was the Gemini in my astrology. So I already dropped her in, and oh my god, she is the nucleus. She’s a bat out of hell. I think that’s the most fun almost Easter egg for anyone who’s been with me since then, which would be crazy, but I feel like, yeah, getting to develop that character and then write her into a script and then now have an actor like Holmes take on that part and just fucking go absolutely bat shit with it, that’s the dream. So it happened, but maybe Deliverance Richards if I had to. I think she’s doing something on campus. I don’t know what, but we’ll figure it out. She’s teaching a class, she’s doing a TEDx talk or something. I don’t even know. I don’t know what my girl’s doing.

When you think about your younger closeted self watching this show, what’s the scene or moment you hope he would hold onto? I love the scene between Benny and Carmen in the fifth episode at the end: allowing yourself to really show yourself fully to someone. I also really love the scene between Benny and his mom, Kathryn, played by the living icon Connie Britton. I wrote that with Scott King and that was such an emotional scene because both of them trying to allow the other to say what needs to be said, but they’re just both not quite ready to fully say it out loud. That is what I would love people to take [away], that you can take your time on any aspect of this journey in your life and allow people to surprise you at times. God, I feel like it’s really hard to pick one because I think I made so much of it for... I made it for gay people, and I hope that they feel that and see it. What was it about the scene with Connie as your mom that resonated with your younger self? That scene was pretty easy to act in because I’m still reminding myself of that now. That is something that I feel all of us who aren’t just straight, white dudes feel, which is never being enough and that we have to do so much. And if we’re not perfect, people won’t love us or accept us, or we won’t be allowed in spaces or given respect or we’ll be in danger. What queer creators or stories have shaped

your sense of humor and your voice as a performer? It’s funny, I feel like I never sought any queer stories when I was a kid. I kept turning away. If anything started to feel like me, I would maybe look for a second then turn away. I remember Rupert Everett in “My Best Friend’s Wedding” was one of the first times I was like, “I kind of act like that.” And my family was all

like, “He feels like Benny,” and I’m like, “Shut the fuck up.” But I remember when he’s singing “Say a Little Prayer” at a brunch, I was like, “That’s me.” And that moment where he ends up with Julia Roberts feels so explosive to me, that a huge Hollywood movie, this mega star like Julia Roberts, she just ends up with her gay best friend. That’s why that movie’s perfect.

But I feel so lucky to be a comedian during this time because when I was coming up, even in New York, I felt so supported by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang too, and that’s why I loved having them in the show. They brought me on “Las Culturistas” when I had only been making videos for a bit, and they were so supportive and it felt like this kind of celebration of all of these queer voices that were entering the space. During that time, I was doing a lot of standup, so I got to see some of these people that now I’m seeing shine, and it’s really so exciting. Obviously, John Early and Kate Berlant. I think the “Paris” sketch will stand as one of the great sketches of our time.

And Cole Escola has always been a hero of mine. Seeing them get flowers and just own New York City, and I need them to win a Tony. I just think that “Oh, Mary!” is the most brilliant piece of work from the most genius, brilliant, kind, unbelievable person. So I feel fortunate that, honestly, all my heroes, I get to be around them and experience their work right now. As sad as it was that I didn’t feel like I really had that as a kid, I feel lucky to be in a scene with my heroes in the show.

Chris Azzopardi is the editorial director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

Betty RewritesWho Her Rhythm

The artist talks new music and reimagining her purpose as a queer artist

BY EVE KUCHARSKI

It’s natural for our creative sensibilities to shift as we get older. We get wiser, gain more experience and even more perspective. Over time, while we continue to love the music we consumed in the past, it’s expected that our boundaries expand and our tastes change and broaden.

But what about from the artist’s viewpoint? For Betty Who, who has consistently delivered bops over the last 10 years, a question has been front of mind recently: “Oh fuck, what do I write about?”

“Sometimes I’ll be on stage and put on an outfit and think, ‘Did I just come out here and sing some songs I made up so you guys can clap for me?’ I don’t know if it is. I don’t think that ‘I need you to clap for me’ is my reason,” admits Betty, 33. “Now I am looking at my approach to my projects and my approach to making music as, ‘What do I want to say?’ but also, ‘What do other people need to hear?’”

One thing that is clear on this journey of creative self-reflection, though, is Betty Who’s love for the pop genre.

