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Iowa City + Cedar Rapids + Des Moines
Street Wise GoGuide Exclusive: A success story on how one gay man found his way home; pages 10-12
A picture worth more than a thousand words; pages 30-31
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Vol. 3; Issue 7 April 2019 GoGuideMagazine.com Facebook.com/GoGuideMagazine/ Publisher, executive editor Tim Nedoba Cedar Rapids-Linn County Editor Julia Freeman Iowa City-Johnson County/Des Moines-Central Iowa/Political/Features Tim Nedoba Theater Editor Matthew Brewbaker Music Editor/Operations Gregory Cameron Columnist Erik Sosa Design GoGuide Media Website Development AIT, Inc./GoGuide Media Contributors Gregg Shapiro Terri Schlichenmeyer Local Sales Reach Out Marketing, LLC www.ROMLLC.us timr@romllc.us (319) 800-3223 National Sales Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Contact GoGuide Magazine at info@goguidemagazine.com or call (319) 800-3223
Summer has sprung in this selfie provided by Blanket the Cat.
Table of Contents April 2019 “Proudly covering the LGBTQ community since 2016”
Life
Culture
Erik’s World pages 6
Inside Corridor Theater pages 19-20
News Briefs pages 8-9 Exclusive: Street Wise pages 10-12 GoGuide Election Guide with Marianne Williamson; pages 13-15 Health LGBTQ Cancer Rates Page 16
Your View LGBTQ day at the Capitol Page 17
Q-Music pages 21-23
Book Review page 25-26
Scene Travel Atlantis Cruise pages 28-29
GoGuideMagazine.com
GoGuide Magazine & GoGuideMagazine.com are published by GoGuide Media. Contact us at info@goguidemagazine.com
Spring has Sprung at Iowa Artisans Gallery!
Exclusive: Street Wise pages 10-12
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s ’ k i Er d l r o w
Perseverance
A column by Erik Sosa
Newborns are miracles as they are
hormonal tween. What is a tween? Simply put, children ranging from 9 to 12 are considered to be pre-adolescent because this stage in life they are said to be “between” years. Kind of like Britney when she quipped she wasn’t a girl, but not yet a woman. In my opinion, tweenagers are basically needier and more emotional versions of toddlers in near-adult appearance. For those considering having children in the future, take heed of this PSA. The surgeon general warns that tweens are hazardous for your health. Tweens are notorious for raising blood pressure, while, simultaneously, telling anxiety to come out and play with tension. Also, try to remember that you know you are in the presence of a tween when an invitation is needed to enter their space. And last, tweens, who only really care to understand the BEST or the WORST of things, believe that their electronic devices are“EVERYTHING!”
perfect bundles of love. Toddlers are amazingly beautiful pudgy creatures that mostly concentrate on eating, pooping, sleeping and either smiling or crying. Preschoolers, similarly, are a great joy to play with, guide and mentor as they start to become self-aware. Sadly, too soon childhood innocence begins to fade, and patents are given glimpses of the person their child may become as they move through those formative adolescent years. Adolescence is more than a tad complex as boys and girls start to assert themselves in this dynamic world. Loudly and proudly they exerLet me just say that when Cole and cise their new found voice by optiParker started to transition into mizing their selective hearing while their tweens, I was at a loss. No mouthing back to anyone or anything often disliked. Honestly, though, it’s astounding to see how easy it is for some parents to turn a blind eye and disregard this catalytic behavior all in the name of social and cognitive development of their baby Einstein. Which, in turn, leaves us with the creation of a moody prepubescent Page 6 | GoGuide Magazine | April 2019
joke, almost overnight, my world was turned upside down because I honestly felt like I was living out a scene from the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. For example, when I asked Parker why he wasn’t doing his homework all of a sudden, he responded with, “Because I didn’t want to do it.” It was as if his balls grew and dropped overnight?! Oh hell, No! I know I didn’t raise no delinquent! But alas, the parenting that was acceptable when I was growing up is grounds for child abuse today. So, I quickly had to learn to manage my behavior and composure when defiance made its debut at the Sosa-Kibby house. Tween behavior is no laughing matter and a real rude awakening to parents because things can go very wrong very quickly in this day in age. It was a shock to one’s system when a child you have been raising for so long, with specific rules, ethics and standards, has, in essence, disappeared. Listen, when you notice your child has gone missing, everything you knew about parenting has to be re-evaluated honey because parent-
hood just turned a corner and entered the twilight zone. And if one is to succeed and not lose a child to the dark, because that’s what if feels like at times, a parent must learn to adapt and find new ways to communicate and engage with their tween that they think they can no longer relate to or recognize. Managing and circumnavigating through these tween years will be a test of your love, patience, and ability to forgive and move forward. Hell, at times I even wished my gifts had come with gift receipts. I know what I just said may have sounded insensitive, but there is no need To judge my transparency. I have come to understand that no matter how tough raising children is or even may still get, I would adopt again in a heartbeat because just one of the positives from this whole experience outweighs all the negatives combines. Moments of rage, confusion, misunderstanding and the occasional questioning of self is entirely acceptable. As humans, how are we to grow and learn beyond our capabilities if we are not pushed by others. In mid May Cole and Parker will be turning 13 their teen years will add to the complexity their journey, and I can only pray that I can be with them as they push my emotions to where all I understand that works is love, forgiveness, and perseverance.
