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CONTENTS
Publishers
IN
THIS
ISSUE
Stacy Bridges
Mark Nagel
DAYA
6
Contributors
FREDDY
NIBLACK
14
PRIDE MUSIC
26
LAMBDA AWARDS
32
TRANSCENDENT
36
GRAB HOLLY
42
GRAB DAN - FITNESS
46
DRINK SPECIALS
52
TRAVEL PUERTO VALLARTA 54
NEXUS DANCE CHART
61
GRAB ANTHONY
62
GRAB EVENTS
76
GRAB NEWS
78
GRAB THEATER
80
GRAB MUSIC
82
Bar/Restaurant/
Directory/
90 & 92
GRABBY REVIEWS
91
MAP
93
CLASSIFIEDS
94
Chris Azzopardi
Dan Chisholm,
Kevin Lee, Omeed Memar,
Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss,
Anthony Morgano,
Mark Nagel, Tom Olah,
Mikey Rox,
Erik Sosa-Kibby
Production
Stacy Bridges
James Gumb
SHERRY
VINE
Photography
Bear Lens Photography
20
Sales
Donny Aldo
Judy Kyle
Todd Wise
PRIDEFEST
SCHEDULE
39
Public Relations
Nick Wille
NATIONAL SALES
REPRESENTATIVE
RIVENDELL MEDIA
908-232-2021
BIG
FREEDIA
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PARADE
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PRIDE 2016
FACES OF PRIDE
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All rights reserved. Publication of the name, photograph or likeness
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expressed by writers and other contributors are their own and are
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Magazine is owned and operated by Grabbys, LLC.
4
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
PRIDEFEST
6
GRAB DAYA
Singer Daya
By Mark Nagel
Daya’s debut EP Daya came
out last year and features her new
single “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” which
already has started climbing the
iTunes Pop Chart and is in Top 40
in radio. Also entered Billboard’s
Hot 100 chart and is top 40 on
Billboard pop songs chart. The
song has received early support
from SiriusXM’s “Hits 1 Hitbound”
and “Hits 1 Artist to Follow”
programs and has 38-plus million
streams on Spotify already.
She is now working on her
debut full-length album that will be
out by end of the year.
Daya is featured on The
Chainsmokers’ current single
“Don’t Let Me Down” and joined
them at Coachella to close out their
GRAB Magazine
set on the main
stage with a
performance of
the song,
which is top 5
on the
Billboard Hot
100 and iTunes
pop songs
charts and has
240-plus
million streams
on Spotify.
The
Success of
“Hide Away,”
which was her
breakthrough
single, has 175-plus million streams
on Spotify and has been certified a
platinum worldwide
hit and a radio
audience of more
than 50 million.
Rolling Stone has
called her one of
their new artists you
need to know about
(Jan 2016) and
InStyle, one of the
indie female
musicians to be
listening to (March
2016).
She’s only 17 years
old and just finished
high school. Earlier
this year, she went
on tour with Jack &
Jack and has also
had a string of
headlining dates,
including Webster
Hall in NYC and a
sold-out show at the
Stage AE in her
hometown of
Pittsburgh, PA.
She is signed to
independent label
Artbeatz
Entertainment,
owned by Steve Zap
June 14, 2016
and Gino Barletta (who write and
produce for her). She was named
the Cycle 8 winner of Spotify’s
“Emerge” program which identifies
breakout artists and has them
compete against one another to
see who can achieve the most
streams and shares. Previous
artists highlighted by the “Emerge”
program include Sam Hunt, Bastille
and G-Eazy. She has already hit the
Top 20 on Spotify’s US Top 50
chart, the highest position for any
independent artist on the chart.
Plus Daya will be performing at
Pridefest Chicago. GRAB Magazine
recently had the chance to talk with
this very talented lady earlier in the
day of her high school graduation.
Mark Nagel: Where did you grow
up?
DAYA: Pittsburgh.
MN: Pittsburgh is not really known
for its music scene, is it?
DAYA: Pittsburgh has a good arts
scene but it’s not known for its
music; it’s not Nashville.
MN: How many instruments to you
actually play?
DAYA: I play piano, ukulele and I
used to play saxophone and flute in
school but I probably would be
pretty rusty now.
MN: When did you start playing
instruments?
DAYA: I started at a really young
age. My older sister was five at the
time and my parents wanted her to
take piano lessons. She said if she
had to take lessons, I had to also. I
started when I was three.
MN: When you were younger,
whose music did you listen to?
DAYA: I listened to Alanis
Morissette, Coldplay and Amy
Winehouse (I felt her voice was so
unique), and more recently, Adele.
MN: When did you start writing
music?
DAYA: I started writing when I was
12. It always interested me that you
could create a song out of an idea.
My first song was “Music Speaks.”
It’s probably the worst song written
but it was my first.
MN: Did you grow up in a musical
house? Are your parents musical?
DAYA: They love music and my dad
is always introducing me to new
bands but they never really played
instruments before.
8
GRAB Magazine
MN: When
you write
music, do
you have to
be inspired
first? How
does the
process
work for
you?
DAYA:
Usually I
have a
concept
going into it
or a
producer
will give me
a track. It
all
depends.
MN: In
2015, Perez
Hilton
(www.perezhilton.com) found you
and started spreading the word on
all things Daya. How did that
happen?
DAYA: He was friends with one of
the producers on “Hide Away.” He
June 14, 2016
liked my music and gave me a lot of
publicity.
MN: So you just graduated from
high school?
DAYA: Actually, I graduate tonight.
MN: Congratulations! Are you 17 or
18?
DAYA: I am 17. I have a late
birthday in October.
MN: In August of 2015, you
appeared on the Today Show. What
is that like at such a young age?
DAYA: It was pretty crazy because
it was my first TV appearance.
MN: Also, earlier this year, you
appeared at the White House for
the Easter Egg Hunt? Did you get
to meet the Obamas?
DAYA: I did. My whole family came.
We met them and took a picture.
They were super cool and super
casual. The first lady was actually
wearing high tops.
DAYA: It’s great. I am
seeing new places and
new things.
MN: When will be hearing
new music from you?
DAYA: The new music
will be out probably later
this year. I am really
stoked about the music
and adding some
electronic sounds.
MN: You are going to be
in town for Chicago’s
Pridefest. What can we
look forward to be
seeing?
DAYA: It’s going to be
fun; it’s going to be wild.
MN: What inspired your song “Sit
Still, Look Pretty”?
DAYA: That song is about female
empowerment to tell young girls to
go for their dreams and be
confident in themselves.
MN: What’s next for you? Just you,
the newest recording star or will
there be some college in your
future?
DAYA: Its probably going to be a
mix of both.
MN: You seem to be on the road all
the time. Is it fun for you?
Daya will be performing Sunday
June 19th on the South Stage at
Pridefest.
10
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Socials: Twitter: https://
twitter.com/theofficialdaya;
Facebook: https://
www.facebook.com/
theofficialdaya/; Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/
theofficialdaya/?hl=en; Snapchat:
@theofficialdaya
GRAB FREDDY
SPORTS
Freddy Niblack:
Checkered Dreams
By Nick Poust, UNITE Magazine Indianapolis
Freddy Niblack is the first
openly gay driver in the Indy Car
Series, but that’s not all that
defines him. As is the case for so
many athletes, homosexual or not,
he is also a person looking to
accomplish a dream—a dream he’s
had since his childhood days spent
carving a race track through
neighbors’ yards on his go-kart as
the sound of the nearby
Indianapolis 500 engulfed the air
surrounding his family’s Speedway,
IN home.
“I literally grew up two blocks
from the track, and I was born in
May, which happens to be the
month that all the festivities for the
500 go on,” Niblack says. “My
mom said I would scream and cry
until she’d sit me on the porch and
let me hear the Indy cars. They
were like a lullaby. As long as there
were racecars and motors, I was
good.”
Niblack, 44, is still longing to be
part of the roar that hummed as his
childhood’s theme. He came out as
a teenager and has traveled down
a bumpy road filled with
discrimination in his professional
career. While he was racing in the
mini Indy series in 1992 he was
subject of hatred remarks that led
to his departure. “Someone put a
poster on my race trailer that said
‘Aids cures fags,’” he says, “and so
that team owner didn’t want me
anymore.”
Niblack then went to Europe,
hoping for a better opportunity, but
more of the same transpired.
“People over there were even less
accepting,” he says. “It didn’t
matter if you had a podium finish, a
first-place finish or a top-five, you
were still the gay driver.”
“With some teams gay men are
viewed as the weak link, which is
funny because some of my times
and finishes were a lot better than
my counterparts, or my
14
GRAB Magazine
teammates,”
he adds.
“Instead of
being happy
for me it
became a
source of a
pang.”
That’s not
the case
anymore,
however.
Niblack is
back home
after signing
on to race for
Indianapolisbased Top
Kart USA,
which didn’t
even know he
was gay
when he was
signed. He
will be
competing in
the Freedom
100 on May
27 at the
Indianapolis
Motor
Speedway, and for the first time,
his presence in the driver’s seat
isn’t because of his sexual
orientation or the sponsors and
revenue that would coincide. It’s
about his talent.
“Here, it was all about what I
brought to the table,” Niblack says.
“There wasn’t this Indy car
mentality. And what I mean by that
is a lot of Indy car people, they
forget to be human, and they forget
what this sport is about. It’s to have
fun. It becomes a money situation,
and yes, here, it takes money to do
what we do, but it’s also really fun.
We can laugh and have a good
time and be ourselves. For the first
time in a long time I feel welcome.
The gay thing isn’t really brought up
unless I bring it up.”
June 14, 2016
That’s not to say his sexual
orientation and its impact on the
racing community doesn’t matter to
Niblack. It means plenty. In his 22
years on the track, no one from the
LGBT community has ever come to
see him in his element. That
changed on March 22, when
Indianapolis’s JJ Gufreda, the
president of GEI, Inc.—the first
transgender-owned company
certified as LGBTBE by the
National Gay and Lesbian Chamber
of Commerce—attended a testing
at Lucas Oil Raceway.
“I was on the track, going about
160, 170 [miles per hour], and when
I saw JJ, when I was in my racecar
on the track I waved to her,”
Niblack says. “To see JJ walk up
was such a milestone, such a
sense of pride, such a sense of
Niblack wants this to be the start of
a pattern, to make the LGBT
community feel as welcome at the
racetrack as Top Kart USA and
Gufreda have made him feel.
“To see someone come in who
is different, who is out of the
ordinary—and guess what, they are
today’s ordinary,” he says. “They
are today’s human being. The gay
community, take your place. Be
supportive. Be proud of your own
people. Not everybody dresses up
like Tina Turner and lip-syncs for
their life. Not all gay men are
strippers or escorts or wear
eyeliner. Embrace diversity.
Embrace our differences.”
Niblack
says he
simply
races
better
when he’s
happy,
and after
he saw
Gufreda
he
increased
his lap
speed by
1.5
seconds.
“I had this
feeling of
self worth,
this feeling
of strength
in
numbers,
and this
feeling of
love,” he
says. “That’s huge for me. An
honor, and I’m very grateful. I can’t
imagine if I had 100 people from the
community there, what I would do.”
Including the Freedom 100,
Niblack is scheduled to race 13
times this summer—and while the
Indianapolis 500 isn’t one of them
he plans on inhabiting one of those
cars his childhood self lived to hear
one day soon.
The 500 may be the ultimate
goal for Niblack and Top Kart USA,
but this year is about honing their
craft as a team. Top Kart USA is
predominately self-funded, and just
this past March was the first time
his number-22 car spent time on
the ground, let alone a track.
“We’re not focused on Indy Car
this year,” he says. “We’re focused
on the cars that we have, and
making them well. We’re not
begrudging about what we have
and angry about what we don’t
have. We’re happy about what we
have and focused on what we have.
We want a winning car. We want a
winning team.”
Niblack brings his individual
sponsors to Top Kart USA, but
unlike other stops on his road that’s
not the reason behind his presence.
“We don’t need that sponsor
money to create something,” says
With all of the pieces but the
driver upon his arrival, the
immediate acceptance of Deister
and the Top Kart USA team was a
weight off Niblack’s shoulders.
Here, he can just race, without
distaste for his sexuality in the
undercurrent, waiting to rear its
discriminatory head.
“It is such a small part of my
life, but it is who I am,” he says,
regarding his homosexuality. “It’s
just not a factor here. Now, at other
places, it was ‘we don’t want you
going here, we don’t want you
going there, we don’t want you
dealing with this publication, we
don’t want you dealing with this gay
event.’ Well,
I am a gay
man. My
community,
I want their
support
and their
love, and
I’m not
going to be
something
that I’m
not, and
that’s the
most
important
thing.”
That
community
would have
much
reason to
cheer. Not
just
because of
what he
Blake Deister, the team’s co-owner. represents, but because of his
“It’s already created.”
talent, and that of his team.
“I have the same big visions
“From the front of the house to and the same big dreams, but I’m
the back of the house it is every
intelligent enough to know that you
single person that works on that
have to start here before you can
team to get that driver into that car get here,” Niblack says. “With this
to win races or be competitive,”
team, we have the facility to grow.
adds Niblack. “The owners of a lot
We have the technology, the
of the larger teams, without those
equipment, the manpower. These
drivers and those drivers’ sponsors guys will be here until midnight if
they wouldn’t be where they are. It’s that’s what it takes.”
not just about one person’s brand
And so will Niblack, with his
here. It’s about the team as a
childhood’s lullaby forever in his
whole. Yes, I do drive for this team, head, striving to accomplish just
and, yes, I did bring sponsors, but
one his many goals, hoping to
these people own the shop, the
influence a community along the
semis, the cars, the mechanics, the
way.
tools.”
