AFRICA
M A G A Z I N E Issue 23, WINTER 2015
GAY, PROUD & COLOUR BLIND
Mr Gay World
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
FROM THE EDITOR
FEATURES
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i - Winter is upon us and in this issue we feature 4 pages of winter fashion looks which raised eyebrows on the catwalk at the Mercedes Benz Fashion week in Johnnesburg recently. So whilst you are wrapped up warmly you can browse through this issue enjoying the regular reviews like what to snuggle up to in front of the TV in our “What’s On DVD” page. We also give you the best to look forward to your movie nights out and a chance to win a special night at a Numetro Scene VIP cinema. This prize is an awesome opportunity for you and a special friend to indulge in a evening of pure cinematic luxury. Our restaurant reviews cover a unique Mexican dining experience in Gauteng and an awesome find in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. On our cover we have the über-handsome Klaus Burkart who was recently crowned Mr Gay World at a pageant held at the Pink Lourie Mardi Gras in Knysna. On pages 24 and 25 you can find out a little more about the winning contestants. Gay Pride’s in this country seem fraught with what some of us perceive as unnecessary drama, and this year’s Cape Town Pride was no exception when a group of militant gay women tried their utmost to scuttle the event. They were again active at Khumbulani Pride. Instead of joining in and being inclusive these women seem to be set on dividing the gay community and causing dissention. On page 21 you can get the inside story where this publication suggests they should rather be OUT, PROUD & COLOUR-BLIND! Once again one of Cape Town’s most supportive car dealerships to the gay community, Audi Claremont, brings you their latest special offer - flip to page 18 to find out all about it and support the people you support you! The leader of the Democratic Alliance was recently criticised in the media for apparently having an anti-gay stance. In an open letter, (you’ll find it on page 2), he sets the record straight. Check out the Scene Out pages, if you’ve been out and about you may have been snapped. Keep healthy this winter, be safe what ever you get up to. Till next time - enjoy the magazine! Tommy Patterson MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358
ISSN 2304-859X Contributors: Daniel Dercksen, Liberty Banks, Published by: John French, Patterson Publications Rob Simpson, Father Musaala P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Peter Tachell Foundation, Tel: 021 555 1279, Fax: 086 535 5063 Matthew van As E-mail: Keith Coventry at outmagafrica@telkomsa.net Additional Photography: outmagazine@mweb.co.za Vernondo Boshoff, Simon Advertising Sales: Diener, David Lee Robert Simpson 072 266 7051, Matthew Van As 084 761 7942 Printed by ABC Press, Cape Town Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.
1. EDITORS COMMENT: 2. MMUSI MAIMANE SPEAKS OUT 3. OLD AGE AND HOMOPHOBIA 4. ASHES - A new production comes to Alexander Upstairs 6. CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER 7. DIVAS - On Night Only
8 8. FAREWELL DARLING BUTTERFLY Obituary to Dainti Delischia 10. TRAVEL - Brazil has it all 18. TEST DRIVE THE AUDI A3 CONVERTIBLE 20. CAPE TOWN’S STYLISH NEW MEN’S HEALTH PRACTICE 21. GAY, PROUD AND COLOURBLIND 22. MAGNUS HIRSCHFELD - Einstein of Sex 24. THE BEST IN THE WORLD - Mr Gay World 27. SOLIDARITY’S NIGHT OUT - with Liberty Banks 32. ARK LGBTIQ COMMUNES IN KENYA - Father Musaala 34. THE BUZZ - Snippets of news 36. FITNESS - BOULDERS FOR SHOULDERS 38. MEN’S HEALTH - There’s Someone in our Corner 40. REJECTION - Don’t Take It Lying Down
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FASHION 14 - 17 MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK -A look at whats trending on the catwalk
SCENE OUT 28 - 30 Who’s been spotted out and about on the party scene...
REVIEWS 41 MUSIC MOVES: Nostalgia by Annie Lennox 42 OUT TO LUNCH: Mexican Flavours 43 OUT TO LUNCH: Country Delight 44 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 46 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 47 CLASSIC GAY MOVIES 48 ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen
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Cover: KLAUS BURKHART: photo by Vernondo Boshoff Mag 1
MMUSI MAIMANE SPEAKS OUT Mmusi Maimane the new head of the Democratic Alliance supports issues that affect the gay and lesbian community. He recently sent an open letter to the Daily Maverick marking the end of an exciting first week...
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hen I was elected Leader of the Democratic Alliance last Sunday, I knew there would be renewed scrutiny of my public as well as my private life. But nothing could have prepared me for the scale and intensity of it. For the most part, it has been invigorating. I thoroughly enjoyed my interview on CNN with Christiane Amanpour, for example. And I thought the reaction to #AskMmusi on Twitter was incredible. I am still amazed that it trended across the globe. We have got South Africa (and the world) talking about the Democratic Alliance. Many people are looking at our politics with renewed hope, and there is certainly some momentum behind the party I now lead. This can only be a good thing. The problem comes in when people pick up on utterances you have made and distort them for their own ends. Indeed, there are some commentators and members of the ‘Twitterati’ who claim to know me better than I know myself. At the root of the manufactured outrage is the misguided notion that you cannot simultaneously be a liberal and Christian or, heaven forbid, the Leader of the Democratic Alliance and a pastor. Of course, it is absolute nonsense to suggest that liberals must, by definition, be atheists. I am proud to call myself a Christian and a liberal. And I am proud of the progressive role that I play in my church. Let me explain exactly what I mean by this. And then perhaps those who claim to know me better than myself will pipe down for a little while. Anybody who has listened to my sermons Mag 2
over the years will tell you that I subscribe to the theology of grace as opposed to the theology of judgment. This is not a universal view in the Christian faith, and it is not a view shared by everybody in my church. But it is certainly my view. No Christian should ever judge others on the grounds of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. And so, when I said in a sermon that there are gays and Muslims in my circle of friends, I was being deliberately provocative to conservative elements in my congregation. I was challenging them to break free from the shackles of prejudice that may still bind them. I have always been a fervent supporter of gay rights, including the right to marry. In fact, I don’t agree that DA MPs should have been given a free vote on same-sex marriage when the matter was debated in Parliament back in 2006. All DA MPs should support same-sex marriage because it is the only option for somebody who subscribes to our values of an open, opportunity society for all. It is why I stood with my friends Christo and Ryan when they got married, and signed the wedding register as a witness. Whether I am in church or in Parliament, I always try to practice transformative leadership. The essence of this, to my mind, is to shake people out of their comfort zones in a way that takes them along with you. This is the role that I like to think I have played in my church, and it is a role that I hope to play as Leader of the Democratic Alliance. I hold a strong faith. It’s what gets me through difficult times and helps me see in the goodness of humanity -- that to-
morrow is always better and that indeed freedom will reign. Our church also gives me the platform to confront poverty, inequality and the role of young people. I am grateful for the leaders in our church who give me support. All politicians have their detractors, and I know that in public life you have to take the rough with the smooth. I am well aware of those who spend their lives cutting and pasting things you have said to create a narrative that fits their particular agenda. They remind me of the wise words of Theodore Roosevelt, when he said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Nothing will deter me from the goals I have set myself as Leader of the Democratic Alliance. As I said in my speech on Sunday, the DA is built on a rock-solid foundation of values that are enshrined in our nation’s Constitution. Our party will remain true to its values in the years ahead because, ultimately, it is our values that will guide us to victory. DM
OLD AGE & HOMOPHOBIA A double whammy Anti-gay discrimination against older people By Peter Tatchell
Lesbian, gay & bisexual seniors face twin fears of old age and homophobia
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ld age is a challenge for everyone but even more so for those over 55’s who are lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB). They face the double whammy of old age plus homophobia.
Being gay and getting older is similar to not being gay and getting older but the difficulties are magnified. A recent survey in the UK found that LGB’s over 55 are much more likely to be single, live alone, have no children and be less close to their families, compared to the general population. This means they tend to be more isolated and have less support. Moreover, many older LGB people have also lived through a lifetime of homophobic victimisation. Some suffered arrest, violent attack or harassment by neighbours. Others experienced the trauma of being rejected by their families, psychiatric treatment to ‘cure’ their sexuality and the distress of partners or friends being queer-bashed or committing suicide. Some lost their job or were evicted from their accommodation in the era when antigay discrimination was lawful by default. Unsurprisingly, given these multiple stresses, the charity organisation Stonewall found that older LGBs are more prone to anxiety and depression than their heterosexual counterparts. They are also more likely to smoke, drink and use recreational drugs. The consequence? An increased risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, alcohol-related illnesses and mental health problems. In addition, higher proportions of elderly gay and bisexual men are living with HIV, and older lesbians may have an elevated risk of breast and ovarian cancer. For these diverse reasons, LGB seniors generally have a greater need for health and care services than the non-LGB population. Yet they are many times less likely to access them because they fear - and often suffer - unfavourable treatment on account of their sexual orientation. This includes not just explicit prejudice but more often being avoided and not included in activities and conversations. “I worry about how I will be treated when I enter a home or hospital in the future, both by staff and other residents and patients, as I would wish to be open about my sexuality and expect a homophobic reaction,” Gordon, 66, told the Stonewall survey.
It is also known that elderly LGBs often experience homophobic attitudes in care homes and fear adverse repercussions if they challenge it. Indeed, anxiety about being treated unfairly leads many to go back in the closet; often after decades of being openly LGB. Instead of speaking spontaneously about their life, they police their words, avoid mentioning their partners and discourage gay friends from visiting. Hiding their sexuality compounds their stress. The Stonewall research found that in the absence of partners and family support, elderly LGBs are almost twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to expect to rely on medical, housing, care and home help services. These findings, of course relate to the British experience, however, there is no reason to believe that the situation in Africa is any different, in fact in the poorer communities, and some black communities homophobia is even more likely to be experienced. Carers may eschew discrimination and pledge to treat everyone the same. But many older LGBs are not the same as everyone else and don’t want to be treated the same. They want to be acknowledged as LGB people and have their special needs and interests addressed. As one care home gay resident confided: The day outings organised for us are nice but I’d rather to go to gay bars and events. I still have sexual needs which the staff do not accept. Another noted that his nursing home celebrates lots of annual events but never Gay Pride. Perhaps there is a need for LGBTI care homes in the country which would cater to the specific need of LGBTI residents. One such home opened in Pretoria a couple of years ago and by all accounts is successful. However, the elderly LGBTIs are discriminated in their own society. Often they are made to feel unwelcome at clubs and bars, in fact a friend who is not yet 60 was told at a Cape Town gay bar recently, “Go home old man, you should be in bed!”, by a young girl, as he stood at the counter to order a drink. The older LGB generation pioneered the freedoms and equalities we now enjoy. They deserve better!!! Peter Tatchell is Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation Mag 3
Ashes was inspired by three recent incidents in South Africa in 2014, none of which received much attention in the mainstream media, which is indicative of how little certain lives are valued in our country.
ASHES
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shes was inspired by three recent incidents in South Africa in 2014, none of which received much attention in the mainstream media, which is indicative of how little certain lives are valued in our country. In the first incident, a 21-year old Coloured man in Ceres was beaten, possibly raped, and then set alight because he was gay. The assailant called over a group of teenagers to witness the killing, saying to them he was “going to kill a moffie.” Only the next morning did someone think to check up on the man, at which point it was much too late. In the second incident, a 20-year old black man from Kimberley was gang-raped, and he and the mattress he was lying on was then set alight. Fortunately the man was not badly burnt and escaped. This follows the brutal killing (by throat-slitting) and dismemberment of a 24-year old black trans man in Kuruman in 2012. In the third incident, a 24year old Coloured gay/trans man was killed by gang members in Manenberg. His body had been mutilated, his genitals had been cut off, and allegedly he had also been attacked by his murderers’ dog. Presented by the award-winning Rust Co-Operative (The View, Expectant, Siembamba), Ashes is a hard-hitting two-hander theatre production, chronicling the life of a young man through the eyes of six characters. When the man comes out to his parents, they send him away from their small-town home to live in Cape Town. The play delicately traces his relationship with his parents, his small-town upbringing, his entrance into adulthood and the excitement and thrill of first love. A sudden, violent event ruptures the world of the characters, and they are Mag 4
Photo: Maggie Gericke
forced to try and pick up the pieces in the void that remains. The impetus for Ashes is the ongoing violence against gays and lesbians in our country, specifically three excessively violent attacks on young gay men in the Western and Northern Cape in 2014 (which mostly remained unreported in the mainstream media) – in one particular instance an assailant called over a group of teenagers to watch as he was “going to kill a moffie.” With Ashes, writer Philip Rademeyer continues to examine systemic homophobia and the scourge of violence against young gay lives in our country, deftly exploring the thin line between the personal and the political. In distinctive Rust Co-Operative style, Ashes highlights the humanity of the characters, tenderly addressing notions of family, home, love, loss and grief, and creating an intimate experience for the audience. Ashes serves as a reminder that individual lives are not isolated events but part of the social fabric, intricately woven up with and into other lives. Presented by the dynamic Rust Co-Operative team of Philip Rademeyer and Penelope Youngleson, the creators of awardwinning works such as The View, Siembamba and Expectant. Ashes features the exciting talents of rising stars Stefan Erasmus and Jason Jacobs. Ashes is showing at Alexander Bar from Monday to Saturday 8th – 20th June (with previews on 3 & 4 June) at 19h00. Philip Rademeyer and Penny Youngleson are the founders and creative directors of Rust Co-Operative, an award-winning Cape Town-based theatre collective. In a recent interview they said,
“We founded Rust Co-Operative at the beginning of 2012 in order to create a playspace for young theatre-makers wishing to create new South African theatre works. We specifically created the collective in order to tell the kind of stories we are interested in, and which we didn’t necessarily see represented on our stages”. “A co-operative runs on the model of an autonomous group of people who cooperate for their mutual, social, economic, and cultural benefit”, they said. Philip and Penny further stated that, “We wanted to start a co-operative so that we could collaborate with like-minded artists and help contribute towards building momentum and synergy in the local scene. We called it the ‘Rust’ Co-operative because we believe in the value and beauty of things that have got a story to tell. There’s not a lot of narrative in perfection; but something or someone that’s lived a bit and been weathered by life often has a distressed attraction. We like stories and perspectives of people on the outside or on the edge of groups: the people who don’t fit easily into spaces and categories. These are our rusty people.” In two years they have produced nine new works – The View, Expectant, Siembamba, Nat, Ashes, Full Stops On Your Face, AN(t)ONIEM, Tee and Lie. Some of their successes are: •
In 2013, The View (written and directed by Rademeyer) received three Fleur du Cap nominations (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best New Director). It ran at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, where the show won the Doric Wilson Intercultural Dialogue Award, and the Oscar Wilde Award for Best New Writing (and was nominated in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories). At Aardklop 2013 The View was also nominated for Best Production and Best Actress. It kicked off the 9th Artscape Spring Drama Season in November 2013 and showed at the Market Theatre in June 2014.
