Tabla de contenidos para December/January 2018-19 en The Advocate

TRACY E. GILCHRIST, who interviewed Keira Knightley and Chloë Sevigny this issue, is The Advocate’s first feminism editor. She writes about the intersections of women’s and LGBTQ equality and pop culture. Gilchrist also cohosts The Advocates, the 50-plus-year-old brand’s first podcast. She previously served Advocate’s sister digital properties Pride.com (as deputy editor) and SheWired.com, leading the site for queer women as editor in chief for eight years. (@TracyEGilchrist) Former Advocate news editor DAWN ENNIS, the first out trans staffer in a major TV network newsroom and first out trans editor at The Advocate, spoke to two up-and-coming artsts: Kaia Naadira and Ty Defoe. The native New Yorker continues her award-winning (including two Emmys) 30-year media career, hosting the YouTube talk show RiseUP With Dawn Ennis, and writing for a wide…

THIS T-SHIRT. PrEP activist Damon Jacobs is sporting the smart, sexy “Shoot Loads” Tee ($30, AdamsNest.com). A portion of sales goes to Gays Against Guns. When pics from the NEW SHE-RA, by queer artist Noelle Stevenson, came out, some fanboys were hysterical. Kristy Puchko, managing editor of Pajiba.com, said it best: “The first images of Netflix’s She-Ra reboot have hit the web. And fans are divided. And by divided, I mean a lot of people are stoked, and some dudes have decided their boners matter more than the show’s intended demographic of young girls.” I was thrilled when Sugar Land (Red Hen Press) arrived. Author TAMMY LYNNE STONER wrote for me at Girlfriends and Alice magazines (two magazines I cofounded) when she and I were both little baby dykes. Sugar…

The wild success of the Broadway musical Hamilton has proven that history doesn’t have to be dry. In that same spirit (and featuring an Alexander Hamilton contemporary) comes Lafayette!—a graphic biography by Nathan Hale (Amulet Books). Part of The New York Times bestselling series, Hazardous Tales, Lafayette! follows the young French nobleman (portrayed by Daveed Diggs in Broadway’s Hamilton) as his search for adventure leads him from the Versailles court to join America’s Revolutionary War against England—despite a direct order from the King of France that he do no such thing. Proving himself in numerous battles, Lafayette returns home a hero, then takes another fruitful trip to help the colonies route the British before returning to his wife and children (just in time for the French Revolution, where he unfortunately shared…

“Every Thanksgiving, my grandmother would make a cranberry walnut bread, kind of like a cross between a muffin and a pound cake,” Young says. “In an homage to her and our home state, I’ve updated her original recipe to include wild Maine blueberries and toasty hazelnuts. I love to griddle a slice of this with butter and top it with vanilla ice cream.” Yield: One Loaf Active Time: 15 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes 1 egg 1 cup sugar 1 cup orange juice 2 tablespoon butter (melted) 2 cup flour, sifted 1½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup wild Maine blueberries (fresh or frozen) ½ cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted ¼ cup raw sugar In a large bowl, beat the egg…

QUEER LOVE Pinky & Pepper Forever by Ivy Atoms is a dark comedy about two teen puppy girls, determined to stay together through high school, death, and hell itself. (Silver Sprocket) On a Sunbeam by award-winning graphic novelist Tillie Walden is an epic love story featuring two timelines, school girls in love, and a ragtag crew traveling through space piecing the past together. (First Second) In Zodiac Starforce Volume 2: Cries of The Fire Prince by Kevin Panetta zodiac-inspired superheroine teens, including lesbian couple Savanna and Lili, join the fight against a new demon, named Pavos. (Dark Horse) The Smell of Starving Boys by author Loo Hui Phang and Frederik Peeters, is a sumptuously- illustrated, thoroughly-modern Western with gay and trans characters and a compelling storyline. (SelfMadeHero) Skin & Earth…