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
15
INTERNET
GRAB SHERRY
A Very Sherry Pride
Sherry Vine Premieres New
Gay Shows
By Sam McConnell
The web’s favorite queer
network celebrates Pride month
with even more gay content
including three brand new original
series. This month, gaySVTVworld
premieres Trade2Trade, its sexy
new talk show featuring sexy men
striped down to the bareessentials; Empty Your Sack,
Queen, a “woman”-on-the-street
series and Poop Up Videos, an
insider's look at the making of
some of Sherry Vine's classic
music parodies.
“Pride is my favorite time of the
year,” proclaims network head
Sherry Vine. “It’s a time to let our
wigs down and reflect on how far
we have come and celebrate where
we are now and the good times
ahead!” She explains more.
Sam McConnell: How will
gaySVTVworld celebrate its first
pride?
Sherry Vine: We are turning the
glitter dial up! Sherry and The
Greek will have a new Pride
themed episode every Sunday in
June including special shows on
Coming Out and Gay Pride History.
Haus of Mimosa, the "ladies"
behind The Anita & Gina Marie
Show, will also be posting Pride
themed episodes all month.
SM: What’s it like
running a network?
SV: It's more work
than I thought it
would be! But
honestly, we have
so much fun. The
most exciting part
is hearing from
creators around the
world, all wanting
to get involved.
SM: How do you
control your stable
of bitchy stars?
SV: There's no
room for egos! No
one is getting paid
enough (at all,
actually) to have an
attitude. Really,
everyone has been
so supportive and a
joy. I'm not just
saying that. If
you're working for
free then you better
be having a good
time.
SM: We hear Chris
the Greek is a diva.
20
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
SV: Chris is a total bitch. I'm
kidding! He is my baby. All we do
is laugh. Although, his rider does
say he must always have Nescafe
on hand, along with pita bread and
Britney Spears music playing on
set at all times.
SV: How do you decide the shows
that air on gaySVTVworld?
SV: We try to present shows that
are original or at least have a
unique twist to them. We love
drag and comedy and finding
people that just want to create.
Chris The Greek is a sweetheart
and so talented. Pickles spends
hours transferring DVDs to digital to
make the Throwback Thursdays
episodes. I keep thinking The Haus
of Mimosa are going to end their
run but every month they say, "We
can do another month!
SM: RuPaul
recently said her
show could never
be mainstream
because drag is
the antithesis of
the matrix. Do you
agree?
SV: I do. Drag
should be cutting
edge, whatever
that means, and
dangerous and
pushing
boundaries. Yes,
it can be gorgeous
but there are so
many different
ways to be
gorgeous.
Courtney Act is
gorgeous but so is
Acid Betty.
SM: What’s your goal for
gaySVTVworld?
SV: Longevity, growth and coins!
We want to make it through a full
year and then be able to sit back
and say, "Oh my god, we did it!"
And we want the channel to keep
22
GRAB Magazine
growing, which is why getting
people to subscribe is so important.
We also hope to find sponsors
because right now Josh
Rosenzweig (co-creator of
gaySVTVworld) and I are paying for
everything.
SM: How will you celebrate Pride
June 14, 2016
this year?
SV: This is the first year in a long
time I'm going to be in NYC for
Pride so Chris The Greek and I will
be marching, partying, and filming it
all for our show!
gaySVTVworld is free at
YouTube.com/MissSherryVine.
GRAB MUSIC
MUSIC
Pride 2016 is OUT
The 18-track compilation
Celebrates the Joyous
Season of All
By Mike Bahr
Previous albums from the
annual Pride series consisted of
eight-to-ten hit singles from the
year, usually the best selling 12”
version of the track, plus one or two
upcoming releases. Earlier this
year, however, Swishcraft Music,
the label that distributes the
albums, polled its fans to see if they
wanted a larger 15­20 track
compilation made up of dance edits
for Pride.
“The overwhelming response
was for more mixes and a wider
variety,” says Swishcraft Music’s
Matt Consola. “So this year’s
album is bigger than ever before
with marquee remixers like Barry
Harris, Mike Rizzo and H3dRush.”
Also included on Pride 2016 are
Paris Hilton’s Billboard hit “High Off
My Love”, Rilan’s current Billboard
Top 15
smash,
“Blindfolds”,
featuring Naz
Tokio, and
the Toy
Armada & DJ
GRIND 2016
pride mix of
Tony Moran’s “The
Promise”.
Additionally,
the album
features a
handful of unreleased tracks and
first release of 2016, Joe
several remixes of Billboard Top 10 Gauthreaux featuring Abigail’s
“February (Our Last Kiss)” climbed
and #1 hits that were produced by
to #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart. music labels for DJ-use only and
have never been made available to
The label’s latest release, Toy
the public, until now. Armada & DJ GRIND featuring
Consola launched Swishcraft
Inaya Day’s “One Night In Heaven”
Music as a dance
label in 2011. He
took the name from
Tony Moran
Inaya Day
a popular weekly
radio mix-show he
hosted. Syndicated on over
514 terrestrial,
satellite and web
stations worldwide,
the radio show
brought positivity
and excitement
back to the dance
floor through
uplifting vocal
house tracks driven
by powerful lyrics
and melodies. Consola was
adamant that the
label would do the
same.
He says he and the
label have a lot to
be proud of this
year. Swishcraft’s
26
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Matt Consola
28
GRAB Magazine
recently broke into the top 20 with
a bullet.
In addition to being a labelhead, Consola is a DJ and remixer,
along with partners Robert Ladic
(aka Division 4) and Leo Frappier. In fact, he and Division 4 produced
one of only three commissioned
mixes on Lady Gaga’s Billboard
Dance #1 hit “Till It Happens to
You”. The original received
Grammy and Oscar nods and won
the Golden Globe. The team was also
commissioned to remix for major
label artists Jess Glynne and
Enrique Iglesias, among others. A
few of their favorites have found
their way onto the Pride 2016
album.
Also of note on Pride 2016 is
“Touch The Sky”, a solo project by
Division 4, and a sneak peek at
“My Heart Beats Faster” by
Swishcraft featuring Emoni
Washington. Scheduled for release
later this summer, “My Heart Beats
Faster” is the first time Swishcraft
will be recognized as an artist.
Visit http://
swishcraftmusic.com.
June 14, 2016
Robert Ladic
GRAB A BOOK
BOOK
28th Annual Lambda
Literary Award Winners
Announced Hilton Als
and Eileen Myles Honored
New York, NY - The winners of
the 28th Annual Lambda Literary
Awards (the "Lammys") were
announced last night in a gala
ceremony hosted by comedienne
Kate Clinton at NYU Skirball Center
for the Performing Arts. The
Lambda ceremony brought
together over 500 attendees,
sponsors, and celebrities to
celebrate excellence in LGBT
literature and 28 years of the
groundbreaking literary awards. The
celebration continued at Le Poisson
Rouge at the Official After-Party
with celebrity DJs Sammy Jo and
Tikka Masala, VJ Bleue Liverpool
and an electrifying performance by
Macy Rodman.
As master of ceremonies,
Clinton once again took the stage,
saying, "Welcome to the Skirball
Center, our new home!" as she
Nicholas Wong
32
GRAB Magazine
began her
fifth
consecutive
year as host.
"Thank you
careful and
constant
readers,"
she said.
"It's like
Words With
Friends in
real life,"
and
Kate Clinton & Eileen Myles
continued,
Photo by Brian Sargent
"Reading
takes me
away."
arts to recognize what I have known
Broadway star and Style
all along. That Eileen is amazing.
Rookie editor Tavi Gevinson said,
She made a space for us." Eileen,
"This is an amazing event," as she
in accepting, said "I go forward with
introduced Hilton Als, New Yorker
confidence."
writer and author of the award
In the gay poetry category, the
winning, White Girls, winners were Crevasse by Nicholas
who received the
Wong and Reconnaissance by Carl
Trustee Award for
Phillips. "I would encourage you to
Excellence in
start reading Asian poets," said
Literature. She
Wong. continued, "Thank
"Throughout tonight's
you for everything
ceremony we were reminded of the
you've gotten us
impact that LGBT literature has on
readers to think
people's lives," said Tony
about and feel
Valenzuela, Lambda Literary
through your writing. Executive Director. I am in awe of you."
"Congratulations to all the winners
Hilton, in his
and honorees." acceptance, said,
Clinton summed up the event
"Powerful feelings
saying, "Never have the Lambda
rise up in me as I
Literary Awards ever sounded so
stand before you.
much like the People's Choice
Other people are my Awards."
art."
As always, the stage sparkled
Native poet Natalie
with a glittering roster of presenters
Diaz introduced the
from the worlds of film, television,
celebrated poet
theatre, politics, music, and, of
Eileen Myles, who
course, literature. Just some of the
received Lambda's
presenters who graced the stage
Pioneer Award. "It
were: Richard Blanco, Kate
amazes me that it
Bornstein, Natalie Diaz, Tim
has taken this long
Federle, Tavi Gevinson, Silas
for the country and
June 14, 2016
Howard, Paul Rudnick, Ira Sachs,
Rakesh Satyal and Pamela Sneed. 28th Annual Lambda Literary
Award Winners
Lesbian Fiction
Under the Udala Trees, Chinelo
Okparanta, Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt
Gay Fiction
God in Pink, Hasan Namir, Arsenal
Pulp Press
Bisexual Fiction The Life and Death of Sophie
Stark, Anna North, Penguin
Random House / Blue Rider Press
Bisexual Nonfiction Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of
Henrietta Bingham, Emily
Bingham, Farrar, Straus and
Giroux
Transgender Fiction
Tiny Pieces of Skull, or a Lesson in
Manners, Roz Kaveney, Team
Angelica Publishing
LGBT Debut Fiction
A Love Like Blood, Victor Yates,
Hillmont Press
LGBT Nonfiction
"No One Helped": Kitty Genovese,
New York City, and the Myth of
34
GRAB Magazine
Dawn Lundy Martin
Urban Apathy, Marcia M. Gallo,
Cornell University Press
Transgender Nonfiction
Born on the Edge of Race and
June 14, 2016
Gender: A Voice for Cultural
Competency, Willy Wilkinson, Hapa
Papa Press
Lesbian Poetry
Life in a Box is a Pretty Life, Dawn
Lundy Martin, Nightboat Press
Gay Poetry (TIE)
Crevasse, Nicholas Wong, Kaya
Press
Reconnaissance, Carl Phillips,
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Transgender Poetry
Succubus in my pocket, kari
edwards, EOAGH Books
Lesbian Mystery (TIE)
Ordinary Mayhem, Victoria
Brownworth, Bold Strokes Books,
Inc.
Tarnished Gold, Ann Aptaker, Bold
Strokes Books, Inc.
Gay Mystery
Boystown 7: Bloodlines, Marshall
Thornton, Kenmore Books
Lesbian Memoir/Biography
Objects in the Mirror Are Closer
Than They Appear, Kate Carroll de
Gutes, Ovenbird Books
Gay Memoir/Biography
James Merrill: Life and Art,
Langdon Hammer, Alfred A. Knopf
Lesbian Romance
Making A Comeback, Julie Blair,
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
Meredith Talusan &
Gay Romance
Darryl Pinckney
When Skies Have Fallen, Debbie
McGowan, Beaten Track
Lesbian Erotica
The Muse, Meghan O'Brien,
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
Gay Erotica
Érotiques Suprèmes, Miodrag
Kojadinovic, Choose the Sword
Press
LGBT Anthology - Fiction
Beyond: The Queer Sci-Fi &
Fantasy Comic Anthology, Sfé R.
Monster (Editor) & Taneka Stotts
(Assistant Editor), Beyond Press
LGBT Anthology Nonfiction Glitter and Grit: Queer
Performance from the Heels on
Wheels Femme Galaxy, Edited
by Damien Luxe, Heather M.
Ács, Sabina Ibarrola, Publication
TJ & Amal, EK Weaver, Iron Circus
Studio
LGBT Children's/Young Adult Comics
LGBT SF/F/Horror
George, Alex Gino, Scholastic
The
Gracekeepers, Kirsty Logan,
Press
Crown
Publishers
LGBT Drama
LGBT Studies
Bright Half Life, Tanya Barfield,
A Taste for Brown Bodies: Gay
Dramatists Play Service
Modernity and Cosmopolitan
LGBT Graphic Novel
Desire, Hiram Pérez, NYU Press
The Less Than Epic Adventures of
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
35
TELEVISION
GRAB A REMOTE
Season two of Fuse’s hit series
“Transcendent” is ready and GRAB
Magazine had the chance to be
included in a roundtable interview
with two of the shows stars.
Xristina was born in the
Caribbean Islands and is a proud
Dominican. She is also a natural
beauty with absolute confidence in
her femininity. Xristina knew from
the age of four that she wasn’t like
everyone else. Her turning point
came at 17 when her mom did her
makeup for Halloween and told
Xristina that she looked beautiful.
That was the validation Xristina
needed to kick-start her journey to
becoming the woman she
envisions herself to be. Xristina is a
long-time advocate for the
transgender community. She is also
a member of the first-ever
transgender choir known as
Transcendence Gospel Choir. She
dreams of becoming a Hollywood
star.
LA is the youngest of the group
and is just beginning her transition.
Guided by her new friends – the
ladies of AsiaSF – LA is learning
what to expect, both physically and
emotionally, as she embarks on this
journey. And while her new friends
have become like family, LA is still
faced with the prospect of telling
her own family about her transition.
She’s also busy auditioning to be a
performer at the club and is
learning the ropes as quickly as she
can. When she is not practicing her
routines, LA can likely be found
belting out Whitney Houston songs
at a karaoke club.
