Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival 2020

On-Demand

November 13-23, 2020 / IndyLGBTFilmFest.com

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Welcome

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Judges/Juried Prizes

FEATURES 1

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Gossamer Folds

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Ahead of the Curve

SHORT FILMS

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Gay Shorts

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Lesbian Shorts

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Trans Shorts

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Black Voices

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Documentary Shorts

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International Shorts

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Queer Shorts

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Surreal Shorts

FEATURES 2

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Cicada

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Horror Night Double Feature

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Dry Wind 03

Welcome to our first venture into streaming!

Moving to a digital platform has forced us to become better, more accessible, and more innovative for our audience and the filmmakers we support. We are excited about this new way for everyone to stay connected during the festival, even though we won’t be together in a movie theater. Now you can experience more of the stories we have curated. No more missing an anticipated film because you don’t have time to make it to the theater. No more back-to-back screenings wondering if you’ll have time grab to a bite to eat between shows. Now you can watch your favorites over again, in any order you want, and perhaps sample some films you would have otherwise missed. This year we have focused on highlighting marginalized and underrepresented LGBTQIA+ artists.

The stories told by these incredibly talented women, transgender, indigenous, people with disabilities, and people-of-color creators are vital, brilliant, and important.

Here’s something else to think about: Did you know that our beneficiary, Indiana Youth Group, is the longest-running LGBTQ youth organization in the entire country? For more than 30 years IYG has provided safe spaces and vital support for thousands of LGBTQ youth in Indiana. To learn more, visit IndianaYouthGroup.org.

On behalf of everyone involved, from our hardworking steering committee to the filmmakers, and all our wonderful sponsors, we want to sincerely thank you for supporting the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.

What are you waiting for? Press play!

Matt Mutchmore | Director Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival

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INDIANAYOUTHGROUP.ORG

FEATURE FILMS 11/13—11/15 11/14—11/16 11/20—11/22 11/13—11/23 11/13—11/23

Gossamer Folds Ahead Of The Curve Cicada Horror Night: Double Feature Dry Wind

SHORT FILMS

Gay Shorts Lesbian Shorts Trans Shorts Black Voices

IndyLGBTFilmFest.Festivee.com

AVAILABLE 11/13—11/23

Documentary Shorts International Shorts Queer Shorts Surreal Shorts

PASSES

All Access Pass—Only $25 PASSES: IndyLGBTFilmFest.Festivee.com/Passes FESTIVAL SITE: IndyLGBTFilmFest.com

With this pass you can watch all of the films, as often as you'd like, during the duration of the festival.

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INDYLGBTFILMFEST.COM Festival Steering Committee Pam Powell Michael Barclay Mickey Rogers Ted Letherer Royce Cole Jr. Robert Kellman Taylor Rose Director Matthew Mutchmore Program Editor Jami Stall Website Tracy Robbins Smith Video Assistance Rachel Hardy | Eyecatching Edits

HOURS: Wed-Fri 11am-5pm | Saturday 10am-6pm | Sunday 12-5pm

Special Thanks Indy Pride Indiana Youth Group

facebook.com/IndianapolisLGBTFilmFestival twitter.com/indylgbtflmfest instagram.com/indylgbtfilmfest

KAPAEMAHU

2020 JUDGES Steven Stolen Program Host of Stolen Moments on WFYI-FM Indianapolis

MONSIEUR

Jami Stall An Indianapolis-based arts and entertainment writer and avid supporter of Central Indiana’s cultural events and activities

These six films are our nominees for the 2020 Best of Festival Awards.

Mark Harper Film Studies Professor at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, and a former Director of the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival

The winners are selected by our panel of judges and announced LAST SUMMER WITH UNCLE IRA

2 DOLLARS

on our website 11/13/20.

Ess McKee Artist, Illustrator, and Creator of Things, Teacher at Regeneration Indy, and Designer/Proprietor of Inaz Dezign LLC

Sylvia Thomas Poet, Writer, Actor, Blogger, Activist

IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN’S NAME

IN ORBIT

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We stand with the trans members and people of color members of our community for justice and equality.

As LGBTQIA+ people, we feel it is vital that we advocate for a world where no one is subject to acts of violence simply for being who they are. Recognizing the importance of representation and visibility, we have chosen to use our platform to highlight marginalized and underrepresented LGBTQIA+ artists. The stories told by these incredibly talented women, transgender, indigenous, people with disabilities, and people-of-color creators are vital, brilliant, and important. We believe in the transformative power of film to create empathy and dialogue for change.