•
In 2014, Siembamba (co-written by Rademeyer & Youngle-
son, directed by Rademeyer) received a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival, and was selected to be part of the Amsterdam Fringe Festival as the ‘Best of South African Fringe’. It received an Honourable Mention and runner-up position for Best International Production at the Amsterdam Fringe. •
In 2013, Expectant (written and directed by Youngleson) received a Standard Bank Ovation Award at NAF. Subsequently it enjoyed a critically acclaimed run in Cape Town, played at the Afrovibes Festival in Amsterdam and opened the Market Theatre’s 2014 season. Penelope received the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors at the 2014 Fleur du Cap awards.
Philip Rademeyer Philip Rademeyer is a theatre writer and director. He co-founded the award-winning Cape Town-based theatre collective, Rust CoOperative, with Penelope Youngleson in 2012. In February 2013 he was nominated for a Fleur du Cap, the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors, for The View. In May 2013 he won the Oscar Wilde Award for Best New Writing for The View at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, where the piece also won the Doric Wilson Intercultural Dialogue Award. The View was also nominated as Best Production at Aardklop 2013 and kicked off the 9th Artscape Spring Drama Season in November 2013. For Rust Co-Operative he has written and directed The View, Tee, Ashes and Lie, and co-written and directed Siembamba (winner of a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award at the 2014 National Arts Festival and selected for the 2014 Amsterdam Fringe Festival) and AN(t)ONIEM. He completed his Masters in Theatre & Performance (Directing) at the University of Cape Town, with a research focus on developing a queer directorial aesthetic. He also holds an Honours degree in Drama from UCT and a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Theatre from Ohio Wesleyan University. He lectured in the Drama Department at UCT for three years before becoming a full-time theatre-maker.
Stefan Erasmus as “Eyewitness” in Ashes Penelope Youngleson Penelope Youngleson is a writer, designer, performer, theatre maker, composer and stylist working in Cape Town. She cofounded Rust Co-Operative in 2012 with Philip Rademeyer. She has worked on various projects ranging from a Cannes awardwinning feature film (Skoonheid) and internationally recognized music video (Freshlyground’s Chicken to Change), to using puppetry as a teaching aid in facilitating drama therapy with differently-abled children, to speaking at conferences in London, Prague and Cape Town. For Rust Co-Operative she has written and directed Expectant, which won a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2013 National Arts Festival, enjoyed a critically acclaimed run in Cape Town, played at the Afrovibes Festival in Amsterdam in November 2013, and played at the Market Theatre in January 2014. She received the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors at the 2014 Fleur du Cap awards. She also wrote Full Stops On Your Face and co-wrote Siembamba and AN(t)ONIEM. Penelope has an MA in Theatre Making from the University of Cape Town, and an Honours degree in Directing and BA in Cabaret and Scriptwriting from the University of Stellenbosch.
Photo: Maggie Gericke
Contact information: rustcooperative@gmail.com @RustCoOperative on Twitter https://www.facebook.com/RustCoOperative www.rustcooperative.com
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CONGRATULATIONS
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n Friday 22 May, Ireland became the first country in world to approve samesex marriage by popular vote. 22 years after homosexuality was legalised, crowds gathered at Dublin Castle to celebrate the result, where it was confirmed that Amendment 34 to the Irish constitution had passed by 62% to 38%.
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r SA Leatherman, Herman Groenewald made it through to the final 20 in the International Mr Leather Competition being held in Chicago, USA. International Mr. Leather (IML) is an international conference and contest of leathermen held annually in May since 1979 in Chicago. IML spans several days, and includes the International Mr. Leather competition. To have been placed 15th in a field of 52 contestants is a huge feather in Herman’s leather cap. The top three at IML 2015: Patrick Smith - Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2015 First Runner-up: Kevin Murphy - Mr Leather Ireland 2015 Second Runner-up: Brian Donner Mr. TriState Leather 2014 The runners-up flank Patrick Smith (the hottie wearing the red heart) Inset: Herman competing
Divas one night only has become a regular fixture on our pink calendar. Celebrating its 5th year in production, talent and creativity the entire cast offers all this in the name of charity.
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ivas One Night only In conjunction with Ms Gay Western Cape is the brain child of Kat Gilardi MGWC 2010. We should by now be all aware that when you are crowned with this prestigious “Pink” title you have to come up with a concept to raise funds and awareness in your year of reign. Kat decided to not go the pageant route as there were just too many already, she knew that lip sync (cabaret) needed to be exposed and gain the respect it deserves and be called an Art form with all the creative energy that comes with dedicating time to just learning one song .”I started out with identifying who the popular Drag/ female impersonators (performers) were at that time” she said, “I looked at who had a following and who were the “IT” girls on our local pink stages, this was when I personally asked performers like Genevieve Le Coq, Angel Lalamore and then just starting out Manila Von Tees just to mention a few to support this initiative.” Since then performers send in an audition tape and letter describing their act .Kat added, “We try and give an opportunity every year to performers to audition and this year we have once again found two new acts that will grace the Divas Stage for the very first time.” Divas: One Night Only has been going for 5 years and has grown so big and popular that it will be hosted at the Joseph Stone Auditorium again. The event will take place on the 1st August 2015 tickets are R100.00 and the show will start at 19:30pm for 20:00pm. “We the Divas One Night Only team have realised that last year, tickets were in such demand that we are releasing ticket sales earlier this year – “Tickets have been on sale since April so there’s no excuses for those who never got one last year!” Kat said.
Kat Gilhardi Then at the MGWC Pageant, “My partner Errol Stroebel and I have also created the Ms Humanitarian title within MGWC with the help of pageant directors Barry Reid and Mark Donough”, Kat added, “it’s a title that we thought should exist within the pageant where the finalists are exposed to so many charity’s, soup kitchens and community building projects also having concern or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people. Our winner Ms Dayana Lima 2014 with 2 other past Ms Humanitarian title holders will take to the stage this year event as well and ask that every person who purchases a Divas One Night Only ticket please bring along a non-perishable food item ,toy or blanket which will be given to a charity of Dayana’s choice”. The show has become a high light to the Gay events Calendar and the Performers are given the respect and admiration they deserve for the production and talent they serve on stage. “We the Kat Gilardi’s Divas One Night Only team in conjunction with Ms Gay Western Cape Organisation ,thank each and every one for their support and love and as I always say- “Lots of Love as Love brings Change” she concluded. MC at the Divas Show is Irma G from Heart104fm
Tickets are on sale and available at Computicket in every Shoprite /Checkers, and the ticket allows you into the all so popular after party at West End at GrandWest Casino (attire Smart casual No sneakers,No under 18’s ). “Kat Gilardi’s Divas One Night Only” has become an event where our community comes out for an evening of entertainment , fun and production - Celebrating the talent we have in a show case like no other. This year the MC’s are back with the ever popular Nathan Kayser and Irma G who had the audience in stitches at last years “Divas One Night Only”. Mag 7
Farewell darrrrrling butterfly‌. An obituary for Dainti Delischia By John French Mag 8
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nyone who ever stood in her presence suddenly knew the meaning of ‘drag queen’. Dainti had presence. Lots of it. Charles Whiley, the gentle man who often got lost on the inside of her, sometimes called her his ‘delicious monster’, his alter ego, his contribution to the gay world. The much-loved and often feared Dainti always stood out in a crowd with her pantomime dame caricature drag style: huge billowing eyelashes, blue Plascon eyeshadow, Daisy the cow lips and, of course, her skyscraper wig (said to be held together by three terrified gay hairdressers clinging to scaffolding inside!) Dainti Delischia was a South African gay legend and the man on inside of her, Charles Whiley, was affectionately known as ‘Mother’ by his close gay friends. Ironically Charles passed away peacefully at much-loved Sea Point on 12th May soon after celebrating ‘Mother’s Day’ with a tea party thrown by some of his closest longstanding friends. ‘Mother’ was 78 at the time of her passing. Charles Whiley was born to a conservative family (his father was magistrate of Clanwilliam) back in 1936. He always talked about how difficult it was to be gay back in the early 20th century: the discrimination, fear, forced suppression and a very lonely lifestyle. He often mentioned that the youth of today don’t realise how lucky they are with the constitutional freedoms and support we enjoy today. Charles never grew up with any of that. Gay self-expression was illegal and not possible. Perhaps no wonder when he did come out the closet it turned out to be a glorious Broadway production. Growing up Charles always dreamed of being involved in the theatre. It was a dream he fulfilled thanks to theatre star and
impresario, the legendary Joan Brickhill. Charles worked for Joan and her husband Louis Burke as their stage manager, travelling all over South Africa and to what was then Rhodesia with several versions of The Follies. Joan’s flamboyant star quality must have brushed off on Charles, who himself was a flamboyant Leo. Charles credited well-known choreographer Carlo Spetto for convincing him to do drag. The aptly-named Dainti Delischia, diva of the drag world, was born to thunderous applause back in 1989 at The Million Dollar Golf banquet in Sun City’s Superbowl, where Dainti burst into the world leading the Mardi Gras conga into the banquet room. This immediate showbiz launch and success led to an invitation to perform the same function at the following year’s banquet. Unlike Frank Sinatra, Dainti appeared many times in the Superbowl at various corporate functions! Dainti would often quip during her shows: “When I started in this business I was a little snowflake. Now look at me … I’m the whole f**king avalanche!!” Charles remarked: “Suddenly I was popular … in fact I was the centre of attention where I went which also filled my theatrical ambitions and of course stroked my ego a bit.” Over the years her popularity grew and Dainti became a South African gay icon. She performed at a multitude of venues, made guest appearances at most Pride marches and became widely known
and respected as “the mother of South African drag”. To her chagrin she also became known as “the oldest drag queen in South Africa. Dainti often worked as an emcee and was known for her very dry and witty comebacks. Many will remember her famous one liners like “I wouldn’t harm a fly … unless it was open” and “More men have gone down on me than on the Titanic!” Dainti started her own cabaret shows with a tight-knit supporting cast (John French, Robert Ellwood and Fabrizio Magni), and their drag group was known as ‘Dainti Delischia and The Titbits’. Our fun drag act performed at so many fashionable venues like The Piano Bar, Banana Bar, The Balcony, Cool Runnings, Jargonelles Restaurant, and even the gay nudist resort, Voëlkop (in costume, of course!) Dainti also did solo shows at The Carousel, and performed at many private functions, and corporate functions hosted by The Health & Racquet Club, Pam Golding Estates and Nedcor amongst others. She performed and compered events in bars, restaurants and clubs from Hout Bay to Hoedspruit. Dainti twice hosted parties on the cruise liner Rhapsody, she was the official hostess at the opening of Johannesburg’s most glamourous gay bar, Oh!, where she also officiated for their first birthday. Both Dainti and her alter ego Charles Whiley appeared in landmark TV advertisements, the most famous being for Macarthy Call-a-Car, and the infamous Nando’s ‘tail gunner’ advert. Dainti appeared on the TV programme Front Row, she was on radio with Jeremy Mansfield, and was also interviewed by other stations and programmes, like In the Pink on Bush Radio, Cape Town. In July 2004, Dainti reached her zenith when she appeared in a special drag edition of the popular Weakest Link quiz show on SABC3.
