Table of contents for September/October 2021 in OUT

When my partner and I first moved to Los Angeles from New York City about a decade ago, we didn’t bring any furniture. We also didn’t know how long we’d stay in the City of Angels — or frankly, how long we’d stay with each other. Our apartment’s amenities consisted of a bed, a table, and plenty of room for the dreams to dwell. We ended up staying, in both senses. And the space filled in. A painting, a plant, a neon flamingo. This process had a joy to it, like pieces fitting into a puzzle that was slowly coming into shape. Our space came to reflect our loves and our lives. And in the process, it became a haven for us and those we loved as well. The theme…

Seasonally, fall is our usual time to uplift, age-rewind, or full-on excavate the topical layers of our bodies and faces, which show the effects of a summer filled with surf, sand, and sun. Out’s summer sunscreen and skin care story in the June Pride 2021 issue has proven we can brighten, resurface, and deeply exfoliate during even the sunniest months — if you select the right sun-protection products and services. So, while we skipped a few magazine months of anti-aging, the youth gods have dropped some serious innovations for “holding back the years.” Enter my curated vat of brands. These selects can fit every time allowance and budget, with each brand boasting its distinctive use of heightened ingredients and specialized intentions. It’s carefully chosen luxury skin care wellness that also…

It was a labor of love to tell the life story of Halston in a five-hour limited series. Director Daniel Minahan wanted to make a show as stylish and enduring as the legendary fashion designer. “We decided right from the get-go that we should take our cues for everything from the man himself,” Minahan says. “It’s a story about a creative genius and a person who is a world creator. So we needed to re-create that world as exactingly as possible…that influenced everything from which costumes we selected and recreated, to the interiors, to the cinematography.” Minahan, who directed every episode of the Netflix show starring Ewan McGregor as the influential designer, is one of the most distinguished names working in TV today. Not only has he directed episodes of…

Since meeting and falling in love over a decade ago, PJ and Thomas McKay have gone through a lot together. In fact, as their story on their website states, the couple’s nearly 12 years together has included “10 cars, seven houses, five dogs, one cat, two different marriage proposals, one TV show, and endless amounts of laughter, tears, and joy.” The couple first met at a mutual friend’s event in 2009. PJ was in a relationship at the time. But following his breakup, a Facebook friend request set sparks flying. Today, PJ and Thomas still live in their hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., and they say their journey together has indeed had its share of ups and downs. One initial hiccup? When they first met, Thomas was not out. It was…

Back to school or returning to the office? Either way, Out has you covered with these new looks! They say don’t match, but these MCM sets are head-to-toe boss. They join Lionne, Bugatchi, Burberry, and other brands with great fall looks for queers of all ages. BUGATCHI This reversible black-and-white puffer (far left) is both lightweight and warm, with techno fabrications. bugatchi.com LIONNE The fall/winter collection from Lionne (right, top) is as sexy as cold weather clothes come. (prices vary) lionneclothing.com MCM MCM surprises with its check wool patterened coats, which recall a perfectly tailored college uniform. The cross-body bag, phone lanyard, and mask (left, top) top it off, while this cool women’s look (left, bottom) rocks a belt bag, zip-up jacket, short pants, overknee socks, and a Vallarta blue cross-body bag.…

When starting a career, mentorship is one of the most valuable resources. Regardless of the discipline, there’s nothing quite like having an experienced person who walked the same path offer help and guidance. That can be especially true in a field as exclusive and competitive as tech — and for people as marginalized as members of the LGBTQ+ community. That’s where Out in Tech comes in. Out in Tech is a nonprofit network of over 40,000 members with the goal of helping LGBTQ+ people advance in their careers and using technology to advocate for social change. The group also hosts one of the world’s most comprehensive youth mentorship programs — Out in Tech U — for queer and trans youth interested in breaking into the world of technology. “We started…

I have been reading about Maude, an adult brand that makes intimate products like vibrators and lube, and recently found its products in a gay apparel shop. Their packaging was minimal and elegant — a break from the gendered kitsch of most stuff I’ve seen in novelty shops and adult warehouses. As a brand, Maude is doing something noteworthy in X-rated retail: nothing about the brand is X-rated, and its products are not marketed to any particular gender. “The sexual wellness industry has been monopolized for so many years by the same tired male-focused incumbents who have created an uncomfortable, confusing, and transactional landscape. The response to these legacy players has been a pendulum swing: hyper-feminine, trend-focused newer brands that are often just as explicit,” said Eva Goicochea, founder and…

A trailblazer for racial justice, women’s equality, and gender expression, Pauli Murray gets long-overdue recognition in the new Amazon Studios documentary My Name Is Pauli Murray from RBG directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West. An early graduate of Howard University School of Law, Murray attended theology school decades later and became the first Black female-presenting person to be ordained a minister in the Episcopal Church (just one of many firsts they accomplished in their lifetime). Along Murray’s journey, they formed a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, helped found the Congress of Racial Equality and the National Organization for Women, and inspired Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her career. Told through archival footage, talking-head interviews, and readings from Murray’s seminal works, the documentary shines a light on one of the 20th century’s most influential…

So far in the second season of Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q, one couple has stolen our hearts more than any other: Micah and Maribel, dubbed “Micabel” by fans. Played by Leo Sheng and Jillian Mercado, they are not just hot as hell. As an Asian-American trans man and a Latinx woman with a disability in a healthy relationship, they are bringing groundbreaking representation to the TV landscape. Micah, a therapist who works with queer youth, makes mistakes, but he’s good at working on them, and he’s adept at listening. He’s sweet, fashionable, and a great friend. Maribel is smart as a whip, always the funniest person in every scene she’s in, and drop-dead gorgeous. Mercado, who plays her, is a model, after all, and The L Word gives…

ARIES March 21 – April 19 Which relationships have felt off-kilter recently, queer Aries? Power dynamics in work, social, and romantic partnerships level out when Mars enters Libra on September 16 and you understand that balance does not always exist: sometimes you are the giver, sometimes the receiver. Fair is healthy as long as it’s not an obsession. This Halloween, “la petite mort,” or “a little death,” visits you as your ruling planet moves into Scorpio in your 8th house. TAURUS April 20 – May 20 Tell yourself: I am loved and supported in everything I do, trustworthy Taurus. September continues your personal summer with moon energy in your house of fun and Venus in your house of relationships. September’s full moon on the 20th shines light on your community.…