The Mirror Vol2 Iss4

THE

Winter 2014 Vol. 2 Issue 4

media Section: Gays in Film & TV Coffee Table books: Hunks and Gods travel Section: Tennessee Stockholm

GRAND NATION Country Singer Steve Grand Makes Splash

Profiles: Campaign for Southern Equality Queer History Goes Mobile Jack Andraka a Real Life Doogie Howser

*Rates Eective 12-15-2013, Subject to Change

table of contents

Winter 2014 | Vol 2 | Issue 4 2520 N. Dixie Highway | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954.530.4970 Fax: 954.530.7943

PUBLISHER Norm Kent

NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Pier Angelo Guidugli ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ Jason Parsley EDITOR IN CHIEF JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM

opinion Publisher’s Message | 3

EDITORIAL

people

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Mark Pauciullo WEB PRODUCER Dennis Jozefowicz CORRESPONDENTS Christiana Lilly Terri Schlicenmeyer John McDonald Tony Adams Sasha Razumikhin Gary M. Kramer J.W. Arnold David-Elijah Nahmod STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER JR Davis COVER Steve Grand Photo By Joem C. Bayawa

Jack Andraka; A Real Life Doogie Howser | 4 Dr. Shahim Ghadir: The Baby Maker | 6 Fred Karger: The Politician | 8 Gilbert Baker, The Flag Maker | 10

music Aiden Leslie’s Hot New Single | 12 Steve Grand’s All American Boy | 14

special feature: gays in film & tv Journalists | 18 Actors | 20 + 22

SALES & MARKETING

Characters | 26

travel The Many Faces of Tennessee | 34 Summer in Stockholm | 40

profile CSE: Bringing Equality to the South | 42

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING Mike Trottier SALES MANAGER Justin Wyse ADVERTISING SALES ASSOC. Edwin Neimann Adrain Evans COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORD. John Fugate/Brian Swinford SALES ASSITANT Jason Gonzales PRINTING The Printer’s Printer NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com

ACCOUNTING SERVICES CG Bookkeeping

Quist, The Gay History App | 44

coffee table David Champman’s Universal Hunks | 46 David Vance’s Men and Gods | 50

books Three Must Reads of the Quarter | 54

David Vance

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winter 2014

The Mirror is published quarterly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers. They do not represent the opinions of The Mirror or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in The Mirror. Furthermore the word “gay” in The Mirror should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in The Mirror, both online at www. themirrormag.com, and in our print edition, including articles used in conjunction with the Associated Press and our columnists, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher of The Mirror, Norm Kent, at Norm@NormKent.com. The Mirror is published by the South Florida Gay News. It’s a private corporation, and reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. Copyright©2012 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.

Associated Press Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association

Publisher’s messsage

Norm Kent

the lgbt community shines in transparency

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ustomarily, my editorials in the Mirror have been promotional pieces celebrating the creativity and diversity of the magazine. Not so this issue.

There is something I want to celebrate, but it is you. In life, we learn that if you want a helping hand, you look at the end of your own arm. As we look back on the past year, the LGBT community has reason to be proud today.

First of all, we continue to stand strong and united against the HIV virus. It is not only private agencies and public foundations that promote social awareness and the importance of testing. It is you, each and every time you take part in an AIDS walk or bike ride, or contribute to an HIV pet project.

Second, we have become a political force not only in the halls of local city and county governments, but also in congressional and national politics. The LGBT community is represented everywhere from the judiciary to the defense department to the United States Senate. No one is bullying us anymore, and no one will silence us ever again.

Third, while ten years ago states were seeking ways to limit marriage to men and women only, today we have forged national coalitions for marriage equality in every state. Those timid voices that said we were asking for too much too soon are learning now that equality deferred is equality denied.

Fourth, while five years ago Lt. Dan Choi was chaining himself to the White House gate in protest of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of the Pentagon, today the Under Secretary of the US Air Force, albeit a civilian post, is an openly gay man. The bottom line is that discrimination against gays serving in the military is an apartheid necklace no longer.

Fifth, hiding your homosexuality from the public eye is no longer a prerequisite for social success. In fact, it has become an obstacle.

Thus, in the past few years, there has been a litany of ‘coming out’ stories from obvious celebrities to hidden closet cases. Most

importantly, from Neil Patrick Harris to Anderson Cooper, the protagonists acknowledge their lifestyle with no apologies, stating they are living comfortably and content, and in their own skins as openly gay men and women.

Sixth, straight allies have openly joined our cause, acknowledging the cultural and social importance of universal equality. As President, Barack Obama has held gay conclaves at the White House, and his spirited inaugural, tying together the themes of ‘Selma, Seneca Falls, and Stonewall’ will never be forgotten. As Secretary of State, in 2011, on International Human Rights Day, Hillary Clinton delivered an epic speech on universal LGBT rights to the entire world in an address from Geneva, Switzerland.

The speech, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims a simple, powerful idea: that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. These are not privileges we ask for, or empowerments endowed to us by governments.

They are the birthrights of all people in all places. As Secretary Clinton stated, “It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights.”

Here in the United States, we have a constitution that embodies that doctrine in our first ten amendments; that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights. That means the transient statutory ravings of a maniacal legislative body can’t ever take them away.

In America, as elsewhere around the globe, we have had to fight for these rights to insure they become and remain ours. Nelson Mandela’s life gave testimony to that, as did Harvey Milk or Dr. Martin Luther King. There are many heroes, from continent to continent, in courtrooms and in the streetswherever or whatever it takes to get heard.

Think for a moment of the visual of that young Chinese student who stood alone before the

cannon in Tiananmen Square.

You do what you can where you can as you can. Each time you stand up for your rights, you light a candle for hope and a beacon for posterity. The LGBT community has emerged as an integral part of our national fabric and culture. We have done so because of everyone of you who has ever walked in a parade, held up a sign, raised a gay son, or opened up a business displaying a rainbow flag. Not everyone makes the headlines, but all of you have a chance to be heroes everyday.

The Mirror is a magazine that reflects and illuminates the depth and diversity of our lives.

From models to poets, from scientists to politicians, gay men and women make a difference in our community and our country.

They become champions with their courage and conviction. We are glad to share that with you again on these pages.

Norm Kent, Publisher

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feature

Christiana lilly

JAck Andraka

the real life

doogie howser

At 16 Jack Andraka invented a new way to detect pancreatic cancer 4

THE MIRROR

winter 2014

B

esides the fact that he created a new system for detecting pancreatic cancer, Jack Andraka is a pretty normal kid. The 16-year-old goes to high school in the Annapolis, MD area, had a blast at homecoming with his friends, took the PSAT, and enjoys kayaking and origami.

However, in the world of science, Jack is anything but normal.

The son of a civil engineer and an anesthetist, Jack grew up exposed to science. He said ever since he was a toddler, his parents would walk him through the scientific process without him realizing he was creating a hypothesis or conclusion to nature’s wonders. When he got to middle school, he took the reins on his curiosity and excelled.

In sixth grade, his science fair project was retrofitting low-head dams for safety -- a problem in rivers that kills dozens of people a year and something that Jack knew about as a kayaker.

The next year, he played with glowing bacteria in the battle against water pollution, then took on nanoparticles.

“I came up with a lot of topics just based on my real life experience,” he said of the experiments. “My parents didn’t really help me on any of my science fair projects. They would buy me supplies.”

At this time, he was also growing into himself when he came out in eighth grade. He asked a close friend to tell people for him.

Eventually word got to his parents, “which made for a really awkward confrontation when I went home that day,” he laughed. “They were really cool with it.”

As with other interviews he’s done, perhaps speaking to a new generation of thought, his homosexuality is not a defining feature in his life.

“I think of myself more as a scientist than as a gay scientist,” he said.

What would really put his name on the map stemmed from the death of a family friend he considered an uncle. He died of pancreatic cancer, a deadly disease that is almost always caught in its late stages. The current of mode detection costs about $800, misses 30 percent of all cancers, and is not covered by insurance.

After going through a database of 8,000 proteins, Jack was trying to find a way to detect mesothelin, a protein that comes up in the bloodstream and is an indicator of pancreatic cancer. Sitting in his biology class learning about antibodies, he read about carbon nanotubes and the light bulb went off.

“They’re really, really small and they have these really amazing properties,” he said. “I just decided, maybe if I put these two things together, something cool will happen.”

Jack got straight to work emailing 200 different scientists at Johns Hopkins University, telling them about his proposal to use nanotubes to detect mesothelins, as well as his procedure, budget and timeline.

He was rejected by all but one

man who would become his mentor: Dr. Anirban Maitra.

Jack went through an “interrogation” interview process before dozens of PhDs and scientists to drill him on his theory and knowledge of the science he was about to take on.

“Eventually I got through that and then they just gave me a corner of the lab and said, ‘Well, start working,’” Jack recalls.

After working in the lab for seven months, the teen created a test that would indicate the level of mesothelin in a patient’s blood or urine using a paper dip-stick.

The test is far cheaper than what was previously used and is 90 percent accurate.

His creation won his school and county science fair and in May 2012 brought him to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the largest science fair in the world drawing thousands of kids from around the world working at thesis levels. Perhaps for the first time, Jack was finally meeting other kids who could challenge him.

“It’s really, really competitive and then I thought, ‘I’m not

going to even win a single award there,’” he said.

As smart as he is, he couldn’t have been further from the truth. In an Intel commercial chronicling Jack’s journey, he is seen screaming with glee, jumping up and down as his name was announced for the $75,000 grand prize, holding his hands to his heart as they handed him the trophy.

Now, a year later, he has an international patent on his revolutionary invention and is working with biotechnology companies to get it on the market.

He has the money he won at the fair tucked away for college -he’s not sure where he wants to go or what kind of medicine he wants to pursue.

And we’ll probably hear from him again: he’s working with a team of all high school students on a new project for the Tricorder X Prize -- this time the stakes are for $10 million.

“I never thought that I would be able to get this point being profiled on ‘60 Minutes,’ being able to talk to world leaders, I mean it’s just really crazy,” he said.

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feature

christiana lilly

Shahin Ghadir

dr. shahin ghadir: the baby maker

This West Coast doctor is in the business of helping LGBT families have children

T

wo fathers helping their little girl pick out the perfect Halloween costume, two mothers cheering on their child at the soccer field. For gay couples, adding children to their family is becoming more and more commonplace.

At the Southern California Reproductive Center, Dr. Shahin Ghadir and his fellow fertility specialist partners are a part of that process -- about 20 percent of the couples who see them for help expanding their family are LGBT. “It’s probably one of the most rewarding jobs any human being could ever have -- to complete someone’s family,” Ghadir said.

In 2010, 19 percent of same-sex couples surveyed had children in the home, according to the American Community Survey. Of those families, 73 percent were their own biological children.

Ghadir is a Beverly Hills local and studied psychology at UCLA before getting his medical degree at the Central University School of Medicine. He did his OB-GYN residency at the Keiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles and completed a fellowship in infertility at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center.

Ghadir was drawn to studying infertility because he considers it to be the “most technologically advancing field of medicine.”

The Southern California Reproductive Center was named one of the top 10 fertility clinics in the United States by Parents magazine. the practice has a high referral rate from LGBT clients, and with an entire division devoted to couples using donor

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sperm and eggs and surrogacy, LGBT couples are in a good place.

While gay men are limited in their options for having children -- using egg donors and a surrogate -- lesbian couples have more choices for how they want to have their children. For Ghadir, some couples simply choose for one to be artificially inseminated by a donor sperm.

However, a popular choice has been to take an egg from one partner, a sperm donor, and then putting it into the other partner who will carry the baby, “allowing everyone to be involved in the entire process.”

The center is also renowned as having the largest IVF laboratory in the west coast of the United States and for its use of an embryoscope, which ensures the healthiest embryos by using a camera that watches its growth for five days before going into a uterus. Also, genetic testing allows the doctors to check all chromosomes for health.

Besides using his technical medical training, Ghadir has made good use of his ability to communicate and comfort patients though what can be a stressful time. Emotions can be topsy turvy when dealing with a third party donor or surrogate, and many couples don’t realize the legal aspects involved as well.

“The legal aspects and having to have an attorney involved in some of this process really is sometimes shocking to patients but it’s only for their own protection,” Ghadir said.

Thousands of couples have had children through the Southern

winter 2014

California Reproductive Center, and Ghadir has looked over about 100 LGBT couples wanting to add children to their lives. With such success, some are coming back for

a second, third, or even fourth time.

“It makes my satisfaction from what I do -- [I can’t] verbalize sometimes how it makes me feel,” he said.

