METROSOURCE - APR/MAY 2024

JIMBO

THE CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN

DANCE

LIFE

AN INSPIRING MIX OF DOCUMENTARY AND REALITY TV

IRELAND

WILD SWIMMING IN THE IRISH NORTH SEA

THE SIMPLY MARVELOUS RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

KATHY GRIFFIN

FINDING THE FUNNY

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

People featured take BIKTARVY and are compensated by Gilead.

#1 PRESCRIBED HIV TREATMENT*

NOW THERE’S MORE TO LOVE.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

BIKTARVY® is now approved for more people than ever before.

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

*Note: This information is an estimate derived from the use of information under license from the following IQVIA information service: IQVIA NPA Weekly, for the period week ending 04/19/2019 through week ending 05/19/2023. IQVIA expressly reserves all rights, including rights of copying, distribution, and republication.

Scan to learn more about the latest BIKTARVY update.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com.

VIEWS EDITOR’S LETTER

ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS ARE IN FULL BLOOM

THE FIRST SIGNS OF SPRING HAVE ARRIVED. FOR ME, THAT’S FRESH NEW BUDS ON MY FLOWERING PLANTS, BRIGHT GREEN LAWNS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND WINTER COATS HANGING

BY

MY KITCHEN

DOOR REPLACED WITH FLIPFLOPS. This springtime also brings shows, new books, exciting events, new restaurants and places to explore. It is certainly a season to indulge in all forms of entertainment.

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!’”

— Robin Williams

Our writers continue to capture interesting insights from many LGBTQ+ professionals (and allies) in the entertainment industry. This issue is no exception. One common theme is the use of their entertainment platform, whatever it may be, to further diversity, equality and inclusion. I hope you will find inspiration from their stories to do your part, within your sphere of influence, to shed light, understanding, and acceptance of LGBTQ+ causes.

Our cover feature, Kathy Griffin, is a prime example of using her voice, not only to entertain, but to fight for equality, expose anti-gay rhetoric and legislation, and encourage voter participation. As Kathy warns while discussing the need to vote, if a certain someone, whose name I do not utter, were to win the election, “You can kiss all of your civil rights goodbye on day one. Get out there and vote.”

Multi-talented voiceover actor and comedian, JP Karliak, not only entertains but has used his position to help other queer actors achieve equitable opportunities in the industry through Queer Vox. Plus, his organization NerdsVote encourages participation in the political process.

And the list goes on with the entertaining and inspirational people highlighted in this issue’s feature stories. Take talented illustrator Russell Dauterman, who is bringing gay characters to life

on the pages of Marvel Comics. With new stories and new characters, this is a medium for all ages, and it is prideful to see how the medium has grown more diverse. Most of us grew up watching and pretending to be like comic book characters, and it brings forth a sense of comfort and familiarity.

Stepping out of the familiarity zone, Jimbo’s Drag Circus World Tour, is billed as the “weirdest show on Earth” and is currently touring North America. Jimbo certainly is as outrageous as billed, and we have an exclusive interview with this drag superstar, who tells about his love of girls clothes growing up, his love of the energy of the circus, and his run on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 and Canada’s Drag Race

Outspoken comedian Dulce Sloan releases a no-holds-barred book Hello, Friends!, and talks about finding her happiness and giving back to our community.

On the small screen, the reality show/documentary Dance Life chronicles the lives of aspiring dance professionals in their final year of school. We have captured a behind-the-scenes interview with several of the cast members and makers of this insightful and uplifting project. We are happy to see a“reality”television project that includes characters that are supportive of one another.

We also take you to the North Sea of Ireland in this issue for an icy water plunge as well as a local culinary adventure. The Irish have been wild swimming in the icy Irish Sea for nearly three centuries, and one of our writers braved Dublin’s bone-chilling morning for a wild swim. Read about the experience of becoming a “wild swimmer” in this issue.

In our Los Angeles edition, readers will catch up with Too Hot Tamales restauranteurs Susan Feniger and Mary Ann Milliken. This dynamic duo of the culinary world has done it again with this fresh take on Mexican/Southern California fare.

In our New York edition, readers will find dozens of springtime activities in the five boroughs in our features NY Scope, Let’s Chat Broadway, and I Love NY.

There’s no doubt spring is in Full Bloom. I hope you all get there and enjoy the weather and indulge in the seasonal options awaiting you.

CULTURE

7 THE SCOPE

Best Música Urbana Album Grammy Winner Karol G is back with a new single. Modi Rosenfeld has a New Comedy Special. In Queering Rehoboth Beach, Historian and educator James Sears Charts the Significant Evolution of a Charming Beach Town in Southern Delaware.

MICHAEL WESTMAN

THESCOPE

LISTEN

KAROL G “CONTIGO”

Karolgmusic.com

AFTER MAKING HISTORY AS THE FIRST FEMALE TO WIN A GRAMMY FOR “BEST MÚSICA URBANA ALBUM” WITH MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO, KAROL G KEEPS THE MOMENTUM GOING WITH HER LATEST SINGLE, “CONTIGO”. The hypnotizing Pop and EDM fusion nods to the global recording artist’s pop roots highlighting a powerful message: everyone has the right to celebrate love in all its forms. “CONTIGO” is now available on all digital streaming platforms.

“CONTIGO” amplifies the success of Karol G’s GRAMMY-award-winning studio album Mañana Será Bonito and Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season), she reintroduces an iconic fanfavorite duo alongside global sensation Tiësto. The song features an interpolation of Leona Lewis’ iconic hit“Bleeding Love”with a pop-synth fusion set to become an anthem. This track’s lyrics “no

quiero vida si no es contigo” (I don’t want a life if it’s not with you), echoes the heartfelt sentiment that underscores the importance of celebrating love in all of its forms.

Co-created by Karol G and Pedro Artola and produced by WeOwnTheCity, the story woven into “CONTIGO” is brought to life through a captivating music video starring Karol, Tiësto, and Young Miko. This video dives into a tender story of a couple with a pure and one-of-a-kind connection, creating an intimate world in which it seems as if they are the only people who exist, isolated from the world’s noise. They live and love intensely celebrating those feelings that cannot be controlled and that are so strong that they overcome all obstacles.

Karol G’s recent achievements stand as a testament to her unparalleled impact on the music

industry. Following her recognition as Billboard’s Woman of the Year, Karol is set to make 2024 another year about shattering the glass ceiling. Recently, she embarked on her Mañana Será Bonito Latam Tour, kicking off in Mexico City with an unprecedented feat: becoming the first female artist to sell out the Estadio Azteca for three consecutive nights, with a remarkable 80,000 attendees per night.

Karol’s remarkable ability to unite her loyal fanbase and transcend borders was demonstrated by their heartfelt gesture—a massive banner bearing the words “no quiero vida si no es contigo,” echoing the sentiment of her latest track. Karol G’s legacy as a pioneering force in the music industry continues to flourish, inspiring generations to come with her unwavering dedication and groundbreaking accomplishments.

WATCH

MODI LIVE

IN HIS NEW SPECIAL KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE, MODI ROSENFELD CERTAINLY DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM TALKING ABOUT HIS JEWISH BACKGROUND. He shows his ability to infuse humor into the mundane parts of life as he takes his audience through the experience of sitting shiva (the formal 7-day period of mourning a loved one) and the many fundraising events he so often takes the stage at. Modi fearlessly pokes fun at the differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews offering both insight and hilarity into the nuances of Jewish identity. Rosenfeld is currently on his Know Your Audience tour.

Born in Tel Aviv, Modi emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of seven and was raised on Long Island. After graduating from Boston University, he joined the workforce as an investment banker and was encouraged by a friend to try his hand at stand-up. His first open-mic night made him realize that comedy was his true calling.

Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought-after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment,

READ

Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post. Now a regular performer at the New York and Los Angeles comedy clubs, Modi also headlines around the country and across the globe. He is a co-founder of The Chosen Comedy Festival, a celebration of Jewish humor that was launched in 2022. The festival features diverse comedy acts and has brought laughter to thousands of people in NYC, Miami, Los Angeles, and more.

Co-hosted with Periel Aschenbrand and Leo Veiga, Modi hosts a podcast called AND HERE’S MODI which gives an inside look at the man behind the microphone. The episodes feature a raw and unfiltered side of the comedian that is rarely seen on stage.

Also seen on screen, Modi has played himself on HBO’s Crashing and Netflix’s When Jews Were Funny. He’s also appeared in several feature films and played leading roles in Waiting for Woody Allen, which won the LA Film Festival, and Stand Up, a feature-length film. In 2018, Mayor Bill De Blasio declared June 26th ‘Mordechi Modi Rosenfeld Day’ in the city of New York for his accomplishments and contributions to the artistic community.

QUEERING REHOBOTH BEACH: BEYOND THE BOARDWALK

BY JAMES T. SEARS

(PUBLICATION DATE: MAY 24, 2024; 368 PAGES, 22 HALFTONES,

“CREATE A MORE POSITIVE REHOBOTH” WAS A DECADES-LONG GOAL FOR PROGRESS AND INCLUSIVENESS IN A CHARMING BEACH TOWN IN SOUTHERN DELAWARE. Rehoboth, which was established in the 19th century as a Methodist Church meeting camp, has, over time, become a thriving mecca for the LGBTQ+ community. In Queering Rehoboth Beach, historian and educator James Sears charts this significant evolution.

Sears draws upon extensive oral history accounts, archival material, and personal narratives to chronicle “the Battle for Rehoboth,” which unfolded in the late 20th century, as conservative town leaders and homeowners opposed progressive entrepreneurs and gay activists. He recounts not just the emergence of the gay and lesbian bars, dance clubs, and organizations that drew the queer community to the region, but also the efforts of local politicians, homeowners and school boards among

$30.00T PAPERBACK)

other groups who fought to develop and protect the traditional identity of this beach town. Moreover, issues of race, class, gender and sexuality informed opinions as residents and visitors struggled with the AIDS crisis and the legacy of Jim Crow.

Queering Rehoboth Beach is more than just an inspiring story about a community’s resilience and determination to establish a safe space for itself in the wake of the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It is also a terrific beach read.

James T. Sears is an independent scholar focusing on Queer History. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Growing up Gay in the South; Lonely Hunters: An Oral History of Lesbian and Gay Southern Life, 1948-1968; Behind the Mask of the Mattachine: The Hal Call Chronicles and the Early Movement for Homosexual Emancipation; and Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South

THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF SAN FRANCISCO’S CASTRO DISTRICT, IS THE FIRST STAND-ALONE MUSEUM OF LGBTQ HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. It celebrates San Francisco’s vast queer past through dynamic and surprising exhibitions and programming.

Open since January 2011, the museum showcases the sheer depth and breadth of the GLBT Historical Society’s archives, demonstrates the importance of queer history to the public, and mounts wide-ranging exhibitions with an emphasis on diversity and social justice.

YOU ARE HERE: CLAIMING YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY (Temporary Exhibition) (Opening Reception April 11, 2024)

For hundreds of years, small-minded groups have sought to erase LGBTQ people from the landscape and to write us out of history. There is a clear line connecting the people promoting “Don’t Say Gay” legislation today to the people who forced gay men and lesbians out of government jobs during the Lavender Scare; between those banning books in schools and the Nazisupporting youth who looted and burned the Institute of Sexology’s library in the 1930s; and between those erasing opportunities for trans kids today and the conquistadors who tried - and

VISIT OUT AT THE FAIR

failed - to erase the complex and diverse gender systems of the pre-conquest Americas.

At the same time as our enemies have sought to erase us, we have kept our stories alive for each other. Shared through oral traditions, hidden in plain sight through codes and secret languages, and carefully passed down from generation-togeneration LGBTQ people have kept our stories alive for centuries.

The GLBT Historical Society is part of a long line of people and organizations who maintain this tradition. We carefully preserve and share more than a thousand archival collections –one of the largest selections of LGBTQ historic material ever assembled in human history. Our archives hold intimate portraits of hidden love, brave stories of resistance and rebellion, the minutiae of countless groups working to make the world a better place, and so much more.

YOU ARE HERE is an intentionally incomplete exhibition, offering a timeline of some important moments in LGBTQ history. We invite visitors to learn about the people and moments that have shaped the world they inhabit today, and to consider how their life will be remembered in the future. Visitors are invited to share a memory they want to live on by adding them to the timeline, help us imagine what comes next by declaring a hope for the future.

