FIRST CLASS BOY | Oklahoma native and one-time Metroplex resident Nehemiah Akbar returns to Dallas to perform his new singles for Dallas Southern Pride in two shows at The Brick this weekend.

ARNOLD WAYNE JONES  | Life+Style Editor

For a lot of young gay men — especially, it seems, those reared in the African-American community — coming out is a process fraught with risk and tension. Add to that an interest in making a name for yourself in the R&B music scene and, well, you have to stretch to think of a famous name.

Or at least you did until this summer, when up-and-coming hip-hop sensation Frank Ocean came out … and his fans barely seemed to care.

Now, Nehemiah Akbar wants to be part of that trend.

“You know, I have a very diverse family and [they are] very accepting of the lifestyle I have,” he says. “And I know it’s a taboo when you talk about a ‘lifestyle,’ but there you have it.”

Akbar — who lived in Chicago while working on his music, but who grew up in Oklahoma, where he’s currently attending college — has long felt comfortable with his feet in two worlds. Case in point: He’s currently working with multiple record producers (including Frank Yoder, who produced three of R. Kelly’s albums) on singles for a planned 2013 album, while working on his degree in public policy at the University of Oklahoma. (If that doesn’t strike you as cognitive dissonance, you might be working on the Romney campaign.)

But to Akbar, it’s all one great tapestry — one he hopes to bring from the down-low to the up-front.

“When it comes to down-low brothers in the black community, people want to associate being gay with being feminine, and that’s wrong,” he says. “I think Frank Ocean will have a huge impact on music, especially music in the black community and our overall acceptance, by breaking the glass ceiling about what a homosexual male is. He can be a masculine guy, an alpha male. He’s on a spectrum. [Like Ocean], I want to open up a door. Who really cares? We’re all humans at the end of the day. What does it matter?

Though in the black community we definitely have an issue with HIV being on the rise with African-American women. [Coming out is] going to do more positive for our community.”

Akbar will be in town as one of the featured entertainers at Dallas Southern Pride, Dallas’ black gay Pride weekend. He’ll perform two sets at The Brick — one on Friday and one on Saturday, “… and maybe another impromptu if we can arrange it,” he teases.

His performances will be something of a homecoming for Akbar: “I used to live in Dallas about five years ago — actually in Allen — but I haven’t been back since this, so I’m really excited. The new Brick looks very modern,” he says.

Akbar started writing music when he was about 9 years old after his mother took him to a Janet Jackson concert in Las Vegas. “I didn’t know what she was actually talking about but seeing her perform I thought I totally wanted to do this,” he says.

If you already are familiar with Akbar’s music, it gets in your head. Two of his singles — “Make My Move” and “First Class Boy,” both of which he wrote or co-wrote (to add to the duality, one of his co-authors is a sportswriter for the Chicago newspaper) — are available online, and have a poppy, dance-y edge like Lady Gaga (especially “Make My Move”), but with sharp turns into more soul/R&B beats about halfway through. He says he can see why.

“I think it has everything to do with how we grow up,” he reflects. “My mom played Earth Wind & Fire when I was growing up, and I heard that all the time. That kind of R&B style rubbed off on me. I’m also a big fan of Michael and Janet Jackson — everyone has borrowed Michael’s military style of dance, including me,” he says.

TRAILBLAZER | Frank Ocean’s coming out was the tip of the iceberg — Akbar thinks America is ready to embrace gay musicians of all genres. And he wants to
be one of the people to prove it.

The major influence Gaga has had on him, however, is somewhat different. “She’s so brave about her sexuality which has encouraged me,” he says. “I think after Lady Gaga came on the scene with her songs of diversity, and Frank Ocean coming out in hip-hop, this is the time for an artist to come out. I think the American public will embrace it. Everyone thought Ellen [DeGeneres] would be marginalized when she came out, but look at the impact this woman has made!”