“There’s something about pop. I’m a pop girl stan. I grew up watching Britney Spears and thinking it doesn’t have to mean something; she’s just incredibly beautiful and she’s shaking her abs for me and I’m 4 years old and I’m gagging and I don’t even know why. It speaks to me. I’m just here,” she says. “But I think when you can take a moment and go, ‘But this is why we’re here’ — the ‘why’ is a big question for me right now.”That question was one of the primary drivers behind Betty’s song, “Run!,” released in April. The artist, who is queer and has a massive LGBTQ+ following, will bring her latest songs — including her latest single, “Sweat” — on her “Out of the Darkness” summer tour. Recently, Betty shared her inspiration for the tour, insights about her songwriting process and why creative sustainability is her new focus.

PHOTO: ZAK CASSAR

We all know that pop is your superpower, but what’s your mid-power? For me, it’s customer service calls. And you’re excellent at it. Not a superpower because you’re not flying, but you’re like, “I’m handling it.” I know exactly what mine is, Eve; mine is silly. Mine is big “my mother” energy. Any time I meet a server I’m, “Hey, what’s your name?” And then I use it the whole time and go like, “Thank you so much my friend” when speaking to customer service. It’s my excellent small talk with people in the service industry — I like to be the one person who made their day not miserable. That is my mid-power. Spreading joy and kindness in your daily life is very on brand. Your single “Run!” is high-energy and very positive, and it focuses on your own story and on rekindling the excitement and exuberance you had when you first started your career. Could you walk me through what inspired you to write this track? I am the number one person who is the hardest on myself. I just wrote a different song about this entire same experience. I think that something I’m really working through in my creativity is trying to figure out [why] I have so much kindness for the waiter that I ask what their name is and I try to make their life easier but then up here? It’s mental illness, innit? [Laughs] It’s really hard; I have moments sometimes where I come up and out of my body and say, “What if I was nicer? What if I didn’t spend all of my mental and emotional energy doing this to myself?” When I watched “The Substance,” there is a very pivotal moment where the two people are alive at the same time and they just start beating the shit out of each other. And I had one of those moments where I came up and out of my body and I was like, “Whoa, that’s me to me. Oh.” So I think that that is something that “Run!” also kind of encapsulates. A huge part of putting yourself out there is audacity. That person still lives within me, but now I’m a lot less motivated to make her dreams come true because we’ve seen some things. You get older, you stumble a few too many times on the path to the life that you want

and you’re like, “This is hard, and I’m tired.” And how do I continue to find a new way to approach building the life that I always wanted with that same kind of intensity and focus? It’s really an attempt to lock into that person and now, I have to do it for her. It’s looking back at that little girl watching Britney Spears and going, “She wanted to be on stage, and now you have the chance to be on stage and you better use it, girlfriend!”

As audacious as it is, I truly think you need some youthful naivete to start a creative career because if you knew what you know now it might be too terrifying to begin! How has your creative approach changed since the start of your career? I was in “Hadestown” on Broadway, which sort of changed my life but also eight shows a week for six months was a totally new experience for me, and coming off of that, the last thing I wanted to do was anything. So the last year and a half I really have taken this time to be like, “What does it feel like to be a person in this moment in my life that is not chasing a dream every single second of every day that I am alive?” And I think in this stage of my life where I am very happily married, with my dog, and in this tiny little house that we love, there are so many things about my life that are exactly as I would want them to be. I feel so lucky for that, but then I go to the studio to write a song and go, “Oh fuck, what do I write about?” I’m so happy, but it doesn’t really move the needle for me creatively in the same way that the ever-flowing sort of drama of my early 20s did.

I also think that knowing what I know about my community and how small and mighty we are, a huge part of what I love to do is make people feel seen and held and loved and creating a space where you can go, “Nobody in my life makes me feel this way, but I listened to this song and it makes me feel like I can go on another day.” That’s the power of music to me and what we do. So I am trying to lock into that place. Yes, there are some songs where I’m just trying to have fun and I’m not trying to say anything crazy or motivational. Like, I’m putting out

a song for Pride called “Sweat” and it’s not that difficult; we don’t have to think that hard. But there are moments moving forward that are less self-serving but more exciting at this stage in my life.