Dainti was the recipient of the Grand Diva Award for 2002, and was for many years the official doyenne of the Pink Loerie Carnival in Knysna, and led the Parade through the streets of the town, sitting on the back of a convertible and entertaining the crowds. For the last nineteen years Dainti wrote a monthly column called ‘Dainti’s Disclosures’ in Exit, the nation’s LGBT newspaper and consequently became a gay household name across the nation. Ironically, Dainti wrote her last column for Exit in April this year, deciding to retire. It was a sign that the end was nigh. Charles Whiley died on Tuesday 12 May in Sea Point. He is survived by a brother and nephews in Canada, and a legendary significant other known to us only as ‘Beaulah’. His Facebook page has been flooded with messages from grieving friends and fans. Charles’ funeral was held at St Michael’s Anglican Church in Observatory. It was the most beautiful service. In his last Facebook posting, Charles wrote: “What do you know - NO Mist today. It’s going to be a great one.” On the day of his funeral, Cape Town was shrouded in the deepest saddest mist. RIP Mother Whiley … and to Dainti: cream doughnuts to you for an eternity! Mag 9
BEACHES & BRAZIL HAS
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o visit to Brazil is complete without sampling the delights of one of the world’s most famous and desirable destinations - Rio de Janeiro is an absolute must see destination. Vying with Cape Town as the most beautiful city, Rio is renowned for its sandy beaches, warm seas the Corcovado (Christ, The Redeemer Statue) which dominates the city skyline, the Sugar Loaf and seemingly endless eye-candy along the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beach fronts. Carnival time is the obvious time to be there but with the city having recently hosted the Football World Cup and is the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games, the city, which has always been a huge tourist destination is even more geared for visitors and with a number gay & lesbian bars and clubs and saunas your nights will be filled with revelry and more. Rio is a party town so brace yourself for late nights and lazy days Gay night-life in Rio starts late, very late. Do not expect the bars to fill up before midnight. But once the crowd is in and enjoying the caipirinhas or one of the local beers, the night begins. Most of the popular gay bars are situated in either Ipanema or Copacabana, though there is not a very specific gay area. As the taxis are dead cheap, so be sure not to walk from one bar to another. This is very important – I was mugged walking the 2 blocks from a local Ipanema gay bar to my hotel in the wee hours. Do not bring strangers into your hotel room. If you want to have sex with one of the local cuties, go to one of the sex hotels and rent a room for a couple of hours, but be vigilant and don’t carry cash with you. At around 2 am, the guys will move from
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BOYS IT ALL
For South African travellers Brazil is a great gay –friendly destination … the country was the first in the New World and Southern Hemisphere to legalize homosexuality and since May 2013, LGBT people have been able to marry. For more adventurous travellers wanting to experience a bit of nature, the Iguassu Falls on the border with Argentina are breathtaking. It’s a flight away so plan carefully. Other great destinations I am told are Recife, Salvador, Buzios and Florianopolis. For South African visitors the point of entry is Brazil’s s main economic hub, Sao Paulo, which is also the largest city in South America, and the third-largest city in the world.
the bar towards the clubs. Le Boy is still one of the popular choices on Copacabana, but new club The Week, down in Centro attracts the biggest crowds of cute and muscled guys. Le Boy also has a very popular, always packed gym for those muscleMary’s who need to keep in shape for the beach parade of hot muscle men and lads. Rio does not have a leather or other fetish scene... So if you’re up for a play, you need to go to one of the many gay bath houses and they are beyond fabulous, well as far as hot boys go… but be aware that most of the boys will want to be paid for sex so negotiate up front and have the time of your life. Check out the Galeria Cafe (Rua Teixeira de Melo, 31, Ipanema) – a small but crowded gay club with 2 bars, (best on Wednesdays and Thursdays!). Then for bear boys and their followers there’s La Cueva (Rua Miguel Lemos, 51, Copacabana).The bears cave of Rio, located in a basement - this is the oldest gay bar in Copacabana. For the T’s in LGBTI there’s Maxim’s at Av. Atlântica, 1850, Copacabana. It’s Rio’s original transvestite bar. We stayed in Ipanema where there are great cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs, and the very fashionable Leblon district is close by. It is not quite as commercial as the Copa and is also where the main gay beach is located. Here you can sip exotic cocktails, mixed on the beach, and once again the eye-candy alone is worth going to the beach for. The beaches in Ipanema - the boys go WOW!
Especially noteworthy for LGBTI travellers is the fact that São Paulo hosts the biggest gay pride celebration on the planet. The parade (which is called the Parada do Orgulho GLBT de São Paulo) last year attracted over 4 million revellers, and organisers predict at least the same number this year’s event. The parade is scheduled to take place on 7 June, so perhaps you’ll miss out this year’s, but when planning to be there for next year’s event be sure to check out www.paradasp.org.br for confirmed dates and details. Gay and lesbian tourism is big business in Brazil, and São Paulo is no exception. Embratur, the government tourism organization, which partnered with ABRAT-GLS, an LGBT organization, to promote the São Paulo pride event. Embratur also work with a gay tour operator, G Brazil, to bring international journalists to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Cabo Frio, and Búzios, with the goal of showing off what these destinations offer gay travellers. Clearly demonstrating that the Brazilian government wants our business. “For the future, we intend to create a GLBT bureau that will receive investments from the Ministry of Tourism and work to make the experience [for gay and lesbian visitors] in Brazil something they will never forget,” said Geraldo Bentes, marketing director at Embratur. In the meantime, ABRAT-GLS has introduced a gay guide to Brazil’s largest destinations on its website (www.abratgls.com.br). Other popular events for LGBT travellers include Mix Brazil (www.mixbrasil.org.br), a movie festival in November that features works dealing with sexual diversity; and São Paulo Fashion Week (www.spfw.com.br), which brings the nation’s hottest designers to the runways and shops of Brazil’s largest city. We stayed at a small hotel near Republic Square, which was quite centrally located, but taxis are not expensive so getting around the city is not too bankrupting. The area was a business area during the day but at night it came alive with bars and clubs and street café’s which partied on to the wee hours every night. Mag 11
Even if you can’t make it for one of São Paulo’s big events, don’t worry. Corporate travellers may be responsible for about half of the city’s visitors, but São Paulo offers plenty of leisure activities and attractions, including some 87 museums, 66 shopping malls, 12,500 restaurants, and plenty of nightlife. The upscale Jardins district is among the most popular neighbourhoods with the gay community and offers many dining and drinking options. Among the most gay-popular places is L’Open (Alameda Itu 1466. Tel: 11-3060-9013. www.lopen.com.br), an elegant, gay-owned Italian restaurant with a second-floor art gallery, and Ritz (Alameda Franca 1088. Tel: 11-3088-6808), a casual gay-owned restaurant that packs in diners for its tasty daily specials. Gay life is visible in many parts of São Paulo, including the city center and at giant dance clubs like The Week (Rua Guaicurus 324, Lapa. Tel: 11-3872-9966. www.theweek.com. br), where muscle-bound guys take to the dance floor. For a more alternative scene, check out A Loca (Rua Frei Caneca 916. Tel: 11-3159-8889. www.aloca.com.br), where gay men and women (and some hip straight people) dance and imbibe. Bubu Lounge (Rua dos Pinheiros, 791) is a big gay bar and club, with lounge, VIP room and dance floor. Especially popular on Friday with a young gay crowd. Perhaps the Perfect stop for those who are shopping at the glamorous and expensive Oscar Freire street is Oscar Cafe (Rua Oscar Freire, 727 - Jardim Paulista), a bistro/café, which is very trendy and popular with a chic “in crowd”. Other clubs and bars include Blue Space, (Rua Brigadeiro Galvão 723, Barra Funda) one of the largest gay nightclubs in São Paulo and located in a huge colonial blue house in an old industrial neighborhood. Cantho, which attracts older clientele, Danger Dance Club - a gay club at Centro, with drag shows and gogo boys. Flex Club a large fairly popular gay club. The Chilli Pepper Single Hotel at Largo do Arouche, 610 República, São Paulo is well worth a visit. This establishment is a 24/7 sauna with the added bonus of being a hotel. With 100 single rooms, 2 presidential suites and 2 comfort suites. It has pools and is perfect for cruising. Throughout the week this place features different theme nights for different types of clients. Lockers are available for those simply looking to cruise and are at an affordable price range varying depending on the day. Week days are less expensive, but it is affordable for the quality of the place. Single suites are not much more expensive than a simple locker and it should not be ignored by those trying to get lucky. It’s a nice place check it out! Various publications highlight the city’s weekly parties and activities, and hotel concierges are surprisingly well versed on the ins and outs of gay nightlife. You can also check out Junior (www.editorasapucaia.com.br), a glossy gay men’s lifestyle magazine in Portuguese with beautiful photography and art. Getting to São Paulo is easy with South African Airways flying there daily. Furthermore, and a HUGE plus for South African travellers is that visas are not required, which for other destinations can be a costly, frustrating and time-consuming exercise. If you are planning to visit other destinations in Brazil or South America then TAM (www.tamairlines.com) is the low-cost alternative to the national carrier. Brazil’s national carrier is Varig, which has flights to all the main cities in Brazil, the rest of South America and beyond.
Entrance to “the Playground” - R35
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Photographer: Simon Diener - SDR Photo
FROM FASTRACK Designs by ARNOLD PHASHA
MERCEDES BENZ
JOHANNESB Mag14 14 Mag
X&O
FROM FASTRACK Designs by SIVIWE JAMES
Z FASHION WEEK
BURG Mag 15 15 Mag
FROM FASTRACK Designs by MARTELLE LUDIK Mag 18 Mag 16
A STUNNING COLLECTION FROM FABIANI FEATURING TAILORED JACKETS, SCARVES AND KNITWEAR
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TEST DRIVE THE AUDI A3 CONVERTIBLE
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he 2015 Audi A3 convertible is the best example of a new, smaller and more fuel-efficient premium car that provides a similar level of quality, equipment and driving experience to its bigger, more elite siblings.
The all-new 2015 A3, aligns more closely with the definition of a luxury car, it comes with a fabric soft top instead of a folding metal roof and whilst it may not look as modern, the cloth top lowers quickly and takes up less space in the boot, which is a premium in a compact car. One of the few negatives in fact is the small boot space, but then in a soft top this is to be expected. The top folds down fully electronically in a matter of seconds and can be folded whilst the vehicle is moving - up to 50 kph. It also has a glass rear window and comes in black, brown and grey. Audi is famous for the interior styling and the A3 Convertible is no exception. Smooth lines and up-market leather comfort set the Audi A3 cab ahead of its rivals and with the pop-up infotainment system will turn you into your own private DJ as you pump-up the volume on the open road. The standard model is fitted with an 8 speaker passive system but is upgradable (at a price!) to a Bang & Olufsen speaker system turning the vehicle in to a sound mecca! The 4G wireless navigation system however is not standard but well worth the upgrade. Every A3 convertible includes that pop-up infotainment screen, but its display size depends on whether you opt for navigation. So, too, does the rotary controller. Without navigation Mag 18
assistance, it’s just a knob. With it, there is a pad on top that allows you to write letters with your finger when entering a destination. It’s cool and it works. The standard Premium trim levels comes with 17-inch wheels, automatic xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, automatic wipers, cruise control, a sunroof, an eight-way power driver seat (with four-way power lumbar), a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, leather upholstery, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, the MMI electronics interface and the 8-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite and HD radio, and an SD card slot. The Cold Weather package adds heated front seats, side mirrors and windshield washer nozzles. Those engines consist of two different punchy and efficient turbocharged petrol four-cylinders 1.4 or 1.8 TFSI six-speed gearbox, front wheel drive options. The wheels are cast aluminium alloy wheels, in a 10-spoke design giving the A3 Cab a decidedly sporty look. Fitted with Alcantara/leather combination sport seats in titanium grey, a black or-titanium grey dashboard and carpets to match the car is snug ,comfortable and very sexy. With safety as a primary concern, the Audi A3 convertible comes standard with antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front knee airbags, front side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and automatic seatbelt tightening and window closing (Audi PreSense) in the case of a potential frontal collision. Optional safety extras include a blind-spot warning system, a rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, and an automated parking system.
The ride is composed and comfortable, the cabin is quiet and the turbocharged engines provide a solid wallop of low-end power that provides confidence around town and on the freeway. Superb fuel economy helps as well. With an impeccably constructed interior, generous standard equipment, an ample options list, nimble handling and appealing engine the Audi A3 convertible is young, trendy and the ultimate accessory. Audi Claremont are running a promo at the moment in it where if you buy it in June (Winter) you only need to start paying for it in Spring (September). So make your appointment to test drive the Audi A3 Convertible and make your Summer the most stylish ever . Contact Yvette on (021) 65 7 7025 at Audi Claremont for the deal of a lifetime!