GoGuide News Briefs The Fate of Coralville PrideFest now in doubt GoGuide
Magazine has decided that it is not within its mission to be a lead organizer of this event or any event of this type. At this point, no organization or group has offered to take over the responsibilities of organizing such an event. The event had an incredible organic groundswell of interest, and many commented it was time for Coralville to have its celebration of LGBTQ Pride.
UAY’s 14th Annual Festival of Flowers May 23, 2019 According to UAY’s event Facebook page, the Festival of Flowers is a creative fundraising event that supports UAY’s outstanding work with youth and families in Johnson County and surrounding areas. Professionals, amateurs, and youth are invited to submit entries of floral art, fresh flower arrangements, and container gardens which are displayed, judged and auctioned off.
If anyone is interested in becoming the official organizer of the event, please email info@goguidemagazine.com. There are some things in place that you may like to access.
This year’s entries will be inspired by the theme of “Coexisting,” an idea borrowed from the downtown Iowa City Mural Project created by Sayuri Sasaki Hemann GoGuide Magazine is proud to spon- and UAY Youth this past summer. sor as many events as possible including Mission Creek Festival in 2019 The Festival of Flowers event ofand Iowa City Pride in past years. fers wine, hors d’oeuvres, music and GoGuide has also sponsored sever- a silent auction between 5:30-7pm. al One Iowa events and many more. GoGuide will continue to sponsor as A live auction featuring award-winning many non-profit events as possible. floral designs and other high-end packages begins at 7 pm. All proceeds benThe original event was scheduled to efit youth and families served by UAY.
place Sunday, September 1, 2019, at Coralville Center for Performing Arts. h t t p s : / / w w w. u n i t e d a c t i o n f o r y outh.org/ for more information.
GoGuide News Briefs One Iowa’s 10th Annual Gala Sold out
LGBTQ Youth Center Presents “Born this way: 2019 LGBTQ+ Prom
All 1200 tickets were sold one month GBTQ Youth Center Presents “Born in advance of the 10th annual gala. this way: 2019 LGBTQ+ Prom The Center provides a safe and One Iowa started its annual Gala Cel- confidential environment for ebration tradition in 2010 to com- LGBTQ youth, families and allies. memorate Varnum v. Brien, the momentous Iowa Supreme Court case Programs at the Center are diverse and making Iowa the third in the na- include support groups, unique art oftion to embrace marriage equality. ferings, mentoring program, Pride Café, community service, health initiative Since then, LGBTQ Iowans and al- classes, parent workshops, financial litlies have come together each year eracy, tutoring, and career exploration. to celebrate and honor the LGBTQ advocates working to preserve and The Center is located at The Esadvance equality for LGBTQ Io- tle Center, 1030 5th Avenue SE. wans. This year marks ten years since that momentous decision. Get dresses up and join us for this free event! Inclusive of allies and LGBTQ+ One Iowa Executive Director Dan- Community Members RSVP to Lori Amiel Hoffman-Zinnel said, “Coming pey at Lampey@tanagerplace.org Thank together as a community to honor you to the following sponsors who have our successes, celebrate one anoth- made this event possible: Toyota Financial, er, and enjoy each other’s company Go Daddy, Giving Tree Theatre, Fox News. is truly an inspiring experience. Selling out over one month in advance The event is April 20, 2019, from and hitting capacity for the ballroom 7:00 - 11:00 pm. The event is FREE. is unprecedented for this event.” For more information visThe event is Friday, April 12 at it https://www.tanagerplace.org. the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center.
GoGuide Magazine | April 2019 |Page 9
GoGuide Exclusive:
Street Wise “Helping the Homeless”
By Julia Freeman & Tim Nedoba Editor’s note: this is first in a multipart series.
