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Best of LGBT LA 2019

Your picks for the city’s best in nightlife, food, activism and more

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Readers of the Los Angeles Blade began nominating their picks for our 2nd annual Best Of LGBT LA awards in early fall. And after more than 15,000 votes over 40 categories, we can finally reveal the winners, some incredible choices and very special people among them.  

The Los Angeles Blade is pleased to salute them and wants to give special thanks for Sean Loeffel of Spoonfed LA and Bar Joe for hosting our winners and helping make our Best Of LGBT LA Awards truly a magnificent honor.

BEST DRAG QUEEN

Shangela (Courtesy of Shangela)

Winner: Shangela

The only contestant to compete on three separate seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Los Angeles Blade fan favorite Shangela is eternally enshrined in global pop culture amber, as creator of the versatile interjection, “Halleloo.” In music video and solo stage performance, Shangela continues to impress, and is still earning new fans, for her work alongside Lady Gaga, in “A Star Is Born.” Although her name was unjustly absent from the Best Supporting Actress nods during this week’s Academy Award nominations, it’s comforting to note that Shangela has further cemented her status as an eternal All-Star, by slaying her peers and emerging as the winner in this fiercely competitive category.

Jackie Beat (Photo courtesy of Jackie Beat)

Runner-Up: Jackie Beat

Being the target of an acidic quip from Jackie Beat is like getting a hickey from Kenickie — it leaves a shameful mark, but can also be worn as a badge of honor. Tell that to our Best Drag Queen winner, Shangela, of whom Beat remarked, “The only thing better than actually winning this award is being named Runner-Up to someone half my age, who is most famous for popping out of a box and yelling, ‘Halleloo!’ What a fucking honor. Just kidding! I love you, Shangela… CONDRAGULATIONS!” When not insulting winners, Beat can be found on stage, in “Golden Girlz Live!” and touring with Sherry Vine, in their “Battle of the Bitches” show.

BEST REAL ESTATE FIRM (Tie)

(Photo courtesy of The Collective Realty)

Winner: The Collective Realty

This hip, 100 percent LGBT-owned boutique real estate firm hosts charity events through the year, whose past beneficiaries have included The Trevor Project. At their West Hollywood and Silver Lake/Echo park offices, buyer and seller expectations are exceeded by a team of fierce negotiators, representing everything from estates to condos. Owner Anthony Vulin assures that all of his mortgage brokers and appraisers are vetted as LGBT friendly, so you can invite them into your home with confidence. The Collective Realty also advocates for LGBT home ownership and nondiscrimination, by lobbying statewide, and in D.C.

(Photo courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties)

Winner: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

Taking you through the home buying or selling experience, and being by your side during life’s greatest moments: That’s the mission and the reward, of those who work at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. “As Realtors, we have the obligation to be culturally competent, to understand the needs of our clients, and to guide them toward wise decisions in their real estate choices,” says president and CEO Mary Lee Blaylock, who also notes, “Working with the LGBT community is a privilege. Our sales associates take pride in their ability to represent the interests of their clients, and to help them navigate the diverse array of communities throughout the Southern California area. We are grateful to have earned your readers’ trust and it is our pleasure to continue to serve all.”

BEST MUSEUM OR ART GALLERY

Modern design, beautiful gardens, open spaces, and spectacular views of Los Angeles make Getty Museum a cherished institution. (Image from Getty Museum website)

Winner: The J. Paul Getty Museum

Cultivating a curiosity about, and enjoyment and understanding of, the visual arts is the J. Paul Getty Museum’s mission, one achieved by collecting, conserving, exhibiting, and interpreting works of outstanding quality and historical importance. The Museum is also continually producing exhibitions, publications, scholarly research, public education, and programming in the visual arts. These elements are enhanced by the uniquely evocative architectural and garden settings at the Getty Villa in Malibu, and the Getty Center in Los Angeles, which houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts and photography.

Runner-Up: LACMA

Since 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography, mirroring Los Angeles’s rich cultural heritage and uniquely diverse population. Today, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of more than 135,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of art history, from new and unexpected points of view.

BEST FITNESS OR WORKOUT SPOT

(Photo courtesy of Equinox West Hollywood)

Winner: Equinox West Hollywood

With a design reminiscent of classic local nightclubs of the 1950s and ’60s, high energy meets high drama, at this 35,000-square-foot fitness club. Offering a full complement of classes, trainers, equipment, and amenities that facilitate high-performance living, the iconic West Hollywood location features one of the largest and most luxurious spas Equinox has to offer, along with a Kids’ Club, and rooftop sundeck. “If it’s not fitness,” they say, “It’s not life.”

(Photo courtesy of Barry’s Bootcamp)

Runner-Up: Barry’s Bootcamp

Known for a workout that’s military-level tough, but administered by instructors more likely to inspire cries of victory than tears of regret, Barry’s is a true local success story. Founded in West Hollywood in 1998, its strength and cardio interval fitness experience provides an immersive, high-intensity, one-hour workout that’s fun and effective.

BEST GROCERY STORE

Trader Joe’s (Photo courtesy of Trader Joe’s)

Winner: Trader Joe’s

Fast service and friendly faces at the checkout make those long lines at Trader Joe’s well worth the wait — but it’s the tempting free samples and addictive signature products that explain the chain’s loyal following. As for their win in this category, certain elements of the Los Angeles Blade staff wholeheartedly agree with our readers, having succumbed on many occasions to the sweet siren call of those Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Laceys Cookies. Not a cookie person? They’ve got a cake or a pie for that.

(Photo courtesty of Gelson’s Market)

Runner-Up: Gelson’s Market

Our readers’ love for Gelson’s is real, although it’s worth noting that Martin Sheen, as fictional character Robert, gives a shout out to the superiority of their rotisserie chicken, in the latest season of “Grace and Frankie.” Granted, he shops in San Diego — but whether it’s the meat, seafood, wine, or deli selections, consistency is a hallmark of this national chain. So, Los Angeles, the compliment applies.

BEST LGBT SPORTS LEAGUE

(Photo courtesy of Gay Varsity League)

Winner: Gay Varsity League

California’s largest LGBT Recreational Sports league welcomes and unites all, regardless of sexuality, gender identity or athletic ability. There are no try-outs, and attendance at practices, although certainly encouraged, is not mandatory. Even the dress code is casual. Yes, you’ll look good in VGL Apparel, but rocking your favorite comfortable clothes is not a scandal. Just dress to express, park your offensive language on the sidelines, and leave the nudity where it belongs: at home, or in the lobby of your very liberal workplace. Finally, a sports league that not only gets you moving, it totally gets you!

Members of WeHo Dodgeball. (Photo courtesy of WeHo Dodgeball)

Runner-Up: WeHo Dodgeball

Take your gym class trauma and consign it to history. From prom queens to drag queens, you never know who will be on the business end of those soft rubber “no sting” balls that are the humane hallmark of WeHo Dodgeball. Their membership, which numbers in the thousands, is united by a desire to make elimination-based competition fun, party down at GYM Sportsbar after each match-up, and participate in fundraising efforts that benefit local charities.

MOST LGBT-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE

Winner: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation was started 31 years ago by a handful of friends, who sought to provide AIDS hospice care to predominantly gay men who were being shunned by their employers, landlords, and families. Today, AHF is a $1.5 billion organization serving more than 1 million, 60 thousand patients in 43 countries. “A respect for diversity has been embedded in our DNA since our inception,” says Senior Director of Communications Ged Kenslea, “and that’s reflective in the number of affinity groups we work with, including Impulse United, LOUD, BLACC, FLUX, In The Meantime Men’s Group, and SPARK. In our overseas clinics, we do not import doctors or staff from the U.S. We hire local professionals to manage our sites and facilities, and to treat our patients. So both inside AHF and in our external relations, we listen to, and participate in, the diversity of conversations and life experiences.”

