The Final Fight
NO GENDER “Love has no gender—compassion has no religion—character has no race.” —Abhijit Naskar, “Either Civilized or Phobic: A Treatise on Homosexuality”
The Rostow Report by Ann Rostow
“ … Can I confess, as a loyal me-too feminist, that I can’t stand Tara Reade, the Russia-phile Biden accuser who has switched up the details of her story more often than a fifteen-year-old caught sneaking in the house at three am.” PUG POSITIVE! Hello FIGHT readers. Would you like to know what I’ve accomplished…
The Screen
SIMON SAYS The show Love, Victor based on the 2018 film Love, Simon, launches next month. BY ORLY LYONNE Hulu’s upcoming Love, Simon follow-up series, Love, Victor is set to premiere on June 19. The series, inspired by the praised 2018 film, centers on Victor (Michael Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School, the…
The Share
DEALING WITH DISTANCE We asked these clean and sober folks with different lengths of recovery time, what they have learned about themselves while social distancing during the LA County Safer at Home Order. BE HELPFUL “For me social distance has not been that difficult. Because of my age, I already stay home. What I have…
The Art
JEROMY VELASCO An illustrator born and raised in LA, Jeromy Velasco is inspired by queer nightlife, 90’s cartoon nostalgia, and gaudy fashion. His mediums range from drawing and painting to animation and silkscreen printing. Notable projects include: a spread in a LGBTQ+ children’s book Our Rainbow, The Worl d Mural Project for NYC World Pride,…
The City
SAN DIEGO TODD GLORIA FIRST OPENLY GAY CANDIDATE IN SD MAYORAL PRIMARY Todd Gloria, a 41-year-old Democratic assemblyman, recently won the most votes in the mayoral primary in San Diego with nearly 79,000 votes, or 40,2% of the total vote, possibly making him the first openly gay male mayor in San Diego, California’s second largest…
The Final Fight
In the entrance hallway of that sumptuous home there was an enormous mirror, very old; acquired at least eighty years ago. A strikingly beautiful boy, a tailor’s assistant, (on Sunday afternoons, an amateur athlete), was standing with a package. He handed it to one of the household, who then went back inside to fetch a…
The Rostow Report by Ann Rostow
We read the latest best seller about Churchill and then watched three World War II movies, feeling better about our current predicament which seems quite a bit better than the blitz. WHAT HAPPENED? I always check my previous column before I start a new one in order to make sure I don’t repeat a topic…
The Share
SOBRIETY & SELF-ISOLATION We asked these clean and sober folks with different lengths of recovery time, how they are maintaining their sobriety during self-isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. ASK FOR HELP “I just moved to a sober living after completing the Van Ness Recovery House program. I feel very fortunate that in…
The Talk
Their Lives “I love it when I know something I wrote softened the parents who had banished their son and daughter from their lives when they came out to them as gay and lesbian.” —Playwright Terrance McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Spider Woman) in a speech accepting the lifetime achievement award at the 2019 Tony…
The City
LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER’S PREMIER FOOD AND WINE EVENT Celebrating its 15th delectable year, the premier food and wine event in Los Angeles for LGBT people and their allies known as Simply diVine takes over the iconic Hollywood Forever on Saturday, April 18, from 6–9 pm. Guests will sample extraordinary food and drinks from L.A.’s…
The Final Fight
Define Yourself “ Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” —Harvey Fierstein
The Rostow Report by Ann Rostow
Did you ever think you’d miss Scalia? Romney? McCain? George W Bush? Me neither. COURTING DISASTER Our crucible continues at the High Court, where the justices have just decided to hear a case that pits Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the city of Philadelphia’s gay rights policies. The Catholic group stands alone among Philly contractors…
The Profile
Beverly Heels An interview with Dag Flater from Beverly Heels. How did Beverly Heels come about? I wrote my own eCommerce system called IncEngine before there was any WordPress, Joomla or other systems available, and was looking to create online stores for myself. I approached Lady Studios in Hollywood and offered to create a website…
The Share
Happy, Joyous & FREE We asked these clean and sober folks with various lengths of recovery time, what they love and gives them the most joy about being sober.BY PAULO MURILLO FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT “What I love most about sobriety right now is my journey of self-discovery and how I’m getting to know myself on…
The State
Gov Pardons Bayard Rustin, Who Was Arrested For Having Sex With Men California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has pardoned black Civil Rights pioneer Bayard Rustin for his 1953 “sex perversion” (that is, sodomy) conviction. Newsom also announced the creation of a new fast-track pardon process for other people previously convicted under similar laws punishing same-sex…
The Art
JESSE McCLOUD “I’m 26 years old, a non-binary queer hand embroidery artist. Started embroidery over three years ago. I started sewing clothes very young with both of my grandmothers but embroidery I picked up along the way and it stuck the most. I taught myself how to embroider and most of my work is very…
The City
BY PAULO MURILLO LOS ANGELES MEMORIALS HELD FOR DR. STEVE GANZELL THROUGHOUT THE CITY A “Celebration of Life” for Steve Ganzell took place last month at Eagle LA and at Plummer Park in West Hollywood. Steve Ganzell, a beloved community leader, former President of Christopher Street West (the organization that produces LA Pride) and a long-time contributor to THE FIGHT, passed…
The Event
CENTER SOUTH The Los Angeles LGBT Center opened the doors of Center South last month, a 5,500-square-foot community space located at 2313 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. near Leimert Park, which signifies the first-ever expansion of the world’s largest LGBT organization into South Los Angeles and champions its long-term commitment to care for LGBT…
The Final Fight
Massive Task “Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.” —Alexander Leon, @alexand_erleon
