OutBoise Idaho’s LGBT Magazine
August 2015
Issue 10
Adam Lambert - Crossing the Viral Divide - Where the Cowboys Are - Under New Management: The Lucky Dog Tavern -
2 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
3 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
part of your community since 1992
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
FLYING M COFFEEHOUSE
500 W IDAHO STREET - DOWNTOWN BOISE - FLYINGMCOFFEE.COM - FACEBOOK|TWITTER|INSTAGRAM|PINTEREST
4 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Inside Publisher’s Corner - 7
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Insta-FAM: Getting to Know a Few of Instagram’s Rising LGBT Superstars - 18
Where the Cowboys are - 8
Crossing the Viral Divide - 24 Under New Management - 13
5 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Hear Me Out: Tori Amos - 30
Cruising Boise - 32 The Reframing of Adam Lambert - 38
Downtime Detox: Healthy Ways to Revive Your Summer Spirit - 28
Dating and Other Disasters - 34
Business Directory - 46 Contributors:
Food Corner - 44 Crock pot Zucchini Soup
Blueberry Zucchini Cake
Ezikiel Coy - Lead Writer Desmond Slowe Jerry Nabarrete-Stuart Kallie Snyder-Burks/Kaperture Photography: Photos Gary Simpson - Publisher Qsyndicate.com contributors: Chris Azzopardi Mikey Rox Diane Anderson-Minshal
6 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
7 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Publisher’s Corner I can’t believe how fast this year has been moving. And in my line of work, it always tends to move a bit faster. We, at OutBoise, always try to stay a month ahead of everything to make sure you’re informed for the latest information and events happening in the community. Now, lately, a lot of our work has been behindthe-scenes. We’ve had several staff changes, and we’ve shuffled writers around a little bit. Things tend to happen, especially since everyone has their own lives. I cant expect them all to be available all of the time. In fact, this past month and a half, two my writers were out of the country. And while I wasn’t sure if we’d make our deadlines, and the stress of the job was getting me down, I decided to distract myself with a bit of cleaning up. In the process, I was able to completely redesign our website, providing a new home for the news feed, the magazine, a brand new Community Resources page, and a newly redeveloped page for a Business Directory. All-in-all, this project took an incredible amount of time and effort, but the purpose was to make everything easy to find, and make it all look better. In the process, I also went back through EVERY issue of the magazine and cleaned them up. I took care of random spelling issues, and design flaws that I felt needed updated. And while it helped cure some of my OCD problems, it gave me less time to make sure everything tuned right. Thanks to all of the team’s hard work and dedication, though, we were able to successfully pull off a fantastic issue. You’re also going to notice some stories credited to Qsyndicate.
They are an LGBT news wire service that we’ve had the opportunity to partner with, and they have helped us out in bringing in more content. Chris Azzopardi is the man behind all of that, and he is the man with access to many great celebrity interviews. So make sure to follow him, and Mikey Rox, as they put in a lot of hard work every month to ensure, not only OutBoise Magazine has content, but many other LGBT Publications across the country have the same help. There many BIG things coming from OutBoise, very soon. We hope you stick around to enjoy! Thanks!
- Gary Simpson
瀀爀攀猀攀渀琀猀
䌀漀猀琀甀洀攀 䈀愀氀氀 吀䈀䌀 吀䈀䌀 䄀甀最甀猀琀 ㈀㈀渀搀 吀栀攀 䈀愀氀挀漀渀礀 䌀氀甀戀 瀀洀 ⴀ ㈀愀洀
␀㌀ 眀椀琀栀 挀漀猀琀甀洀攀 ⼀ ␀㔀 眀椀琀栀漀甀琀
8 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Where the Cowboys Are
Story by Ezikiel Coy Photos: Kallie Snyder-Burks - Kaperture Photography
9 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
He Grew up in Fairfield, Idaho on a cattle ranch, so what better way to celebrate his youth and roots than to model for the International Gay Rodeo annual calendar? Lucus Kevan is a Boise local whose roots run deep into Idaho, and we had the fortune to get an interview with him before his event Saturday, July 25th at the Lucky Dog. He is a featured model in this year’s Gay Rodeo calendar published by the www.HomoRodeo.com . The proceeds go to benefit the International Gay Rodeo Association. Even though they no longer have an Idaho chapter, the IGRA produces several nationally recognized events every year. The models are often required to attend the events and help with pre-sales of the calendar. You can find out much more about these organizations at their webpages, www.igra. com and www.homorodeo.com. My conversation with the handsome and charming Lucus lasted for several hours, but I extrapolated the highlights of his photoshoot and his experiences for our readers to get to know this incredible man a little better.
10 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
all since moving back to Idaho, or if I were in the wrong circles but I hadn’t heard of gay rodeos since I left Fort Lauderdale Florida.” “I went to a few International Gay Rodeo events when I lived down there. It wasn’t until a friend of mine was a model last year that the producers of the calendar even knew who I was. They found me on Facebook and called me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to model for them.” “The photoshoot for the calendar was done in Vegas, and they were having a rodeo event down there that same weekend, it was great to get everyone’s story and network with all the people that still live the rodeo lifestyle.”
“I have never done a rodeo before, by my sisters were both active in high school rodeo. Every weekend was spent around the rodeo atmosphere and going to different events dealing with horses and cattle. My Older sister was really good at cow cutting, she even went to nationals. Because I grew up on a cattle ranch, I always looked up to the roping events. I never did get to cut my teeth on it, but it was always a skill I liked.” “It’s been very fun to remember all of the events growing up because it’s been so many years since I’ve been a part of any rodeo. This opportunity to model for the calendar has been nostalgic, to say the least.” “I had heard about gay rodeo, and I don’t know if I was completely in the dark about it
11 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
“The scariest part about it all was that, I assumed, we’d be able to see the pictures before they published them. Nope. I haven’t seen the pictures at all, and I won’t get to see them until the calendar comes out in September. All us gay boys with our body issues; you can’t just spring the right picture on us at the last minute. We need to prepare ourselves!” “The theme of the calendar is “Cowboy Storm”, and they took like 800 pictures. Because of the real down to earth nature of the calendar they aren’t photoshopping any of the models. They made it very comfortable at the shoot, which was great, because I’ never done anything
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
like that before. It was just the photographer, the assistant, and me. It was a very comfortable setting. I’ve been in touch with the photographer, and he keeps telling me that he hopes I get the most sales because he really liked my pictures.” “From this point forward, we’re expected to be ambassadors to the NGR and to be present at 3 of the rodeos, so I’ll have the chance to get more involved. My whole goal in this was to meet great people from around the country and see where an opportunity like this leads. When they approached me about it I was like “no way.” When I thought about it I realized that it would be dumb to say no.”
12 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
tests, so my competitive side comes out. Normally they have 13 models, this year they only have 12. Somebody apparently pulled out at the last minute. Because there isn’t a specific cover model, whoever gets the most sales gets a featured month and the cover. They didn’t even offer me a specific month. Everything depends on who sells the most calendar’s. My birthday is in March, so I’d probably want to be featured there. I’m excited that so much support has come my way to make this the best experience possible. I even get to go to a few events to promote the calendar more. I’ll be in Kansas City for their Labor Day rodeo, then October 19th I go to Dallas, Texas, and on January 9th I am traveling to Denver for the rodeo there.”