Queer joy feels so necessary in the current political climate, so sometimes even a song just about having fun can be so subversive. Fittingly, your tour is called “Out of the Darkness.” Can you share more about how you arrived at the name? We went back and forth a little bit about what to call the tour because I had a couple of different ideas, but for me, “Out of the Darkness” definitely symbolized something I had been going through, which was reemerging from my cave and literally from this room playing notes on a piano. But I think that I’m trying to think of my show in that same sort of community service way. For “Out of the Darkness,” my entire approach and my goal for the tour is to create an environment where I go, “Hey, I know things are really crazy.” And everybody has their own version, whether you’re really engaged politically and [are aware of how] they’re trying to take our rights away or if you’re like, “I can’t pay for my groceries,” I’m like, totally diva, bad vibes only. There’s a lot of stuff going on and [at the upcoming shows we can] acknowledge that it’s a difficult time and choose joy regardless and create an environment to dip in for a second and talk about pain. And let’s explore that through song, and let’s move together through these emotions where we could leave some of that behind. Let’s try to let go of a little bit of our dread, because there is so much dread, and there are days where I’m like, “How am I supposed to not feel horrible all the time?” Live music has always been something that, for me, brings me up and out of myself, and I’m trying to create an environment where we can celebrate in spite of what is going on in the world.

The beauty of live music and particularly a pop show is that you can go to just have fun, but it can serve as a feedback loop for what feels like energy transfer between the performer and the audience, which can be so positive. Sometimes you leave a concert

feeling like you’re floating two feet off of the ground. And the way that music plays a role in our daily lives, as well. I’ve always believed that your favorite song plays at the grocery store and all of sudden I’m like, “I love this song” and I’m picking up my rice and I’m like, hell yeah: “We begin to rock steady!” Or whatever is playing, like Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere” that I always hear in CVS.

It’s the way that music comes at us in our life both diegetically and non-diegetically — we are choosing music as well as being fed it everywhere we go. So I think that that thing you’re talking about — I always forget how meaningful it can be to go see an artist whose music you love and you give them a chance to reawaken your love for that music and the catalog. Our world runs on hit songs in some way, but then there are albums and albums of music that people forget about and people forget they love songs and people go, “I heard this song and it didn’t mean anything to me but now that you’ve sung it live I have a whole new relationship to it.”

I think I’m not alone in feeling like various songs can serve as windows to specific types of emotions or energy. Music serves as such a powerful connector. And I think artists are especially skilled at connecting people, so it makes sense to me that shifting to a post-Covid world that is just now getting back into the swing of live performances again would shift and impact how you approach things creatively. I’m entering this new phase that’s only just now starting to reveal itself to me, and then another 10 years will go by, which is how long I’ve been doing this already, and then I’ll have a totally new experience. I think I spent a lot of time in the first decade of my career feeling very lost because I knew I had so much to give and I didn’t know what the path was or the purpose was. It’s the young person I was talking about in the beginning of “Run!” who’s like, “I know that I’m supposed to do this but I just don’t know even what that means, and I don’t know where I’m going. I’m just going to run as fast as I can.” And then, all of a sudden, I look around and I’m in the middle of a field and then I’m like, “Well, how did I get here and why am I alone?” So I think

what feels really nice in this new phase as it reveals itself to me is sustainability. You are meant to burn yourself out when you’re 22 — the whole point is because you can. And every time I reenter a phase of making music again the burnout cycle begins. Every single time I’ve started to make a record I’ve started on day one looking at day 850 going, “I already know how it’s going to feel and I’m already afraid; I’m scared.” There are moments of course where I go, “Oh, this feels so good,” but by the end of the cycle I have the exact same feeling that that was so much output and I feel like something has been taken from me. And every cycle after it’s taken me longer and longer to try and find it again. Now, it’s very [much about] breaking the cycle where I’m not just going to stand on day one and look at day 800 and say, “Here we go again.” It’s like, “No, day one, and now all I want to talk about is day two.” That is what feels exciting to me. It’s about sustainability, it’s about joy, and I don’t think you should be living your dream and be miserable the whole time. That is not the point. And I think that that is a big struggle in any artist’s life: the reality of the art versus the thing that we have, which is an expectation of living a dream. If I want to go to medical school, then I know that that means that this thing happens, and then I get a residency, and then I get a job; there is a path. There is no path for any artist. It is our own journey that we are carving every day. You said that when you performed in “Hadestown” on Broadway there was very little time to recuperate because of the schedule, but on your own tour, you’ve learned from dancers who have to stretch and prep their bodies daily that that is the best way they can achieve longevity and sustainability. What has it been like adhering to a more sustainable tour approach? In the transformation into Persephone in “Hadestown,” I come in as me and then they put the wig on me and the lashes on and I have these crazy nails that are 17 inches long — and the least me thing of all time — and then all of a sudden I’m her, I get to work, and then it all comes off and I’m me again. It’s been hard for me to find that separation be-

tween me and Betty Who because it is so personal. And so “Run!” is about me and exactly what happened in my life, but it’s more like a metaphor. I wrote that from my own lens about something I think everybody experiences. And so, I think the selfishness of it was what was so intoxicating about it for so long, and now it’s the thing that makes it really unsustainable. Shifting that mindset a little bit has helped me approach it from less of a, “If you don’t like this then that means that I am bad” approach that is heartbreaking. What I want is to be surrounded by people who love me and see me. I want to make breakfast for me and my husband and walk the dog and do all of those things that feel so much more zoomed in — and that is what my real life is. And the fact that I get to go out and play shows for thousands of people over the summer is not totally all that I am, and it is more of a job now as opposed to the way it used to be, which was my entire identity which I think is healthier [laughs] and it helps me enjoy it more.