The process, however, has been arduous. Akbar hopes to have all the songs finished recording by December, with a CD drop date in the first quarter of 2013. But he also wants to redo his music video for “Make My Move” which he thinks has changed “after discovering who I am as an artist — I want to share the truth about myself,” like having a boyfriend in the video.

“That’s been my drive, to make that dream a reality. It seems like it’s speeding up. Last semester, just before I finished school in Chicago, we were doing the promo video and rehearsing and I was taking 19 credit hours and it was hell. But I loved it so much it felt like something I had to do before I entered the next phase of my life. I can’t stop this journey until people know about me and my mission to promote diversity.”

Which is, of course, what Pride is all about.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 5, 2012.

WAVE YOUR FLAG | Pride takes many forms in Dallas from a high-in-the-sky happy hour by the Resource Center to lacing up those running shoes for a celebratory jog with Frontrunners Dallas.

Although the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade is still a few months off, Dallas can still get out to celebrate National Pride Month. Special events have sprouted around North Texas to offer fellowship and fun — and maybe a cocktail or two.

Resource Center Dallas get Pride off the ground — way off —with its Pride Power Hour on the Wet Deck of the W Hotel (that’s the 16th floor, folks) on June 28. An open deck looks over Dallas providing a grand backdrop. Fashion models will preview swimwear and activewear on a runway while the community enjoys nibbles and drinks. The admission price includes three “sips” to get your drink started. Those who make it will also be automatically entered in the prize drawing of a free night’s stay at the hotel. DJ Avenger will be your music guide for the night and most of all, proceeds from the Power Hour will benefit the RCD.

“This event will be the perfect way to kick off the Center’s upcoming The 5 Factor event scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 27,” RCD executive director Cece Cox says. “The needs of our community, and the services we provide, don’t take a summer break.”

W Dallas Victory Hotel, 2440 Victory Park Lane. June 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.

North Texas Pride out of Collin County will celebrate the gayburbs with its second annual Come As You Are party on Saturday at Tierney’s Tavern in Lewisville. The party includes live music by the Ducado Vega Band with DJ Fierce on the turntables. With a decked-out venue, the party will feature carnival-like activities, vendor booths, raffle and door prizes. The event also benefits C.U.R.E. and Health Services of North Texas. North Texas Pride Planning Committee chair Morris Garcia spearheads the event once again.

“In 2011, [my partner] Tim and I decided to have a first-ever Pride event in Collin County, one of the most conservative counties in Texas, because we felt there was a long overdue need to demonstrate to the communities here that there is a GLBTA element that needed to be recognized as good citizens and contributors to the community,” Garcia says. “More importantly, we wanted to celebrate and be proud of who we are, thus the theme, Come As You Are.”

And don’t think suburban gays party less hard. The night continues with an after-hours pool party at the neighboring Best Western Plus.

Hotel discounts are available for attendees.

Tierney’s Tavern, 208 E. Main St., Lewisville. June 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door. NorthTexasPride.com.

As part of the city of Dallas’ June Pride Wednesdays, Fahari Arts Institute director Harold Steward will moderate Lift Every Voice: How the LGBT Community Contributes to the City of Dallas. The conversation with organization and community leaders is the final of the city’s events held throughout the month.

City Hall, 1500 Marilla St., 6th floor, June 27 at noon.

Dallas Frontrunners will celebrate a year of reorganizing with an Anniversary Run on June 23. Last year during National Pride, the group relaunched under the leadership of Lin Wang and has thrived into a successful community athletic group.

The run isn’t an official 5K, but instead is part of the group’s weekly Saturday fun-run. For the anniversary, however, the group invites everyone to join the Frontrunners.

Since last year’s relaunch, the group has garnered enough cred to host the first-ever Dallas Pride Run, to be held in September. Dallas

Frontrunners will extend its reach by inviting groups outside of the city and incorporating a different type of event during the Pride festivities then.