Exactly 24 years after their season premiered, dozens of former cast and crew members of The Real World: San Francisco gathered to celebrate the life of castmate, Pedro Zamora—as well as to raise funds for a scholarship created in his name by the National AIDS Memorial Grove. At the intimate affair in the home of the show’s creator and executive producer, Jonathan Murray, they laughed, cried, and shared funny stories and fond memories—not just of a legendary activist—but of a friend, whom they loved and miss dearly. The now infamous 1994 season in which Zamora clashed with hyper-insensitive and ill-mannered housemate David “Puck” Rainey was ranked number seven on Time magazine’s list of “32 Epic Moments in Reality TV History,” and TV Guide included Rainey on their 2013 list of…

FROM MASTER OF NONE’S LENA WAITHE TO BOY ERASED STAR TROYE SIVAN, LGBTQ ACTORS (AND THEIR ROLES) HAVE BLOSSOMED IN HOLLYWOOD. THANKS TO SHOWS LIKE POSE, THERE ARE MORE TRANS ACTORS ON TV THAN EVER. MEANWHILE, MUSICIANS LIKE HAYLEY KIYOKO CAPTURED LEGIONS OF (OFTEN STRAIGHT) FANS, CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF MANY ALONG THE WAY. THOUGH THERE ARE SO MANY GREATS, THEADVOCATEIS CELEBRATING JUST A TINY FRACTION OF THE AMAZING PERFORMERS AND PERFORMANCES THAT REALLY MOVED AUDIENCES (AND OUR EDITORS) THIS YEAR.…

When actress Sara Ramirez came out earlier this year, it was clear she had poured her own experiences as a bi woman into her groundbreaking bisexual roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Madam Secretary. She’s not alone: Stephanie Beatriz did the same with Brooklyn Nine Nine. So many real people came out as bi (or pan, or in the case of Janelle Monáe, a “free-ass motherfucker”) in Hollywood or on TV this year, we may have finally turned the tide on the tired tropes and clichés that have followed bi characters for so long. Black Lightning’s Grace Choi, Jane the Virgin’s Petra Solano, Legends of Tomorrow’s Sara Lance, and Queen Sugar’s Nova Bordelon all add to the representation, but two male characters are worth special attention: Darryl Whitefeather, played expertly by…

This June, Kaia Naadira stood in the spotlight of the New York City Pride parade—dancing, weaving, waving, and celebrating their place as a Community Hero. But when Naadira first climbed aboard the “Daring to Be Different” float that sunny day, draped in a barely-there flowing red gown, it was just one more step on their path to fame. “For me, being at Pride, it’s really nice to be open and honest about who I am and to be able to walk proudly in my truth without having to feel like I have to perform an identity,” says the gender-nonconforming visual artist. Naadira, 20, was born in Selma, Ala., to Tarana Burke, an African-American civil rights leader who later birthed the #MeToo movement as a rape survivor—though she’d been active in…

DURING FRESHMAN orientation at Occidental College in 2011, Nik Dodani joined his classmates on a football field in an exercise illustrating the benefits of privilege. Statements were read aloud, such as,“I can marry the person I love in any state.” If a statement applied to a student, he or she took one step forward. W hen this particular statement was announced, a 17-year-old Dodani prepared to take a step forward. But before he did, he looked around and saw that several of his peers were unmoved. He reconsidered. He decided to stay put with the other queer kids. “And then from there, I was just out,” said the 24-year-old actor who was cast this year as Pat, a series regular on CBS’s Murphy Brown revival. He also plays Zahid in…

WHILE TROYE SIVAN ’s music and films continue to stream on platforms across the world, the 23-year-old still finds solace and friendship with his social media base—the ones who’ve been there since the beginning. Still, there’s no doubt Sivan has carved a new following since his YouTube roots. Unlike many young artists, the South African-born Sivan has always refused to negotiate his identity for the public. He’s been unapologetically out as a gay man since sharing his identity on YouTube when he was 18. And his nearly 6.6 million subscribers rewarded him for it. In 2014, Time named Sivan one of the “25 Most Influential Teens” of the year. His status as an icon was secured after the release of his 2015 VMA-nominated album Blue Neighborhood, followed by 2018’s Bloom.…