This new perspective also brought new songs, in addition to “Run!” Can fans expect to hear some of those tracks during your tour? I’m really excited about this new music. I have taken everything so seriously for so long and we’re at a time where everything feels so dire, and I’m really trying to create an energy of fun as joy as protest — I think if you come to a show this summer that is what you will experience. I really want you to come and let it all out.

I want you to come and dance, I want you to come with an open heart and mind and move through some things so that you can find the ability to let loose and scream your heart out to “I Love You Always Forever,” Donna Lewis, 1996 — still going strong with Betty Who in 2025. That’s the whole point. These moments that make life worth living is when you look around and you’re looking at your best friend because a song makes you think of them and you’re singing it to them in the room. That is, to me, the lifeblood of the reason we are all here: to feel joy and share moments. I’m really trying to create that moment on tour. We will run out of the darkness together. Q

In Glam and Gospel, Jake Wesley Rogers Finds God in the Margins

Faith, glitter and the fight: why the glam-pop artist is singing for the queer kids Texas forgot

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

JakeWesley Rogers is a poet in glitter and leather, a kind of spiritual guide for queer kids growing up in a world that still hasn’t fully figured out how to hold them.

With a voice that feels like it was carved out of gospel and glam rock in equal measure, Rogers is part of a new generation of artists who are reshaping what it means to be both queer and seen. Look no further than his anthem “God Bless,” its refrain as much a balm as it is a battle cry as LGBTQ+ communities face increasingly hostile rhetoric and policy: “God bless the straight man in a dress. God bless threesomes when I’m celibate… God bless the trans kid in Texas. God bless the gods that don’t exist. Sometimes I wish it all would end, but God bless, it’s a beautiful fucking mess.”

With his debut album, “In the Key of Love,” finally arriving and ahead of a dream tour with Cyndi Lauper this summer, the spiritual glam-rock artist recently spoke with me from Los Angeles during a video call about how the songs on his long-awaited album are “definitely part of the resistance.”

He says the release is arriving at what feels like precisely the right cultural moment. After health challenges delayed its release (last year, Wesley revealed he has Crohn’s disease), the timing now seems divinely orchestrated — giving his messages of radical love and acceptance an even more urgent platform. His music doesn’t shy away from the intersections of queerness and religion, instead transforming these complex relationships into powerful meditations on unconditional love. During Pride, these messages are especially poignant.

Between discussing his Midwest upbringing (where he found his voice singing in church while dating the preacher’s son), his spiritual journey and his upcoming tour with one of his idols, Rogers reveals himself to be both a student of queer history and someone actively writing its next chapter.

During our conversation ahead of the release of “In the Key of Love,” Rogers spoke about reconciling faith with

identity, and why — even in the face of increasingly hostile legislation — he remains stubbornly, gloriously hopeful. He’s honest, thoughtful and deeply rooted in something rare: a belief that love — radical, loud and unconditional — is still the most subversive thing we have. Young queer people who are feeling condemned by this administration for who they are have been at the top of my mind. I am heartened knowing there are musicians like you who are allowing them that space to be themselves. Thank you for saying that. When I was younger, I craved having an artist that looked like me and sounded like me and I found them, but they’re kind of few and far between. I remember when I found Oscar Wilde, I was like, “Whoa, this homosexual is doing this way back then.” Then I found Socrates too.

We didn’t formally get to study our queer heroes in school. My high school history class did not cover Oscar Wilde. I would love to teach that class, though. Right now, it’s this extremely peculiar time. The news is just so absolutely horrific. It feels different than it ever has, and I guess it’s different than it has ever been. Really the only thing in my life that’s ever made sense is art. So that’s where I put my faith and energy. And especially with this album. It’s definitely part of the resistance.

What was on your mind when you first started creating it? Well, I formally began it about three years ago when I moved to L.A. I guess I wasn’t really thinking about the world. I was thinking about my life and where I was and feeling this overwhelming call just to go deeper in my art.

