Table of contents for November 2016 in OUT

SØLVE SUNDSBØ The Norwegian photographer was fascinated with our cover star Tilda Swinton’s fish pie (“The Showgirl in Wonderland,” page 74). “It looked delicious,” he says. Sundsbø lives in London with his wife and four children. His work has been featured in Love, Italian Vogue, and W. Instagram: @solvesundsbostudio HUGH RYAN When Hugh Ryan spoke with author Rabih Alameddine for this month’s Symposium (“Look Forward, Angel,” page 32), it marked the first time he had ever conducted an interview while the subject’s mother was in the same room. An upstate New Yorker turned Brooklynite, Ryan has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, Vice, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. Twitter: @Hugh_Ryan HILTON ALS Als, who’s been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1994, has spent…

Add one more item to the long list of excellent traditions under threat from global warming: ice wine. Many of these delicious dessert wines are produced in Canada, where the grapes are harvested only when the temperature has reached -8 degrees Celsius, a delicate balancing act of geography and climate. In Ontario, which is in the same latitude as southern France, the summers are warm enough to grow vines, and the winters cold enough to freeze the grapes, which are pressed while still frozen. The result is an unctuous marvel of complexity—sweet and tart in the same mouthful. And it isn’t it just frozen grapes that make good libations—in Québec, La Face Cachée de la Pomme harvests frozen apples in December and January to create its sumptuous Neige, a beautiful…

Conflicting thoughts ran through my head at that moment: I’ve been out since I was 14. Why is this a thing? Did I just pigeonhole myself for the rest of my career by revealing something I never thought should be hidden? MY FAMILY KNEW I WAS GAY before I did. I played sports in elementary school. After the games, the other boys would pile into a van, go home, and watch more sports. This was baffling to me, and I expressed my concerns to my family. They realized something I wasn’t able to articulate yet. I came out to my liberal New York family full of artists, therapists, and yoga teachers—at the age of 14. I would’ve come out sooner but for an offhand remark my mom made while we…

1975: Lorne Michaels defects to New York City and produces the longest-running comedy ensemble show, Saturday Night Live. 1976: SCTV begins on CBC, starring a veritable who’s who of hilarity, from John Candy to Martin Short. 1980: Airplane! goes down in history with Leslie Nielsen playing Dr. Rumackdon’t call him Shirley! 1983: Dan Aykroyd trades places with Eddie Murphy. 1984: Rick Moranis busts ghosts (and eventually shrinks kids). 1989: Kids in the Hall hits American television, starring a whole batch of Canucks including Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, and openly gay Scott Thompson. 1990: Catherine O’Hara sends Kevin McCallister to bed without dinner in Home Alone. 1991: Phil Hartman moves to Springfield, voicing huckster lawyer Lionel Hutz and pesca-sexual movie hunk Troy McClure on The Simpsons. 1994: Jim…

Béatrice Martin never expected to come out this summer. “You don’t plan on coming out,” she says. “It’s something that happens because it has to happen.” The 27-year-old Montréal singer—better known by her stage name, Coeur de Pirate—admits that the tragedy in Orlando, where 49 people at the LGBT club Pulse lost their lives, forced her to open up to her loved ones. “I realized a lot of the people that died that day had not come out to their families,” she says. “I needed to be straightforward. I wasn’t being honest in my marriage. I wasn’t being honest with my daughter. I didn’t want her to look at me as somebody who is miserable and who is not honest about her true life.” With that candor came a fair…

This is a story of iconography, a story of sustainability so profound that it’s shifting Canada’s center of gravity away from its cities by highlighting the country’s most unexpected natural resource—its people. Fogo Island is at the end of the world: a rocky outcrop in the North Atlantic, loosely tethered to Newfoundland by a bumpy ferry. It’s so far-flung that the Flat Earth Society believes it to be one of the four corners of the two-dimensional planet—warning signs are duly posted alerting travelers to the doom that lies ahead. But recently, Fogo has seen a surge in visitors, many of whom are bypassing the more obvious destinations in Maritime Canada. They’re coming to stand in front of Fogo Island Inn (FogoIslandInn.ca), a structure so striking and unexpected—a construction that will…