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AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING NOVEMBER 13-14, 2020

Featuring an excellent ensemble cast of familiar faces, and original music from Sarah McLachlan, the directorial debut of Lisa Donato is a heartfelt tale of big dreams and unlikely friendships in 1986 suburban Missouri.

Bored with his new home and looking for an escape from his parents’ constant arguments, vocabulary-obsessed 9-year old Tate Millikin (Jackson Robert Scott, It) sparks a strong bond with two of his neighbors: a Black transwoman named Gossamer (Alexandra Grey, Empire) and her retired English professor father Edward (Franklin Ojeda Smith, Boardwalk Empire).

Tate finds in Gossamer and Edward what he desperately lacks from his parents: guidance, care, and respect…not to mention being introduced to all sorts of new words. But as threats to separate the group begin to mount—all while Gossamer entertains the idea of following her dreams to NYC—Tate must accept the possibility of losing the first meaningful friendships he’s ever had. Jen Richards, Yeardley Smith, Shane West, and Sprague Grayden also star in this poignant drama.

DIRECTOR: Lisa Donato / 2020 / USA / Drama / 96 Minutes

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AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING NOVEMBER 14-15, 2020

What made Curve magazine ahead of its time wasn’t just the radical choice to boldly print “lesbian” on the cover.

Curve was filled with unapologetic images and stories that radiated community and dignity from cover to cover, quickly becoming a cornerstone of lesbian culture.

In 2019 when founder Franco Stevens heard that the magazine might go out of print, she was left with two questions: Was a lesbian magazine still important for lesbian visibility? And, how had visibility changed over three decades?

In Ahead of the Curve, director Jen Rainin and co-director Rivkah Beth Medow craft a personal journey that follows Stevens’ process grappling with questions of community and legacy. Linking lesbian histories with contemporary viewpoints, the film moves between interviews with LGBTQ+ tastemakers, “celesbians” (including Jewelle Gomez, Kate Kendell, and Lea DeLaria) and rich archival footage. Rainin lovingly uplifts the personal and political struggles, adventure, and community that birthed an institution, honoring its visionary legacy while exploring whether a groundbreaking print publication remains relevant in a digital age.

DIRECTOR: Jen Rainin / 2020 / USA / 97 Minutes / Documentary

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Wolfe Celebrates Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival

Stream these and more at WolfeOnDemand.com Available on DVD at WolfeVideo.com

HARD PAINT • GIANT LITTLE ONES • VENUS • SEVENTEEN • HURRICANE BIANCA: FROM RUSSIA WITH HATE • RUSSIAN DOLL • SEBASTIAN • JUST CHARLIE • BEHIND THE CURTAIN: TODRICK HALL • PRINCESS CYD • EASTSIDERS • GIRLS LOST • AKRON • BIG EDEN A DATE FOR MAD MARY • THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN • PARIS 05:59: THÉO & HUGO • OTHER PEOPLE • THE ROYAL ROAD • THOSE PEOPLE • ME, MYSELF & HER • HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY • SORDID LIVES • THE GIRL KING • LIZ IN SEPTEMBER

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In Query, heterosexual roomates decide to try something new. A new sexy handyman arrives with an agenda in Honey Do List. In Affection, two young men struggle with showing intimacy in the public sphere. Sparks fly during a hook up, but it quickly becomes apparent they're looking for different things in Thrive. A man comes face to face with his internalized fear of rejection in Homo Sapiens. An expert helps Albert find the confidence he needs in Sextpert Advice. A closeted teen shares a memory with his dying uncle in Last Summer with Uncle Ira. A light sleeper struggles get some rest in The Big Snore.

A casual hook up quickly becomes unsettling in How To Say I Love You At Night.

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QUERY Dir. Sophie Kargman / USA / 7 Minutes

HOMO SAPIENS Dir. Cole Dupzyk / USA / 2 Minutes / Animated

HONEY DO LIST Dir. Nicholas Downs / USA / 8 Minutes

SEXTPERT ADVICE Dir. Tobit Raphael Capati / USA / 8 Minutes

AFFECTION Dir. Connor Williams / USA / 6 Minutes

LAST SUMMER WITH UNCLE IRA Dirs. Gary Jaffe, Katie Ennis / USA / 13 Minutes

THRIVE Dir. Jamie Di Spirito / UK / 17 Minutes

THE BIG SNORE Dir. Matt Guerin / Canada / 9 Minutes

HOW TO SAY I LOVE YOU AT NIGHT Dir. Andree Ljutica / USA / 17 Minutes

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The reception area heats up when an exuberant new patient pays a visit in Meet Cute.