I think it’s interesting listening to a lot of these songs now because in the context of today, for me, there’s even a deeper level that I didn’t anticipate. Obviously there’s a song I put out already called “God Bless” that is incredibly inherently political.

You could have written that song yesterday It was building toward that. So I was feeling that in the summer of 2022, right when Roe got overturned. I had just performed at the GLAAD Awards and

there was this mom talking about her trans kid in Texas, and so many of us were becoming acutely aware of what was to come and feeling sort of premonitions. So yeah, that’s the funny thing too: The album was supposed to come out last fall and I had a lot of health stuff, so I had to postpone it and, honestly, thank God, because I think art in general is more necessary now than it was even five months ago. So I’m really grateful that the universe did what it had to do.

How are you doing now, health-wise? I’m very good, thank you for asking. It threw me through a whole loop and took me out for about five months and [I had] four surgeries. Stuff like that just kind of seasons the soul. I am more healthy than I think I’ve been in years, which is also another gift that I don’t take for granted. “God Bless” has been on repeat. Why is it important to you to explore the relationship between your queer identity and religion in your music? “Hot Gospel,” another single, is literally what that song is about: how disparate things can exist together very beautifully. And in fact, they often do, but in our binary world, it’s either “good or bad” or “man or woman.”

I grew up in Missouri, but we weren’t a fundamental family. I was baptized Methodist, but Methodist is pretty chill. There’s always one lesbian in the church. So what’s interesting, if I’m being really honest, is I don’t have direct religious trauma. I have trauma from being in a religious environment in an area that was the Bible belt, that collectively was telling you it was going to help. But I wasn’t in a church every week getting it. When I came out very young, when I was in high school, I was dating the son of a preacher. That’s when I started singing at their church. I love the feeling of being on stage and singing to something beyond me and the audience. That’s carried over for me a hundred percent. That was an aha moment. But I’m not here to sing, to be applauded. I’m trying to connect to something bigger than myself.

I could talk to you for probably four hours about how interesting I find Christianity and the story of Christiani-

ty — what I think it was in the beginning versus what it became. All I’ll say right now is it is our sort of collective story in a way. In our world, we don’t even realize how many times during the day it’s what we reference. So for me, creating this album, it’s like, those are the touchstones. Religion is always for the oppressed. It always belongs to people that don’t have power. What’s really ironic is that power always corrupts it and takes it and uses it to have power over people. But, inherently, it is this really powerful tool to be subversive. But I don’t do it in a subversive way. I’m not trying to offend any believer. I’m trying to expand what it could mean for other people.

So, in your view, you think that the queer community is just expanding the story of Christianity? I think they are. I hope so. And also, Chris, I’m still figuring it out. Every day I’m like, am I converting? Like, no, I’m not. Why would I ever convert? What the hell? That’s crazy. So it’s kind of my inner dilemma. But I feel like 50% a monk and 50% a rockstar, and that’s my cross to bear. I am also so moved by the song “Mother, Mary, and Me.” What’s the story behind that one? So I told you I began writing the album three years ago. It’s kind of a lie. Every single song except for “Mother, Mary, and Me” I wrote in L.A. in the last few years, but that one I wrote in 2019. I wrote it when I was still living in Nashville. And I’ve never really experienced writing a song like that before, or since. You always hear the stories of, “I just sat down at the piano and it just came out,” and whenever I hear that, I’m like, “OK, whatever.” However, that was that one for me. And I knew when I wrote it to reserve it for the first album because it just felt like I needed to catch up to it. But that is kind of the foundation of the whole album. The album is devoted to this idea of unconditional love, the love that is innate to all of us, and it’s kind of our promise by being here and going back to that place of unconditional love toward self and toward others, and how freaky unconditional love is. It just kind of freaks

me out. My college boyfriend had moved to Berlin. Long story, but I was really sad. So I started reading “Harry Potter” again. I was just trying to comfort myself.

The part where Harry Potter’s mom saved him with her love, but she died — she defeated pure evil with love — that’s when I was like, whoa,

love is stronger than death, which I do think is a hundred percent true. So that’s kind of what that song is about.

I feel like there’s a throughline between the way that Mary loved Jesus and the way that your mother loves you. Totally. I mean, it still confounds me. Sadly, I’m never going to know what it’s like to give birth from my body. That idea just blows my mind. It makes me sad that I’ll never know that feeling, but it must be that kind of love that’s next level. It does take an insane amount of love to keep us alive. You seem like someone who, even right now, is still filled with so much hope. It’s my gift and my curse, I think.