Along the Katy Trail near Knox Street. June 23 at 8:30 am. FrontrunnersDallas.org.

— Rich Lopez

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 22, 2012.

Two organizations have made Dallas Black Pride into an enhanced experience for the local queer community. DFW Pride Movement puts emphasis on education while Dallas Southern Pride celebrates with several parties.
Here are some of the highlights both have planned for Dallas Black Pride Weekend.

— Rich Lopez

Friday

Third Annual Black LGBT Community Summit
with speakers Cleo Manago and Steve Wakefield. Marriott City Center, 650 N. Pearl St. 1 p.m. DFWPrideMovement.org.

Queerly Speaking:
Black Pride Edition with special guests Kerin Rodriguez and Uriah Bell. Marriott City Center Cambridge Ballroom. 7 p.m. $5. FahariArtsInstitute.org.

Cirque du Freak party
with DJs C. Wade and Unique and adult film star Ty Lattimore. The Brick, 2525 Wycliff Ave. 10 pm.
Sponsored by 7Connection. DallasSouthernPride.com.

The Dom: A Night of Dominance
with DJ Laid Back. Victory Tavern City Grille, 2501 N. Houston St. 10 p.m. $15. DallasHerStory.com.

Him4Him All-Star Friday Pride Boyzz Night Out
with Sex Siren competition. Club Elm and Pearl, 2204 Elm St. 10 p.m. ElmAndPearl.com.

Saturday

HisStory/HerStory: Telling Our Story intergenerational discussion.
Marriott City Center, Plaza A. Noon. DFWPrideMovement.org.

The Ex-Factor.
Q-Roc Ragsdale talks about ex-partners and living in the same community. Presented by Q-Roc.TV. Marriott City Center,  Nice Room. 2 p.m. DFWMovement.org.

TransFormation.
Valerie Spencer discusses trans topics within the black community. Marriott City Center, Champagne Room. 3:15 p.m.
DFWPrideMovement.org.

HIV through the Looking Glass.
Adult stars Ty Lattimore, Rock Rockafella and Remy Mars discuss HIV in the adult film industry. Marriott City Center, Normandy Room AB. 3:15 p.m.
DFWPrideMovement.org.

That’s Not Love, That’s Stupid
is designed to educate participants on relationship issues. Marriott City Center, Nice Room. 3:15 p.m.
Official Dallas Black Pride Tweet and Greet. Marriott City Center Plaza C. 3–7 p.m. DFWMovement.org.

Uncut (Sex and the Modern Man).
GLO TV live taping with Maurice Jamal. Marriott City Center, Plaza A. 3-5 p.m. GLOTVNetwork.com.

Full Throttle Fashion Explosion hosted by Midweek Meltdown. Marriott City Center, Plaza AB. 8–10 p.m. DFWMovement.org.

Her4Her’s Seductive Saturday Femme Figure and Stud Realness Show
featuring guest dancers. Club Elm and Pearl, 2204 Elm St. 10 p.m. DallasSouthernPride.com.

Cirque du Male party
with all-male circus. Presented by 7Connection. J. Pepe’s, 2720 N. Stemmons Freeway. DallasSouthernPride.com.

Sunday

Living Faith Covenant Church
worship service featuring the DFW Pride Movement Gospel Choir. Marriott City Center, Normandy Room AB. Noon. LivingFaithDFW.org.

Family Affair Carnival
is a family-friendly event featuring bounce houses, petting zoo and games. Club Elm and Pearl, 2204 Elm St. 4 p.m. DallasSouthernPride.com

Black Pride Dinner
at Catfish Blues, 1011 Corinth St. from 2–5 p.m.  DFWPrideMovement.org.

Whip My Hair
inaugural gay Pride hair show with DJ Black Cat and MC Sister Ida Mae Watergate. Presented by 7Connection and Tysin and Starr Entertainment. The Brick, 2525 Wycliff Ave. 7 p.m. DallasSouthernPride.com.