Pathetic Woman is a surreal portrait of love, and how pathetic it renders us. After a miscarriage, two heartbroken women try to piece together their relationship in Sam and Emma. Two millennials rekindle their relationship at a friend's gravesite in Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Newly single Khudejha is ready for new experiences in Got Game? An anxious woman attempts to figure out if she’s on date or just making a new friend in Peach. How to Make a Ghost is an animated film about remembering the things that shape us. Freda chases after an unrequited crush, to the dismay of her older sister, in Babydyke.

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MEET CUTE Dir. Francesca Calvo, Omar Ahmed / USA / 8 Minutes

GOT GAME? Dir. Fatimah Asghar / USA / 14 Minutes

PATHETIC WOMAN Dir. Kenzie Elizabeth / USA / 11 Minutes

PEACH Dir. Rowan Devereux, Sophie Saville / Australia / 8 Minutes

SAM AND EMMA Dir. Vanessa Leigh / USA / 15 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE A GHOST Dir. Gabriela Escovar / USA / 3 Minutes

TOMORROW, TOMORROW Dir. Katie Schiller / USA / 15 Minutes

BABYDYKE (BABYLEBBE) Dir. Tone Ottilie / Denmark / 20 Minutes

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In France Michelle Is A Man’s Name introduces young, trans Michael, whose father takes him on a sultry exploit, striving to connect. Heavenly Brown Body is an experimental, poetic rumination featuring the text of Mark Aguhar. A trans student from Iran struggles to come out in The Bag. In Not That Kind of Guy, a transgender French boy cautiously begins a relationship. A homeless teen navigates their transition in Shéár Avory: To Be Continued. In Trans Happiness Is Real an activist fights anti-trans sentiments through graffiti. A mother's relationship with her son disintegrates in Costs You Nothing. Hello...My Name Is explores the transgender experience through the journey of their new name.

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IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN'S NAME Dir. Em Weinstein / USA / 13 Minutes

SHÉÁR AVORY: TO BE CONTINUED Dir. Abram Cerda / USA / 26 Minutes

HEAVENLY BROWN BODY Dir. Leslie Foster / USA / 6 Minutes

TRANS HAPPINESS IS REAL Dir. Quinton Baker / UK / 8 Minutes

THE BAG Dir. Sam Azghandi / Iran / 8 Minutes

COST YOU NOTHING Dir. Patricia Kelly / Ireland / 10 Minutes

NOT THAT KIND OF GUY Dir. Sarah Al Atassi / France / 26 Minutes

HELLO...MY NAME IS Dir. Chris Machian / USA / 29 Minutes

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Darius reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date in Swindled. Touch & Agree explores what it is to be in love and how we commit to another person without losing our own identity. #TMI follows Aaliyah Jones, a bisexual womxn and her tight-knit group of friends and lovers. Three sexually active college freshmen face new experiences, that come with a cost, in Healthy Mind. A closeted high-school senior sets aside his inner anxieties in Mask Off. After an unexpected one-night stand, two women share an even more intimate morning after in Tender. When a lottery loving coworker convinces them to enter yet another office pool, Syd cashes in on leaving the office life a little too soon in 2 Dollars.

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SWINDLED Dir. Stanton Long / USA / 8 Minutes

MASK OFF Dir. Jaelan Acosta / USA / 15 Minutes

TOUCH AND AGREE Dir. Juel D. Lane / USA / 12 Minutes

TENDER Dir. Felicia Pride / USA /15 Minutes

#TMI Dir. Ashlei Shyne / USA / 23 Minutes

2 DOLLARS Dir. Robin Cloud / USA / 15 Minutes

HEALTHY MIND Dir. Terrance Lomax / USA / 17 Minutes

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Featuring stories of queer people aged 17 to 88, Take Me To Prom captures 70 years of LGBTQ social progress through this adolescent milestone. I Am Eva is a first-hand story of a person who identifies as gender neutral. Two women decide that the white partner will carry her partner’s Indigenous child in Êmîcêtôcêt—Many Bloodlines. Our Service, Our Stories was made by a group of veterans to ensure that their history is preserved.