As a musician, what do you think is your role as far as visibility and representation for helping to shape the future for LGBTQ+ people? That’s a great question. I think about it, but I also try not to think about it and just focus on the work and

whatever it does or doesn’t do for people. Especially when I just signed a record deal and I was making my first music video, I was very intentional about being in bed with a guy. That was a choice for sure, because my closest representation growing up was Gaga, and obviously she’s an incredible ally, and also she doesn’t have my experience. So I think it’s really important to show my experience.

What advice do you have for LGBTQ+ young people who are trying to find their way right now, or who might want to be a musician like you? I love this question, and it’s a hard one for me. I always want to say something like follow your heart, which is so oversimplified, but I guess I can only talk about my experience, and I had this affliction from a very early age that I just wanted to be on stage singing. My earliest memory is at 3, and so nothing was really going to ever stop me from doing that. I had a few experiences early on that really shaped me. When I was 14, I auditioned for “America’s Got Talent,” and that was not a negative experience, but not positive either. It’s where I learned that to be an artist, you have to say something. I got home from that and I was 15, and everybody in my little town was like, “You made it.” And I felt like absolute garbage because I wanted to actually stand for something. That would be my advice. Figure out what you want to stand for. Maybe you want to stand for queer joy and just show and just write about relationships, and maybe that’s it. Maybe whatever it is, find that little itch that can be scratched. And keep going. There will be a lot of people that come in and try to alter and change that message, guaranteed. Especially when you start to get really good at telling the message. It’s like all the movies — when the hero gets closer, the challenges get bigger. How are you feeling about getting this album out into the world? I finally feel ready. I really didn’t feel ready until recently. Probably mid-January. I was still having kind of an existential crisis about it all. And then it was actually the day David Lynch died, and I loved David Lynch a lot, and I kept thinking that I didn’t

know he was sick, and I just thought there’d be another movie. I was like, I bet Lynch will have another movie. It was something I even was thinking while rewatching “Twin Peaks.” And then when he died, I was like, oh, there’s no more. It’s a weird thing to think about when it comes to the artists that we admire. That was my wake-up call. I was like, “Oh my God, I’m alive. I get to do this right now and I need to do this.” And time is of the essence. So I feel very ready in that way. I mean, I still definitely feel scared, but I’m just ready to give this album away.

You’ll be touring as Cyndi Lauper’s opening act this summer. What’s your history with her and her music? My real history is that I was obsessed from a pretty young age. “True Colors” is one of the first songs I learned on guitar. I wish I could say it was because of her, but it was kind of because of “Glee” first. In high school — and I haven’t told her this but I’m excited to — I went to my local record store. I was collecting a bunch of vinyl, and I just got a record player, and I wanted to get “She’s So Unusual,” of course. I went to buy it, and the guy was like, “I’ll give you this for free if you sing one of the songs to me.” I was 15 or 16. So I sang “Time After Time” to him and he gave it to me.

On this tour, she’s been inviting the opener to duet with her on “Time After Time.” What if that happens to you? I can’t talk about that. That freaks me out. I’m going to start crying already. I better start practicing that harmony. Actually, I think I know it deep down. I don’t think I even have to practice.

Lastly, Jake, what’s something that’s bringing you hope right now? Honestly, my small community. Really focusing on that and on the deep relationships in my life and starting there. That’s really giving me hope. And seeing people begin to organize is giving me hope that we are not asleep and we’re doing what is called for. Q

Chris Azzopardi is the editorial director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

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Kyle’s Bed & Breakfast by

Greg Fox

32 Jeanette who wrote “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit”

Network featuring a “Instinct”

Cut out

Abba of Israel

Broadway happening.

Hold for questioning, perhaps

Order back

Short-circuit the ignition 50 She wrote about gender fluidity in “Orlando”

Helpful tip

Nobles of Auden’s land

4 Cam to Jay on “Modern Family”

5 “The Wizard of Oz” scorer Arlen 6 Makes straight 7 Car from Sweden 8 “West Story” 9 College members 10 Escort through the door 11 Leaves out 12 Pirate ship’s prey

Mustang’s sch.