The Lipstick Ball 2011
is the official after party with local performer Shemar Collins Dupree. Radisson Hotel, 2204 Elm St. in the grand ballroom. Midnight. DallasSouthernPride.com.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 30, 2011.

RICH LOPEZ  | Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com

Dallas drag queen P.T. has his sights set on one thing: The Wendy Williams Show. He has a good reason: His spot-on take on the talk show celeb was so successful, Williams’ own TV show took notice, asking him to produce a video of his work as her doing celebrity news. Now, he’s vying to be the first female impersonator on her show.

“That is my goal,” he says. “She’s had gay people on her show, but no drag.

I would love to be the first to sit with her for ‘Hot Topics.’”

P.T. just turned 50, but that doesn’t hold him back from big ambitions.

He’s worked the talk show circuit before, appearing on Maury Povich. His video made it to Williams’ producers, though was not selected. Still, he hopes to use this exposure as a springboard to get his message out.

“I’d love to do radio one day and report celebrity news,” he says. “I could still do it here in Dallas, but if the money and time are right, I’d move as well. I’d love to, even.”

People can see P.T. in action Thursday and Sunday nights at Havana. He’s been the headlining entertainment there for seven years with his sass intact. He threatens to read a queen if they get out of line during his show, but mostly, his act is sort of the Oprah of drag: When people walk out that door, he wants them to feel better inside and leave a bit more educated.

“My job is not to put someone down, but to make them feel good,” he says.

“I use my comedy for that as well as to encourage people to do unto others. I believe in that. And I will try to teach where I can. Every chance I get. So many younger folks just don’t know what gay Pride is about.”

If P.T. has one thing to say, it’s to know your history. And when it comes to Pride, he finds that much is getting lost as younger generations develop into the community. He won’t separate gay Pride from black Pride — which kicks off this weekend in Dallas — because to him it’s all the same: A struggle to be better.

“To see where we come from is to see how our rights developed,” he says.

“Kids don’t know where this Pride came from. Just because we have parties and parades, there’s a reason why I can be a drag queen or why [same-sex couples] can hold hands in public. There’s something to be grateful for.”

He knows Pride will always have the parties to go with it, but the spectacle of celebration, in his eyes, can’t overshadow the mere reason for Pride.

There’s history there, and P.T. wants to talk about it.

“I think it’s sad that some don’t know what Stonewall is,” he bemoans.

“When I went to New York, the first place I wanted to go was the Stonewall Inn — I needed to see that for myself. You only get what you fight for and you only fight for what you know about. We’re all in it for the same thing and we know it’s not gonna come to us easily.”

P.T. expounds on the history of black Pride in Dallas, crediting Ray Dyer as starting the celebration at the old club The Metro, now Club Elm and Pearl Street. This is also where the then-Lady P.T. started his work in Dallas, coming from Austin.

Initially, The Metro wasn’t a hotspot for drag, so he performed more as a host and entertainer, starting in 1994. That changed as Dyer saw the importance of it as well as the revenue it could bring. Lady P.T. was back on track, but it wasn’t until 2001 that he officially incorporated stand-up into his act — in and out of drag. He put in time at the Improv to hone his new skill, but it was also a sort of therapy.

“I had a tragic incident that made me look at life different,” he admits.

He doesn’t go into details over what changed his life so much. But that incident redefined his outlook on life. For P.T., he knows tomorrow doesn’t show up for everyone.

“If I did not have that wake up call, I wouldn’t be reaching for myself,” he says. “I see some gray hairs but life doesn’t feel different. This is the only time I get to do what I wanna do.”

He’s living proof of that. Fifty is a milestone birthday, but P.T. proves that no age is too old to still aim high. Only now, he has the wisdom to be patient.

“It took me about four years trying to get Wendy’s attention and she finally acknowledged me,” he says. “That told me not to give up.  Everybody deserves a chance.”