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THE MIRROR

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feature

Christiana Lilly

submitted photo

fred who?

He’s gay. He’s republican. He took on the Mormon Church. And he ran for president. Meet Fred Karger.

A

gay Republican -- it’s the unicorn of the political spectrum, and Fred Karger is the leader of the mystical herd.

Karger, the president of Rights Equal Rights, was the first openly gay presidential candidate in any major party, and ironically for some, he was aiming for the Republican nod. And as a nod to the fact that he’s so unknown his campaign was built around the slogan “Fred Who?” “It doesn’t get easier, it gets tougher,” Karger, 63, said of being a gay Republican. “The Republican Party has just been hijacked by the far right and that’s one of the reasons I ran. It’s not the Republican Party I grew up with.”

According to a poll from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, 23 percent of voters who identify as gay voted for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012.

“Particularly LGBT Republicans have fled because all the bad things that have happened in this country, LGBT rights, have come from Republicans. But I am of a different philosophy. I feel that change happens from within… everyone can walk away or we can change from within,” he said.

Karger grew up in Glencoe, a suburb 20 miles north of Chicago, in an upcoming akin to “Leave it to Beaver,” he said.

His father was a stockbroker, his mother a homemaker, and he had one older brother. It was his father that introduced him to the world of politics as a little boy.

“He would drag my brother and me along handing out campaign literature to commuters at our

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local train station and I kind of caught the political bug,” he said.

Being only 6 years old, he excelled at his duty since people had a hard time not accepting a flier from a little boy. In his teens, he continued his civic involvement by volunteering for candidates that had campaign offices close enough for him to ride his bike or take the train to. He didn’t do well in sports or school, but he felt comfortable talking shop with candidates and working toward Election Day. It was also a distraction to the turmoil he felt about his sexuality.

The summer between high school and college, he had his first “gay encounter” in Chicago and finally came out to himself -- the first step, he said. A few years later, a gay uncle killed himself and the worries escalated.

“I was very confused and I thought I could become straight,” he said, seeing multiple psychologists to try and change his sexuality.

However, they all told him it wasn’t something that couldn’t be undone, but they could work with him to accept himself the way he was. That coupled with meeting a man in college, who he considered a role model, helped ease his mind.

But he still hadn’t come out to friends and family. After college, still struggling with his sexuality, he decided to change his surroundings and pursue acting in Los Angeles.

There he landed bit parts in commercials, television series, and the movie “Airport 1975.” He gave himself three years to reach superstardom -- when he didn’t, he decided to return to the world of politics.

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“It was a fun experience, but it wasn’t for me,” he said of acting.

Finally, he came out to close friends in his mid to late 20s, having “the talk” that he says he remembers vividly with each person. He wouldn’t come out to his parents until he was 41, his brother the following year.

He describes it as “freeing,” no longer having to only bring his straight friends around or lying about his life during calls with his mother.

Open with friends and dating, he was active in politics but never ran himself

-- being gay, Karger says it just wasn’t a possibility at the time, and for decades it held him back. That all changed in 2008 when he stood up against Proposition 8, which would eliminate the rights for gays to marry in California.

“It wasn’t until I came out as a result of Prop 8 and became identified as a gay activist and, of course, talked openly about my sexuality that then, OK, this obstacle that’s kept me from running for office my whole life is no longer, and it was a very freeing experience for me

knowing that now there were no doors shut for me,” he said.

Karger really made headlines when he took on the Mormon Church and revealed its intense support for Proposition 8. He looked at the names of donors for the cause, not recognizing many of them donating large sums of money -- as someone who had been in politics for decades, this was unusual.

Through research, he discovered they were members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. He filed seven ethics violations complaints against the church and worked with Wall Street Journal reporter, Mark Schoofs, on the story.

“I was given this treasure trove of these secret Mormon documents, hundreds and hundreds of them, which someone had literally laid at my doorstep detailing all the things they had done -- not just on Prop 8, but going back to the very first gay marriage election in Hawaii in 1998 all the way through Prop 8,” he said. “I take off the gloves when it comes to the Mormon Church and will continue to until they go about their business the way they should be doing, like helping the poor and victims of

natural disasters and stay away from demonizing LGBT people.”

With the 2012 election nearing, Karger had aspirations for the White House. He made a checklist of 11 items that needed to happen before he would consider running for office. One by one, each item happened, including Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president, being elected.

Although he’s a Republican, he identifies as a moderate -- he is in favor of keeping jobs in the U.S., passing the Employment NonDiscrimination Act, a pathway to citizenship, lowering the voting age, legalizing marijuana, a woman’s right to choose, energy independence, and LGBT rights.

“I just thought as a gay Republican, I would make for an interesting headline,” he said.

However, Karger didn’t make the nomination and conceded in July 2012. For now, a run for president again in 2016 doesn’t seem likely. Instead, he continues to fight for LGBT rights and against the Mormon Church.

“I have not made any decision… I want to see who all is running and I’m very content to act in my activism,” he said.

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feature

Terri Schlichenmeyer

Gilbert Baker

sewing activism Gilbert Baker: the man behind the rainbow flag

O

n November 18, gay activist Gilbert Baker took to the streets to protest during Russia day at Wall Street.

For the occasion, he sewed a 100-foot rainbow banner that required nearly 30 people to carry it. A message emblazoned on it read “Human rights Yes; Russian thugs Yes. NYSE WTF?” according to Baker.

“The message is to make our point to the very people that are doing money trading there,” he said. “I think what’s going on with the Olympics, and what’s going on in Russia.

I think it’s important to show that Russia isn’t good in terms of human rights.”

Baker, 62, is a driver in LGBT advocacy and has used his sewing skills to raise global awareness.

In 1978 in San Francisco, he constructed the rainbow flag with eight pieces of colored fabric.

Each color stands for a meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit. Eventually, Baker constructed the flag with six colors and stopped using pink and indigo.

For Baker flags are about visibility and power as well as a beacon of hope. Before he created the rainbow flag, the sole gay symbol was the pink triangle that came out of Nazi Germany.

Since this symbol had such a negative stigma Baker sought to give the community a symbol of hope with his rainbow flag.

While Baker has seen advances in gay rights since he first got involved in marches and activism in the late ‘70s in San Francisco, he thinks there’s still a tremendous way to go.

“We really have a global human rights problem. It’s not just Russia. Sure, it’s great to be gay in Miami, New York, in San

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Francisco, but it’s not possible to be gay in a lot of places,” he said. “Look at the gay situation in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Indonesia. We have a human rights problem, yes, we have made some progress, but we really have a long difficult struggle ahead.”

“You can’t protest in Russia, but in America we yell and scream and make our point. The other side that hates an open sexual orientation says that we are going to hell. We also get backlash from gays that think we are rocking the boat. Gay people are not united, there’s class and race that divides us. But when you push buttons, you get pushed back.

But it doesn’t stop me,” he shared.

At times Baker looks at the struggle for equality and thinks he’s up against the impossible, even though he refuses to give up. “I feel like a lot of times that I’m not getting anywhere, and that the situation is hopeless, I feel that way often, but then I have to look at the global picture like the guy in Uganda wearing a rainbow scarf. Now that makes me happy,” he said. “I hope that the world will change for the better, but it’s not going to happen in my lifetime. I use my art to make statements that I can have fun with. I am happy when I’m sewing, making things, and on the street. I’m happy when I’m solving things and making art and not thinking about the world’s problems.”

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The small Kansas town bred activist lives in New York.

While he’s known for creating beautiful banners and flags, he’s in the process of scoping out a new way to deliver his message for gay rights.

“I’m looking into printing designs on streets. I love making giant flags, but they don’t last that long. Printing the flag image along a street has this horizon

Gilbert Baker’s original gay flag had 8 colors instead of the 6 that is commonly used today. Each color has a meaning. Pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit.

to horizon, sea to sea, larger than life appeal,” he said. “The problem with flags is they wear out. They don’t last – even my big flagpole projects. I love them but you have to constantly change them since they fade. Imagine printing my flag on asphalt, it’s more permanent. So that’s what I’m looking into now.”

Visit www.GilbertBaker.com for more information.

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music

Gary M. Kramer

submitted photo

sizzling & sexy Singer Aiden Leslie’s talks up new single

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iden Leslie’s hot new single, “Nobody Said” is another of the out singer/songwriter’s self-described “diary entries.” In a Skype session from New York, the Cincinnati-born performer discussed his song, which stemmed from a breakup.

“My intention and my goal is to express myself through my music.

That’s how I do it. For me, it is like a therapy session--it’s getting it out.

I have to talk about it. I always try to write from a place that people get it universally; it’s not Aiden talking about a guy. Everyone can relate to this, or identify with what I’m talking about on some level. It’s the human condition.”

“Nobody Said” is not just about Leslie’s relationship. His catchy song also addresses the trouble gay men can have being honest and communicative. “I think gay men do have trouble expressing their emotions. I know I do,” he confessed.

“We need to take a look at that; we need to get real.”

He cites that there are pressures in the gay community--from body image to trying to be in that A-list crowd-that can prevent guys from being more self-aware and able to grow. His song is less about pointing a finger at an ex and calling him a jerk, and more about looking inward, to one’s self to find self-worth.

Leslie’s candor extends not just to his music but also about being part of the very insular EDM scene in its New York City epicenter.

“When I started to go out and connecting to the [Electronic Dance Music scene], I was growing up and discovering my sexuality. I remember-he pauses and laughs at his next thought--walking into a club here in New York City. I was so blown away by all the beautiful men! There was this whole culture I never experienced before. It was a new type of theater. There were performance artists, drag queens, and house music and dance music!”

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He continues, “When New York had that culture going--and it’s changed a lot since then--it was something you could only experience in the NYC underground, dancing all night after hours.”

Even as he felt at home in this world, with DJs like Junior Vasquez, who helped Leslie get his career started by producing his cover version of Erasure’s “Love to Hate You,” the singer was a bit of a loner.

He recalled, “What drew me to that world, is that I could escape to a different world, one I had not experienced. I did make friends and connections, but I had one foot in that world, and one foot out. When I was really going out, I felt like the music was central. Yes, there were drugs and sex, but when I started going out, it was like a melting pot. You would go to Junior Vasquez’s after party and there would be gays and drag queens and voguers, and muscle boys and transgender people next to Jersey Boys with their girlfriends, ravers, fist pumpers, straights, etc. I think that is gone today. It’s more about the promoters--and very insular. It’s sad that’s gone… But how did I fit in? There was a lot of pressure to be and look a certain way.”

His candor about the scene shows that Leslie is honest--one might say nakedly so--about things. He also has a realistic understanding of how body image is used in the marketing of dance music in general and his music in particular.

“Sex does sell,” he readily admits, when probed about his sexy shirtless publicity photos that show of his buff chest. He demures, “I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do or feel comfortable doing. I don’t take off my clothes in everything. There is the side of me without the shirt, but there are many times I’m fully clothed and I’m expressing myself a different way. You do think about

what you want to say and portray.

I’m an artist and I’m portraying different characters in my photos-they are all different.”

Need proof that his attractive performer is just playing a role? Check out his videos, which range from the very slick “Worlds Away” where he is all pimped out (and always in a shirt) and his video for “Diamond Dreams,” which Leslie describes as a song about “stripping yourself down and living your diamond dreams, and putting it out there.”

He maintains a carefully constructed image, stating, “There are all these different avenues you can take, and why not? You should!”

But back to his music. What excites Leslie is performing, and he mentions getting chills waiting to go on stage at a recent performance at Atlanta Pride. “The music started, and the audience was cheering…” his words trail off as he remembers “This is what I love doing!”

Dance music fans should embrace-or discover--Leslie’s new track, “Nobody Said.” The song takes the singer in a new direction, which is part of Leslie’s appeal. He never seems to repeat himself, even when he remixes his songs.

Leslie also has a keen observation about the various tracks he produces.

“I start with original track, the core interpretation, but the story is never really done. The remixes are different shades or colors of that song. You have a pop music track in ‘Worlds Away’ and we did several remixes--the house/tribal version, the trance version, the more classic sound, the anthem, the Euro mix, etc. You have different pockets and genres that speak to different crowds and provide different feels and vibes to satisfy different people’s tastes.”

Whatever flavor of Leslie’s music folks listen to, it’s certain they will enjoy his sound.

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music

J.W. Arnold

Joem C. Bayawa

grand nation All-American Boy Takes Country by Storm

N

ot long ago, Steve Grand was a littleknown, young singer/songwriter from the Chicago suburbs. But that all changed in July, when his self-funded music video, AllAmerican Boy, was posted to YouTube.