21 Motor oil can letters 22 Mister’s son in “The Color Purple” 23 Bygone Eur. realm

25 One-million link

27 “If Walls Could Talk”

28 Cocksure Aesop character

30 Jones once of “The View”

33 It tops the cake 34 Most hard up 35 LogoTV and OUTtv 36 Nonrecreational mouth-to-mouth

Stole upon the stage

Eased, as one’s fears

3 They don’t eat quiche, in a 1982 book title

37 “The soul of wit,” according to Polonius 38 Advanced college course

Use a parachute

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BUSINESS

LGBTQ+ Affirmative

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* info@utahgaychamber.com

Utah Independent Business Coalition

 utahindependentbusiness.org

801-879-4928

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National Domestic Violence Hotline

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 ywcautah.org

322 E 300 S 801-537-8600

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Planned Parenthood

 bit.ly/ppauslchiv

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Walk-ins M-F 8a-5p Appts 385-468-4242

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Equality Utah

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376 E 400 S 801-355-3479

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SPIRITUAL

Center for Spiritual Living

 spirituallyfree.org

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The Divine Assembly

 thedivineassembly.org

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389 W 1830 S, SLC

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First Baptist Church

 firstbaptist-slc.org

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Alternative Garden Club

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Men’s leather/kink/ fetish/BDSM 4th Sats; blackBOARD class, 2nd Tues; Leather Church 3rd Sundays at Try-Angles

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 thecubadventures.com fb.com/groups/312955669422305/

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Noon Weds.

 utahpridecenter.org

68 S Main St

801-539-8800

Gay Men’s Support Group

Noon Wednesdays

 utahpridecenter.org

68 S Main St

801-539-8800

Mindfully Gay

 mindfullygay.com

OWLS of Utah (Older, Wiser, Lesbian Sisters)

 bit.ly/owlsutah

qVinum Wine Tasting

 qvinum.com

Seniors Out and Proud

 soaputah.org

E soaputah

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 templesquares.org

801-449-1293

Utah Bears

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E utahbears

* info@utahbears.com

6pm Weds Salt Lake

Roasting Co 860 E 400 S

Utah Male Naturists

 umen.org

 fb.me/utahmalenaturists

* info@umen.org

Utah Pride Center

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1380 S Main St

801-539-8800

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 bit.ly/GetOutsideUtah

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Cheer Salt Lake

 cheersaltlake.org

EQ @cheersaltlake

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7pm Tues, Thurs; 10:15am Sun, Fairmont Aquatic Ctr, 1044

Sugarmont Dr.

Salt Lake Goodtime

Bowling League

 bit.ly/slgoodtime

Stonewall Sports SLC

E SLCStonewall

 stonewallsaltlakecity. leagueapps.com 385-243-1828

Utah Gay Football League

E UtahGayFootballLeague

Venture Out Utah

E Venture.OUT.Utah

SUPPORT

Alcoholics Anonymous

801-484-7871

 utahaa.org

LGBTQ+ meetings: Sun. 3p Acceptance Group, All Saints, 1710 Foothill Dr

Tues. 7p Live & Let Live, Mt Tabor

Tues. 7p Pride in Recovery, Narcotics

Anon. UPC, 68 S Main

Wed. 7p Sober Today, 1159 30th St , Ogden

Wed. 7p Bountiful

Men’s Group, Am. Baptist, 1915 Orchard Dr, Btfl

Fri. 7p Stonewall Group, Mt Tabor Lutheran, 175 S 700 E

Crystal Meth Anon

 crystalmeth.org

USARA, 180 E 2100 S Clean, Sober & Proud Sun. 1:30pm

Leather Fetish & Kink Fri. 8pm

Genderbands

 genderbands.org

EQ @genderbands

LifeRing Secular Recovery

801-608-8146

 liferingutah.org

Weds. 7pm, Sat. 11am

How was your week?

First Baptist, 777 S 1300 E

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapists Guild

 lgbtqtherapists.com

* robin@lgbtqtherapists.com

YOUTH/COLLEGE

Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Ctr

 encircletogether.org

EQ @encircletogether

91 W 200 S, Provo, 190 S 100 E, St. George 331 S 600 E, SLC 81 E Center, Heber City Gay-Straight Alliance Network

 gsanetwork.org

OUT Foundation BYU

 theout.foundation

 fb.me/theOUTfoundation Salt Lake Community College LGBTQ+

 slcc.edu/lgbtq/ UofU Student Pride Ctr Q uofupride

USGA at BYU

 usgabyu.com

 fb.me/UsgaAtByu Utah Valley Univ Spectrum

 linktr.ee/spectrumqsa

 uvu.edu/lgbtq/ * lgbt@uvu.edu

801-863-8885

Liberal Arts, Rm 126

Youth Discord Virtual Hangout 6p Wednesdays

Open to all youth 14-20. Email jay@ utahpridecenter.org to get access

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We are a social/service group for those that identify as men, organized to support and promote diversity, inclusion, foster positive involvement in our community, and provide opportunities which enhance the personal growth of our members, the Bear community, and the LGBT community as a whole.