(Photo courtesy of City of West Hollywood)

Runner-Up: City of West Hollywood

BEST HAIR SALON

(Photo courtesy of Shorty’s Barber Shop)

Winner: Shorty’s Barber Shop

Founded by Chris Bair in 1999, with only four chairs, Shorty’s Barber Shop now boasts 26, along with a staff whose diversity mirrors that of the community they love. “When you walk in,” Bair notes, “there’s always somebody you can connect with, who will make you feel comfortable.” And when you walk out with some merch (the styling putty and soy paste are customer favorites), you can feel good about that, too. All of their products are ethically created, and never tested on animals. Besides the perfect cut, Shorty’s also puts a premium on giving back, by working with the likes of Concrete Hero, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

(Photo courtesy of Chaz Dean Studio)

Runner-Up: Chaz Dean Studio

Chaz Dean Studio prides itself on capturing the essence of its clients, by helping them create a look that feels authentic, yet also reveals a side of them that they have never seen. The stylists, all experts at cut and color, are able to achieve your goal without heat or chemical damage. Best of all, the look you walk out the door with will be easily maintained at home.

BEST DANCE PARTY

Winner: Salvation Saturdays at The Abbey

Whether you’re at The Abbey for a liquid pick-me-up, going there to pick somebody up, or just getting picked up (it’s a massively popular Uber and Lyft drop-off/pick-up point), Salvation Saturdays is a must, for anyone cruising their way through Boystown. Dance floor bottle service, go-go dancers who identify as male, female, or somewhere in-between, and beat-keepers hand-picked by resident DJ Dawna Montell whip the welcoming crowd into a fabulous frenzy. A team dedicated to maintaining the multimillion-dollar lighting and sound system make sure the gyrating guest next to you isn’t the only source of quality stimulation.

(Photo courtesy of DTLA Proud)

Runner–Up: DTLA Proud

DTLA Proud’s mission is to strengthen and empower the local LGBTQ and ally community in Downtown Los Angeles through visibility, volunteerism, partnerships and events — and what better way to be visible than by getting your groove on, at the festival’s popular pop-up water park? Nightlife promoters were part of the team that founded DTLA Proud, and have worked hard to ensure their DJs are drawn from a diverse lineup of musical styles and identity spectrums.

BEST BARTENDER

Tyler Booth (Photo courtesy of Booth)

Winner: Tyler Booth

There’s nothing down low about the moves Tyler Booth busts, when he two-steps from behind the bar to entertain the crowd, in full-on “do-si-do” mode. Self-described, and confirmed by our voters, as “an awesome dude,” Booth is an actor whose charm and skills are definitely not the stuff of some fictional role. Buoyed by Flaming Saddles owners Chris Barnes and Jacqui Squatriglia to up country western’s queer quotient, this buff bartender is a tall drink of water, who knows how to authoritatively snap the cap off a brewsky, or mix a cocktail with tender loving care.

Kimber Bering (Photo courtesy of Bering)

Runner-Up: Kimber Bering

Known for spiking the drinks she serves at The Abbey with words of encouragement that deliver a sense of intoxication all their own, Kimber Bering created some of the menu’s signature cocktails — including, as a tribute to Prince, The Paisley Peach. As local winner of the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic, she represented LA in 2016, and has gone on to judge that competition. Bering performs around town, and can be found on Spotify, as “Kimber Chronic.”

BEST STRAIGHT ALLY

Ariadne Getty (Photo courtesy of Getty)

Winner: Ariadne Getty

Ariadne Getty has described herself as an “introvert” — but her public work paints a different picture, one of a determined, tireless, and engaged activist working to make a better world for her two gay adult children and LGBTQ youth all over the globe. As President and Executive Director of the Ariadne Getty Foundation, last year she pledged $15 million to launch the GLAAD Media Institute, which brings advocacy trainings to national and international LGBTQ organizations. She also pledged $2 million to help build the LA LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus, which will host more than 100 new beds and apartments for LGBTQ youth and seniors. Earlier this week, she made sure LGBTQ issues were center stage, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, an annual meeting of world leaders. The Ariadne Getty Foundation hosted LGBTQ-focused events showcasing global CEOs and LGBTQ activists calling for positive change. She also appeared on several panels, speaking about the urgent need for LGBTQ acceptance. She is a recent addition to the Gay Men’s Chorus of LA board of directors, the recipient of the Los Angeles LGBT Center Vanguard Award, and the namesake of GLAAD’s newly launched Ariadne Getty Ally Award. Getty’s recognition by the Los Angeles Blade as “Best Straight Ally” is proof our readers are anything but reserved, in their appreciation of this introvert’s empowering words and deeds.

Joely Fisher (Photo courtesy of Fisher)

Runner-Up: Joely Fisher

With great comedic timing and a glint in her eye that makes even the most lavender-leaning guy think fondly of the road not taken, LGBTQs, and anyone high up on the human decency spectrum, admire this awesome ally’s longtime labors on behalf of the community, whether through public declarations of support, personal friendships, or the roles she chooses to accept.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR

(Photo courtesy of Revolver Video Bar)

Winner: Revolver Video Bar

Gay-owned and operated, Revolver Video Bar has been a West Hollywood staple worth stampeding to for more than 30 years — and not just because of the buzz created by their $2 tequila and vodka drinks, 3-9 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively. Karaoke and drag shows cast their spell on customers, while live DJs and go-go dancers turn up the heat on already smoking-hot cruisers and boozers.

(Photo courtesy of Hamburger Mary’s)

Runner-Up: Hamburger Mary’s

There’s no beef to be had with Hamburger Mary’s WeHo, whose generous menu of drag entertainment makes everything between the buns all more fun to gobble up. And you can feel good about losing your shirt at Drag Queen Bingo: Besides basking in the glory of rotating hosts Roxy Wood, Willam, and Calpernia Addams, all proceeds go to charity.

BEST NON-PROFIT

(Photo courtesy of Project Angel Food)

Winner: Project Angel Food

Man cannot live by bread alone — but for those impacted by life-threatening illnesses, the more than 11,000 free meals cooked and delivered every week by Project Angel Food feeds their nutritional needs, while bringing comfort and hope into their homes. In addition to this service, Project Angel Food provides nutritional counseling, to ensure those in Los Angeles County struggling with illness will not be burdened by hunger and malnutrition. “A world where every sick person is fed, nourished, and loved” is their vision, backed by the core values of empathy, integrity, inclusiveness, and joy.

(Photo courtesy of Los Angeles LGBT Center)

Runner-Up: The Los Angeles LGBT Center

Every year, more than half a million people representing the full diversity of the community access their free or low-cost programs, in the areas of Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, and Leadership and Advocacy. Looking fit and feeling fierce at age 50, the Center is steadfast in its mission to fight against bigotry, while building a better world, and is always ready to welcome new guests and volunteers — or have you help spread their message of love, by scoring some sweet swag from their online store.

BEST DJ

DJ Morningstar (Photo courtesy of DJ Morningstar)

Winner: DJ Morningstar

You get back what you give, as demonstrated by the winner in our Best DJ category. Describing the vibe at the LGBT clubs he plays as consistently “fun, freeing, energetic, friendly, and loving,” DJ Morningstar (Kian Amiri) says the gay community “essentially saved my life,” by making him feel valued, and supporting the liberal ideology he embraces. Pride events are among DJ Morningstar’s favorite gigs, and a chance to deliver what the people want: “A big, booming, female voice; powerful soul on top of an energetic dance beat.” The gay community, “is always on the right side of history, no matter the cause,” he says, which allows him to be “unapologetically outspoken” without “worrying about repercussions, as you would at straight, corporate clubs.”

DJ Asha (Photo courtesy of DJ Asha)

Runner-Up: DJ Asha

“I think these are very special places to DJ,” says DJ Asha, of her work at LGBT venues, including Micky’s and Beaches. “People need a safe space, a place,” she noted, “where they can be free to express themselves, make friends, look for love, hook up, or whatever.” The open-format DJ, who hosted LA Pride six times, is not locked down to a specific genre — so you’ll always hear a variety of sounds, within one set, no matter what crowd she’s playing to.