Some people live in exile for a lifetime, others for a few years, for an Iowa man it was 11 months on the streets of Chicago that laid the framework for a life-changing chapter of a life story to be crafted. In an exclusive interview with GoGuide Magazine, he shares the events that led up to his becoming homeless through no fault of his own as well as the role his now-friend played in helping him get off the streets. He now finds himself able to give back through sharing his journey, experience, and sometimes his spare cash with others in homeless shelters in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. “Growing up, If I ate a piece of pie taken from the kitchen table, I got beat up by my stepfather.” This type of abuse was repetitive until he was nine; he is now 47 and asked to remain anonymous. “I am the only one of my siblings that is gay and endured this abuse from my stepfather so despite growing up in the suburbs, eventually, I became a ward of the state of Illinois. I got Page 10| GoGuide Magazine | April 2019
placed in a group home where I was the only white kid. This situation was a new experience for me. I eventually embraced my new family and developed several close friendships.” Later in life, he learned that one of his closest friends had died of a heroin overdose. He never got the chance to say goodbye. “My school experience was horrible. The teaching was designed for the level of the ‘lowest’ person in the group, so I never reached any high school level education. I did graduate from junior high and was placed in Jane Adams Hull House until the age of 21 when I aged out of the system and found myself alone and homeless on the streets. I didn’t have a family home in which I could return. I spent 11 consecutive months on the streets.” He slept on various park benches, under playground slides, and any other safe place he sees. The youth group home helped prepare him on how to carry himself. It didn’t prepare him for finding a permanent home or a safe place to sleep. In the winter months, there were available shelters. During the summer months, it was much different with most shelters closed. Finding a safe place to sleep wasn’t always easy. In many cases, he had to use his “street smarts” to find a place to stay
and possibly get a meal. This meant finding a “friend” to take him home for the night. This was, of course, very dangerous and often the night’s outcome wasn’t what he wanted or expected. As a result, he was forced to “sleep around.” Often spending each night with a different person. His lack of education did hinder him in discovery about gay culture, which he regrets having to learn later on. Of course, there were always the bathhouses, but they required money.
have to be homeless if they don’t want to be. I now know that nobody is homeless-proof, just like nobody is bulletproof, and that it could happen again,”
At age 24 he was shocked to learn that he was HIV positive. In 1995 at a routine doctors appointment a liver test was needed before he could start on an acne medication. Instead of learning whether or not he could start taking Accutane he instead learned that he had the virus that caused AIDS. He was HIV positive. This was still a death sentence in the mid-1990s. “I was scared, and I didn’t know where to turn,” he said.
show up at the right time.”
He believes he was infected at a Chicago bathhouse in 1992. He wasn’t willing to divulge information on how he was able to trace it back to that year given that he probably had several potential exposures. Although he generally never asked for help because he didn’t know how and was embarrassed. “I firmly believe that many people do not
During his time on the streets, he also became a larger music fan because he could relate to being homeless in many ways through the lyrics of his favorite songs and artists. His primary advice is “to not give up or let bad things keep you down. You never know when the right friend will
Comunity Resourcses More than 25% of former foster children become homeless within four years of exiting the foster care system. There are an estimated 5,000 people nationally that are adult products of the foster care system, all lost in the transition from child to adult classification. The rates are even higher in the LGBTQ community. A lack of resources and appropriate education are aspects of life that many exiting a group home and foster care placements face in joining the larger adult world without adequate support systems. The majority of people that are homeless expeContinued on next page
rience shame and embarrassment about their living circumstances that prevent them from asking for help directly from loved ones; therefore, a novel support system is formed from community resources. There are community resources available for persons seeking support services such as employment, housing, and mental health recovery. Much of the regional resources are divvied for adults, especially veterans, with few for youth. Many of these shelters or programs are faithbased, seem too much like charity to those receiving support, and lack critical elements as outlined in part one of this feature. In Linn County, Willis Dady Homeless Services provides emergency shelter, while Waypoint is the central intake hub of resources and has an associated refuge.
son. Notably, the subject of part one of this series faced a history which took a toll on his psyche and mental wellbeing. Within Johnson County, beyond the counseling departments of educational institutions for students, organizations such as UAY provide counseling for young (12-23) people and Crisis Center of Johnson County also help with furnishing and connecting people with mental health assistance. They each also have housing and social service case management branches. This comprehensive, all under one roof structure helps in connecting people without adequate transportation or resources to be assisted. Foundation 2 offers individual and group/family counseling to youth shelter occupants. They also serve all of Linn County in providing mental health services, including those in crises.
Statistically, homelessness amplifies poor mental health outcomes across diagnoses. HIV, for example, is more In Iowa City, the largest city of common in people that have high Johnson County, organizations such levels of psychological distress. Atop as Shelter House and Hawkeye Area the threat of health, there are also Community Action Program and factors of safety and security that United Action for Youth provide the plague many people that are homegeneral public with dualistic preven- less due to high volume and traffic tion and intervention forms of aswithin the shelter. Conversely, people sistance. This is not an all-inclusive with mental health challenges are list of temporary shelter and housing more susceptible to personal vulnersupport for either county. ability, disaffiliation, and poverty; thus their chances of homelessness The majority of emphasis across Iowa risk increases. Therefore why orgais a “housing first� model focused on nizational partnerships and collabohomelessness prevention and emerration seek to create supportive and gency shelter for residents in need of non-threatening atmospheres to such assistance regardless of the sea- combat both afflictions and solve the crisis directly. Page 12| GoGuide Magazine | April 2019
GoGuide Election Guide: The 2020 Iowa Caucuses GoGuide goes one-on-one with 2020 Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson Editors note - This Q&A is second in a multipart series with 2020 Presidential candidates leading up to the Iowa Caucuses.