“My boyfriend of five years passed away in 2012, and he was an impulsive “seize the day” type of personality. I realized that he would have been all about the experience, so I agreed to do it as a sort of homage to him. My current boyfriend is fully supportive of my choice to get out there and live my life. He has seen a lot of “shoulda-woulda-coulda” situations that make his patients feel regret, and he doesn’t want that for me. He’s been wonderful about the whole thing, encouraging me to enjoy the moment.” “I’m only going to pose for something like this about once in my life, so I might as well go full boar. Plus I love sales con-
Anybody interested in the pre-sales should definitely be at the Lucky Dog on July 25th, where they can meet Lucus in person and get to know a hunky cowboy while enjoying the newly remodeled Lucky Dog Tavern. For those that can’t go, the pre-sales are available at http://www.homorodeo.com/ calendars/2016/2016vote7891.shtml until July 31st.
13 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Under New Management
Story by Ezikiel Coy Photos: Kallie Snyder-Burks - Kaperture Photography
14 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Matt Eldgredge, the new General Manager of the Lucky Dog Tavern, enjoying the newly redesigned patio.
I met with Matthew Eldredge in the surprisingly bright afternoon air of the Lucky Dog. We had sat in the partially finished lounge area in the back of the building, while the bartender carried on jovial conversations in the background keeping the day crowd glasses full and the laughs rolling. After exchanging pleasantries, I started asking questions. The resulting conversation enlightened me to the process and trials of the new General Manager of my favorite neighborhood bar: “I started in mid may as the General manager. As of then, I’m in charge of everything front of the house. All of the employees, this huge remodel, and all of the event planning, not to mention that I’m focusing on getting more of the local businesses to get new draft beers and connect with Idaho companies to bring new and upcoming companies into the
community.” “I want the Lucky Dog Tavern to be a place that our community can be proud of. This whole face lift is to reflect pride we should all have in our local establishment. The patio I wanted to focus on how great the space is, using reclaimed woods and pallets to create a rustic feel. It was actually built be friends and customers that wanted to make the bar better. I wanted some new color and an inviting space to meet with friends. In the back room we wanted a cooler more relaxing space to sit and converse with your friends while you enjoy our new atmosphere.” “I want the bar to be a place where everyone feels comfortable as a platform for any event that people are passionate about. “
15 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
“From Football to underwear night, we want the Lucky Dog to be the place where people want to come to feel safe and chill.” “We will never be a dance club, The Balcony does a great job with that market, and we aren’t in competition with them. We offer a different atmosphere for our community than anywhere else in town.” “The Lucky Dog is a pivotal place within the LGBT community because we’re open to so many different scenes, and we want this place to be the neighborhood bar where anything you bring to the community is what you’ll find here.” The game station, where you can challenge your friends
“We have so many different people that join us regularly, it’s nearly impossible to narrow it down to one thing- and I wouldn’t want it to. The diversity here is what makes our customers so comfortable, and we celebrate that.” “We have our underwear party, more involvement with the patio, and we want to bring the fringes of our community into the focus. Leather nights, Girl’s Night, and bringing our happy hour into focus as well. There are a lot of directions we want to go, and our staff is doing everything they can to make sure that happens.”
16 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
The brighter colors of the Lucky Dog, creating a more inviting space
“Our staff makes the bar, they are the face of our business, they set the mood and know your name. They are the ones that make sure our space is safe and inviting. Without them we wouldn’t be the business we are today.” “So far, we’ve had great increase in the business, and we’ve gotten some even better ideas from our customers in order to improve the bar even more. I’m always open to bringing new ideas into the business to keep it fresh, and I’m excited that so much can get better for our customers.” “The evolution of the Lucky dog has been a constant search for the right identity for itself. I remember the old days,
when the bar was so much smaller and people still wanted to be involved. With the newest location, and the changes we’re making it will only get more accessible.” “With all the work that we’ve been doing here, there are some very symbolic aspects of the bar that we are highlighting. Part of the reason for opening up the windows was symbolic of not needing to hide in the open anymore.” “We wanted to make sure that there was a place to meet in person and get to know the spirit of a person. It’s important to our community to be open and inviting while fostering the relationships that sustain us as a whole.”
17 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
“It really comes down to listening to what people need and want while learning what is going to benefit their lifestyles and bring more allies into knowing who we are and what we are like when the lights go down and happy hour ends. I knew coming to work for the Lucky dog was going to be a welcome challenge, but I was definitely surprised by the hours and how much dedication it takes to make a business successful. Trying to balance listening to the ideas of our community and making them a reality has already been rewarding. I’ve gotten such great feedback from the community as a whole that I have faith the hard work will pay off.”
Have a Story to tell? Email us at news@outboise.com
18 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Insta-Fam: Getting to Know a Few of Instagram’s Rising LGBT Superstars by Mikey Rox
Love it or hate it, Instagram is here to stay – and for some members of the LGBT community that means greater exposure with every filtered pic they post. Who are some of these IG movers and shakers actively working to have all eyes on them? Meet a few of my favorites right here.
Chris Salvatore
Actor/Singer ChrisSalvatore.com
Name five character traits your ideal dude must have. They have to have a sense of humor first and foremost. I would also like them to not be shy when it comes to decision-making time, like where to go on dates. I like to be with someone who is confident in himself. I like good kissers, too! Sexual chemistry is important to me. Also, I am 6-foot-3, so ideally someone around my height I find makes things better.
Where’s your favorite place to kick it in L.A.? This is gonna be such a ‘dad’ answer but probably the dog park. My furry child, Bobby, has a lot of energy and needs to run free. There’s also a lot going on at dog parks, which can be highly entertaining. What's your next project? Age: 30 IG Handle: @ChrisSalvatore # of Followers: 98K
I will be joining the cast of The Horizon, an Australian web series, which is kind of like Queer as Folk. We start filming this summer!
19 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Shakeia McCall-Barnes
Comedian/Speaker/Educator KiaComedy.com
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
influenced me the most, because their stories and careers encourage me to continue to do what I do. Favorite sitcom of all time? My favorite sitcom of all time is The Cosby Show, regardless of Bill Cosby’s fall from grace. It showcased a successful and diverse family and addressed difficult issues and concerns, but still managed to be hilarious. Who didn’t want to be Rudy, Theo or Denise Huxtable in the ’90s? Funniest movie of all time? The funniest movie of all time is absolutely Forrest Gump! The way it comically juxtaposes reallife issues like war, racism, death and American history while still cracking my side makes it the winner in my book!
Age: 30 IG Handle: @KiaComedy # of Followers: 7.3K Who are a few of your comedy idols? Some of my comedy idols are Melissa McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, Rickey Smiley and Wanda Sykes, because they all started off doing open-mic standup comedy and were able to turn that into amazing careers in entertainment. They also took risks and stayed true to themselves, and the world fell in love with their comedy. They have
20 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Connor Franta
YouTuber YouTube.com/ConnorFranta
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
How do you keep your YouTube content dynamic and intriguing? Variety and consistency is key in keeping your audience engaged with your creations. I never want to fall into a cycle of uploading videos I feel aren’t somewhat unique to me or unique to the space. I’m always trying to add a bit of flare and a twist to my content to keep my viewers interested. Who are some of your favorite YouTubers? I’m a huge fan of the entire YouTube community. Each creator brings his or her own strengths to the table. Currently, I’m particularly captivated by what Joe Sugg, Marques Brownlee, Natalie Tran and Casey Neistat are creating. It’s all so good!