BEST LGBT RED CARPET EVENT

Winner: GLAAD

The world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, every year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles holds a dynamic red carpet that draws some of Hollywood’s most iconic celebrities in support of equality. One reader posted, “it rivals the Golden Globes and it’s held in the same room.” J- Lo, Leo, Taylor, Mary J., Britney, Cher, Madonna, just to drop a few names, have posed and mingled with our community, joining with GLAAD to protect all that has been accomplished and to creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.

(Photo courtesy of OUTFEST)

Runner-Up: OUTFEST

Over the past three decades, OUTFEST has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 20,000 LGBTQ films and videos. The red carpet rocks with glam poses, celebs and future celebs. OUTFEST has become one of Hollywood’s most important film marketplaces.

BEST ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION

(Logo courtesy of Lyft)

Winner: LYFT

We all love a good pick-up app. How about a Lyft? The more politically correct of the two major ride-sharing services, Lyft has 100 percent, 24-hour coverage of Los Angeles and you can be on your way to anywhere in just a few minutes. Just open the app and you’re almost there, whether you need a luxury ride or one to carry the whole gang. Lyft is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars but Los Angeles Blade readers give it 5 stars.

(Logo courtesy of Uber)

Runner-Up:  UBER
Uber is everywhere too and when it was first launched it had the feel of a truly luxurious chauffeur service. The shine is still there and many people still prefer it.

BEST PET BUSINESS OR VET

(Photo courtesy of West Hollywood Animal Hospital)

Winner: West Hollywood Animal Hospital
The go-to vet practice of many people in West Hollywood because it offers modern full-service Veterinary services every day.  It has a hometown feel; it’s founder Dr. Monica Revel, DVM, was born and raised within one mile of its location and it shows. Pet lovers come from around SOCAL like a return home: “I wouldn’t take Max anywhere else unless it’s an emergency and we live in Laguna where we relocated 4 years ago from Beverly Hills. (
9000 N Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

(Photo courtesy of VCA-Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital
)

Runner-Up:  VCA-Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital
Home to Dr. Mark Nunez, last year’s winner in this category. Full disclosure: Dr. Nunez is the primary care doctor for our publisher’s senior dog, Lilly. “Mark is always fully engaged and he listens without judgment and corrects without scorn,” said one commenter. (
8807 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069)

BEST LGBT SOCIAL GROUP (TIE)

Winner: PRIDE RECOVERY LA
Provides addiction treatment for the LGBT community, through LGBT-affirmative therapy, group and individual therapy, and psychiatric care, but it’s their after care and support program that one reader cited as the reason they are a winner: “They are my family,” the reader posted, “I can always go home and know I will be OK.” (
8300 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048)

(Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce)

Winner: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
LAGLCC describes itself as “the premier advocate of the Los Angeles Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender business community, representing hundreds of businesses, advancing common business interests, economic growth, and equality in the workplace and society for its LGBTQ members, businesses, and allies by providing educational, networking, and community building opportunities.” The group’s monthly mixer functions are must-attend features of the local social scene.

(Photo courtesy of AIDS Lifecycle)

Runner-Up: AIDS LIFECYCLE
For many people the fundraising marketing that precedes the 545-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles bike ride is about much more than AIDS; it’s about family and community at its very best. Not only do you get to pedal forward in life, you get to ask people to pay it forward. AIDS Life Cycle represents our community at its very best.

BEST PLACE TO LIVE

Winner: West Hollywood

There’s just no place like it. What can we say? A lot, actually. The little town of 39,000 residents remains Los Angeles’ hottest destination for the entertainment industry with its boutique hotels, celebrity-owned restaurants, unparalleled nightlife and shopping and world-renowned events like the HBO Emmy Party, Sir Elton John’s Annual Oscar Party, LA PRIDE and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, the largest Halloween street party in the world. West Hollywood continues to set the standard for progressive, creative individuals on the cutting edge of trends and new ideas, working together as a community in one of the most exciting destinations in the country. And it is home to one of the largest concentrations of LGBT people in the world.

Runner-Up: Beverly Hills

At the other end of the rainbow is Beverly Hills, pot of gold included. It’s an aspirational town for sure and there are more Mazarattis, Rolls Royces and Bentleys sold here than anywhere in the world. It’s quiet, sequestered, manicured and intensely beautiful and the perfect place for wealthy LGBT families. And there are many. It’s where West Hollywood gets its water supply as they are always reminding.

BEST HOTEL

(Photo courtesy of W Hollywood)

Winner: W Hollywood
It seems Los Angeles Blade readers know a thing or two when it comes to family and friends from out of town: they all want to experience Hollywood. It’s perfectly located, giving easy access to Universal, DTLA, Pasadena, all points west. And while you’re family is visiting, you and your friends can visit one of the best pools in town as a bonus. (
6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028)

(Photo courtesy of Kimpton La Peer)

Runner-Up: Kimpton La Peer
“Imagine a space where art, music, fashion, poetry, film and architecture intertwine to a cacophony of spatial harmony,” says Icelandic-born, Los Angeles-based cutting edge designer Gulla Jónsdóttir, of the new Kimpton La Peer. Consider it for a weekend staycation for you and your honey. (
627 N La Peer Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

BEST DOCTOR/MEDICAL PROVIDER

(Photo courtesy of Cedars Sinai)

Winner: Cedars Sinai Urgent Care
One of the world’s best hospitals, not surprisingly, also runs the best Urgent Care locations in the nation. Cedars-Sinai’s urgent care facility in Beverly Hills keeps extended hours seven days a week, providing immediate healthcare needs that are not life-threatening. You’ll walk in and find expedited service from some of the world’s best doctors. (
8501 Wilshire Blvd #150, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)

Dr. David Alajajian. (Photo courtesy of Pacific Oaks Medical Group)

Runner-Up: Pacific Oaks Medical Group
One of the earliest responders during the AIDS crisis, Pacific Oaks Medical Group is a leading community provider of medical care to our diverse community. And the group’s recent addition of Dr. David Alajajian is apparently a big hit with our readers. (
150 N Robertson Blvd #300, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)

BEST CAR DEALERSHIP

(Photo courtesy of Beverly Hills BMW)

Winner: Beverly Hills BMW
This dealership is located on Wilshire just east of La Brea, displaced from Beverly Hills during construction of the Purple line, but it remains the go-to BMW dealership for many of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills’ BMW owners. The immaculate shop runs like clockwork and there’s never a wait. Last year at SUR, they delivered $200,000 worth of cars and leather jackets to our Best Of awards. Our readers apparently have not forgotten. (
5070 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036)

Runner-Up: Mercedes Beverly Hills
Mercedes is the most popular luxury brand in the several zip codes surrounding West Hollywood and 9 out of 10 local owners work with Mercedes of Beverly Hills to keep their cars current and in top condition. (
9250 Beverly Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210)

BEST PRO LOCAL ATHLETE

LeBron James. (Photo courtesy of James)

Winner: LeBron James
LeBron and the Lakers are both reader favorites. Our readers were over the moon about his decision to join the ranks of prominent Angeleno sports stars when he moved west from Cleveland. One reader wrote: “LeBron is almost as magic as Magic and I admire him for taking a pioneering stand for people of color and justice.” His solidarity with Colin Kaepernick resonated with our readers as a fitting addition to the ever progressive Lakers, just after the team’s first ever LGBT night.

Gus Kenworthy. (Photo courtesy of Kenworthy)

Runner-Up:  Gus Kenworthy
Since the Seoul winter games everyone has been in love with Gus and his sexy Instagram and love of dogs. Who wouldn’t want to be loved by Gus? Sorry Adam, we love you too but, hey.

BEST PUBLIC OFFICIAL

Adam Schiff (Photo courtesy of Schiff)

Winner: Adam Schiff
No congressman has been more consistent in his criticism of Donald Trump than congressman Adam Schiff, the U.S. Representative for California’s 28th congressional district since 2013. With the Dems now in majority control of the House, Shiff wields significant power over the fate of Trump as House Intelligence Committee chairman. On LGBT issues he bats 1,000 and in our estimation he’s a smart man, an avid reader of the Los Angeles Blade’s Karen Ocamb.