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CAPE TOWN’S STYLISH MEN’S HEALTH PRACTICE The Launch of the new men’s health practice, Gentlemen’s Health was held at their rooms at 29 Chiappini Street, Green Point on 1st April.
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n arrival, we were welcomed with a glass of champagne and caviar and ushered into the very stylish rooms of the new practice. The snacks and canapes were to die for! Everything was upmarket from the sofa’s in the reception area to the chic-ness of the consulting rooms decor was minimalist and modern ... The evenings proceedings were opened by Jason McArthur, a young entrperneurial medical student who is the face of the new practice. After the initial welcome Dr Kevin Rebe, from the Ivan Tom’s Centre for Men’s Health was asked to address the guests. Dr Rebe commented on the need for a facility catering specifically to the needs of men and gay men in particular. He noted that men generally don’t attend health services for a variety of reasons, - it’s not manly so rather suffer in silence and that they are in some cases often reactionary, not wanting or feeling comfortable talking about MI, sexual dysfunction or STI’s. So an upmarket clinic or facility such as Gentlemen’s Health, designed specifically for men in mind, can only be a positive development He noted that in the straight community HIV is often seen as a female disease with up to 66% of patients in care in the state sector being female. Furthermore, that whilst there are large initiatives from the Department of Health to include men (eg: Brothers for Life Campaign) there are few male-friendly clinics, so any initiatives to improve male health in an holistic fashion are welcomed. He further commented that the site of the practice was important as it is in Cape Town’s gay village where it will cater primarily to gay, bi-sexual and metro-sexual men and those who are more conscious of their bodies and how they look. After all one must look at the contributions gay men made to advances in the treatment of HIV globally as well as here in South Africa .In the initial years of HIV infection it was the Mag 20
gay community who were marginalised, experienced discrimination and bore the stigma of the “GAY” disease. This discrimination was experienced in both the state and private sectors. Gay men were the first to be infected by HIV and were also the first to volunteer in drug trials. And that much of the local knowledge of HIV is owed to the bravery and dedication these men participating in trials and the gay GP’s who treated them. He acknowledged the huge contributions that Prof. Frank Spraken and later Robyn Wood made in the treatment of HIV. In a rare example of state services leading the way Dr Rebe pointed out that both the doctors at Gentlemen’s Health trained at the Ivan Tom’s Centre for Men’s Health which is a project under the banner of the Anova Health Institute and is funded by USAID and PEPFAR. Dr Rebe acknowledged the significant importance of the Ivan Tom’s Centre commenting that to date it has provided care to over 8000 men. He said that Anova Health will be launching a project to train private practitioners in key population care, commenting that Gentlemen’s health is therefore ahead of the curve and could be a leader in the private sector. In closing he pointed out that we are not to be complacent as the medical profession is seeing and explosion in STI’s and HIV epidemics in young, vulnerable men and that the youth are not being targeted and greater effort will have to be made in their education in this regard. So do yourself a favour and visit this state-of-the-art , incredibly stylish facility specifically for you where you can not only get treatment and care for sexual health issues but they also have a wide range of services including general consultations, vaccinations, counseling and psychiatry, plastic surgery and cosmetics (such as Botox).
GAY, PROUD & COLOUR BLIND Tommy Patterson
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here was a lot of hype during the build up for Cape Town Pride this year about a group of protesters who claimed that they were going to run an “Alternative Pride” at the same time because, according to them, Cape Town Pride is not inclusive.
Members of this “alternative group” included Funeka Soldata and Zethu Matebeni (both of whom incidently were supposedly working with the legitimate Pride at this time). Triangle and Free Gender also participated with “Alternative Pride”even though they had been urged several times throughout the year to get more involved the real Cape Town Pride. At the end of the day the Cape Town GAY community turned out in their thousands to make 2015 Cape Town Pride a roaring success and certainly the most diverse in both racial, as well as gender terms, than I have ever seen before – I have added these pictures of the day for you to draw your own conclusions – Picture 1 is of the “Alternative Pride” (who actually marched with the rest of us!) ... I think someone should tell Funeka that her battle cry of BLACK LESBIANS, as emblazoned on her T shirt, hardly portrays an image of inclusiveness – wouldn’t “GAY, PROUD & COLOUR BLIND be more appropriate? It could be laughed off as a joke or a nuisance if it was not so destructive to our community – They have hogged airtime on TV and valuable column inches in the press proclaiming that Cape Town Pride is racist and non-inclusive - Cape Town Pride funded the third Khumbulani Pride in May in Khayelitsha and Funeka once again ran a parallel “alternative” pride and spread news throughout the area that the official Khumbulani Pride was not happening, even going so far as to hijack the Khumbulani Pride logo for her own ends and which was paid for by Cape Town Pride! – this resulted in many people missing another great community event. Personally, I am sick to the stomach of these racist, homophobic radicals who are trying to scuttle every community event that they don’t control, and I appeal to the LGBTIAQ community to stand up and show their disgust at their divisive and destructive antics. Our community has real problems to deal with, we have a major drug problem within the community; HIV AIDS is still rampant and many other issues affect our community regardless of colour or gender. Well done to the ‘GAY” community for a great “real” Cape Town Pride
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Magnus Hirschfeld The Einstein of Sex
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ighty years ago in May, one of the world’s greatest pioneering sexologists and gay rights advocates died in exile with little acclaim or mourning.
Dr Magnus Hirschfeld was a trail-blazing genius who advanced the understanding of human sexuality and the advocacy of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) human rights at a time when it was deeply unpopular to do so. That took courage - and determination.
1930’s sex researcher & LGBTI pioneer who defied the Nazis
His Scientific Humanitarian Committee, founded in Germany in 1897, pioneered the struggle for homosexual emancipation. During his childhood he developed a curiosity and fascination with sex. Against the conventions of his era and the moralism of his elders, even as a young boy he viewed sexuality as something entirely natural and wholesome. At medical school, he was traumatised by a lecture on ‘sexual degeneracy’, where a gay man - who had been incarcerated in an asylum for 30 years because of his homosexuality - was paraded naked before the students like a laboratory animal. Hirschfeld was the only student revolted by such mistreatment. All the others, even his best friend, viewed it as normal and justified. Further trauma ensued when, soon after setting up himself as a doctor in Berlin in 1893, he was waylaid outside his apartment at night by a soldier who was deeply disturbed by his homosexuality. Hirschfeld resisted the soldier’s pleading for a consultation there and then, telling him to come to his surgery the next day. Overnight, however, the soldier committed suicide. Hirschfeld’s terrible guilt and remorse motivated him to begin studying homosexuality and, eventually, to write a pamphlet calling for the decriminalisation of gay sex, which was then outlawed under Paragraph 175 of the German penal code. As his pro-gay reputation spread, more and more men who were unhappy with their homosexuality came to him as patients. Hirschfeld’s prescription? Lots of gay parties and plenty of boyfriends! One of Hirschfeld’s biggest problems was hostility from other gays and lesbians. They mostly accepted their second class legal status. Many did not like him rocking the boat. He was seen as a trouble-maker. They refused to co-operate with his sex surveys and law reform campaigns. Realising that his lone efforts were not enough, in 1897 Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee (SHC). Its strategy was to promote research and education on all sexual matters; in particular to debunk homophobic prejudice and to present a rational case for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Courtesy Peter Tatchell Foundation facts would discourage prejudice and promote acceptance. As well as his concern for the welfare of homosexuals, he was also a strong advocate of the rights of transgender people - again, decades ahead of his time. Good fortune shone on Hirschfeld when he was paid a fabulous sum to perform one of the world’s first gender reassignment operations. The payment enabled him to establish the Institute for Sexual Science (ISS) in 1919, which predated Dr Alfred Kinsey’s US sex research institute by nearly three decades. As well as its research role, the Institute promoted sex education, contraception, marriage guidance counselling, advice for gay and transgender people, the treatment and prevention of sexuallytransmitted diseases, gay law reform and women’s rights. It saw over 20,000 people a year. These were novel ideas at the time, and Hirschfeld’s fame and notoriety spread world-wide. When told that the American newspapers were hailing him as “the Einstein of sex”, he wittily replied that he would feel much happier if they called Einstein “the Hirschfeld of physics.” But his work bought him into conflict with the Nazis. They ranted against his “perversions” - attacking his public meetings and beating up him and his lover and assistant Karl Giese. While away in the US lecturing in 1933, Nazi stormtroopers attacked and ransacked the Institute for Sexual Science, destroying its priceless research archives. The vast library was burned in the great bonfire of “enemy books.” The Nazis also seized the Institute’s huge list of client’s names and addresses. These were used by the Gestapo to compile their notorious “pink lists”, which identified homosexuals and led to their arrest and deportation to the concentration camps.
Thanks to Hirschfeld’s tireless campaigns, in 1898 the German parliament debated the repeal of Paragraph 175. Leading the call for its abolition was August Bebel, head of the left-wing Social Democrats (Hirschfeld was also a prominent member of the SPD). Although defeated, the debate put homosexual equality onto the mainstream political agenda for the first time.
With the Nazis publicly denouncing Hirschfeld as one of the country’s leading “Jewish criminals,” friends advised him not to return to Germany. He went to the south of France instead, where he died suddenly of a stroke in 1935. His partner and fellow researcher and campaigner, Karl Giese, committed suicide in 1938, while on the run from the Nazis. Both died sad, lonely deaths; unbefitting their enormous humanitarian contributions.
To strengthen the rational, scientific case for law reform, Hirschfeld proceeded with his medical research into the causes and nature of homosexuality, in the hope that understanding the
It’s taken many decades for Hirschfeld’s life and work to be properly documented and for him to receive the social acclaim he so richly deserved.
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THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!! Hailing from Germany, Klaus Burkart was voted the winner of the Mr Gay World title Hi Klaus, what were your reasons for entering the Mr Gay World Competition? The first reason for entering the National Competition was peer pressure - a lot of my friends were always ttelling me to take part in something like that. The main reason to enter MGW was the will to really change something, the will to spread the message of equality and tolerance for diversity. This is your first visit to South Africa, what are your impressions of our country? The landscape of SA is absolutely amazing. In one moment you seem to be in the desert and half an hour later you are in the middle of a brightly green forest. The Tafelberg, the sea, when it comes to the landscape SA is absolutely beautiful. But when it comes to the people....the people are really nice and polite and always treated us really good...but we have also seen a lot of people living in poverty, in small cabins. For a Central European like me, that’s really shocking. Yes, we have poor people, but we don’t have those townships. On the other side we have seen and
met a lot of rich people. The social gap seems to be still big. What are the main benefits that you have taken from being a contestant on Mr Gay World? I took a lot of friendships, international impressions and a little Spanish knowledge out of the competition. And the perception that if we all work together towards equality, we really can move something. What plans do you have for the future? My plans for the future are: in first place I want to extend my #oneday campaign which is about teaching children from the 7-8th grade and above tolerance towards LGBTIQ -Community and tolerance towards diversity in general. Also I will visit as many Prides as possible, in first place to march for our rights and to confirm the local LGBTIQ-Communities and also to get a further impression about being gay in other countries. Pictured above are all the contestants who partcipated in the Mr Gay World competition Right: Klaus Burkart is announced this year’s winner of the Mr Gay World title
The Mr GAY WORLD competition was recently held at the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras in Knysna and OUT Africa Magazine was there to meet the winner and his two runners up ...
Vernondo Boshoff Photography
Mr Hong Kong Emmanuel Mass Luciano
2nd Runner Up - Mr Finland - Tomi Lappi What made you enter the Mr Gay Competition? I signed up for Mr Gay Finland with little to no vision about what and how i wanted to change. All I had was a fairly small international following, experience on stage, and a vague idea about that something had to be changed both within and outside of the LGBT community. And I’m leaving Mr Gay World 2015 with a clear vision to put my time and effort into causes that are close to my heart, and to start putting the spotlight to people who refuse to fit into boxes put out to us by either our society or community. When I struggled to fit into a box myself, I started to realize that the problem wasn’t me - but the fact that they existed in the first place. I’m also proud to say that preparing for the competition i didn’t feel the need to change my body type (even though I caught myself stressing about this more than a couple of times), my behavior or type of humor because I felt like that was expected of me. As the final result says - I was good enough and worthy of respect and love just the way I was. What was your impression of South Africa? My time in South Africa was a very pleasant experience, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the country, it’s nature, it’s rich culture and history and first and foremost it’s people. I felt welcome and was greeted with smiles and support throughout the experience and couldn’t have asked for anything more. Both Cape Town and Knysna made a great impression on me and I can’t wait for my travels to take me back to South Africa again.