Canada’s teen soap Degrassi is responsible for more than just jump-starting Drake’s career. It’s been the ultimate after-school special since the ’80s, serving all the overdramatic juicy plotlines our little hormonal hearts could handle. The show has also been a constant display of diversity, including stories of LGBT teens long before it was the norm for network television. Its first gay character was Archie’s older brother, Glen, who was disowned by their parents when he came out in a 1998 episode. Since then, we’ve seen Marco fall in love with Dylan in what was a life-changing moment for countless millennial viewers. Some of our other favorite queer characters include Paige, the popular bi mean girl; Riley, the jock who shocks everyone when he comes out as gay; and Adam, the…

JUSTIN TRUDEAU The Hunky Politico NIPPLE COUNT: Not since JFK have we seen a head of state with such celebrity swagger; Trudeau loves photobombing topless and doing handstands in deep Vs. (Google it.) GAY FAN BASE: This year Trudeau became the first Canadian PM to march in a Pride parade. He also publicly apologized to gay Canadians for their persecution throughout history. Homo Electus! SENSE OF STYLE: We’ve seen Trudeau in everything from a wet suit to a Canadian tuxedo—got to love a world leader in denim. SIZZLE SCORE: 11/15 JUSTIN BIEBER The Pop Sensation NIPPLE COUNT: Biebs has given the paparazzi some serious northern exposure. We’ve seen the southern bits too, proving he hides a decent chunk in his CK trunks. GAY FAN BASE: Aside from the up-tempo megahit…

We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby Before Chaz Bono, before Transparent, before Laverne Cox, in the hazy, far-off past (specifically, April 2008), Out released its first transgender issue (this issue’s cover star, Tilda Swinton, appeared on the cover of that issue too). We profiled some incredible people, tackled some issues that were almost wholly unknown to straight—and many LGB—readers, and we did a few things then that would certainly not fly today (like showing high school yearbook photos of some prominent drag and trans performers, though, importantly, with their permission). While some things stay the same (we profiled the remarkable Candis Cayne then, as well as in our trans-focused October 2016 issue), many things have changed. Columnist Josh Kilmer-Purcell declared himself post-gender, writing, “From this day forward I’m not going…

Try doing supersets, circuit training, or interval training—anything in which you constantly go from one exercise to another. IT’S ESSENTIAL for losing weight, it’s great for your heart, blah, blah, whatever, we get it. Cardio is important. But here’s the thing: Cardio blows. Most people hate it, and those who don’t hate it are the worst. Just the worst. So if you’re in the majority and hate doing cardio, here are a few ways to skip getting on that treadmill, that elliptical, or—God forbid—that StairMaster. STACK YOUR SETS Try doing supersets, circuit training, or interval training—anything in which you constantly go from one exercise to another with little to no rest in between. That keeps your heart rate up. PUT YOUR BODY INTO IT Exercises that incorporate more than one…

Taking a break from photographing former U.S. presidents and Hollywood starlets, Time lensman Mark Seliger took his camera to Greenwich Village, New York’s dwindling queer epicenter, and talked to the trans and gender-nonconforming people he found there. In a new coffee table book, On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories (Rizzoli), Seliger gathers 74 of his most stirring black-and-white portraits, and accompanies each shot with its subject’s personal story and anecdotes on transitioning. With a foreword by Janet Mock, the monograph puts a spotlight on a group who still feels at risk in Trump’s America, and offers profound insight into our community’s wide spectrum of gender identity and sexual diversity.…

IT’S A HUMID, cloudy August afternoon in London, and the Internet’s greatest supervillain is having a spa day. After a few minutes in the tanning bed, Milo Yiannopoulos blithely trots to the shampoo sink for a deep conditioning treatment and blow-dry. In the waiting room, sipping a latte, his personal trainer and traveling companion, Will, a 22-year-old jacked Alaskan in gym shorts and a tank top, sits giggling over his laptop. For the foreseeable future the two are on the road, a month here in London, a week in New York, then a four-month, 26-stop jaunt across American college campuses, for a project called the Dangerous Faggot tour. When Yiannopoulos arrives on campus, there’s a potential for all hell to break loose. Many appearances are canceled because of student petitions.…