(Photo courtesy of West Hollywood City Council)

Runner-Up: West Hollywood City Council
A uniformly progressive city council comprised of longtime gay rights activists, advocates and allies of the LGBT community. Mayor John Duran, Mayor Pro Tempore John D’Amico and Council members Lindsey Horvath, Lauren Meister and John Heilman are known for fast-acting government responsiveness and well attended, well-run meetings. The city ranks among the best-run local governments in America.

BEST HOUSE OF WORSHIP

(Photo by Annie Wells/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Courtesy of Kol Ami)

Winner: Congregation Kol Ami
Since its founding in 1992, Kol Ami has become an important leader in the Jewish, LGBTQ and West Hollywood communities. Kol Ami’s commitment to progressive spirituality, diversity, inclusion and social justice is celebrated nationwide. It is known for being innovative while remaining rooted in Jewish tradition and practice. Rabi Denise L. Egers broke barriers to create a more inclusive Reform movement that has resulted in more LGBTQ inclusion at Synagogues worldwide. (
1200 N La Brea Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90038)

(Photo courtesy of InVision Church)

Runner-Up: InVision Church
Since MCC left West Hollywood about a decade ago, there has been no LGBT specific Christian Church service in the area but that changed when pastor Josh Johnson brought his spirited Invision Church to WeHo. In services held every Sunday at the Sunset Strip’s famed Viper Room, Invision gives the LGBTQ community its own down home, rollicking and near evangelical place of worship. (
8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

BEST LGBT BUSINESS

(Photo courtesy of My 12 Step Store)

Winner: My 12 Step Store
RJ is widely considered to be one of the hardest working people in the sobriety community, not above working the register, helping customers select gifts for their loved ones, or packing items he ships out to customers around the world. My 12 Step Store is an exceptional and rare model of service to the LGBTQ community, part community center and part business, selling inspirational and motivational sobriety themed gifts. My 12 Step Stores sober mixers are one of the most popular events on the mix and mingle calendar. (
8730 Santa Monica Blvd B, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

(Photo courtesy of Chi Chi LaRue’s)

Runner-Up: Chi Chi LaRue’s

From the bright pink exterior to the exclusive state-of-the-art merchandise and apparel inside, Chi Chi LaRue’s stands out, loud and proud, as West Hollywood’s only gay-owned and operated adult boutique. (8861 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

BEST COFFEE SHOP

(Photo courtesy of Alfred’s Coffee Melrose Place)

Winner: Alfred’s Coffee Melrose Place
It’s like a very intentional selfie. It’s a little embarrassing how indulgent and fun it is, this coffee shop where everyone is drop dead gorgeous but somehow it’s still all about the coffee. You’ll find it in the heart of LA’s trendiest retail destination, proudly brewing Stumptown Coffee Roasters. (
8428 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069)

(Photo courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee)

Runner-Up: Blue Bottle Coffee
They seem to be popping up everywhere, this one part Oakland, one part LA coffee house is not cheap but it is certainly delicious. (
8301 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048)

BEST LOCAL BREWERY

(Photo courtesy of Arts District Brewing Company)

Winner: Arts District Brewing Company
One of Los Angeles’ few craft brewpubs, opened December 2015 in Downtown LA’s historic Arts District. With an on-site, 15-barrel brewhouse capable of producing 3,300 barrels of beer each year, Arts District Brewing Company debuted with nine original beers and now offers 30+ all brewed on-site. Enjoy an entertainment area with a photo booth and multiple classic bar games available, including pinball and Skeeball machines. (
828 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013)

Runner-Up: Santa Monica Brew Works
Just a group of guys who share a mad love for great beer and the City Of Santa Monica. The brewery’s “Beach Brewed” philosophy is said to embody “the spirit of the world-renowned Santa Monica lifestyle. (1920 Colorado Ave C, Santa Monica, CA 90404)

BEST RESTAURANT

(Photo courtesy of Tortilla Republic)

Winner: Tortilla Republic
It’s Viva Mexico at its very finest. Every bite will have you saying “F*uck Trump and his crazy wall” because the best food in the world comes from our neighbor to the south. It’s a Los Angeles Blade favorite. (616 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)

(Photo courtesy of Bottega Louie)

Runner-Up: Bottega Louie
Get ready WeHo! The
Gourmet Market, Patisserie & Café located in downtown Los Angeles will soon open on Santa Monica Boulevard and life will never be the same. (700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017)

BEST CHEF

Susan Feniger (Photo courtesy of Feniger)

Winner: Susan Feniger, Border Grill
Iconic culinarian, author, and entrepreneur Feniger has been helping to define the culinary landscape of Los Angeles since 1981. She’s opened a host of successful restaurants, but Border Grill remains her crowning achievement. Opened with co-chef and business partner Mary Sue Milliken in 1985, its modern, street-food-inspired Mexican cuisine has been defining the city’s culinary landscape ever since. As if having an iconic LA eatery and being a celebrity chef weren’t enough to make us love her, Susan is also an out and proud member of the community, currently sitting on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Jon Rollo (Photo courtesy of Rollo)

Runner-up: Jon Rollo, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Revolutionizing the gourmet fast-casual dining experience the “Commander-in-Leaf” of Greenleaf has always had an appetite for fresh ingredients and living a healthy life – something he embodies with the farm-to-face concept of his restaurant, where he uses local, fresh, natural, organic ingredients to create dishes that are both delicious and wholesome. In his free time, you can find Jon working out at Barry’s Bootcamp, training for a triathlon, and raising his daughter and son with husband, Joey Gonzalez.

BEST LOCAL TV PERSONALITY

James Corden. (Photo courtesy of Corden)

Winner: James Corden
This Tony-winning actor may be from the other side of the Atlantic, but as the host of “The Late, Late Show,” he’s been regularly taking over the streets of Hollywood to film celebrity flash mobs, musical numbers, and the spectacularly popular “Carpool Karaoke” since 2015 – and that makes him as much an Angeleno as anyone. It’s no wonder we’re proud to lay claim to him; smart, funny, and talented, he’s got a pure love of “show business” that makes his late-night talk show a must-see event for millions.  He’s also a strong LGBT ally who uses his public platform to promote LGBT equality – for instance, by performing a song in protest of Trump’s intended trans military ban in 2017.

Alexander Rodriguez. (Photo courtesy of Rodriquez)

Runner-up: Alexander Rodriguez
The iHeart radio personality is one-third of the all-gay Latinx panel on “Glitterbomb,” LATV’s explosive pop-culture talk show that offers a queer Latinx perspective on entertainment news. Along with fellow hosts (actor Enrique Sapene and EW senior editor Patrick Gomez), he brings wit, humor, and first-hand experience into the show’s look at Hollywood A-lister life.

BEST MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

(Logo courtesy of MedMen)

Winner: MedMen
Founded in 2010 by Adam Bierman and Andrew Modlin (who are also CEO and president, respectively), this Culver City-based company has grown up to be one of the leaders in the burgeoning legal cannabis industry, dedicated to “writing the book on the modern cannabis industry, from how facilities are designed and constructed to setting the bar on quality and excellence.” They’re also the single largest financial supporter of progressive marijuana laws at local, state, and federal levels. But what’s probably most important to the many satisfied consumers at their elegant boutiques in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills (as well as four other locations in the Los Angeles area) is their philosophy that standards, practices and reputation matter – and the high quality of the product that results from it.

(Photo courtesy of Zen Healing West Hollywood)

Runner-up: Zen Healing West Hollywood
With two locations, this longtime (since 2003) local-fave dispensary scores high Yelp ratings for its outstanding customer service and wide selection. As they say on their website, “Whether you vape, rollup, or use a piece, Zen Healing has a strain for you.”