GRAB: LA, as the youngest
member of the cast and at the
beginning of your transition, what
as been the best advice some of
the other ladies have given you?
LA: That is easy. They have taught
me to be myself and know
transition is easy, be myself and be
true to who you really are. If you
don’t, you are not going to go
anywhere. Be true to yourself and
you can go really far.
I don’t think it’s who is
the most difficult. It’s
just that we have such
diverse personalities,
upbringings and
social economics. It’s
not about who is the
most difficult. It’s
about how can we all
get along?”
Q: I wanted to ask
Xristina about your
being in the
Transcendence
Gospel Choir.
XRISTINA: I believe
it’s the only choir of its
type and I was thrilled
to be a part of it. It is
so innovated and
pioneering. I was
excited to be a part of
this group because I
am not a great singer
and when I went in, I
was in the beginning
of my transition and
there was this choir; it
was dealing with
religion and all the
members were transidentified. I felt very
loved and accepted for being the
person that I truly am.
GRAB: Xristina, growing up in the
Dominican Republic, were there
any trans role models for you?
XRISTINA: No, I never really found
any trans role models until I moved
to San Francisco. I left the
Dominican Republic when I was
four years old and moved to Miami,
Florida and stayed there until I was
18 and then went to Kentucky. I
was looking forward to spreading
my wings and find out who I was
and let me say, Kentucky is not the
place to find yourself. So, in
January 2001, I came to San
Francisco and that was when my
journey truly began.
Q: How are you hoping the second
season of your show is going to
help with the trans community
Q: Who do you find to be the most
conversation and the bathroom
difficult to work with on the show?
debate?
LA: That is easy [laughing] Xristina!
LA: Its all about awareness and
36
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
understanding because we are now
out there and hopefully the
“Transendent” ladies will open
more people’s eyes.
XRISTINA: I hope this season
people will just see us for who we
are. I don’t like going by labels and
identify as just Xristina. Trans
viability has come a long way from
when I was transitioning in 2001.
GRAB: Being on a reality show
means you are putting your stuff
out there. I have to ask, why are you
doing it?
XRISTINA: It is a very vulnerable
state to expose yourself but I saw
this as an opportunity to share with
the world what it’s like to be
transgender. With our show, you
have five diverse women of color
and not only diverse in color but
personalities. I didn’t feel there
were enough people representing
who I was and wanted to put my
truth out there and create
awareness.
TRANSGENDER
GRAB HOLLY
Why We March
By Holly Maholm
Local LGBT publications across
the country are full of notices and
“event calendars” telling us of Pride
Parades scheduled in cities near and
far. But I asked myself, “Why do we
march?” Here is what I decided.
Now, there are many sorts of
parades you will see in any year you
choose. There are parades on
Memorial Day, when we pause to
honor and remember those men and
women who sacrificed so much to
keep us free. And for all the problems
we LGBT folk may have in this
country, it’s much, much worse
elsewhere in the world.
Then there are those Fourth of
July parades, where we celebrate our
independence – purchased at the
cost of a violent revolution – by which
we have the power to govern
ourselves. And even when our
representatives decide – in their
patriotic wisdom – that people like
me cannot be trusted to go into a
stall, close the door and attend to my
business in private – still, things are
better here than in many other
countries.
And finally, we all know those
many other parades – more like “bar
crawls that got out-of-hand” – where
some group or other is permitted to
make a happy, uninhibited spectacle
of itself in a very public place (which,
42
GRAB Magazine
we all hope, may encourage them to
end the celebration at a reasonable
hour, as some of us have to get up
early and go to work tomorrow). The
Irish have a parade like this every
year, as do the Italians and – in my
city – the Hungarians, the Greeks and
the Croatians (but not the Germans –
they are too likely to re-name their
“parade” a “Blitzkrieg,” and fortify the
floats with names like “Panzer”).
So if you have been to a Gay
Pride Parade, you will agree that it,
too, is a form of very public
celebration of our LGBT community:
Where we get dressed up and carry
rude signs and march down the
street until we get to that part of our
city where most of the gay bars are
located. So yes, it’s part
“celebration.”
But that’s not all. Our parades
have one other, very special aspect
to them, which we must never forget.
Which is: That every marcher will
have as a part of his or her (or their)
own personal biography, a memory
of that day, that hour, when he
stepped “out of the closet” (I’ll use
that old terminology) and into the
light of day. When hiding was no
longer tolerable. When out of bravery
or desperation or maybe some angry
orneriness, that marcher decided,
“This is who I am. So deal with it!”
History tells us that in the past,
we LGBT folk were expected to do
“whatever it is we do” in secret, so
that we did not show any disrespect
to God or the Bible
or the Koran or
God-fearing
people, generally
(who did not want
to be reminded
that we exist).
Today we are
in the middle of a
contentious
electoral
campaign – the
Presidential
election only a few
months away and all across the
country there are
politicians – and
preachers – who
are making
speeches and
proposing
legislation that
would grant
absolute legal
protection to all
June 14, 2016
those pious, church-going citizens
who do not want to make any
accommodation for us – and would
prefer to exclude us wherever they
can.
They propose – for example –
that henceforth all the high schools
of the land be operated as if there
were no gay boys or girls in
attendance, and certainly no children
(no matter how young – and this
means you, Jazz) who refuse to live
as if their genitals had the final say
upon their gender.
They intend – by legislative
enactment, enforced by all the power
of our police and courts and prisons
– to force our country’s entire
citizenry to pretend that we do not
exist. They expect us to go back into
the closet. Back to those days when
it was unthinkable – even dangerous
– to speak our truth aloud.
So to me, this is the unique
purpose of a Gay Pride Parade: To
show the world that we refuse to live
in secret. That we are here in
numbers – a population too large to
be ignored, and too brave and strong
to be silenced. Each of us knows it is
not easy to “come out” – or to “live
out” – in our world, but if there is one
thing we have learned in the last
twenty years, it is that sometimes we
must fight and sacrifice to gain those
freedoms which our Constitution
promises to all.
So you see. Our parade is
unique. We are the only group for
whom the parade – itself – is how we
fight to gain our freedom. March with
me, won’t you? Holly Maholm is a transgender
woman living in Cleveland, Ohio. She
is the author of a recently-published
book Brave in Ribbons (November,
2015) which features a transgender
woman who faces hardship in her
life. Other articles by Holly can be
found at www.HollyMaholm.com. GRAB DAN
FITNESS
Super
Penis
Funrider
By Dan
SPF does not stand for Super
Penis Funrider, though it should
because gay men would be lined
up around the block rubbing it all
over their face, body and b-hole.
Welcome to Chicago Pride 2016
and, as a person of non-color,
literally the color of my skin is
“jellyfish” pink, which means today
is a perfect time to review our
sunscreen fitness level.
So there are two types of ultraviolet
rays: UVA and UVB. There are
plenty of queens who want to look
like a vintage handbag at 50 but for
the rest of us here is a reminder:
UVA is for the rays that age us and
UVB are the rays that burn us.
Sunscreen SPF is only a rating of
the UVB protection. So the single
most prominent thing on Earth to
age your skin is the sun, even more
than smoking and drinking. A sun
protection factor (SPF) of 30, for
example, means you can, in theory,
stay outside 30 times longer than
without. So if you turn red in 15
minutes then an SPF of 30 means
46
you can extend
that to 7.5 hours.
Got it?
The biggest
problem is that
the level of
protection
assumes you have
enough of the
lotion or spray.
Here is an easy
way to remember:
The last time you were the bottom
in the gangbang at Steamworks
and all eight guys came on your
face at the “grand finale,” that is
the right amount, about two
tablespoons less the amount that
fell on the floor.
And having a tan is about the same
as an SPF of 4, but the darker you
get, the more damage is occurring.
Burns and tans are the same thing:
It is cellular change that can
increase mutations later, like
making your skin look like a
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
People of all ethnicities can get
burned too, so hooray for equality!
I recommend
using a
Chapstick, or
lipstick if you
are a drag
queen, that has
UV protection. If
you are tanning
nude, please
also apply it to
your asshole as
that thing is
already
discolored and
battered like a
pancake (think
purple colored
Lifesaver). And
for that
population,
please do jack
off with
sunscreen to
ensure complete
GRAB Magazine June 14, 2016
protection. SPF is not considered
safe-sex either, so it doesn’t make
great butt lube.
The difference between spray
and lotion is not as big as when the
sprays were first introduced. The
best one is the one that you use.
Don’t be a nitwit and spray into the
wind. Please do not inhale the
spray sunscreens, as the
ingredients will make you dizzy and
relax your ass for like 30 seconds.
It will clean your VCR heads as
well. I have, from time to time, used
sunscreen as mustard and I can
confirm it tastes like crap so
external use only.
Also. it is totally fine to not have
done anything for you skin your
whole life and look like a pumpkin
and start today. We used to think
that most of the UVA and UVB rays
were absorbed before 18, but by
the age of 40, we have only
received 47 percent of our lifetime
sun exposure and the damage that
comes. By age 59, you have about
74 percent and that leaves the final
26 percent for after you turn 60. So
do it now, and get a great plastic
surgeon! .
Note: Dan Chisholm is not a
doctor. If you have any questions
about your health, consult your
physician.
Dan is MS BS LMT(Masters of
Science in Exercise Physiology,
Bachelors of Science in
Kinesiology and Licensed
Massage Therapist: it's kind of a
big deal) Twiiter @RiverNorthFit
Daily Specials
GRAB YOUR FRIENDS
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Charlies: Free Two-Step Line Dancing Lessons @ 7:30pm, Country Dancing until 11pm, Bingo with Darla
Dae 11pm-1am, Dance Music with Lightning LuLu Until 4am. $2 Wells & Draft Pints, $13 Absolut Pitchers.
Crew: Pub Quiz 8pm $5 chicken strips $4 Hopothesis beers $5 Absolut Cocktails. Hydrate: $2 Drinks,
$5 Cover after Midnight, DJ Laura B. Kit Kat: Half-priced drink menu & 33 percent off entire food menu.
Lucky Horseshoe: Open at 3pm, Dancers 7pm. North End: Open at 11am, Free pool, $10.75 Miller
Lite Pitchers. Phoenix Bar: Karaoke Night 2.50 Mystery Shot special, $3 Miller Lite Bottles. Progress
Bar: Rupaul's Drag Race viewing party 8PM, 9PM EVERY MONDAY Gia's Gunns and Roses Drag Show,
$5 ABSOLUT vodka cocktails, $5 Jameson, $3 Blue Moon Drafts Scarlet: $3 PBR Tall Boys, $5 Select
Martinis. Shakers: $13 Mix & Match Buckets, $4 Jager Shots. Sidetrack: Open at 3pm, RuPaul's Drag
Race Viewing Party: Untucked 7:30, New Episode 8pm, Show Tunes after Ru till 2am. SoFo Tap: $5
Jameson Shots, $3 Well and Select Call Cocktails, $3 All Draft Beers, $2 SIN (Service Industry) Feature,
8PM – Close, SIN – Service Industry Night. Steamworks: $5 off w/Student ID, Quick Trix 9a-1p $7
lockers, 5/30 6pm-6am BLOW OUT Your last chance to play, Live Show with Fort Troff’s Aarin Asker and
Bennett Anthony. The Office: $5 Martinis (you-call-it). Touche: Big Game Night Come Out & Play.
@mosphere: Gayme Night XBox Kinnect, cards, Jenga, etc. 3rd Tuesdays of the month is Killer Babes
Drag Show 10pm. Charlie’s: Rockstar Karaoke with Jeremiah 9pm-1am. Top 40's Dance Beats with
Lightning LuLu 1am-4am. $2 Draft Pints, $3 Fireball, $13 You-Call-It Pitchers. Crew: $1 Tacos, $5
Beergarita Pints, $5 Michelada, $20 mexican beer buckets. Kit Kat Lounge: Half priced martinis & 33
percent off small plates; Tarot Card Readings by Therese Murphy. "Burger, Beer, Bitch!" $14.95 Burger &
Sam Adams. Lucky Horseshoe: Open Auditions for male dancers 7pm. Open at 3pm, Dancers 7pm.
North End: Open at 11am, $5.75 22 oz Lites. Phoenix Bar: Dollar Drink Night (Well liquor only), $5
Manager Shot Special. Progress Bar: Industry night 50% off everything for industry people with a valid
pay stub $4 Fat Tire drafts, $5 Jack Daniels products. Replay Beer & Bourbon: Tat-Tuesdays with
Keith, Ryan and HO-sted by Debbie Fox, Richard on Door, FREE Tattoo weekly! Sidetrack: Open at
3pm, TRL Tuesday: Totally Rad Line-up of 90's and early 00's Music Videos 8pm-2am. SoFo Tap:
$5 Absolut cocktails, $6.50 Big Beers (all drafts), 9PM Tringo (Trivia Bingo) with host Sister Margaret
Cootersnatch. Scarlet: $4 You-Call-Its, $4 Jager, Jameson, Rumpleminze Shots. Steamworks: Come
Back Tuesdays Use your weekend receipt to get $4 off anytime Tuesday or Wednesday, 4p-7p-Howard
Brown Open Testing To the Public. $5 off w/Student ID. The Call: Vodka Night & Music Videos. $5 Skyy
Vodka Cocktails. Touche: Hardcore Cruisin Club Room Open.
@mosphere: Drink Specials. Baton Show Lounge: Shows at 8:30pm, 10:30pm & 12:30am.
Charlie’s: Shower Contest Hosted by Carlos $100 Cash Prize for first place! Sign up by 11pm. $2 Wells
$1 Draft Pints, DJ Alex Cabot spins till 4am. Crew: $5 off all pitchers of beer (Beer buddy Wednesdays)
$5 stoli cocktails. Kit Kat Lounge: Half-price Cocktails & Martinis, Buy one entree get one free.