OUT AT THE FAIR® IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND EVENT THAT CELEBRATES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS IN A FUN AND FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE. The event takes place at a fairground, providing a perfect backdrop for a day filled with music, food, games, and entertainment for all ages. The main stage features a lineup of talented musicians, dancers, and performers from a wide range of genres, giving attendees the opportunity to enjoy a diverse mix of music and entertainment.

OATF® is a community-focused event designed to bring people together and promote a message of acceptance and love. The event is open to everyone, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, or beliefs, making it a safe and welcoming space for all. So come out and join the fun at Out at the Fair® – where diversity and inclusiveness are celebrated!

California events include the following: San Diego County, Solano County, Alameda County, Marin County, Santa Barbara County, California State Fair, Orange County, and Monterey County. Also coming up in Oregon is the Washington County Fair. Visit outatthefair.com for all the dates and details.

DANCE LIFE

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

AN INSPIRING MIX OF DOCUMENTARY AND REALITY TV

THERE’S A NEW REALITY SHOW ON THE SCENE THAT SKILLFULLY ESCAPES THE SHOCK VALUE AND CATTINESS THAT HAVE BECOME FUNDAMENTALS OF THAT GENRE. An inspiring breath of fresh air, Amazon Prime’s Dance Life mixes documentary and reality TV to present the lives of a handful of dance students in their final year (called full-time) at Brent Street, the top dance studio in Australia. These dancers, having studied dance from youth, have given up any sense of a normal life to live and breathe dance. These students are not just getting through their final year, but they are gearing up for perhaps the most important moment of their career, a bigger-than-life Grad performance that can mean being booked in the real world by a variety of agents. The chilling truth? Only 1% actually make it in the dance industry.

Written and directed by filmmaker Luke Cornish, the show not only details the students’ class life, but follows them on an in-depth look at their personal life, the mental, physical, and emotional struggles in the world of dance, and how much they have sacrificed to get to this point. This five-part series is intense and instantly captivating, whether you are a fan of dance or not. To see these youth, so mature for their age, fighting for their passion is intoxicating. To follow them on their journey to the climactic finale Grad performance, which could literally make or break their future in dance, is heartbreaking, emotional, and totally uplifting. There is a message here that is not limited to the dance life – how far are you willing to go to live your truth? Instead of seeing these students pitted against each other in normal reality TV fare, we see them band together in support and strength to get through Brent Street together. It warms the heart.

With over 10 years of experience in TV in Australia and the UK and with a string of industry accolades for his previous projects, LUKE CORNISH is one of the most sought-after shooter/ directors in Sydney. A proud member of the LGBTQ community, he has brought his queer sensibility and eye to the project, knowing what it feels like to be part of a community, yet feel alone at the same time. The dance life can be very isolating.

What about the world of dance appeals to you most?

It’s so rare to discover a world where so many different types of people are all fighting for the same dream, you just don’t see that very often as a documentary maker. The world of dance is full of the most determined people and they’re working in an industry where so few make it – those are some seriously compelling stakes for me to watch unfold! I also knew that the constant pressure the dancers are under would give me plenty of storylines to explore. Ultimately, I wanted to see how someone’s character, their past, their personality, all the things that made them them, would impact their ability to succeed.

What factors or points of view were most important to you in putting the show together?

The thing that runs through the entire series for me is: the need to be seen. That became the focus after we heard so many of the dancers say it in their interviews. It’s clearly very important in dance to stand out and literally be seen by an agent, a choreographer, or an audience but it’s also something non-dancers need as well. We all want to be seen by our friends, families, and

LUKE

partners. Ultimately we want our authentic selves to be seen and accepted. Using that as our theme allowed us to bring the dance journey and the human journey together and tell those parallel stories alongside each other. I think you’ll see in this series that what happens on the dance floor is just as important as what happens off it.

You gained very intimate and special access to the students, choreographers, and school. What affected you most, that you were not expecting, from the filming process?

We had SO many unexpected moments while filming, I spent an entire year filming with the dancers, which was such a privilege. In that year we saw people fall in love and fall out of it, I had phone calls at 5am telling me one of our subjects had broken their ankle. The students are 17-19 years old. That’s such a delicate time in our lives, where we’re still discovering who we are. That meant Dance Life turned into a true coming-of-age story. They didn’t start and end the year as the same people.

What were your biggest challenges – personally and director-wise – in getting this project filmed?

This answer is connected to what I love about the world of dance and what inspired me to make Dance Life. The dedication

every dancer showed to their craft, despite the odds, is something I can relate to. I literally broke my pelvis in the middle of the shoot but despite being on crutches and barely able to walk I turned up to shoot because one of our subjects was having her boot removed after breaking an ankle. It didn’t help she lived on the 5th floor with NO ELEVATOR. So, yes, I did slide up the stairs on my butt one step at a time. And yes, we did get the shot.

What do you want audiences to get the most from watching the show? What is the mission of the show?

The show is a love letter to people who are in pursuit of their dreams despite there being no guarantee of them coming true. I want people to watch these young athletes become artists and feel confident enough to chase their own goals. People often struggle to ask for what they want in life but this is a story that shows you what’s possible when you do!

As a queer artist, what is your take on the representation of the LGBTQ culture in dance? It is assumed that most male dancers are gay, which is not always the case. We don’t see much mention of lesbian representation in dance. And we saw the journey Archer, a trans student, took in getting

MY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL ALONE AND IN OF ITSELF.”

ARCHER

to represent her true self on the stage. Is there a struggle for representation in mainstream dance?

I think commercial dance is a progressive place and a lot further along than many industries, but that doesn’t mean it’s fixed. Archer mentioned her struggle to find a place in the industry in her very first interview and I knew instantly that I wanted to follow her on that journey, to discover where she belonged. Representation is so important to me, but I try not to turn people into labels. If their specific identity is relevant to their story, I’ll talk about it but I’m always looking to show that isn’t all they are.

We also get to see the struggles and lives of the dance teachers. Why is that so important to highlight as well?

The teachers are such compelling characters it was impossible not to feature them. They’ve made it through an extremely tough industry, often dancing since they were 2 or 3 years old. They’ve been through fierce training, injuries, and rejection and are still standing. Cassie Bartho is the main teacher we follow in the series. The students adore her. From the very first class I filmed with her I knew we had a show!

What are you most thankful to Dance Life for?

I’m most grateful for the subjects in Dance Life. They trusted us and shared so many intimate moments on camera. That’s

no easy thing and was fuel for the team and me when we needed to go the extra mile and work the extra hours to ensure the show was worthy of all they had given.

ARCHER’s story in the series is that of both personal growth and growth as a dancer. At the start of the series, Archer identified as non-binary. While the queer community has a strong presence in the world of dance, how gender roles present on stage is a different story. Not always clear where Archer fits in, her confidence would affect her dance work. A touching moment occurs after Archer is encouraged and allowed to wear the female dancer costume for the final Grad performance, and Arabella, a fellow student, helps her into her outfit. Archer emerges as a confident spirit and nails the performance. Since the taping of the show, she has embraced her transgender identity.

Not only did we get to see your dance journey, but we also got to see your personal identity journey. Were you nervous about letting the cameras into your life in such an intimate way?

Yes! During the filming of the show, I had become quite nervous. I remember being very anxious about how I would come across on camera. I would constantly send producers lists of things I didn’t want included. Looking back, I don’t think I had anything to really worry about!

How did you change the most from going through your final year at Brent?

That was the year I started working as a model but also as a dancer getting gigs outside of a full-time space. I think that, plus the training, opened my eyes to the vast possibilities in these industries. I decided to forge my own path, not the one I had been told was right.

How has being a queer performer added the most to your dance artistry?

I am a deeply creative and explorative artist - in my dancing and my creative work. My queerness and transness are woven into me and therefore my art as well. It’s not a conscious thing but rather an element of the identity I perform with.

Part of being a dancer and being part of the queer community is dealing with body issues, both commercially and personally. How have you worked through body issues to focus on dance?

I don’t think many of my friends other than me have recovered completely from what growing up as a dancer or even just a girl does to your self-image. I have learned that comparison is the killer. Especially when I’m in a room of gorgeous cis dancers and ESPECIALLY cis women. My body is beautiful alone and in of itself … obviously.

What is your take on the current state of representation of non-binary and trans culture in mainstream dance?

I think after leaving full-time is when I began to really question the integrity of

the commercial industry. That space is often not made from a love of art, movement, and trained technical foundations but sometimes, a sum of stolen parts constructed for the sake of profit, whatever that may mean. I think that trans and non-binary people have created the most beautiful spaces to dance in. I have yet to see that represented in mainstream dance in an important or consistent way.

What did it feel like to take the stage in your final performance in a costume that best fit your identity?

Honestly, at the time I was still struggling with the idea of ‘identity.’ But I’d say it was just fun! Fun to be on stage and still dance like no one is watching. Dancing the way I always do but being seen in the way I wanted finally.

What are your biggest challenges being a queer dancer in the mainstream industry?

I feel like I’m always trying to navigate an uncharted path. I go through highs but then extended lows of little to no work and it can be incredibly challenging. The hardest part is being characterized by the industry as ‘nice.’ Personally, I do have my own specific vibe but as a model and a dancer - I can do the work! It’s just the boxes other people put me into that annoy me a bit.

What are you most thankful to Dance Life for?

I’m just proud to get through it. At 18 and 19 years old I was so confused within my own head, and I am so grateful that this, regardless of everything, came out of that.

What is your message to other dancers going through their queer, self-discovery journey?

I think that any young people dancing who are queer should explore and have fun with themselves and their art. Everything is changing and that won’t stop so try to enjoy what you have right now. Be patient with yourself and your work and stay true to the person you know you are.

MAX SIMMONS, affectionally nicknamed Max S, is the longest-studying dancer at Brent Street, leaving mainstream education at the age of 14. For him, there is no plan B. Dance is his life. He does not shy away from being outspoken and flamboyant, but rather, uses it in his dance. Even with his many years at the school, he has to deal with the fierce competition with some of the other male students who take the spotlight.

How difficult was it to add cameras around cataloging your final year at Brent Street? Did

MAX

that increase the pressure? Did it change the way you danced?

To be honest, I was very skeptical and nervous about being filmed. At first, I was running away from the cameras, we hadn’t built relationships and connections with the production crew who were filming us. Once I got to know the director Luke Cornish and producer Jade Barnes better, I felt like that’s when the nerves of the cameras around us started to ease as we built a relationship of trust and understanding with the people filming us.

I wouldn’t say the cameras increased pressure on myself or changed the way I danced, I would have worked hard and danced my ass off regardless of a camera in my face or not. If anything, it could have changed the way I spoke or interacted with people. The first few weeks of being filmed, I found it hard to fully be myself and be comfortable with saying whatever I wanted as I was guarded and nervous but as the year progressed, I felt more comfortable

and was able to be myself.

What did you want audiences to see most about your journey?

I wanted audiences to see the hard work and determination I put behind my craft and the love I have for dancing and performing. Dance is truly such a difficult career to pursue and I think the show shed light on this and invited a new understanding of the effort that dancers have to put in.

You have been at Brent Street since an early age, leaving regular school to study. Do you ever regret that decision?

I absolutely do not regret this decision, if anything it was the best decision I ever made. I had friends at regular school but never really fit in, whenever I was at Brent Street I fit in, it felt like home. Leaving regular school to attend years 10-12 at Brent Street not only allowed me to improve as a performer and dancer but also gave me the confidence to be myself and express my sexuality with no shame.

What did you learn most about yourself this final year at Brent Street?

The difficulty of full-time and the struggles that it entailed really showed me how much I want to have dance and performing as my career. I always knew how much I loved to dance but my final year reinforced this.

What are the biggest challenges you face now, being gone at Brent Street? Did it take time to find your own footing on your own after leaving?

The biggest challenge I faced leaving Brent Street would have to be the unknown. For so many years I was used to doing the same routine every day, waking up and training at Brent Street. Sometimes I could feel lost not having this routine. I think also waiting and being patient was a challenging aspect of this change for me, knowing that what’s meant for me will come to me and my hard work will pay off. It did take time for me to find my own footing, but I am someone who whenever I don’t have much on, I will always find something to further my training and career and keep on pushing.