Age: 22 IG Handle: @ConnorFranta # of Followers: 3.4M Why do you think you appeal to so many online/social media users? I think people are attracted to normal people doing great things. I get inspired every single day by my YouTube friends dominating everything from the music industry to the fashion industry. We’re at the brink of a new era where anyone, including you reading this article, can achieve great things – all you need is an Internet connection.
21 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Patrick Janelle Co-Founder of Spring Street Social Society & The Liquor Cabinet SSSSociety.com
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
designer's pieces into my lifestyle over the series of two weeks after I was nominated. The nomination itself was a huge surprise, and I'm not actually sure how the CFDA found out about me – but I couldn't be happier! Tell me a bit about Spring Street Society... Spring Street Social Society started as a series of cabaret shows in my backyard at the time, which was on Spring Street in SoHo. It has since become a series of different types of events, including dinners and social salons in empty buildings around Manhattan. We've also grown a membership following, in which guests can apply to become members for exclusive access to some of our activities. The events are always different, but some things stay the same: the location is announced the morning of the event, performances are an integral part of each gathering, and no two events are ever the same. Oh, and there are always cocktails.
Which is a good segue to the next question: What's the Liquor Cabinet all about?
Age: 33 IG Handle: @AGuyNamedPatrick # of Followers: 382K You were recently awarded the first Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Instagrammer of the Year Award. To what do you owe that honor? I won the award for the Instagram work I did with the Thom Browne team, integrating the
The Liquor Cabinet is a company I founded with my two brothers. We are developing an app and a website that will act as the authoritative place to get information about liquor and cocktails. As a culture, we are increasingly interested in the origin of what we eat and drink, but this type of information for liquor is either untrustworthy or hard to locate. We aim to be the go-to destination whether you're looking for cocktail recipes or general information about a spirit you'd like to learn more about.
22 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Malcolm René Ribot
Freelance Graphic Designer YouTube.com/GorillaShrimp
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
What's on your summer playlist? A whole lot of indie folk. What advice do you have for other trans boys, girls, men and women who may be having a hard time right now? Trust the process, stay positive, and have patience with yourself and others. Embrace each step forward, and celebrate them. It really is a beautiful journey.
Age: 26 IG Handle: @GorillaShrimp # of Followers: 11.6K Who is your favorite superhero? Captain America.
23 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Luke & Adam Monastero
Twin YouTubers YouTube.com/TheMonasteroTwins
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Ever had a crush on your brother’s date/boyfriend? Luke: No, I don’t think that would never happen because Adam likes younger guys and I like older guys. Using only three adjectives, describe your brother. Adam: Funny, sociable and trustworthy. Luke: Creative, ambitious and very articulate
Ages: 22 IG Handles: @MyNameIsLuke, @Adamonastero # of Followers: Luke, 4K; Adam; 6.4K Which one of you is older? Adam: Luke is older by two minutes, which doesn't bother me – but the fact that he's an inch taller does a little.
Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.
24 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Positive Thoughts: Crossing the Viral Divide
By Diane Anderson-Minshal
25 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
It was little surprise when HBO’s Looking – a critically acclaimed but poorly rated TV series about
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
reduce HIV infection by up to 99 percent when taken properly.
gay men in San Francisco – introduced an HIVpositive character in season two. After all, the city
The fact that Looking handled PrEP in this man-
was once the epicenter of the AIDS crisis and now
ner may mean the tide has turned on PrEP, a pre-
has one of the nation’s highest rates of HIV-posi-
vention method initially debated – and actually
tive gay and bi men.
lobbied against – by some gay men (notably AIDS
The real revelation, though, was that Eddie, the character Daniel Franzese (already popular from his influential role in Mean Girls) plays is poz, proud and body positive. People with HIV are rarities on TV (the last series to have one was Brothers & Sisters in 2011), and when they exist there’s usually a lot of stigmatizing, handwringing and self-loathing around them, with singular storylines that play like a “very special episode.” But Looking (and the season finale of How to Get Away with Murder, in which Conrad Ricamora’s character Oliver finds out he has HIV) broke the mold with an ordinary gay man who just happened to have HIV. Moreover, it was the first scripted television series to talk about PrEP, or Truvada, as pre-exposure prophylaxis. “The brief conversation that we have in the Halloween episode happens in a way that I’ve heard PrEP come up amongst my friends… not too preachy,” Franzese told Plus magazine. “I really
Healthcare Foundation’s Michael Weinstein, who argued it was a “party drug” that would make users ditch condoms). Today in many gay communities, on TV or otherwise, we’re increasingly hearing one thing about PrEP: It’s changing everything. Both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have begun recommending PrEP to gay and bi men and transgender women, in hopes of stemming the tide of the 50,000 new HIV cases each year in the U.S. It’s not the numbers, though, that are interesting. It’s the sociocultural changes we see from PrEP. The social dynamics among gay men are changing. I’ve talked to dozens of men who are dating across the viral divide: poz and negative guys dating each other, marrying each other, becoming what romantics call “magnetic couples.” (The rest of us call them serodiscordant couples, partnerships in which one is poz and one isn’t.)
like the way that it’s handled.” Between “treatment as prevention” (a method So did I. Eddie is sexy, healthy and – this is impor-
in which someone with HIV suppresses the amount
tant – romantically pursued by an HIV-negative
of HIV in their blood, or their viral load, to “unde-
character. So that the pair can have sex without
tectable” levels and thus can no longer transmit
either of them worrying about transmission, the
HIV) and PrEP, many gay men are now having sex
love interest begins a regimen of PrEP, the daily
without the fear that they can transmit, or acquire,
HIV prevention pill that the iPrEx study proved can
HIV, whether or not there are condoms involved.
26 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
My friend Alex Garner, who conducts HIV
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
other study out of Emory that nearly 70 percent of
awareness and prevention programs across the
all new HIV transmissions for both gay and bi men
country, says this has impacted how gay men now
and transgender women occur in a primary rela-
relate to each other because it’s eliminated a key
tionship. But the Brown researchers are quick to
emotional obstacle to love that gay men have
note: These men and women are willing to go on
had since the late 1980s: fear.