MOST COMMITTED ACTIVIST

Madonna Cacciatore. (Photo courtesy of Cacciatore)

Winner: Madonna Cacciatore
She moved to LA as an actress, after a regular role on a short-lived TV reboot of “The Fugitive” gave her a taste of Hollywood; but it’s her dedication to another calling that has brought her true prominence in our local community. A longtime LGBT activist, she made a splash in the headlines when the LA Times featured a photo of her holding hands with then-partner (now wife) Robin McWilliams in their cover story on June 26, 2015, when the Obergefell victory made marriage equality the law of the land – but she had already been building her leadership role in the community for years as the director of special events at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. In 2018, she was chosen as the new executive director of Christopher Street West – giving her the opportunity to bring her years of experience to the table as she shepherds the non-profit, which has faced challenges in the last few years, toward the 50
th anniversary of LA Pride in 2020.

Ari Gutiérrez Arambula. (Photo courtesy of Arambula)

Runner-up: Ari Gutiérrez Arambula
A tireless community leader, Ari is dedicated to increasing support and quality of life for the LGBTQ and gender non-conforming members of the Latinx community and their families – a community for which she has been an advocate for 30 years. She is the founding Advisory Board President of the Latino Equality Alliance, and the co-founder of HONOR PAC, a non-profit organization providing advocacy, leadership development and public education that honors cultural traditions and is accessible to youth and their parents.

BEST LOCAL PRO SPORTS TEAM

Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
They may have lost the 2018 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, but LA’s “Boys In Blue” will never lose the hearts of the city they’ve called home since 1958. Part of the reason is the team’s determination to connect with the community by embracing diversity. In the words of Erik Braverman, the Dodgers’ vice president for marketing, communications and broadcasting who spoke to the Los Angeles Blade for a 2017 article, “LGBT people are as important to the organization as any other community.” For six consecutive years, the Dodgers have hosted an official LGBT night, and for the past two have made it an official kickoff party for LA Pride.

(Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers)

Runner-up: Los Angeles Lakers
Just as it is with the Dodgers, love for the Lakers is part of our city’s DNA. In 2018, the basketball organization hosted its own first-ever LGBTQ Pride night, honoring first active openly gay NBA player Jason Collins with the Laces of Unity Award (recognizing individuals in sports who have significantly contributed to the LGBTQ community) and featuring Amanda Palmer, the first female and first openly lesbian referee in NBA history, as the night’s honorary team captain.

BEST HOME FURNISHINGS

(Photo courtesy of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams)

Winner: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Started in North Carolina back in 1989, this elegant furniture company began with the simple idea of providing “comfort for all,” and nearly 30 years later, its signature store in Beverly Hills is a must-visit for any Angeleno with an eye toward decorating their home with stylish and modern home furnishings. In addition, its founders are activists and advocates for the LGBT community – Gold is co-founder of Faith in America, a nonprofit that educates people about the harm religious bigotry causes LGBT Americans that recently merged with the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and has served on the board of HRC for the past seven years, and Williams is known for his philanthropic work for equal rights; together, the men received a Groundbreakers Award from NYC’s Housing Works, dedicated to ending AIDS and homelessness.

(Photo courtesy of Josh Johnson Home)

Runner-up: Josh Johnson Home
A Tennessee native who became known as “Sparkle Josh” during his stint in HGTV’s “Design Stars,” this flamboyant celebrity interior designer has a design philosophy of “Livable Luxe,” which he describes as the pairing of affordable elegance with functional practicality, and his status as a celebrity designer has made him a designer to celebrities — or anyone who wants to live like one.

BEST PERFORMING ARTS VENUE

Winner: Walt Disney Concert Hall
This downtown landmark, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and opened in 2003, is not just part of the Los Angeles Music Center – with its sleek, shining, non-linear design, it’s an icon of urban architecture and a signature LA building, and with its hear-a-pin-drop acoustics, it’s a world-class performance hall. Intended as a gift to the people of Los Angeles by Lillian Disney (widow of Walt), who in 1987 donated $50 million to fund a venue that could serve as a tribute to her late husband’s devotion to the arts and to the city, today it fulfills that purpose by providing a home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, as well as by hosting variety of artists and events from around the world.

(Photo courtesy of Geffen Playhouse)

Runner-up: Geffen Playhouse
Founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995, and named for its donor, music executive David Geffen, this not-for-profit theater company is housed within a historic 1929 building – one of the first 12 structures built in Westwood Village – that was once the Masonic Affiliates’ Club for students and alumni of UCLA. In its two venues there, the Geffen mounts eight top-quality theatrical productions per season, showcasing both new works and time-honored classics, often performed by familiar actors from film and television – one of the definite perks of living in a movie town.

BEST DAY TRIP

(Photo courtesy of Palm Springs)

Winner: Palm Springs

Los Angeles’ relationship with its neighbor in the desert goes back to the 1920s, when the town’s growing status as a getaway spot made it appealing to Hollywood’s rich and famous as a quick and easy escape from the rigors of their glamorous everyday lives.  It serves much the same purpose today, but it’s grown into an internationally recognized resort destination – which means world-class entertainment, luxurious hotels, and glittering casinos await any Angeleno ready to make the 90-minute drive (OK, only if there’s no traffic) to get there. It’s not just about pampering yourself, though that’s part of the allure; there is also a thriving cultural scene, lots of nightlife, magnificent restaurants, a weekly street festival, and an annual week-long celebration of the Modernist architecture long embraced as a definitive part of the city’s identity. Of course, Palm Springs is something of an LGBT Mecca, too – but odds are good that, if you’re reading this, you already knew that.

(Photo courtesy of Avalon, Catalina Island)

Runner-up: Avalon, Catalina Island
Located on the southeast end of Santa Catalina Island, Avalon has been a popular destination for visitors since the early 1900s. Like Palm Springs, it has always attracted the glitterati crowd, from film stars to presidents, and is known today for its resorts and casinos – along with the numerous other attractions offered by a picturesque seaside community. Only a short ferry ride away, it’s one of the best opportunities for Angelenos to have a sun-soaked mini-vacation and still be home in time to feed the pets before bedtime.

BEST MOVIE THEATER

Winner: Arclight Hollywood
In a city built by the movies (and those who love them) it’s no surprise that the favorite pick is this landmark multiplex on Sunset, which is home to 15 screens (including the historic Cinerama Dome) that feature state-of-the-art projection and sound technology, and amenities like a gourmet snack bar, no commercials before the show, and – a favorite flourish for convenience-hungry Angelenos – reserved seating that eliminates the need for standing in a long line. On top of all that, Arclight offers an impressive selection of movie offerings, from the biggest entertainment blockbusters to the edgiest indie art films, all in the name of catering to the sophisticated interests of its cinema-loving clientele. As a bonus, moviegoers stand a good chance of seeing some of their favorite stars off the screen as well as on – it’s a popular location for the people who make movies to go and sit in the audience for a change.

(Photo courtesy of Pacific Theaters at the Grove)

Runner-up: Pacific Theaters at the Grove
Offering its own kind of Hollywood appeal, this elegantly designed multiplex in the heart of one of the city’s most popular malls (adjacent to the historic Farmer’s Market). It’s a haven for film lovers, with its own state-of-the-art auditoriums that feature large screens, surround sound, and luxury stadium seating – and if you want to pair your moviegoing experience with a meal, the Grove location ensures a wide selection of nearby eateries that will be perfect for discussing what you’ve just seen over lunch or dinner.

BEST LIVE MUSIC

(Photo courtesy of Hollywood Bowl)

Winner: The Hollywood Bowl

Steeped in history — it’s seen the likes of everyone from Billie Holiday to Billy Joel — the Hollywood Bowl reigns, as Southern California’s premier destination for live music. Its iconic concentric-arched band shell is recognized the world over, just as sure as the venue itself is recognized by our readers as the best of the best.

(Photo courtesy of The Greek Theatre)

Runner-Up: The Greek Theatre

Located within Griffith Park, the historic Greek Theatre stands as one of the nation’s most beloved and recognized outdoor entertainment destinations. This iconic venue has also served as a site for numerous high school graduations, community events, and backdrops for television shows and motion pictures.