We got to see part of your relationship during the show. Is it possible to maintain a healthy relationship while being a dancer? It seems quite difficult.

I think it’s very possible to maintain a healthy relationship while being a dancer. It can be difficult as you’re in the same industry and trying to reach the same goals, yet I think it’s about being supportive of one another, uplifting each other, and celebrating each other’s wins.

What is your take on the current state of representation of the LGBTQ culture in mainstream dance?

Representation of LGBTQ culture has evolved rapidly in dance. I am no expert but from what I have seen, there are a lot more same sex partnering and storylines about LGBTQ experiences and relationships than there used to be.

How has being a gay man added to your dance artistry?

Growing up in the dance world I found comfort in expressing who I truly was through dance. It allowed me to be my truest self even before I could say I was gay. Whilst my sexuality and my artistry are independent of one another, they are both related to who I am and resultantly do influence each other.

DON’T EVER HIDE OR DULL YOUR SPARKLE. PASSION WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH.”

ARABELLA

What are you most thankful for Dance Life?

I am so thankful that Dance Life has brought dancing back into the limelight where people can appreciate and admire the craft whilst also being aware of the dedication we dancers have to our artistry. I am also thankful that the show has allowed me and the other cast members to share who we are as people and provide a platform to show our craft.

What is your message to other LGBTQ dancers trying to make it in the business?

I would say to be resilient and never give up, I am a firm believer that hard work always wins. If you know performing and dancing is what you’re meant to do in life, then the obstacles you face along the way shouldn’t matter.

Dancer ARABELLA believes she is destined for stardom and will do anything it takes to make a name for herself. While at Brent Street, she would take club jobs to earn a living. A triple threat, she was given the opportunity to shine during Graduation, with a showstopping number that would spotlight her skills. The night before

her performance, she would get very sick. But, as they say in the business, the show must go on, and she did take that stage. Her sexuality was not showcased in the show, but her queer resilience is evident in her work. She is star quality.

Did you have any trepidation in letting the cameras film your life on such an intimate level?

There was always a level of hesitation with letting the cameras in on my life so personally, a fear of judgment from others and general insecurity, but I knew that in order to create a truthful documentary I had to be open and honest. I also quickly learned that I (quietly) loved the cameras.

What did you want audiences to see most about your journey?

I suppose, in short, I wanted viewers to understand that becoming a professional performer isn’t always a linear process. Each journey is so different from another’s, and there is so much work outside of the full-time course that we have to put in to secure a spot in our industry. Every little thing counts! Every opportunity is just as important as the rest. The full-time course

is like a practice run of what our lives will look like for the rest of our careers.

What did you learn about yourself the most from your final year at Brent Street?

That last year of Brent Street really brought me out of myself. Looking back, I started off as a totally different person to who I am now! I’m really proud of how well I coped, and I learned that I’m really good at balancing out my life and coping with a rigorous schedule, but that could all just be because of my Libra sun sign.

What is the reality of dance life after leaving school?

The reality is a pretty humbling experience! You no longer have your schedule planned out for you, and you are your own boss - the transition to small fish, big pond. The first six months out I was all over the shop. I was still working three “muggle” jobs aka waitressing, children’s entertainment, retail, all whilst trying to put my name on the map. Being in my second year out of Brent Street, I feel like I have more rhythm now. Every single day is different and so busy but I’m so grateful that I get

to be busy, it’s a privilege to be busy as a performer.

You had a lot of pressure by being the star of one of the final pieces – triple threat! You had some health issues that plagued your final year. How are you maintaining your mental health while dealing with the spotlight and body health?

Great question! I think this is something so important to prioritize as a performer as our toolkit is our physical body and mind. I think I’m still trying to figure this out myself. I realized the tummy bug the night before Grad was because I was run down, and not properly looking after myself with good meals and good sleep so my immune system was very fragile. I try to keep a healthy lifestyle now full of good foods, exercise, and REST. Rest and downtime are the keys to recovery and revitalization. Mental resilience and mental health are so important in this career too, I see a regular psychologist who has been such a tremendous help. I’m learning that separating my work life and personal life is so important so in my downtime I love being around family, friends, and the ocean.

Your sexuality wasn’t highlighted in the show like some of the other cast members. Does your sexuality play a part in your dance artistry?

I think it does, subconsciously. I came out as gay in April of the full-time course and had a hard time coming to terms with it, to be honest. Most, if not all, partnering work is male/female and I don’t think I truly connect with that as an artist because it’s not how I feel. Of course, I can pretend and perform hetero partnering and dancing - I pretended to be straight for 18 years! But since full-time I’ve had the opportunity to dance with women and I feel like the performance comes so naturally there, and I feel comfortable. I hope our industry can create more opportunities and room for gay/queer stories to be told.

What is the current state of lesbian representation in mainstream dance? Have you ever been discriminated against because of your sexuality?

Lesbian representation almost doesn’t exist in mainstream dance. Of course, hetero representation is the foundation of our industry and over time gay representation has become more common thankfully. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a performance curated around or about lesbians and queer women. I’ve never been personally discriminated against for my sexuality, I’m not sure many people in the Australian scene even know I’m gay! Maybe I haven’t been loud about it because there is no room for lesbian roles at the moment, maybe it’s because our community isn’t as accepting of lesbians as they are gay men, especially in a female-dominated industry. But I feel separated from the community in the sense that I don’t have the opportunity to perform as a queer woman in a queer role. I do have plans and ideas to create that work for myself and others.

We got to see some of the realities of earning money while working as a dancer. Is there a stigma against dancers who take club gigs?

There is SUCH a stigma with podium/ club work. Most of that comes from the general public. My friend Poppy Derrington, who was working with me the night Dance Life filmed in the club, had an experience one night with some girls standing underneath her podium, where they pointed and laughed at her saying things like, “imagine being a dancer” and “she has no self-respect.” It’s such a degrading thing to hear whilst you’re working, dancing your

guts out for these people! But it’s such a good job to take when you are fresh in the industry as it teaches you basic skills about how to work gigs, bump in and out, how to prepare, to be adaptable, and to get some experience.

What are you most thankful to Dance Life for?

I’m so grateful for the opportunities Dance Life has given me, it’s been so lifechanging to be a part of this whole process. But I’m most thankful for the way this show has brought dance back into the spotlight in the media and for the general public. Society and the general public are really starting to tune into the dance world again with things such as the UDA National Competition, music videos like “Jungle,” “Back on 74,” Superbowl performances, and now our Dance Life series. I hope the love and appreciation for our craft keep growing! It creates work and opportunities for us performers, which is positive.

What do you want most from your dance career?

I don’t care what jobs I do, where I work, where I am, I just want to leave this earth knowing I’ve entertained. I want to tell stories with performance, and I want to provoke thoughts and emotions when I perform. My career is artistic and acts as

an escape for audiences. I want to work on screen and on stage, but as long as I’m performing and entertaining and making people feel things when they watch me, I’ll be a happy girl.

What is your message to other LGBTQ dancers trying to make it in the business?

Don’t ever hide or dull your sparkle. Your differences are actually your strengths and it’s this that will be your magical power. Our community is on a great trajectory where we are starting to see more and more representation in the workplace and there is and will always be room for you here. Everyone has a spot in the industry, even when at times it looks like there’s not one. It’s just up to you and you alone to find that spot and be committed to finding it. It can feel like a needle in a haystack, but when the time is right the universe will put it in front of you. Just don’t give up, passion will always triumph.

From what the students who filmed the series have reported, at the heart of the show was the creative team and crew behind the series. Spending time with the Dance Life was like being part of a family. Earning their trust, the team was literally with them during the highs and lows of their

experience. One of the show’s associate producers, MICHAEL SEAN WALTERS, has been instrumental in getting the word out in the States about the show.

What was the inspiration for getting this show made?

Jade Barnes, one of the executive producers, worked with director Luke Cornish to create the show. The idea initially was to show behind the scenes of a dance academy and how talented students handled the pressure of a final make-or-break year to become professional dancers. Many students at the young ages of 18 - 19 have already been dancing for 15 years. I want to put that in perspective: your whole life and your whole career in the 18+ years you’ve been on the planet, the thing you’ve dedicated your life to, often to the exclusion of other childhood experiences, to be good enough to get into the Brent Street course in the first place, now gets decided in this year. The comparison to other dancers and how hard you’re prepared to work to be seen and to improve in this final leg of a lifelong marathon is revealed.

What do you think the message of Dance Life is? Commit. But also, enjoy the ride. There are obviously coming-of-age elements to

the series, but I know from our broad audience to date that everyone appreciates the efforts and energy reflected on screen. We all want to live in a world where hard work is rewarded. And we applaud when it is.

As a series, I will add, that it has no brats, bitchiness, or backstabbing. This in itself, sets the series apart and has been regularly commented on. We are proof positive that you can make a show that includes characters supportive of each other – despite being competitors! That drama doesn’t have to be manufactured to be engaging and heart-wrenching. I’m tired of living in a Jerry Springer world of cutthroat reality shows that tear down rather than elevate.

What were the biggest obstacles in getting the project done?

We were a small crew, so there was constant concern about not having enough cameras to be everywhere at once. And in that worst-case scenario, we would miss something! I live close to the school, and there were a number of times I would get a call to drop everything, and I’d have to race to Brent Street because something had happened or was about to happen and we’d want to be on hand to film.

Also, because we’re not a scripted show, as a producer there was always an underlying anxiety that something wouldn’t happen, that everything would be smooth sailing but of course, that didn’t happen. Life is a rollercoaster, consistently tossing us curve balls – we just had to be on hand to film them when they happened!

Having filmed the show, what impressed you most about these students?

Their tenacity. There were 90 students in the course. As you see from the beginning of Episode One, they are told upfront, “Not all of you will make it.”Throughout the year not everyone was placed center stage or given solos and yet these students showed up every day, faced competition every day, the potential for injury every day, and committed fully whether they were upfront or down the back to do something they loved. They knew that every day they got to dance was a gift. This became particularly poignant the closer we got to Grad, with the students acknowledging that their opportunities to dance thereafter would be limited to employment opportunities.

What were the most important factors that

the team wanted to focus on in putting the show together?

Character. Trust was integral. Getting to know our characters, investing in them, having them open up to us, meeting their families, etc. Allowing themselves to be vulnerable in front of us with a camera rolling. Without that, the audience isn’t invested. It’s amazing to have a real-time reaction, yes, I cried! At times I knew something was going to make the final cut because it hit you right in the heart and if it’s done that to you, it’s going to do that to the audience.

And dance. We also knew the dancing was going to be amazing. It’s an elite dance school after all! But between executive producer Jade Barnes, who knows dance and would ensure a standard for those of us less in the know, and director Luke Cornish who managed to make music video edits out of all the impressive dancing – we know, that we have fulfilled the adage: Leave them wanting more!

As a gay man, what do you think of the state of LGBTQ representation in mainstream dance?

Men in high heels in dance videos, Swan Lake performed by a male dance troupe, contemporary pieces of two male lovers intertwined – the lines are being blurred

WE ARE PROOF POSITIVE THAT YOU CAN MAKE A SHOW THAT INCLUDES CHARACTERS SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER.”

and I guess that’s a good thing. But, it feels like it’s meant to shock. I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer this question. In short, I’d say this: Greater representation leads to greater exposure and despite bumps in the road I can only think that that leads to greater understanding, greater acceptance, and integration. ■

Associate producer Michael Sean Walters (flowered shirt), director Luke Cornish, and producer Philip Busfield at the Dance Life launch

THE SIMPLY MARVELOUS RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

A YOUNG GUN IN COMICS

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

GAY SOCIAL MEDIA WENT CRAZY WHEN THE ARTWORK WAS RELEASED FOR MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE NEW, ONE-SHOT COMIC RELEASE OF X-MEN: THE WEDDING SPECIAL #1, COMING MAY 29TH. The storyline features the long-anticipated wedding of one of the most prominent queer relationships in the comic book world - Mystique and Destiny. After more than a hundred years of dating, we finally get to see them tie the knot, making it Marvel’s first female same-sex wedding in Marvel history. But was that what the social media frenzy was about? No. A variant cover, created by Marvel illustrator Russell Dauterman, caused the stir as it featured a hunky Hercules with his arm around a twinkish Iceman. Just as any normal gays would, stealing the spotlight and inciting gossip. Who cares that other queer characters like America Chavez, Loki, Black Cat, Nico and Karolina from The Runaways, Spider-Gwen, and Web-Weaver were included in the cover as well? Is this Marvel’s hottest new couple? More importantly, and pardon our candor, the internet wanted to know who’s on top and who’s on bottom.