Lucky Horseshoe: Open at 3pm, Dancers 7pm. North End: Open at 11am, $5.75 22 oz Lites.
Phoenix Bar: Hump Day! $5 Absolut Vodka, $5 Manager Shot Special Progress Bar: $4 Svedka
Flavors and $3 Coronas. Scarlet: $3 Miller Lite, $4 Svedka, $4 Old School Shots. Shakers: $1 Off
Craft Beers, $1 Off Long Island Iced Teas and Flavored Teas. Sidetrack: Open at 3pm, Woof
Wednesday 1st Wed of Month, monthly All Things Beyonce and Sync It Parties other Wed.'s 9pm-2am
SoFo Tap: $4 Fat Tire Drafts, $6.50 Fat Tire Big Beers, $4 Fireball Shots, 9PM Live Game Show with
host Dick Guhzinya. Steamworks: Come Back Wednesdays Use your weekend receipt to get $4 off
anytime Tuesday or Wednesday, $5 off w/Student ID. The Call: Showtunes Absolut & Skyy Martini
Specials. The Office: $3 Wells & $2.50 16oz Draft Beers. Karaoke at 9pm Touche: Jockstrap Night
Free Pants Check.
Thursday
@mosphere: Male Dancers 10pm. Baton Show Lounge: Shows at 8:30pm, 10:30pm & 12:30am.
Charlie’s: Industry Night! Dancers, $3 You-Call-It Drinks, Shots, and Beer All Day! (Excludes
LongIsland) Dart League 8pm. Dart Tournament 10pm. Afterhours Dance Music with Ron G from
11pm-4am.. Crew: Karaoke 10pm, $3.50 Draft beers (not including high ABV). Hydrate: $5 Effen
Cocktails & Bombs. Kit Kat Lounge: Half-priced martinis and $5 mojitos; Tarot Card Readings by
Therese Murphy. Lucky Horseshoe: Open at 3pm, Dancers 4pm. North End: Open at 11am,
$10.75 Miller Lite Pitchers. Phoenix Bar: Dancers and Go-go Boys! $5 Bacardi, $5 Vegas Bombs.
Progress Bar: 1st Thurs Illuminaughty Party, Every Thurs $4 Fireball and $3 Miller LIte drafts.
Scarlet: $5 40 oz. Miller Lite, $5 24 oz. Corona, $5 Long Island Mini-Pitchers, $5 Old School Shots.
Shakers: $4 Fireball Shots, $2 Miller Lite Bottles, $4 Well Drinks. Sidetrack: Open at 3pm, Comedy
Videos 8pm-12am, Music Videos 12am-2am. SoFo Tap: $6 Miller Lite Draft and a Shot of Jameson, $3
Blueberry or Raspberry Vodka Lemonades, $1 Jello Shots Steamworks: $5 off w/Student ID.
Touche: Handballer Night Red/White Hanky Specials Club Room Open.
52
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Friday
@mosphere: Male Dancers 10:30pm. Baton Show Lounge: Shows at 8:30pm, 10:30pm &
12:30am. Charlie’s: Free Two-Step Line Dancing Lessons @10pm Country Dancing until 1:30am,Top 40
Dance/House Mixes with Lightning LuLu till 4am. $5 Draft Pitchers & $13 Long Island Pitchers.
Crew: $4.25 Lagunitas IPA pints, $2 PBR cans, $4.50 Skinny Lemonade F.O’Mahony’s: $15 All-U-Can
Eat Fish & Chips. Hydrate: $4 Jameson Shots. Kit Kat Lounge: $32 three course prix-fixe menuincludes a martini, salad and entree. Lucky Horseshoe: Open at 3pm, Dancers 4pm. North End:
Open at 11am, $5.75 22 oz Lites. Phoenix Bar: Dance Night with Go-go boys! $5 Three-Olives Vodka, $5
Fireball. Progress Bar: 9PM to 10PM POWER HOUR $2 All Svedka Cocktails, No Cover EVER DJ starts at
10PM. Shakers: $3 Molson Golden Bottles, $5 Cosmos. Sidetrack: Open at 3pm, T.G.I.F. Show Tunes
5-9 pm, High Energy 9pm-2am. SoFo Tap: $6 Big Miller Lites, $4 Red Stag Shots or Cocktails, $4 Fireball
Shots, $2 PBR Cans, 3PM – 7PM, Customer Appreciation – Free Food (while supplies last), Free Darts, first
10 people in get a scratch off Lotto Ticket 9PM – Close, GRR… It’s Friday – Bear Party. Steamworks:
Quick Trix 9a-1p $7 lockers, 9p-12a TPAN HIV Rapid Test. The Office: DJ’s @ 10pm. Touche: 6/17 Porn
Poker Party, 6/24 ONYX Club Night.
Saturday
Daily Specials
GRAB YOUR FRIENDS
@mosphere: Male Dancers 11pm. Baton Show Lounge: Shows at 8:30pm, 10:30pm & 12:30am.
Charlie’s: Smoke & Mirrors hosted by Khloe @ Midnight, Lightning Lulu spins Top 40 mixes till 4am. $3 ApplePie
Moonshine Shots, $5 Draft Pitchers, $13 Long Island Pitchers. Crew: $4.25 Coors Lite tall boys, $7-9 Crew Bloodies,
$15 bottomless mimosas (with entree purchase). Hydrate: $5 Effen Bombs. Lucky Horseshoe: Dancers all
day! 2pm. Mid City Cocktail & Supper Club: 5/21 $6.00 Long Islands, $3.00 Diva Shots. North End: Open at
11am, Welcoming CMSA and AAC teams. Phoenix Bar: Dance Night with Go-go boys! $5 Svedka Vodka, $5
Fireball. Progress Bar: No Cover Ever. DJ starts at 10:30 p.m. Scarlet: $5 Well Drinks, $5 Imported Beers, $95
Classic Stoli Bottle Service. Shakers: $5 Jager Shots, $4 Fireball Shots, $1 Off all Imports. Sidetrack: Open at
1pm, Sidetrack Video Mix 1-9 pm, High Energy 9pm- 3am. SoFo Tap: $4 Stella Drafts, $4 Fireball Shots, $4 Skinny
Lemonades, Noon – 3pm Doggy Days – Afternoon Dog Party, First Saturday of the Month - 9PM – Close, DILF, Last
Saturday of the Month – 9PM – Close, GEAR. The Office: DJ’s @ 10pm. Touche: 6/18 GEAR Night Barber &
Bootblack on Duty, Dress Code in Club Room BNC 6pm, 6/25 RIPE with Pride.
Sunday
Funday
@mosphere: Best Music of the 70‘s, 80‘s & 90‘s every week with Monthly Special events & Drink
Specials. Baton Show Lounge: Shows at 7pm, 9pm & 11pm. Charlie’s: Euchre Club 5pm-8pm.
Rockstar Karaoke with Jeremiah 9pm-1am. Top 40's Dance Beats with Lightning LuLu 1am-4am. $5 Draft
Pitchers, $13 You-Call-It Pitchers. Crew: $5 Beergarita pints, $12 Miller Lite pitchers, $7-9 Crew
Bloodies, $15 bottomless mimosas (with entree purchase). F.O’Mahony’s: $20 Mimosa Brunch.
Hydrate: $4 U-Calls Its Kit Kat Lounge: Half priced martinis, 33 percent off small plates;
Divalicious Brunch staring Madam X, 11am-4pm; $29.95 prix-fixe; $14.95 “Build your own” cocktail
package. Lucky Horseshoe: Dancers 2pm. North End: Open at 11, Playing all the Sunday
Funday games! Phoenix Bar: Latin Night / Variety Latino Show! $4 Corona Bottles, $7 Long Island,
$5 Patron Silver Shots. Progress Bar: Sunday Funday! $10 Bottles of Bubbly/Mimosas $10 Pitchers
of Miller Lite or Coors Light $3 Miller Lite or Coors Light drafts, DJ Chip every Sunday playing all of your
favorite music videos and always taking requests. Shakers: $6 Bloody Mary Bar, $4 Mimosas, $13 Mix
& Match Buckets, $5 Chocolate Martinis. Sidetrack: Open at 1pm, Show Tunes 4-9pm, Flashback
Videos 9pm-2am Retro with a beat. SoFo Tap: $5 PBR and a Shot of Jameson, $3 Miller Lite Drafts,
$5 SoFo Marys, $4 Skinny Lemonades. The Office: $2.50 Bloody Marys, $2.50 Champagnes, &
$2.50 16oz Draft Beers. Karaoke at 9pm. Touche: Beer Bust, Beer Bust $1 Bud & Bud Light Drafts,
Sodas, After the Beach Party 3-7pm, Movie Night 7pm, 6/26 Gay Pride Parade Day BEER Bust &
Cookout at 4pm.
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
53
TRAVEL
GRAB A PLANE
PUERTO VALLARTA BECOMES FIRST
“GAY TRAVEL APPROVED” CITY IN MEXICO
Popular Tourist Destination with the LGBT Community
Receives Top Honors From Gaytravel.Com
For years, Puerto Vallarta has
been celebrated as the preferred
vacation destination for the LGBT
community in Mexico. Now, Puerto
Vallarta is being honored as the first
city in Mexico to be granted Gay
Travel Approved status by
GayTravel.com.
Gay Travel Approved is
GayTravel.com’s seal of excellence
bestowed upon select travel
partners around the world that have
shown themselves to be deserving
of recognition and praise by the
LGBT community.
“With more than 20 years of
history as the go-to resource for
memorable, lifetime travel
54
GRAB Magazine
experiences, a seal of approval
from GayTravel.com carries
significant weight,” said
GayTravel.com CEO Steve Rohrlick.
“In fact, in a GayTravel.com survey,
9 out of 10 gay travelers said that it
would be very important for them
to know a destination is ‘Gay Travel
Approved.’ Being ‘Gay Travel
Approved’ lets the world know that
GayTravel.com’s team of experts
and editors along with feedback
from our discerning followers have
given a travel partner the distinction
of having that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that
LGBT travelers appreciate. Puerto
Vallarta has long been a favorite
LGBT destination and GayTravel’s
June 14, 2016
Celebrity Gurus have experienced
the warmth of the people and the
inclusiveness of the culture firsthand: http://www.gaytravel.com/
gay-guides/puerto-vallarta. It is
our distinct pleasure to bestow Gay
Travel Approved 2016 to Puerto
Vallarta.”
The Gay Travel Approved
moniker is not handed out lightly.
First, recipients must be nominated
and offer something special and
unique to the travel experience —
whether it's the good energy that is
palpable, the sense of
inclusiveness, the feeling of wellbeing when you are there — those
things that make an impression and
carry forward with you wherever
your journey takes you.
“Having worked closely with
the GayTravel.com team, I know
personally how passionate they
are about ensuring that the
destinations and properties they
recommend are safe, welcoming
and top quality. Because of this,
we are deeply honored that
Puerto Vallarta is the first city in
Mexico to receive Gay Travel
Approved status.” Gustavo
Rivas-Solis, Director of US and
Canada Campaign, Latitude.”
GayTravel.com encourages its
readers to offer
recommendations for "Gay
Travel Approved” travel
destinations, accommodations,
cruises, tours, events,
restaurants, and venues and to
also provide feedback (good or
bad) on an existing Gay Travel
Approved travel partners by
emailing recommendations@
gaytravel.com.
For more information on Gay
Travel Approved: http://
www.gaytravel.com/gaytravel-
56
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Photos by Anthony Meade
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GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
GRAB A HIT
Visit nexusradio.fm
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Artist
Elephante
Philip George & Dragonette
Disco Killerz & Liquid Todd
Cedric Gervais
Cheat Codes
Mark F. Angelo
Kream
Sigala
The Chainsmokers
Beyonce
Cheat Codes
Armin van Buuren
Comet Blue
Throttle
Jonas Blue
Title
Age Of Innocence
Feel This Way
Stellar ft Jimmy Gnecco (Morgan Page Radio Edit)
With You feat. Jack Wilby (Intro Edit)
Sex ft. Kriss Kross Amsterdam (Carta Remix)
New Day ft. Eric Lumiere (Luke Shay Radio Edit)
Love You More (Radio Edit)
Sweet Lovin (Radio Edit)
Don't Let Me Down ft Daya (Victor Dinaire & Bissen Nexus Edit)
Formation (Jamie de Von Remix Nexus Clean Edit)
Say Goodbye
Heading Up High ft Kensington (Original Mix)
Spaceship
Together Feat. David Spekter (Radio Edit)
Fast Car ft Dakota (Radio Edit)
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
DANCE
Top 15 Dance Chart this week
61
COLUMNIST
GRAB ANTHONY
A Year Later: Pride 2016
By Anthony Morgano
If Pride is the time of year that
LGBTQ folk celebrate their identities,
freedoms and burgeoning rights and
equalities (with parades, glitter and
public skin-baring, of course), then
last year’s Pride was certainly one for
the history books.
On June 26, 2015, SCOTUS
finally ruled, as we all seemed to
know they eventually agreed that
marriage is a fundamental right
belonging to both opposite sex and
same-sex couples. In other words:
“LET THE GAY MARRIAGES
COMMENCE!”*
And they did.
(* Okay, so SCOTUS didn’t really
say this, but I can totally see Justice
Sotomayor and the notorious RBG
clinking their champagne glasses and
saying just this. Can’t you?)
Across the nation, gay and lesbian
couples made plans to visit their local
courthouses, order seven-layer cakes
and get fitted for the most fabulous of
wedding attire. After what felt like a
lifetime (and for some, it was) of
fighting for and defending something
as simple (okay, maybe not simple) as
love, we had finally won.