1st Runner Up - Mr Hong Kong - Emmanuel Mass Luciano What made you enter the Mr Gay Competition? I entered the Mr. Gay Hong Kong 2015 competition because I feel that it’s important to participate in events that elevate the LGBT community in Hong Kong and hopefully encourage others to do the same. What was your impression of South Africa? South Africa is a stunning country with beautiful people. I was moved by how the people of South Africa overcame repression and is now one of the most progressive countries in the world regarding gay rights. What will you take away from the experience? I had such a wonderful time meeting all the delegates from around the world and getting to know their stories and platforms. We are all very different and came together to celebrate diversity while raising awareness for issues affecting our LGBT community. I now have 20 new friends around the globe and the memories we shared will bind us together for a lifetime.
What will you take away from the experience?: I left the experience with a new found confidence and a strong belief in the fact that what I’m doing is something good and valued and appreciated by others. I also made a friends that will last a lifetime and especially the judges and the fellow delegates gave me the tools to perceive myself as someone much better of a person than i gave myself credit for. What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future is to travel the world with a clothing brand by Finnish designer Antti Asplund called ‘Heterophobia’ and to fight for equality and LGBTI rights by making a positive impression to the people I meet along the way. On the side I’m also looking forward to spending some time with my family, meeting the friends again that I’ve made and I’m joining forces with some of the fellow delegates to pursue an online campaign to highlight influential people who are breaking the norms of society and raise money to make a difference for especially young members of the LGBTI community who are struggling and thereby make a valuable difference in their quality of life globally.
What are your plans for the future? As Mr. Gay Hong Kong 2015, I will continue to be a Red Ribbon Ambassador for AIDS Concern and stress the importance of getting tested for HIV. There has been an alarming increase of new HIV infections in Hong Kong and people need to know their status. I’m also working on a new global initiative to provide shelter for gay homeless teens. We all need to do our part to make sure the future of our LGBT community is protected, especially when parents fail their kids. Mag 26
Mr Finland - Tomi Lappi
Solidarity’s Night OUT
darity’s Night OUT” as Miss Gay Western Cape in 2014. The idea was to establish a platform for dialogue around matters concerning marginalised groups such as the LGTBIAQ community. The event also serves as a fund raiser and the money raised go to a selected community engagement project of Miss Gay Western Cape. This year, 2015, the funds will go to projects for young LGTBIAQ identified people in the Darling community. The topic of the 2015 dialogue was “Marginalised communities: the telling of our stories”. The dialogue focused on how and who are behind the story telling of marginalised people and communities in the media such as documentaries, newspapers, television, film and other research material. The underlying question was who could legitimately tell the story of the oppressed? The documentary “Coloured” directed and produced by Dr Siona O’Connell about pageants as Cape Town traditions was shown. Afterwards a discussion ensued about the presentation and stories of the marginalised bodies among them factory workers and Drag Queens between her and Mary Hames. The audience took part and shared their opinions in a lively discussion.
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s a gay activist I am deeply concerned with challenging oppressions in whatever form they come. I bet it would have been much easier for me to applaud white supremacy, male dominance, and heteronormativity and engaged in a politic of able-bodiedness and cultures, religions and belief systems that by their nature continue to “Other”. However, I look at the world through a total different lens. I am deeply aware and understand the plight and realities of marginalised people and communities and I take responsibility in my role as Miss Gay Western Cape to advocate for the liberation of LGBTIAQ people, black women, poor people, working class people and persons living with disabilities. I am acutely aware that I cannot be their ‘voice’ and that every single individual and group experience unique oppressions but I deem it necessary to stand side by side with their particular struggles and support them fully in their efforts for liberation. And it is with this in mind that I have started “Solidarity’s Night OUT” so that marginalised individuals and groups can speak about their oppressions and inform about their efforts to break the chain of victimisation and claim their victories.
I am determined to grow this platform and I hope to see you at the next “Solidarity’s Night OUT”. I promise more fun, serious engagement, deeper connections and a mapping of the path on which we are embarking in total solidarity . Aluta Continua Liberty Banks (aka Glenton Matthyse)
Girl group Jazaryn wows the audience
“Solidarity’s Night OUT” is essentially about transformation for all and how we can build bridges, networks and ultimately solidarity. For me, this is not a ‘talk shop’ but a working night to break down the artificial barriers between people and groups so that we can come up with a common solution to the continued oppressions and unnecessary hate and prejudice. Because I am still experiencing oppression and discrimination 20 years into democracy I challenge the status quo in my own way. I therefore initiated the Community Builder event, “SoliMag 27
SCENE OUT
GAY PRIDE CAPE TOWN
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Photo’s - courtesy of David Lee
PINK LOURIE MARDI GRAS
Photo’s - courtesy of Matthew van As Mag 29
MR GAY WORLD
Photos: Vernondo Boshoff Photography
HEAVENLY HOUSE PARTY
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KHUMBULANI PRIDE
Photo’s - courtesy of David Lee Mag 31
ARK LGBTIQ COMMUNES IN KENYA
Father Anthony Musaala
Father Anthony Musaala, who has contributed to the last two issues of OUT Africa Magazine is the initiator of ARK communes in Kenya. He began the first counseling and support outreach to LGBTIQ persons in Kampala Uganda in 1999, but was ‘outed ’ in the Uganda press and suppressed by the church for defending their rights. In 2013 he wrote a controversial article questioning priestly celibacy, especially in Africa, and detailing the plight of numerous priests’ children who were abandoned by them. He was subsequently suspended from all duties by the catholic church. He founded an NGO for refugees in Uganda in 2001, and now works specifically with LGBTIQ refugees in Kenya Who we are We are self-help initiative of displaced lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersex and other stigmatized persons (LGBTIQs) from various countries, who live in Kenya in communes, awaiting resettlement to other countries.
Those who have been neglected or traumatized by family, relatives, friends and workmates are given an orientation to a new life by living in a community of like-minded persons, which offers counseling, support and provides basic skills, or an education, which will help them eventually settle in new countries.
Most of us are from neighbouring Uganda, which has seen a large exodus of LGBTIQs, since last February 2014 following anti-gay legislation. Although the legislation itself was later repealed by the constitutional court, the attitudes of families and communities remains increasingly hostile towards sexual minorities, which is prompting a gay ‘’exodus’’ to Kenya.
The communes provide
Why Ark communes?
c) a peaceful environment conducive for counseling, education and training,
In February 2015 the founders of Ark communes realised that a big number of mostly young LGBTI asylum seekers in Kenya, were struggling to survive and to integrate in to Kenyan society, but were also being harassed by the public or arrested by the police. The communes were then piloted for security and selfhelp, due to the limited services provided by UNHCR and its partner HIAS, Kenya, which also has to cater for hundreds of thousands of other refugees.
What is an Ark commune? An Ark commune is a dedicated shared life in a communal house, which supports and accompanies LGBTIQ asylum seekers in their quest for human rights. The commune is a ‘safe heaven’ where we can freely live while in the process of asylum seeking. An Ark Commune tends to begin with a small number of individuals living by agreement under the same roof or in the same area, with their own rules and leaders and projects, and going through the programmes that have been designed for the period of asylum seeking. Mag 32
a) enhanced protection of LGBTIQs from attacks, arrests or injury. b) good physical and mental health; the well-being of each one
d) initiatives for business, income generation, livelihoods e) awareness of equality, justice and freedom from discrimination for its members and all marginalized persons d) advocacy for speedy resettlement of its members to safer places. The Ark Commune favours a voluntary, communal, self-help approach, in all its activities where each person is welcomed, recognized, valued, empowered and involved in decisions about their own destiny, and is ready to be useful to others.
Our core values 1.Solidarity –Solidarity is an expression of the practical love which we are building for one another as strangers in a foreign land. Solidarity redeems us from the loneliness and alienation we face as refugees. We protect and care for each other, as brothers and sisters.Our vulnerability underscores our need for love, understanding, acceptance, support and belonging.
2.Service – We espouse ‘service above self’, where each person’s voluntary service is freely offered and received because it is useful to one and to all. Voluntary service is the ‘capital investment’ which creates the ‘wealth’ of a more equitable society. 3.Sharing – Each person offers what they can, financially or otherwise, to create a ‘common-wealth’ in the midst of poverty and lack. Those who have more, give more freely, and those who have less receive more accordingly, not because they are owed but because they are loved, and so they may also receive with no loss of dignity. 4.Confidentiality – We judge between what is public and private. We respect boundaries and keep confidences. We are sensitive to the local culture.We do not speak or behave in any manner which would compromise our own or others’ personal security. 5.Non-discrimination – Ark communes practice fair treatment to all LGBTIQ asylum seekers despite their country of origin or status. Ark communes espouse and are guided by advocates for human rights and the principles of empowerment, non-discrimination and participation, and they express application of the international legal human rights frameworks.
Where we are We are in Kenya in two communal houses outside Nairobi. We wish to set up communes in Uganda where there is a need due to internal displacement, and later in other African states.
Why partner with us Considerable numbers of arrivals of displaced LGBTIs from different parts of Africa are streaming into Kenya. Much technical and financial assistance is needed to effectively assist adjustment to a new life for so many persons. The basic needs of food and safe shelter, and other humanitarian needs must be met promptly. Ark communes are on site and are able to properly assess needs, and to provide direct assistance to migrant sexual minorities.
individuals and organizations, may be unaware of the numbers of LGBTIQ refugees worldwide, and what they face. In Kenya they are approaching 500. The insecurities, persecutions and dangers faced by thousands of LGBTIQs in different parts of the world, where sexual minorities still have no rights is still very real. LGBTIQ refugees are often unable to live in refugee camps, or other public accomodation due to discrimination and prejudice. . Thus LGBTIQ refugees face a ‘’double discrimination and alienation’’; from their own countries of origin and in host countries where they seek asylum. We wish to begin by increasing awareness of of this phenomenon and by eliciting solidarity with their cause. We at Ark Communes also have practical needs. We are at the infancy stage and are in immediate need of various kinds of assistance for our safer houses .We have two communal houses with 35 members and another ten living close by. 1. You can help us set up our organization’s systems and programmes. We need legal and technical assistance of all kinds. 2. You can visit our communes in Kenya for a period of time, in order to get to know how we work and get to know individuals who you may eventually wish to support in a more personal way (adopt-a- friend) on a short or long term basis during their asylum. 3. You can provide or fund household and office equipment for the two rented communal houses. Some forty beds and mattresses, chairs and tables, curtains, kitchen utensils, gardening equipment, media equipment, office chairs and tables, computers are needed. For this we need about 6000 GB pounds. 4. You can fund one month or several months rent, utilities and food for each house at 500 GB pounds per month. That will care for 35-40 refugees per month. 5. You can make a one off donation of any amount or commit to a monthly donation of any amount. 6.
Migrant LGBTIQs also face culture-shock and language barrier, since many do not speak English or Swahili. In addition to this there are the harassments from the general public, evictions by landlords, and ‘on-spec’ arrests by security forces. There is also a constant threat of forced relocation to refugee camps in Kenya which remain insecure places of domicile for sexual minorities. Ark communes give migrant LGBTIQs an alternative secure, friendly space and community, where migrants can have a “softer landing” and so avoid the many pitfalls of those who arrive but who are on their own. Ark Communes are uniquely placed to provide a variety of relevant services and responses to diverse issues facing migrant LGBTIs, because their programmes are chosen and run by themselves. Members assist one another with precise information, appropriate support and financial help because they themselves have been through the same processes.
What can I do at Ark communes? Become aware. We realize that local and international LGBTIQ
You can fundraise among friends on our behalf
7. You can contribute towards ‘buying an ARK house’. We believe that due to security concerns we must own our own secure large house (9 rooms), which has already been identified near Nairobi, Kenya costing in the range of 90,000 US dollars... 8. You can join ‘Friends of the Ark’ and fellowship with us online, or call us directly on +254716740749. Urgent donations can initially be made through a sterling account in the UK, since Ark is not able to have its own account in Kenya just yet, and the needs are great. BARCLAYS BANK, A.P. V. MUSAALA a/c 33624668 SORT CODE 20-62-69 UK Contacts: +254716740749 arkcommunes@gmail.com Mag 33
THE BUZZ EX-MR GAY WESTERN CAPE LAUNCHES COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
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rrol Stroebel was the first Mr Gay Cape Town. Since then he has appeared in the local papers on a number of occasions being an ambassador for the Cape Town gay community. He has fought for gay rights in the media and has on one occasion rendered aid to a young Muslim man who was attacked in Mitchell’s plain because of his sexuality. As a prominent person in the “coloured” community he feels that there is a need for someone to fight for them and I has made himself available to do so. He said in a recent discussion that his heart is with the community. Having spent the last 12 years in the hospitality industry he has a passion for people.