Ritah is required to prove that she is Lesbian to emigrate in Touching an Elephant. Out Loud follows the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles—the largest group of transgender and gender non-conforming people anywhere in the world who regularly sing together.

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TAKE ME TO PROM Dir. Andrew Moir / Canada / 20 Minutes

TOUCHING AN ELEPHANT Dir. Lara Milena Brose / Germany / 14 Minutes

I AM EVA Dir. Nata Zverovich / USA / 8 Minutes

OUT LOUD Dir. Gail Willumsen / USA / 53 Minutes

ÊMÎCÊTÔCÊT—MANY BLOODLINES Dir. Theola Ross / USA / 11 Minutes OUR SERVICE, OUR STORIES: THE EVOLUTION OF THE LGBT MILITARY EXPERIENCE Dirs. Bill Anderson, Neil Beecher, Bill Duckworth, Belita Edwards, Ed Imparato, Michael La Borde, Warren Tymony / USA / 21 Minutes

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The Lonely Prince invites a sculptor to his court to create a piece of art just for him.

An unexpected visit re-awakens old feelings in The Mistress. In Hann, an anxious teenage boy finds a clever way to reveal his sexuality. Inferno showcases the art of Gui Taccetti, who channels the anxiety of growing up gay in staunchly Catholic Brazil.

A childhood trauma leads to emotional distance in Keep Me At Bay. Homophobia and fear play out in post-gay marriage Australia in Stuart. Repressed feelings are powerfully released in Finally Leon. Georgie dreams of being in the "Mister Northern France" pageant, but hidden tensions emerge in the musical Monsieur.

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THE LONELY PRINCE Dirs. Shivin & Sunny / India / 15 Minutes

KEEP ME AT BAY Dir. Jingyi Hu / China-USA / 17 Minutes

LA AMANTE (THE MISTRESS) Dir. Pati Cruz / Puerto Rico / 11 Minutes

STUART Dir. Andrew Blogg / Australia / 9 Minutes

HANN Dir. Runar Thor Sigurbjornsson / Iceland / 13 Minutes

FINALLY LEON Dir. Paula WeiÃ&#x; / Germany / 6 Minutes

INFERNO Dir. Andrew R. Blackman / New Zealand / 7 Minutes

MONSIEUR Dir. Thomas Ducastel / France / 23 Minutes

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Kapaemahu is the origin story of the Mahu, healing individuals of male and female spirit. The Gay Mafia has a musical plan for queer world domination. Reminisce ponders memories relating to love, sex, and identity. Lipstick and Leather explores the “alt-drag” community in the nation’s capital. Jester is an intimate look into a director-choreographer's unique personal vision. An artist suffering from severe writer's block relies on the friendship of their dog in Canis Major. In Flex, Charles explores the gray areas of his sexuality after going through an unexpected breakup.

Flourish follows five diverse characters at a queer dance party and drag club.

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KAPAEMAHU Dir. Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu / USA / 8 Minutes

JESTER Dir. Breton Tyner-Bryan / USA / 4 Minutes

THE GAY MAFIA Dir. Michael Yip / USA / 12 Minutes

CANIS MAJOR Dir. Charli Brissey / USA / 10 Minutes

REMINISCE Dir. Kevely Ferreira / USA / 4 Minutes

FLEX Dir. Charles Gould / USA / 16 Minutes

LIPSTICK AND LEATHER Dir. Amy Oden / USA / 32 Minutes

FLOURISH Dir. Heather María Ács / USA / 14 Minutes

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Madame D., a gender-fluid loner, chooses to exit on her terms: on stage at a seedy lounge. In Meta, Artie nervously awaits the results for Prom King. Maura reflects on her past with an archivist studying human experiences In Orbit. In Smells Right, a gay man falls obsessively in love with a man who smells perfect to him. Louis takes refuge in his dreams, which shift between desire, repulsion, and paranoia in Dreaming Like Louis. Before The Blue introduces an artful stream of post-apocalyptic imagery. Obsession morphs into possession in the psychosexual thriller Stranger Out of You.