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the perils of petunia pap smear

Further tales of The Love Boat

BY PETUNIA PAP SMEAR

The road

to the Love Boat is fraught with danger and excitement.

We continue now with the fifth instalment of my Caribbean cruise saga. After a stress-filled shore visit in Cozumel and trying to get the tires inflated on my bedazzled mobility scooter, Queerteeny, I needed some downtime, so I went out onto the balcony of our state room to enjoy the view of the ocean. Luckily, I was just in time to watch the dock workers unmoor the ship. It was very interesting to watch them detach the mooring lines from the pier and cast them back out to the ship. I was leaning out over the balcony so that I could get a good glimpse of a really hunky dock worker with bulging biceps wearing nothing but a sexy tan underneath his orange reflective vest, directly below my balcony.

Just then, I thought I heard a man’s voice calling my name. Immediately, I look down at the sexy hunk, but how could he know my name? Then I looked to the right toward the front of the ship; there was no one in sight. I craned my neck to the left, and I did see someone also out on their balcony, but it was a woman, so it couldn’t have been her. Again, I heard my name being called. I began to wonder if I was beginning to get a little cabin fever, thus hearing the voices of the ocean sirens calling to me. Of course, it would be next to impossible to listen to the sirens’ call without succumbing to their allure. Or perhaps it’s just been too long since I’ve had bumped uglies with anyone, that my hopes were unnaturally high. After about the fourth time my name was called, it seemed as if the voice was not coming from the water but instead was descending upon me from the heavens. I felt a lump of panic grip my heart as I thought that I was not quite ready to meet Jesus, and I surely didn’t want a burial at sea.

Salt water is not nice to sequins, and I’m quite sure that the sharks would not demonstrate an appropriate level of awe and delight over my beehive hair.

So, expecting to see our lord and savior descending from the heavens to fetch me, I turned around and looked skyward. After scanning the clouds for Jesus, I noticed a couple of guys from Salt Lake on a balcony about ten decks above me calling my name. A great wave of relief washed over me as it began to become apparent that I was not going to expire immediately. I also felt some regret that the voice was not from a siren, or at the very least the hunky dock worker.

Our next port of call was in Honduras. This time, we happened to park right next to one of the large ships that can hold up to 7,000 people. I thought our ship was large, but that ship was at least twice the size. It was then that I heard the fog horns on our ship loudly sound out the theme from “The Love Boat” television series. Apparently, our captain was a size queen.

This port was very nice. It had many nice shops and attractions. Several of us from Salt Lake had booked a shore excursion to see a butterfly pavilion so we headed for a bus that was waiting for us. After some huffing and puffing, the driver and I were able to load Queerteeny onto the bus. The road to the butterflies was steep and winding, and it was necessary for me to hold on tight to Queerteeny without taking any regard for damaging my Lee PressOn-Nails, lest she make an unscheduled departure out of the bus door.

We arrived at the location and got off the bus to be met by a squadron of young Honduran boys waiting to lead the tourists. The butterfly pavilion turned out to be down a very steep hill. I was sure it was going to be too steep for Queertee-

ny to pull my immense bulkitude back uphill, so I decided to remain at the top and wait with the cute tour guide boys for the rest of our group to return. The boys were studying Queerteeny with great interest. I asked the boy closest to me, who also happened to be the cutest of the bunch, if he wanted to ride Queerteeny around on a flat area. Soon they were all lined up for a turn. Watching their smiles as they mounted the scooter and took off was priceless. All the boys waved a very heartfelt goodbye to me and my scooter as the bus took us away. Back on the boat, just getting ready to disembark, once again, I was out on the balcony to watch the dock boys. Lo and behold, there came a lone man, running desperately down the length of the pier, obviously late, trying to get to the ship before the gangplank was withdrawn. Am I wicked for hoping he didn’t make it in time? More to come next month.

This story leaves us with several important questions:

1. Should I have packed some opera glasses, which I could have used to be able to see the name tag of the cute dock worker?

2. Did our captain play The Love Boat theme because he was experiencing penis envy of the captain of the larger vessel?

3. Do I need to install mooring lines in my breasticles to be able to catch some hunky dock boys?

4. Do those mooring lines need to be attached to a spear gun so I can catch some boys from a distance?

5. Should I begin using Queerteeny test drives as a lure to attract unsuspecting boys into my clutches?

These and other eternal questions will be answered in future chapters of The Perils of Petunia Pap Smear. Q