Jewel Thais-Williams, founder of the legendary Jewel’s Catch One Disco, on activism, life in sobriety and her holistic care organization. BY PICKLE | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM In the early 70s, a young Jewel Thais-Williams purchased the Diana Club on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles and, against resistance and all odds, transformed the space into the…
A no holds barred expression of queer identity and a yearning for solace in a world on the brink. BY KIAN KAMATAKI Bitch Please was formed during the last gay gasps of San Francisco’s freak culture before the tech belch blew up and swallowed the scene whole. Broke, distressed and disillusioned, Bretchen Towers and Jacob…
Steven Ganzell, Ph.D. Therapists try to create a space and a relationship that allows you to examine your concerns and understand them. BY DR. STEVE GANZELL Most people don’t go to therapy because they have a serious mental illness. Most people try therapy because they feel stuck or are grappling with an issue they don’t quite understand. …
LA-based queer rapper Big Dipper on body positivity, recovery and his new album. BY MARK ARIEL | PHOTO BY RAKEEM CUNNINGHAM Everyday is an uphill battle… I’m a white person making hip hop and rap music. I’m a queer person fighting to cut through a predominantly heteronormative industry. I’m a fat person sexualizing my body. These…
To define LGBTQ lives solely by our hardships is to be blind to the joys and advantages of queerness. BY SYD PETERSON I don’t think being gay is a choice. But if it were, I’d choose it. Messaging about LGBTQ people has evolved a lot in the past 15 years. About thirty ballot measures, a…
Back to school with The Pleasure Chest, the only sex industry store to host free weekly sex education workshops. At the Pleasure Chest we often say that your sexiest body part is your mind. It’s even printed on our class flyers every month along with a list of free workshops we offer at four of our…
7 reasons why choosing an LGBTQ-affirmative program matters. BY MANNY RODRIGUEZ | PHOTO BY AARON JAY YOUNG There is much to consider when choosing a treatment program for substance abuse and addiction, but one of the most important aspects of this process is to make sure the facility of your choice takes all your needs, even those…
MATTHEW BIANCHI Pride Recovery LA delivers evidence-based addiction treatment to serve the whole queer person. BY MATTHEW BIANCHI | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM LGBTQ people are outsiders everywhere they go. Sure, “things get better,” but “better” is in comparison to centuries of “other.” Under the best of circumstances, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) people are…
Indya Moore Pose eloquently explores key issues of transgender people’s lives BY SYD PETERSON It’s been a long time since a TV show has affected me as deeply and powerfully as Pose. (Spoiler alert for the first season.) Set in New York City in 1987, Pose knits together three noteworthy aspects of 1980s NYC: the…
(L-R) SERGIO HERNANDEZ, NEW JALISCO; ROSA MARIA GARCIA, NEW JALISCO; ANDRES RIGAL, SUMMERTRAMP; BRIAN MCINTIRE, PRECINCT; OLIVER APUCHE, REDLINE; GARRETT MCKECHNIE, DUTCH COURAGE CONSULTING. DTLA Proud, the popular 3-day festival celebrating diversity, inclusiveness, and local talent, takes place this month, August 24-26. The business owners behind the successful venture reveal what it takes to create a true community based…
While many revered figures in the Kink Community have been instrumental in bringing the Leather District into the world, there is one person whose contributions deserve special recognition: Stud Collective President Rachel Ryan. BY BRENDEN SHUCART | PHOTO BY STEVEN UNDERHILL It’s official: Members of the Leather community gathered on June 12 to cut…
“LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.” MODEL: DEVIN GUTIERREZ. PHOTO: KIMBERLEE ACQUARO. SEE #1 10 things happening in LGBTQ California that give me hope. BY SYD PETERSON My fellow LGBTQ Californians, I’ve gotta be honest with you. I’m sad and fearful about what’s happening in our nation politically. I’ve been on edge for a long…
The judges, the tally masters, the DJ and so much more. Coming this October. BY RANDY CARMENATY, PALM SPRINGS LEATHER PRIDE CHAIRMAN Palm Springs Leather Pride is proud to announce this year’s panel of esteemed judges for the Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2019 contest at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Oct 27, 2018. The…
For one night only, Dirty Looks reclaimed a queer space that helped define Silverlake. BY VICTOR MELAMED As part of Dirty Looks: On Location 2018 and curated by Bradford Nordeen, 7|07 Cuffs, a collaboration of Jonesy, Chris Cruse and Mr. Drummer ‘79—took place last month at Hyperion Tavern, the space that once was the gay leather…
Garrett Prejean (L), Bryan Batt. “Raceland.” Childhood friends from the bayou develop a deep affection for one another. A film by Scott Bloom, currently in post production. BY MARK ARIEL After working as a freelance editor for the past 25 years on hundreds of feature documentaries, sitcoms, film trailers and reality television episodes, Scott Bloom…
Art Share L.A., a multidisciplinary, non-profit art space downtown offers artists from diverse backgrounds a space to share their vision with the world. BY ROXIE PERKINS Cheyanne Sauter, the Executive Director of Art Share L.A., talks to THE FIGHT about local outreach, queer programming and reflecting the community. Tell us about Art Share and the…
Fetish gear designer David Mason Chlopecki (slickitup.com) on his love for leather, his childhood influences and his collaboration with Tom Of Finland. BY RUBEN ZAMBRANO | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM David Mason Chlopecki has had a busy year. He and his husband (creative director/ graphic artist) Alvaro Masa have relocated from New York to Los…