Perhaps the only one who truly knows is Dauterman. Russell is probably best known as the artist of Marvel’s comic book series The Mighty Thor, with Jane Foster in the title role. He’s designed covers, covers for trading card variants, and designed superhero costumes for some of comics’ biggest names. In 2018, he was named one of Marvel’s new class of Young Guns, a program that spotlights the best up-and-coming artists in the comic book industry. Members of the Young Guns have gone on to be some of the most well-known illustrators in the industry, known for being masterfully innovative in their craft.

For Russell, the comic book world was his only world growing up. In a superhero way, it was his

destiny, supported by his parents.

I was an anxious kid. I spent a lot of time in fantasy worlds from comics and cartoons - He-Man and She-Ra, Batman Returns, Gargoyles, and X-Men. X-Men: The Animated Series was my favorite - because of that show, I got into X-Men comics to get more of those characters. I’ve been a comic book fan ever since.

The way my parents tell it, I was drawing from when I could pick up a crayon. My parents put me in after-school art lessons from a pretty early age, which I’m very thankful for. I learned fundamentals there, and my parents got still-life paintings of fruit to hang in their house. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing. I started with crayon drawings of mermaids as a kid and graduated to marker drawings of Jean Grey or Princess Jasmine, and then pencil sketches in high school where I’d design new costumes for the X-Men. At the time I thought that stuff was brilliant, but once I started to pursue a career in comics, I realized I had to improve a lot - I needed to put in a lot of work to be hirable.

Even though the comic book world has been notoriously male-macho-based, there has always been a strong, yet silent queer faction of fans. Superheroes and mutants, different than“normal”people with sweeping storylines, saving the world. A fantasy safe space.

One of my earliest memories is of me having an inner monologue - very dramatic - about how I was different. I didn’t have the words at five years old or whenever to know I was gay, but I knew I wasn’t like everyone else around me.

The X-Men clicked with me immediately as a little kid. At seven years old, the appeal was probably the amazing powers and cool costumes and excitement - and the powerful women with big hair! But I also latched onto the concept of the X-Men being different from other people. The animated series really highlighted that - and made it clear that their difference made the mutants special and awesome. As a teenager, I saw the X-Men as a metaphor for being gay and appreciated them on another level as I was coming out.

After graduating from Boston College, Dauterman went on to get a master’s degree in costume design from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before making his way to comics, he found himself working in the film industry as an illustrator for costume designers for films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Captain America: The First Avenger.

I wasn’t quite sure what art-related career I should go after. I wanted to be a comic book artist early on, thought about animation, and went to school for costume design. But I kept coming back to comics. I found out there are different disciplines involved in comic book art: character and costume design, graphic design, figure drawing, painting, lighting and set design, storyboarding, and storytelling. There are usually just one or two artists making each book, so you end up wearing a lot of different hats.

Russell began his career with Marvel ten years ago, drawing the first issue of CYCLOPS. His first Marvel comic cover was THOR (2014) issue 1, featuring a female Thor, Jane Foster. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List for graphic novels, and he earned an Eisner Award nomination, regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant award in the comics industry. The series would also serve as inspiration for the 2022 film, Thor: Love & Thunder. It would not serve as a proud first for his career, but it would also lay the ground for connecting with his fan base.

The story centered around Jane being a superhero despite having terminal cancer. I didn’t expect people to latch onto Jane so much. I started hearing from people who were affected by cancer, talking about how Jane’s story resonated with them. That really struck me, that even if it’s in some small way, these things that are made to entertain can mean something more to people.

Marvel’s, and comic books in general, have had a strained relationship with LGBTQ representation. With legal restrictions and a straight-dominated executive level, comic artists and storytellers had to get their message across in different ways.

An additional wrinkle for queer representation in comics is the Comics Code Authority, which started in the ‘50s and regulated the content of comic books. My understanding is that the CCA did not allow for overt homosexual content. I think those guidelines loosened over time, but the CCA lasted until the 2000s. Because of that, queer characters and relationships were censored. Famously, writer Chris Claremont intended for the X-Men villain Mystique to be in a romantic relationship with a woman called Destiny - but in the ‘80s, Claremont had to use coded language to describe their relationship. That continued until just a few years ago when writer Jonathan Hickman had Mystique call Destiny her wife on-page for the first time. Now we’re going to see their wedding in an upcoming issue.

And how has Russell’s experience been as a queer artist in a “straight world?”

There are going to be corners of most

industries or fandoms that aren’t welcoming of queer people, but I do my best to avoid those. Thankfully, Marvel has been super welcoming of me. I haven’t felt any sort of different treatment as a queer artist. They’ve been great to work for, and the fans I interact with are wonderful and very kind. Queer representation has been on the rise, in both the comics and in the comic films. The same is true of the sci-fi world. Fans are becoming more vocal, younger generations are becoming more open to ideas, and business heads know the power of a queer dollar. What is Russell’s take on the boom in LGBTQ representation in his industry?

Comics have broadened to be more inclusive of queer characters and sensibilities as attitudes about queer people have evolved in the real world. When I was young, there weren’t gay characters in the stuff I loved. Now I look at things like HEARTSTOPPER, Wiccan and Hulking at Marvel, or Iceman being a gay member of the X-Men and I wonder how different my self-worth might’ve been if I’d had those guys to identify with when I was younger.

In June of 2021, Marvel started releasing an annual anthology, Marvel’s Voices: Pride, in time

for Pride season, featuring LGBTQIA+ characters as well as creators behind the scenes, with a mission to “elevate and spotlight characters from all walks of life and identities in stories ranging from heartfelt and inspiring to action-packed and exhilarating!”As an integral part of Marvel’s new history, Dauterman was elated.

I think it’s wonderful that Marvel and DC put out these Pride anthologies and their anthology books that celebrate other marginalized communities. The books are a chance to spotlight often-underrepresented characters and give exposure to newer writers and artists which can hopefully be a steppingstone to more work.

As a costume designer, Russell has had the opportunity to design for some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, including Storm, Jean Grey, and Scarlet Witch. With such a hefty assignment, what is his creative process? Does it differ from creating a cover?

When I’m designing a character or costume, I always start with the character’s personality. Every visual thing about a character - from their body type to hairstyle to clothing or posture - can tell the audience something about that person. I

COMICS HAVE BROADENED TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE OF QUEER CHARACTERS.”

mean, the ultimate goal is to create an awesome, cool-looking costume, but the more it informs the character, the more impactful it’ll be.

I designed the current look for the X-Men’s Storm. The idea was that she was taking on a more aggressive attitude that harkened back to her punk era. I tried to combine a modern punk aesthetic with recognizable Storm iconography to create something new and representative of current Storm. I’ve been lucky to be part of the annual X-Men Hellfire Gala events, superhero versions of the MET Gala, celebrating mutant culture and mutant fashion. These are comics where Marvel heroes dress in high-fashion superhero couture. (And everything goes to shit, as you might expect in a superhero story!) When designing those looks, I’m trying to do more highfashion costumes, while still aiming for something that feels character-appropriate.

For a cover, the goal is to create an eyecatching image - sometimes that means making an exciting pinup of a character, and sometimes a cover is more story-driven - where I’ll need to boil down a story into

one compelling image that lets the viewer infer narrative.

With his extensive career and illustration list that runs longer than a CVS receipt, what has been a crowning achievement for Dauterman?

I’m the cover artist for the recent SCARLET WITCH series - Wanda Maximoff, if you’re familiar with the Marvel movies or WandaVision. Those covers are probably my favorite work I’ve done. I love Wanda, and love drawing all the witchy, supernatural stuff in her world. I’ve been absolutely thrilled to draw Jean Grey, Scarlet Witch, and Storm - my all-time favorite characters. Drawing them all has been a nearly lifelong dream of mine, but I’ve also been incredibly happy to design their current superhero costumes. That has to be my proudest moment.

Ok, getting back to his variant cover for X-Men: The Wedding Special #1. Regarding Hercules and Iceman, can he tell us who the, um, dominant one is?

[Laughs] I’ll leave that to people’s imaginations! The assignment for that cover was to do something joyous with a group of Marvel’s queer characters and I was excited to do it. I tried to add in character moments, like Gwenpool hanging on Web-Weaver, and Nico and Karolina from Runaways beaming at each other. I love Iceman and Hercules and definitely wanted to include them. I thought it’d be fun if Iceman was very happy to be standing next to Hercules. Herc is canonically very sexy! I think that pairing would be exciting if it shows up again in the comics!

As a Marvel Young Gun and innovative voice in the comic book world, what kind of legacy does Russell want to create with his art?

I try to create the sort of art I want to see as a fan of these characters, and hope others like it too. A big goal of mine is to give people the same feeling I had as a kid seeing Marvel characters - an escape, a bit of joy, or something to look forward to.

And his message to his fans?

I’m so, so grateful to everyone who supports me and my work. Hearing from people who enjoy my work or find something in it that resonates with them - all of that really means the world to me! ■

You can follow Russell on Instagram @RDauterman

WILD SWIMMING IN THE IRISH NORTH SEA

BY MARK A. THOMPSON

Anantara

YOU PROBABLY NEED TO BE A LITTLE MAD TO GO WILD SWIMMING IN A “SCROTUMTIGHTENING SEA.” That’s the term that Irish author James Joyce used to describe the polar waters of the North Sea. With Joyce’s warning swimming in my subconscious, I woke into the pre-dawn darkness of Dublin, wondering just how coldand just how tight.

Not that I’m one to argue with the Irish who have been wild swimming in the icy Irish Sea for nearly three centuries. According to the book on my nightstand How the Irish Saved Civilization, these are the people who saved the world after the fall of Rome. Also, the Irish invented Guinness and if any people would know a hangover cure, it would be them.

We were a group of six international journalists traveling in Ireland - but only two of us braved Dublin’s bone-chilling morning for wild swimming at the Forty Foot. Certainly it was a comfort to be accompanied by a person equally insane, but Katie seemed far more confident, plus she wore a wet suit and Neoprene aquatic socks. Meanwhile, I was attired in a pair of vintage board shorts purchased for a surfing lesson in Hawaii - but Waikiki this was not.

Years ago, the Forty Foot was a gentlemen’s bathing place where Dublin’s notable and illustrious citizens swam in the nude. Located south of Dublin at Sandycove, the Forty Foot was solely for male nudists complete with its own bathers’ association - that is until July 1974 when a group of intrepid and determined women in bikinis staged an invasion of the public beach.

Reading an account of that summer invasion published in The Irish Times reminded me of Fire Island’s annual Invasion of the Pines, which honors the drag queen denied entry to a restaurant in the Pines in 1976. Both beaches are now open to us all - and the Forty Foot’s numerous devotees include celebrities such as Matt Damon, Harry Styles, Giancarlo Esposito, and other boldfaced names. Visions of Daniel Craig emerging naked from the Irish Sea danced in my head.

That said, nude swimming in the Irish Sea had never been on my own bucket list, and on this scrotumtightening morning, I was more preoccupied by fears of hypothermia and churning whirlpools - or a headbutt from an alpha seal. Which made me wonder about sharks. Were there sharks in the North Sea? The imagination whirls in the cold.

Fortunately, as we drove through early morning Dublin toward the southern tip of Dublin Bay, Katie and I were swaddled in

Anantara Dublin Wild swimming

Presidential Suite Dinning Room

Bearhug Thermal Parkas provided by our host hotel, Anantara The Marker Dublin. Wild swimming is one of the signature experiences of the luxury hotel, the sort of add-on that sounds alluring when surfing someone else’s social in the comfort of your own bed late at night. Then suddenly, it’s your turn to take the plunge.