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Arts & Entertainment

Tom Goss talks body-positivity in new bop ‘Bear Soup’

‘Freeing, fun and full of energy’

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It’s that time of year again, when everyone’s ranting about getting their perfect summer body ready for beaches and pool parties. While working out to feel good is great, let’s be honest – the societal standard for a hot summer body leans heavily toward being thin and having a lack of body hair.

Singer-songwriter Tom Goss counters this narrative through his new single “Bear Soup,” featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Chris Conde. Instead of dropping the usual skinny, twink summer anthem, Goss is serving a body-positive bop that centers bears – the big, hairy, rugged guys who hold a reputation for knowing how to party.

“Bear Soup” marks the fourth and most ambitious entry in his bear song anthology series following the three iconic tracks “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places” and “Nerdy Bear.” 

“Well, simply put, I love bears,” exclaimed Goss. “To me, it feels important to make something bear-centered every couple years.”

It would be unfair to solely attribute Goss’ bear series to his personal love for bears, so he also emphasizes an important message regarding body positivity.

“If these songs, videos, and messages can help someone see themselves in a more positive light, and have a happier life as a result of that, I have done more than I could ever have dreamed of in this world.”

Taking inspiration from bold, confident artists like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice and Flo Milli, Goss set out to create a track that would be right at home on the dance floor. From the very first listen, it is evident that he wanted to make a song that anyone — regardless of body type — could party to. The accompanying music video brings that vision to life, overflowing with fun, freedom and unapologetic self-love.

“As a bear guy myself, I understand the trepidations a chubby gay guy might have if [or] when invited to a pool party. In a culture fraught with rigorous body conscious expectation, the opportunity to create visuals for a song like “Bear Soup” are both freeing and exciting for me,” said Michale Serrato, director of the song’s music video.

The music video is exactly how Serrato describes it: It follows Goss at a lively pool party being completely enamored with the sea of bears around him. From playful swimming scenes to a marmalade wrestling match — with plenty of skin on display — it’s a celebration of body confidence and queer joy.

Conde delivers a powerful, high-intensity verse that balances the song’s playful pop vibe with raw energy. Goss describes Conde as being “unapologetic in who he is” with Conde’s feature elevating the track to the next level. 

For Goss, making these videos is more than just fun — it is about creating a space where people can show up as their full selves.

“These videos provide an environment that allows everyone to exude joy, fully and completely loving themselves in the process,” he said.

He even recalls background extras opening up about lifelong insecurities right before filming. But in the affirming, body-positive space Goss fosters, those fears quickly melted away.

“As soon as people arrive and are embraced so warmly, they shine brightly, take off their clothes, and accept themselves freely and effortlessly,” said Goss.

Goss understands the impact his work has had on others, yet he remains humble and never makes it about himself. He’s quick to clarify that he doesn’t take credit for anyone’s coming out or self-discovery, but he acknowledges the meaningful responses he’s received.

“I’ve had countless people tell me they discovered their sexuality or expanded their sense of attraction after watching my videos,” he said. “I’m not taking credit for their sexuality, but I do believe these videos give people permission to see the world and themselves in ways they might not have considered before.”

Although “Bear Soup” has been made and is set to release, Goss has even more in store.

“I have another song and video coming out soon, called “Gay Stuff,” followed by a full album,” he shared. Above all, Goss’s mission is clear: to spread positivity, joy, and encourage everyone to fully embrace who they are. And with a smile, he reminds us to “keep that bear love flowing.”

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New Musical Monday’s host to grace the stage for MISCAST

On Monday, Craig Taggart graces the stage at Mumo’s MISCAST segment

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Craig Taggart

Actor Craig Taggart has had a colorful career that has transported him from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

Taggart made his L.A. stage debut in Del Shores’ revival of “Southern Baptist Sissies” and began a decades-long professional relationship that led to his appearance in a variety of “sordid” incarnations: in repertory in 2006’s Season of Shores in “Sordid Lives,” “Sordid Lives: It’s a Drag,” and then on TV’s “Sordid Lives: The Series” where he made his TV debut.

Los Angeles audiences have been privileged to see Taggart take the stage in a number of sketch comedies and hilarious parodies. One of his most popular runs has been portraying Bette Midler for “Rise n’ Shine” with Midler and Juliette Lewis, a surreal morning talk show hosted by the duo, played by comedy partner Chris Pudlo. Nowhere on Earth would these two stars be hanging out on a TV show, but the pairing works and the result is hilarious. We really would love to see the return of this dynamic duo.

Taggart will step into the emcee shoes this coming week while regular MuMo host Darin Sanone is traveling Europe. Taggart will present the very popular MISCAST edition, a fan-favorite segment of Musical Mondays that features actors performing roles that are far from their intended casting. From gender swaps to reinterpretations, MISCAST at Mumo is often hilarious, and many times poignant. We can’t wait.

We caught up with Taggart to talk about the power of musical theatre, his career and his fascination with divas.

What inspired your early love of musical theatre? 

The first time I fell in love, I was in the third grade watching my grammar school’s performance of Cinderella…a leading lady — in this case a pre-teen girl — on stage singing a torchy power ballad. Smitten!

What was your first professional appearance on stage? How did it go? 

Made my professional debut in The Miss Kitty’s Saloon Show at Six Flags St. Louis. 6 shows a day and getting to ride roller coasters when your shift is over…best summer job I ever had!

What was your journey from St. Louis to Los Angeles? What took some time getting used to? 

There’s a saying in St. Louis: “If you don’t like the weather here, hang out for 24 hours. It’ll change. And boy, would it! What sold me on Los Angeles was the temperate climate all year long. Weather in Missouri is all over the map…the consistency of Mother Nature here in L.A. has helped, pun intended, weather the career fluctuations over the past couple of decades.

How has being part of the theatre changed your life? 

I wouldn’t say theatre really changed my life. It defined my life, for the most part. It’s where I first experienced community. It’s where I was allowed to be myself and be celebrated for it.

 We need more Bette and Juliet! Any plans to see more of these lovely ladies? 

Funny you should mention that…we’ve been tinkering with the idea of bringing those broads back. I think a reunion show would be in order. Seems everyone’s getting a reboot these days…why not those gals?

Rise ‘n Shine with Bette & Juliette / Chris Pudlo & Craig Taggart

Gender bending roles in the theatre have become very popular. What role would you cast yourself in? 

I would throw a Little Mermaid into oncoming traffic to get to play ‘Ursula’ onstage.

What has been a personal triumph for you in your theatre career and why? 

I made my NYC stage debut off-Broadway starring in “Wounded” by Jiggs Burgess and directed by my dear friend Del Shores this past year. Being involved with it from the initial zoom readings to its multiple award-winning run @ The 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival to it garnering a residency at The SoHo Playhouse as its Overall Excellence Award Winner from the 2024 International Fringe Festival…that has been the cherry on the cake of my career on-stage so far. 

What was your first exposure to Musical Mondays? 

Wow…I honestly can’t recall my first time. Not that it wasn’t memorable–it just seems so ingrained in my DNA that I find it harder to think of a time when I  DON’T recall being exposed to MuMo!

What is it about Musical Mondays that the community loves so much? 

I’d say it’s due to the unabashed and unapologetic reverence for the genre.

Why is celebrating musical theatre so important right now? 

Celebrating is a ceremony of respect…and with so much vitriol and animosity and negativity in the world these days…this artform–which, at its core, is one rooted in a reality where a story is only able to be told in so many words before it has nowhere else to go but through song–to me that is the purest form of joy. The purest expression of the soul. It’s art in multiple forms. It sings. It dances. It uplifts. It inspires. It unites and it’s defiant. In a world that stresses conformity, where we’re witnessing the ostracization of marginalized groups, it’s this beloved universe that decries “I Am What I Am”–with spotlights and sequins and showtunes–which, in my humble opinion, is the best antidote to all the ugliness we’re currently facing. Musical Theatre has got my undying and eternal respect…and it’s not only my job, but my duty and my honor and my purpose to celebrate it.