TRAVEL 1) The waterproof Aquio Bottle Speaker also keeps things cold up to 24 hours.($70, AquioBottles.com) 2) This Lightweight Leather Hip Pouch is lesbian AF.($70, Hammacher.com) 3) Frequent flyers love the Airhook, a stable drink holder and mount for an electronic device. ($20, TheAirHook.com) 4) A modern twist on the flap backpack, the Topo Y-Pack fits a big laptop.($79, TopDesigns.com) 5) No more losing keys, phone, wallet at the bottom of your bag with the vegan leather Bag Branch Pocket Folio.($29, BuyBagBranch.com) 6) The super-cool, lightweight, and compact Portable Solar Camping Lantern, Phone Charger & Flashlight can charge a phone and fold up to fit into the palm of a hand to be used as a flashlight. ($29, EverythingTechGear.com) 7) The wireless Volt Heated Travel Pillow is an airplane must.…

A new study suggests the sex of your doctor might determine how long you live with heart disease. According to a study published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), mortality rates for both male and female patients were lower when their treating physician was female. Furthermore, women were the least likely to survive if their doctor was male. Researchers pulled records from over 580,000 heart patients admitted over 20 years to emergency rooms throughout the state of Florida. While its authors stand by the results, they caution that one can only speculate as to the reasons why female patients have better survival rates when being treated by other women. (One should also avoid extrapolating these findings nationally without more data that proves the phenomenon isn’t limited to…

WHILE THERE HAVE been out LGBTQ contestants and choreographers on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance over the years, the reality show has generally remained quiet on the topic—until now. Perhaps in response to the Trump administration’s increasingly intolerant rhetoric, the 15th season of the long-running dance competition was more out than ever, boldly and unapologetically addressing LGBTQ topics throughout. With arguably the most powerfully moving performance of the season, the wickedly talented, gay, top-six finalist Darius Hickman captivated audiences—and left the judges in tears—with his breathtaking performance touching on gender expression. Out, Emmy Award-winning SYTYCD alum Travis Wall choreographed the dance, which drew upon his own experiences getting bullied in his youth for being gay. “I definitely was nervous,” admits Hickman about the moment Wall first discussed the…

I love end of the year issues, because they gives us a chance to look back at the best things that happened in the past 12 months. And, despite the political dumpster fire this year has been, there’s always something worth celebrating. In this issue, it’s our Best of 2018—an entertainers of the year celebration of sorts (see page 42). Since we completed the issue this fall, it’s too soon to say what the rest of the year will bring, but here’s who and what has impressed us so far. By the time you read this, we’ll be rolling out our Person of the Year feature on Advocate.com, one of the favorite pieces we do all year. You can argue that folks like Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions, Alex Azar, and…

ON ANY GIVEN DAY in Atlanta, particularly in economically distressed areas, HIV-related billboards are on full display. I can’t help but wonder if the intention behind their messages is to inspire a sense of personal resilience. HIV ad campaigns—whether encouraging people to get tested, treated, or learn about PrEP—presumably want to encourage people to take action, but they rarely capture what actually motivates black gay and bi men. After seeing the billboards once or twice, the messages end up fading into the background of our lives. As our community brainstorms how future efforts could better educate black gay and bi men about PrEP, the HIV prevention strategy that makes it virtually impossible to contract the virus, we must draw from past failures and successes in social marketing, and ultimately put…

Three decades ago, Jewish lesbian activist Jeanne Winer (pictured, second from right) patrolled Colorado malls wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Sodomy Patrol.” It was politicalaction-meets-guerilla-theater from a feminist collective protesting a Supreme Court decision to uphold a Georgia’s anti-sodomy law. It was, she told reporters at the time, a protest against “how far right the country has gone.” The more things change, the more they stay the same. Winer became one of the two lead trial attorneys in Romer v. Evans, the landmark civil rights case that challenged a voter-approved amendment to the Colorado Constitution that struck down state and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court, helping pave the way for the the eventual legalization…

BREAKTHROUGH FOR KARPOSI SARCOMA SUFFERERS A small but exciting study published in Cancer Immunology  Research found that two-thirds of HIV-positive participants with Karposi sarcoma who were treated with immunotherapy experienced partial or complete remission. Although it is rare, KS can persist or develop in those taking antiretroviral therapy. In fact, all nine men in the study were on ART and seven had undetectable viral loads. The usual treatment for KS, chemotherapy, can cause immune suppression and involves troubling side effects. One person saw a complete remission of his KS, with partial remission observed in five other participants, and three remaining stable. NEW HOPE FOR THOSE WITH DRUG RESISTANCE This year saw the approval of one new HIV drug, and phase three results on a second, for those who struggle with…