Join the Evolution The Williamson campaign is taking the Iowa Caucuses seriously. To date, Marianne Williams has made eight trips to Iowa, both in her exploratory committee capacity and now as a candidate. Additionally, the campaign has several upcoming events planned for this spring. On her campaign website Marianne Williamson sums up her campaign
this way, “It is time to let go of an old and tired political conversation and forge a new, whole-person, heart-centered political dynamic. I hope you will join me in this evolutionary effort. It is time to create an entirely new phase of America’s story; one in which we repair what needs to be repaired, pull ourselves up from the mire into which in too many ways we have descended, and forge a better future for ourselves and those we love.”
Q&A with Marianne Williamson GoGuide (GG): Do you feel good about where you’re at now so far out from the Iowa caucus? Are you all in for the Iowa Caucuses? Marianne Williamson (MW): I do feel strongly about my position in Iowa. I was the first candidate to have a virtual captain assigned for all 99 counties in Iowa. I have also moved to Iowa to understand the needs of all Iowans better, doing small group meetings in cities and towns all across the state. Doing so has not only affected me as a candi-
Photo from campaign website
Continued on next page
date, it has changed me as a citizen of this country. It is so important to be on the ground and to see the genuine fears, frustrations, and aspirations of those in this beautiful community. GG: Do you plan to actively seek the LGBTQ vote in Iowa in preparation for the Caucus? MW: I plan to not only seek but to earn support from the LGBTQ community throughout this nation actively. I learned a great deal when I sat down with Nate and his team at Iowa Safe Schools about the struggles Iowan LGBTQ students face every day and will continue this dialogue with them and other groups hopefully into the White House.
favor with because it serves me from time to time. This is a community to which I have been loyal for my entire career. My proposals when it comes to the issues that relate most closely to this community are too lengthy to summarize - I ask that you, please go to my website: https://www.marianne2020.com/issues/lgbtq-rights, for more. GG: An important issue for the LGBTQ community is health care. How is your health care plan better than the other Democratic proposals?
GG: Why should the LGBTQ community support you in the Iowa Caucus for President? MW: In a very real sense, the LGBTQ community gave me my career. When the AIDS crisis hit America, it was this community that first truly listened to my message of forgiveness, healing, and miracles. There are few other subsets of American culture with the same level of insight, sensitivity, and spiritual and political muscle as the LGBTQ community, and it is through their eyes that I still see so much of the world. I have stood with and for this community since the beginning of my involvement in the public eye, and many of my proudest achievements have been with them. Project Angelfood being just one. This is not a community that I curry
Marianne Williamson at Prarie Lights Bookstore
MW: I believe that my health care plan, like most of my policy positions, is more holistic than others. The biggest problem with America’s health care system is that it is not a health care system so much as a sickness care system. It reflects an outdated perspective on health and healing, in which far too little attention is given to the actual cultivation of health and prevention of disease. Unlike others who are running for President, I believe that we need a
shift to a genuine health care system, that would involve attention to environmental, agricultural, chemical and nutritional factors which America’s current corporate-dominated system of governance would presumably resist. I believe that if America is to deal with our serious issues involving chronic disease and obesity, we must look deeply at the causes of disease and not simply their treatment. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency needs to have its power restored as protector of our environment and thus our health.
Until America comes to terms with how much we have acquiesced to the many unhealthy practices that should be considered unlawful -- but which are currently allowed to increase corporate profits -- we will continue to have a less-than-meaningful discussion of how as a society we provide health care. GG: Another important issue is gender identity. Is someone’s birth gender identity his or her permanent legal gender in your opinion? MW: Of course not. GG: What else would you like GoGuide reader know about your candidacy for President?
kstore in Iowa City. Photo courtesy the campaign.
The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act must be restored in full, and bans on dangerous pesticides once again vigorously established and enforced. Genetically engineered food should be labeled. The Food and Drug Administration needs to have its power restored so that it can once again guard the American people from toxic substances that should not be on our shelves. And our children’s food, particularly school lunches, should be far more filled with healthy ingredients.
MW: All I would add at this point is, I ask this community not to be a single-issue voting community. Yes, 100%, demand that the people you support to support you. But I say this to every community - we are not a country of individual concerns - we are a nation of universal concerns. There is so much work to be done, and we have to it altogether. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your prayers, your donations, and your love. Together, we can transform America into what it is truly meant to be. More about Marianne Williamson can be found at https://www.marianne2020.com/my-story. Upcoming Iowa campaign events are available online at GoGuideMagazine.com.