PrEP, not to suddenly ditch condoms once they’re on PrEP, but to protect themselves because they
Like a lot of guys, Alex used to almost exclusively date other HIV-positive men, but PrEP has changed that. He told Plus magazine that the possibility of having a real relationship with someone who is serodiscordant seems much more realistic now because PrEP is available – and it changes the relationship too. Despite Weinstien’s rants, PrEP really doesn’t seem to be really used by wanton sluts who want to man-whore about town. (But, if it is, more power to the users, I say; the LGBT rights movements was built on sexual liberation, and PrEP is to gay men in 2015 what birth control was to feminists in 1970, but I digress.) In fact, when someone is considering PrEP because their partner has HIV, it’s very often a sign that they love and want to build a future with that person, the exact opposite of one-night stands popular in hookup culture. Weinstein’s ditching condoms theory seems inaccurate. At least one study from Brown Univer-
already ditched those condoms long ago. Today, PrEP is appearing in dating profiles and on apps like Grindr and Scruff. Even sites aimed at HIV-positive men, like BarebackRT, report that HIVnegative men are now posting profiles there and touting that they are on PrEP. For generations of men and trans women who’ve lived in fear of HIV, suddenly having a prevention pill is a godsend. That it’s mired in controversy is no surprise; birth control was once as well for many of the same concerns. But the bottom line is that Truvada as PrEP is one option, one of the best we have available today. Like birth control pills, though, it isn’t for everyone. Soon we’ll have a rectal microbicide, injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis, vaginal rings, and more. And when we do, I hope the writers of Looking get at least a tiny footnote in history for breaking ground on TV and for having helped destigmatize PrEP for a generation of LGBT viewers.
sity found that many HIV-negative men in relation-
Diane Anderson-Minshall is editor in chief of Plus
ships already ditch condoms because they want
magazine, the HIV Plus Treatment Guide mobile
more intimacy in their relationship (and they do so
app, and HIVPlusMag.com. This column is a proj-
even when one or both of the guys are having sex
ect of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, The Body and Q
outside of that relationship).
Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites – hivplusmag.com, positivelyaware.com, poz.
Over half the men in that study said they’d go on PrEP, which is good because we know from an-
com and thebody.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.
27 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Budge Photography Weddings, Commercial and Portrait Photography Senior Portraits, Events, Real Estate Photography Negotiable Rates to fit your budget. Contact me at Paul@BudgePhotography.com or text to 440-3913
See More at BudgePhotography. BlogSpot.Com
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
28 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Downtime Detox: Healthy Ways to Revive Your Summer Spirit by Mikey Rox
We’re just about halfway through summer, and chances are you’ve worn yourself out – even though you don’t dare show it. Secret’s safe, playboys (and girls). But here are a few healthy ways to recoup and reenergize just in case. Cut Back on the Booze, Hound If you have even a smidge of a social life, you can find a shindig just about every weekend during the summer – whether it be at your BFF’s barbecue, hanging by the pool at a friend of a friend’s, or dancing the night away at your favorite club. And what’s a party without a few cocktails, right? The problem is that too much of a good thing will start to take its toll on your body, and fast. Not only will the alcohol and resulting hangover make you sluggish, but you’ll interrupt your normal sleep cycle, make poorer food choices, and likely skip the gym. If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s time to cut back on the booze – or go cold turkey for a week (I did it for four months; it’s not that hard!) – and find more productive activities in which to engage that don’t involve inebriation. Replace Go, Go, Go With No, No No Along with all those parties, there’s a million other things you probably enjoy during the summer – like exercising outside, taking the dog on adventures, hitting the beach and shopping summer sales – but every now and then you need to slow down. Life doesn’t have to move a mile a minute from May to September just because it’s warm out. Believe it or not, it’s perfectly acceptable to tell your friends that you won’t be going out for the fourth night in a row. They’ll survive your absence – trust me – and you can enjoy time to yourself catching up on your DVR, reading your magazines, or whatever it is you like to do to unwind when you’re alone. Perv.
Stick to Clean Eating as Best You Can Personally I find it much harder to eat clean in the summertime than I do the winter because I’m out and about more often. During the winter months, I’m generally nesting at home, and since I cook for myself, I’m able to make healthy choices on a regular basis. Fast-forward to summer and my eating habits get a bit iffy with more junk food thrown in the mix. Some of that junk is a result of those poor food choices I mentioned as a result of being hungover, but I also find it hard to resist the burgers, hot dogs and other cookout goodies that are readily available most weekends. Because who wants to eat a boring salad when there’s a bacon cheeseburger calling your name? At some point, however – like when your abs start to fade into one summer gut – you’ve got to put down that bag of potato chips and remind yourself that it’s easier (just not tastier) to get laid on a diet of lean protein and produce. What more motivation do you need?
29 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Turn Off the Electronics and Catch More Zs Studies show that our addiction to technology and electronic devices are negatively affecting our sleep patterns – when we let it. If you’re feeling run down, overwhelmed or like you’re about to implode from social-media overload, turn off your devices for a while. One night won’t kill you, and you can use the disconnect to catch up on some much-needed rest without any pings, whistles or chirps interrupting your nappy time. Sit Back, Relax, and Listen to Soothing Music This summer has produced a few hot bangers – tracks from The Weeknd, Demi Lovato, Fetty Wap and Silento are among my faves – but one can take only so much bass pounding their face. When the volume turn up too much, flip the switch and find a new, more demure Spotify station. Create a low-key playlist of smooth jazz; classical summer (look it up!); boutique hotel lounge; or the “Most Chilled Songs
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Ever,” which, based on the title, should mellow you right out. Schedule a Massage or a Yoga Class Now that you’ve successfully reduced your alcohol intake, cut the crap food and had a good night’s sleep, it’s time to purge your body of all those toxins you’ve been filling it with over the past several weeks. One perfect feel-good way to do that is with a massage or a yoga class that’ll help the mind and body come together as one. If you go to a halfway decent gym, yoga classes are likely offered, so check the schedule for a session. As for the massage, well, you can go about that however you’d like, though I’ll always recommend a happy ending. Smiles for everybody – that’s my motto. Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.
30 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Hear Me Out: Tori Amos
By Chris Azzopardi “Tori Amos who?” My dear friend, then boyfriend, must have been dumbfounded when I – a gay man – uttered these words that, in retrospect, are among the most naive of my life. I rolled my eyes at him as we cruised the interstate, dismissively contorted my face, and swapped the Tori CD out for something else – something that would accord my young, inexperienced ears instant gratification. I was just 20 then.
31 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Following a fortunate musical maturation in the years after, I was drawn back to that car ride and the twinkling magic of the Bösendorfer. Over time, I became completely swept up in the mesmeric awe of Tori Amos.
Amos was vulnerable and translucent, skewering childhood ideals and wailing her way out of social exile.
Now 32, I’ve curiously wandered through the pianist’s magical musical chasm – I’ve even enjoyed interviewing her many times – and with every fresh project or recently discovered rarity, I’m the one telling that same friend (who’s lately lost touch with Tori) that he is the one missing out.
The journey would lead to another feelings-fueled outpouring two years later. As she slayed more demons and firmly established herself as an emblem of empowerment, Under the Pink once again expressed a deeply resonant facet of the human condition: the need to love and be loved.
So, friend, the time has come yet again. Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink have both been newly remastered and flexed beyond the back-to-back albums’ staples. (You know: “Pretty Good Year,” “Baker Baker,” “Crucify” and “Precious Things,” to name a few.) Both double-disc releases glean rarities performed in studio and on stage during each LP’s subsequent era.
No one knows these songs better than Amos, of course. She revisits them within the Under the Pink liner notes on the Deluxe Edition, explaining their emergence in her own words and offering longtime fans extra insight, a boon for Tori-philes already versed in every album cut and every B-side.