THE LGBTQ DOLLAR is a significant contributor to the U.S. economy, and yet it’s also one of the more underrated. Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding, making it clear that a business owner’s personal views can impact who they offer services for. But while the ruling was a disappointing setback for LGBTQ rights and undoubtedly fueled the religious right’s bigotry, it also taught us that we as queer consumers don’t need to let it happen. A new public education campaign is making it easier to put our money where our values are. Open to All (OpenToAll.com) is a nationwide initiative to build awareness about the importance of protecting people from discrimination by defending…

With purple cape flowing and feet stomping, Ty Defoe danced in place alongside Emma Gonzalez, Victoria Cruz, Kaia Naadira, and other LGBTQ community heroes aboard the float that led the 49th annual New York City Pride March in June. Defoe left the march and headed to Broadway, where the two-spirit artist was starring in Straight White Men (which closed in September), alongside Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) and legendary transgender icon, Kate Bornstein. “I’m super excited. It’s unbelievable,” Defoe said of working with Bornstein, the author of memoirs Gender Outlaw and A Queer and Pleasant Danger, who also appeared on Caitlyn Jenner’s reality series, I Am Cait. “She’s just such a rock star, and legend, and it’s great to be [with] queer family, making work.” Defoe is also…

A little over 12 years ago, ALVIN MCEWEN began noticing there was little resistance to the ever-invasive right-wing rhetoric that uses religion as a weapon to dismantle LGBTQ progress. “Writing is the best thing I do,” he recalls thinking. “It’s my gift. So why not give it to my community?” In 2006, the South Carolina-based McEwen launched the blog Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and has since become one of the loudest voices speaking against the hypocrisies of anti-LGBTQ organizations. Last year, McEwen received the 2017 GLAAD Award for Outstanding Blog, and has been mentioned in dozens of political outlets including The Daily Beast, Newsweek, and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. For decades, conservative voices have been attacking LGBTQ people with carefully worded rhetoric. “Before they were trumpeting ‘religious…

As Rami Malek takes the stage, a wiry bundle of energy and expectation, his short hair, tight white jeans, and studded leather cuff help him look every bit the part of a gay man in the 1980s. But this isn’t any man (and if it were 30 years later, we’d probably be using the word bi or pansexual, not gay, to describe him). The scene recreates Freddie Mercury’s performance during the now-famous Queen set at the charity concert Live Aid, which has been called one of the greatest rock shows in history.The 1985 performance (re)introduced Queen to nearly 2 billion viewers in 150 countries, according to CNN—the largest TV audience ever. My friends and I were teenagers then, gathered around a tiny kitchen TV in rural Idaho watching the Live…

Now on DVD and streaming, Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist is a raw and revealing portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential women in fashion, Dame Vivienne Westwood. However, the celebrated designer was famously unhappy with the final cut, because it didn’t include enough of her environmental activism. Visual artist and filmmaker Lorna Tucker says her intentions were to make an honest documentary about an artist, not a “propaganda piece” about Westwood’s activism, a topic the two butted heads over. Tucker, who still has nothing but love and respect for Westwood, takes the punk icon’s criticism with a grain of salt: “If it was anyone else I’d be upset, but with her, I’ll take it.” (VivienneWestwoodFilm.com)…

For many of us, cooking evokes nostalgia and can transport us back to another place and time—particularly to our childhood. We may recall looking up at the elder who passed culinary wisdom down to us. These experiences often shape what we like to eat—and cook. Recreating such dishes can provide a portal to a simpler time. For Zac Young, the story lacks such romantic notions, because growing up, he says, “we ate so we didn’t die. Food was fuel.” Eating was a utilitarian pastime, not one focused on comfort, pleasure, connection, or adventure. Named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional in 2015, Young describes his own cooking as “over the top fun,” with a creative approach that has led the out gay chef to…