University of Iowa College of Public Health study reports LGBTQ cancer rates on the rise in early report -Low rates of HPV vaccinations found in the studySpecial to GoGuide Magazine from the University of Iowa College of Public Health
received HPV vaccine. A small proportion of respondents (3.3%) had been refused HPV vaccine by a health care provider when they brought it up.
“Indeed, the latest summary of state cancer epidemiology data noted rising levels of HPV-related Discussion section of paper cancers� Results section of paper - Examining the sub-set of respondents younger than age 40, less than half (41.8%) had received any HPV vaccination. Compared to ciswomen, cismen had 78% lower odds of HPV vaccination but there was no difference for transgender/genderqueer individuals. Examining sexual orientation differences, bisexual/pansexual respondents had over four-times higher odds of HPV vaccination and queer/ other individuals had two-times higher odds of HPV vaccination compared to gay/lesbian respondent.
Among protective behaviors, we are encouraged to find the high HPV vaccination completion rate but also note considerable room for improvement in HPV vaccine uptake. Less than half of participants who were plausibly eligible for HPV vaccine had received it. HPV vaccination is a key cancer prevention strategy and is emerging as a priority in Iowa. Indeed, the latest summary of state cancer epidemiology data noted rising levels of HPV-related cancers. Only a small minority of our survey participants were refused HPV vaccine when they brought it up with a health care provider; however, a majority indicated that neither they nor their provider initiated a discussion.
The majority (80.0%) of those who had received any HPV vaccine reported two or three doses, suggesting high levels of vaccination series com- We believe this suggests a need to pletion among those who initiated it. improve capacity to engage in discussions about HPV vaccination. PotenRespondents who reported no HPV tial interventions may include coachvaccine received a follow-up quesing for sexual and gender minority tion about discussing it with a health patients or prompts for health care care provider. The majority (70.9%) providers to discuss the benefits of had not brought it up with a provider HPV vaccination.. while a minority (20.5%) reported (Editors note: These are yet unpubthat they or a health care provider lished results. The college plans to subhad brought it up but they had not mit results soon) Page 16| GoGuide Magazine | April 2019
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LGBTQ Day on the Hill On Wednesday, February 27, LGBTQ Iowans and allies gathered at the Capitol to raise their voices for our community at LGBTQ Day on the Hill. We started the day with a “talk to your legislator” training, then marched to the Capitol to rally in the rotunda. Speakers like Rep. Liz Bennett (Iowa’s first out LGBTQ woman in the state legislature), Hiawatha City Council Aime Wichtendahl (Iowa’s first transgender elected official), Rep. Ras Smith, Sam Brinton (native Iowan and The Trevor Project head of advocacy and government affairs), and more shared their stories with a crowd of LGBTQ Iowans, allies, lobbyists, and elected officials. Attendees then broke into small groups to speak to their legislators about banning conversion therapy for minors, adding transgender protections to our state’s hate crimes law, and more issues important to them. Dozens of legislators met with LGBTQ Iowans in their district and heard from them firsthand. At its core, LGBTQ Day on the Hill humanizes the LGBTQ community. Legislators must see that LGBTQ people are not a political weapon, but individual people who face consequences in their everyday lives because of policy decisions legislators make. This happens when legislators meet their LGBTQ constituents and have real, honest, and sincere
conversations with them about their lives. Participating in events like LGBTQ Day on the Hill and talking faceto-face with elected officials is one of the bravest and most important things an LGBTQ person can do. Sen. Zach Wahls spoke to attendees in the morning and acknowledged this fact: “It requires a certain level of vulnerability. Those of you who are willing to come here and put yourself in front of legislators, I tip my hat to you.” Iowa’s legislative session isn’t over yet. I encourage you to reach out to your legislators and introduce yourself. Their contact information is available on the Iowa Legislature’s website. If you’re nervous or unsure, know you can reach out to One Iowa Action for support. I also encourage you to go to oneiowaaction.org to sign up for action alerts and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay in the know about legislative issues that impact LGBTQ Iowans. You’ll also receive strategic opportunities to contact your legislators about specific pieces of legislation. Together, we can make a positive difference for LGBTQ Iowans. An Op-Ed from One Iowa Action
GIVE THE GIFT OF EQUALITY
We need your help to preserve and advance equality for LGBTQ Iowans. Make a tax-deductible gift today at oneiowa.org/give.