The touching song about unrequited love between two men quickly accumulated more than 2 million views and landed Grand appearances on CNN, Good Morning America and other national media. Grand was hailed as an overnight sensation and one of America’s first openly gay country stars.

Since then, he has hit the road, performing across the country and headlining national LGBT events. Despite his sudden fame, he remains true to his small town roots and dedicated to his music and fans.

Mirror recently spoke with Grand about his experiences, music and plans for the future: Your career has taken off since All-American Boy. What has this year been like for you?

It’s been a whirlwind! On July 2, my life changed. When I posted All-American Boy to YouTube, I knew I was making myself vulnerable, telling my story to the world. But I never could have guessed how many people would be so touched by it! I wake up every day feeling grateful to my fans. Now I’m focused on turning all of this into something lasting for the thousands of people who have reached out to me.

How did you get started in music? What was your inspiration?

Charlie Brown’s Schroeder! I think I was 4 or 5 years old, and I was just fascinated by the sounds he would create sitting at that little piano….I would make my own little cardboard models of pianos. I’d sit at them and pretend to play. My parents finally got the hint and bought us a little used upright piano from the Penny Saver!

What is your creative process?

It’s never the same. Sometimes it’s writing a lyric down in my notes on my iPhone. Sometimes it’s humming a melody into my iPhone recorder.

Sometimes I just sit at a piano and flesh out a song in a matter of hours. Usually songs come when I least expect them.

What are the musical themes in your work?

Love had and lost, lust, friendship, the trials and tribulations of growing up, the struggles of self-acceptance and being accepted by our parents for who we are. And, of course, Continued on page 16 unrequited love.

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Who are your musical influences?

My dad was the first person to inspire me to play music. Many of my musical inspirations align with his: The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel. Later on, I began listening to music my parents didn’t quite understand: Blink-182, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New and Fall Out Boy….But it was Dad who got me started. He would listen to a song and tell stories about what each song meant to him, where he was in life, who he was dating, what car he was driving. He made me realize the lasting power of music— how a great song can take you back to the moment you first heard it.

From that point on, I knew that’s what I wanted to do in life, create something so real and beautiful that it stays with its listener forever.

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You’ve been called the first openly gay country star. Is that an accurate label?

I never labeled myself country….But, if some people hear that in my music, that’s great. I’m not sure I fit into any one box. I’m truly a songwriter at heart, rather than a performer.

How the song is produced depends on the story and the message and the feeling I’m trying to convey. I’m never thinking about what genre when I’m writing, I think as people hear more of my music, the (country label) will go away….I just want my music to touch people. If it does, I’m happy.

Coming out wasn’t exactly an easy process, was it?

Adolescence is hard enough…. compounded with that, I realized I was gay. Music was my escape,

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this dream that I would be able to express my pain and what I was feeling. My parents sorta panicked when they discovered my orientation and they sent me to a Christian therapist.

Fortunately, they’ve come a long way and embraced my career as an openly gay musician.

Producing All-American Boy certainly presented a challenge, didn’t it?

No one was helping me. I saved up between $2,000 and $2,500—which isn’t a lot— by playing at a jazz club and churches, and I maxed out the credit card. But I was ready to do something.

What would you say to the fans who made you a viral sensation?

My relationship with my fans is truly sacred….I’d like to say,

“Thank you for changing my life and giving me a sense of purpose. You are what I think about when I wake up each morning and go to work writing music.” The best part of all of this has been the people who walk up to me and say, “I’m from a small town. Thanks for telling my story. Thanks for giving me a voice.”

What’s next for your career?

I’m taking it one day at a time. I want to release an EP in the future. So for now I’m just going to keep writing, recording and getting better. hI feel a sense of purpose to honor the relationship and trust I’ve built with fans.

Whenever I’m making a decision about my career, my fans are always at the forefront of my mind.

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feature

Sasha Razumikhin

MSNBC + CNN

5 lgbt journalists you

should know about

Anderson Cooper isn’t the only one

W

hen he came out in July 2012, Anderson Cooper was responsible for yet another normalization of LGBT presence in mainstream media — but that’s not to say that he’s the only one to have done so.

Far from it, LGBT celebrities are coming out regularly now, strengthening

the already strong LGBT movement across the country, showing people that there is no shame — and there’s indeed pride — in being themselves. The Mirror has compiled a short list of other newsworthy news people who’ve come out in stride, other than the famous Cooper.

Here they are…

Rachel Maddow

Maddow was ok with coming out all the way back in college, and even offered her college newspaper at Stanford University the expose. Her only condition: That the paper wouldn’t print the interview until she came out to her parents.

But they did.

Maddow wrote about the experience in a March 2012 editorial for the Daily Beast. Here’s an excerpt from the piece in which Maddow talks about her parent’s reaction to the student newspaper article: They would have had a hard time with me coming out anyway, but this was a particularly nasty way for them to find out. They’re wonderful now, and couldn’t be more supportive, but they took it poorly at first, which I don’t fault them for. They were shocked and upset and hurt.

Maddow is host of the Emmy Award-winning “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC. “The Rachel Maddow Show” features Maddow’s take on the biggest stories of the day, political and otherwise, including lively debate with guests from all sides of the issues, in-depth analysis and stories no other shows in cable news will cover.

She also authored “DRIFT: The Unmooring of American Military Power,” which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list in March 2012. “The Rachel Maddow Show” has been nominated twice by the Television Critics Association for the “Outstanding Achievement in News and Information” category and the show took home a GLAAD award in 2010.

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Jane Velez-Mitchell

It wasn’t intentional or pre-meditated, but when Velez-Mitchell was on the radio discussing an anti-gay senator who’d been caught in what seemed like a gay scandal (he brushed a man’s foot in the bathroom, possibly signaling that he wanted a sexual encounter), she felt it was wrong to leave this pretty big detail about herself out. Here’s an excerpt from a piece she wrote for the Huffington Post about her big reveal: We were talking -- on air -- about the hypocrisy of people like Craig who had a long record of antagonism to gay rights, having voted against gay marriage and having supported banning gays from serving in the Boy Scouts.

Here I was, on the radio, chatting -- at length -- with an openly gay talk-show host about Senator Larry Craig’s hypocrisy, and I hadn’t said a word about being gay myself.

Meanwhile, Al was regaling his listeners with the story of how he came out. As the conversation wore on, minute after minute, I became increasingly uncomfortable attacking the Senator for dishonesty while I, myself, was lying by omission.

So during a commercial break, she told the host she’d be coming out. And she did.

The Headlines News anchor took over for Glenn Beck when he left for Fox in 2008.

as listed in his biography: “He’s reported and anchored on-the-scene for CNN from many breaking news stories, including the George Zimmerman trial, the Boston marathon bombing, the Philadelphia building collapse, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Colorado Theater Shooting, the death of Whitney Houston, the Inaugural of the 44th President in Washington, D.C., the death of Michael Jackson, Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana, and the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Whew.

In 2009, Ebony named him as one of the Ebony Power 150: the most influential Blacks in America. He has won an Edward R. Murrow award for his coverage of the capture of the Washington, D.C. snipers. He won an Emmy for a special report on real estate in Chicagoland and various other awards for his reporting on the AIDS epidemic in Africa and Hurricane Katrina.

Steve Kornacki

This guy is the third one to come from NBC (where LGBT people do exceptionally well, it seems).

He’s been published in the New York Observer, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the

New York Post, the Boston Globe, and the Daily Beast.

His big deal job was with Salon, where he was a senior political writer. Kornacki’s big reputation, though, is really for being a brainiac of sorts when it comes to American history, according to the Daily Beast: As a columnist for Salon, occasional contributor to the Gotham-focused politics and culture website Capital New York, and former columnist for the New York Observer, Kornacki does analysis without sources whispering in his ear, or really, for that matter, doing many interviews of any kind.

The political climate in which he grew up and came to his professional mastery brought with it hurdles to his coming, but he did in, of course, a Salon editorial:

I’ve read stories from people who say they always knew they were attracted to the same sex, or that they figured it out at a young age. I’m not one of them. I had practically no idea until one night in my sophomore year of high school. I was at a basketball game, and the guys around me started pointing out cheerleaders from the other team they thought were hot. I began to wonder: Why wasn’t I looking at the cheerleaders that way? And why was I sometimes noticing the other team’s players instead? My heart rate quickened and my mind spun until a thought surfaced: This is what it means to be gay…

In a way, I can’t even explain why I kept this part of myself private for so long. But whenever I would contemplate a change, I would think back to my youth, and the fathers, teachers and coaches who had been my adult role models, all of them oldfashioned family men. How could I possibly be so different?

Thomas Roberts

Don Lemon

Lemon, over at CNN, came out publicly in 2011 through his memoir “Transparent,” but said in subsequent interviews he’d always been out to his CNN co-workers. The coverage reached the pages of the New York Times.

Lemon had been with CNN since 2006. He now anchors CNN Newsroom during weekend prime-time and serves as a correspondent across CNN/U.S. programming. Among his reporting notches,

Roberts publicly came out at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in 2006 (in Miami). And six years later married his partner of 12 years, according to the Daily Mail: Mr Roberts and Mr Abner, both 40, followed each other as their careers exploded -- moving the couple from Virginia to Philadelphia to Atlanta to Washington to Los Angeles and finally New York.

They often found themselves separated by hundreds of miles and battling the exhaustion of maintaining a long distance relationship.

Roberts left his gig at CNN in 2006 and joined up with NBC four years later, the departure having nothing to do with his orientation.

Here’s a piece of trivia: Roberts cohosted (with Spice Girl Mel B.) the 2013 Miss Universe pageant.

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acting

David-Elijah Nahmod

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famous, young & out

Youthful actors who’ve stepped out of the closet alex newell Unique on Glee Transgender kids finally have a role model they can look up to. Alex Newell’s father died of cancer when he was six years old. Growing up he was an effeminate black kid raised by a single mom. Life wasn’t easy, but his loving mom gave him as much as she could.

Newell was a teen-aged Glee fan who dreamed of being on his favorite show. In 2011 he submitted an audition tape to The Glee Project, a reality series on Oxygen in which young contestants compete for roles on the mother show.

Newell’s powerful pipes made an impression, and he was cast in the role of Wade “Unique” Williams, a male-to-female transgender student who expresses her female identity through song. Unique first appeared on Glee’s season three Saturday Night Glee-ver episode, where his rendition of The Bee Gees’ Boogie Shoes brought down the house.

Newell was immediately chastised by right wing Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly, who felt that unsupervised kids watching Glee might be “encouraged to experiment with alternative lifestyles.” Newell took great pride in O’Reilly’s admonition.

As of the current season, Newell is now a top billed member of Glee’s main cast. He embraces not only his celebrity, but his status as a role model for LGBT youth.

“I personally don’t identify as trans,” he says.

“I’m comfortable no matter what I’m wearing.”

The rising star now donates his time to appear and perform at Pride celebrations, AIDS fundraisers, and to speak out for LGBT youth.

Sometimes in male attire, sometimes not.

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greg rikaart Kevin Fisher on The Young and the Restless Many are surprised to learn that the boyish looking Rikaart is 36 years old. For the past decade, he’s played bad boy turned good (but who still gets into trouble) Kevin on the top rated daytime drama The Young and the Restless.

Rikaart’s popular character has bedded many women on the show, but offscreen, Rikaart has lived quietly with his partner, writer Robert Sudduth. Though he never publicly discussed his personal life, Rikaart has been a supporter of LGBT causes.

In June 2013, Rikaart came out on Twitter, posting a picture of himself and Sudduth. The couple were celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling.

“Not getting married anytime soon, but celebrating equality tonight nonetheless,” Rikaart wrote.

His TV character remains popular with viewers.

troye sivan Young Wolverine in X Men: Origins Soon after the release of the hit superhero film X Men: Origins, 18 year old Troye Sivan, who played Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine as a child, came out in a self-produced video.

“I want you guys to know that I’m gay,” he said. “I know some people will have a problem with this, and I know that this could kind of change everything for me, but it shouldn’t have to.”

Sivan continues to work, having recently co-starred with Monty Python’s John Cleese in the South African coming-ofage film Spud, it’s sequel, and it’s, now in production, third chapter. He also enjoys a stage career: his theatrical credits include Australian productions of Waiting For Godot and Oliver.

Sivan’s YouTube channel has over one million subscribers.