When Bound hit movie theaters in 1996, the neo-noir lesbian crime thriller instantly became an underground classic among queer women, especially femmes. It was the first of its kind to show a romance between two smart women (played expertly by Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon) where their queerness was explicitly wrapped up with their butch-femme gender identities. The filmmakers brought on sexpert Susie Bright to help orchestrate the lesbian sex scenes, and a slew of local San Francisco Bay Area lesbian and bi women turned out as background players to help the bonafides. But it still confounded some that Bound, directed by the Wachowski siblings—whom everyone at the time considered two straight cis guys—felt authentically lesbian. Today of course, Lily and Lana Wachowski, who both came out as trans in…

FATTY LIVER DISEASE COMMON At the 9th International Workshop on HIV and Aging, researchers revealed 39 percent of poz people 50 or older and 49 percent of those under 50 have hepatic steatosis (aka fatty liver disease). Those aged 50-plus with the comorbidity were more likely to be women (43 percent versus 29 percent), have hep C, and be long-term survivors who had been on antiretroviral medications for more than a decade. The researchers noted that obesity is also a major factor. KIDNEY DISEASE RATES RISING FOR 60+ POZ FOLKS? At the International AIDS Conference, U.K. researchers revealed that diagnoses of kidney disease and osteopenia or osteoporosis rose for HIV-positive people aged 60 and older at one London clinic. Between 2010 and 2017, the proportion of 60 and older poz…

A lot of LGBTQ folks skip Black Friday’s insanity and do their shopping close to home on Small Business Saturday. With the help of Yelp and Open to All, you can find businesses in every state that support LGBTQ folks, many that ship as well. Here are three fun finds. ALABAMA’S RETRIEVER SOAPWORKS Crusader’s Soap, a goat milk bar in which all of the ingredients (like honey plus almond, palm, and castor oils) are found in the Holy Land and in the Bible.($7, RetrieverSoapworks.com) ILLINOIS’ GRAHAM’S FINE CHOCOLATES & ICE CREAM Caramel Apples everyone loves. ($4.50 and up, grahamschocolate.com) GEORGIA’S TRAVIS JEAN EMPORIUM The Brouk Excursion Weekender Bag is perfect for a popover. ($168, travisjeanemporium.com)…

“You’re jealous,” Olivia Colman’s sickly and often childlike Queen Anne of Britain says with relish to her consort and lover, Sarah the Duchess of Marlborough, in The Favourite—a wild, queer romp through the 18th-century court of the lesser known monarch. The delicious satire from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer) pits Rachel Weisz’s Sarah against Emma Stone’s Abigail, a lady fallen from grace who’ll stop at nothing to regain her position, and thus, the pair engage in a naughty rivalry for Anne’s affection that delights the gout-ridden 17th-century queen. “I sort of loved her,” Colman (above) explains of tackling the role she says would have made her “jealous” if anyone else had gotten to play it. “She’s the sort of person, you want to give…

Sophie Campbell is a transgender comic artist who got started creating independent comics like Shadoweyes and The Abandoned that feature young black women who are outcasts (often goth lesbians). She’s best known for her Wet Moon graphic novel series, which revolves around a similar group of gothic friends in a Southern town where they deal with the typical tumultuous college relationships while weird shit starts going down. Campbell’s illustrations tend to feature young women of various races, body types (there are lots of sexy, big-bottomed girls!), sexualities, gender presentations, and abilities. The first Wet Moon volume hit comic shops back in 2005 and resonated with readers; six more volumes followed. In 2018 came Wet Moon 7, the first new release in five years, and unfortunately, the series ender. Having worked…

Still riding high on the success of her debut album, Expectations, out queer singer Hayley Kiyoko won a 2018 MTV Video Music Award for Push Artist of The Year (she was also up for the coveted Best New Artist category but lost it to Cardi B). Kiyoko’s hardcore fans dubbed her the “lesbian Jesus,” long before this win proved to everyone else that Kiyoko can practically walk on water. The Asian-American actress and singer is exactly the kind of musician that girls (and women) needed in 2018. Kiyoko’s self-directed music videos (viewed over 160 million times) are supremely visual, expressly fun, and queer AF; but more importantly, they reveal the musician as a young out woman who needs no validation from the rest of the world. But she’s getting it…