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convinced this night will never end the sun will never rise. We have Inside Corridor Theater and the distinct pleasure to work with some old friends and a few new ones. By Matthew Brewbaker, Theater Arts Director Jessica Wilson and Gavin Conkling are great actors I’ve had the pleasure Welcome current and future fans to both direct and act with several of local theater, spring brings a wide times, and you do not want to miss variety of local events, from more their take on the fantastic language traditional to world premieres and in this play. Duane Larson, no strangeven a project very personal to me. er to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City theatergoers, anchors (quite literalI’ll start with the project that I am ly) this newscast and play bringing working on! Dreamwell Theatre will warmth, humanity, and gravitas. be presenting Tragedy: A Tragedy by Newcomers to Dreamwell, Nick Will Eno directed by myself and my Kilburg, and Brian Kreis bring talent, wife, Kris. thoughtfulness, and quite frankly, the kinds of voices that make you pay This play is an amazing absurdist attention. comedy presented as a local news While it is very early in the rehearsal process, but I couldn’t be more proud of what we are accomplishing. This is an unusual script, and if you are unfamiliar with the genius of Will Eno, this will be a great introduction. Dark and hilarious without being cruel or vulgar. This will be a great show to see in a more intimate setting.
broadcast with correspondents in the field and the anchor behind the desk, covering a night that doesn’t seem to be like any other night. Everyone is
Tragedy: A Tragedy opens April 26th and runs two weekends at Public Continued on next page GoGuide Magazine | April 2019 |Page 19
Space One in Iowa City. Check the website for more info or to buy tickets, www.dreamwell.com.
theater in the area. There are even a few actors I worked with recently in Blood Wedding at ICCT.
Starting at the end of April and running through May, Riverside Theatre presents Apple Season by E.M Lewis, as part of a rolling world premiere of the National New Play Network. While I have not had the pleasure to work with artists involved, I have seen productions with
Also, Theatre Cedar Rapids will be presenting The Hunchback of Notre Dame, another musical based on a classic story. Directed by Angie Toomsen and featuring Kehry Anson Lane and Sage Spiker, this will no doubt be must-see theater.
one of the stars, Barrington Vaxter, who is a pleasure to watch on stage. This will be directed by Riverside’s new Artistic Director Adam Knight, who has embraced being a part of the local theater community. Having met Adam a few times and seen his production of The Price earlier this season, I can say we are lucky to have him here. Get more info at www.riversidetheatre.org and order your tickets soon. Opening in early May, I want to mention City Circle Acting Company’s production of The Scarlet Pimpernel, directed by Jaret Morlan. This is a great musical that is not performed often enough. I have heard that this classic story was one of the inspirations for the original Batman story. This large cast includes many performers familiar to fans of musical
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Next month I look forward to announcing many of our local theatre’s upcoming seasons and spending some time talking about Pride month and events/performances to celebrate Pride. As always feel free to email me with any events I may not be aware of at Dreamwellad@mchsi.com
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Music Q-Music: Solo ventures
But what about the songs? From start to finish, the dozen tunes, including “Bad Luck”, “Last Lion of Albion”, By Gregg Shapiro “Gumball Blue” the Eric Bachmann duet “Sleep All Summer”, the dizzyIt’s no exaggeration to say that each ing “Pitch or Honey”, “Halls of Sarah” new Neko Case album is cause for and “My Uncle’s Navy” are nothing celebration. Known for her work as less than amazing. [The Englert resident diva with The New PornogTheatre welcomes Neko Case on raphers, Case teamed up with legendApril 29. For more info: https://enary, out singer/songwriter k.d. lang glert.org/events/.] and Laura Veirs for the exceptional 2016 case/lang/veirs album (if you haven’t heard “Atomic Numbers” and Veirs’ tribute to Judee Sill, “Song for Judee”, you don’t know what you’re missing). The fact is that Case also has one of the most acclaimed solo careers of any contemporary female singer/songwriter. Her latest album, the smoldering Hell-On (Anti-) reunites her with Inside Englert Theatre. Picture from Englert.org. lang and Veirs, as well as a mind-blowThe suitably titled Warm (dBpm), the ing assortment of first proper solo album of all original others including material by Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco regulars Kelly Hogan and Uncle Tupelo and Nora O’Connor. fame), is the kind of Additionally, Case is joined on the musical project that record by out artists Beth Ditto and will please the artBarbara Gruska, as well as Björn Yttilist’s fans, regardless ing and Peter Morén (of Peter, Björn of when they became and John fame), Robert Forster (of followers. As perThe Go-Betweens), Steve Berlin (of Los Lobos), Mark Lanegan (of Queens Continued on next page of the Stone Age), Matt Chamberlain, GoGuide Magazine | April 2019 |Page 21 and Kathryn Calder, to mention a few.