And no, these reissues aren’t afterthoughts, especially for casual Tori followers. While record labels are infamous for putting out rehashed, “remastered” releases with nil new material to offer, fans can rest assured that Atlantic is mindful of the fact that a legacy artist like Amos deserves legacy treatment. Perhaps the biggest sell for aficionados: The audio gets a noticeable upgrade, making subtle improvements to the original cuts while still preserving their essence. Plus: Eighteen additional songs on Little Earthquakes! Fifteen on Under the Pink! Released during the chanteuse’s golden age, these seminal works were critical to the singer-songwriter’s repertoire, setting the stage for over 30 years of soulbaring artistic expression. Looking back over those three prolific decades, her debut, Little Earthquakes, endures as her masterwork. To this day, it’s a lifeline to legions of self-actualizing queers who revel in the earnest emotions the then29-year-old Tori confronted. “Me and a Gun” harrowingly detailed her own personal rape-at-knifepoint nightmare. “Crucify” took the piss out of religion. In all her commanding glory and groundbreaking artistry,
And she took you with her.
Among the B-sides on these packages: Smells like Teen Spirit, where Amos turns Nirvana’s grunge staple into an evocative whirl of piano-guided emotions, and the dizzying, delicate “Here, in My Head.” The latter, included on Under the Pink, is a live version from a 1994 performance in Bristol, and the track – clean and crisp – sounds particularly divine. Included along with stage versions of “Past the Mission” and “The Waitress” is “Winter,” performed the same year in Manchester. Like a whisper in time, it’s just as you remember it: gripping, intimate, rich. “When you gonna make up your mind / When you gonna love you as much as I do.” Simple yet profound, those words, spoken to her by her father, would find a hideaway in my heart despite my resistance to them at such a defiantly young age. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine I resisted them at all. It’s even harder to imagine my life without the truth-baring salvation I’ve come to know as Tori Amos. Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.
32 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Cruising Boise by Ezikiel Coy
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
strangers which is just as prevalent in our community. Cruising in Boise is a bit more involved than larger cities, but we have much to learn from their experience. There is a clearly established goal of cruising; to get your rocks off. To get laid in one way or another is the over arching goal of the cruising bar, however there are many things that happen during this elusive exchange that contribute to the overall mental (and even spiritual) health of the gentlemen involved. Though even with the sexual freedom revolutions of the 1960’s and the social movement towards acceptance of sexuality and the appetites associated with sex, there are still stringent judgements against the individual for trying to appease their desires. Engaging in a conversation with someone when they show an interest sexually does not mean that you are agreeing to have sex with them. Instead, it is more like an interview to see if you are compatible. Even if that conversation is short before you split a taxi fare.
With much talk in my circle of friends about the taboo and the depraved, we often discuss the lack of a truly cruising culture in Boise. Unlike larger cities that I’ve visited with entire bars dedicated to nothing but casual encounters, Boise does not have this type of outlet for men seeking men. Instead, most of our dealings are done with the anonymity of the internet through websites and apps. Not that the cruising within our community is any less prevalent. Quite the opposite, in fact, with the relative ease that the internet and mobile apps provide. Despite not having a “men’s gym” or a dark bar filled with privacy booths and a black light maze casual encounters happen in the Boise area with regularity and a lot of assumptions, and I would be remiss not to mention the social judgment of people that hookup with
We live in a strange amalgam of cultures rooted in the Puritanical, and a disgusting terrifying surprising amount of negative mindsets persist about gender and sex. Learning how those mindsets effect your own judgment is a necessary step toward unlocking a very human ability to connect intimately to your sexual partners, regardless of wether those partners are long term or not. Increasing intimacy is a sure fire way to increase one’s pleasure from a sexual encounter. When I say intimacy, I mean connection to your partner, not the gooey connotation of emotional attachment. That’s a very different thing in its own right. I know several people that reserve any sexual contact for their romantic relationships, and that works well for them. Personally, I am not one of those. Learning to communicate physical intimacy is more than learning to be good in bed. It actually has a whole lot more to so with eye-contact and trust. Both of which are nearly impossible things to teach because everyone has different ways of expecting them when sex is involved.
33 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Eye-contact is easy enough to grasp intuitively: when you meet eyes with someone, how does that gaze make you feel? Are you picturing yourselves at dinner for two with candle-light and easy conversation, or doe feel like you’re on the bus trying to avoid the stare of some wild haired person whose constant mumbling to themselves includes the phrase, ‘just touch it, it won’t bite you.’ How we react to eye-contact can be judged by body language. In a bar, it can nearly impossible to have a straight-forward conversation. Body language opens up more unspoken conversation than most thought possible. How far away people stand, how inviting of physical contact they are, and if they look directly at you are great indications of their level of trust and interest in you as a person. Trust, however, is difficult to build while using only body language. Most people I know reduce the level of their conversation to something a little more than small talk in order to feel out the basics, but this rarely leads to any feelings of sexiness. Avoiding the common hookup app conversation of ‘how big is yo D,’ or ‘HIV neg here, cum to my hotel’ is a good start. In fact, just avoid doing anything in person that would pass for flirting online. It’s not flirting, and it more often destroys any chance of an actual sexual encounter. Instead, find ways to casually ask questions about sexual history. For example, leading with, ‘my last STD work up was only a few weeks ago, but the results were ______. When was your last test?’ is an easy way to break the ice, and being honest about your own testing is a way to be open to hearing the personal details of someone else’s. We might not all be living lie detectors, but we are all capable of being honest even if the facts don’t show us in the best light. It’s always important to practice safe sex. The
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Department of Health and Welfare has a page that breaks down the STD/HIV infection rates of Idaho. Looking at that, it’s nearly impossible to believe that every person is being honest about their testing. Especially considering that in the last quarter, Idaho STD rates had increased significantly. There isn’t a break down for each group of infections within the MSM (men who have sex with men), just a basic overview of current cases of HIV/AIDS. While HIV is possibly the most dangerous STD, it is hardly the most prevalent. Chlamydia, for instance, had 443 confirmed diagnosis. HIV had 4. Just asking about HIV doesn’t give you a full picture of what you’re exposing yourself to. There seems to be a trend of only discussing legally required viral infections. I ask separately, and answer separately. I would love to hear more of my community doing the same. Despite the added benefit of social pressure to repress one’s sexual orientation and retain celibacy until death, we of the homosexual variety are often more open to discuss sex and sexuality within our own social groups. I find that a lot of this is because of the need for frank and open conversations after the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. Gay men have been told by their peers and elders to always discuss their sexual history with their sexual partners in order to make informed decisions about your personal sexual health. Those of us that have embraced this modern communication have been able to maintain open dialogue with our partners to benefit our safety from diseases, and actually leading to more fulfilling sexual experiences as well. While there isn’t a “back room” in Idaho bars, there are many ways to invite better ways of talking about sex within our community to decrease the awkwardness of conversation and increasing the intimacy of our encounters.
34 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Dating and Other Disasters by Desmond Slowe
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
solitary moments. I also get envious of all the couples I see and would like to participate in that world, too.
FADE IN: Opening Titles and Music
Change of mind? Change of life?
INT. DESMOND’S LIVINGROOM – DAY
Five weeks ago, I decided to take a chance and start online dating. I found six gay online dating sites and created a profile on each. I was hell bent on putting myself in that wondrous pool of eligible men and land myself a keeper. That’s right, Boise. Lock up your single gay men because NO ONE is safe with Des on the prowl! Actually, don’t lock them up. Make them quite available and accessible, please.