Gayborhoods of the world
rejoiced, folks donned wedding
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GRAB Magazine
dresses and tuxes at Pride
celebrations around the country and a
huge number of same-sex couples
were finally able to call their lifelong
bond by the name they’d longed to
for so long: “Mawwiage (that
bwessed awwangement, that dweam
wivvin a dweam …”)
Six months later, New York’s
leading LGBT rights organization, the
Empire State Pride Agenda,
announced victory. Not only that, they
announced that with this victory they
were closing their doors, citing that
they “ran out of causes and donors.”
And they weren’t the only ones
who saw the gay marriage ruling as
the end-all-be-all of the LGBTQ rights
movement. As evidenced by the folks
who stopped donating money
probably thinking, “Well, we have
marriage now, what else is there to
fight for?” Marriage had been set up
for years as the pinnacle
achievement, the thing we needed to
gain to solidify our equality. In an
identity that is defined, essentially, by
the person you love, it made sense to
a lot of people that once equality in
the expression of that love was a
reality, so too would be the
acceptance of queers in the world.
Mawwiage, however, was just the
tip of the iceberg.
After only a few months of
celebrity endorsements and rainbowcovered everything breaking into
the mainstream, we started
seeing a growing backlash
against marriage equality and
against the forward motion the
movement had gained.
In August, we met Kim Davis,
the Kentucky clerk who refused
to follow federal law and grant
marriage licenses to gay couples
by denying licenses to all
couples, claiming something
about “doing God’s work.”
In November, Houston voted
down an anti-discrimination bill
that had been narrowly passed
the previous year, only about a
month before SCOTUS’ ruling on
marriage equality. Conservative
and anti-LGBTQ activists
gathered bundles of money to
identify the bill as “the bathroom
bill,” causing many to look at
something that promoted
equality on the basis of not only
sexual orientation, but race,
gender, ability and a myriad of
other identifiers, as merely a way
for men to enter the women’s
June 14, 2016
restroom.
According to the ACLU, between
January and the end of March, nearly
a hundred bills meant to chip away at
the marriage equality ruling were
introduced in state legislatures. The
Human Rights Campaign stated that
44 anti-transgender bills were
introduced in 16 states within a
similar time period.
Whole states – most notably
North Carolina and Mississippi – have
refused protection for LGBTQ folks,
claiming “religious freedom.”
Let’s look at those “religious
freedom” claims. The phrase seems
to have become a code, a nice, shiny
euphemism, because “anti-LGBTQ” is
too bluntly hateful, even for a group of
activists as clearly seething with hate
as these fighters for religious
freedom. In the case of Kim Davis, the
courts ruled that she had no authority
to refuse the Supreme Court’s orders,
even though she claimed it interfered
with her religion. The collective “we”
hoped would set a precedent against
someone clearly using their personal
religious beliefs to justify
discrimination.
With the whirlwind of bakeries
claiming “religious freedom” in their
refusal to bake cakes for same-sex
weddings, it’s clear that this hasn’t
been the case. As in the past, religion
is being used as a scapegoat for hate
– just as it was used to justify
discrimination against people of color,
against women, even against Irish
and Italians who were “the wrong kind
of Christian” (and don’t even get me
started on its justification in the
systematic destruction of global
cultures via Colonialism). And what’s
worse, politicians seemed afraid to
call these people out for what they
are – bigots.
Since Houston’s “bathroom bill”
nonsense, a national debate
has raged over trans folk and their use of the public
restroom that best corresponds to their gender identity.
Conservatives took the low road (big surprise), claiming
that sexual deviants will use the law to take advantage of
women or children. My frustration with this clearly absurd
argument has grown exponentially since the sentencing of
the Stanford rape victim and the defense of his short
sentence for assault by the same folks who are
supposedly so worried about bathroom assaults that
haven’t ever happened.
Even worse, they’re demonizing an entire group of
people. Sadly, this is anything but surprising.
Marriage Equality was a victory for the LGBTQ rights
movement, without a doubt. It was a huge step forward to
have our equality and rights affirmed on a national level,
but we are not done yet. In many states, the saying goes
that you can get married on Sunday and then fired for
being gay on Monday.
I understand the desire to say, “No, we won, the fight
is over.” I used to think that while marriage equality would
definitely happen within my lifetime, that it was unlikely to
pass for decades. “Not,” I thought, “until the older, more
religious generations are gone, until the world is populated
mostly by folks who have come of age since being gay
stopped being such a terrible fate and religion so
important, will we be able to leap over that hurdle.”
And then we fucking did it.
This, however, is not the time to get lazy. We not only
have to defend what we’ve already achieved – to discredit
the naysayers and remind our own of what a long and hard
road it was – but to push forward and fight to ensure true
equality for all of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.
Because it can and should happen; a majority of the nation
is shown to support it,
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GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Our outgoing Commander-In-Chief, the incomparable
Barack Obama, has once again (and for the final time),
declared June as Pride Month; in his statement. he
applauded the LGBTQ activists as part of the historical
legacy of the United States of America advancing towards
“becoming a more perfect Union” and “[striving] to forge a
more inclusive society.” He acknowledges the step
forward we took in becoming a nation that recognizes love
and judges its citizens by the content of their character.
Essentially, America wouldn’t be America without our
struggle.
Obama also recognized that the fight is far from over.
Pride Month, he states, will be about advancing the same
agenda here and abroad (remember the videos of ISIS
throwing suspected gay men off buildings and posting
them to Twitter?), fighting for the dignity of all U.S. citizens
and their right to the life they pursue and “[recommitting]
to bending the arc of our Nation toward justice.”
So, this year, be proud of all we’ve accomplished –
because we’ve come a long way – but don’t forget that the
fight is far from over. We must dedicate ourselves to
speaking up for those seeking the same dignified and fair
treatment as we did in order to create the world we all
want to live in. We’ve come so far and have far yet to go,
which I know can be disheartening. This Pride, take a look
around you and remember one thing: We have each other.
Happy Pride, all!
Anthony is a storyteller, casual social anthropologist
and man-about-town. He recently moved to Chicago after
graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with
a degree in Journalism and currently lives in Boystown. If
you would like to contact Anthony his email is
anthonymmorgano@gmail.com
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
67
TELEVISION
GRAB FREEDIA
Big
Freedia
By Mark Nagel
“Big Freedia: Queen
of Bounce” is returning
for season 5 on FUSE
and GRAB Magazine
recently has the chance
to talk with this talented
and entertaining
performer.
MARK NAGEL: Where
did you grow up?
BIG FREEDIA: New
Orleans.
MN: As a child, who
were your musical
influences?
BF: There were so
many, but Michael
Jackson, Prince, Luther
Vandross, Diana Ross,
Pattie Labelle and
Freddie Jackson.
MN: Do you have
siblings?
BF: I have one brother
and one sister.
MN: Where do you fall in
the mix?
BF: I am the oldest.
MN: When was the first
time you sang in public?
BF: When I was six or
seven, I was in the choir
in my church and I was
the little boy who they
pushed to the front.
MN: When did bounce
come into your life?
BF: I was about 14 and I would
hear the bounce songs being
played at the middle school dances
and around the neighborhood.
MN: Whether you are on TV or at
performances, you always seem to
have amazing outfits. Who do you
have design them?
BF: Usually it’s between myself, my
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GRAB Magazine
uncle or one of my designers but
mostly it’s my uncle and me.
MN: Do you tell him what you want
or does he have a voice in the
designing?
BF: Both. Sometimes I give him
clothes and when I come back, he
gives me costumes in the vision
that he saw and sometimes I tell
him the vision that I see and we go
June 14, 2016
from there. He has a lot of input,
because when my uncle is
involved, I know it will be off the
chain.
MN: This past January, you
appeared on Jimmy Kimmel for the
first time. What was that like for
you?
BF: It was amazing to be on Jimmy
Kimmel. It was one of the high
points of my career; lots and
lots of people saw me on that
show, plus the performance that
we planned: Starting outside of the
building and coming through the
studio to finally be on stage.
MN: For someone who has never
seen “Big Freedia: Queen of
Bounce” Wednesdays on FUSE,
how would you describe it?
BF: The show is very real and isn’t
like any other reality show. It shows
how I am and my personality, plus
the work I put into it. This season,
you will see career highs and lows,
relationship issues and the dancers
having their moments. It is going to
be a really good season. I really like
season 5 because we really step it
up every season.
MN: What can you tell me about it?
BF: The new DVD app will teach
you bounce and work out, get your
body in shape and feel good about
it.
MN: You seem to be with your
dancers a lot. Let’s be honest. Do
you always get along?
BF: Not always [laughs].
MN: Is it true you have a new DVD
coming out to teach us to bounce?
BF: Yes!
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GRAB Magazine
MN: What is next for Big Freedia?
BF: God only knows, but I have an
album coming out in August and
June 14, 2016
getting ready for my fall tour and
working on my cookbook and
hopefully season 6.
Watch “Big Freedia: Queen of
Bounce” Wednesdays on FUSE at
10 p.m. CST.
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
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Photos by Anthony Meade
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GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
75
EVENTS
BIANCA DEL RIO
ANNOUNCES NORTH
AMERICA TOUR
She’s back! The hilariously
hateful comic known as Bianca Del
Rio (aka Roy Haylock) is launching
the North American leg of her latest
global standup tour. Find out why
DANCE FOR LIFE
CELEBRATES A
MOMENTOUS 25TH
ANNIVERSARY
WITH SPECIAL BENEFIT
AND PERFORMANCE
AUGUST 20, 2016
Chicago Dancers United
presents the momentous 25th
Anniversary of Dance for Life,
welcoming the most renownedChicago dance companies onto the
Auditorium Theatre’s historic stage
Saturday, August 20, 2016. Since
its inception in 1991, Dance for Life
has been committed to raising
funds for the AIDS Foundation of
Chicago as well as other
organizations dedicated to serious
health issues while showcasing the
THE GOLD COAST ART FAIR
AT GRANT PARK
Get ready for the return of the
"Granddaddy of American Art
Festivals"! Rated as one of the top
30 juried art festivals in the country,
the Gold Coast Art Fair at Grant
Park welcomes more than 300
76
GRAB Magazine
the New York Times calls Bianca
“the Joan Rivers of the drag world”
and Joan herself called Bianca “so
fresh, so smart.” North America
dates are organized through touring
agency AEG Live. The entire tour is
managed and sold by the touring
division of Producer Entertainment
Group (PEG), a full-service artist
management and production
company.
Bianca’s last standup act,
“Rolodex of Hate,” toured the world
with sold out shows for over a year
before being ordered as an original
streaming TV special by Vimeo and
later, purchased for cable by Logo
TV. In it she tackled the major
events, people and places in her
early life that shaped her into one of
the world’s fastest rising insult
comics. “Not Today Satan” picks up
right where she left off, chronicling
her adventures since winning a
certain well-known drag-focused
reality show, becoming “gay
famous,” moving to Los Angeles
and the inherent challenges of
dating and making a living as a man
in a dress.
Said Bianca: “when I’m not busy
volunteering at the soup kitchen or
knitting socks for orphans, one of
my favorite pastimes is gathering
the cold, huddled masses into a
nice warm room, giving them
shelter if only for an hour, and
sharing valuable life advice from a
hate guru!”
Oct. 7, 2016 - Milwaukee - The
Pabst Theater Oct. 9, 2016 Chicago - The Vic Oct. 22, 2016 - Washington DC Lincoln.
Purchase your tickets
at www.thebiancadelrio.com
city’s unique diversity of talent,
dance traditions and styles, making
it truly the only event of its kind. The
celebratory evening, hosted by The
Second City’s Carisa Barreca and
Tim Mason, will also honor longtime supporters of Dance for Life,
Fred Eychaner and Alphawood
Foundation, Barbara Kipper and
Scott Silberstein and Matt
Hoffman with HMS Media. “Dance for Life is not just a
name for an event, it is an act of
truly bringing people together to
dance for the lives of those who
can’t themselves,” said Chicago
Dancers United Executive Director
Anthony Guerrero. “For 25 years,
this one-of-a-kind event has
brought together the Chicago dance
community in ways that no other
event has been able to. It is
incredible to see that continued
support and unwavering dedication,
and we are so proud to celebrate
this significant anniversary with
friends from near and far.”
In 1991, after having lost many
close friends and dance colleagues
to HIV and AIDS, Keith Elliott, a
member of Joseph Holmes Chicago
Dance Theatre (JHCDT), took it
upon himself to rally his fellow
dancers and take an active role in
preventing the spread of the
disease. Together with friend Todd
Kiech, JHCDT Associate Artistic
Director Harriet Ross, HIV/AIDS
community activist and skilled
fundraiser Danny Kopelson and
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Executive Director Gail Kalver, the
small group worked together to
bring Chicago’s dance community
together, for one night only – to
raise money and…Dance for Life.
The evening will begin at 5 p.m.
with a gala reception at the Hilton
Chicago (720 S. Michigan Ave.)
and continue at the Auditorium
Theatre (50 E. Congress Pkwy) at
7:30 p.m. Tickets for both the gala
reception and performance ($250 $600) or performance only ($15 $75) are on sale now and can be
purchased by phone at
312-341-2300, online at
chicagodancersunited.com or in
person at the Auditorium Theatre
Box Office.
artists from around the world to
downtown Chicago. The festival will
be taking place on June
18-19 from 10am-5pm. This
exceedingly popular festival offers
fine art of all mediums -- painting,
drawing, jewelry, ceramics, prints,
fiber, sculpture, photographs, glass
and mixed media, ranging in price
from $25 to $25,000, will draw
hundreds of thousands of art
enthusiasts to Grant Park's
beautiful Butler Field.