Video’s include Coming Out, Watching Porn, Waxing My Legs, and Who Is Your Man Crush?

anna paquin Sookie Stackhouse on True Blood Paquin won an Oscar at age 11 for her extraordinary work in the acclaimed Australian/New Zealand film The Piano (1993). She has since played a variety of roles, and has become a cult icon for her starring role as Sookie on HBO’s mega-hit True Blood. She’s also popular for her role as Rogue in the X Men series.

Married since 2010 to True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer, Paquin participated in 2010’s Give a Damn campaign. “I’m Anna Paquin, I’m bisexual, and I give a damn,” she said in a video.

Paquin has since stated that her bisexuality was hardly a secret, and that her sexual identity isn’t a choice. With True Blood ending after the current season, Paquin has several film projects lined up.

Amber Heard Leading lady in movies Amber Heard, 27, has made many straight male hearts swoon.

She has appeared alongside superstars Johnny Depp (Rum Diary), Nicholas Cage (Drive Angry), and has been in splatter flicks like Zombieland and Machete.

In 2010, Heard came out at the 25th anniversary GLAAD Media Awards, revealing that she had been dating photographer Tasya Von Ree. (The couple split the following year.)

“I don’t label myself one way or another,” Heard has said. “I’ve had successful relationships with men and now with a woman. I love who I love. It’s the person that matters.”

Her film career, and her star, continues to rise.

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ACting

David-Elijah Nahmod

submitted photo

famous actors who never came out… ...and a few who finally did

T

hese days, actors like Glee’s Chris Colfer, Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) and Neil Patrick Harris live out, proud lives.

Like many other young stars, they’ve seen no career backlash.

Some have said that coming out actually enhanced their careers.

Not all that long ago, the picture wasn’t so rosy. There was a time when coming out, or being found out, could mean career suicide.

Here are a few famous faces who remained in the closet until the end. And a few who eventually peeked out of the closet door.

Montgomery Clift

(1920-1966) Long ago, Montgomery Clift was considered the most beautiful man in the world. But he was more than just a pretty face.

Clift was a method actor. At a time when others were more interested in being stars, Clift studied the craft of acting and immersed himself in his roles.

He would only accept parts, which he found challenging and artistically rewarding.

Clift co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun, one of 1951’s biggest hits.

Their onscreen chemistry was sensational, and they became inseparable when the cameras stopped. Everyone assumed they were in love, and they were, as only sisters could be.

While the press falsely assumed that Liz and Monty were an item, Monty secretly dated TV’s Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen on Adventures of Superman).

It’s now believed that he had flings with James Dean and Marlon Brando, who was open about his bisexuality.

Clift suffered from severe bouts of depression and was a chronic alcoholic. After a 1956 auto accident ruined his looks, the drinking worsened. By the mid1960s, he was unemployable. Liz used her influence to get him cast opposite herself in Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), a then shocking drama about repressed homosexuality. When Clift died, shortly before filming was to commence, he looked far older than his 46 years.

Though the accident no doubt escalated his descent, many believe that Clift might not have hit the bottle at all had he been able to live an honest, authentic life.

Ramon Navarro

(1899-1968) Navarro was quite a hottie in his day. The Mexican born silent film superstar made ladies’ and men’s hearts flutter worldwide. His scanty attire in the biblical epic Ben Hur (1925) today remains an iconic male erotic image.

Navarro’s star fell during the sound era, though he continued

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working in B films and on television. During his lifetime he was conflicted between his strict Catholic upbringing and his homosexuality, which led to difficulties with alcohol.

In 1968, Navarro was murdered in his home by two “guests.” A pair of brothers who worked together as hustlers were paid by Navarro for sex.

Believing him to be hiding a cash stash in the house, the brothers tied Navarro up and tortured him for hours. The actor died from his wounds, and the brothers, who were caught, made off with a mere $20.

William Haines

(1900-1973) Haines was an athletic, all American guy who appeared in many successful “chick flicks,” military dramas, and sports themed films. As handsome as can be, he was a top five box office draw from 1928-1932.

He co-starred alongside Joan Crawford several times, and the two remained lifelong friends.

In 1933, MGM studio boss gave Haines an ultimatum, leave his partner Jimmie Shields and marry a woman, or leave the studio. Haines chose Shields, and the two remained together until Haines’ death from cancer in 1973. Though they never publicly said “the words,” they were accepted as a couple everywhere they went.

Haines and Shields started a successful interior design business, catering to Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Haines continued to receive film offers into the 1950s, but he refused them all.

tab hunter

Born Arthur Gelien, the popular 1950s heartthrob was given the name Tab Hunter by his first agent, Henry Willson. Willson was notorious for discovering (and attempting to seduce) closeted gay actors.

Startlingly handsome, Hunter was a huge star, appearing in over 40 major films. He was the top grossing earner at Warner Brothers from 1955-1959, and also had his own, short lived sitcom.

Throughout his career, he was subjected to innuendo laden rumors regarding his sexual orientation.

He dated superstar Natalie Wood, but the relationship was a publicity stunt. “Natalie would, Tab wouldn’t” whispered industry insiders.

After his Hollywood career fizzled, he lived in Europe and appeared in spaghetti westerns. In 1981 he agreed to co-star with drag star Divine in “trash” director John Water’s Polyester. Accepting the film outed him once and for all. In 1984 he was reunited with Divine in Paul Bartel’s Lust in the Dust.

In his well received 2007 memoir, Tab Hunter Confidential, the actor discussed his homosexuality openly, and wrote of his studio-manufactured affairs with women. A documentary film version on the book is now in development.

Hunter has been with his partner, Allan Glaser, for thirty years.

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Roddy McDowall

(1928-1998) Child star McDowall was another of the many gay men whom Elizabeth Taylor befriended.

They worked together as kids at MGM and were still close when McDowall died fifty years later. A popular child star, he struggled to find work as an adult until his role as a talking chimp in Planet of the Apes (1968) revived his sagging fortunes. McDowall worked almost continuously in film and on TV until his death.

He was also an accomplished photographer, and published five books of his photos.

His homosexuality was fairly well known within the industry and to the public, though McDowall remained “discreet” until the end.

Sal Mineo (1939-1976)

Like Montgomery Clift before him, Sal Mineo was a beautiful young man who took acting very seriously. He received Oscar nominations for his role opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and a second nomination for Exodus (1960) in which he gave a powerful performance as a Holocaust survivor who was raped by his Nazi captors.

Soon after, too old to play teenagers, but too boyish looking to be a leading man, Mineo’s well ran dry. He struggled for years, reportedly camping outside the home of director Francis Ford Coppola, hoping to be cast as Fredo in The Godfather. He didn’t get the job.

More than a decade after his star fell, having nothing to lose, Mineo came out. He began to find work in gay-themed theater pieces like the highly controversial Fortune and Men’s Eyes.

In 1976, Mineo was stabbed to death in an alley. For years it was said that he was stabbed by a hustler he was trying to pick up, but it was actually a robbery gone horribly wrong. Mineo was only 37 years old.

Jodie Foster

Foster first gained fame as a child prostitute in Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver (1976).

Only 15 years old when she made the film, the gritty melodrama

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brought her a stalker. She appeared in family films for Disney during this period.

Foster, a superbly intense actress, easily transitioned into adult roles. She won Oscars for her work in the rape drama The Accused (1988), and again for the disturbing chiller The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Mom to two children, Foster for years declined to discuss her personal life or admit who the father to her kids was. In 2013, Foster was awarded the Cecil B. Demille Award at the Golden Globes, where she publicly discussed her lesbianism for the first time.

Also a director, she called the shots for the film The Beaver (2011), co-starring her friend Mel Gibson, who she says isn’t homophobic. She also directed an episode of Orange Is the New Black for Netflix.

Paul Lynde

(1926-1982) Loud and boisterous, funny man Lynde is primarily remembered for his role as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched, and for his many appearances on the game show Hollywood Squares.

Uncle Arthur is a tribute to the actor’s unforgettable personality: he only appeared on ten episodes of Bewitched, yet many people consider him one of the series’ stars.

Lynde’s persona was that of an effeminate, screaming queen, though he never discussed his personal life publicly. He had many film and TV credits, but always played versions of himself. An urban legend says that after Bewitched star Agnes Moorehead died, he referred to her as “Hollywood’s greatest dyke” on Hollywood Squares, though no video of this incident has surfaced.

Lynde died of a heart attack at age 55, allegedly while in bed with a hustler as he sniffed poppers. This is possibly true, possibly not.

Meredith Baxter

Baxter was a TV fixture for many years, co-starring with then husband David Birney in the early 70s sitcom Bridget Loves Birney.

Though popular, the series was cancelled after one season due to the controversy surrounding it’s subject: interfaith marriage

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between a Jew and a Catholic.

She played the eldest daughter on the prime time soap opera Family, then enjoyed a long run as the mom on the 80s sitcom Family Ties.

Throughout her TV career, Baxter suffered through a series of bad marriages.

A cancer survivor and the mother of five, Baxter came out as a lesbian in a 2009 interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer. She said she had no idea she was gay until 2002. Two years later, Baxter published Untied, her memoir.

Promoting the book in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she discussed her abusive marriages and her coming out process. Partner Nancy Locke appeared with her.

On November 12, Huffington Post reported that the couple was planning to marry.

Gillian Anderson

Popular as Agent Scully on The X Files, Anderson showed that she had acting chops when she starred in The House of Mirth (2000), a dark society drama set in New York City during the early 1900s. She has since moved to London, where she’s appeared in a number of costume dramas that aired on PBS. Married to several men, the mother of three came out as bisexual early in 2012. She said that she’d had a girlfriend while in high school.

Joel Crothers

(1941-1985) Joel Crothers was a New York actor who worked primarily on stage and in daytime soap operas.

He played romantic leads on Dark Shadows (1966-1968), The Secret Storm (1969-1971) and Somerset (1972-1976). In 1977 he was cast as Dr. Miles Cavanaugh on the long running soap The Edge of Night, and stayed with the show until it’s final episode in 1984.

Virile and handsome, Crothers had millions of male and female admirers. Though he was seen patronizing gay bars in New York, he never publicly came out.

Crothers played Ed, lead character Arnold’s boyfriend in the original stage production of Harvey Fierstein’s groundbreaking gay play Torch Song Trilogy. Crothers’ soap opera popularity was credited with drawing attention to the play, which helped to made it OK for positive gay role models to appear on stage.

In 1985, Crothers signed to appear on the soap opera Santa Barbara. Soon after, he contracted AIDS related lymphoma and died a few months later, age 44.

At a Dark Shadows fan convention in 2008, DS co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott got a standing ovation when she expressed her sorrow that Crothers didn’t live to see the show’s enduring popularity. She said that she still missed him, and that he’d become a close friend.

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through the ages: gay on tv

Iconic Groundbreaking LGBT Characters on the Tube

W

hile no means complete, this list pays homage to some of the more iconic and groundbreaking LGBT characters to have graced the small screen.

The first year that an openly gay character first appeared on the tube is generally credited as 1972.

That year saw the premiere of That Certain Summer, an ABC movie of the week in which Martin Sheen and Hal Holbrook played a gay couple who were attempting to hide their relationship from Holbrook’s visiting teenaged son (Scott Jacoby). The film brought in impressive numbers, won awards, and opened doors. (It can now be viewed complete on YouTube.)

Also in ‘72, ABC aired The Corner Bar, a short lived, largely forgotten (only 16 episodes) sitcom which featured the late Vincent Schiavelli as Peter Panama, the first ongoing gay character on American television.

Throughout the 1970s, many primetime series featured gay characters in guest starring roles.

In 1973, The Mary Tyler Moore Show introduced viewers to the gay brother of Phyllis (Cloris Leachman). Around that time, an All in the Family episode let us know that “Meathead’s” (Rob Reiner) effeminate friend was straight, while Archie’s (Carroll O’Connor) macho beer drinking buddy was gay. A few years later, Maude (Bea Arthur), takes homophobic neighbor Arthur (Conrad Bain) to a neighborhood gay bar to show him that gays are just like everyone else.

But these interludes were few and far between.

Until Ellen came out in 1997, it was nearly impossible to get a continuing gay character on the tube, though there were exceptions here and there.

Things have improved considerably over the years, though small screen gay characters can still raise eyebrows and incur the wrath of religious conservatives.

Here are a few of the best remembered, and most beloved, groundbreaking LGBT roles to have made it on the air.

Ellen Morgan (Ellen) played by Ellen Degenres

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Beverly Leslie (Will and Grace)

Jodie Dallas (Soap) Played by Billy Crystal

Played by Leslie Jordan

Before The Golden Girls, writer Susan Harris created the controversial daytime drama spoof Soap. On the very first episode in September 1977, Jodie’s mom (Cathryn Damon) tries to tell him that she thought his being a “homosexual” was a passing phase. But she couldn’t say the word, so Jodie would interject the H word into her sentences for her!