Decidedly not Canada, this geographical anomaly drifts just a short one-hour boat ride off the coast of Newfoundland. After swapping hands between the British and French for several centuries, the island was reclaimed by the French, who erected a permanent settlement in 1816 to better lay claim to the vast fishing banks offshore. A little slice of Europe in North America (where, yes, euros are used), it was instrumental in the smuggling of booze from Canada to the United States during Prohibition. Its colorful flag represents explorer Jacques Cartier’s vessel and the flags of the Basque, Breton, and Norman citizens who first established the present-day collectivity.…

1. CÉLINE DION As if there were a contest. The titanic vocal powerhouse behind one of the most celebrated songs in history (“My Heart Will Go On”) is all by herself at the top, and that’s the way it is. (Sorry.) Our top track: “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” Underrated track: “On Ne Change Pas” 2. SHANIA TWAIN The best-selling female artist in the history of country music isn’t from the American South but rather hails from the North—northern Ontario! After a global tour and a Vegas residency, she’s whipping up her fifth studio album—and has indeed impressed us much. Our top track: “Forever and For Always” Underrated track: “What Made You Say That” 3. CARLY RAE JEPSEN Is it too soon for the “Call Me Maybe” songstress…

Although Anne of Green Gables is Canada’s canonical piece of literature, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, represents the new guard of Canadian classics. Atwood paints her dystopian worlds with such vivid brushstrokes that the descriptors of fictional Gilead are as compelling as the plot points themselves. Atwood’s deftly drawn story will come to life once again in early 2017 as a series on Hulu. And with Elisabeth Moss starring as heroine Offred, it’s sure to be a success.…

DAVID CRONENBERG Cronenberg went full-blown sci-fi in The Fly, explored violent fetishism in Crash, and excavated new psychic depths in Cosmopolis. Few directors make us squirm like he does. The must-watch: Videodrome DENIS VILLENEUVE Villeneuve broke through in 2010 when his visceral Incendies grabbed Oscar’s attention and viewers’ throats. This month, he releases The Arrival, with Amy Adams, while also working on the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel. The must-watch: Incendies SARAH POLLEY One of the industry’s foremost female filmmakers, this actor-turned-maestro has shown great empathy toward her subjects, whether they’re a fictional aging couple (Away From Her) or Polley’s own family (the acclaimed documentary Stories We Tell). The must-watch: Stories We Tell XAVIER DOLAN He’s been called everything from a visionary to…

New York SIZE: Very round—bulbous, even—with a small hole that almost looks like a dimple. METHOD: A quick boil and traditional bake keeps them fluffy yet chewy. INGREDIENTS : Extra malt and salt are key factors; some say the metals in the local water add extra magic. FLAVORS: With less ceremony around toppings, New York tastes range from “plain” to “everything” Montréal SIZE: A tubular ring with a noticeable gap in the middle. Much thinner than the American kind, like Canadians themselves. METHOD: Boiling in honey water then baking in a wood-fired oven gives them a sweet crunch and slight char. INGREDIENTS: More eggs in the dough recipe, with a touch of honey as well. FLAVORS: Sesame is the OG flavor; poppy is an acceptable secondary option.…

“I was just hoping I wasn’t gonna look back and be like, ‘Wow, you really shouldn’t have had any more Buffalo Wild Wings.’ ” “I LIKE TO BE AS NAKED as possible,” says Garrett Clayton. “If friends come over, I’ll just have on basketball shorts with no socks, no shirt, and maybe underwear. I hate clothes.” It’s a different act entirely, though, to shed layers on camera, possibly for millions to see—which is what Clayton does as the lead in King Cobra, director Justin Kelly’s knowingly sleazy biopic about the life of former gay-porn sensation Brent Corrigan (born Sean Paul Lockhart). Says Clayton, “I was just hoping I wasn’t gonna look back and be like, ‘Wow, you really shouldn’t have had any more Buffalo Wild Wings.’ ” The actor, 25,…