Listen to any dedicated Irish wild swimmer and you’ll hear about the numerous reputed health benefits of throwing your body into waters that hover around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Some swear that cold-water swimming reduces pain and inflammation, and various studies do show an improvement in cardiovascular health. Of course, there’s nothing like the shock of icecold water to get the heart pumping. There’s also an emerging consensus about the mental health benefits of cold-water therapy in the reduction of stress and anxiety and long-term depression. On Christmas Day, the Forty Foot is so crowded with those who can’t stomach another round of “Silent Night”that lines form along the slippery rocks above the wild waters.

Dedicated fitness enthusiasts arrive at the Forty Foot via bicycle or on foot. We were not so dedicated. We arrived in a private hotel car, complete with a picnic basket of hot drinks, coffee, and homemade pastries from the hotel restaurant Forbes Street. We promised to share, and fortunately, no one raised an eyebrow at the sight of two amateur wild swimmers - who were greeted by our own Wild Swimming Guru as well as a local Irish lifeguard. Both the mermaid and the merman would supervise us and guide us for the next two hours. Two hours? In that icy water?

Actually, it was more like thirty minutes. Of course, the water was bracing, as the locals say, and it took a minute or two for us to calm our frantic breathing. But then, as our bodies acclimated to the temperature, there was a kind of calm that descended, and we, too, started swimming like the other amphibians around us. In fact, we swam out to the buoy, which had looked so distant when viewed from the shore. There was a sense of accomplishment and a flush of joy suffusing through us as we swam back to the slippery rocks down which we had descended. We had earned our bona fides and we, too, were now members of the Forty Foot Club.

We shared the pastries. We poured hot coffee. We listened to tall tales of whirlpools and rough waters and of those daredevils who had ignored the warnings, at their own peril. But we were survivors - and cocky as roosters as we returned to the hotel.

Spice Spoons Chef Breadmaking Gareth Mullins

Forbes St open kitchen Breakfast Buffet Setup

Hotel Rooftop Bar

In years past, most first-time visitors to Dublin gravitated toward St. Stephen’s Green and Trinity College, and only U2 fans sought out the city’s Docklands neighborhood where the Irish rock band recorded several albums at Windmill Lane Studios. What was once a scruffy area notable for its warehouses has been reborn as a glass-and-steel tech and cultural hub with the cheeky nickname Silicon Docks due to the EU headquarters of tech giants such as Salesforce, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and numerous startups. With an abundance of young professionals roaming the pubs, restaurants, and cafes, the Docklands feels like a postgraduate campus, anchored by entertainment hubs that include the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, the 3Arena, and the Aviva Stadium.

With an exterior façade that resembles an upright checkerboard, the five-star contemporary luxury hotel Anantara The Marker Dublin faces on to Grand Canal Square. Guests who return from a morning spent wild swimming might wonder whether to head to the hotel’s spa with its 75-foot pool and eucalyptus-infused steam room - or instead, to strap on a feed bucket at the breakfast buffet at Forbes Street where Chef Gareth Mullins works with a curated group of local purveyors. When given a choice, go for breakfast.

In keeping with Anantara’s commitment to integrate regional cuisine with immersive guest experiences, Chef Mullins is one of those chefs who invites you into his kitchen. A class on the preparation of his Irish soda bread results in a basket of small loaves served warm from the oven. Equally rewarding is a seafood-sourcing expedition with the chef as guide on a journey up the Dublin coastal trail to the nearby fishing village of Howth.

Since the 14th century, Howth has been home to fishermen - as well as seals, puffins, peregrines, cormorants, kestrels, and falcons. After a private visit to the smoked salmon house, we climb aboard a fishing boat and sail into Dublin Bay. We’re in search of dolphins and seals, although not for dinner. The chef’s menu for the evening ahead includes our fresh-baked Irish soda bread accompanied by Irish salmon smoked in oak and beech woods, as well as caviar and local oysters, roasted king scallops, and various steaks from the renowned Irish butcher John Stone Beef in County Longford. Obviously, Irish gastronomy is no longer an oxymoron.

Below us, the Irish sea churns while the chef and I salivate about dinner. We name-drop our favorite restaurants, several of which Mullins has helmed - and then the two of us are simultaneously silenced by the sight of a seal breaking through the seawater. For a long minute, the seal focuses on the two of us, as if we were kindred. The chef and I are mesmerized.

And at that moment I realize there can be only one explanation: the seal knows a fellow wild swimmer when he sees one. ■

Marker Bar Nightime

Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel Spa Pool

KATHY GRIFFIN

FINDING THE FUNNY

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

KATHY GRIFFIN IS ONE OF THE MOST RESILIENT ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES ON RECORD. Living life as an open book, we have been witnessing her career triumphs as well as her personal and public low points. Hitting the road with her new show tour, My Life on the PTSD-List, and having just announced her Fall extension hitting up Carnegie Hall and The Chicago Theatre among a long list of others, she is once again using her voice to cause a sensation on behalf of the LGBTQ community, those who suffer from PTSD, and those who give a damn about the future of the nation. A recent cancer survivor and being diagnosed with PTSD, she is hitting the stage maybe a bit more delicate, but no less fierce.

I HAVE A-LIST MOMENTS NOW AND AGAIN, BUT THE D-LIST IS FREEING BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HANG OUT WITH MY GAYS AT THE PARTY.”

Before the fiery redhead hit the professional scene, she was already causing a sensation in her hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, entertaining the neighbors with stories about her family, taking lead roles in high school musicals, and antagonizing the nuns. Even as a kid, she was laying the foundation for being one of the queer community’s strongest allies.

I was an obnoxious kid who was in trouble constantly with the nuns. My poor mother would beg me not to show up at church with a wig because I wanted to look like Cher. So, I bought a long black hair wig thought it would blend in with my red hair, which by the way, I got from Sears. (Leave it to a drag queen like me to know where

to get wigs when you’re only six years old.) I was just that kid that was enamored with television and as much as I loved the Mary Tyler Moore Show, I wanted to be Rhoda. I Love Lucy, I wanted to be Ethel because I thought, let the pretty girl go in and have her name on the show, but I want to go in and do the jokes and get the laugh.

Believe it or not, my high school was a great training ground for Hollywood because it was very competitive. I was lucky to go to a big public school that had a great drama department, I was biting and scratching all my way through high school. And even in grade school, I was that kid that would find the gay kid and make him my friend whether

he liked it or not. We would talk about variety shows, about the Sonny and Cher Show, or anything. So, it’s a relationship that truly is organic. And if that kid was getting bullied, I’d get in trouble because I’d stick up for him or her, and then we’d be in the principal’s office together.

What was it about hanging out with the gay kids that Kathy gravitated towards?

It’s a feeling that we share about being an outsider but wanting to look in. It doesn’t always mean we want to be in, right? You don’t always want to be in with a cool crowd because sometimes those kids would be mean, but you still wanted to know what they were up to. That’s why I called my show My Life on the D-List because I love being on the D-List. I have A-List moments now and again, but the D-List is freeing because it means I can hang out with my gays at the party. And maybe I’m not in the VIP part of the party, but I’m still hanging out with my gays, judging everybody who’s on the inside of the cool crowd.

But let me tell you something. Being an ally is more than just hanging out with fabulous gay people and hanging out with industrious lesbians. My activism started as long ago as I can remember. Sometimes I would infiltrate a club in my high school that was not nice to the gay kids, and I’d be like a mole. I could go and say, “Hey, this football player is going to try to beat you up after school on Thursday. Let’s go form a little alliance and let’s make sure we get that kid in trouble.” That’s why when I got canceled by the government, they didn’t know I’ve had a lifetime of getting in trouble since I can remember. You’ve got to stand up to the bullies, and there are ways to stand up to bullies. Sometimes it’s going to a march and stuff, but the activism and the allyship continue.

Away from the spotlight or major media coverage, Kathy has been fighting on our behalf in the courts for the past three years, with little fanfare or support from our community. In 2021, Samuel Johnson, CEO of VisuWell, was caught on camera harassing two boyfriends taking photos for their prom, one of whom was wearing a dress. The video went viral with social media clamoring for an apology for his blatant homophobia. Griffin took to Twitter, tagging VisuWell, demanding action. The company not only fired Johnson as CEO but also from the Board of Directors. Johnson filed a suit against Griffin and is currently in the Tennessee federal court in its third year of litigation. The suit

sets a dangerous precedent regarding the responsibility for hate mongers caught on camera.

This guy’s not getting a dime from me. Let him try. And he has been trying for years and the case gets dismissed and then he appeals, he gets dismissed and he keeps appealing. If I lose this case, that means anybody who goes on social media, whether it’s TikTok or Twitter or Instagram, and voices how they feel about a powerful person harassing out and proud LGBTQ kids, if you post about it, or your mom posts about it, or your cousin posts about it, then you can be dragged into court. It’s a big case and there’s a reason he keeps going up to higher courts. Let’s see how far he gets because, let me tell you something, you don’t want me in a courtroom in Tennessee because I’m going to protect these kids, they’re minors. So what if one of them had a dress on, who gives a shit? They weren’t bothering this guy. All this guy had to do was go back and have his dinner. So that’s what I’m saying when it comes to being an ally, there are many forms that can take. Do what you have to, because if Trump gets reelected, you can kiss marriage goodbye on day one. You can kiss all your civil rights goodbye on day one, day two, and day three.

And it’s not just the presidential race that matters, it’s down ballot. It’s the judges, it’s your local reps. Find a good LGBTQ organization that’s done the research for you and just go on their website and make sure you get out there and vote. My friend Gloria Steinem, I’m gonna drop a name, but the great Gloria Steinem - feminist icon - gave a speech that just about had me in tears. She said it’s all about the Republicans and the far, far right. She said this movement that’s going on now is so anti-gay, they are not playing around. And they’re going to take every single civil right you have, marriage is going to be almost the least of it. This is a party that doesn’t think you guys should be allowed to exist. They don’t just want to throw you back in the closet. If you get attacked on the streets, good luck. I hate to be really serious, but I just want you guys to know I’m out there fighting for you and you guys got to fight too, because I feel kind of out there and alone on this Tennessee case, but I know if you guys know about it, you’ll help me out to get the word out.

From playing Hodel in her high school musical to convincing her parents to move to Los

Angeles when she was 18, to infiltrating Hollywood’s comedy scene, to having one of the first highly successful reality TV shows and putting Bravo on the map, to becoming a thriving brand unto herself, she has garnered a long list of career accolades. Two-time Emmy Winner, six-time Grammy nominee with a win, Guinness Book World record breaker for the highest number of air television specials ever, New York Times bestseller for her memoir A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, GLAAD award recipient, are all titles under her belt, all while selling out comedy tours around the nation and building an on-screen resume. Even with these wins, the media still focuses on her bans and being canceled by a presidential regime. Is she able to step back and appreciate all that she’s accomplished?

I am and I’m not, because I hear my dear departed beloved mother Maggie, who’s drinking a box of wine in heaven if I know her, “You’re never done. And there’s always more.” And that’s how I feel. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be on this 40-city tour with bigger cities in the fall. I hope I’m un-canceled enough to eventually get a special because I’m just dying to do another special, I have this material I’m dying to get out there. So hopefully the networks and the streamers will hear this and give me that special.

Through all of Kathy’s career ups and downs, cancel culture nipping at her toes, and her long absence from the scene, her fans continue to

rally and fill seats. What is it about her that Kathy thinks they come back for?

No two shows are alike. I make every show personal. My peeps know every time I go out there, I give it 110% because that’s all I know how to do. And I love it. And the show’s personal and they know I’m gonna give ‘em the real deal dirt whether I get in trouble for it or not.

And get into trouble she has. The night before this interview she appeared in Tarrytown, New York, the home of the Headless Horseman. Needless to say, she prepared material just for the occasion, and it may have referenced another headless moment

from Kathy’s career, a comedy move that caused her to lose major gigs, become ostracized and targeted by the government, being detained at airports for hours, and, more importantly, lose close friends from her circle. The repercussions of that move would force Kathy into depression, isolation, and poor mental and physical health. But she picked up the pieces and persevered, firing back with her A Hell of a Story show.

