Covering Recovery THE FIGHT magazine debuted five years ago this month with a focus on sobriety on the first cover. Several sober men have graced the cover since that first issue. We went back to ask some of our sober cover models what it was like to share their experience in recovery, and what their sober…
Leatherman and Payaso’s co-founder Leo Iriarte on polyamory, sexual freedom, Mother Teresa and making a difference in people’s lives. BY GABRIEL GREEN | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM In the exciting, close-knit world of local leathermen Leo Iriarte has held numerous titles. He was third runner up for Eagle LA Mr. Leather 2010, first runner up…
Transgender organization’s crisis hotline shot up from 60 a day to nearly 150 immediately after reports of Leelah Alcorn’s death began spreading. BY ORLY LYONNE After winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series, comedy or musical last month, Jill Soloway, creator of the show “Transparent,” took the stage and announced that “this award…
Photographer Eric Schwabel’s new photo exhibit with model Alex Minsky. Absurdity, insecurities, addiction and art. BY MARK ARIEL Former marine Alex Minsky, who lost his leg in Afghanistan and became a successful underwear model after his recovery, is the muse for Eric Schwabel’s upcoming photo exhibit “Don’t Laugh: Schwabel vs. Minsky.” “We’ve worked together on…
Harassed California gay teen charged with shooting student gets 27-year sentence, eligible for release on parole after 13 years. BY VICTOR MELAMED A gay teenager charged with shooting a classmate in the chest at his central California high school two years ago accepted a plea agreement with prosecutors last month for a 27-year sentence in state…
Mr. LA Leather Bear 2014 Gabriel Green on brotherhood, love and being a mentor. Photo & Text By Paulo Murillo Gabriel Green didn’t set out to compete and win the title of Mr. LA Leather Bear 2014, nor did he imagine he’d be first runner-up at the Mr. LA Leather contest shortly after, but that’s how…
German Mr. Leather Tyrone Rontganger, a judge at next month’s Mr. LA Leather contest, on his love for Los Angeles, racism within the community and setting an example. BY MARK ARIEL Tyrone Rontganger, German Mr. Leather 2014, will be in Los Angeles next month as one of the judges at the Mr. LA Leather contest.…
Brits urge authorities to pardon thousands of gay men convicted under so-called “indecency” laws. BY ORLY LYONNE Benedict Cumberbatch has joined the call for overturning “indecency” convictions handed down to gay men like war hero Alan Turing, whom he portrays in the film “Imitation Game,” reports The Huffington Post. Turing was a computer scientist and…
The International Bear Convergence this month in Palm Springs. BY VICTOR MELAMED The second International Bear Convergence (IBC), the premier winter event for Bears & admirers in Palm Springs, takes place takes place this month on February 12-16, 2015, Presidents’ Day Weekend, at The Renaissance Palm Springs. The four-day event includes themed pool parties, live…
Los Angeles Leather Pride kicks off next month. Tickets are on sale now. BY VICTOR MELAMED The theme this year for LA Leather Pride Week—March 22-29, 2015 is “TRIBE: Rites of Passage,” as the Los Angeles Leather Coalition celebrates the different roads they have taken into the community and the camaraderie that keeps them together.…
Queer Art Calendar: preserving unique and city-specific cultural moments. BY ORLY LYONNE JIMMY, a Los Angeles based independently published queer zine, has produced their 2015 Queer Art Calendar, shot by filmmaker/photographer AJ Goodrich. The calendar features 26 beautifully theatrical portraits recreating Tarot cards. Half of the photo were shot in Los Angeles and the other…
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7 ELECTROLUXX ART DANCE PARTY Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., 9:30pm. For tickets, visit: Electroluxx.com. Enjoy a mix of projection mapping, sculpture alteration, lasers, smoke, and mirrors, all blended together by a roster of musicians. REFLEX WINTER/SPRING 2015 Metropolitan Nightclub, 652 N LA Peer Dr., 2am…
GAY MAN ATTACKED IN WEHO Sheriff’s deputies are seeking leads on three men who attacked a young gay male as he walked home on Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in West Hollywood, on Tuesday, January 20. CBS2 News reports that the victim, Don Brooks, 31, was walking home alone, after commemorating Martin Luther King…
15th Annual Cybersocket Web Awards It was a who is who and who did who in gay porn when industry leaders, executives, porn stars, and celebrities gathered for the 15th Annual Cybersocket Web Awards at the Penthouse in West Hollywood last month. Recognizable faces included Michael Lucas of Lucas Entertainment, Ducati Models founder and porn…
CAMPAIGN OF HATE Film director, activist and writer Michael Lucas on the ongoing government sanctioned discrimination of gays in Russia. BY MICHAEL LUCAS It has been a year since the release of my documentary, “Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda.” I can tell you that everywhere I am, I’m asked the same question: “What…
FORGOTTEN VICTIMS Unique challenges in LGBT domestic violence. BY DAVID HAKIMFAR ”Attorneys have an obligation to their clients, to their profession, and to justice itself. They are obligated to use their expertise to guarantee that the system does not stray from the principle that lies at the heart of the law: justice for all who…
“… In the course of all the [marriage equality] hoo-haw, Patricia Todd, Alabama’s gay legislator, told her holier-than-thou fellow lawmakers that she wouldn’t hesitate to tell the press which of her colleagues are having extra-marital affairs if they didn’t lay off the smarmy rhetoric about marriage.” MOMENT OF TRUTH AROUND THE CORNER I’m sure THE…
Love Is In The Air With Valentine’s Day in mind, we asked a few local sober folks with different lengths of recovery time about the pluses and minuses of dating romantically in sobriety. LOVE YOURSELF “We usually get sober because our lives are fucked up, so dating in sobriety is not always the number one…
CALIFORNIA BARS JUDGES FROM BOY SCOUTS MEMBERSHIP California’s Supreme Court voted last month to prohibit state judges from belonging to the Boy Scouts on grounds that the group discriminates against gays. The court said its seven justices unanimously voted to heed a recommendation by its ethics advisory committee barring judges’ affiliation with the organization, reports…