He said, “I came onto the gay scene in 2010 when I was a finalist for Mr Gay South Africa competition and together with Kat [Gilhardi] have been called the “posh and becks” of the Cape Flats.” Since he posted his underwear pics on facebook he has built up a huge following and is currently working on a “I am Gay”campaign to promote awareness, acceptability and tolerance for gay men in the community. Furthermore, Errol added “with all that’s happening in our country, around us, gangsterism, xenophbia, homophobia, it affects us whether we gay or straight. I’m starting this campaign is let us stand together as “one”. I also want those who are too afraid to come out of the closet, that’s its ok to be gay. Stand tall and be proud of who and what you are! There are so many teen suicides, too afraid to come out. I’m here, we here, as a community to stand together.” Anyone wishing to join him in this campaign is encouraged to contact him on stroebelicious2@gmail.com or join his Facebook page. The 4th Annual Mr Gay Cape Town will be held at Hanover Street @ Grand West Casino on 9 Aug (on Womans Day). Referring to the competition, Errol announced that, “As the first ever Mr Gay Cape Town, I managed to get PUMP! Underwear from USA to sponsor the event. After numerous emails, they had agreed to sponsor, which is very exciting. I am currently looking for more sponsors and I am proud that I am still associated with the title.”
TRAVELLING GAY PARTY
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our Le Gay headed by Chantal Isaacs is in the business of planning gay tours - Their mission is “To provide memorable tours, that are affordable and reliable, safe and that satisfy the needs of their clients and always exceeding their expectations and to build a stronger LGBTIQA community whilst going on tour.” This is a great initiative and one which the local community as well as visitors to the Cape are sure to embrace. The next tour is from the 2nd - 4th August, which is a weekend away to Mossel Bay. At R800 per person which includes transport and bed & breakfast accommodation with a glass of champers on arrival it looks like it could be huge fun. Contact Tour Le Gay at tourlegay@gmail.com or tel: 074 782 6557 / 082 294 0338 for more info Mag 34
CONGRATULATIONS MS SA LEATHER 2015!!!
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he International Ms Leather competition was held in San Jose, California from the 9 - 12th April and represnting South Africa was contestant No: 7 Selogadi Mampane. There were 9 conestants in total and Selogadi walked away with the runner-up title - coming second in the competition. Selogadi, I’m sure all our readers join us in saying well done and congratulations on being a great ambassador not only for South Africa but for the entire LGBTI community. The next leather event where we were represented was the International Mr Leather event in Chicago in Mayt. Representing South Africa is the current Mr SA Leather title-holder, Herman who was placed 15th.
MORTIMER VAN DER WESTHUIZEN EMBARKS ON A RECORDING CAREER
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TOYA DELAZY FIGHTS HAVE HER ALBUM FOR RELEASED FOR FREE
ortimer Van Der Westhuizen is a local lad who is embarking on a recording career. We met Mortimer and asked him about his new venture...
After winning Mr Mardi Gras 2014, Mr Gay Cape Town 2014 and coming 2nd in the Mr Gay South Africa 2015, I am more motivated than I ever have been before. I started working on my album in 2012 and stopped when I came out as gay as I thought that I would never be able to make it as a Gay musician in South Africa. I am now back in the studio and have just finished my first single which is to be released by the end of June 2015. I have already started working on my second single which will be released soon after. At the end of the day, I am an artist, who happens to be gay, loves the colour red and enjoys carpentry, lol. Being gay should not make a difference, it’s just one of the many aspects that makes me who I am. We agree and wish Mortimer all the best for the future in his career. Look out for the release of the new single and give him all your support!
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So let’s break the system, let’s show them how much cash they are losing by not stocking up enough Ascension albums,” said the gorgeous Toya Delazy, one of the country’s most visible openly LGBT recording artists, when trying to get her latest album to made available to download for free. She recently posted on Facebook that her fans were unable to find her 2015 SAMA (South African Music Award) nominated album Ascension in stores and of course she wanted them to hear it. So she posted a link to SoundCloud where fans could listen to the new album for free. Her record label objected and pressured SoundCloud remove it, threatening them with copyright issues. Toya stated that her music is about empowerment, love, desire, believing, dreaming – it ain’t about f*cking money.” Feeling betrayed by her record label, the artist has promised that she will fight to make the album available for her fans. “Now you can’t listen to my music and you can’t buy it in stores, I think that this is just going to lead to piracy, which we can’t even monitor. I won’t even mention the solution they suggested, because it’s just comical and insulting to my craft. It’s difficult to work with peeps that are using methodologies of the 90′s in 2015, everything has changed, especially the way we get music,” she argued. You go girl ... we at OUT are behind you! Mag 35
BOULDERS FOR SHOULDERS
In past issues we have looked at getting rock hard abs, building an impress that awesome “V” shape that turns heads you need to build big shoulders ... people know that you’re in shape and strong without having to say a word.
In this article we bring you a few exercises that will make your shoulders so
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t is important that you exercise all the muscles groups that form shoulders to balance them out. In this article we will perform barbell shrugs to develop your traps, then a balanced dumbbell raise attack that will keep your lats, a delicate muscle group, evenly developed and help protect your shoulders when you bench-press, and then the military press as the finishing move.
no rest, for 10 - 15 reps each. Stay on the lighter side with your dumbbell selection, and trying to keep only a minimal bend in your elbows.
Shrugs work best for most guys as a high-volume, massbuilding exercise. Grab a set of dumb bells or bar bells (or even a the bar with a weight on either end), hold them at your sides and raise the shoulders straight up, and work these for three or four sets of at least 20 reps, holding the top position for at least a second on each rep. Be careful not to roll your shoulders. Rear/Side/Front Delt Raise: Super set these moves three times. This means performing them one after the other, with Mag 36
Source: Muscle & Fitness
sive chest, how to have the best bubble butt and so on, but to give your body . a set of powerful explosive shoulders frames your entire physique and lets .
omething to be reckoned with ... Military Press: Stay conservative with the amount of weight you use and focus on using your shoulders—not your legs—to raise the bar. This exercise can be performed standing or sitting. At the top of the lift, the bar should be locked out above your head and slightly behind it. Perform four sets of 8 - 10 reps.
It is important to warm up your shoulder muscles before you start. Perform 1 set of 8 reps for each exercise in each superset with 75% of the weight you will use in your first “real set.”
Remember to rest your shoulders for 48 hours before repeating these exercises to avoid any injuries and to work on other areas so that you achieve a balanced toned physique. Mag 37
THERE IS SOMEONE IN OUR CORNER
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am a 48-year-old gay male (not flamboyant) who recently contracted the hepatitis B virus. This is my story.
It all started late last year when out of the blue I felt very bloated, a feeling I was not accustomed to. This was replaced by on/off nausea and feeling tired. I thought it would pass but when it didn’t, I started to worry. The colour of my urine changed to a dark yellow and my stools to a clay colour instead of the “healthy brown”. A month after the symptoms began I went to the “family” doctor (as in real family) who thought it was a stomach issue and prescribed something for that. But things didn’t change, so after 2 weeks I went back. This time he took blood which indicated a high “bilirubin” count with the blood and submitted it for further testing as I had now become jaundiced (due to the liver being inflamed) - which is when the white of the eyes become yellow. When the doctor called me in for the test results he told me that I tested positive for hepatitis B. I was a bit shocked, wasn’t sure what it was, was not told what to do and what not to do, except that I should see a physician. He also implied it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. That was it! He may have mentioned something about “advising a sexual partner” but the briefness of the conversation hardly allowed me time to catch my breath. I went to the physician and his demeanour was also a bit evasive albeit a touch friendlier (they charge much more than a regular doctor ) and he asked me more questions than I asked him. He asked me “how I got it?” (I didn’t know). He advised me to stop drinking alcohol and said that I was highly contagious which meant that any sexual fluid transfer between myself and a sexual partner would pass the virus on to him (the sex partner, not the physician… lol). He thought that mild exercise was ok and said to return 2 to 3 months later by which time things should have sorted themselves out with a small likelihood of a liver biopsy if the problem didn’t go away. I was pleased that the outcome seemed to be time related but I still felt uninformed and unable to connect with the doctors, especially being a gay man talking to a heterosexual doctor about my sexual health issue. This led me to the Ivan Toms Center for Men’s Health in Woodstock (a Health4Men clinic of excellence), which I now know is very much there for gay men to discuss their sexual health issues with open-minded and gay doctors. There my fears were laid to rest and the interactions with the doctors were pleasant, totally open and nothing seemed taboo or unmentionable. It didn’t change the fact that I had this virus, but I finally felt I had people who could help me beat this, whatever this was. I started going to Health4Men’s clinic for regular blood tests (all consultations and blood tests are free) as they monitored my progress. My nausea was slightly reduced but then I started Mag 38
developing itchiness with the tired feeling persisting. I had slowed down, was hardly going out, living without booze (not that I’m a lush) and felt that it would not be fair to expose any sexual partner to what I had. However, my enzymes were too high and not reducing sufficiently. When the liver is injured, enzymes vital for proper liver function, spill over into the bloodstream and are detected in routine blood tests. I’m not being smart because you’ll find it all on Google (Google isn’t just there for good porn you know). The clinic advised me to “slow down” and although the symptoms were easing, the news from the blood tests was still not great. However, the consultations were positive, interactive and my progress was monitored with a genuine interest shown in seeing this through. Over more time however, my body was not clearing the virus. Hepatitis B often remains undetected and clears up without any treatment. You may even have the virus, not know you have it, suffer no symptoms and clear it. On the other hand, the above can happen but you clear it resulting in one infecting someone else with possible liver problems later in life. So rather “know your status”! In the interim, my case was being discussed with the UCT liver institute, liaising on how to best move forward. They said that I needed a liver biopsy to determine the intervention which was now a must. The minor op confirmed an “unhappy” liver and a very high “viral load” and thus, how to be treated. This load (lol) just means that there are “tons” of unhealthy (infected) liver cells that need to be disposed of. I’m now taking a tablet which should bring the enzymes back to normal levels and clear the infected cells. If it works, I’ll no longer be a carrier of the virus as it should be suppressed and might take 3 – 5 months. I may have to take the tablet “for life” but that is no more like brushing your teeth every day. I’ll return to the clinic periodically for blood tests to check that the tablets are doing their thing and other monitoring. I’ve now got “high iron levels in my blood” (they’ll have to drain some blood) and the kidneys are being checked closely as well. I’m not embarrassed by what I’ve got and I’m aware future sexual partners might have a problem with having sex with “a once infected person” (if that may be discussed). I simply want to get better, be able to exercise, consume alcohol (perhaps moderately) and have sex. I must have got it from someone who was probably unaware that they had it. I encourage you to get tested and use the clinic facilities for which you will not be charged. Enquire at the clinic if you have concerns about having any funding and do your best to stay positive. You’ll probably find more support than you think but know that there are people and organisations out there that want to and will help you. This article was written by a contributing writer for Health4Men. Health4Men is a project of the Anova Health Institute NPC, funded by USAID through PEPFAR. This article represents the contributing writer’s personal views.
JUNE diary Tuesday 2nd Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 5th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 12th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Monday 15th Youth Day Party – Free entrance for teens · Friday 19th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 26th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund JULY diary Thursday 2nd Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 3rd Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 10th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 17th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 24th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Friday 31st Blue Moon Party – Bonk till you turn blue AUGUST diary Friday 7th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Sunday 9th Women’s Day Party – Come take it like a woman · Friday 14th · Friday 14th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 21st Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 28th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Saturday 29th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine Also, Mondays: Daddies & Toy Boys - R30 entrance between 6 & 9 for under 20s and over 50s Thursdays: Student Night. Free entrance 6-9, R30 thereafter with student card. We have enough heaters to make you sweat right through Winter
REJECTION - DON’T TAKE IT LYING DOWN Are you setting yourself up for a failed relationship?
also other ways you may subconsciously be prepping yourself to be taken out with the trash.
t’s those thighs, and the shorts they wear! I would always find some straight rugby-type to fixate on, because then I could safely pre-empt being rejected. I already knew that Mr. Rugby-dude couldn’t possibly fall for me, so it was a safe choice because, although the story had a shit ending; at least I knew what the end of the story would be. I figured that predictable pain would be easier to prepare for, and at least I’d have some control.
For example: children of addicts (workaholics/alcoholics/ drugs) often find themselves being magnetised by men/women who are also addicts, or similarly narcissistic or unavailable, thereby setting themselves up for the same sort of rejection all over again, recreating a similar state of disease. They might then eventually break-up with the guy or gal, to relieve the pain of this reenacted rejection.