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 30, 2011.

RICH LOPEZ  | Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com

Always bridesmaids, never brides: That has been the case for Voice of Pride veterans Angie Landers and Robert Olivas. Frequent competitors in the annual “Oak Lawn Idol” competition, they’ve never taken the top prize.

So of the many magical moments at this year’s finale — Kristen Phillips belting out Tina Turner, Dru Rivera’s winning take on Aerosmith, Steven Patterson’s charming stage presence in both solo and group competitions — none was perhaps more special than the announcement of Spare Parts as the best duo. The flood of emotions displayed by Landers and Olivas touched everyone.

“This was very important to us. It was so awesome,” Olivas says a few days after winning. “We really did work hard to represent well and I still can’t unscrew my smile.”

“It just worked out great,” Landers adds. “I think we know each other so well now that I don’t think we could have been as before. It’s like a marriage but not a marriage.”

As M.C. Richard Curtin announced them as the winners, Landers hopped with excitement while Olivas stood with a look of complete disbelief. The $2,500 in prize money was barely on their minds; after years as also-rans, they finally walked away winners.

As a team, they pulled out that little extra in each other. Their first number was a powerhouse, singing Jason Aldean’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” which killed the crowed with both drama and chemistry.

“After that song, I wasn’t worried about winning,” Landers says. “We knew our next song well and it was something nobody would expect from us.”

With rousing applause, Landers’ confidence was well justified. But at the very end, they tripped up the lyrics. Although they laughed it off onstage, backstage was another story.

“We didn’t wanna go down in books being balladeers,” Olivas says on picking the song. “We had two songs in which we could show our versatility.”

“I was afraid it would come off cheesy, but it was more about our stage personalities and that we could entertain you outside of putting you to sleep,” Landers says. “But when we missed the vocals, I knew we had just given it away. I hoped the judges surely wouldn’t take points away for that but I was feeling the panic.”

The bobble was only that, and it added charm to their performance. Now, Spare Parts prepares for their first Pride performance together at the Lee Park festival.

The way Landers and Olivas interact, you’d think they had known each other for years. They act like brother and sister or even a very happy husband and wife. Truth is, they just met in 2008 during the VOP competition and soon started singing karaoke together. Their voices harmonize, so pairing up made sense. All that remained was the question of what to call themselves.

“We wanted to do something with my knee replacement and the hip replacement that he needs,” Landers says, so they started a poll to name the group on Facebook.

“If it hadn’t been for all that stuff, we would have had our name!” says Olivas.

Both are strong soloists with a solid presence and great pipes. Together, they strike a chord that tends to balance both their strengths. Now they get to show it off much more.

“We want to do something more with the title and take it above and beyond what any other winner has before,” Olivas says. “I think that it’s created a strong environment of competition that people are so dedicated to it and passionate about it. I think Voice of Pride can be a great thing.”

With each competition comes a rush of controversy in the community, members of which comment publicly (and harshly) about the results online. Landers hopes she and Olivas rise above that, even though both have been on the receiving end of mean barbs.

“Sometimes the hype and money gets in the way of what it’s really about,” she says. “I think that negative energy going around could be harnessed and focused for the better rather than knocking down contestants. Voice of Pride is a great springboard for Pride.”

For the team, the title is also a privilege, reflected well by last year’s solo winner Mel Arizpe, who also won with her partner in the group category.

“I am honored to be an advocate,” Olivas says. “Mel was a great advocate; she’s out there, she’s doing benefits. The way it should be done.”

The victory means that next year, they are frontrunners in group and solos… well, not necessarily. “I plan to [compete],” Olivas says, but Landers doesn’t know yet. “It wouldn’t be because I didn’t win; I’m just not sure right now,” she says.

Until that decision, Spare Parts will perform at Pride and then work to pull a band in and continue to book gigs around DFW and make their own name for themselves.