I was so emotionally on edge, every minute. I felt the only time I got respect, honestly, was when I was on stage. But the notion that the former president and the former attorney general would put me

on the Interpol list, calling overseas allies, was just insanity. It was the kind of level of insanity that led me to probably get addicted to the prescription pills, which I’m now three and a half years sober from. My friends that ditched me, and I’ll say it was most of them, didn’t come back. A lot of people who turned their backs on me had a kind of selfrighteousness to it like they were going to put me in my place. These executives who fired me, and these executives who issued their public statement, everybody and their cousin felt the need to issue a statement. Every time I turned on CNN, there was a

THE MINUTE MY FEET TOUCH THAT STAGE, I’M AT HOME, I RELAX, I’M EXCITED, AND I’M A HIGH-ENERGY NUT BAG.”

new statement or there were people arguing about how terrible I was. And I didn’t have an advocate among them.

To this day, I still can’t believe the number of people who are supposedly smart, educated people going on news organizations saying, yeah, she should be on the no-fly list, she’s a terrorist, she might as well be in ISIS. It was just insanity. I think a lot of ‘em that stuck to that feeling, they never could bother and call me and say, “Hey, you know what? Maybe I overreacted.” I just gotta try to get over it.

Kathy would barely get her footing back when

lung cancer reared its ugly head. Having never smoked before, she had to have half of her left lung removed. Her voice, her one tool that never left her side, was gone. It continues to be a long road back to rehabilitation. She is self-conscious about her voice, even though her message remains loud, and is undergoing more surgeries to make her physical voice stronger. She is bringing everything to the stage for her My Life on the PTSD-List tour, bringing humor to her situation and spreading mental health awareness and pro-LGBTQ messages to the forefront.

I thank God for this tour because something happens; maybe it’s muscle memory, it’s psychological, I don’t know what it is, but something happens. I’m not kidding. The minute my feet touch that stage, I’m at home, I relax, I’m excited, and I’m a highenergy nut bag. My audiences have been on their feet every single show. And I know I sound like an asshole saying that, but it’s so meaningful and it’s true. It’s so meaningful because I think the people coming to this tour, they know, they saw the picture, they know I had freaking cancer. I wear a special headset now because it helps me amplify my voice and everybody’s really forgiving. My impressions aren’t as good as they used to be. But if I do an impression of Oprah or somebody, they know who I’m doing and they just kind of go along with it. It’s really been magical and I’m so thrilled to keep continuing and I get to play these wonderful venues. It’s just a dream.

What is she most excited to use her voice to talk about, being back onstage?

I was excited to talk about PTSD because I feel like our nation collectively has a bit of PTSD. COVID alone, let’s not act like we handled that well, that was not our finest moment as a nation. I mean, Jesus, the antivaxxers and the QAnons and honey, when I found out there were gay QAnons, I was like, hold it, hold the phone. There’s a gay QAnon who thinks Hillary Clinton is harvesting baby parts in the basement of a pizza parlor? For God’s sake, I gotta go back on the road. There’s just so much out there that needs to be said. But also, it’s still me, right? I’m still telling stories about when I went on vacation in Mexico with Sia and everything went wrong on the trip. It was hilarious.

She’s also added a story of a party where an exuberant Gigi Gorgeous gave her a piggyback ride which ended up with Kathy sprawled out on the floor, with her dress up and not much (if any) underwear to hide her goods. She’s waiting for that moment to go

viral, or she’ll start an OnlyFans, she hasn’t decided.

So, yes, Kathy has definitely been through the wringer. In her personal life, belying the comedy and brash we see as her persona, she has been through a number of losses in her family, including the loss of her beloved parents, which she so openly shared with the world. Her bouts with PTSD can be intense, resulting in vomiting, even in the middle of the night. But she goes on, with her next tour date keeping her going. She credits her gays and her girlfriends for being there, and for every part of her tour, she brings one with her to be there for comfort. During this interview, she had THE E. Jean Carroll by her side, while both in bathrobes, cheering each other on. So yes, Kathy is different, but that fire has not dimmed one bit.

And her message to her fans?

If you’re coming to the show, come with an open heart and an open mind. I’m still going to try to shock you. I still love getting the gay gasp. I did a show last night where I know I went too far and I’m going to do a show tomorrow night where I’ll go even farther. Just know I’m out there for you and I’m doing anything to make you laugh. I’ll do cartwheels. I’ll let Gigi Gorgeous drop me without underpants. Anything for a laugh, especially in the darkest of times. I just encourage you to look at whatever’s going on in your life, if it’s a struggle somehow try to find the funny, even if it’s cancer or addiction or depression. Try to find the funny and it’ll give you that little glimmer for your day that’ll somehow get you through.

I just want to say to the young gays, in particular, don’t feel disenfranchised. I know you feel hopeless, or you feel like your vote doesn’t matter. It DOES matter and it matters even in a blue state. I’m registered in California and that’s where I vote. But it matters everywhere, every single place. So please, young gays, get out there and make a party out of it. Bring your friends, do whatever, you must vote all the way down the ballot for your rights. Who are the representatives that know you, that see you? And don’t even start me on the trans community because you people are in such danger. It’s absolutely terrifying. So, get out there for the whole community.

Thank you, Kathy, for using your voice, in every condition, for our community. ■

For tickets for Kathy’s tour, head to KathyGriffin.net

JIMBO

THE CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

IN JUST A FEW YEARS, JIMBO THE DRAG CLOWN HAS BECOME A LEADING NAME IN THE DRAG RACE WORLD. FIRST SEEN IN THE DEBUT SEASON OF CANADA’S DRAG RACE, HE WOULD GO ON TO COMPETE IN THE FIRST SERIES OF DRAG RACE: UK VS THE WORLD, AND THEN WIN THE EIGHTH SEASON OF ALL STARS He has gone from Werk Room clown to fashion maven, and his brand is instantly recognizable. He currently is taking the world by force on the Jimbo Drag Circus Tour, having started his North American leg at the end of February and continuing through the end of June, visiting a whopping 57 cities, before heading to Australia in August.

While drag was not primarily in his plan to dominate the entertainment industry, his clowning with drag started at an early age, to reemerge during his Britney era.

I’ve always kind of been a little bit girly, a little bit feminine. Growing up, my brother and I used to steal my grandma’s clothes and my mom’s clothes, anything that had that kind of sparkler fun. And then we would hide in my basement away from my dad and live our little gay boy fantasies playing around and swishing here and there, wearing towels for hair because we didn’t have wigs at that time. I loved playing in girls’ clothing growing up. Then it was a horrible thing to my dad at that time, he was just like, “No, not my boys!”We were really discouraged from that, and then it became quite embarrassing. But then later in high school, I did a little drag as a sexy schoolgirl, and I, of course, loved doing my Britney Spears fantasy. I got into drag later when I was doing clown, I started performing as another performance artist and I started to weave a little bit of drag into my persona. I really loved it and I was like, oh, okay, I’m going to become a drag queen.

At the heart of his signature looks and outlandish characters is a wit and style of comedy that sets him apart from the other Queens. Where did that sense of humor come from?

My parents are both naturally funny storytellers. We love entertaining people. My parents used to love having parties and inviting people over and going on wild holidays. My mom had a big family, lots of siblings, and that lends to kind of a quick wit. I didn’t really realize until I was in high school, going on the bus to school and no one really wanted to sit with me that I was awkward. I obviously didn’t really fit in very well. One day I ended up making a joke on the bus. I don’t know exactly what I said,

but I made people laugh and the next day people wanted to sit with me, and I was like, oh my God! And then I became known for being a little bit funny. I learned that telling jokes and being funny can make you friends, and it shifted for me there.

The drag world almost lost him to biology. Following in his father’s footsteps, he originally studied sciences, including a field course in Uganda with the University of Cambridge and ecology in Stockholm.

As an artist, it’s all about curiosity. I was really curious about how things work, and biology is all about the natural world and how our bodies work and how science works, and all of that weaves into your art form and your understanding of the world. I’m so glad that I have my science background, but when I was doing ecology and everyone was interested in studying the

wing of a fruit fly or like the leg of a centipede for 30 years, I was like, where are the people? Where’s the fun? This is fun to look at now, but I want to go do something awesome with people and entertain. So, needless to say, I’m no longer an ecologist.

Jimbo would work in local theatre, some Hallmark films, and even a children’s TV show. He would also get work as a costume and production designer, honing his performance art at the same time. That’s when the idea of being on Drag Race would start to take form.

I watched Drag Race as a fan, while I was working in theater and as a performance artist and clown. I saw a lot of similarities in the competition to what I was doing in real life, which is working with limited budgets and working with unconventional materials to create elevated costumes, or experiences, or to tell stories.

His friends would tell him over and over again that he would win, but the show wasn’t yet an international phenomenon. Jimbo credits fellow Drag Race alum and Canadian, Brooklyn Heights, for opening the doors to the idea of the competition show taking place around the world. A year after Brooklyn’s appearance on the show, it was announced that auditions were underway for Canada’s Drag Race. Together with his partner Brady and his video producer friend, Shiraz, Jimbo’s audition tape was on its way.

From his domination of Snatch Game on his debut season to his controversial elimination on UK vs the World, to his sweeping the wins on All Stars, each iteration has been a spotlight experience for Jimbo. Which experience taught him the most?

I guess they all taught me something different about myself just as who I was at that time as a performance artist and as a performer. I think definitely going into All Stars, I was the most prepared, I was the most comfortable. I was also presenting and operating at a level that I wanted to present and operate at. Coming into Canada’s Drag Race, I was still a baby queen in so many ways, and I had a lot of growing to do as a makeup artist and performer. I was just so grateful to have the opportunity to go back and perform at the level I did.

Like fellow alum Jinx Monsoon, Nina West, and Jackie Cox, representing drag in the theatre world, so too has Jimbo by taking center stage. But rather than playing a role, this is all on his own terms. Kind of a Pee-wee’s Playhouse for adults, with musical acts and appearances from Jimbo’s best-known characters, it is a two-hour show the highlights the many talents that have made Jimbo a standout.

My start was in improv theater, and then I moved into film and television and now I am happy to go back to the theater. I’ve never really done a big kind of acting role. I was always the guy behind the scenes making the wardrobe or making the sets or making the puppets. In my community, there weren’t so many people that could do that part and I always wanted to be in the show and they’re like, too bad, you better make all this. So, I did that for a long time, and I was always wishing that one day I would be the person on stage. One day I want to be the star of the show, one day I want all of that I’m doing to be in service of

I REALLY WANT TO CREATE AN ESCAPE FOR PEOPLE.”

my stories and my ideas and my creativity. I’m just so grateful I’m able to come back to my community here in Victoria and to work with a lot of the people I worked with in film and theater before to create this show which is an amalgamation of theater and drag performance, all kind of set in an old timey kind of circus vibe.

I really want people to laugh, to be entertained, to leave saying, what the heck did I just watch? Mostly, I really want to create an escape for people to come and feel immersed in an energy and a vibe, to have a good time and really just laugh about the absurdity of drag and character work and fun. I love the energy of the circus and the idea that anything is possible. I hope that people come and they have a sense of magic and wonder, and I hope it feels exciting and funny and weird.

Jimbo has become a brand unto himself. His company, House of Jimbo, not only produces his live events but also designs custom props and a series of Jimbo-related merchandise. During COVID, his design house also designed masks. With the character and name of Jimbo becoming the main focus of his career, does he, the artist James, ever feel overshadowed by his drag persona?

Luckily that was one thing that I tried to do with my name being my actual name, and not creating a real divide between myself and my drag character. I don’t feel overshadowed by my drag self. I love my drag self. I wish it was easier to be my drag self and I would just be like that all the time. But it’s so much work to look like that and to be in all that. And of course, once you get into it, all you can wish is to get out of it, but I don’t feel overshadowed. Sometimes, I do feel like I’m peeking out of a garage sale, though, it’s a lot of stuff on.

A lot of stuff indeed. Jimbo is also known for the size of his breastplates, making Dolly Parton jealous. As is the way in live theatre, sometimes costuming and props can be a performer’s undoing. One night, while touring with UK vs the World castmate Baga Chipz, an overzealous fan tugged on the nipples on Jimbo’s breastplate a bit too hard. He didn’t realize how hard until the next night.

I do an act where I put some silicone breasts on my butt and I twerk and I get these going and spinning. I was backstage with Baga and my friend Chanel was

there taking photos and she said, get your butt spinning, I wanna take a picture! I get these breasts (filled with silicone) spinning quite fast and long and he nipples gave out, they exploded green silicone slime all over Baga and the entire dressing room. And I just screamed and screamed .... My ass exploded! We got a good shock and a laugh.