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But then it dawned on me that I’m not on this planet to be in control. If everything in my story worked out as I planned and ended up being “safe”, then my life would be kak boring. Sometimes you need to shake things up a bit because after a while, reoccurring rejection vibes begin to get as stale as a cheese curl in a gym bag. I chatted to clinical psychologist Antony Tarboton about it. As a specialist in relationship-therapy for over twenty years, it seemed a “no-brainer” to ask him why gay men set themselves up for rejection so often. His official “psych-speak” response was as follows: “It’s mostly an unconscious repetition compulsion, to prove to oneself their own unlovability, invisibility or rejection, due to an unresolved childhood dynamic; this dynamic often being caused by one, or both parents, or another figure of authority.” I blinked and then said: “Okay…” Antony kindly then went on to break it down for me in “gay man” terms, and this is how I interpreted it: As kids, we can somehow be lead to believe unconsciously that we are unlovable, shamed or even invisible. Others might make us believe this, or we may convince ourselves of this, but when we get this idea into our heads, we then spend the rest of our lives consciously or subconsciously “googling” why we might be unlovable and invisible, so we can try to hide these facts from everyone else. Being gay exposes many kids to feelings of exclusion, otherness and some experiences of fear of rejection - if not rejection itself. As a kid I got slapped around on suspicion of being gay. Many of us then go on to grow up, hit the gym, earn money, pluck those eyebrows, botox that brow, and achieve, achieve, achieve! But we still constantly find ourselves in this spiraling drain of rejection. Either he’s not good enough - or we aren’t. We gather evidence like Mrs. Marples, to prove just how unlovable we are. So how do you break the cycle? How do you stop finding yourself in the reject bin? Antony suggests stepping out of your comfort zone. It goes without saying that you will continue to know rejection if you hide your vulnerability and keep going for guys for the wrong reasons: because they are hot, or rich or popular. But there are Mag 40
Antony recommends getting to know yourself better to avoid this pattern, seeing yourself objectively enough to be able to detect your patterns of behavior. That way, you can decide if you are setting yourself up with someone who might be good for you in the end, or not. You may subconsciously find someone attractive, because they ARE bad for you, and WILL cause you pain. It’s a scary thought. I don’t know about you, but I can already think of a few guys that I’ve had a “thing” for, and by not getting involved with, ended up dodging a bullet. (In fact, I can think of one case, where I wasn’t able to dodge the bullet at all.) Attraction, although important, should not be the leading factor. Finding the “bad boy”, hot, doesn’t mean you should try to date him. Hooking-up with him would probably be incredibly exciting, but that cute guy who treats you well, respects you and has your best interests at heart, will probably stick around, and bring you a lot more joy in the long-run. It’s not dropping your standards at all; it’s consciously raising them, providing you with stability and the ability to focus your energy on other stuff, like your career and family, rather than why you’re not good enough for “bad boy”. Remember, “bad boy” won’t always be pretty, and sadly, neither will any of us. Conscious decisions to make healthier choices can have a ripple effect on so many things, like your health and state of mind. It seems so basic, so obvious, and yet so many of us are just not getting it right. When we feel unlovable and invisible, it makes sense that our behavior might become more reckless, and we would be likely to do things that are not in our best interests (and I’m not just talking about wearing undersized skinny jeans and growing a cheap peroxided “man bun”); things like substance abuse, promiscuity and having unprotected sex with strangers. We are also more primed for depression and lack compassion for others. Iif we lack compassion for ourselves, and more inclined to treat others and ourselves in ways that reinforce the “unlovable” myth. It all boils down to the choices we make, so maybe we should try to make them consciously. Bruce J. Little is a contributing writer for Health4Men. Health4Men is a project of the Anova Health Institute NPC, funded by USAID through PEPFAR. This article represents the contributing writer’s personal views.
MUSIC MOVES
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nnie Lennox is so much a part of the music scene that it’s amazing to discover that Nostalgia is only her sixth solo album, her first came out in 1992. Comprised mostly of blues and jazz standards Nostalgia is obviously just that for Lennox, a group of songs that clearly mean something to her past. Sometimes these kind of projects can get a little indulgent but if you can, why not! The album starts beautifully with a lush and tender version of Nina Simone’s Memphis in June. The track is short and sweet with hints of Van Morrison’s Someone Like You and Lennox’s voice is in fine form. This however is not the case when she tries a meandering version of Georgia on My Mind with a dated electric organ tune Then follows the two-standards I Put a Spell On You’ and Summertime. I think she does a great job with I Put A Spell on You and adding in a cheeky guitar solo the song does it for me. Lennox clearly relishes the opportunity to sing Summertime and produces a superb version of the Porgy & Bess classic.. It’s languid and hazy as it should be and stands out as one of the strongest version I’ve heard in a while. I Cover the Waterfront has a jazz inflection originally made famous by the great Billie Holiday it is a charming number, perfect for those evenings around the dinner table with the family with a glass of wine. There are three Billie Holiday numbers on the album. Strange Fruit, one of the greatest and angriest songs ever written. Is treated with reverence and the slightly more cheerful rendition of ‘God Bless the Child’, with it’s church-organ and string heavy chorus makes for a great version. You Belong To Me, a pop-standard
from the 1950s is easy on the ear with an orchestra backing with a piano and harmonica which is unusual. The songs September in the Rain, I Can Dream, Can’t I? and The Nearness of You all seem to blend in to one another. Ms Lennox sings them in a jazz lounge fashion and they are all led with an easy listening piano. The final song on the album Mood Indigo, turns the Duke Ellington classic into a funeral march. With bombastic trumpets, drums and piano. It’s the only time on the album Lennox seems to let herself go a bit and get in the swing of things rather singing as though she might get shouted at if she puts a note wrong. ‘Nostalgia’ is exactly what you probably think it is. Very pleasant. A collection of
some lovely versions of songs you may know and love – all in all it is a great easy-listening album that won’t appeal to everyone and may even disappoint some Annie Lennox die-hards, but that amazing voice shines through on every number. As a gay icon, having performed with the Eurythmics, it’s going to be difficult for anyone to knock Annie off her gay pedestal. I can see drag performers lipsyncing to some of these torch-songs to rapturous applause. Whether this album will have the same effect on the general radio listener is doubtful. Its a niche album - I love it! It’s a brave person that covers classic numbers by iconic performers there are always going to be detractors. Like when Kylie did Over The Rainbow, Garland die-hards cringed but it was good. This album is like that.
My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long that I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short! - Armistead Maupin Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. - Dr. Seuss Mag 41
OUT TO LUNCH MEXICAN FLAVOURS By Rob Simpson
FRIDA’S COFFEE BAR 14 Draper Road Albermarle 063 122 8841 fridascoffeebar@gmail.com
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nspired by the Mexican artist “Frida Kahlo” this very bold and exciting coffee bar was born. Owned by two sisters, the one bearing a striking resemblance to Frida with her dramatic make up and Mexican clothing accessorised with ethnic jewellery. Mexico and the artists influence can be felt and seen everywhere. The lime greens, terracotta, purples and yellows blend in to an oasis dedicated to the artist. Religious symbols of crosses, a Madonna with a crystal beaded rosary and a number of paintings and portraits (done by friends) adorn the walls. The essayist Andre Brenton likened Frida’s paintings to a “ribbon around a bomb”. On the first occasion I went to Frida’s we had the set menu. The starter was corn bread, spinach fritters with carrot and coleslaw salad. The main was a lamb stew served on a bed of saffron rice with two pumpkin/cinnamon cakes – absolutely delicious. Dessert was an interesting and very palatable Mexican trifle.
Mag 42 Mag 42
Although the menu is small, it is very different with a Mexican flavour. Pizzas and light meals are also available. An array of interesting cakes are on display and can be savoured with a cup of strong coffee. Frida’s is not licenced but diners are welcome to bring their own wine and beer. Frida’s also caters for special occasions and private functions as well as kiddies parties. For those who have kids there is a wonderful play area. Well worth the outing and inexpensive, Frida’s is open until 5pm every day except Sundays and Mondays. “OCCASSIONS END, BUT MEMORIES LAST FOREVER”
OUT TO LUNCH COUNTRY DELIGHT BLUEBERRY HILL CAFE Netherwood Farm R103, Hottinghill Road 033 266 7132 www.blueberrycafe.co.za info@blueberrycafe.co.za
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he stacking glass doors and large sliding windows let the majestic Drakensberg Mountains and the Midlands visually stream in to this beautiful space – Blueberry Café Recently, driving back from Durban we decided to go off the beaten track and visited Nottinghill Road where we discovered Blueberry Café. Located on a farm in Notties – this is a piece of pure heaven. The food, we are told changes with the seasons so there is always something
new and delightful to indulge in. We decided, since it was too early for lunch, to settle for coffee – which is sourced from a local beanery and was awarded “Best Roastery” in Kwazulu Natal, and a large slice of their famous Blueberry Cheese cake. Well quite frankly I have never tasted anything quite like it! Simply superb! After our indulgence we popped in to “The Shop” where we browsed through the artworks, bronze sculptures and antiques – fabulous! When leaving we bought Blueberry chocolate brownies, liquored berries, Blueberry jam and spiced Blueberry chutney for home. Blueberry Café was a pleasant distraction and was well worth the stop. .
Mag 43
OUT ON FILM LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN
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t’s a year of welcome returns and some of our fondest moments in the dark are rekindled with the arrival of Mad Max: Fury Road. Absolutely awesome and totally sensational, it is an ultimate hardcore apocalyptic epic with heart! This is what filmmaking is all about; a visceral experience that relentlessly grabs hold of you from the first frame until the climatic ending. It is masterfully directed by George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary Mad Max franchise, who plunges us into the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky, with super hot Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Humanity’s continuing efforts to dominate nature generate unexpected, and dangerous, results in Jurassic World (June 12), in Terminator Genisys (July 3) the leader of the human resistance against Skynet, sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect his mother, Sarah (Emilia Clarke), from a Terminator assassin, and with the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, a new threat -- called the Syndicate -- soon emerges in Mission Impossible 5 (Aug 7)
LOCAL IS INDEED VERY LEKKER! On the local front Steve Hofmeyer plays a farmer in Darrell James Roodt’s Treurgrond, the painful story of a farming community in South Africa trying to survive the numerous farm attacks confronting farmers almost every day, and in Roodt’s Seun a farmboy (Deànré Reiners) tries to put his life together again after he is wounded, and paralysed from the neck down during the 80s border war. There’s also Hollywood in My Huis (June 26) about an impoverished teenage girl who witnesses Charlize Theron’s iconic Oscar win and is inspired to transform her upcoming matric dance into her very own Hollywood Red Carpet moment. In the sizzling thriller Impunity (July 31) two young lovers caught up in a killing rampage are thrown into this heady mix of betrayal and revenge. In a vibrant community with migrants from across the African Continent, against the backdrop of unspoken love, a young woman tries to navigate a path for herself in Ayanda Mag 44
Visit Let’s Go to the Movies on Facebook or visit www.writingstudio.co.za
Charlize Theron - Mad Max: Fury Road (August 14). Leon Schuster is back with Schuks! Pay Back the Money! (August 28), following a hilarious journey after he inadvertently loses rugby’s Holy Grail – the Currie Cup!
LIVE THEATRE AND BALLET ON THE BIG SCREEN The NT Live season continues with Ralph Fiennes in an exhilarating reinvention of Bernard Shaw’s witty, provocative classic Man and Superman (June 13), and Chiwetel Ejiofor takes the title role in Everyman (Aug 15), a cornerstone of English drama since the 15th century about a dead man who confronts his life. Ballet buffs will delight in the Royal Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet (June 6), La Fille mal Gardée (June 27) and The Winter’s Tale (Aug 8)
JUNE HIGHLIGHTS Two young men with aristocratic connections clash head-on in The Riot Club (June 13), a fictional all-male, exclusive dining club at Oxford University … A Royal Night Out (June 26) takes place on V.E. Day in 1945, as peace extends across Europe, when Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are allowed out to join the celebrations promising a night full of excitement, danger and the first flutters of romance.
JULY HIGHLIGHTS Two Days, One Night (July 3) French actress Marion Cotillard (Sandra) only has one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their annual bonuses so that she can keep her job … Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways in Magic Mike XXL (July 3) … In Dark Places (July 10) Charlize Theron plays a woman who is forced to re-opened the one chapter of her life she never wanted to face again … Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) is superb in the heartbreaking Danish masterwork A Second Chance (July 17), the story of a detective whose life is destroyed by a vicious cycle of violence and drugs ... Entourage (July 24) is the much-anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning hit HBO series and reunites the show’s original cast as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood. Helen Mirren plays an elderly Jewish woman who starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II in Woman in Gold (July 31)
AUGUST HIGHLIGHTS Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Aug 21), a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series. Dustin Hoffman plays the headmaster and Kathy Bates the headmistress of the elite National Boychoir Academy in Boychoir (Aug 21) a rousing music-filled drama that deals with a young who tries to make the absolute most of his talent.
SNEAK PREVIEW Jake Gyllenhaal plays a reigning Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World who hits rock bottom in Southpaw (Sept 4) and also stars in Everest (Sept 18), inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain …
WIN!!! with
2 OUT Africa Magazine couples can win a SceneVIP package that includes tickets and a R200 drinks/food voucher to SceneVIP, the premium cinema experience at Nu Metro Cinemas, that also includes an upmarket lounge where moviegoers can relax before enjoying their favourite movie. This luxurious cinema option offers the best in designer seats with footrests, plush leather cushioning and a recliner-setting to stretch out while enjoying the onscreen entertainment. SceneVIP also gives discerning movie fans a quality dining menu to indulge in, upgrading the Nu Metro experience in true superior style. Go to numetro.co.za for more information & bookings.