Celebrate the summer season
with an art-filled experience at the
59th annual Gold Coast Art Fair.
Take in the art action with incredible
demonstrations by artists, live
music, and interactive art projects.
Go for a spin on the Spin Art
machine to create a masterpiece of
June 14, 2016
spiraled and splashes of paint. Savor the summer sun and
Chicago's stunning skyline in the
city's iconic Grant Park.
This year at the festivals Amdur
Productions has started a new
charity initiative called the Green
Ribbon Project. The project
connects the festival with an
important cause and aims to
stimulate art buying at the festival. Participating artists put a green
ribbon on a piece of their choice in
their booth and when the piece is
sold the artist agrees to give 10% of
the proceeds to Bright Pink, which
is the dedicated charity for the Gold
Coast Art Festival.
For more information, visit amdurproductions.com or call 847-926-4300
NEWS
Northalsted Business Alliance
Details #OurStory Initiative for
Pride Month
As the Northalsted Business
Alliance prepares to welcome
thousands of celebrants for Chicago
Pride Fest on June 18-19, the
organization marks the month by
sharing Pride stories. Be it
individual, collaborative community
memories, or examples of
neighborhood initiatives, NBA will
share narratives across social
media using the #OurStory hashtag.
Northalsted Business Alliance
Executive Director Christopher
Barrett Politan explains the initiative.
“As our collaboration with The
Legacy Project continues to take
shape, it’s an honor to celebrate
Pride Month with the LGBT
trailblazers who adorn the
neighborhood on The Legacy Walk.
LGBT LEGACY WALL COMING
TO CENTER ON HALSTED
The Legacy Project has
announced that its acclaimed
“Legacy Wall” will soon be making
its debut on Chicago’s iconic North
Halsted Street with a week-long
engagement at Center on Halsted.
The display will occupy the upper
level “Library” space adjacent to the
John Baran Hall, off the 2nd Floor
Walgreens Reception Area.
Overlooking world-famous Halsted
Street, the magnificent Legacy Wall
will be visible from the street
through the floor-to-ceiling windows
ZIPCAR TO ‘DRIVE EQUALITY
FORWARD’ THIS PRIDE MONTH
Zipcar, the world’s leading car
sharing network, and GLAAD, an
LGBTQ media advocacy
organization, are kicking off a new
partnership during Pride month to
help drive acceptance and equality
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GRAB Magazine
Most importantly, it is a reminder to
take pride in not only our individual
accomplishments, but our collective
pride in the neighborhood and
community.” Collective Pride is
weaved throughout the festival as
Pride Fest goers are encouraged to
donate at the gates to support the
neighborhood initiative to provide a
clean, beautiful and safe space for
everyone to celebrate.
A centerpiece of Pride Month is
the two-day Chicago Pride Fest,
which celebrates the past, present
and future of the LGBT community.
Entertainment options abound with
Jordin Sparks lighting up the stage
on Saturday, while former Danity
Kane members Aubrey O’Day and
Shannon Bex of the Dumblonde duo
shake things up on Sunday. Rising
star Daya of ‘Hide Away’ fame joins
Dumblonde in the Sunday line-up.
Other performers over the twoday festival include:
Boy Band Review, Chicago Gay
Men’s Chorus, Chicago Spirit
Brigade, Emii, Fabio Campos,
Goldhouse, Jason Maek & Zaena,
Lakeside Pride Orchestra, Luciana,
My Gold Mask, One Night Band,
Rod Tuff Curls, Sushi Roll and
Wedding Banned.
In addition, the perennially
popular Pride Pet & Family Parade
at 12:30PM on Sunday Funday,
hosted by Ms. Foozie will open the
second day of the festival.
Chicago Pride Fest June 18-19
11 am – 10 pm Halsted from
Addison to Grace $10 Entry
Donation.
For information about NBA and
The Legacy Project visit
www.northalsted.com
facing the award-winning “Legacy
Walk” outdoor LGBT History
Museum – which is also run by the
Legacy Project.
The Legacy Wall – which is a
24’ long, 8’ tall, and 6’ deep doublesided “serpentine island” – features
125 individual biographical and
photographic elements
commemorating the contributions
LGBT people have made to world
history and culture. The exhibit,
which is international and
multicultural in focus, spans 4000
years of recorded history, covers
over 20 individual fields of
contribution, and features people
from every walk of life.
“Everywhere the Legacy Wall
goes the response has been
tremendous” said Victor Salvo,
Executive Director and Creator of
the Legacy Project. “We had
expected some people to be
overwhelmed, but not the intensely
emotional responses we have seen.
Some people stay for hours on end.
Some come back four and five
times with friends and family. Some
simply stand there and weep. It has
been an eye-opening experience for
everyone… especially the folks in
Central Illinois who welcomed us
with open arms. We are thrilled to
finally be able to bring the Legacy
Wall back to its home base since a
tremendous amount of the planning
and volunteer work required to build
it took place AT the Center on
Halsted.”
“June, National LGBT Pride
Month, affords the perfect
opportunity to honor our past in
celebration of where we are
headed,” said Modesto Tico Valle,
Center on Halsted CEO. “Our
collaboration with the Legacy
Project to host the Legacy Wall
provides the chance to learn about
LGBT history for individuals across
the lifespan, from the young people
to families and older adults who
regularly use Center on Halsted.”
The installation will be on
display from 9a to 9p everyday
throughout its viewing. Reservations
are not required. It is free to the
public.
For more information visit
www.legacyprojectchicago.org.
forward for the LGBTQ community.
“Zipcar’s car sharing movement
has always been about building
community, and we believe that
should include everyone,” said Kaye
Ceille, Zipcar president. “We have
proudly supported LGBTQ
organizations and Pride events
across the country since our early
days. It’s been a long road, and
there are many miles ahead. We’re
excited to partner with GLAAD this
year to drive equality even further.”
Zipcar and GLAAD are working
together to support the transgender
community and raise awareness
about anti-LGBTQ legislation. To
find out more, visit www.glaad.org/
zipcar.
“We are thrilled to partner with
Zipcar to accelerate LGBTQ
acceptance,” said Sarah Kate Ellis,
GLAAD president and chief
executive officer. “When companies
stand up against discrimination and
injustice, it sends a clear and
important message to LGBTQ
people across the country that they
are supported.”
Additionally, Zipcar will continue
its annual Pride campaign, in which
the company donates $1 for every
reservation on its specially branded
Pride cars. Proceeds benefit select
local LGBTQ organizations where
the Pride cars are located, including
Chicago House, Georgia Equality,
L.A. LGBT Center, as well as
GLAAD. Each Pride car is
decorated with an easily
recognizable rainbow Zipcar logo.
For more information about
Zipcar’s Pride program, visit
zipcar.com/pride.
June 14, 2016
LAKE FOREST THEATRE
PRESENTS
THE SECRET GARDEN
THEATER
Irish Theatre of Chicago Presents SPINNING
Now through July 3 at The Den
Theatre
Irish Theatre of Chicago concludes its 2015-16 Season with
the U.S premiere of Deirdre Kinahan’s probing drama Spinning, directed by Joanie
Schultz, playing now through July
3 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N.
Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.
Conor is fresh from prison,
grasping at the threads of his life.
Susan is grieving the loss of her
teenage daughter. Two lives collide
in a seaside cafe and are forever
changed. Deirdre Kinahan,
playwright of the acclaimed Irish
drama Moment, masterfully
unspools a gripping contemporary
tale over three distinct timelines in
this U.S. premiere.
"I’m thrilled to be back in
Chicago and working with Irish
Theatre and my friend Joanie
Schultz,” comments playwright Deirdre Kinahan. “Chicago
embraced my play Moment several years ago at Steep
Theatre. Spinning is a favorite
piece of mine, and I'm delighted for
the opportunity to once again share
my work with Chicago audiences.” “The emotional life of Spinning is viscerally truthful and relatable,”
comments Director Joanie Schultz.
“Deirdre Kinahan throws us head
first into the colliding lives of two
parents desperately trying to hang
on to their children. The play
weaves together an emotional
landscape of loss and regret in
which devastation and confusion
spiral out of control in action and in
memory. As we jump in time
through past and present, the play
keeps the audience on the edge of
their seats, trying madly to
understand the events that got us
to this present moment. The cast,
mostly made up of ITC company
members, bring a fearlessly
vulnerable energy to the play that
breathes the best kind of life into
this thrilling piece.”
Spinning features ensemble
members Jodi Kingsley, Carolyn
Kruse and Dan Waller with guest
artist Tyler Meredith. Tickets are currently on sale
at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org
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GRAB Magazine
Lake Forest Theatre presents
its inaugural season opener, The
Secret Garden, opening June 10
and running through July 2, with a
press opening on Saturday, June
11, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. Managing
Artistic Director Steve Malone will
direct the season opener at the
newly renovated John & Nancy
Hughes Theatre, 400 East Illinois
Rd. in downtown Lake Forest. The
production will be accompanied by
a 15-piece live orchestra.
The Tony Award winning
musical The Secret Garden follows
eleven-year-old orphan Mary
Lennox on her return to Yorkshire,
England from India. She returns to
live with her reclusive uncle and ill
cousin. Mary explores the grounds
of her new home to discover a
magic garden. There, she finds
spirits from her past that offer
guidance for her new life. The tale
of forgiveness and renewal plays
out with beautifully haunting
melodies. The Secret Garden was
written by composer Lucy Simon
and Marsha Norman, the Pulitzer
Prize-winning playwright of Night
Mother. The musical adaptation of
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911
novel originally premiered on
Broadway in 1991, and earned a
Tony award that same year.
For information on purchasing
single show or three show season
tickets, call 847-604-4975 or email
Pamela at
pamela@LakeForestTheatre.org
Learn more about Lake Forest
Theatre by visiting
www.LakeForestTheatre.org.
May the Pride Be With You,
Star Whores
In a galaxy not so far, far away,
GayCo Productions, Chicago's
premier LGBTQ sketch comedy
company, returns this June with its
annual Pride Month series of
improv and storytelling shows
entitled Star Whores - The Pride
Awakens.
To honor of the season of
Pride, GayCo Productions is
remounting its sell-out series of
comedy shows at The Playground
June 14, 2016
Theatre (3209 N. Halsted St). The
blasted natives of Boystown will
come clad in their best Target
brand button-ups for 2 nights of
some ball and bra busting fun.
Star Whores - The Pride
Awakens is an outrageously gay
improv adventure that’ll have
everyone claiming to be Luke’s
Daddy (bear). Celebrating those
who get paid for “making wookie,”
each evening will be based on the
monologues of special guest
LGBT sex workers. Check
out www.gayco.com for the
schedule of Whores.
Star Whores - The Pride
Awakens will feature GayCo
ensemble members and Artistic
Associates, including Jessica
Belless, Kathy Betts, Lanny Fox,
Clay Goodpasture, Erin Island,
Allison Reese, Alexandria MillerVanover, and some special All-Star
Improvisers.
Star Whores - The Pride
Awakens runs Friday and Saturday
at 10:30pm, June 24 and 25 at The
Playground Theater in the heart of
Boystown. Tickets are $15 and
can be bought in advance at http://
starwhorespride. eventbrite.com.
New York City’s long running
hit BATSU! Stages Chicago
Production
BATSU!, the comedic and
interactive game show that has run
for six years in New York and was
named one of the “Best Things to
Do in NYC” by CBS NY and
dubbed “Really Funny!” by The
New York Times will now play in
Chicago with a local cast,
previewing Thursday, June 16 in an
open-ended engagement. BATSU!
will be presented at a favorite
Chicagoland dining spot,
Kamehachi, 1531 North Wells
Street, and will shock diners with
this quirky, live Japanese game
show.
BATSU! is not your ordinary
dinner theater entertainment. Four
warriors compete in comedic
challenges to avoid electric shocks,
paintballs, a giant egg-smashing
chicken, and many more hilarious
jaw-dropping punishments. The
cast of BATSU! are members of the
acclaimed comedy group Face Off
Unlimited.
If you're looking for a night full
of surprises, non-stop laughs, and
a one-of-a-kind show, this is it!
BATSU! which means “punishment”
in Japanese, has been a huge hit
in New York. The show became a
cult favorite, with audience
members returning multiple times.
BATSU! is a production that
audiences will never forget!
For more information on
BATSU! visit http://faceoff
unlimited.com/ticketschicago.html or call
347-985-0368.
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
81
BETTY WHO RELEASES
COVER OF DONNA LEWIS' "I LOVE YOU ALWAYS
FOREVER"
MUSIC
BEBE REXHA RELEASES
NEW RUBY ROSE REMIX
OF "NO BROKEN HEARTS"
FEAT. NICKI MINAJ
Forever" proves she has a lot more
magic up her sleeve.
To Buy or Stream "I Love You
Always Forever" Visit
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/
BWILYAF
ST. LUCIA PARTNERS WITH
CONVERSE FOR OFFICIAL
“HELP ME RUN AWAY”
MUSIC VIDEO
Critically acclaimed pop artist,
Betty Who, releases her cover of
Donna Lewis' classic 90's hit, "I
Love You Always Forever."
Produced by longtime collaborator
Peter Thomas, Who's dazzling
rendition serves as a precursor to
her long-awaited album, which is
set to release later this year. Fans
can catch Betty Who performing "I
Love You Always Forever" for the
first time this weekend at
Governor's Ball in New York City.
Additionally, the track is on sale
now and available at all digital retail
providers.
Who says, "I've always loved
this song. It came out in my early
childhood and embodies such a
reminiscent feeling for me. I've
been dying to cover it for a while
now and have finally done it! I can't
wait to start singing it live and
sharing one of my favorite songs of
all time. I've been working so hard
on my next album, but in the
meantime wanted to give
something special to my Who
Crew!"
