Dragula’s Israel Zamora on coming out, his work on television and the process of creation. BY VICTOR MELAMED | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM Dancer, actor, model and jewelry designer Israel Zamora reveals, in an interview with THE FIGHT, that people may be surprised to know that behind his beefy hunky masculine demeanor he is “really…
Empire starJussie Smollett’s violent attackers yelled racial and homophobic slurs, shouting “this is MAGA country.” BY VICTOR MELAMED Surveillance video has captured potential persons of interest in the homophobic, racist attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago last month, authorities say. At about 2am on Tuesday, January 29, Smollett, 36, reported he was walking…
“We were letting the ideal of staying together take precedence over our personal growth and happiness as individuals.” BY LEON FOX When my husband and I started dating, we agreed that we didn’t want a heteronormative relationship with standards and values that didn’t fit our needs. So we chose to enter into a dynamic relationship…
Helix Model Joey Mills will be in Santa Monica next month to present his coming-of-age novel that chronicles his life before he was famous. BY JOHN STEIN Written by Taylor Saracen and being released through 13 Red Media, Electric Soul introduces readers to teenage Joey Mills. He is reckless, brazen and unapologetically outspoken, who—for reasons…
Randal and Scott Martin-Black, a gay couple with two adopted kids, on finding the right agency, entering a lifelong duty and answering silly questions some straight people ask BY SEAN WOLF GALUSZKA A while back, gay adoption and “gaybies” seemed all the rage. Baby Gap and Rosie O’Donnell cruises exploded. The gay-centric BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous featured a hysterical…
“Nacho was an inspiration to many, and his spirit will live on in our hearts and memories forever.” BY VICTOR MELAMED Nacho Nava, founder of the weekly queer party Mustache Mondays—which ran for more a decade in downtown Los Angeles—died last month, reports Remezcla. According to media reports he lost his battle to pneumonia. In the…
Not A single LGBT Chechen has received asylum in the United States amidst deadly anti-gay purge. BY VICTOR MELAMED A violent crackdown on LGBT people in the Russian region of Chechnya has resulted in the arrest and torture of dozens of people so far—as well as at least two deaths. Advocates, attorneys, and activists say…
Healthy relationships help us experience ourselves more fully, integrating all the various parts of who we are. BY JAMES GUAY, LMFT Relationships are potent forces that bring out our best and worst selves. They challenge us to face our wounds and inspire us to heal. Our earliest relationships with peers and caregivers model what’s possible…
DUSTI CUNNINGHAM Dusti Cunningham is a Los Angeles based photographer who grew up in a very clean single-wide trailer home in rural Kansas. He didn’t own a television so he watched tornadoes. None of his dogs were ever named Toto. Dolly Parton and his mother were his heroes, they both wore wigs. Dusti got his…
BEING CHESTER Pickle breaks bread with internet personality, actor, singer, dancer and musician Chester Lockhart at Paley Hollywood. BY PICKLE Chester Lockhart’s ears shimmer. I mean that literally. When we settled in to our booth at the beautiful Paley in Hollywood, I couldn’t help but notice that his ears almost seemed as if they were…
NHI MEDICAL A Different Approach to Hair Restoration Patients often leave NHI Medical in happy disbelief. They are pleasantly surprised that their scheduled consultation is with the doctor that will be performing their hair restoration procedure, versus a salesperson. They are even more surprised that the doctor they meet with actually tells them the truth…
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 INTERNATIONAL BEAR CONVERGENCE 2019—IBC Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, 150 South Indian Canyon Drive.Tickets & Info: www.ibc-ps.com. Runs through Monday, February 11. The International Bear Convergence (IBC) – the premier event for Bears and Admirers. 3 GIRLS 1 BAR 9PM-2AM Redline Gay Bar DTLA, 131 E 6th St, Los Angeles. The New…
ORANGE COUNTY RADIANT HEALTH CENTERS HOST 35TH ANNUAL RADIANT ROYAL GALA Radiant Health Centers hosted their 35th annual Radiant Royal Gala last month at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana. The non-profit fundraiser celebrated the golden age of Las Vegas from the 1950s and 1960s. Poverty, stigma, cultural misunderstandings and other health barriers have led…
HELLO HAPPINESS Chaka Khan returns with a renewed sense of purpose BY PAUL V. VITAGLIANO We’ve been losing so many of our musical icons and heroes the past few years, it’s been like a shock to the system. To lose both Bowie and Prince in 2016, and then Aretha Franklin last year, the truly great…
TRUMP ADMIN: AGENCY CAN TURN AWAY JEWS AND GAYS The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a waiver to a South Carolina foster care agency, granting it a blanket license to discriminate based on its religious beliefs. Miracle Hill Ministries refuses to partner with any foster parents that do not share its…
On the happy side of the ledger, we have the gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, running for president, New York has banned conversion therapy, and in the most cute story, we saw photos of the adorable baby girl penguin with her gay dads Sphen and Magic at the Sydney aquarium. ANTI-TRANS RULING A BAD…
DATING SOBER We asked a few local clean and sober folks, with various lengths of recovery time, how they navigate through dating in sobriety. DISCOVER YOURSELF “I find it way easier to date in sobriety. Before I was sober, I didn’t know how to love myself. Recovery is all about self-discovery, so until you discover…
