Tabla de contenidos para June 2021 en OUT

One of my favorite parts of summer is waking up to the sound of birds. It reminds me of when my family and I would vacation at a Texas lake near an old dirt road. I remember waking up to the smell of buttered jam biscuits, sunlight at the foot of my bed, and an orchestra of birds that seemed to be chirping only for me. In my life, birds have always represented hope, rebirth, and the start of a new chapter. I’ve thought a lot about this in recent weeks as memories of last year’s Pride month continue to flood my mind with both grief and renewed purpose. In June 2020, the Black Lives Matter protests permeated our lives at the same time Pride marches turned virtual, many small…

For many of us, crystal has been associated with a “look, don’t touch” policy. Though gorgeous to observe and feel, my family treated crystal as a special affair meant only for weddings and holidays, tucked away in my grandmother’s display case. But, thankfully, that was then and this is now. Jim Shreve, the gay president and CEO of Baccarat, North America, has spent the last five years rejuvenating the 257-year-old French-based company to bridge the gaps between old and new, luxury and necessity, niche and mainstream. A former executive at Diesel and Façonnable, Shreve has used his fashion background as well as his own life experiences with his partner of 25 years, Mark Brashear, the first gay executive at Nordstrom, to create new lines of products, marketing campaigns, and internal…

I didn’t write the first draft of Pose until 2014, after a full career as a college administrator. But at the time that I wrote that first draft, the two things that were at the forefront for me were, one, my writing professor who’d always say, “Write the show you want to watch,” and, two, something I brought with me from my time as a student affairs practitioner, which had everything to do with assessing the college landscape and filling in gaps where necessary. The thing that kept coming up for me was: I don’t see Black and brown queer and trans people anywhere in scripted television. I certainly was not thinking about being groundbreaking, changing the television landscape, and accolades. When the first season began airing and we were…

The blue wave ain’t over just yet. In one of the most intense election years we’ve seen in the history of the United States, newly activated voters showed up to the polls in droves, voting in a wave of LGBTQ+ legislators, many of whom are first-time officeholders. One city that led the charge, helping turn the state of Pennsylvania blue, is Philadelphia. Jonathan Lovitz was among several Philly queer activists — including the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Sean Meloy, organizer Jason Evans, politicians Brian Sims, Malcolm Kenyatta, Jessica Benham, and more — who banded together to create sophisticated approaches to voter registration, which made all the difference when now-President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump there by about 80,000 votes. As senior vice president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce for…

Nearly every morning this past year, Jeremy Pope — the star of Netflix’s Hollywood and Broadway shows like Choir Boy — sat down and wrote in his journal, a new ritual he adopted during quarantine. In the past, he was never an ardent lover of writing. But in a tumultuous time, he felt the need to “get all the gunk out” through journaling in order to “stay sane.” The act was at once purgative of toxic thoughts and an opportunity of “realigning what my priorities are, what it is I want from the universe,” Pope shares. And what does he want? “I want to be safe. I want to be healthy. I want to feel love. I want to give love. And that’s really it. That’s the foundation, I think,…

Lots of names are making offbeat fashion choices and you know what? I love it! From the revived Prada Linea Rossa line comes another ’90s-inspired frame while Italian luxury brand Persol (one of the oldest eyewear makers in the world) topped their evolutionary Steve McQueen model with a runway of new shades. Barton Perreira’s new Akahi Sulcata Tortoise/Smokey Topaz frames redefine gender neutral to include big and bold like never before and their tortoise counterpart (left) are my new summer obsession. But they get a run for the money from this season’s other hot models:…

Adrienne and Brittany Glover’s love story begins in a New York City nightclub, an unlikely place given that neither of them were from the Big Apple. Adrienne was from Philadelphia and Brittany from North Carolina, and yet they found themselves in the right place and time… “I said to a friend how gorgeous I thought Brittany was and he encouraged me to go talk to her and I did,” Adrienne recalls of that first meeting out at a gay bar. “I walked over to her and just started talking. She dissed my drink, but I didn’t mind.” Brittany was actually on her way out, but not before the pair exchanged numbers. When Adrienne invited her to brunch the next day, Brittany was already on a plane back home. It was…