CAMERA DESCENDS on DESMOND SLOWE (known simply as DES), a middle-aged gay man sitting on his couch, with his laptop perched on his lap, browsing the Internet. Des has been a self-proclaimed gay since he was 16 years old and has been single a majority of the time since. Lights! Camera! Action! This is how I see my life – as a screenplay. I am a voracious moviephile (okay, that isn’t a real word but it describes me to a T – lover of movies; I go to at least one movie a week and have done so for decades. So, it just seem apropos that I would describe my adventures in online dating as a screenplay.
So, let’s break down what this whole experience is. The six online gay dating sites I registered with were Zoosk, Match, Chemistry, Plenty of Fish, OKCupid and Gay Dating. I am going to give you the whole dirty truth about these six sites. Let’s begin… The Funny Named Site First.
Table for one? Yes, please. I have been single for almost 26 years, except for a two-month stint in 2011 with a guy named Dan, I have not dated. I have had sex, let’s not be crazy! I’ve had one-night stands or little trysts that were just fun, guilty pleasures with an emphasis on NSA. I am not lonely. I have a good amount of friends and I go out and socialize on a regular basis. I am alone. A completely different beast in itself. I go to dinner alone. I go to movies alone. I go on walks alone. I sit at coffee shops alone writing articles for the local gay magazine. I am used to being by myself and enjoy the
Zoosk was founded in 2007 and “personalizes the dating experience to help singles find the person and relationship that’s right for them.” Zoosk is like the artificial intelligent yenta we have been looking for - this matchmaker is constantly updating matches to fit your romantic preferences. Zoosk calls this SmartPick and it is this behavioral matchmaking that is constantly learning from the actions of the over 25million visible members.
35 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
SmartPick shows you one profile every 24 hours, based solely off of what they know about you and your preferences from the clicks you’ve made, messages you’ve sent, and more. Simply click “Like” and if the other person likes you too, they’ll make the introduction. If you need a little more than one pick every 24 hours, Zoosk does have the traditional search engine. Just enter your criteria for a date and search. Zoosk also has this feature called Profile Carousel which allows you to view singles by photo and age one-at-a-time. Overall, I have enjoyed Zoosk and it has a good variety of new, fresh faces. The biggest drawback is communicating with other singles. A membership is required to unlock messages.
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Reverse Matching - With this search feature you can check out profiles of singles looking for people like you. Mutual Matching - In this section you can find people who provided a similar answer to the “About my Date” section. Match.com does require a membership to message but they do have a six-month guarantee that you’ll find someone special. Is there a doctor in the house?
Bragging Rights.
Match.com boosts that is responsible for more dates, relationships and marriages than any of its competitors. The site offers keyword searching as well as customized searching, through which you can narrow down your options based on qualities like marital status, political views, salary range, astrological sign or even eye color. In addition, Match.com offers 3 helpful search options: Search based on which users are online locally. This service will help you find relevant people near you and will also lead you directly to profiles that are still active. Searching by those who are online in your area will also allow you to chat immediately with anyone you are interested in.
Chemistry.com states that it “specializes in compatibility matching based on a personality test developed by biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher.” Incorporating 30 years of research on the science of interpersonal attraction, Dr. Fisher was able to develop a system that's impressively accurate at predicting which singles are most likely to have Chemistry. Chemistry only offers one membership package. It is all or nothing, squirrel friends. As a member of Chemistry.com you will regularly receive match suggestions. Each match suggestion will provide background information about the person as well as an assessment of how your personalities might fit together. You will also receive notices when someone has read your profile or is interested in you.
36 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
If you are interested in someone you can click the “I’m interested” button, and Chemistry.com will contact your potential match. You will then be prompted to begin the “getting to know you” process by filling out additional information about your relationship essentials. If you are interested in someone who has expressed interest in you, you will be requested to answer the same questions. Chemistry.com will then offer a comparison of your answers with your match’s answers, so you can judge your mutual compatibility. I am most optimistic about Chemistry.com because all the features and the science of it all was impressive.
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
looking to date, or find a lasting relationship in the proverbial dating “ocean.” Creating an account on PlentyOfFish only takes 5-10 minutes. Before you know it you’ll be chatting with potential matches. After you create your account, you’ll be directed to fill out your profile description and your ideal first date and upload photos of yourself. Cute name but what about the results?
If it is in a Lady Gaga video, it must be AMAZING!
Is OKCupid the best dating site on Earth? There website touts it is. You be the judge.
PlentyOfFish was featured in Lady Gaga’s Telephone back in 2009 but it has been around since 2003. Why do I like POF out of all the others at this point? There is no cost to use the site. PlentyOfFish has also built one of the most sophisticated matching algorithms in the industry which has resulted in 1 million relationships being created every year. With an impressive number of registered users (80 Million worldwide) PlentyOfFish offers a promising landscape for those
OKCupid is fully self-service. Users guide themselves through a compatibility check instead of the site popping out random matches. Users can answer a series of questions at their own pace, which they can later match up to other members who’ve answered the same questions. Questions range from motivation to how often you keep your promises. I like the “match” and “enemy” percentage based off the answers to the series of questions. Again, a paid membership is required to see who has “liked” your profile.
37 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
The name says it all…maybe?
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
out by forking over monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription costs. My first date was within days of creating my profile. A nice guy from Mountain Home liked my profile and that was good enough of an invitation for me to start a conversation. With free messaging back and forth, I was way more comfortable and willing to use POF over the other sites
GayDating.com has the right name to make any gay feel like this is the one website to use. You’ll need to fill out a few basic fields such as your email address and desired username. You’ll have plenty of time to build your personality into your profile, but your username could be the first thing that catches a user’s eye and sparks his interest. Next, you’ll have the chance to describe your appearance and provide details such as your height, weight and ethnicity. After this, you’ll answer a few more personal questions such as whether you drink or smoke. You’ll have the opportunity to describe your perfect match further along in the sign up process. The part of GayDating.com that is unnerving for a dating site are questions about your size, if you’re circumcised and what you’re into. These questions seem fit more for a hookup site or app versus a dating website. I also get one or two messages from members every day and I feel that they are site generated versus the profile the message is supposedly coming from. I am leery to fall prey to buying a monthly membership for bot messages disguised as coming from an actual member. At the End of the Day… PlentyOfFish produced the most activity and dates for me. I think the free aspect is super appealing for someone starting this rollercoaster ride of dating and wanting to not get burned
We met in Meridian at Big Al’s. A majority of my dating knowledge comes courtesy of Nia Vardalos’ movie, I Hate Valentine’s Day. She has a strategy for dates. The first date is breathless flirting. Her advice for the third date is fun and fabulous. Since I am always fun and fabulous, I made the first date a hybrid of her first and third. I did my best to make this first date as fun as I could and I was laying the flirt on like I was paving a road with asphalt – thick and heavy. We bowled only one game, which took about an hour and 15 minutes. We then walked around The Village at Meridian and ended up at Blaze Pizza. Our conversation was easy and flowing and we had a good amount of things in common. We ended the date with a nice, little peck on the lips. I was excited about the outcome and very optimistic for many dates to come. THE CAMERA CRANES UP and AWAY… OUT FURTHER, until Des is a speck in the parking lot… FURTHER STILL, as we lose Des to the whole of Meridian. FADE BLACK, and begin ROLLING END CREDITS.