sonal as it is universal, the sincerity of the 11 songs on Warm generates a welcome ardor similar to what we heard Kacey Musgraves do on her lauded Golden Hour album. Even the most removed listener can’t help but be moved by songs such as the exquisite “How Hard It Is For A Desert To Die”, “From Far Away”, “Having Been Is No Way to Be”, “I Know What It’s Like”, “How Will I Find You?” and the John Lennon-esque “Bombs Above”. Tweedy also breaks up the serious nature of the album with songs such as the subtle humor of “Don’t Forget” and storm beckoning “Let’s Go Rain.” One of the original founding members of the Australian band The Go-Betweens (“Streets of Your Town”), Robert Forster has been sporadically releasing a solo album for nearly 20 years. His latest, Inferno (Tapete) is a welcome addition to his canon. The songs nicely alternate between sunny pop numbers such as the irresistible “Inferno (Brisbane in Summer)”, “I’m Gonna Tell It” (which comes across like a long lost Velvet Underground song) and “Life Has Turned A Page” (on which you can hear Forster’s wife Karin Bäumler provided backing vocals), and mood pieces such as “I’ll Look After You”, “Crazy Jane On The Day of Judgement” and “One Bird In the Sky”.
dormant. Elastic Days (Sub Pop) by legendary Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis is an excellent example of this. An audible departure from Dinosaur Jr.’s trademark alternative rock crunch, the dozen songs on Elastic Days are admirably mellow and electrically charged without being washed out. Highlights include “Drop Me,” “Sometimes,” “Give It Off,” “See You At The Movies,” “Picking Out the Seeds,” the subtle twang of “I Went Dust,” and the title track.
If you don’t immediately recognize the name Nat Freedberg, perhaps you know him better as Lord Bendover from rock novelty act The Upper Crust. Dressed in 18th century period attire and powdered wigs, The Upper Crust was in on the joke as they played a style of rock that combined metal, glam and a heavy dose of camp. For Freedberg’s solo album, Better Late Solo albums have long been a proThan Never (Rum Bar), featuring ductive way for musicians to stretch “love songs, sad songs, songs about muscles that may be otherwise sitting the devil”, he is joined by a stellar
line-up of Boston musicians, giving him the chance to rock us to our core on the songs “All My Love”, “I Think I Died and Went to Heaven”, “World To Come”, “Queen For A Day” and “Heavy Metal Cow”. Known for leading many blistering garage rock acts including Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog and Heavy Trash, Jon Spencer officially steps out on his own on Spencer Sings the Hits (In The Red). Fear not, Spencer doesn’t veer too far from his trademark scuzzy fuzz rock on the album’s 12 songs, the best of which includes “Time 2 Be Bad”, “Fake,” “Wilderness,” “Ghost,” “Overload,” “Alien Humidity” and “Love Handle.” When you stop to think about it, a lot of cool bands have roots in Ohio. Devo, Pretenders, Pere Ubu, and later The Black Keys and Afghan Whigs, to mention a few, all have connections to the Buckeye State. One of the best, albeit short-lived band, was The Waitresses, known for the songs “I Know What Boys Like,” “No Guilt,” “Christmas Wrapping” and the theme song to the early 1980s Sarah Jessica Parker sitcom Square Pegs. Chris Butler, who was The Waitresses’ leader and
main songwriter, has continued making music since The Waitresses broke up and Got It Together (Future Fossil) is his latest. You can definitely hear traces of The Waitresses delicious wit throughout the album’s 16 songs (which includes three demo recordings). Formerly of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, Andrew McMahon has been making piano-driven pop music as Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness since 2014. The first few songs on his new album Upside Down Flowers (Fantasy/Crush) set the tone with their personal lyrics. McMahon knows firsthand about what he’s singing about on album opener “Teenage Rockstars.” Having lived in Ohio also gives him a particularly good perspective from which to write the song “Ohio.” In “Blue Vacation,” McMahon the father sings about needing “a place to raise my daughter,” perhaps on a “private island” in “Blue Vacation.” No longer a “teenage rockstar,” McMahon sings like a person with responsibilities and “mouths to feed” (“Paper Rain”). Sunlight Tonight (Normaltown/New West) is the solo debut album by Parker Gispert of Georgian band The Whigs. Except for “Is It 9?,” Sunlight Tonight is a much less raucous affair than you might expect from the front-man of The Whigs. The gorgeous “Magnolia Sunrise” even features a lovely string section.
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Brooklyn sure has changed “When Brooklyn Was Queer” by Hugh Ryan Book review by Terri Schlichenmeyer The Bookworm Sez
Landmarks were destroyed, the sky-
line is different, and streets are shifted in a way that feels same-not-same. It’s like having dinner with a relative you met once, when you were nine: as in “When Brooklyn Was Queer” by Hugh Ryan, everything and nothing is familiar.
In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened, making it easy for residents to reach New York City. There, male and female impersonators found work at live entertainment venues, where race mattered little; and sexes and social classes mixed freely at saloons, concert halls, dancehalls, and theatres. For African American actors, that relative permissiveness led to more acceptance and sometimes, fame.