“Angie and I have every intention of performing for fundraisers and we’ve been approached by some venues already,” Olivas says. “I feel like we have the talent to do that. And maybe even get discovered.”

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 16, 2011.

RIDERLESS CARRIAGE | Ten years after 9/11, the American landscape looks far different — for gay rights as well.

What a difference a decade makes. In September of 2001, days after the loss of lives on 9/11 scarred America, the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade had a first: Instead of a grand marshal riding in the parade, a horse-drawn carriage remained empty, save for a sign reading “Dedicated to the victims lost in the tragedy of Sept. 11.”

Dallas Tavern Guild’s Michael Doughman remembers that moment as clearly as if it were yesterday, but for him, the carriage was a symbol beyond its intentions. Or at least, it became one.

“It was a sobering but very powerful moment when that carriage went by,” he recalls. “I’ve often thought about it and when I reflect that it’s been 10 years, I give thought to the progress that we’ve made as a country.”

That progress transcends into the LGBT community, as hot-button issues like “don’t ask, don’t tell” and same-sex marriages have developed in positive ways since 9/11 — whether directly or not. The empty carriage symbolized not only the loss of that fateful day, but also those lost in other battles.

“I saw that empty carriage and thought all the people that I had lost to AIDS, to cancer,” Doughman says. “I think it also represented a loss and absence in general. It was significant of more loss in other arenas, whether it was illness, or hate crimes or something else.”

Doughman say there are plans for a 9/11 acknowledgement at the beginning of this year’s parade. While details have not been finalized, he doesn’t want what happened then to disappear into history books. As time passes, he says, it serves as much more than just a memory.

“We’re aware that even 10 years later, commemorating helps us to keep vigilant,” he says, “for our rights, for everyone and for this country.”

— Rich Lopez

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 16, 2011.

DANCING IN THE STREETS | Dallas Pride Cheer marches in last year’s Texas Freedom Parade, but will debut a new act at Razzle Dazzle, before moving to a national showcase in San Francisco next month. (Gregory Hayes/Dallas Voice)

Dallas Pride Cheer gets its razzle dazzling — for Dallas and San Francisco

JEF TINGLEY  | Contributing Writer
jeftingley@sbcglobal.net

As anyone who’s ever played a team sport can tell you, even the bleakest of losing streaks has been brightened by the erratic pom-poms and endless effervescence of a cheerleading squad. But the perkiest of cheerleaders still needs their own support system from time to time.

That’s the case with Dallas Pride Cheer, a local, mostly gay group who use their powers of pep not for sports but by performing at parades and other events to raise money for charitable causes, including Make-A-Wish, Bryan’s House and AIDS Arms.

On June 25 and 26, the all-volunteer squad will boost not a team, but our city by taking their talents to San Francisco for Pride Parade weekend. There, they will join other teams from around the world for a series of performances benefiting the Cheer for Life Foundation, a
nonprofit that supports agencies around the globe that provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other ailments.

“We currently have 14 people from our 24-person squad going to represent Dallas,” says team captain Bobby Bridgwater, a former UNT cheerleader who parlayed his love of the sport into the nonprofit organization. “Everyone’s been working very hard to create the perfect routine and to raise money to travel to California.”

To help fund travel expenses, Dallas Pride Cheer is hosting a car wash on Saturday in the Caven parking lot, behind Zini’s Pizza Throckmorton.

In preparation for San Francisco and the many other local events they participate in, the group practices every Sunday at Pride All-Star Gym in Carrollton. Members range in age from 20 to 51, with a variety of backgrounds as current and former cheerleaders, athletes and coaches. And they are always looking for more.

“We are always looking for new talent to add to our group,” says Bridgwater. “Depending on the person’s experience we can plug [someone] into a routine. It’s best if we find someone with knowledge of technique, tumbling and stunting. As a group, we are always pushing new stunts, new basket tosses and so on. It’s a whole year of learning as a group.”