38 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
The Reframing
of Adam Lambert The singer opens up about his ‘outlandish’ past, the lack of LGBT pop stars and his dating problems photos: David Roemer By Chris Azzopardi
39 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Stripped of that glossy sheen, those painted nails and the purple mane that he famously flaunted on his 2009 postAmerican Idol debut, For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert’s latest album cover isn’t even in color. His hair still reaches the same towering heights as his voice on The Original High, but otherwise, he’s unadorned. The glam is gone. In our recent interview, the Idol alum comes clean about how a long period of “overcompensation” – yes, the outfits – led him to the latest chapter in his life. People are calling The Original High a reinvention. Is that how you see it? It’s not the most far off thing. I consider it more like a “reframing.” I feel like it’s still me at the heart of it. It’s still my voice, but a little more grown up, and I feel like the sonic frame around the vocals is something new. Why tweak your sound? Because repeating myself would be sacrilege. I will not repeat myself. But I don’t know – something new. I wanted to do something fresh, and I wanted to do something that sounded like my life, and this is the kind of music that I listen to. Do your famously passionate fans add pressure to the creative process? Because my fans are so loyal and loving, and they’re so passionate about all the things that I do, I think that they recognize that if it’s something I believe in that’s exciting, they get excited by that. I always think about the fans, but with this album, more than ever, I’ve gone inward and wanted to make music that I have some integrity with, that meant something to me.
40 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Why at this point in your career? It’s time. It was time to make a shift, to do something a little different. I went through a lot of changes last year. I ended up leaving my first label (RCA Records), and I had to change management at the end of my last album; it was just time for something fresh. I just got off the tour with Queen, which was amazing for me and felt really good, and it gave me a lot of confidence and it made me not so scared about everything. It gave me a sense of career security in a way that I haven’t felt before.
What were you scared of? You’ve clearly never had trouble being yourself. Over the last five years, right after Idol, I think there was a certain amount of overcompensation in certain ways. I was dressing really outlandishly, and it was a lot of fun and it’s definitely a part of who I am to wanna play dress up, but I think it got to a point where I was hiding behind it a bit. Behind all of that, all of everything. It was like a preemptive defense mechanism. It’s like the kid who goes to high school dressed goth and he’s actually not into the devil at all but doesn’t wanna be bothered by anybody. (Laughs) I don’t think I realized it at the time, but I can see this in hindsight now. At the time I thought, “This is who I am; this is what I do,” and now it just feels like I’m in a new place in my life. I’ve grown up and evolved and I’m in a new place, and the album – the subject matter and the sound – reflect that.
41 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
When it comes to LGBT artists, you really helped pave the way. These days, how welcoming do you think the music industry is to queer artists? I think things are definitely going in the right direction. I just wanna see more! The great thing about having more and more artists who identify as queer is it normalizes it so the media can’t sensationalize it as an idea. In the past, I felt the media painted me as someone who’s super hypersexual and someone who only wants to talk about his orientation. While I’m very comfortable doing that, I have a lot more to talk about in reality. So, it’s been interesting. But the more of us that are out there that provide some diversity, who can show different types of gay artists, it’ll make it so it’s not as much of a big deal. It’ll be an afterthought. We’ll get to move toward a post-gay presence.
Hearing your collaboration with Tove Lo on “Rumors” on this album got me thinking: What do you think of doing a love song with another gay male artist, like Sam Smith or Jake Shears? It’s certainly possible, yeah. With “Rumors,” it’s funny; you can listen to that and go, “Oh, it’s like a romantic duet,” but before we wrote it we were talking about being an artist in the industry and having to maintain a personal life, and how it’s a little tricky and how it’s not always easy to balance the two. So, that’s what we were singing about; it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re singing to each other – it just means we’re singing about this thing together. But yeah, a duet with a guy – who knows, it could happen!
42 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
It should happen. You have to carry the flag! (Laughs) Right?! Isn’t that what we’ve been saying since the beginning of your career? It’s definitely been interesting. Really interesting. When I see that there can be a ripple effect of positivity and change and helping people just because I identify as one thing or another, and I’m OK to talk about it, that’s amazing. It’s amazing that it takes that little to make that much of an impact. American Idol wraps next year. In your opinion, what happened to the show? Why haven’t we seen another Kelly or Carrie or Adam in recent years? I’m not totally sure about that, but I do know that when the show first started it was a time in America when we needed something like that. I mean, 9/11 had just happened, so our country was looking for something to believe in. Not that American Idol healed us over 9/11 by itself, but it definitely reflected what we wanted from our entertainment at the time. It gave people hope that, hey, you can be from anywhere and you can have this dream and it can come true, and it was really positive in that regard. It also came at a time when the music industry was really suffering. I mean, we had all the pirating that was going on; all of a sudden the Internet had taken the rug out from underneath the record companies, and they were looking for an answer. All of a sudden we’re giving so much power to the people. That was really impressive, because up until that point the labels really held the strings and decided what the public was going to consume. Mariah Carey recently called American Idol “fake” and had some pointed words for the show. As a former contestant on the show, how did you feel about what she said? Did American Idol ever feel “fake” to you? It’s a TV show. I didn’t feel like it was fake at all. I knew what the concept was. Personally, if you’re blindsided by
what American Idol is, then you weren’t paying attention. It’s not that difficult to know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s why I auditioned; I knew what I was getting myself into. Essentially, it’s a strategy for a contestant. It is about talent and it is about being a good performer, but you also have to put some thought into the songs you’re picking. I put some thought into it, and that’s partially why I think I did well. Picking a genre, picking songs that work for you, picking songs where you won’t be compared. For me, I was picking songs that are more obscure or doing them a different way. You were crafty about it. I’m crafty, yeah! I try to be crafty. (Laughs) And I think for the judges it’s a different game than it is for the contestants, obviously, and things shifted a bit when the show wanted to focus on the judges more than the contestants.
43 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
When we chatted in 2012, you told me a Glambert sent you a urethra rod. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for an artist you were a fan of? I’ve never done anything like that! That was so weird when that happened. I didn’t even know what that was. Like, “what the hell is this thing?” Then I looked it up and went “whaaaaat?” I remember saying, “That’s a thing? People do that?!” I have to say, I’ve never been a super fanatical fan of anybody. I’ve definitely been a fan. I mean, my fans have called me out before, being like, “Oh, you’re fan-boying about so-and-so,” and it’s just because I said on Twitter, “Oh, you sound great on this song,” so I guess that’s being a fan! How often do Glamberts stop you on the street? It happens occasionally. Maybe not so much on the street… (laughs) I know that’s just an expression. Yes, literally in the street, in front of a car. (Laughs) “Stop! Don’t!” I sourced a few questions out to your biggest fans, so from here on, these are straight from the Glamberts. First, what is the greatest “Original High” you’ve ever experienced? Standing on stage for the first time and singing. That adrenaline rush you get from that exchange with the audience is like nothing else. It bit me and then that was it. I was toast. What do you think about when you go to sleep? My brain is crazy. I think a lot, so I think about everything I have to do the next day. Sometimes it’s hard for me to fall asleep because of that. If you could do something all over again, what would it be? I don’t really have a lot of regrets, to be honest with you. I guess there have been plenty of times where I’ll meet somebody at a bar, or a friend will introduce me to somebody at a party or at dinner, and I don’t have good game. I don’t think to be outgoing or say the right thing, and then after the fact I’ll be like, “Why didn’t I just talk to that person? Why didn’t I just tell them I thought they were cute?!” I gotta say, sometimes I really don’t have very good game. One fan wanted to know if you ever feel uncomfortable watching what’s said about you by the Glamberts on Twitter. I don’t think “uncomfortable” is the right word, but I’m
not always the best at taking a compliment. I’m pretty hard on myself and sarcastic about things, so it’s always flattering, but it makes me feel like, “Ehh, let’s talk about something else.” What’s the first thing that attracts you to a man you’re interested in? Charm. I think charm is an amazing thing because it can make them more attractive than they are – or, without it, it can make them less attractive. I think that’s something that’s developed as I’ve gotten older. Obviously, I have my set of physical things that I like, but if somebody’s a dud and they have no personality then it all goes out the window. Charm and personality are key. What’s one question you’re glad you’ve never had to answer? (Laughs) I think I’ve had to answer every fucking thing you can think of! Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www. chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).