Where can you find Scene VIP? Send your answer and contact details with Scene VIP in the subject line to daniel@writingstudio.co.za before July 31, 2015 Please note standard terms and conditions: Closing Date: July 31, 2015. Tickets are only valid at SceneVIP cinemas valid at Nu Metro SceneVIP in The Glen (Jhb), Pavillion (Dbn) or V&A Waterfront (CT) and may not be upgraded or exchanged for cash. By entering this competition the participant agrees to the terms and conditions.
Nu Metro – It’s your scene!
Mag 45
OUT ON DVD LET’S WATCH DVD’S WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN Super sexy series John Logan’s inspiration for the super sexy and sensually provocative Penny Dreadful - and his passion for monsters came out of his identity as a gay man. “I’ve always been drawn to monsters. Many kids are, without giving it much thought—”I like them because they’re scary,” or “I like them because they’re exciting.” But as I grew older, I realized what really attracted me to them was the very deep kinship I felt that has to do with growing up as a gay man,” says Logan, who won a Tony for his play Red, and he has written the screenplays of several hit movies, including Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and Skyfall. “When I was in junior high and high school and living in New Jersey—this was the mid-‘70s—I was nuts about theater, so I was going into New York all the time, and walking around Greenwich Village and down Christopher Street. It was a very different place then, a forbidden, sexy, scary place. I looked at what I saw around me, and I realised that this is where I belonged. To step through that door would mark me as different from my brother, from my family, from my friends in school. It was a frightening thing, but my process of coming out was a process of accepting that the thing that made me alien and different and monstrous to some people is also the thing that empowered me and gave me a sense of confidence and uniqueness and a drive toward individuality that I think is important for any writer.” In Penny Dreadful, familiar figures from Gothic literature— including Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Grey, and some of the creatures from Dracula—find themselves in Victorian London alongside new characters like Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), an American sharpshooter; Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), an intrepid explorer; and the mysterious Vanessa Ives (Eva Green). If there’s one scene you will always remember it’s where Dr. Frankenstein brings his creature to life is incredibly moving. It’s very intimate scene between Harry Treadaway and Rory Kinnear, there are tears from both of them, very tender caresses; it’s almost as if Victor has literally made a friend, a very intimate friend, for himself.
Another series to look out for is the Canadian Orphan Black, with Tatiana Maslany as several identical people who are, in fact, clones. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, a woman who assumes the identity of one of her clones, Elizabeth Childs, after witnessing Childs’ suicide. Jordan Gavaris is fantastic as Felix, Sarah’s gay foster brother and confidant who moonlights as a prostitute, and Dylan Bruce is super sexy as an ex-military mercenary blackmailed into being Beth’s monitor under the guise of being her boyfriend. Concrete Night is a dream-like odyssey through beautiful Helsinki over the course of one night and follows the sexual awkening of a 14-year-old boy and his rough older brother who are the sons of a helpless and unpredictable single mother. Their chaotic home is located deep in the heart of a concrete jungle in Helsinki. Ilkka has one day of freedom left before starting his prison sentence and their mother persuades Simo to spend this last night with his brother. There are some really shocking and disturbing moments in Finnish female director Pirjo Honkasalo’s gorgeously stylised work, particulalry when the young boy is seduced by an older man. My Brother the Devil is a masterful debut from director Sally El Hosaini, one of the brightest new talents of UK cinema. It tells the life-affirming story of a young boy growing up in a traditional and modest British-Arab household in London. The impressionable Mo idolizes his handsome older brother Rashid and wants to follow his footsteps. However, Rashid, a charismatic and shrewd member of a local gang, wants a different life for his little brother and deals drugs hoping to put Mo through college. One eventful summer, the discovery of Rashid’s homosexuality forces Mo to confront his own fears and phobias, and threatens to tear the brothers apart.
Says Logan: “He’s made an intimate friend in a lifetime that hasn’t had much friendship, and he’s also given birth. The reason I wrote it that way is because when my niece was born, I was in the hospital and saw her mother holding her, and just the look on her face was just so profoundly moving to me that when I was sitting down to write that scene, I thought, that’s what it is. It’s giving birth to a child, with all the complexity and heartbreaking emotion of that, with all the poignancy of promise and all the realization that things have irrevocably changed.”
Saint Laurent is a mesmerising journey into the life and mind of celebrated French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who is regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history. It’s a fictional tale that draws a compassionate and elegiac portrayal of his personality, lifestyle and friendships and a darkly romantic and visually distinct period documentary and homage which is set in France mostly in the late 1960s and 1970s, reconstructing real events and where shallowness, decadence and excessiveness is present.
And if this is not enough, there’s Reeve Carney as Dorian Grey whose ferocious sexual appetite includes a passionate encounter with Hartnett.
Visit Let’s Watch DVDs on Facebook or visit www. writingstudio.co.za
Mag 46
Classic gay themed movies that celebrate anniversaries ... In this issue we feature My Beautiful Laundrette - 30 years!!! Brokeback Mountain - 10 years and The Celluloid Closet - 20 years
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y Beautiful Laundrette is set within the Asian community in London, during the Thatcher years, and displays those values, of money but ‘anybody can make it.’ Omar gains the running of his Uncle Nasser’s laundrette. He is helped by his friend Johnny who is an outsider, white but not entirely accepted by either the white or Asian Londoners. There are many memorable characters: Tania, Omar’s cousin whom he might marry. Salim the manager of Nasser’s garage and sometime drug importer. Rachel, Nasser’s white mistress, who like Johnny seems to be another outsider. The interaction of these people gives a comic insight into their world and makes a very refreshing film.
The film stars a much younger Daniel Day Lewis. Originally shot for television in six weeks on a low budget, My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) was directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity), from author Hanif Kureishi’s first screenplay. Originally shot on 16mm, it was so well received by critics at the Edinburgh Film Festival that it was internationally distributed for cinema on 35mm. Heralded as one of Britain’s most commercially and critically successful films of 1986, it earned Kureishi an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. My Beautiful Laundrette was ground-breaking in its bold exploration of issues of sexuality, race, class and generational difference. It also sparked controversy, particularly within the Asian community, which was disgusted by its perceived degrading representation of Pakistanis. At a New York demonstration by the Pakistan Action Committee, banners called the film “the product of a vile and perverted mind”.
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an you believe that it is 10 years ago that the iconic Brokeback Mountain (2005) was released and won all those awards – Best director for Ang Lee (Oscar), Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger won the MTV Award for the best kiss, the BAFTA’s for the best film,best director and best actor in a supporting role to name a few of the most important ones.
Beginning in 1963,it tells the story of rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) who are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) as sheep herders in Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, Jack makes a drunken pass at Ennis that is eventually reciprocated. Though Ennis marries his long time sweetheart, Alma (Michelle Williams), and Jack marries a fellow rodeo rider (Anne Hathaway), the two men keep up their tortured and sporadic affair over the course of 20 years. The movie delves in to the emotional difficulties the two men face in trying to come to terms with their own sexuality and of course the issue of homophobia experienced by the men in a straight, bigoted society. The movie is a masterpiece and must go down as one of the best “gay” movies to date.
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he Celluloid Closet (1995) is a documentary film dealing with gay themes and characters in Hollywood since silent movie days. In fact the very first movie clip lasting a matter of seconds was of two men waltzing. It deals with how gay characters were initially ridiculous, over-the-top stereotypes to always being portrayed as villains, to a conscious decision by the entertainment industry’s in shaping perceptions of LGBT figures in an unfavourable light to the more current movies where it has become acceptable and this is in an industry that had more than its fair share of gay people working as leading actors, well-known script writers, directors, extras etc., in fact an industry that attracted more gay and lesbian people than any other. The film is a wonderful and insightful study of gay men and women on screen with commentary by famous people in Hollywood including Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis and the writer Armistead Maupin, to name just a few. The movie is fascinating as it features clips from well-known gay cinema to some that you’ve never heard of. For any gay person with the slightest interest in gay films this is not to be missed. Mag 47
ON STAGE JOSHUA BELL & TCHAIKOVSKY
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lassical music superstar soloist, chamber musician recording artist Joshua Bell makes a welcome return to Cape Town on August 26 and 27 to perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin at the Cape Town City Hall. Of his more than 40 awardwinning CDs, make sure to add Voice of The Violin and Romance of the Violin to your collection! If you want to see this incredibly passionate violinist in action, book your seats now at Computicket.
Hall …. High Five - Choreographic Encounters is a unique collaborative project that focuses on choreography and its many forms of expression to provide an opportunity for artistic dialogue between the choreographers and 12 South African dancers with 19 Geneva Ballet company members at the Soweto Theatre abd Joburg Theatre from June 8 … Mpinga Mornings is a powerful and moving one woman play that features the intertwined lives of three women; a mother, a daughter and maid, whose lives are bound together by a farm and a common history at the Rosebank Theatre CT from June 17 … the Geneva Ballet’s Romeo & Juliette is on at the Joburg Theatre from June 17 … The spectacular ice show Disney on Ice “Let’s Celebrate” features more than 50 classic and contemporary Disney characters and is on at the The Dome JHB from June 26 and at Grand West Arena from July 8th. Little Shop of Horrors offers thrills and chiils at the Montecasino Theatre from 12 June to 9 August ...A Spartacus of Africa, the re-choreographed ballet featuring the music of Khachaturian and accompanied by a full orchestra, opens at the Joburg Theatre on 4 June and at Artscape’s Opera House in Cape Town on 27 June.
JULY HIGHLIGHTS
J JUNE HIGHLIGHTS
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ail Louw’s new play Miss Dietrich Regrets is a revealing and poignant look at the aging Marlene and her complex relationship with her daughter, with Fiona Ramsay and Janna RamosViolante, and is on at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton from June 2…. The Waterfront Theatre Company in association with Artscape invites local audiences to ‘take heart’ this winter with their revival of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan comedy The Pirates of Penzance at the Artscape from June 3 … The CPO Winter Symphony Season runs from June 4 to 25 at the Cape Town City Mag 48
ust when you thought they couldn’t go any bigger, Madame Zingara, the award winning dinner theatre cirque spectacular, presents The Celebration at the Grand Parade CT from July 7 … Sister Act – The Musical will rock the Joburg Theatre from July 14 with Candida Mosoma as a disco diva who is put in protective custody and, disguised as a nun, she uses her unique disco moves and singing talent to breathe new life into the church and community … Graham Weir’s astounding Dead Yellow Sands is a collection of sketches and stories written and performed by Graham Weir and is on at the Rosebank Theatre in Cape Town from July 21 …. Make sure not to miss the super sensational Bar None at the New Kalk Bay Theatre from July 21; it’s a charming musical with the stunning Lucy and Alex Tops … With a cast of 40, and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in the orchestra pit, West Side Story hits
For more information, visit Let’s go to the Theatre on Facebook or visit www.writingstudio.co.za
WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN Artscape in CT from July 23; inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Bernstein’s magnificent score includes the world famous Something’s Coming, Maria, I Feel Pretty and Tonight.
AUG HIGHLIGHTS
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ased on real-life events, Borderline (from Aug 4 at The New Kalk Bay Teatre) blasts you through the highs and lows, the humour and the perceptions of a naïve Afrikaner conscripted in 1976 … Craig Higginson, the writer of Dream of the Dog and The Girl in the Yellow Dress, returns with The Imagined Land (from Aug 17 at Theatre on the Square in Sandton), a new state-of- the-nation play for our troubled, troubling times and a timely meditation on some of the central dilemmas of our time … From Aug 19 to 22 Magnet Theatre and UCT drama graduates join singers from Cape Town Opera at The Fugard Theatre under the direction of Mark Fleishman in a new musical adaptation of the Zakes Mda novel Heart Of Redness, with music by Neo Muyanga …
SNEAK PREVIEW
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rom the creators of the smash hit Queen at the Ballet, Sean Bovim’s 5-star Private Presley – a Salute to the King is back at The Baxter Theatre from November 12 …. Bovim is also the choreographer of The Merry Widow Of Malagawi, a lighthearted theatrical and musical exploration of diplomatic intrigue, capitalism and how people protect their wealth and self-interests at Artscape CT from Sept 5 … catch Paul Buckby, Luciano Zuppa and Emmanuel Castis in Immortality: The Bee Gees at Theatre on the Square in Sandton from Dec 1 ….. Singin’ In The Rain is another critically acclaimed award-winning production direct from London’s West End that is now wowing audiences during its international tour in New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore before splashing South Africa from December 11 at Artscape CT and Teatro at Montecasino from Jan 15… The world’s premier theatrical iceskating company, The Imperial Ice Stars, returns to South Africa with a dynamic new interpretation of its award-winning masterpiece Swan Lake on Ice in January 2016 at Artscape CT
“Everyone knows life doesn’t stop at 45, yet many people think sex does.”
Teko
HIV and other STIs are sometimes overlooked in older people by healthcare workers. Symptoms of HIV may be similar to the natural effects of the aging process. Get tested for HIV and other STIs regularly. Men over 45 should have their prostate glands checked every year.
To find a gay-friendly clinic visit our mobi site
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