Once described by New York
Magazine as a mix of "early
Madonna...Katy Perry and Robyn,
with spunk and confidence", and by
Elle as "your next pop obsession",
Australian pop-singer, Betty Who,
is a force to be reckoned with. She
has built a passionate and loyal fan
base through her early EP's,
undeniable charisma and ecstatic
live show. Who independently
released her first EP entitled The
Movement EP, in which the lead
single and fan favorite, "Somebody
Loves You" debuted at #4 of
Spotify's most viral list. Her followup EP, Slow Dancing, was released
via RCA Records and debuted at
#1 on the iTunes Pop Chart. The
success of Who's early EP's
eventually led to the release of her
debut LP entitled Take Me When
You Go (RCA Records), along with
performances on The View, The
Today Show, and Late Night With
Seth Meyers, as well as tours with
both Katy Perry and Kiesza. While
Check us out online
Betty Who is gearing up to for her
www.GRABChicago.com
second full-length album, the
release of "I Love You Always
82
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
Chart-topping singer/songwriter
Bebe Rexha released a hot new
Ruby Rose remix of her latest
single "No Broken Hearts" featuring
Nicki Minaj.
Bebe has been writing and
performing hits dominating the
charts for the last few years, and
recently hit #1 on both the Billboard
Pop and Rap charts with her
Platinum-selling smash single "Me,
Myself & I" with G-Eazy. Her latest
single "No Broken Hearts" featuring
Nicki Minaj has been climbing the
charts, and the latest version by
acclaimed actor/ producer / DJ
Ruby Rose is sure to take things
up a notch.
Bebe Rexha has accumulated
over 10 million overall single sales,
1 billion Spotify streams, 1.3 billion
combined YouTube/VEVO views,
and reached a radio audience of
over 8 billion. Bebe Rexha burst
onto the scene in 2013 when she
penned the song which became a
worldwide hit for Eminem and
Rihanna - "Monster" - which went
RIAA quadruple-platinum stateside.
She wrote and featured on Cash
Cash's "Take Me Home" and
Pitbull's "This Is Not A Drill" in
addition to writing Tinashe's "All
Hands On Deck" and Selena
Gomez's "Champion." Her 2015
debut EP, I Don't Wanna Grow Up
[Warner Bros. Records], boasts the
singles "I Can't Stop Drinking About
You" and "I'm Gonna Show You
Crazy," which racked up over 52
million Spotify streams in only six
months. That same year, she cowrote and carried instantly
recognizable hooks for the doubleplatinum "Hey Mama" by David
Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and Afrojack
as well as G-Eazy's Billboard Hot
100 smash "Me, Myself, & I."
Listen to "No Broken Hearts Ruby Rose Remix":
https://soundcloud.com/
beberexha/no-broken-heartsruby-rose-remix/
St. Lucia, in partnership with
Converse, has revealed the official
video for “Help Me Run Away” - the
latest single from their sophomore
album Matter. Incorporating a
combination of 2D and 3D
compositing, mixed with practical
puppeteering and CG elements,
the video (directed by NORTON)
follows a pair of Converse high
tops across the U.S. in search of
their lost love (a pair of red high
heels). To view the video visit
http://smarturl.it/HMRAvideo.
“Help Me Run Away” is available
now on all DSPs including iTunes,
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and
Google Play.
Later this month, St. Lucia will
make their debut morning
television appearance. Tune in to
see the band perform live on Good
Morning America Thursday, June
30th.
As previously announced, St.
Lucia will embark on a fall headline
tour that will feature new songs and
production in their largest venues
to date: The Wiltern in Los Angeles,
Terminal 5 in NYC, and House Of
Blues in Boston. Released in late January,
Matter (the follow-up to St. Lucia’s
2013 album When The Night) has
been universally praised, with
Rolling Stone drawing comparisons
to ‘Prince at his purplest,’
Entertainment Weekly hailing it as
‘the indie dance party album of the
year,’ and NYLON citing the 2016
release as ‘a bold new direction for
the band.’ St. Lucia’s fusion of
catchy synths, hook-laden verses
and unabashed power pop caught
the attention of KCRW’s Jason
Bentley who recently said on an
episode of Morning Becomes
Eclectic, “this should be the biggest
band in the world right now.”
St Lucia will be in Chicago July
28-31 performing at Lollapalooza.
Photos by Anthony Meade
84
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
PARADE INFORMATION
PRIDE
DATE: Sunday, June 26
TIME: 12 Noon
STARTS at: Broadway &
Montrose.
security team of 160 off-duty police
officers (up from 90 last year), to
supplement the police presence
along and surrounding the
parade route.
$1000 Fine FOR
PUBLIC ALCOHOL
CONSUMPTION:
The parade will have
more security and a tighter
rein on public alcohol
consumption. In addition to
the large number of police
officers who staff the event,
PRIDEChicago (parade
ROUTE: Step off from the
coordinators) are providing a
Broadway/Montrose corner,
security team of 160 off-duty police
officers (up from 90 last year) to
proceeding south on Broadway;
then south on Halsted; then east on supplement the police presence.
Belmont; then south on Broadway;
Penalties include, but are not
then east on Diversey to Cannon
limited to, $1000+ tickets being
Drive.
issued and/or the immediate
disposal of open containers of
CONTENT & DESCRIPTION: The alcohol into trash receptacles.
parade will feature 160 registered
PARADE DAY HEALTH/SAFETY:
entries (down from 215 last year),
including floats, decorated vehicles, Bring plenty of bottled water,
sunscreen and a hat or other head
performance groups, a marching
covering, and dress lightly because
band and walking contingents.
parade day is usually hot and
The entries represent
community organizations,
sunny.
businesses, governmental officials
and individual community members. STREET CLOSURES: (on parade
day, Sunday, June 26) include:
Crowd estimates each year are in
the hundreds of thousands. So the
plans are to line the parade route
ASSEMBLY AREA: Tentative
with barricades on both sides of the time: 10:30 a.m.
street from beginning to the end of
the parade route. Spectators will be PARADE ROUTE: Rolling closing
required to remain behind the
times. Cross streets will close as
barricades. (Only parade registrants the parade travels south down the
traveling down the middle of the
route. The parade starts at 12:00
street, police officers, other city
Noon at the Broadway/Montrose
officials, security staff, parade
corner proceeding south on
marshals and credentialed media
Broadway; then south on Halsted;
reps will be allowed in the street). In then east on Belmont; then south
on Broadway; then east on
recent years, the City of Chicago
Diversey to Cannon Drive.
has required that several large city
parades, including the Pride
NO PARKING: Both the Assembly
Parade, line their parade routes
with barricades at our own
Area and Parade Route (listed
expense. Police officers and parade above) will be posted with
temporary signs indicating “NO
marshals will be stationed at
various points on the street in front
PARKING ON SUNDAY JUNE
of the barricades along the parade
26, 2015, FROM 5:00 AM TO
route.
8:00 PM. - Both sides of the
Police officers will also be in the
street.”
Montrose Ave. - Greenview Ave. to
area surrounding the parade. In
Hazel St.
addition, PRIDEChicago (parade
coordinators) are providing a
86
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
LINE UP: North Broadway (both
the east and the west curb lanes,
from Montrose to Wilson); West
Montrose (both the north and south
curb lanes from Broadway to Clark); Sunnyside Ave from Broadway to
North Sheridan Road and North
Sheridan Road, between Montrose
and Wilson.
Broadway St. - Leland Ave. to
Grace St.
Sunnyside Ave. - Broadway St. to
North Sheridan Rd.
Halsted St. - Grace St. to to
Belmont Ave.
Belmont Ave. - Sheffield Ave. to
Broadway St.
Broadway St. - Belmont Ave. to
Diversey Pkwy.
Diversey Pkwy. - Broadway St. to
Cannon Dr. (Sheridan)
Cannon Dr. - Diversey Pkwy. to
Fullerton Pkwy.
Addison St. - 736 W. Addison St. to
Sheffield Ave.
Waveland Ave. - Halsted St. to
Broadway St.
Grace St. - Halsted St. to Fremont
St.
Clifton from Montrose Ave. to
Sunnyside Ave.
Wellington Ave. from Sheffield St. to
Racine Ave.
North Sheridan Road from
Montrose to Agatite Street
ADDITIONAL PARKING
RESTRICTIONS: There will be
additional parking restrictions on
Sunnyside Ave between Broadway
and North Sheridan Road also
North Sheridan Road from
Montrose to Agatite Street.
TOWING: Begins at 5:00 AM. Due
to the volume of vehicles involved,
the issuing of parking violation
citations and towing will start at
5AM - Promptly.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
From the Red Line: Wilson,
Sheridan, Addison or Belmont all
provide access via a short walk to
the parade route.
PLEASE NOTE: The Belmont
station (and the surrounding
area) tends to become the most
crowded, so you are encouraged
to consider watching the parade
from the other parts of the route,
including areas toward the start
of the route—such as Broadway,
south of Montrose—which are
served by both the nearby Wilson
and Sheridan stations on the Red
Line. In addition, a number of
lakefront bus routes including the
146 and 151 provide convenient
access from the north, the Gold
Coast/North Michigan Avenue
and downtown to areas east of
the parade route.
Extra service will be provided
on the “L’ on parade day to
accommodate the large numbers
of people who attend the parade.
Due to the increase of local traffic
and a number of bus reroutes,
potential parade spectators are
advised to make use of the L or
the various bus routes.
BUS REROUTES:
8 Halsted, 22 Clark, 36
Broadway, 76 Diversey, 77
Belmont, 78 Montrose, 151
Sheridan, 152 Addison.
Also see CTA web site or call
them for updated information
concerning the train and bus
routes.
CTA:1-312-836-7000 www.transitchicago.com
Other information on public
transportation:1-312-3226900 www.metrarail.com
PEDESTRIAN CROSS-OVER
STREETS:
There will be seven cross-over
streets:
Montrose Ave. at Broadway
Irving Park Rd. at Broadway
Grace St. at Halsted St.
Addison St. at Halsted St.
Roscoe St. at Halsted St.
Wellington Ave. at Broadway
Aldine Street at Halsted St.
At each corner of the streets
listed above there will be police
officers assigned to assist
pedestrians to cross the parade
route.
NEEDS AND SPECIAL
NEEDS:
1. Portable Restrooms - are
stationed along both the parade
line-up street and the parade
route. Included at several
locations are
restrooms for the
physically
challenged.
2. Physically
Challenged
Area/Wheel
chair Accessible
Area/Seniors for people who
need or want more
space: the
sidewalks of West
Diversey Parkway
(near 600 W.
Diversey).
Traditionally this
PRIDE
CROSS STREETS: Rolling
closing times. Cross streets will
close as the parade travels south
down the route. After stepping off
at 12:00 PM, the parade will take
approximately two and one-half
hours to finish crossing the
Broadway & Montrose corner.
After this time, the floats will still
be winding their way to the end of
the parade route at Diversey &
Sheridan. This year there will
NOT be a Buffer Zone on Halsted
Street after the parade ends.
Police will work to re-open the
streets to vehicular traffic as soon
as cleaning crews are finished
and the streets will not remain
open to foot traffic.
area of the parade route has
fewer spectators than other
sections of the parade route.
Spectators in these areas
generally arrive there early on
parade morning to secure their
viewing spots. Included there are
restrooms for the physically
challenged.
3. Seniors (outdoor) - The area
mentioned above in #2 (600 W.
Diversey sidewalks) is a
designated OUTDOOR area for
seniors. Spectators in this area
generally arrive there early on
parade morning to secure their
viewing spots. Included there are
restrooms for the physically
challenged.
4. Cooling Busses Halsted, south of Belmont
Irving Park between Clark and
Broadway
Addison, west of Halsted
Belmont, east of Broadway
Wilton, north of Belmont
For more information:
www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.
org Email
PrideChgo@aol.com or
773-348-8243.
June 14, 2016
Have a safe
and
Happy
PRIDE!!!
GRAB Magazine
87
GRAB PRIDE
PRIDE
PARADE DAY
SUNDAY JUNE 26
By PRIDEChicago (parade coordinators)
Like last year, the parade will
have more security and a tighter
rein on public alcohol
consumption.
In addition to the large number
of police officers who staff the
event, PRIDEChicago (parade
coordinators) are providing a
security team of 160 off-duty
police officers (up from 90 last
year), to supplement the police
88
GRAB Magazine
presence.
Penalties include, but are not
limited to $1000 + tickets being
issued and/or the immediate
disposal of open containers of
alcohol into trash receptacles.
Updated information about
parking restrictions, street
closures, parade route cross-over
streets and other parade related
information will be posted on the
June 14, 2016
official Parade website
www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org
For more Chicago Pride
Parade and June Pride Month
Calendar listings that are updated
daily, go to PRIDEChicago’s web
site
www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org
email:PrideChgo@aol.com
Phone: 773-348-8243.
PARADE GRAND MARSHAL
Monica Raymund
Television and stage actor
Monica Raymund is scheduled to
be Grand Marshal of this year's
Chicago 47th Annual Pride Parade
on Sunday June 26.
She has lived and worked in the
Chicago now for more than four
years. She came out publicly two
years ago and considers herself a
"proud member of the LGBTQ
communities."
Monica stars as Gabriela
Dawson in NBC’s hit show
“Chicago Fire” that is filmed
here in Chicago. A graduate of
the Juilliard School,
she starred for 3 seasons on the
FOX drama, “Lie To Me”. Other
notable credits include, features
“Happy Baby” and “Arbitrage”,
as well as a recurring role on
“The Good Wife”. Monica
starred in the musical “Like
Parade Route
Chicago 47th Annual Pride Parade
(The Parade is Scheduled each year for the last Sunday in June)
DATE: Sunday, June 26
TIME: 12 Noon
Water for Chocolate” (Sundance
Theatre Lab) and “Boleros for the
Disenchanted” (Huntington
Theatre).
