Inhaltsverzeichnis für January/February 2023 in OUT

In a tender scene from Spoiler Alert, the gay romantic drama featuring our cover stars Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge, Aldridge’s character Kit blows soap bubbles into the wind, and then attempts to photograph them with his camera. His husband Michael, played by Parsons, records the act on his phone. It’s a heartbreaking moment because Kit is dying of cancer. There in front of him shimmers his life, as ephemeral as a bubble. Spoiler Alert is based on a memoir by journalist Michael Ausiello, and this exchange actually happened between himself and his lost partner; the recording is even played during the film’s end credits. The conclusion is, of course, heartbreaking. But in some ways, it’s also a happy one. Through the power of moviemaking and storytelling, Kit’s life and…

While we can’t stop aging, we can decide how to react to the look of lines, wrinkles, and lackluster skin. At any age. Science and skin care technology — along with increased awareness of diet, exercise, and hydration — really allow us to harness control of how we appear on the outside. At all retinoids’ core are vitamin A derivatives made, in order of strength, bakuchiol, retinol/esters, retinols, gran-active retinols, and retinoic acid (Retin-A; Rx and branded tretinoins), the latter giving the most potent, immediate result strong enough to melt topical lines. Planning for your skin type and reactiveness is key, as side effects can include irritation, peeling, redness, and sun sensitivity. And yes. Sunscreen. Is. A. Must. What I love about retinols is you can gauge their effectiveness quickly.…

I have to admit, the steroid scene in Bros — in which Bobby (Billy Eichner) goes into “roid rage” after taking testosterone for comic effect — bugged me. Maybe it bugged others — anyone who, like trans men, regularly use this medication. For fun, I visited a half dozen sites that warn parents about film content. Most of them classify the steroid scene in Bros as illicit drug use, or it’s mentioned somewhere between “lewd behavior” and “f words” when reviewers just couldn’t place it. For me, testosterone was a godsend. It brought my sex drive back when I felt broken and helped me feel settled and at ease in my body. It was a profound confidence boost. Testosterone is a sex hormone that all bodies need and make in…

Hi there! As CEO of equalpride and publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, and Plus, and producer of The Advocate Channel, I wanted to acknowledge the whirlwind the past few months have been for our community. We’ve had dramatic highs, like the election of hundreds of LGBTQ+ politicians and the freeing of Brittney Griner. We’ve also had horrific lows, like the massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs. Not long after that tragedy, Michael Kelley — equalpride’s chairman (pictured above, right) — and I were lucky enough to be in Washington, D.C., to commiserate and celebrate 2022. There, we witnessed President Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act, a monumental law that will protect us from rightwing incursions on our relationships. It’s been a dramatic and thrilling year for…

In her first queer role since Carol, Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár, a renowned, egomaniacal, and wildly charismatic conductor whose sexual predations finally ruin her. It’s the first film from director Todd Field (Little Children) in 16 years, one he says has long been in the works and that he would not have made without Blanchett. Tár is poised to nab scads of nominations, if not awards this year. But in a year of increased attacks on LGBTQ+ people, from legislation to protests at drag queen story hours, is there room for a complicated queer villain, even if she’s a towering genius playing in the arena that men built and have thrived in for centuries? One of Tár’s early scenes features Lydia in a highfalutin chat onstage with The…

It’s not just you: Living in America is expensive AF these days. Inflation reached a 40-year high in 2022, squeezing some consumers to the point of discomfort and beyond. The cash crunch disproportionately impacts LGBTQ+ people, who are more likely to experience poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and homelessness, according to research conducted by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thanks to record-breaking spikes in the cost of living, queer consumers and business owners alike are feeling the pocketbook pain. “It’s just insane how much prices have gone up,” says Erin Vesey, chef and owner of Detroit Vesey’s, a community-centered cycling café in downtown Los Angeles. But they say the price of goods hasn’t stopped loyal customers from continuing to visit local LGBTQ+ establishments just yet. “I…

Between appearing in the Christmas House films and leading his very own holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel, The Holiday Sitter, actor Jonathan Bennett can certainly be considered the reigning “Gay King of Christmas” on TV. Though The Holiday Sitter is the Hallmark Channel’s first LGBTQ-led holiday movie, the channel has been making huge strides in inclusivity and diversity over the years. “It feels like such an honor to kind of forge this movement in the holiday movie space. And the reason I’m doing it is because I think it’s so important that everyone knows that Christmas is for everybody, you know?” Bennett highlights. “The Hallmark Channel is for everyone; The Holiday Sitter is for everybody. So to be a part of this movement that is making sure that the…

Alone figure emerges from the dunes of Giza, the dark outline of the pyramids imprinted behind him in the Egyptian night. As he crosses the landscape, each ancient edifice illuminates: first the smaller three, and then the larger tombs of the pharaohs burst into LED lights. A procession of figures follows, the line arcing around to an awed crowd of fashion luminaries as a drumbeat of electronica plays. This was “Guided by the Stars,” Dior’s presentation of its Fall Men’s 2023 collection in December. It was a spectacle by design: the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramid of Khufu, floating above a line deeply inspired by futurism. The models, swathed in flowing grays with pops of sunset fire, seem to have been transported from a Dune-esque planet.…

There’s no way Omar Apollo knew what was in store for him at the top of last year. At that point, the rising Mexican-American singer hadn’t even released his first official album — although he’s had music out for years on Soundcloud and streaming services, including several mixtapes and some certified bangers among the alternative R&B crowd. But 2022 was the year Apollo found his footing in the mainstream. During the year, Apollo released his debut album, Ivory, and performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. His song “Evergreen” went viral on TikTok and became his first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. He’s toured the country twice, performed at the Coachella and Austin City Limits music festivals, announced a 2023 North American tour with SZA, and been…

“The beauty that we are coming to experience in owning our sexuality is that we can define what it means for us and how we want to experience it.”— JOBEL “Loving you feels instinctual, like a habit I was born with. It feels like I was born to love you.”— TEE “I can feel you loving something deeper than the surface of me and it makes me feel so alive.”— COYOTE “I exist at the intersection of marginalization and privilege. I am queer — I am nonbinary — but I’m also white. Grappling with how to handle that as an artist — for my work to investigate a nuanced and complicated space — has been a long journey,” begins photographer Ryan Pfluger (he/they) in his introduction to Holding Space: Life…

Chris Schroder had his best hair day in seventh grade — and it was all downhill after that. The future journalist and publishing entrepreneur began shedding his locks soon after and, by his early 30s, his follicles were confined to above his neck and ears. He worked to grow comfortable with his baldness. While serving as creative director of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he shaved his head, receiving compliments from gay coworkers on his well-proportioned pate. Still, he felt slighted by his retreating tresses, believing his employers, romantic interests, and the public at large gravitated to his dome over all else. At age 62, Schroder traveled to Istanbul to get a hair transplant and, soon after, chronicled his lifetime hair journey in the memoir Headscape: How a Bald Guy Replanted His…

There was a lot to bear in 2022. But here we are, in a new year full of new possibilities. We know there are challenges ahead — for our community and in our day-to-day lives. (Are we really expected to battle inflation and right-wing attacks on our humanity?) However, each day also brings triumphs and opportunities large and small to rise up against our villains. Don’t wait for Hollywood. You’re the hero in this fight, dear reader. Lead the charge.…