It happened again, but this time in front of his live audience, while they cowered back in order not to be drenched in silicone slime. The show had to be stopped midway to replace the stage carpet, resulting in a minor injury for the promoter who slipped his way across. Audience - beware of Jimbo’s exploding breasts. Maybe a title of another music single for Jimbo.

For Jimbo’s Drag Circus Tour, he has trained his body and he has gotten himself mentally prepared. No longer drinking or doing crazy drugs, he is hitting the road as a bona fide star. He learned that there was no room for partying or dealing with a hangover while becoming a professional drag queen, a professional artist. Career comes first. Whether he is designing, meeting fans, or starring in his circus, he is a self-diagnosed workaholic. Clearly, entertainment and art are his passions, and he is showing no signs of taking a break.

I love people. I love drag. I love my fans. I’m so grateful. I hope that people see drag for what it is and Drag Race for what it is. It’s artists, community, a spotlight. It’s a moment for people to share themselves on a scale and hope to be received and loved. And that’s all these people are looking for and hoping for everyone when they go into Drag Race is connection, hoping for community, hoping for acceptance and love. I hope that as Drag Race grows and continues to grow. And as the fandom continues to look at itself, that it just continues to try and elevate and lift itself beyond tearing each other down, and really focus on celebrating all of the energy, love and work that goes into presenting on Drag Race. ■

Tour info can be found at HouseofJimbo.com

I LOVE THE ENERGY OF THE CIRCUS AND THE IDEA THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. ”

DULCÉ SLOAN

GIVING THE LOVE BACK

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

DULCÉ SLOAN IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC PERSONALITIES ON TV. UNABLE TO LIMIT OR CATEGORIZE HER MERELY BY PROFESSIONAL TITLES LIKE ACTRESS, COMEDIAN, THE DAILY SHOW CORRESPONDENT, AND NOW AUTHOR, SHE IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY OUTSPOKEN, NOT FOR SHOCK VALUE, NOT FOR PREACHING, NOT FOR SOUNDBITES, IT’S JUST HER BEING HER. From an early age, she has seen a lot, she has overcome a lot, she has worked hard a lot, and now she’s telling her stories. Her debut book, Hello, Friends! has hit the shelves and even her staunchest fans may be surprised by the intimacy of the book. She hides nothing. She talks about the strength of women, of the Black community, of curvy girls, and of the LGBTQ community.

This year she and Drag Race’s Sasha Colby were nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode for their Daily Show segment“Dulcé Sloan & Sasha Colby Talk What It Means to Be A Happy Trans Person.” With all of her successes, she remains down to earth and ready to hang. What was supposed to be a twenty-minute chat turned into an hourplus conversation that covered everything from

activism to minorities working together to Star Trek Klingons to bad relationships, and more. Much like her book, read in one sitting because it is that delicious, you never know where the conversation is going but you are definitely along for the ride.

Hello, Friends! is being touted as a memoir, but don’t you dare call it that. She will come to correct.

First of all, I wanted to call this book, Don’t Call It a Memoir, I’m Only 39. Right? But the publisher was like, okay, we can’t tell people what it’s not. I came up with the idea because I started just saying, “Hello friends,” as a fun thing. I remember watching Blackish one day and I heard Diane say it to Charlie, but in a very threatening way. Like, “Grrrr, hello friend.” I love the idea that she’s taking these two words and is just striking fear into the heart of this man. As someone who has done that more than once, struck fear in the heart of a man, I thought, this is fun. I started saying it and it really became a way for me to just reach out to people. I saw it more as a collection of stories because I love telling

stories. I’m a Southern girl, I love to spin a yarn, I like to tell a tale, I like to weave a wove. It’s dating, destiny, and day jobs, that’s what my life has encompassed.

At the beginning of the book, she takes a moment to thank and dedicate the book to herself, foreshadowing Niecy Nash-Bett’s inspirational Emmy acceptance speech who also thanked herself. Why?

We are taught that it’s ego as opposed to self-love. So that’s why when Niecy Nash got up and said, “I wanna thank me for this hard work that I did.” It was a shocking thing. But it also would be a Black woman to exclaim, “I wanna thank me, I did this, and you can also thank yourselves.” I had dedicated this book to myself, it had been printed way before we went to the Emmys, but I was thinking, thank you, Niecy Nash, for saying this was hard work that I did. This was emotionally draining. When you’re doing heavy work, we’re taught that it’s ego. We’re taught that, especially as people of color, we’re supposed to be humble, we’re supposed to

be grateful, we’re supposed to be thankful that some white man gave us an opportunity. I had me to rely on. I am the one who got me to where I am.

This book is not just a collection of stories. For Dulce, it was finally allowing herself to step back, take a moment in self-discovery, and stop being in a place of servitude.

I had to not be mad at the decisions that 25-year-old me made. I’m very single, I don’t have children, I turned 41 this year and I’m still not any closer than when I started dating. I had to go and give myself grace and think, she made the best decisions that she could based upon the information that she had. In reference to the servitude of it, I am Southern, I am Black, and I am a woman. The South teaches you gratitude, and grateful politeness, all of this being helpful to others, being polite to others. Being Black teaches you the same thing. Being a woman teaches you the same thing. You were taught that everyone else’s needs come before yours. I always think of what RuPaul says, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anybody else?” And I knew I loved myself, but I always didn’t like myself.

I had to figure out to always be happy for me and find happiness in what I’m doing. And if I’m not happy with something, to move and to take the fear out of things. We’re so motivated by fear and everyone’s pushed by fear. So, if you can be in service to someone else, if you can be paying attention to someone else and doing for that other person, you don’t have to focus on your fear.

Dulce has never subscribed to what were considered the norms. Wanting to be a star since her very early childhood, she found herself not fitting the regular lead roles in school plays, her theater career, or even her stand-up career. She looked different, she acted different, and her attitude was different. She’s played a bird onstage more than a handful of times, sometimes limited to just squawks, still, she was on stage and loving it. When did it click that she didn’t need to conform in order to have success?

There was no click. I never had more fun playing that bird. I never fit a box, so I never had a moment where I had to realize I don’t have to fit in a box to succeed. I came into my theater program, talented. And just because my theater professor

I AM THE ONE WHO GOT ME TO WHERE I AM.”

didn’t think I was talented, I was not gonna let one man stop me. I’m not gonna let this man stop me. Because what’s gonna happen is this man’s gonna stay in Gainesville, Georgia. I’m only here for four years. He’s here for the rest of his life.

Dulce doesn’t care what you think about her. She’s too busy thriving. She doesn’t care what you call her, with a few exceptions. In Hello, Friends! she writes that even with her outspoken opinions and activism, don’t call her an angry Black woman. Why?

Because no one asks us why we’re mad. No one’s asking, what happened? What’s wrong? They do not realize that being an angry Black woman is a defense mechanism. Do you know whose anger people do not care about? White women’s anger. That’s why feminism has not truly done what it wanted it to do. Because white men, do not care about white women’s anger. And do you know why? Because as Bill Burrs said when hosting SNL in his monologue, white men took over the whole planet for y’all. And you have the nerve to complain? They made everyone fit to your standard of beauty. They told us all of our skin was ugly, and all of our features were ugly. My hair, my nose, my

butt, my body, all of us. Because we did not look like skateboards with big ol’ titties, and you heifers have the nerve to be mad. How dare you? And so now I’m a woman and I’m Black and so I’m constantly under microaggressions, attacks - so you don’t care about my tears. Because you care about white women’s tears, but you don’t care about their anger. So white women’s tears are powerful. You don’t care about my tears because you have no sympathy or empathy for me. I’m gonna be me and mad you understand that. The reason that people have so much respect and fear of Black women’s anger is because they know that they deserve to have it. So, you don’t ask us why we’re mad because you know why we’re mad. So, just take the time to consider, what happened today? Anger is a defense mechanism. Anxiety in Black women presents differently, and one that presents is anger and frustration and lack of patience because I’m being told all the time to wait and all this other stuff and constantly being disrespected.

Dulce has very strong ties with the LGBTQ community, especially the drag community. Her time in church growing up did not teach hate towards

the gay community, nor did they support it. Her pastor’s teaching from the Bible was that no sin is greater than any other sin, if you lie you’re a sinner. Dulce’s exposure to the gay community was limited to school. It wasn’t until she did summer stock where she spent day after day with people of the queer community that she had the opportunity to bond and get into good gay gossip.

It was spending time with gay men and meeting them and really understanding them. Also having them see me and just being able to just go, oh, we know how all of this works. That’s the thing that people don’t realize is that when you’re in a marginalized group, you see everything and you comment on everything. There’s a connection there, growing up we were roasting each other, basically. And that is something very much that Black and brown communities, communities of color do. You come in, your tias, anybody’s aunties, cousins, were coming and busting balls, right? Shade – reading - same thing. But it came from a community, it came from queer Black people, they came up with shade and came up with reading because that’s what they grew up doing. But you do that because you see things. I think that’s where that support for me has always come from the queer community is that, oh, she sees what we see, we’re all seeing the same thing. And all of y’all are playing around, all of y’all are presenting, this is all drag, we’re all putting the things together.

Dulce’s love for drag and Drag Race rivals that of most from our community. She saw her first drag show while doing theatre in Savannah, Georgia. Awestruck when the headliner launched into a“Rolling in the Deep” number, she was hooked.

I’m a theater kid, so that’s what I saw first, right? And I love pomp and circumstance. I saw the costume, and I saw the man, I saw the show and I was like, if these are the folks putting this on stage, oh, we’re dealing with a whole different kind of human being. We’re dealing with people who I understand. This is the heart, this is the love, this is the dedication. I can see that.

She watched Drag Race when it first came out on Logo. She laughs.

Remember when Logo was on the back part of cable? You had to have the Africa Channel to get Logo! [Laughs]

She attended the first Drag Con and spent her money supporting all the queens’ booths. Her ultimate dream came true when she was welcomed as a guest judge on Drag Race, after telling her manager

to get her career to the point that she could appear on the show. She didn’t cry when she got cast on The Daily Show, she cried when she got the green light to appear on Drag Race

It is the Super Bowl, it is the Stanley Cup, it is Wimbledon, it is all of that for drag. So as a performer, you’re like, I gotta be a part of that. If I never go to the Super Bowl, I will be fine. But if I never got to be a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, that is something I would truly regret.

From driving hours through icy roads for outof-town gigs in hole-in-the-wall places, to doing children’s theatre in random cities, to holding her own in questionable situations at comedy clubs, to manning booths at college comedy fairs to get booked for college circuits, she’s put in the blood sweat and tears. In 2015, she was named a New Face of Comedy at the Just For Laughs comedy festival and won the 12th annual StandUp NBC comedy showcase. She made her late-night comedy debut on The Conan Show, to be followed up with appearances on The Steve Harvey Show, Comedy Knockout, and E! News Daily. She had the opportunity to co-host the infamous CNN New Year’s Eve Live with Don Lemon. But getting cast on The Daily Show in 2017 was a life changer, a passion project that has brought success, tears, and laughter. Bringing her two passions together – The Daily Show and Drag Race – was life coming full circle. She had the opportunity to host an entire episode of The Daily Show and insisted on interviewing the winner of that year’s Drag Race –Sasha Colby, whom she has now been able to call her drag mother. The interview was a rave success, garnering the GLAAD nomination. It was different. It presented the trans life as a happy one, something Dulce insisted on from the start.

They brought me the questions for her, and I thought, I didn’t want to talk about any type of trauma. When you’re someone who, again, is a person of color and part of a marginalized group, people want to hear about all the bad things that happened to you. And I love that she made a point to not talk about that. I made a point to not talk about that. I am not here to try to pimp somebody’s drama for these white folks on TV because I’m somebody whose trauma they have been trying to pimp. I’m not out here for that. That’s not how I walk.

I do not know what it is like to be a trans woman in this country, I know what it’s like to be a Black woman in this country. I also know what it’s like to be in a body that people hate. That’s what I can understand. So that’s why when Sasha Cole came on the show, I

wanted to convey that I don’t know what her life is like, but I know the feeling that people send to her. All she does is walk in nature and live her life. People have something to say about it when no one asks them. People have a lot to say about my body because I’m Black and plus size, and nobody asked you. So that’s why I made sure she talked about being happy.