Whether you’re escaping for a quick overnighter or journeying around the globe, elegant luggage is crucial. And how you transport your fashionable threads is key to keeping your trip to the tropics or the poles a breeze. From Louis Vuitton’s new collaboration with Marc Newson (on their Horizon 55 collection) to Prada’s sensible weekend bag, there are scads of options to help keep your voyages effortless and chic. There’s also a full luggage set from Bottega Veneta that any completist jet-setter would swoon over. It pays to outfit yourself properly—you never know who’s checking out what you’re packing. ALL ITEMS BY LOUIS VUITTON, PRICE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST…

We’re never told which politicians are Democratic or Republican, thus preventing simplistic audience identification. This achieves a moral balance rarely seen in films about gay identities or politics. OTTO PREMINGER is reputed for his progressiveness in such landmark films as The Moon Is Blue (first blatant screen use of the word “virgin”), Carmen Jones (first erotic black romance), Anatomy of a Murder (first candid sexual discussion) and The Cardinal (first confrontation with abortion as a moral issue). In these movies and others, Preminger challenged cultural barriers, changing Hollywood habits and enlightening global attitudes. And even while it shocked audiences of its day, his 1962 film, Advise & Consent, which centers on gay congressional gossip, managed to raise heads out of the gutter. Don’t feel sanguine—the closeted senator in Advise &…

RAD HOURANI Born in Jordan and based in Montréal, Hourani has been on the forefront of genderless fashion for years, becoming the first Canadian designer invited to show his unisex couture at Paris Fashion Week. His main inspiration? Tilda Swinton, obvs. RadHourani.com PHILIPPE DUBUC Dubuc’s minimalist boutique epitomizes his streamlined, romantic vision of a man’s wardrobe, which features twists on classic staples like laminated anoraks and textured suits—and includes a selection of niche fragrances. DubucStyle.com FRANK & OAK This booming lifestyle brand now has 13 stores worldwide (including three in the U.S.), and its Mile End digs on rue St-Viateur carries stylish-yet-affordable menswear and grooming kits, and contains an espresso bar and a barber shop. FrankAndOak.com DENIS GAGNON Local celebrities love the bespectacled designer, and his flagship store is worth…

Located in Gatineau, Québec, across the river from the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, this museum is a striking masterpiece by aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal. The swooshing design mimics the bedrock of the Canadian Shield and remains without oblique angles throughout, as the devil is thought to live in the corners, according to local lore. Not to be missed is the First Peoples Hall, which features tens of thousands of years of aboriginal achievements, as well as the world’s oldest hockey stick. Seriously. (HistoryMuseum.ca)…

Born and raised in Canada, Sutcliffe is best known for playing Christopher, the father of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) on the hit show Gilmore Girls, which, after a nine-year hiatus, returns this month for a final installment of episodes (Netflix will premiere four new 90-minute “chapters” on November 25). We caught up with the actor, who shed some light on the return of the series and offered his perspective on the differences between Canada and the United States. Luke and Lorelai’s will-they-won’t-they arc bookended the show. What were your hopes for Christopher during the original series? Amy Sherman-Palladino, the showrunner, made it very clear to me when I started that Christopher always wanted to get back together with Lorelai [Lauren Graham]. That was the super-objective throughout the series, but from…

With a pioneering spirit at the core of the national psyche, Canadians are accustomed to living off the land, evolving their recipes with the vivid seasons, especially after hundreds of years of harsh living conditions. And while strawberries are still boiled down into jams, there is a noticeable shift in the culinary winds toward more aspirational iterations of the local bounty. Poutine has become the accidental hallmark of the Canadian table for better or for worse. Drunk food for some, it’s widely considered a concoction of leftovers—potatoes that need frying, the curds of the cheese, and chicken gravy made from the parts of the bird you can’t eat—and a tribute to the resourcefulness of the Québécois. And though robust meals are certainly the cornerstone of the kitchen, a so-called New…