What can we expect from your upcoming appearance at MuMo? 

To quote Miss M herself: “Did I sing the ballad yet? Was it wonderful?”

What do you love most about performing at MuMo? 

Being a part of a crowd that wholeheartedly loves this art form like I do. 

What is your message to Mumo fans? 

No one says it better than Sondheim…so in my best Ethel, Angela, Tyne, Bernadette, Bette, Patty, & Audra…”Hold your hats, and Hallelujah! Mama’s gonna show it to ya!”

MuMo takes place every Monday at The Chapel at The Abbey; Los Angeles Blade serves as a proud media sponsor

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Movies

‘Pink Narcissus’ reasserts queer identity in the face of repression

Gorgeously restored film a surreal fantasia on gay obsessions

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Bobby Kendall stars in ‘Pink Narcissus.’ (Photo courtesy of Strand Releasing)

Back in 1963, there really wasn’t such a thing as “Queer Cinema.”

Of course there had been plenty of movies made by queer people, even inside Hollywood’s tightly regulated studio system; artists like George Cukor and Vincente Minnelli brought a queer eye and sensibility to their work, even if they couldn’t come right out and say so, and became fluent in a “coded” language of filmmaking that could be deciphered by audience members “in the know,” while everyone else – including the censors – remained mostly oblivious. 

Yes, the movie industry was adapting to the demands of a generation that had grown increasingly countercultural in its priorities, and topics that had once been taboo on the big screen, including the more or less open depiction of queerness, were suddenly fair game. But even so, you’d be hard-pressed to find examples of movies where being queer was not tied to shame, stigma, and a certain social ostracization that remained, for the most part, a fact of life. Hollywood may have been ready to openly put queer people on the screen, but the existence it portrayed for them could hardly have been described as happy.

Yet this was the setting in which a Manhattan artist named James Bidgood began a filmmaking project that would dominate his life for the next several years and eventually become a seminal influence on queer cinema and queer iconography in general – all executed, with the exception of an ambitious climactic sequence, in a cramped New York apartment utilizing elaborate handmade sets and costumes, which would define an entire queer aesthetic for decades to come. Though disputes with the film’s financiers would eventually cause him to remove his name from the project, resulting in years of anonymity before finally being credited with his work, he has now taken his rightful place as one of the architects of modern queer sensibility.

The movie he made – “Pink Narcissus,” which has been newly restored in glistening 4K glory and is currently being screened in theaters across the U.S. after an April premiere at Manhattan’s Newfest – didn’t exactly take the world by storm. When it finally premiered on “arthouse” theater screens in 1971, it was slammed by mainstream critics (like Vincent Canby of the New York Times, who compared it to “a homemade Mardi Gras drag outfit” as if that were a bad thing) and largely ignored, even as a new spirit of creative freedom was bringing more and more visibility to openly queer content. A screening at 1984’s “Gay Film Festival” reintroduced it to an audience that was finally ready to embrace its feverishly stylized, near-surreal fantasia on gay obsessions, and since then it has loomed large in the queer cultural imagination, providing clear and directly attributable influence over the entire queer visual lexicon that has developed in its wake – even if it has remained widely unseen among all but the most dedicated queer cinema buffs.

With a running time of little more than an hour, it’s not the kind of movie that can be described in terms of a cohesive linear plot. “Official” synopsis efforts have typically framed it as the story of a young male hustler who, while waiting for a call from a favorite “trick,” fantasizes about various erotic scenarios in his spangled and bejeweled apartment. But since it is a film with no spoken dialogue that takes place largely in the imagination of its central character, it’s difficult to place a definitive construct upon it. What’s certainly true is that it presents a series of daydreamed fantasies in which its protagonist – played by sultry lipped Bobby Kendall, a teen runaway who had become a model for Bidgood’s “physique” photography and also his roommate and (probably) on-and-off lover – imagines himself in various scenarios, including as a matador facing a bull (who is really a leather-clad motorcyclist in a public restroom), a Roman slave thrown to the mercy and pleasure of his emperor, and both a Sheik and a harem boy obsessed with a well-endowed exotic male belly dancer. Eventually, the young man’s thoughts venture into the streets outside, where he is immersed in a seedy, sordid world of sexual obsession and degradation, before facing a final fantasy in which, as an “innocent” nymph in the woods (perhaps the human embodiment of the film’s titular butterfly), he is engulfed and consumed by his own sexual nature, only to be reborn in his apartment to face the inevitable transformation from “twink” to “trick” that presumably awaits all gay men who dedicate their lives to the transgressive sexual desires that drive them.

All of that, to modern sensibilities, might read like a series of stereotypical and vaguely demeaning tropes symbolizing little more than the degradation that comes of a hedonistic lifestyle in which pleasure and punishment are intertwined with all the surety of fate; but what sets “Pink Narcissus” apart from so many early examples of queer cinema is that, despite its reliance on the often-campy trappings of “rough trade” and the performative “tragedy” of its overall arc from youth and beauty to age and corruption, it exudes an unmistakable attitude of joy.

We’re talking about the joy of sensuality, the joy of self-acceptance, the joy of partaking in a life that calls to us despite the restrictions of societal “normality” which would have us deny ourselves such pleasures; in short, the joy of being alive – something to which every living being theoretically has the right, but which for queer people is all-too-often quashed under the mountain of disapproval and shame imposed upon them by a heteronormative society and its judgments. Considering that it was made in a time when the queer presence in film was mostly limited to victimhood or ridicule, it feels as much an act of resistance as it does a celebration of queer sexuality; seen in a cultural climate like today’s, when joy itself seems as much under attack as sexuality, identity, or any of the other personal traits which separate us from the supposed “norm” imposed by prevailing political attitudes, it becomes an almost radical act, a declaration of independence asserting our natural right to be who we are and like what we like.

That’s why “Pink Narcissus” looms so large in the landscape of queer filmmaking. It’s the irrefutable evidence of queer joy singing out to us from a time when it could only exist in our most private of moments; it’s unapologetically campy, over the top in its theatricality, and almost comically blatant in its prurient obsession with the anatomy of the anonymous male models who make up most of its cast (and Kendall, who seems to dress himself in various outfits only to undress for the next erotic daydream), but it feels like a thumb on the nose to anyone who might shame us for for celebrating our sexual nature, which Bidgood’s movie unequivocally does. 

Restored to the vivid (and luridly colorful) splendor of its original 8mm format, “Pink Narcissus” is currently touring the country on a series of limited screenings; VOD streaming will be available soon, check the Strand Releasing website for more information.

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WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD Music Festival to host free concert

Registration for free tickets will open tomorrow, May 16 at 10a.m. PT

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On Friday, May 30, WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD will kick off the weekend full of festivities with a free WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night outdoor concert. 

WeHo Pride and OUTLOUD Music Festival have come together this year featuring a lineup of LGBTQ performers and LGBTQ-focused programming for all ages. 

The kick off event is free, but requires an RSVP to secure the complimentary tickets and registration for tickets officially opens on Friday, May 16 at 10a.m. The headlining performer will be Maren Morris, a GRAMMY award-winning, singer-songwriter who came out as bisexual during Pride month last summer and released her fourth album earlier this month. 

The OUTLOUD Music Festival will continue on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, with a two-day concert experience spotlighting a dynamic lineup of LGBTQ+ artists including Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Kim Petras and Paris Hilton — all set to perform on the mainstage. Lil Nas X was also set to perform, but has been taken out of the lineup due to health issues. 

The SummerTramp stage will have Honey Dijon as the headliner, and feature sets from Horse Meat Disco, salute, Meredith Marks, Brooke Eden, and others. The Saturday and Sunday concerts are not free and do require tickets to be purchased in advance. 