By the time Brooklyn merged with The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island in January 1898, a new word had emerged. “Homosexuals” had been targeted by obscenity charges for quite some time then but, Once upon a time, Brooklyn was little though laws were created against them, they had a solid presence in more than farms and fields. mainstream society. Even so, says That’s the vista Walt Whitman saw when he stepped beyond the bound- Ryan, most people didn’t learn much about homosexuals until World War I. aries of the city where he’d been creating his Leaves of Grass. He loved the area, a love he shared with labor- And yet – people couldn’t get enough of “queer” folk, especially with cabers, prostitutes, and the rest of the aret shows, vaudeville, and “freak crime-ridden, mostly-white populashows” so wildly popular and a subtion of Brooklyn in the mid-1800s. As a gay man, Whitman would have noted upcoming changes.
Continued on next page GoGuide Magazine | April 2019 |Page 25
way ride to Coney Island costing just a nickel. New Yorkers flocked to the boardwalk, perhaps titillated by the idea that the performers were “gay.”
a fun, fascinating, all-encompassing history, “When Brooklyn Was Queer” is a nice change.
c.2019, St. Martin’s Press | $29.99 | But “things started to go off the rails” 308 pages for the LGBT community at the end of World War II. Being gay was perceptually equal to a crime. Starting then, says Ryan, “…the vibrant queer histories of places outside Manhattan would soon be forgotten.” Reading “When Brooklyn Was Gay” is something like frosting a cake. From the starting point of a poet and a wharf full of sailors, readers glide smoothly to wood-floor dancehalls; sweeping near audacious lesbian actors, scandal rags, legal fights, burly-Q stages, then to the Jazz Age and beyond. Each spot is covered, sprinkled with asides, personal anecdotes from author Hugh Ryan, and modern references to create connections, then gently folded into the next subject. What may delight readers the most, though, is in the details. While this is a history of Brooklyn, specifically, and New York, in general, we’re taken to other cities and cultures to see how worldwide changes impacted Brooklyn’s residents. Like the inner workings of a clock, tiny facts turn larger events that become part of a big picture for readers to see. Unlike many books, this one doesn’t ignore anyone in the LGBT initialism; all are mentioned here and given due diligence. For readers searching for
Summer of Pride GoGuide Magazine’s commemorative May/June double issue. Including a section on Best Places to Work in Iowa. Visit GoGuideMagazine.com for more information.
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Our Atlantis Cruise Caribbean Journey Special to GoGuide Magazine
Four years ago, we decided to do our
first Atlantis Cruise. Leaving out of New York City, it was just too convenient to pass up! Richard and I got on board, assuming we would know very few people, and immediately we connected with some friends from Dallas. The trip just got better from there. Fast forward to this past winter, we went on our third Atlantis Cruise, taking the mega Allure of the Seas out with 5,200 other gay men out to the Bahamas, Honduras, and Mexico. Needless to say, we had an incredible time. As you can well imagine, a trip like this will be what you make of it. If late-night partying is your game, they have you covered with a well choreographed set of events every day of the week, starting with a “break the ice” Dog Tag Party and ending with the bon voyage White Party. Don’t forget to bring lots of costumes, though, as the 80s/90s Party, the 70s Disco Party, and the Page 28| GoGuide Magazine | April 2019
Civilization Lost party all demand it. The excursions set up once reaching port in Nassau in the Bahamas, or Cozumel in Mexico, make for some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to tour Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza or go scuba diving in one of the best diving locations in the world, Roatan, Honduras. And did I mention the food? As part of the price of the cruise, an all you can eat buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, as is a more formal dining experience each night, where the menu changes daily and the food and the 3-course service is to die for! And you can order as many appetizers, main meals, and desserts as you would like! The entertainment on the ship really rounds out the overall experience… we saw Mama Mia! performed, as
well as a wide variety of comedy and cabaret shows, including Matt Yee, Miss Richfield 1981 and the infamous La Voix. Surprise performer Cynthia
Erivo belted out one cover tune after another and left us all breathless! We wrapped up our trip watching the Airotic show by Les Farfadais out of Paris‌ they performed both on stage and during one of the leading outdoor dance events as well!
Be sure to check out their upcoming itineraries at www.AtlantisEvents. com. --------------------------------------About the authors: Matt Skallerud and Richard Brower enjoy eating well and traveling more! They met while they were both an active part of the IGLTA team, and are married and now live in New York City. Richard’s talents are finding incredible flight deals from JFK to points all over the world, as well as locating the best eateries along the way. Matt is part of Pink Banana Media, Pink Banana World, and the #ILoveGay network, and enjoys merging his personal and professional worlds along the way on these trips.
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Located at 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City A snowy March evening Photo by Tim Nedoba