The routine Dallas Cheer Pride performs in San Francisco will be repeated in Dallas in September during the Alan Ross Freedom Parade. But those interested in seeing the squad sooner can check them out during this year’s Razzle Dazzle Dallas, which kicks off June 1.

“Razzle Dazzle is what we have been putting together for the past year,” says Bridgwater. “In addition to our cheer portion is a new, fun dance routine. You won’t see it anywhere else. It’s just something for us to shake it and have fun.”

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 27, 2011.

Royal alternative.

Check out the trailer for the UK's adaptation of Jersey Shore!

Twenty-year-old gay Utah man attacked outside of Club Pure in Salt Lake City: "The assault is being treated as a hate crime. Jordan Corona said he left the club on Saturday morning at 2 a.m. and was walking to his car, which was parked near the back of the building, when several people attacked him from behind. He said all he could remember after that was waking up with police surrounding him. He did not get a view of his attackers."

Kylie Minogue releasing digital EP.

Fight Back NY, the LGBT organization that has been going after anti-gay senators, is up for a Webby award.

LGBT community divided over Pride March in Northampton, Massachusetts: "It's gotten extremely conservative," said Gerry Scoppettuolo, a gay man who helped organize the first Northampton march in 1982. "There's no political messaging. It's a virtually all-white enterprise. I find it a radical departure from what Pride is supposed to be."

 Rosie O'Donnell cancels stay in Trump Chicago property.

A Socialite's Life chats with the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race!

Italian minister rips gay IKEA ad: "I find it serious and in bad taste that a Swedish multinational comes to Italy to tell Italians what they should think," Secretary of State for family policy Carlo Giovanardi said in a television interview.

UK Catholic charity's appeal for exemption from equality laws rejected: "Catholic Care, which is based in the Diocese of Leeds, has spent more than two years arguing it will have to give up its work finding homes for children if it has to comply with recent equality regulations which prohibit discrimination against same-sex couples wanting to adopt."

James Franco accepted into University of Houston's creative writing doctoral program.

Federal judge rules in favor of gay Ohio worker: "The ruling involves Shari Hutchinson, a lesbian who works for the county child support enforcement agency. Hutchinson sued the county in 2008, claiming she was denied promotions based on her sexual orientation, and that administrators retaliated against her when she complained."

The cast of Moulin Rouge is reuniting for an MTV special.

A chilling look at the horrific legacy of the Chernobyl disaster.

Johnson & Johnson turning its back on AIDS patients: "Johnson & Johnson, which holds patents on three key new HIV drugs desperately needed throughout the developing world, has so far refused to license these patents to the Medicines Patent Pool."

AP on the new Thai lesbian chic: "Thai newsstands now carry 'Tom Act,' the country’s first lesbian lifestyles magazine. A popular new clothing store in Bangkok touts itself as the first for 'Tomboys,' the Thai term for the more conspicuous members of the lesbian community who act and dress like men."

Lobsang Sangay elected exiled Tibetan leader: "A Harvard University academic has been elected prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile and will take on the political role previously played by the Dalai Lama."

Towleroad News #gay

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive,” said Twain, “but it’s lightning that does all the work.” The same is true with Dallas Pride: Everyone talks about the parade, but it’s the festival in Lee Park, with food, concerts and booths, that provides the best views  of gay life in town. Dallas Voice will have a booth as always, handing out goodie bags and such, but we know focus will probably center on our neighbor, Advanced Skin Fitness, who this year tapped trainer and bodybuilding champ Tony DaVinci, pictured, to man (and we mean man) its kiosk, signing autographs and passing out flyers. We’re over here, guys! Thanks for noticing.

Festival in Lee Park at Turtle Creek Blvd.
11 a.m. DallasVoice.com.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 17, 2010.