With her vocal support of our community, her many appearances for our causes, and using her platforms to give us a megaphone, she is hesitant to use the word ally. In genuine tears, she slowly clarifies.

I think the term ally is a troublesome word because I think people are giving themselves credit for things that they’re not actually doing. There are people who legitimately love y’all. You know how we always give each other compliments? It’s because people don’t do that for us in the same way. If I see a trans woman, I’ll just go, hey girl, I see you! I make sure to give Black women and queer people compliments because Black women and the queer community give me compliments. And I wanna give the love back that I’m being shown. We are gonna get to a day, as people of color and as the LGBTQ+ community, when we don’t have to prove our humanity to people. We’re not going to have to beg or convince somebody that we are human, deserve our rights or should be cared for by a country we fought for, a country we live in.

And her message to the queer community?

Thank you. Because to be so misunderstood and so hated, I can understand that because I’m hated and misunderstood. But to show up every day and love yourself and love other people and have to deprogram yourself from all the stuff that you’re supposed to hate about yourself because of who you are, is special. I do not know what it’s like to be a queer person in America. I do not. But I understand the sentiment that is being put towards me because people do not understand who I am and all I want to do is just live my life… just walk into Applebee’s, get a wedding cake, be on somebody’s insurance, take care of my children. I just wanna do the things that humans are doing and somebody’s saying, no, bitch, sit down!

There are people who legitimately love you because there are people that legitimately hate you. And so, if someone can hate you for no reason, someone can love you for no reason. ■

You can get Hello, Friends! wherever books are sold. Head to DulceSloan.com

KARLIAK JP

A VOICE FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVISM

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

ACTOR, PLAYWRIGHT, AND VOICEOVER ARTIST JP

KARLIAK IS JUST ABOUT AS COLORFUL AS SOME OF THE CHARACTERS HE’S PLAYED. Having been on the stage and screen, his voice work has now taken center stage. He’s voiced some big-name characters like Wile E. Coyote, Willy Wonka, the Tin Man, Green Goblin, the Vision, Loki, Netflix’s Boss Baby, and more. This season, his star got a major bump with not one, but two major roles. He brought to life the first non-binary lead mutant Morph for the highly anticipated Disney+/ Marvel series X-Men ’97. If that wasn’t high profile enough, he also took on the role of probably the most iconic comic villain ever, The Joker for the brand-new expansion pack for the hit video game Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League. His bigger-than-life personality and eyes on the spotlight belie his quiet upbringing in a small town close to Scranton, Pennsylvania. True to his destiny, getting bitten by the entertainment bug was inevitable.

Although it’s a small town, we still had things to do like movie theaters, which I went to a LOT. And Dunmore is really only two hours and change outside of New York, so I also got to see a lot of shows.

My first New York theatre experience was Guys & Dolls, and I was awestruck by the whole production. This only compounded my interest in “seeing my name in lights” as my mother reminds me was my earliest childhood desire. So, the bug bit me numerous times over the years.

JP was raised in a Catholic household. And not just any Catholic household, but Byzantine Catholic, known for its love of tradition and being very strict. As he began to realize that he wasn’t like the other boys, he also began to realize that his lifestyle was not the best match for the environment around him.

I had a massive crush on my childhood best friend, and I think it was somewhere around 5th grade when I realized all the time we spent playing make-believe with him as the hero and me as both the villain and the damsel in distress was not something most kids did. Especially when I’d “tend to his wounds.” Although my parents probably realized it first, when I came into our living room for one of my “performance nights” dressed as Carol Channing. Like, duh.

My parents were fairly devout, so we

definitely clashed over my queerness, and it took many years for them to understand. My mother came around first, she was always the more tender of my parents, but my dad was much more set in his ways and what masculinity was all about. I was fortunate that he saw my solo show (which, amongst other things, really got into my journey as a queer person) a few years before he passed away, and that really opened up his eyes. We did have some time, though not nearly enough, of him accepting me in some way.

Not only was JP discovering his true self on his sexual identity journey, but he was also finding himself as an adopted child. He was adopted when he was one month old.

I’ve always known I’m adopted. I don’t remember when I was told or how, I’ve just always known. So that was a given. The queerness part was much trickier to navigate due to my family’s religion and my hometown’s (and the 90s’) conservative viewpoints. But as I grew up, I could look back and see where my strong desire for acceptance and validation was fueled by both being adopted and being queer.

Part of his journey was finding his birth mother. After working with the agency that arranged the adoption, he wrote to his birth mother, who agreed to meet with him. Part of the puzzle as to his personality and make up was solved. His two mothers couldn’t be more different. We wrote his journey down into an award-winning one-man show titled Donna/ Madonna. The show was a critical and audience success, winning him Best One Man Show at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York.

The show began as a love letter to both of my mothers - adoptive and birth. I really am a fairly even split of both of them - nature vs nurture - and I wanted to celebrate the two women who contributed to who I am and how different yet similar they are.

While my main goal was for them to enjoy it, it was a nice surprise that many other people did too, and I toured with it for a few years. I loved doing that show, and I think it exhibited such a clear picture of who I was at that time. But when I read it over again recently, I thought about how much I’ve changed (along with the whole world!) in the 15 years since I wrote it. I wrote and performed the show while identifying as a gay man, and that has evolved into being a genderqueer/ queer human - with a very different hair color. Sometimes that makes me feel the urge to write another show! And sometimes it makes me feel Donna/Madonna was a wonderful experience to let lie. Who knows how I’ll feel tomorrow?

He originally started studying drama at the Catholic University of America in DC, but left to study at USC’s School of Theatre to be closer to the entertainment action. His life would lead him to voice acting, once again bitten by the bug.

The same year my young brain started comprehending that one day I would need a job, I saw Aladdin. I loved Robin Williams’ work, and I knew I wanted to do that. I reasoned that Robin was a major Hollywood star, so I’d have to become a major Hollywood star before they ALLOWED me to do voiceover. And that was the mindset I took well into my college career before I discovered how voiceover worked. Did I mention I’m from a small town?

After I graduated, I started pursuing on-camera work and voiceover at the same time. Over time, on-camera yielded little

EVERY KID, EVERY PERSON, DESERVES TO TURN ON THE TV OR OPEN A COMIC BOOK AND SEE A HERO THAT THEY IDENTIFY WITH ON A MEANINGFUL LEVEL.”

more than a few typecast roles that were, let’s say, stereotypically swishy. Meanwhile, in voiceover, I was playing a loudmouth Aussie rocker werewolf, a few superheroes, and (eventually) Wile E. Coyote. There was so much more freedom and belief in my abilities to stretch. So, I left on-camera behind and have been on nothing but the VO train ever since.

Having the opportunity to voice some of animation’s biggest characters, he’s been able to mesh his acting skills while paying homage to the voice work before him in his creative process.

A lot of the characters I’m most known for are legacy characters, so some of that initial work is listening back to what’s been done before, and - based upon how close or how loosely production wants the voice to adhere to the original - start honing in on the voice from there. After that, it’s really just reading the script and getting a sense of how my point of view, and sense of humor, fits into that.

Comic books weren’t a big part of his life, but he was always a fan of the movies and TV series based on them. Now that he is entrenched in the Marvel and DC universes, he has gotten sucked into the lore. Playing Morph, the shape-shifting mutant, is big for the LGBTQ community. This marks the first non-binary lead character in an animated superhero series. What was most important to JP, as an actor and a gay man, in putting the character together?

Grounding him in reality. This was a character where I didn’t want to “do a voice,” I really just wanted to use my own. Morph is a mutant, a shapeshifter, and has been mindcontrolled - all sorts of fantastical things. But at his core, he is a misunderstood person who

felt betrayed by his friends, experienced serious psychological trauma, and then went through a long period of recovery to come to terms with who he is and what he’s experienced. Not to mention, he uses jokes and a sense of humor to mask a lot of that pain. I think that’s something so many queer people identify with, and something I really loved bringing to life.

X-Men ‘97 has come with a lot of attention, picking up where the 1997 finale of X-Men: The Animated Series ended. As much as the media outlets picked up the story and series as the hottest thing of the season, so did comic book fans. They took to the message boards with opinions on casting and storylines. As much support as there is for the growing LGBTQ representation in the comic book world, sadly, there are detractors saying the world of X-Men is getting too woke. Ironic, considering the message of the series.

I would ask them to look at the real world a little closer. It’s a very diverse place out there, with people of all different backgrounds, identities, body types, abilities, or disabilities …. To assume that every single one of them has to settle for white, straight, cisgender, ripped, slim, and non-disabled as the default that everyone needs to admire and idolize …. Gang, that is propaganda of oppression right there.

Every kid, every person, deserves to turn on the TV or open a comic book and see a hero that they identify with on a meaningful level. And for queer kids who are the targets of all manner of hate at this moment, they need positive, affirming representations in media. We must show them there’s nothing wrong with them and they are exactly who they are meant to be.

Barely a week went by between the premiere of X-Men ‘97 and then JP’s version of the Joker hit the market. A heavy-pressure gig indeed, considering the names that have taken on that role.

Playing the Joker is a field of landmines. And in each one of those many mines is an iconic performance of the Joker that millions of people think is the definitive version. I have those opinions myself! I’ve loved the Joker since I was little, watching reruns with Caesar Romero, seeing Jack Nicholson, and later Heath Ledger, on the big screen, and then watching every scrap of Mark Hamill’s performances. Iconic! I also am a big fan of John DiMaggio, Tony Hale, and Kevin Michael Richardson’s takes.

To enter the arena of so many great Joker performances is tricky, to say the least. What made this version kind of freeing is that he’s an Elseworld Joker, never seen before, and with a whole other reality as his background. So I could take little bits of what I loved from all the other Jokers and make this one my own. And I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn here to say he’s definitely a touch queerer than most other portrayals, so it was fun to bring that to the table as well.

In addition to his screen work, JP is an avid activist in both the queer and political world. He founded Queer Vox, “a non-profit organization providing training and professional support for LGBTQIA+ voice actors in the entertainment industry while advocating for equitable opportunities and authentic representation in voice performance work.” For JP, employing queer artists in queer roles is imperative.

I think what’s key to this argument is understanding this is not about talent. We have all seen cis/straight humans play queer roles in TV or film and found them deeply moving (my personal favorite is Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins. So good!). But this is about the “business” part of “show business.” Queer people deserve to have an equal opportunity to make a living as voiceover actors.

The industry is lopsided in that cis/ straight folks can play anything under the sun, but queer people aren’t even allowed to play themselves, let alone cis/straight roles. And having access to the full gamut of roles is what allows a queer person to make a long-lasting career that goes beyond just being the diversity checkmark du jour. We deserve to earn wealth by telling the

stories that are about us. But we also deserve to make a living alongside our cis/ straight colleagues.

LGBTQ+ folks make up less than 10% of the population. Trans people make up a fraction of that number. There’s not a lot of us. Even so, getting a proportional amount of representation still eludes us and remains an uphill battle. It’s getting better, and I applaud the companies that have worked with Queer Vox or have taken the initiative on their own to do better. But we still have a long way to go. I hope one day we all can audition for whatever roles we wish. But as long as that imbalance of access exists, that day is far off indeed.

JP also co-founded NerdsVote, a non-partisan organization to get everyone from the nerd groups - cosplayers, con-goers, gamers, and pop culture fans of all kinds to get out and vote. With everything going on in our current climate, how does JP think we best get the voting message across without taking sides, and shouldn’t now be the time when being non-partisan is the least of our worries?

Courtenay Taylor (my co-founder) and I are anything but non-partisan personally. But NerdsVote has to be. Logistically because comic conventions usually don’t permit partisan politics on the premises. But more broadly, we’re responding to the needs of an audience disaffected by politicians, divisiveness, and broken promises. We just want to bring them back to the foundational level: “You have the power to make change. And it only happens if you make it happen.” Registering and voting is the first small step. Once somebody takes that, we believe the social justice issues that matter to them will lead them into deeper involvement.

What JP wants most from his work is for audiences to get a sense of belonging. A safe space. And his message to his fans?

It’s simple, but it’s deeply felt: thank you. ■

You can follow