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MADAME D. Dir. John Lavin / USA / 10 Minutes

DREAMING LIKE LOUIS (Rêver Comme Lui) Dir. Valentin Merz Tanören / Switzerland / 19 Minutes

META Dir. Sydnee Horton / USA / 9 Minutes

BEFORE THE BLUE Dir. Romy Pocztaruk / Brazil / 14 Minutes

IN ORBIT Dir. Katie McNeice / Ireland / 17 Minutes

STRANGER OUT OF YOU Dir. Matthew Risch / USA / 16 Minutes

SMELLS RIGHT Dir. Joe Chen / USA / 25 Minutes

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AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING NOVEMBER 20-21, 2020

After a torrent of hollow and unsatisfying hookups, charming New Yorker Ben (Matthew Fifer) meets and forms an unexpectedly meaningful bond with silky-voiced Sam (Sheldon D. Brown) during the muggy cicada summer of 2013.

As the two men grow closer and more vulnerable, at a time when disturbing details from the trial of coach Jerry Sandusky permeate the airwaves, past traumas are reluctantly revealed and confronted, challenging their notions of romance and partnership.

For their personal and affecting debut exploring the hunger and necessity for human connection, directors Fifer and Kieran Mulcare generate a palpable sensitivity and warmth surrounding their burdened characters, whose emotionally turbulent journeys are acutely honest, complex, and sprinkled with humor. In a cast studded with scene-stealers, Ben’s eclectic support group includes Avengers’ Cobie Smulders as his free-spirited therapist, SNL’s Bowen Yang as his wisecracking confidant, and 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit as his aloof doctor.

DIRECTORS: Matthew Fifer & Kieran Mulcare / 2020 / USA / Drama / 94 Minutes

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AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING NOVEMBER 21-23, 2020

An anxious, isolated film projectionist becomes obsessed with a stranger, and falls headfirst into a terrifying fantasy. Phoebe lives an isolated life in an antique movie palace. When a mysterious woman turns up to hawk fliers for a play, Phoebe is instantly caught in her spell. Taking a private trip down the rabbit hole, Phoebe's longing gives way to dreams, visions and feverous jealousy, culminating in a stunning confession of desire and need for connection.

DIRECTOR: Dan Pedersen / 2020 / USA / 34 Minutes

Arthur Prentiss-Wilcox, one of the World’s wealthiest men, is also one its most eccentric. For starters, he is never seen in public without his closest confident – Toby – the doll that was given to him for his sixth birthday and is rumored to be responsible for the death of dozens. Despite his infamous reputation, a young gay couple, Calvin and Edward, become ensnared in Arthur’s world with horrifying consequences.

DIRECTOR: Richard Knight Jr. / 2019 / USA / 48 Minutes

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AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING NOVEMBER 13-23, 2020

Set in a neon fantasia of erotic exploration, Dry Wind follows Sandro, a shy, hunky bear who spices up his mundane life working in a factory in dusty central Brazil with vivid sexual encounters—both real and imagined.

Sandro’s giddy array of fetishes and fantasies—and even the prospect of love—come dazzlingly to life in the narrative feature debut from provocateur Daniel Nolasco (Mr. Leather), who imbues his sad-sack protagonist with an interior world melding Tom of Finland iconography inside a Pink Narcissus-inspired wonderland.

Complacent in his life working at a fertilizer factory alongside his best friend Paula and his buddy Ricardo, Sandro finds a new obsession in a mustachioed bad boy (Rafael Teóphilo) who rolls into town, bringing mystery and danger along with him. Visually arresting, this erotic thriller proved to be one of the hot tickets at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, signaling writer-director Nolasco’s arrival as a thrilling new voice in queer world cinema.

DIRECTOR: Daniel Nolasco / 2020 / Brazil / 110 Minutes / Drama

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Young men (ages 18-29) who have sex with men are 44 times more likely to contract HIV. Gay and bisexual men currently account for the majority of cases of Syphilis and are at a much higher risk for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea infections.

Knowing your status is a game changer.

W NO AT? H W

Step Up can help! Free and confidential HIV and STD testing is available.

For times and locations visit stepupin.org/testing.

R NE RT E N PA HOS C

AT CHATHAM TAP, YOU'LL NEVER DRINK ALONE! MASS AVE

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745 MASSACHUSETTS AVE.

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Celebrating 40 years of giving back to the community! Learn more at indybagladies.org

Accord | A class of its own.

TERESA “T.K.” KING

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