RICH LOPEZ  | Staff Writer lopez@dallasvoice.com

MAKING AN ENTRANCE | Jorge Rivas’ shot of prominent LGBT faces, above, will be marched out Sunday on the ilume float; the staff of Hunky’s, below left, retooled their float idea in a hurry. (Rich Lopez/Dallas Voice)

TEXAS FREEDOM PARADE
Proceeds east along
Cedar Springs Road from
Wycliffe Avenue to
N. Hall Street. 2 p.m.

……………………………………

Hunky’s has been a Crossroads institution for 25 years — though most of that half a block over from its current location. The gayborhood and the burger stop are officially symbiotic.

So it may surprise those who have watched the Alan Ross Freedom Parade from Hunky’s patio to know this year marks the eatery’s debut as a float entrant. And owner Rick Barton is a bit nervous.

“I kinda got into it a little late,” he admits.

Barton was sounding a bit frazzled just days before Pride, figuring how the hamburger joint would celebrate its coming out. Barton researched the idea of having a float constructed, but he and his crew opted to go simple this year — mostly because he has a restaurant to think about.

““That day is busy for us — the parade obviously means good business,” he says. “So we decided not to go with a big float and toned it down to a vehicle with some of our employees handing coupons out and guys along the side of our Jeep performing.”

Regardless of what the restaurant enters, the real question is: Why now? A quarter century is a long time to wait to join in the parade.

“We just had our anniversary and I just thought, ‘It’s time to be in,’” Barton says. “Even though we’re in the center of the community and show our Pride everyday, it lets people see we are here and feel a need to be in.”

His decision coincides nicely with the spot’s new digs. Hunky’s anchored the northwest corner of Cedar Springs and Throckmorton, becoming an iconic location for the neighborhood. But this spring, they jumped across the street, taking over the corner left vacant by Crossroads Market. Change was hard though Barton received enthusiastic response from the regulars.

But the move wasn’t just a physical one. Relocating mere yards from the former spot has affected his eatery and the employees in only good ways. That attitude is coming through in their first parade appearance on Sunday.

“There’s a renewed invigoration with the new space,” he says. “There we became limited by what we could do and it started to become staid. We were just riding the boat. Here, the employees are responding well, the customers are, too. It’s a feel- good kind of vibe.”

That translates into a team effort for Hunky’s preparation for Sunday. Barton might make it sound like it was just thrown together, but he smiles with pride in his teams from both the Oak Lawn and Oak Cliff locations in working to get it done.

“It’s all come together pretty quickly,” he says. “But with the employees helping out and coming over from the other location, it’s become a Hunky’s family kinda gig. One of our employees is one of the guys performing alongside the Jeep.”

It took the ilume just a year to make its impact on the ‘hood and it is living up to its commitment to be part of the community with its inaugural Pride float. The living spaces are snazzy; nosh spots Dish and Red Mango seem to be thriving, and the pool is becoming legendary for parties and Facebook pics. The ilume Gallerie, however, takes the lead for their float in the parade, thanks to gallery director Ronald Radwanski.

“We’ll have 48-by-72-inch panels of portraits on our float,” Radwanski says. “Some people will be on the float and others like me will be walking along.”

The Gallerie will be coasting along with a mobile museum. The gallery on wheels ties into the Faces of Life exhibit now at the Gallerie, which highlightsluminaries in Dallas’ LGBT community with larger-than-life portraits, each individual adorned with a large red ribbon. The shots were taken by photographer Jorge Rivas, who made a splash at the Gallerie earlier this year with his images of fashion and culture.

Going big is a huge undertaking, but Radwanski assures they are on schedule.

“They’ve started constructing it already and the enlarged portraits are being printed,” he says. “I’m so excited that we can mark a year of the ilume with this float in the parade. That it also benefits LifeWalk makes it much more so.”

Big or small, young or old, both establishments look beyond what they have going in the parade and instead, a reveling in the idea of being  a part of it all. Besides, things could change for 2011.

“After this time, we might just go all out with the big float idea next year,” Barton says.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 17, 2010.