Over the course of the show’s four year run, Jodie considered having a sex change operation so he could marry his boyfriend (Bob Seagren).

Jodie fathered a child, dated a lesbian, and did many other things, which horrified conservatives but kept Soap viewers laughing.

For being the first long running gay character on TV, and for never denying who he was, Jodie gets the number 1 spot.

Gay Republicans got a delightful, well deserved ribbing with openly gay Jordan’s hysterical portrayal of wealthy, deeply closeted Southern Belle Beverly, “the world’s oldest girl” as he was called by arch-enemy Karen (Megan Mullaly).

The friendly enemies sparred hilariously as Beverly, determined to keep his sexuality a secret, (in spite of the fact that he was a flaming, effeminate queen!) fends off Karen’s many ingenious attempts to out him.

As stated earlier, W & G’s supporting cast was far more colorful than the leads!

Steven Carrington (Dynasty) Played by Al Corely and Jack Coleman On the very first episode of this smash 1980s prime time soap opera hit, Steven Carrington, heir to a vast oil empire, spars with his dad over his homosexuality.

For the next 8 years, Steven fell in love with a variety of men, and even married evil Sammi Jo (Heather Locklear) with whom he fathered a child.

Al Corely played Steven for two years, then quit amid complaints that Steven’s everchanging sexual preferences made no sense.

Jack Coleman then saw the character through a variety of male and female relationships for the remainder of the show’s run. Corley returned for a 1991 reunion movie.

Dynasty proved to be quite popular with gay audiences, in part due to Steven, but also due to the arrival, in season two, of the outrageous Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins), a scheming, over the top, drag-queenish madwoman who brought a camp sensibility to the series.

Steven’s fluid sexuality really isn’t all that hard to explain: he was prime time television’s first ongoing bi-guy!

Julia Hoffman (Dark Shadows) Played by Grayson Hall In 1964, character actress Hall received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Miss Fellows, a frustrated lesbian spinster, in the film The Night of the Iguana. It was the first Academy nomination in history for an actor in a gay role.

In 1967, Hall was cast as the brilliant if slightly mad Dr. Julia Hoffman on Dark Shadows, the spooky supernatural soap opera. Doc Julia soon fell in love with her patient, the 175-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid).

In 1970, Hall played Julia’s counterpart in a parallel universe story. Parallel Time Julia was a servant, helping her beloved Mistress Angelique (Lara Parker) pass herself off as Angelique’s twin Alexis: Angelique had come back from the dead and murdered Alexis.

Though the L word was never uttered, it became clear as the storyline progressed that Julia was head over heels in love with her employer: the puppy dog love in Hoffman’s eyes was a dead giveaway!

Parallel Time Julia was based on Mrs. Danvers (Dame Judith Anderson) from the classic Daphne DuMaurier novel Rebecca, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940.

Danvers’ lesbianism was plain to see in the film, and Hall, on Dark Shadows, channeled Anderson’s performance when she declared her love for Angelique.

Certainly a daring thing to do on daytime TV in 1970!

Brian Kinney (Queer as Folk) Played by Gale Harold Drop dead gorgeous, buffed, promiscuous and always horny, Brian Kinney was the most popular character on Showtime’s breakout gay soap opera Queer as Folk.

Brian knew how hot he was. Wealthy and above it all, he viewed other gay men as objects to be used for sex, then discarded.

But when 17 year old Justin (Randy Harrison) falls in love with him, Brian finds his soul mate.

Over the course of Queer as Folk’s five seasons, viewers joined Brian on his voyage of discovery, as he slowly became the decent, loving person he truly was. Gale Harold played the changes in Brian slowly, brilliantly revealing the man beneath the mannequin. Brian is one of the most complex and multi-layered gay characters ever to appear on television, and Harold proved himself to be more than up to the acting challenge.

Thirty-nine million viewers tuned in to hear Ellen say the words “I’m Gay” in 1997. Prior to that historic night, Ellen was a fair to middling sitcom about a neurotic bookstore owner (DeGeneres) who didn’t seem to have a sexual identity (though hints were dropped).

Though Ellen was cancelled the following year amid complaints from both religious conservatives and from gays who felt it wasn’t really funny, Ellen, and Degeneres herself, changed the TV landscape forever.

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Bianca Montgomery (All My Children) Played by Eden Riegel, Christina Bennett Lind Bianca wasn’t the first gay character to appear on a daytime drama. Prior to her coming out as a lesbian in 2000, the soaps One Life to Live, As the World Turns and even AMC itself featured short-term gay characters. What makes Bianca stand out is her status as the first long running, soap character portrayed by a core contract player.

Bianca is the daughter of Erica Kane (soap superstar Susan Lucci), AMC’s long time leading lady.

Once she came out, there was no stopping her: Bianca had numerous love affairs, and even kissed her girlfriends on camera. She married one girlfriend, then the two got divorced. A bitter custody battle followed.

In 2006, Bianca had a fling with Zoe (Jeffrey Carlson), a lesbian identified trans-woman.

This particularly courageous storyline saw Bianca questioning her

sexuality when she feels attracted to Zarf (also Carlson), a David Bowie-ish glam rock star.

Then Zarf comes out and transitions over the course of a sixmonth story arc.

Bianca broke ground in more ways than one. She was the first soap character who’s love and sex lives were as active, and as complicated, as her heterosexual co-stars.

When ABC cancelled All My Children in 2011, Bianca was a happily married lesbian mom played by Christina Bennett Lind.

Two years later, the serial was revived by Prospect Park Productions. New episodes were made available on Hulu and iTunes, and were broadcast on OWN. To the delight of millions of fans, Eden Riegel, who played Bianca so brilliantly for a decade, returned to the role, and has just signed on for the revival’s second season.

Beverly LaSalle (All in the Family) Played by Lori Shannon Norman Lear’s brilliantly courageous sitcom All in the Family put many of society’s prejudices up on a pedestal and ridiculed them. Race, gender roles, religious intolerance, stereotypes of all kinds, nothing was sacred on this hysterically funny if thought provoking series.

One of the more startling, for it’s time, Family characters was Beverly LaSalle, a female impersonator who didn’t always switch to male attire when offstage.

Brilliantly played by real life drag artist Lori Shannon, Beverly was unlike anyone TV viewers had seen up to that time. Was Beverly transgender?

Perhaps.

The third and final of Beverly’s All in the Family appearances came in 1977, when she was beaten to death on Christmas Eve. Gal pal Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) had quite a reaction to the news: she refuses to go to Midnight Mass, saying that she can’t pray to a God that would allow such a thing to happen.

All in the Family wasn’t always funny, but it always made people think.

Jack McFarland (Will and Grace) Played by Sean Hayes Will and Grace premiered on NBC in 1998, the year following Ellen’s historic coming out. Ostensibly a sitcom about a gay man and his straight, female best friend (Eric MacKormack, Debra Messing), it was the show’s colorful supporting cast that captivated viewers.

As the lovably ditzy, star struck Jack, Sean Hayes stole many scenes. An unapologetically gay,

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flamboyant queen, Jack was also a genuinely decent, if somewhat irresponsible chap.

Though closeted during the show’s production (he has since come out), Hayes played Jack with just the right combination of hysterical theatrics and down home charm.

All gays are not alike, as Jack showed TV viewers for the very first time.

Mitch and Cameron (Modern Family) Played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitch) and Eric Stonestreet (Cameron) When TV Guide named Mitch and Cameron, the gay couple from ABC’s brilliant comedy drama Modern Family as among the five best TV Dads, we knew we were an accepted part of the mainstream. Together for 8 years, the guys adopted Lily, a young girl from Vietnam.

Neither of the guys is a “hunk.” What they are is real: neurotic and insecure, they’re full of love for each other and for their daughter in this, perhaps TV’s most realistic peek inside the day to day lives of a gay family (and other families).

Luke and Noah (As the World Turns) Played by Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) A few years after Bianca came out, the traditionally conservative daytime drama As the World Turns, which hadn’t changed much since it’s 1956 debut, outed young, cute, Luke Snyder. Luke’s portrayer, Jake Weary, quit the series immediately, and was replaced by Van Hansis, who was quite comfortable playing a gay role – Hansis now plays another gay character on the web series Eastsiders.

What made Luke’s coming out so significant is the fact that he was the son of Lily and Holden, a supercouple from the show’s past. ATWT’s primary audience was older and somewhat right wing, the series was particularly popular in the Midwest.

For many viewers, Luke was their first exposure to an ongoing gay character. Reportedly, a number of Bible Belt grandmas wrote to Hansis, saying that they could now accept their gay grandchildren as a result of watching his portrayal of Luke.

Luke’s storylines included dealing with bullying.

From 2007-2010, he was involved in a stormy but loving relationship with Noah (Jake Silbermann), and the two are credited as daytime’s first gay “supercouple.” They became an audience favorite, even after shocking viewers by actually having sex! As the World Turns’ legendary, 54year run ended in 2010, with Luke and Noah breaking up, but parting good friends.

An enterprising World Turns fan has archived every scene involving the Luke/Noah love story, where it can still be viewed on YouTube in five-minute segments.

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The Glee Kids No show has better illustrated how far we’ve come then Glee. Sure, we love the fabulous musical numbers, but Glee is so much more.

The series is set in that perfect world where gays, straights, bisexuals, lesbians and transgender people co-exist side by side, accepting each other at face value and without judgment.

Glee is a magnificent example of how much the TV landscape has changed since ABC aired That Certain Summer 41 years ago.

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travel

Joey Amato

submitted photos

OUT DESTINATION:

TENNESSEE T

hose planning a fall getaway may initially think of popular LGBT destinations such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

However, why not think outside the box and head to Tennessee, home to workclass entertainment, fine dining and tons of outdoor adventures.

The most gay-friendly destination in the state also

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happens to be the capital.

Nashville is home to much more than country music and could easily be your one and only stop on the trip. Those looking for an extended vacation should visit Tennessee’s other major cities: Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Each destination has its own distinct flare and culture. Memphis of course is known for blues and BBQ;

Chattanooga for its beautiful riverfront aquarium and Knoxville for its vibrant downtown.

I recommend spending a minimum of two nights in each city to really get a feel for the locale.

Nashville is probably your best beginning point as the airport offers inexpensive daily nonstops from South Florida and is centrally located, providing visitors with a short drive to either of the state’s other cities.

CHATTANOOGA HISTORY and HEIGHTS

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hattanooga is one of the most historic cities in Tennessee. A pivotal Civil war battleground, the city has earned its place in United States history. The word “Chattanooga” is a Creek word meaning “rock coming to a point” and it is thought to be a description of Lookout Mountain, one of the attractions we visited.

Chattanooga’s main attraction is without a doubt the Tennessee Aquarium, home to a collection of thousands of animals, divided amongst two buildings: River Journey and Ocean Journey.

The first stop on our visit is River Journey, the aquarium’s original building and features freshwater creatures and habitats from the Southeast and around the world.

Visitors can explore two living forests under glass and get face to face with giant catfish, prehistoric sturgeon and alligators.

Ocean Journey takes visitors beneath the waves where 10foot sharks, fierce barracuda and graceful stingrays glide through amazing coral formations. Other galleries showcase cuttlefish, squid, crabs and jellyfish. An indoor rainforest showcases the aquarium’s butterfly exhibit.

Operated by the aquarium is the River Gorge Explorer, a 70-passenger catamaran, which transports guests downstream into “Tennessee’s Grand Canyon,” the Tennessee River Gorge. This scenic waterway is home to a remarkable array of plants and animals in addition to historic mansions. Angled seating allows each guest to enjoy the scenic beauty and wildlife.

The 3-hour sunset cruise is not to be missed.

After a long day of sightseeing, check into the Sheraton Read House. Nestled in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, the historical property combines Georgian architecture with modern amenities, including an indoor pool, fitness center and spacious guest rooms complete with complimentary wireless Internet, feather and down pillows and luxury linens.

The hotel is also home to Porter’s Steakhouse, voted one of the best restaurants. There is also a Starbucks Coffee located in the hotel’s lobby.

Well-rested and ready for adventure, we head to Rock City, one of the city’s greatest attractions.

The destination, said to have been “created by God and enhanced by man,” is a unique geological and botanical wonder. Located toward the top of historical Lookout Mountain, the attraction offers people the opportunity to experience enchanting beauty as they adventure along a nature trail, with added man-made entities.