NYC Pride returns for 2021 with a theme that seems to perfectly capture the state of the LGBTQ+ movement as well as the times in which it takes place. Organizers are quick to point out how “The Fight Continues” reflects the need to carry on the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and protections even after our win at the ballot box. But it also acknowledges the parallel struggles of the Black Lives Matter movement, the fight against climate change, and of course, adapting to life amid a global pandemic. “We’re fighting for ourselves, fighting for the BIPOC and trans members of our community, and fighting for future generations,” says André Thomas, cochair for NYC Pride. “By making [“The Fight Continues”] the 2021 theme for NYC Pride, we acknowledge all that we’ve…

Pose was something different for me because it told a story about family and love and humanity through the lens of queer and trans people, during a time when queer and trans people were struggling to find ground in this world. Pose captured that during a time when we were all moving into self-actualization, where we realized we get to be visible and dream and build careers too. With this show, Hollywood opened up and can now see us less as the identities we hold and more as the talent that we bring. I hope that it continues in a direction where the only people who are benefiting from this shift aren’t just trans people who are cis-assumed and that we’re also uplifting people who come in trans bodies that…

Country music is having a moment. Since singer Chely Wright’s widely publicized coming out in 2010, the industry has dragged its feet in welcoming a new class of queer artists to the radio waves. However, in recent years, thanks in large part to Wright’s shining example, artists like Brandi Carlile, Cody Alan, Ty Herndon, Brandy Clark, and country-rap star Lil Nas X have been embraced by a progressive audience who’ve rewarded their authenticity instead of punishing it. Queer country stars are now proudly stepping into the light, which is why in 2019 Apple announced a global radio channel, Apple Music Country, which has a slew of new programs including veteran journalist Hunter Kelly’s Proud Radio, a monthly one-hour show on Apple Music 1 highlighting queer artists, their evolution, and their…

Stephanie Beatriz is intimately familiar with the power of media representation. Growing up, she was inspired to become an actor by Daphne Rubin-Vega, who was the first Latina on Broadway she connected with. Now, because the universe has a wonderful sense of humor, she’s starring as Rubin-Vega’s partner in what’s sure to be the movie of the summer, Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’s Tony Award-winning musical about a Latinx community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights. “The soundtrack of Rent [in which Rubin-Vega played Mimi] really provided me a doorway in to see the musical,” Beatriz remembers. “My family didn’t have money to go take a trip to New York so I could see a Broadway show, but I could get the soundtrack…

JEREMY POPE’S BIG THREE: CANCER SUN, SCORPIO MOON, SAGITTARIUS ASCENDANT Jeremy’s sun is in Cancer with a conjunction to Venus within eight degrees of each other, therefore Venus is a part of Pope’s identity. This Sun-Venus conjunction belongs specifically to highly creative minds. We know Pope is a gifted actor and a singer, but this conjunction shows that he is a gifted writer as well. Not surprised! A Scorpio moon shows a person motivated by emotion who is extremely intuitive and empathetic. Pope has probably experienced prophetic dreams or visions in his life. His moon is conjoined with Pluto, which brings in even more powerful water in this chart. This Plutonian Moon energy in the 11th house is mover and shaker energy. Pope is someone who can help others to…

Honduran botanical artist Lutfi Janania knows how to create opulence using distinguished dry and dehydrated natural materials that convey a sense of multiple spaces between life, the divine, and ourselves. Creating these magical designs from his Brooklyn studio, the queer creator pushes boundaries with his handcrafted sculptures through his design studio, Rosalila, which showcases and sells his most recent works. Out sat down with the designer to talk about what inspires his artistry. Check out a selection of his work below. Out: What drew you to botanical design? I’ve been surrounded by nature for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate to grow up in a bio reserve in Honduras and was able to be in touch with this kind of beauty firsthand. This luscious, tropical environment was…