44 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
Food corner Welcome to August! Here we are in August! Well past the halfway point of the year, and the garden is starting to yield some of its fruits. I always look forward to one of the fun plants: zucchini. With a single plant able to yield an unholy amount of produce, we have to find a way to use this harvest. With that in mind, this month I decided to go with zucchini as my prime target. The first recipe I chose was crock pot zucchini soup; this hearty soup brings all the comforts of the upcoming fall harvest into summer. Using tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchini, it brings a colorful variety to the table. Incorporating spicy Italian sausage, it brought out more of the savory
Crock pot Zucchini Soup 1 ½ lbs. of spicy Italian sausage 2 cups of celery in ½-in pieces 2 lbs. of zucchini cut into ½-in slices 2 (28 oz.) cans of diced can tomatoes 2 green bell peppers cut into ½-in slices 1 cup of chopped onion 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ¼ teaspoon garlic powder Optional Parmesan cheese as topper or to taste First in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, drain and discard of the grease. Next mix in the celery with the cooked sausage; cook and stir until the celery is softened. Combine the sausage mixture, Zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, salt, sugar, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, and garnish with Parmesan cheese is optional.
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
by Jerry Nabarrete-Stuart
side of the rich veggies. The second recipe, blueberry zucchini cake with a lemon butter cream frosting, is a wonderful addition to any party. While looking like a professional cake, it was relatively simple with few ingredients. Variations on this cake can include raspberries and just about any berries out there. This is a thicker cake with a texture closer to bread. I hope you the readers enjoy this month’s recipes. I’m always looking for new unique recipes to try out, or maybe family heirloom recipes. Nothing wrong with trying something new, bon apétit!
45 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Blueberry zucchini cake with lemon breeze butter cream Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-in round cake pans Grate a large zucchini or two small zucchini, and place on a clean dish towel. Squeeze until most of the fluid is out, until you have a total of 2 cups of shredded zucchini. In a large bowl, and using a hand mixer, beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini at this point. Slowly add in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake about 37 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can go in and come out clean. Cool about 20 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling. Ingredients: •
3 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract • 2 ¼ cups white sugar • 2 cups finely shredded and drained zucchini • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking powder • ¼ teaspoon baking soda • 1 pint fresh blueberries (roughly 12 oz.) (reserve a few for garnish) • Lemon butter cream • 1 cup butter, room temperature • 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar • 1 lemon, juice and zest (about 2 tablespoons) • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Lemon butter cream directions Combine butter, sugar, and salt and beat well until combined. Next add in lemon juice, and vanilla, and continue to beat until creamy. Fold in the lemon zest.
46 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
LGBT - Friendly Businesses and Organizations Around Boise
About Balance Mental Health 6550 Emerald St #108 Boise ID Contact: (208) 342-6300 marzena@aboutbalance.net http://aboutbalance.net/
Add the Words, Idaho PO Box 2661, Boise, ID 83701 Email: addthewords@gmail.com Cindy Gross: 208-794-2458 Mistie Tolman: 208-861-4371 Tim Walsh: 208-250-1828 Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS (a.l.p.h.a.) 575 N 8th St Boise, ID 83702 208 424-7799 Office Hours: Mon-Fri: 11 AM - 8 PM Saturday: 12 PM-3 PM Sundays: Closed Testing Hours: Mon-Wed: 5 PM - 8 PM Fri: 5 PM - 8 PM Sat: 12 PM - 3 PM @ The Center The Balcony Club 150 N 8th St Ste 226 Boise, ID 208 336-1313 4 Live DJs every week Wed-Sat R0ckin Bingo - Tuesdays 7-9PM Karaoke - Sundays 9:30 PM Balloons With A Twist - Boise Keri Boyle - Owner 208-322-3069 facebook.com/BWATB http://www.balloonswithatwist.com/ book-a-party-boise/ Boise Gay Men’s Chorus P O Box 2312 Boise, ID 83701 http://www.boisegaymenschorus.com/
Boise Pridefest http://boisepridefest.com/ The Center 280 N 8th St Suite 130 Boise, ID 83702 208 336-3870 http://tccidaho.org Flying M Coffeehouse 500 W Idaho St Boise ID 208 345-4320 HIV Support Group Tuesdays - 6PM Call Ryan at 208 371-3671 for details Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho http://://idahogemcourt.org/ PO Box 6338 Boise ID 83707 Lucky Dog Tavern 2223 W Fairview Ave, Boise ID 208 333-0074 Hours: Mon-Fri: 2 PM - 2 AM Sat-Sun: 12 PM - 2 M Monday: Game Night with OutBoise 8 PM Tuesdays: Karaoke - 10 PM Wednesdays: Trivia - 9:30 PM Last Friday every month: Karaoke - 10 PM Sundays: Bingo - 6 PM Lucky’s Self Serve Doggie Wash & Professional Grooming 1303 NW 16th St. Fruitland Idaho 83619 208-452-3644 https://m.facebook.com/Luckysdoggiewash Luckysdoggiewash.com
MGI Foundation (Mr., Miss, & Ms. Gay Idaho Foundation) http://mgifoundation.org/ MPowermentBOI 1815 W Bannock St. Boise, Idaho 83702 Phone: (208) 957-5777 mpowerboi@mpowermentboi.org http://mpowermentboi.org/ Nerolux 111 N 11th St Boise, ID 208 343-0886 Pride Foundation Steve Martin Regional Development Organizer in Idaho PO Box 1827 Boise, ID 83701 208.914.0442 http://www.pridefoundation.org/ R and R Crew - CruiseOne 208-904-3714 Robert Ryan and Ralph Martinelli Owners rryan@cruiseOne.com rmartinelli@cruiseone.com www.randrcrew.com Red Betty’s Hair House 208.344.4845 redbettyshairhouse.com Tech Savvy 208.631.1491 1222 S Vista Ave Boise, ID 83705 techsavvyboise.com
47 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 10.1 | August 2015
Get caught up, at outboise.com
| NEWS 48 40 || OutBoise OutBoise Magazine Magazine NEWS 56 Magazine 2015|Pride Guide
OutBoise.com | eveRy Issue 9.2 10.1 | August | | July outboise.com | Issue 10Week! June2015 2015 4OutBoise.com | Issue live dJS
SundayS: tueSdayS: R0ckin’ Bingo 7 PM to 9 PM
Voted Boise Weekly’s “Best Dance Club” - 7 years running “Best Gay Bar” - 10 years
kaRaoke at 9:30 PM