She is a founding member of
The Mechanical Theatre Group and
currently serves on the board of The
Performing Arts Project. Previously
she’s been on faculty of the
Broadway Theatre Project, co-head
of the communications department
at the Heifetz Institute and producer
on the Broadway production of "The
Velocity of Autumn"
Monica is the founder and
president of SISU Theatrical
Productions, is a director for the
upcoming campaign, The Hidden
Tears Project and is also on the
board of MOGUL, an online news
aggregator and publishing platform
for women.
Monica, along with several
community event organizers held a
fundraiser this past winter for
Project Fierce, a Chicago collective
on the south side that helps
homeless LGBTQ youth.
She will be riding in a vehicle
near the front of the parade
procession.
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
89
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June 14, 2016
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OAK PARK AREA LESBIAN AND
GAY ASSOCIATION • Oak Park, IL
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OF GAYS & LESBIANS (PFLAG) 773-472-3079
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Organizers) - 773-348-8243
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Attorney at Law, D.U.I.• Criminal
ROGER V. MCCAFFREY-BOSS
312-263-8800 - 33 N. Dearborn
Street #800
ERICKSON & OPPENHEIMER
773-935-3130 - 217 N. Jefferson
GRAB A MOP
CHESTNUT ORGANIZING &
CLEANING SERVICE 312-332-5575
FROGS ON STARS CLEANING
SERVICE - 773-271-3764
GRAB A VIDEO
BANANA VIDEO - 773-561-8322
4923 N. Clark
SPECIALTY VIDEO - 773-878-3434
5307 N. Clark
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PORN
GRABBY
REVIEWS
Fuck Me I am Famous
2016. NakedSword
Directed by mr. Pam
Starring: Mickey Taylor, Bray Love, Adam
Ramzi, JJ Knight, Jack Hunter and Wesley
Woods
This movie starts with Adam Ramzi and
Colby Keller in a big fight and Ramzi kicks Keller
out of the house. Later that day and armed with
flowers, Keller returns home and that is all it
takes to have
Ramzi
bouncing on
Keller's dick.
Next it's
Mickey
Taylor and
Jack Hunter
out on a
balcony with
what looks to
be Vegas in
the
background.
On the
balcony, it's
Taylor who is
the first to be
naked, but
they come
indoors so
Taylor can
suck on
Hunter's big dick. After about five minutes of
Hunter munching on Taylor's bum, you know
who is getting fucked first... Taylor! Now it's really
hot when these two flip! We then have Bray Love
in a book store (wink wink) looking for some
action and lucky for Love JJ Knight is the action
he finds. After the guys take turns sucking on
each other's dicks, there is no chance Love is
going to pass up having JJ Knight's big (and I
mean big!) dick up his ass! Now we're are back
in Mickey Taylor's hotel room, but this time he
has the naked Wesley Woods with him. After
some kissing and rubbing it's Woods with a
tongue up his ass. Let's just say when Taylor
replaces his tongue with his dick Woods is very
happy! This is a movie where you don't judge a
book by its cover... the box cover showed a plot
driven movie and what you get is a movie
with good looking guys having great sex.
3.75 Stars!
June 14, 2016
GRAB Magazine
91
GRAB A DRINK
16 @MOSPHERE • 773-784-1100
5
6
26
15
24
47
20
27
49
19
67
51
10
31
8
29
44
2
66
48
13
41
63
35
58
5355 N. Clark
2ND STORY BAR • 312-923-9536
157 E. Ohio
BATON SHOW LOUNGE
312-644-5269 • 436 N. Clark
BERLIN • 773-348-4975
954 W. Belmont
BIG CHICKS • 773-728-5511
5024 N. Sheridan
BOBBY LOVES • 773-525-1200
3729 N. Halsted
BRIANS SPEAKEASY
312-464-1400 • 440 N. State St.
CELL BLOCK • 773-665-8064
3702 N. Halsted
CHARLIES • 773-871-8887
3726 N. Broadway
CLOSET • 773-477-8533
3325 N. Broadway
CREW BAR • 773-784-CREW
4804 N. Broadway
ELIXIR ANDERSONVILLE
773-975-9244 1509 W. Balmoral
ELIXIR LOUNGE 773-975-9244
3452 N. Halsted
GRANVILLE ANVIL
773-973-0006 • 1137 W. Granville
HYDRATE • 773-975-9244
3458 N. Halsted
JACKHAMMER • 773-743-5772
6406 N. Clark
L.J’s (Little Jims) • 773-871-6116
3501 N. Halsted
LUCKY HORSESHOE
773-404-3169 • 3169 N. Halsted
MANHANDLER • 773-871-3339
1948 N. Halsted
MANHOLE • 872-206-2052
3210 N. Halsted
MARTYS MARTINI BAR •
773-561-6425 • 1511 W Balmoral
MARYS ATTIC •
773-784-6969 5400 N. Clark
MINI-BAR • 773-871-6227
3341 N. Halsted
PROGRESS • 773-697-9268
3359 N. Halsted
REPLAY • 773-975-9244
3439 N. Halsted
ROGERS PARK SOCIAL
6920 N. Glenwood
34 ROSCOES • 773-281-3355
3356 N. Halsted
SCARLET • 773-348-1053
38 3320 N. Halsted
92
GRAB A DRINK
GRAB Magazine
• 773-528-3253
1 SCOT’S
1829 W. Montrose
SEVEN • 872-206-2052
66 3206 N. Halsted
ON CLARK •
45 SHAKERS
773-327-5969 3160 N. Clark
39 SIDETRACK • 773-477-9189
3349 N. Halsted
52 SOFO Tap • 773-784-7636
4923 N. Clark
12 THE CALL • 773-334-2525
1547 W. Bryn Mawr
23 THE NORTH END •
773-477-7999 • 3733 N. Halsted
7 TOUCHE • 773-465-7400
6412 N. Clark
62 TWISTED VINE • 773-388-0952
3530 N. Halsted
GRAB A BITE
GRAB A TOWEL
53 BANANA VIDEO 773-561-8322
4923 N. Clark
17 MANSCOUNTRY BATHHOUSE
773-878-2069 • 5017 N. Clark
RAM BOOKSTORE &
28 ARCADE 773-525-9528
3511 N. Halsted
40 STEAMWORKS BATHHOUSE
773-929-6080 • 3246 N. Halsted
SUBURB BARS
BOXERS N’ BRIEFS •
55 Four Corners Ln
618-332-6141 (Centreville, IL)
CLUB KRAVE •
13126 WESTERN AVE
708-597-8379 (Blue Island, IL)
MANEUVERS •
118 E. JEFFERSON ST.
815-727-7069 (Joliet, IL)
Coming soon!!!!
32 Lark
MID CITY COCKTAIL/SUPPER •
124 Main Street
(West Chicago, IL)
PHOENIX •
1932 E. HIGGINS ROAD
847-258-3087 (Elk Grove, IL)
MARY’S
14 HAMBURGER
773-784-6969 • 5400 N. Clark
THE OFFICE •
513 E. State Street
815-965-0344 (Rockford, IL)
21 F.O’MAHONY’S • 773-549-0226
3701 N. Broadway
CAFE
55 HORIZON
773-883-1565
3805 N. Broadway
KIT KAT LOUNGE & SUPPER
22 CLUB • 773-525-1111
3700 N. Halsted
Open Daily 5:30pm-2am
36 NOOKIES • 773-248-9888
3334 N. Halsted
67 REPLAY ANDERSONVILLE
773-654-1369 • 5358 N. Clark
65 REVIVAL SOCIAL CLUB
773-293-6435 • 1133 W. Granville
43 WOOD • 773-935-9663
3335 N. Halsted
CULTURE
25 CENTER ON HALSTED
3656 N Halsted • 773-472-6469
11 GERBER/HART LIBRARY
AND ARCHIVES •
6500 N. Clark 773-381-8030
9 LEATHER ARCHIVES &
MUSEUM • 6418 N. Greenview
773-761-9200
GRAB SLEEP
BEST WESTERN PLUS
33 HAWTHORNE 773-244-3434
3434 N Broadway St
June 14, 2016
PICK UP GRAB IN
OTHER CITIES
CALIFORNIA
Street Bar - 760-320-1266
224 E. Arenas Road, Palm Springs
INDIANA
Gregs Indy- 317-638-8138
231 W 16th St, Indianapolis (Bar)
Talbott Street 317-931-1343
2145 N. Talbott St, Indianapolis (Dance)
MICHIGAN
Dunes Resort - 269-857-1401
333 Blue Star Highway, Douglas
FIVE 15 - 248-515-2551
515 S. Washington, Royal Oak (Bar)
MISSOURI (ST LOUIS)
ClubSt. Louis - 314-533-3666
2625 Samuel Shepard Dr (Bathhouse)
Erney’s 32 - 314-652-7195
4200 Manchester Ave (Bar)
Rehab Bar & Grill - 314-652-3700
4054 Choteau Ave (Bar)
WASHINGTON DC
DIK Bar - 202-328-0100
1637 17th Street NW
Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse 202-232-0395 1609 17th Street NW
GRAB CLASSIFIEDS
APT FOR RENT
EDGEWATER COMMUTER
ADVANTAGE Walk to beach,bus,red
line and shops.Awesome living room.
Big kitchen with pantry. $1500 with
heat.Plus new floors,sink,stove.And
video intercom,laundry and patio
Interested? Call 773-275-3216.
CLEANING SERVICES
CHESTNUT ORGANIZING &
CLEANING SERVICE 312-332-5575. We are a home and
office cleaning service. But more
importantly, we are an organizing/
cleaning service for people who
need that service. Often, cleaning
services don’t organize and
organizing services don’t clean, but
we can do both at the same time!
Please visit us for more information
and “before” and “after” photos.
www.ChestnutCleaning.com
and call today 312-332-5575.
STARK NAKED MALE Housecleaner 45 year old white male, full
head of straight brown hair, blue
eyes, weight proportionate to height,
completely smooth in the genital/
anal area due to the hair having been
permanently laser removed. I will do
a very thorough job for you, and give
those floors, area rugs and runners
lots of TLC down on my hands and
knees. Call me at 708-280-8022
CONTRACTOR
ALL INTERIOR & Exterior home
remodeling & handyman service.
Bathrooms, kitchens, basements,
siding, roofing, gutters, painting,
drywall, tuckpointing, brick
work ,framing plumbing , electric
Etc. Call Sean 773-908-9054 or
SeansConstruction@gmail.com
CONTRACTOR
BODYWORK
GREAT CHICAGO
CARPENTRY offers you custom
finish carpentry, all trim and
millwork install ations, expert door
replacement and installations. Let
me create your custom cabinets
and built-ins to maximize your
storage space. My customers are
people like you who enjoy
the satisfaction of real wood
craftsmanship in their homes
Check out my facebook page !!
https://www.facebook.com/GreatChicago-Carpentry-56897498233/
timeline Call Mitch at
773-350-3850.
GET RUBBED THE RIGHT
way Straight, (has girlfriend) 38yr.
old, masculine, good looking, hairy
male stud. Seeks men of all kind.
Gives extra-erotic massage, thats
skillful and playful. I like to have
fun, and being adventurous.Expert
in the art-of-touch, lets discover
each other in ecstacy! In my home
or yours. 1 hour+ in/80.00 out/
95.00 Call 708-945-4940
HELP WANTED
STYLIST FOR CRAM
FASHION Join Chicago’s Premier
Men’s Boutique: Cram Fashion is
accepting applications for energetic,
determined, and fashionable
candidates who have an eye for
fashion and knowledge of current
trends, must have weekend, evening,
and some holiday availability, and a
minimum of 2 years retail/
customer service experience or
coursework in the retail
management/fashion business fields
are preferred. Opportunity for
growth is available within the
company. Please e-mail your cover
letter and resume to
crammanager@gmail.com
MALE DANCERS WANTED;
The Lucky Horseshoe Lounge 3169
N. Halsted. Open Auditions every
Tuesday at 7pm. 21+ I.D. Required.
STEAMWORKS - Come work at
the hottest club in town.
Steamworks is accepting
applications for all positions and
shifts. Stop by and fill out an
application at 3246 N. Halsted.
PIANO/VOICE LESSONS
PIANO OR VOICE LESSONS in my neighborhood studio or your
home offered by young, gay
professional with Master's from
Manhattan School of Music. Call
Jonathan, 646-418-4043.
jcorn29@hotmail.com
Place your ad in this
section for as little as $15
an Issue call today
773-857-2262.
94
GRAB Magazine
June 14, 2016
JAMAICAN WELL HUNG
TOP guy gives Nude Massages
and more. Pride Fest weekend
416-917-3036 call Jay
PILAS' GO4MEN PARADISE
Rent Me Service! Versatile,
Youthful, Energetic, Affectionate!
Strong Healing Hands! Relaxing,
Refreshing, Indulging! 10 yrs. of
excellence! Outcalls-Hotel, Motel,
Private Home! Credit Cards
Accepted! Details At:
http://tinyurl.com/gnlmmde
By Appt. (Call or Text)
773-991-8728
MASSAGE
SUMMER SPECIAL: 2 hour
massage Head to toe in Rogers
Pk. Deep Tissue/Reflexology,
reserved parking. $75, thats right!
Please call Brian 847- EDUCARE. Gratuities accepted and
appreciated.
MASSAGE by mature amateur
white man Learning exotic. Must
host, north days $20.00.
773-761-5454 William.