The adventure begins as guests wind in and out of narrow rock formations and caverns. Intertwined into the attraction are Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, a fun experience for any age.

One cannot deny Rock City’s overall beauty.

The massive rock formations are estimated to be 200 million years old and the panoramic views of seven states from the observation deck at 1,700 feet above sealevel are unparalleled. If that isn’t enough, Rock City features a majestic 100-foot waterfall and thrill-seeking swing-along

bridge suspended hundreds of feet high.

Also located on Lookout Mountain is the mystical Ruby Falls, one of the largest underground waterfalls in the world. Discovered in 1928 by cave enthusiast Leo Lambert, Ruby Falls is also located in one of the deepest commercial caves, at a staggering 1,120 feet underground.

Guests visiting Ruby Falls for the first time will not know what to expect.

Upon being transported via elevator hundreds of feet below, visitors are welcomed into an enormous cave, which doesn’t give any indication that it is home to a gigantic waterfall.

As a tour guide leads a group through a maze of rock formations, one can only be in amazement of what Lambert went through to discover the falls, which he named after his wife.

After a nearly a 30-minute hike past breathtaking stalagmites and stalactites, the cavern opens up and visitors get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring wonder.

Enhanced by multicolored lights, Ruby Falls is one of the most thrilling sights in Chattanooga.

Guests are encouraged to walk around the falls to really appreciate its sheer beauty.

Chattanooga is definitely a place that can be enjoyed by history buffs and thrill seekers alike, and, visitors should take in a little of both for the best experience. Who would have thought we could do all of this in just 24 hours?

Visit ChattanoogaFun.com for more information.

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travel

nashville MORE THAN COUNTRY MUSIC

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reative, diverse, friendly and welcoming are words often used to describe Nashville. It has long been a destination rich in culture, music and food and is quickly becoming one of the premier LGBT destinations in the country.

As the largest city in Tennessee, Nashville is home to dozens of arts organizations, historical landmarks, James Beard award-winning restaurants and fabulous entertainment and nightlife venues.

Nashville is also the headquarters of the state’s largest HIV/AIDS organization, Nashville CARES, numerous gay sports leagues, the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce and the Oasis Center, an organization designed to support and educate LGBT youth.

While in Nashville be sure to visit some of the city’s premier LGBT-friendly cultural attractions, most notably the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Frist Center for the Visual Arts and Tennessee State Museum.

History buffs should head straight to the Parthenon in Centennial Park.

This exact replica of the Athens original, also houses a 42-foot tall statue of goddess Athena, the tallest indoor statue in the Western Hemisphere.

If you desire, try to catch a performance by the Nashville Ballet. Since its founding in 1986, the group has grown to become the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, presenting a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works. The company is now comprised of 22 professional dancers from around the world.

Another LGBT-friendly highlight is the glorious Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum, a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek

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estate. Enjoy a brisk Nashville morning strolling with your partner through Cheekwood’s beautifully manicured gardens and admiring the culture and heritage of one of Nashville’s most prominent families.

Those yearning for music history should head to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum located in the heart of downtown Nashville. The facility has almost completed a multimillion dollar expansion and features more than 40,000 square feet of country music artifacts and archives in addition to a full service restaurant.

Just a short walk away is the famous Ryman Auditorium.

Referred to as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the Ryman is a National Historic Landmark and has hosted musicians from Chris Isaak and James Brown to Patsy Cline and Bruce Springsteen.

The Ryman recently received Pollstar Magazine’s coveted “Theater of the Year” award again for the fourth time in the past decade.

A vacation to Nashville would not be complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry, country music’s longest running show.

The show brings together an incredible mix of talent to a live audience three times per week.

Superstars including Vince Gill, Keith Urban, and Reba McEntire as well as new acts such as The Band Perry and Luke Bryan have all graced the Opry stage.

Touring the city is sure to make you hungry and luckily there are new culinary hotspots popping up everywhere in Nashville.

Favorites among gay locals include Virago, Kayne Prime, Watermark and City House, owned by James Beard awardwinning chef Tandy Wilson. In addition, GQ Magazine recently voted The Catbird Seat, one of the best new restaurants in America.

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Don’t forget to say hello to Top Chef Arnold Myint at one of his wonderful dining establishments which include PM, Cha Chah, and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, the latter conveniently located on Church Street, adjacent to one of Nashville’s hippest gay bars, Tribe.

In recent years, Church Street has become Nashville’s gay mecca. In addition to Tribe and Suzy Wong’s, the street is also home to Play Dance Bar, Canvas and Blue Gene’s as well as Out Central, Nashville’s LGBT community center. Or venture south of downtown to an area known as the “Triangle”, home to Stirrup, Trax and Purple Haze.

Just across the bridge from downtown, the neighborhood of East Nashville has been known as “the gayborhood” and offers tons of dining and nightlife venues to fit every taste. Two of the most popular LGBT destinations are Lipstick Lounge

and Mad Donna’s. Mad Donna’s is the best place in town to play a game of drag bingo while dining on wonderful cuisine, while Lipstick Lounge offers karaoke and live entertainment throughout the week and is a favorite among the ladies.

After a long day of sightseeing, check into the beautiful Hutton Hotel.

Located in Midtown, this swanky property features an urban-chic sophistication not seen at many hotels in the city.

Rooms are lavishly appointed with luxurious linens, flat-screen televisions and granite flooring.

A state-of-the-art fitness facility and in-room spa services are available to all guests.

Nashville is truly a magical place that people can’t comprehend until they see it for themselves. So put on your favorite pair of cowboy boots and head on down to Music City USA. For more information, go to www.visitmusiccity.com.

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travel

memphis BLUES, BBQ AND ELVIS

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nown for Blues, BBQ and Elvis, Memphis is a city steeped in culture and tradition. There are many things to do and see in Memphis, but one of the largest tourist attractions by far is Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley. I was a bit surprised to see that the estate was located in the heart of an urban neighborhood instead of the sprawling countryside, but once you enter the music note adorned gates, you are quickly transported back in time.

Many of the rooms in Graceland still contain the same furnishings and décor as it did when Elvis and his family lived there. More than 600,000 visitors tour Graceland every year, making it one of the most visited homes in the country.

The mansion sits on 13.8-acres and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006. The only portion of the mansion that is off limits to guests is the upstairs, as Elvis always wanted to keep that portion of his home private.

Hundreds of gold records and memorabilia can be found throughout the estate.

Even the clothes worn by Elvis and Priscilla on their wedding day can be seen behind glass in another building constructed on the property. Visitors can also tour Elvis’s private plane collection. I’m not talking about model planes, these are the real deal. Finally, pay your respect to the King with a visit to the Presley family grave site in the meditation garden.

If all of the touring has made you hungry, head downtown to find some of the best BBQ east of the Mississippi. Hidden in an alley off of 2nd Street is Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous, a Memphis institution featured on Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food Nation.” Even though host Adam Richmond suggested trying the

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ribs, my guest and I both opted for the succulent Pork Shoulder sandwich. At just $7.95, this delicious over-sized sandwich arrives overflowing with pork and accompanied by baked beans and a unique mustard and vinegar-based slaw. It’s the perfect way to begin a culinary journey of Memphis.

After lunch, walk over to the historic Peabody Hotel and catch a glimpse of the world-renowned Peabody Ducks, which have been featured on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Sesame Street, the Oprah Winfrey Show and in People magazine. Over the years, celebrities including Paula Deen, Joan Collins, Kevin Bacon, Emeril Lagasse, Patrick Swayze, and Peter Frampton have received the coveted role of Honorary Duckmaster. The Peabody is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, so you and your partner will feel welcome staying here.

Spend the early evening walking down Beale Street and listen to any one of dozens of live bands perform, or grab a cocktail at Wet Willie’s. Beale Street comes alive after dark, but if you’re looking to catch a great drag performance, head to Crossroads, one of Memphis’ premier gay bars. The establishment boasts a large stage, outdoor patio and multiple bar areas. However, they don’t serve alcohol but encourage patrons to bring their own.

Other options include Drew’s Place and Pumping Station, but club-goers should head to Spectrum. The 30,000 squarefoot complex boasts two dance floors and is the hottest place in town to meet and mingle with the young and fabulous crowd.

Memphis is home to many music-related attractions in addition to Graceland.

The

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Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located at the original site of Stax Records, pays tribute to all of the artists who recorded there.

The museum features an amazing collection of more than 2,000 pieces of memorabilia from soul pioneers including Ike & Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson Five, Al Green, Sam Cooke, James Brown and Ray Charles.

A few miles up the road is Sun Studio, a recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips in 1950. The building is known for recording what is being called the first rock-androll single, Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats’ “Rocket 88.” The studio also holds the nickname “The Birthplace of Rock & Roll.”

Music legends including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis all recorded here at some point in their career.

For dinner, I recommend Local Gastropub on Main Street.

Diners should choose to sit outside and watch as street cars and decorated horse-drawn carriages travel up and down the street, which is closed to thru-

traffic, giving Local Gastropub a very European vibe. The food at Local is varied and plentiful. For starters, try the Smoked Duck Quesadilla with chipotle aioli or the Crispy Spanish Shrimp with sweet paprika mayo. For a lighter entrée, choose one of Local’s signature salads. The Seared Tuna Tostada contains ahi tuna cooked to perfection over a bed of mixed greens, marinated cucumbers, crisp wontons and toasted sesame seeds with a Thai dressing.

If you have more of an appetite, try the Fish & Chips, a hearty portion of North Atlantic cod deep fried in a Ghost River Golden Ale batter with lemon dill tartar sauce served with hand cut fries. Another great selection is the Shrimp & Grits, served with chaurice sausage broth, tomato jam and fried egg.

Memphis is a great weekend destination and an excellent city for those looking to learn more about music history.

Remember, bring your appetite and don’t forget to pack your blue suede shoes!

For more information of Memphis, visit www.MemphisTravel.com

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travel

tony adams

why did i wait so long to visit

stockholm?

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hen I received an invitation from VisitSweden.com’s Magnus Lindbergh to join a gay and lesbian writers’ tour of Stockholm, I accepted immediately, eager to make my overdue first visit to a city that frequently tops the list of favorite and welcoming gay destinations.

During my three whirlwind days sampling its culture, art, design, sports, outdoors, history, food, nightlife and lodging, Stockholm lived up to its reputation and convinced me to return for a longer stay.

The connection from airport to Central Station via the Arlanda Express train is a breeze. The weather was perfect. (Magnus says, “My personal favorite is September/October but if you want the warmer months, end of July into August. For the summer lights, do June.“) Our hosts brought us together for breakfast at the stylish Hotel Clarion Sign (good lodging for the budgetminded, as is the Hotel Hellsten) where we had time to relax and refresh at the luxurious spa and rooftop heated pool before receiving mysterious instructions to take from our luggage only what we would need for an outdoor overnight boat and hiking excursion.

Not sure what to expect, we watched the rest of our luggage taken away to our hotels, as we headed to the fascinating Center for Architecture, Design & Form for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit: “From the Sidewalk to

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the Catwalk.” This sleek museum is a platform for architecture, fashion, design and sustainable urban development.

We then walked to the waterfront 81-room eco-friendly Hotel Skeppsholmen for lunch with managing director Joachim Olausson who is justifiably proud of the hotel restaurant’s traditional Swedish cuisine with a modern twist. The hotel is a 300 year-old house, carefully renovated to preserve its character, on a peaceful island in the middle of the city. (Stockholm is a city of 14 islands in an archipelago of 30,000 islands!)

By 2 p.m. we found ourselves suited up in bright red snowmobile jumpsuits and goggles, and seated in an RIB boat (speedboat) for a whiteknuckle zip across the water at speeds up to 50 knots. Our half hour on the RIB boat felt like five minutes before we transferred to a sailboat for a quiet glide to the secluded dock of Island Lodge on Bergholmen a small, heavily forested and uninhabited island once used as a torpedo depot by the Swedish military. Island Lodge is “glamping” more than camping. Our geodesic domed tents were outfitted with woodburning stoves, deerskin rugs and sumptuous eiderdown beds.

While our hosts prepared dinner, several of us stoked the fire in the floating sauna and cooled off by repeatedly jumping into the bracing water of the Baltic Sea.

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We swam, hiked, ate al fresco and toured the torpedo caverns in the stone cliffs. I can easily imagine staying a few days at Island Lodge (with the inclusion of some boating and fishing day trips) as part of my next stay in Stockholm.

Back in town, I checked into the five-star Sheraton Hotel located in the heart of Stockholm’s central business, shopping and tourism districts.