The closest you can get to a Caribbean vacation without leaving the U.S. is on the strip of land between Key Largo and Key West, a chain of tropical islands that stretch 120 miles off the tip of Florida, with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Our newest hotspot is Playa Largo Ocean Residences, an exclusive gated enclave of private vacation houses with distinct Florida Keys architecture that’s part of—but secluded from—Playa Largo Resort & Spa. These new vacation rentals utilize gorgeous designs (with Florida’s indigenous materials like capiz shell, sponges, and coral rocks) and they sit directly across from the resort, between a nature preserve and the Atlantic Ocean. These new three and four-bedroom Ocean Residences offer all the perks and…

As the world continues to recover from the trauma of 2020 and Pride flags begin to unfurl across gayborhoods foreign and domestic, all eyes are on Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden. Both cities will host WorldPride. Copenhagen will also host EuroGames, an LGBTQ+ sporting event that draws thousands of open-minded, free-spirited athletes and fans every year. However, this year’s WorldPride is particularly meaningful. For the first time, WorldPride will use its platform to raise awareness of injustices across the globe, particularly as it pertains to equality, queer migrants, transgender rights, and discrimination. While there have been similar forums at past WorldPride events in New York, Madrid, and Toronto, it’s never been integrated within the general program as it is this year. The Human Rights Conference, a three-day event from August…

When an iconic television show ends — think A Different World, Scandal, or The Wire — a small hole is often left in the television landscape. But as the third and final season of the Steven Canals-created, Ryan Murphy-produced Pose takes its final bow, it’ll leave behind a crater-sized cavity that will be felt for years to come. Simply put, no show to date has done for Black and brown queer and trans visibility and opportunity what Pose has done since its 2018 debut. Picking up a mantle largely abandoned on television since Patrik-Ian Polk’s Noah’s Arc, the series changed a game that often minimized the stories of the sassy gay best friend or nameless sex worker on the margins of white, cis, and straight narratives. When the glitter settles…

While I had experience on my résumé as far as being an actress, I had not experienced being a series regular or really having a thoughtful story arc and having to show up the way that I had to show up. What the show unlocked for me was what happens when I rise to the occasion. It unlocked this thing where I don’t have any fear anymore when I go to audition because I know that I’m where I need to be. I’m going to stay booked, and I’m not going to give you a niche. Pose takes your whole soul and holds it tight and caresses it, and also makes you feel a little bit of the pain that we’ve been feeling. My character Candy resonates with what’s real.…

Queer representation on culinary competition shows is not entirely new. We watched chef Tiffani Faison ascend to acclaim after her runner-up finish on Top Chef’s first season in 2006. Plus, who doesn’t love a Ted Allen moment à la Chopped? That being said, it’s rare that a nonbinary chef is given time in the food television limelight, but Top Chef Canada has risen to meet the need. Vancouver chef Kym Nguyen proves they are a culinary force to be reckoned with as the first out nonbinary competitor in Top Chef franchise history. “I have never viewed myself as a role model…I have always been just myself, living my life and my own story,” says Nguyen. “After deciding to [compete on Top Chef Canada], it made me realize that this is…

ARIES March 21 – April 19 You are starring in a movie about your own life, magnetic Aries, and the soundtrack is vibing! Mars in Leo will carry you through June’s retrogrades and you will stay upbeat. You will feel especially fired up on June 12th but remember to hold off making any big decisions or moves until Mercury goes direct on the 23rd. The full moon on the 24th illuminates you as the effective leader you are. TAURUS April 20 – May 20 It’s OK to feel all the feels sometimes Taurus, but it will only be harder if you dig those bullhorns in. Try to ride the wave out until the end of the month when Venus enters Leo in your 4th house. Home life could get dramatic,…

A vision of our future appeared in April when Twitter user @bestinsio sent this out into the world: “Writing a screenplay about the post-vaccination world. It went like this: BARISTA (hornily) Good morning. CUSTOMER (hornily) Good morning. I would like one iced coffee with milk and sugar. BARISTA (hornily) Are you okay? CUSTOMER (hornily) Yes, of course. BARISTA (hornily) You’re crying. CUSTOMER (hornily) Thank you for my one iced coffee with milk and sugar.” I thought the tweet was funny and so did my WhatsApp thread of besties — the pandemic-era gay bar. Online, memes have been circulating about post-vaccine life for months. The general consensus has been that everyone will be aggressively down to fuck. My favorite meme so far was when someone took stills from one of President…