I appreciated its upscale sauna/ steam and gym during the few moments I had for unwinding.

Those of us lodged at the Nobis Hotel, gave it equally high marks for comfort and elegance.

We toured Fotografiska, one of the world’s largest centers for contemporary photography presenting four major exhibitions and 20 smaller shows annually.

We had a fine lunch at the museum restaurant and bakery.

We took a bus to the famous NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) department store where the extremely helpful staff guided my search for a Swedish-made shirt for my husband. He loves it.

Next, we took the tram to the ABBA Museum and Swedish Music Hall of Fame. I was expecting this to be less than interesting, but it was one of the highlights of my stay in Stockholm. The ABBA Museum is lively, funny, exuberant and interactive. I found myself on stage with a few of my cohorts singing Dancing Queen with the “virtual” members of ABBA. Using the code on our tickets, we were able to get the video of our performance from the museum’s website where it is unfortunately still viewable.

We visited the UNESCO World Heritage Woodland Cemetery (Skogskyrkogarden) to see the grave of Greta Garbo and stroll among the towering pines.

In the evening, we donned heavy ponchos and gloves to enter the Icebar, which is—you guessed it— made of ice. I drank a lingonberry beverage from a glass made of ice and heard about the weddings held at this unique venue.

Dinner was at Le Rouge, a romantic hideaway in the Old Town featuring excellent French/Swedish cuisine.

Although weary, I couldn’t pass up the after party of the Stockholm Queer Film Festival with its high school prom theme. From there, the sturdier (younger?) members of our group went (wobbled?) to two gay venues, Zipper and Paradise Garage.

On the last day of our trip, we had a walking tour of the Old Town led by handsome, knowledgeable and authorized Stockholm guide Marco Giertz who dropped us off at the magnificent Royal Palace after showing us Millesgarden, the former home and sculpture garden of Sweden’s foremost sculptor, Carl Milles. Worth your visit for the view over the water, the erotic statuary and the deco architecture/landscaping.

We visited Ett Hem which means “At Home,” a luxurious 12-room hotel in a 1910 Arts and Crafts mansion sumptuously modernized with well-appointed rooms/baths, a solarium dining room and an amazing spa carved out of the cellar. Lunch was exceptionally well prepared by a locavore chef dedicated to savory, fresh cuisine.

With its newly installed courtyard garden and bikes for the guests who are really more inclined to socialize in the inviting kitchen, library and living rooms, I would bracket three nights of “glamping” at Island Lodge with four nights at Ett Hem for a perfect one week Stockholm visit.

In the evening, we received a private tour of the must-see VasaMuseum. The Vasa is a magnificent oak royal warship that sunk 20 minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628. It was found almost entirely intact on the seabed and resurrected three centuries later. Why did it keel over and how was it raised and preserved? Visit this museum.

We ended the day with dinner at Zinc in the chic Bibliotekstan district in the city center, after which the more intrepid took in Patricia, a nightclub on a boat docked in Slussen.

A visit to Stockholm can take a variety of shapes. You may take advantage of the water, islands and cycling. You may choose to spend more time at the museums and cultural venues. You may want to do spa days and party away the nights. You also won’t be disappointed if you are the eat/shop/wander type of tourist.

Don’t worry about not speaking the language beyond a few IKEA words. Magnus says, “Most people from 11 years of age speak English. Just come over and hear the real Swedish Chef accent!) For every imaginable gay and lesbian question you have about friendly Stockholm, contact Magnus at magnus.lindbergh@visitsweden. com and visit facebook.com/ GayLesbianStockholm

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feature

Christiana Lilly

Campaign for Southern Equality

equality in the south lags behind rest of nation The Campaign for Southern Equality Puts a Face on Gay Marriage With ‘We Do’ Campaign

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heryl and Tracey Bridges walked up to the counter at the register of deeds in their North Carolina town and asked for a marriage license -- knowing they would be rejected.

With both employees and other observers watching, Jeff Thigpen, the register of deeds in Guilford County, told them no.

“We went in knowing that the likelihood was not there, that he was going to turn us down. But we also held out hope,” Cheryl said.

“It seemed to me the staff was torn, but in different ways. Some of them were asking Jeff, ‘Why do they need to do this to us?’”

The Bridges and Thigpen, a real gay couple and a real county employee, went through the painful endeavor together to make a statement in the ‘WE DO’ Campaign with the Campaign for Southern Equality. Couples volunteer to go into their local government office to ask for a marriage license to be turned down so that others can be exposed to the ongoing discrimination.

So far, 90 couples in seven states -- Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia -- have participated and all have been turned down.

“Discrimination is entrenched in state laws across the South.

Every state in the South bans same-sex marriage, almost all

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of them ban same-sex parent adoption, there’s not protection from employment discrimination for LGBT folks in any southern state,” said the Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, the executive director for CSE. Growing up a gay woman in the South, she was moved to start CSE in 2011. She said the tactic of sending gay couples into offices for marriage licenses has been done for decades now, and the group is putting a special focus on the South to make the LGBT community’s plight more visible.

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Cheryl and Tracey have been together for nearly 13 years and were married in their church nine years ago. Together, they chose a new family name, Bridges. When they submitted their marriage announcement to their local paper, they were rejected because it wasn’t legally recognized. The next week, the newspaper wrote a story about two dogs getting married.

“I was livid,” Cheryl said.

The couple heard about the ‘WE DO’ campaign through social media, and saw an email about CSE

looking for a register of deeds who would accept a same-sex marriage request as a show of solidarity (they have reached out to 640 with no luck so far). Cheryl reached out to Thigpen, who is an alumnus of the college she teaches at.

“I was torn in terms of my role and responsibility that comes of a Constitutional officer and also conscientiously knowing that I think that laws should be extended to cover gay couples. I believe in marriage equality,” he said.

The Bridges met with Thigpen before visiting him in his office

to tell him their story -- how they struggled through a bout with breast cancer and health insurance without the benefits of being married. Thigpen talked with a second couple who over the phone to do the same -- they made their request after the Bridges.

Putting faces to the ongoing disparity made turning them down even harder. The team went ahead with the plan, going into the office and Thigpen personally took their application.

With tears, he told them he could not grant their request.

“Something powerful happens when a law is actually enforced,” Beach-Ferrar said.

“That becomes a platform for sharing what we hope is a really human story about who LGBT people in the South are and what our lives are like and also what these laws are actually doing to people.”

Cheryl was married to a man for a number of years and had two children with him, and having been through the breezy process of being in a heterosexual marriage, it makes her more determined to spread the word.

“Having [been] privileged and now being a second class citizen… I’ve always been very

clear in speaking truth to the power and privilege of being heterosexual married,” she said. “It’s a privilege for anyone to be married, and a right that everyone deserves.”

The day of the event was also important to Thigpen because it was his daughter’s 10th birthday.

“I have no idea if she’s going to be straight or gay,” Thigpen said.

“I know I love my daughter and I know I love my country and in this country I would hope… that she would be loved and cared for by someone that she wanted to commit her life to, and secondly, that she would be treated equally under the law.”

As of press time the Bridges planned to get married in Washington D.C. on Dec. 13 – then return to the newspaper with their new legal marriage certificate.

“Why do we need to drive 12 hours round trip to be married when we should have those rights in our own home state?” Cheryl asked. “My family has been in North Carolina since 1714 -- this is my state too.”

Couplesinterestedinparticipating in the ‘WE DO’ Campaign can visit SouthernEquality.org or email info@southernequality.org.

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feature

John mcdonald

submitted Photo

queer history gets smarter New smartphone app recalls key moments in time

A

re you Queer? Well, if you are there’s an app for that.

Quist, which launched this past summer, is a smart phone application designed to educate the LGBTQ community on its history and important milestones. With emphasis on the “Q” part of the acronym.

“The Q stands for Queer,” said Sarah Prager, creator of Quist.

“It’s an umbrella term meaning anything that’s not straight.”

The app is a colorful edition to your smartphone and provides interesting bits of information about LGBT people and those funky queers that typically come from the artistic side of society, Prager said. Quist primarily delves into history, for example on November 13, the app revealed Nazi plans to transfer homosexual prisoners to a special concentration camp in 1933.

“Top-level members of the Third Reich advise the Head of Police to transport homosexuals to the concentration camp Fuhisbuttel,” read the app. For a deeper look, Quist allows the user to browse by events, country and date.

On November 28, Quist told the story of Rita Hester, an African-American transgender woman slain in Massachusetts, whose death inspired the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Prager said the daily nuggets of history can help people who identify with the LGBTQ community to gain a greater understanding of who they are.

“Much of what has become our community today did not exist 150

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years ago,” said Prager, a lesbian who came out at the age of 14. “In those times, a gay person might have been called a sodomite.”

Prager is hoping young users will find Quist can help them in their coming out process.

“Reading stories helped me to know I wasn’t alone,” said Prager, who is married to her partner Liz. The couple resides in Maryland.

Quist can be downloaded on iPhones and Androids. It is free and, according to Prager, “growing every day.”

The list of supporters and advertisers for Quist is quite impressive and also growing.

The list includes the Vermont Gay Tourism Association, Point Foundation (a national LGBTQ scholarship fund), Gay travel directory Purple Roofs, Matthew Shepard Foundation, POZ Magazine, The Dinah Shore Weekend, and Eagle NYC, one of the oldest leather bars in the country.

Gay author Dan Savage and health coach Dillan DiGiovanni have donated their skills to a fundraising effort on behalf of Quist. Anyone donating $75 or more can get a signed copy of It Gets Better, a book Savage co-authored with Terry Miller to rave reviews and DiGiovanni a one-hour transformation session from DiGiovanni, a gay motivational speaker.

This current fundraising campaign will allow Quist to add more features while maintaining the costs of server hosting, bug fixing and basic promotion.

Prager said submissions for content are coming in

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from all over the world and the app will reflect such an international audience. For instance, Quist users may one day read of Kristina, the “girl king” of Sweden.

“She was a woman who did not fit into traditional female roles,” said Prager, describing the Swedish monarch from the late seventeenth century.

Through the search feature on Quist, users can explore by year, month, date, location or keyword.

A search under the title “Florida” brought up references to Dade County’s infamous 1977 “Gay Rights” bill, Diana Nyad’s recent

swim from Cuba to Key West and a 1914 silent film titled “Florida Enchantment” which dealt with cross-dressing.

Important milestones in the fight for equality are also noted, particularly with more and more countries and U.S. states legalizing same-sex marriage. And if you find something that really moves you, there is an option to share the story with other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr or send it to a friend via e-mail.

Presently, there have been 14, 283 downloads of Quist.

Sarah Prager, creator of Quist, a daily mobile history app

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coffee table

David L. Chapman’s

universal hunks

from the book: Over the last one hundred years, the image of the muscular man has known no boundaries; it has been the object of envy and desire, and used to convey optimal health and fitness, product appeal, political power, and military might. Universal Hunks, David L. Chapman’s follow-up to American Hunks, is a captivating collection of historical images of muscular men from around the world, beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing up until the 1970s, including photographs, posters, advertisements, magazine and comic book covers, and product packaging.

The book considers the eroticized, politicized, and commercialized male image through history, and evaluates its fascinating cultural context by country and continent; culled from the author’s personal collections, it includes materials never published before, including images of Asian bodybuilders, European comic-book superheroes, and muscleman posters from the Soviet Union. The book also includes a foreword by cultural and sports historian Douglas Brown.

Full-color throughout, Universal Hunks is a thought-provoking and sexy visual tour of musclemen from all parts of the globe.

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Can you tell me about your latest book Universal Hunks? What inspired it?

My latest book is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the muscular male physique. Ever since I was a clueless pre-teen, I’ve had a fascination for buff guys, and Universal Hunks was a way to put this interest (some might say “kink”) to good use. I have been lucky enough to collect thousands of photographs, books, magazines and other miscellaneous items that reflect my fascination. But beyond just the beauty of these men, I was interested in putting the images into some sort of historical context. I wanted to explore how and why this particular model of manhood—broad shoulders, narrow waist, bulging biceps, etc.—was spread and reinterpreted around the world.

So the book became a showcase for some extremely beautiful images as well as an explanation of how those images came to be.

What was the hardest part of putting this book together?

There were two main challenges: finding the images and then trying to research the subjects. Many of the items in the book are incredibly scarce, and it took decades of searching to assemble them all. When it came to writing the captions, I probably spent, on average, an hour or two on each image; I wanted to give a quick rundown on what the reader was looking at with dates (when available) and other information. With over 450 illustrations in the book, you can easily see the sort of time investment I had in the volume.

What are a few of the most interesting things you learned through your research of the male physique?

Male beauty can come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I guess I kind of knew this all along, but after looking at and studying the images in Universal Hunks I got a deeper appreciation for this aspect of the project. There were guys working out in every inhabited continent far earlier than I ever guessed. The Euro-American ideal of male beauty was brought to the farthest outposts of civilization along with the merchants, travelers and colonizers. Western concepts of virility traveled far and wide, and when they mixed with native attitudes toward athletics and masculinity, they took root very quickly.

What are a couple of things in your book readers would are most surprised to learn?

Little known fact: Arnold Schwarzenegger is a transvestite on the weekends. OK, just kidding. Actually, I suppose most folks figure that muscle building began with Arnold, but it really has a much longer and more interesting pedigree.

It was also popular in a surprising number of unexpected places like India, the Philippines and North Africa.

Continued on next page

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What’s next for you?

I’ve mined my collection of muscular guys for 30 years, and it’s time for me to make a slight shift in my focus. I’m getting interested in Euro-super hero comic books from 1930s-70s. Americans invented the superhero, and they proved to be very popular in other parts of the world, too. When World War II put an end to regular communications across the Atlantic, the Europeans (principally the British, French and Italians) started producing their own versions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. This is a subject that few in North America know about. I included a few of these early Euro-hero comics in Universal Hunks as a teaser.

Anything else you’d like to add?

To paraphrase the immortal lines of Buddy, Scott Thompson’s überqueer character: “I just love athletics. Well, athletes. . .” I hope that Universal Hunks will be received as a entertaining, informative and beautiful exploration of manhood and muscularity. It was lots of fun to write, and I hope some of the delight that I experienced is apparent to readers. The next time you see a hunky guy in an itsy-bitsy bikini on South Beach, a great looking muscle twink in Key West or someone in a skin-tight tee shirt sashaying by in Wilton Manors, be thankful to the guys who have gone before and made it possible for him to be there in the first place.

David L. Chapman is the author of twelve books on male photography and bodybuilding, including American Hunks, Comin’ at Ya!: The Homoerotic 3D Photographs of Denny Denfield, and Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-up, as well as the book Venus with Biceps: A Pictorial History of Muscular Women.

Author: David L. Chapman Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (November 19, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1551525097 ISBN-13: 978-1551525099 Product Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds List Price: $29.95 ($22.09 Amazon; $22.90 Barnes and Noble)

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coffee table

David Vance’s

men and gods

From the book

foreword

In the beginning a powerful, agile body was a necessity. It was a man’s role to hunt and kill. It was a matter of survival. The life of primitive man was not one of leisure. Physical strength and endurance were a given just to stay alive.

Ancient cultures continued to encourage involvement in physical activity even after the procuring of food became easier and more civilized.

In China Kung Fu gymnastics was developed to keep the body in good shape. In addition other forms of physical exercise such as archery, fencing and wrestling gained popularity.

Over the year’s men’s bodies evolved to become more graceful, athletic, but not particularly muscular, at least not as bulky and powerful as early man.

Without the challenge of daily strenuous effort to procure food, an extremely muscular was no longer necessary. Daily life became less demanding physically and diets became more well rounded.

Fitness became more of a sport than a requirement.

It was the Greeks who held fitness in such high regard.

They believed that the development of the body was equally important as the development of the mind.

Physical and mental well being went hand in hand.

It is from the Greek’s idealization of physical perfection that I take my lead. In today’s society, physical power and size are again in focus with the popularity of bodybuilding as a sport. IN our society, the god status is bestowed upon those who dedicate themselves to the pursuit of physical perfection. We place those with great physical beauty and athletic skill upon the proverbial pedestal. As athletes, models and actors they are highly paid and admired.

Their Countenance may be compelling, but are they more than men? Can we refer to them as gods or demi-gods like our comic book superheroes without offending those who believe there is only one God, one Supreme Being? If you believe that we are all the children of God, then they are gods, or at least demigods, Humans, of course, but within us all is the spark of God’s love; it’s called the soul. It’s the force that animates us. It gives all men the potential of god-status.

I see it in the glorious proportions of a perfect body, also in a powerful athletic performance as well as the discipline and emotion of dance, but I also recognize it in the faces that exude a soft serenity that projects a strong masculine energy. These special beings are not only blessed with beauty, but with the drive to perfect it and the perseverance to maintain it. They revel in the joy of knowing that by striving to be their very best; they inspire others to do the same.

Men? Gods. A combination of both? You decide.

Reprinted from Men and Gods

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Continued on next page

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David Vance is the master of timeless nude photography.

Perfect bodies classically posed – David Vance imbues his models with a touch of eternity, which only Gods possess.

Hardcover: 112 pages Publisher: Bruno Gmunder Verlag (November 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 3867876355 ISBN-13: 978-3867876353 Product Dimensions: 13.4 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Format: Hardcover with dust jacket Color: Full Color List Price: $89.99 ($60.74 Amazon and Barnes and Noble)

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feature

Terri Schlichenmeyer

submitted photos

these books will make you laugh, cry and dream again These are three must reads from the last quarter “Astray”

by Emma Donoghue c.2012, Little, Brown and Company $25.99 / $29.99 Canada 275 pages The lady in the picture was wearing the biggest scowl you’d ever seen.

The photo was taken long ago and it made you wonder what happened that day to make her so snarly. Was there a death, lost crops, an accident, bad weather, or did the photographer make her angry?

You’ll never know but you wonder, just like the portrait makes you wonder about her life.

And in the new book “Astray” a collection of short stories by Emma Donoghue, imagination becomes possibility.

Perhaps the woman in the picture had just gotten out of bed. It was her third time rising that day, but she had to do what she could to keep a roof over her head and food in her child’s belly. Not even thirty years old, she felt worn, detesting her situation, loving her family. She hated her life but “she wouldn’t swap it for any other.”

Or, as you’ll see in “The Widow’s Cruse,” the scowling woman could’ve been on her way to meet her lawyer. Newly widowed by a smallpox plague, she was frightened and unsure. She feared destitution. Her lawyer should have feared her.

Maybe the woman was escaping. In the photograph, she appeared to be white, but that doesn’t mean anything. A man who’s cruel to his slaves can be cruel to his wife, too. Or perhaps she was escaping to another country, making a journey with her children to join a husband who was never going to meet her at any pier.

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It’s possible, too, that the woman was scowling because she met a man who’d never love her. When men team up to seek fortune and pan for gold, they often forget that Yukon winters can be long and ferociously cold.

Men do things to stay warm and sane. When that happens, women are mostly forgotten.

And then again, that woman you see scowling in the picture?

There’s something about her that you just can’t quite figure out.

Maybe – just maybe, as you’ll see in “Daddy’s Girl” – she’s not really a woman, down deep.

“Astray” is written with a great premise: take an old newspaper article, story, fictional tale, or even a passing mention from any source, and imagine how that single episode in someone’s life might have actually happened.

It sounds like a seventhgrade writing assignment, but in author Emma Donoghue’s hands, it works to a level of impressiveness.

Moving through the centuries with her short stories, Donoghue turns everyday situations and period-piece slice-of-life situations into something of which O. Henry and Paul Harvey would be proud. Indeed, some of these tales start with a little sleight of word, poking our emotions in one way, then slowly twisting them into another direction

before giving us the real story. You never know where these tales will end, and that’s a good thing.

My only complaint about this book is that it didn’t last long enough. I wanted more, and if that’s the kind of book you have to have, then “Astray” is one to picture yourself reading.

“Stuck in the Middle with You”

by Jennifer Finney Boylan c.2013, Crown $24.00 / $28.00 Canada 288 pages When you were younger, you wanted nothing to do with parenthood.

Life was a party then and having a family was the farthest thing from your mind. Kids changed people and who wants that? Being a parent was something that happened to somebody else.

Once upon a time, Jennifer Finney Boylan thought that, too. But then she became a father. And then she became a woman and in her new memoir, “Stuck in the Middle with You” she writes about finding love, discovering life’s sweet spot, and being a mommy and a daddy.

Well over twenty-five years ago, James Boylan fell in love at first sight.

He remembered seeing Deirdre’s blue eyes from the audience as she performed onstage.

He knew he had to ask her out, that he wanted to be her boyfriend. After she finally said yes

“Gypsy Boy on the Run”

by Mikey Walsh c.2013, Thomas Dunne $24.99 U.S. / $16.99 Canada 306 pages

Work stinks.

Home isn’t much better. Deadlines, dirty dishes, screaming boss, loud neighbors, nasty clients, empty bank account, any wonder why you’re so crabby?

No help, no raise, no sympathy, what you really need is to get away. And so did author Mikey Walsh but, as you’ll see in his new memoir “Gypsy Boy on the Run,” he escaped certain death.

Growing up in Europe’s Romany culture in the 1980s was wonderfully idyllic for Mikey Walsh – for a while.

As a young boy, Walsh played with his sister, danced to his mother’s favorite music, made mischief with cousins, and loved to dress up. But since Walsh was the youngest in a line of Gypsy fighters, his father started “training” him early to use his fists. That meant daily beatings, sometimes more, until Walsh was a teen.

By then, he realized he was gay and he knew his father would kill him if he found out. So, with the help of Caleb, a man he’d fallen in love with, fifteen-year-old Walsh

to a date, it wasn’t long before she said yes to marriage and yes to a family. They welcomed son Zach first, and Sean a few years later.

And then James Boylan told his wife something that he’d been struggling with for his entire life: deep inside, he was really a woman. He could no longer tolerate life in hiding. After six years of being a father, James needed to live as Jennifer.

So how does a woman teach her son about being a man? Would the boys be teased, ostracized, or ashamed? Would they feel as though they lost a parent?

“What kind of men would my children become,” says Boylan, “… having been raised by a father who became a woman?”

As it turns out, Boylan shouldn’t have worried.

Her eldest became an activist and works for justice. Her youngest is a fine musician. Their lives weren’t much different from that of their friends, and everyone generally “forgot that there was anything extraordinary about our family.”

Today, Boylan is still married to her wife of a quarter-century. It’s as “nontraditional” a union as you can imagine but then again, “traditional” families are no longer the norm anyhow. And besides, says Deirdre, “No matter what else you say about my husband, she’s an amazing woman.”

And though parenting memoirs replicate like rabbits these days, “Stuck in the Middle with You” is a pretty amazing book.

With her slightly-askew humor and a

grateful sense of awe for her family’s relative ease in her transition, author Jennifer Finney Boylan writes from the heart on the subjects of being father and mother, son and daughter.

Those four roles were obviously played out by the same person, but it’s interesting to note how Boylan sees herself differently (and similarly) in each of them, pre- and posttransition. I also enjoyed her observations on connections between past and present, which nicely accompany interviews with friends and colleagues about family, children, and being a child.

Readers looking for scandal won’t find it here, but if you want something that’ll bring you to the brink of tears again and again, this is your book. Wanting “Stuck in the Middle with You” should be apparent.

escaped in the middle of the night.

But his father wasn’t going to let him go easily.

Within days, a “five grand” bounty had been put on Walsh’s head, and Caleb was being stalked. Terrified, they moved Walsh from place to place until he finally found safety in a town where he hoped his father wouldn’t look. Walsh found a job, but he lost Caleb to the pressure of constant threats.

With the familial situation eased a bit, Walsh seized opportunity to change things he didn’t like about himself. Though proud of his Gypsy heritage, his way of speaking became more “Gorgia.” He made friends and learned to embrace his sexuality. He was confident enough to move even farther away from his family’s influence, to find a good job and a safe apartment. He’d stopped living with paralyzing fear, he learned to read, and he enrolled in acting classes.

He cautiously began to forgive his father.

At the end of last years’ “Gypsy Boy” – which I absolutely loved – author Mikey Walsh teased his readers by letting it slip that there was much more to his story. He didn’t elaborate, and I wondered if he could deliver on that delicious tantalization.

I shouldn’t have doubted.

Beginning with a brief recap that also serves as a summary for those who missed the first book, Walsh wastes little time before pulling readers into a terror-filled account of the months in which he was always just

a half-step ahead of his father’s fists – and yet (this amazed me), he manages to keep a sense of humor about what happened.

He presents his story with no poor-me, no sympathy-begging, and a voice that’s calm and matter-of-fact. The lack of whining is ohso-refreshing in a book like this.

Yes, this memoir contains some repetition, but that minor annoyance is overpowered by a Part Two tale that’s every bit as stellar as its predecessor. If, therefore, you’re searching for something for vacation, weekending, or just because, “Gypsy Boy on the Run” is the best escape.

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