“WeHo Pride Weekend is nearly upon us. Hosting WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD with free-entry tickets is more than symbolic — it’s a declaration that equality and inclusion matter,” said Chelsea Lee Byers, mayor of West Hollywood. “In West Hollywood, we celebrate queer lives and artists. At a time when LGBTQ communities face a surge of attacks across the country, West Hollywood remains committed to raising visibility and vibrantly celebrating our community. I’m so proud that the City of West Hollywood stands firm in the fight for LGBTQ rights and creative expression. I hope to see everyone out on Friday Night at OUTLOUD!”

WeHo Pride Presents Friday Night at OUTLOUD will begin at 6p.m. on Friday, May 30. The free WeHo Pride Street Fair will then take place on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, beginning at noon. Both days will feature live entertainment, drag performances, activities and dyke-tivities such as the Dyke March and Women’s Freedom Festival on Saturday, taking place at the WeHo Pride Community Stage. 

“This event is all about showing up, celebrating loudly, and creating space for queer joy and none of it would be possible without the incredible support from the City of West Hollywood,” said Jeff Consoletti, founder and executive producer of OUTLOUD. “We’re beyond grateful to have our partnership extended through 2030 and can’t wait to keep building something unforgettable together year after year.”


Weekend and single day passes are on sale now. 
For more information, visit the OUTLOUD Festival website.

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‘It’s Where I Belong’ spotlights West Hollywood’s drag legacy with new exhibition

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A new exhibition celebrating the artistry and resilience of drag culture is set to open next Thursday, May 22 at the One Gallery in West Hollywood.“It’s Where I Belong,” will be part of the city’s 40th anniversary celebration, running through June 29, aligning with Pride season festivities. 

The exhibition curated by University of Arizona professor and renowned drag performer Lil’ Miss Hot Mess, draws from rarely seen materials housed at ONE Archives at the USC Libraries alongside community-sourced ephemera. Visitors can expect a dazzling collection of photographs, videos, flyers and costume pieces documenting decades of drag performance and activism in WeHo.

The show features appearances and contributions from legendary names, including RuPaul, Bette Midler, Jackie Beat, Diana Ross, Chappell Roan and groups such as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Imperial Court. The curated selection illustrates drag’s vital role in challenging gender norms, celebrating queerness and resisting political oppression — all with style, humor and heart.

WeHo has long been a hub for drag excellence, from historic protests and iconic nightclubs, to drag brunches, parades, magazines and more. “It’s Where I Belong” honors that local history, offering a narrative arc that connects the city’s past with the present, a time when drag performers are once again under attack.

Just last month, Lil’ Miss Hot Mess was singled out during a congressional hearing by far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a baseless attempt to smear drag artists and LGBTQ communities. The incident highlights the ongoing need for cultural spaces that affirm drag’s legacy as both resistance and joy.

The exhibition officially opens to the public on Friday, May 22, with gallery hours from 1p.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday through Sunday. A special opening reception will take place Thursday, May 22 from 8p.m. to 10 p.m., immediately following the city’s annual José Sarria Drag Pageant, which will run 6p.m. to 8 p.m.

The reception is free and open to the public and guests will have the opportunity to meet the curator and enjoy light refreshments while exploring the exhibit.

Parking is available at the West Hollywood Library with two-hour validation.

“It’s Where I Belong” is presented by the One Institute with support from the City of West Hollywood. For more information on the exhibition or to RSVP for the opening, visit the One Institute website.

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Events

Right Before I Go: Danny Pintauro on mental health, survival and speaking up

As Mental Health Action Day approaches, Pintauro’s message is simple but vital: start the conversation

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Actor and advocate Danny Pintauro is not one to shy away from a difficult conversation and with his latest project, he’s diving right into one.

Starring in the benefit reading of Right Before I Go for Mental Health Action Day, Pintauro isn’t just lending his voice to a powerful script — he’s putting his own lived experience on the front lines of a conversation that, quite honestly, needs to happen. With a cast full of talent, a story grounded in authenticity and truth, and a discussion that promises real dialogue, this is not just a night at the theater but a call to action.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with Pintauro and talk about what drew him to this project, how his own journey informs his advocacy, and why we all need to ‘kiki less, talk more.”

Spoiler alert: things get honest, unfiltered, and refreshingly hopeful.

You’re starring in the benefit reading of Right Before I Go  for Mental Health Action Day. What drew you to this particular project? 

Stan Zimmerman, the creator of this piece, sent the script to me quite a while ago and I was intrigued after reading. So we’ve been waiting for an opportunity to work on this together. The timing is perfect with May 15 being Mental Health Action Day. The Curtis Theater in Brea is also very hands on with this piece and is providing a mental health professional for the talk back after the show. To work with Mindy Sterling, Juliana Joel, Philip Smithey and Kalinda Gray — is a dream.

The play is built around the true story of Stan processing the loss of his friend Kevin from suicide and how that journey of understanding led him to read numerous notes that various people, both famous and not, have left behind. While telling his story, the other four actors, including myself, read the various letters that impacted Stan the most.  This play is an opportunity to get people thinking about suicide and mental health, and any opportunity to affect even a small group of people in this way is important. Safe spaces are important and we’re going to provide one on May 18. 

As someone who’s been open about your own health journey, how does this play resonate with your personal experiences? 

Look, we’ve all had a moment in our lives where things were so bad,  ending your life seemed like the only way forward. If someone tells you they have never had that moment they’re lying. That moment when you are convinced the only solution in front of you that makes sense is to not be alive anymore. I have had multiple instances in my life where it was right there, right on the tip of my tongue. Whether it be in my early 20s when I was outed by the Enquirer, my late 20s when I found out I was HIV positive, or my early 30s when I filed for bankruptcy and felt completely lost. 

We’ve all been there, we just we have to start talking about being there, share the journey with others- that’s the fastest way for us to make change. 

According to the CDC, nearly 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023 — that’s one every 11 minutes in the U.S., with the numbers being disproportionately higher for minority groups. The Trevor Project reports that 18% of LGBTQ youth attempted suicide that year, with trans individuals being 72% more likely to do so.

What if removing stigma created safe spaces — starting with ourselves — that allowed people to talk before it’s too late? Just opening up in our friend groups could make a world of difference, especially for young LGBTQ people who might feel seen and supported for the first time.

Depression is a major driver of suicide, but anxiety plays a huge role too. Think about it —suicide can feel like a form of relief when fear and panic become unbearable. My husband, for example, has severe anxiety and claustrophobia on airplanes. When stuck on a tarmac too long, his panic gets so intense that his brain starts convincing him the only escape is to end his life. He’s logical, emotionally stable, and still this happens. That’s how powerful anxiety can be—and why we have to talk about it more. Kiki less, talk more.

In the past, you have always been open and honest about the challenges of living with HIV and overcoming addiction. How have these experiences impacted your approach to mental health advocacy?

As I mentioned, finding out I was HIV positive in 2003 was rough. At the time, we barely understood what the future looked like for people on medication and the drugs themselves were still harsh on the body. There weren’t many examples of people living full, happy lives with HIV — it felt like a death sentence. On top of that, I also contracted Hep C, which can accelerate HIV progression. I truly believed my time was limited. Thankfully, my Hep C resolved itself, but that initial realization — that I’d need to take a pill every day or die — sent me into a tailspin that brought me inches from suicide.

Addiction and mental health[care] are just as tightly connected. One rarely exists without the other and both carry heavy stigma. Talking about either can change how people see you, which is why it’s critical we create a culture of understanding and compassion. We’ve come a long way, but in 2025, it’s still shocking how much judgment exists around suicide, addiction and even depression.

We have to do better.

Right Before I Go  digs deep into heavy themes of suicide and mental health. What message do you hope audiences take away from this performance? 

You’ll find the keyword of this interview will be action and how we must all take action when it comes to mental health. For our own sakes and for those around us. We must all reach a place where speaking openly and honestly about our personal struggles is easy and we feel heard. That requires education, for both the person suffering and those around them.

So, this play will hopefully give people who are struggling, a safe space to speak about it [during the talkback portion after the play]. [This part] will also get the audience members thinking about who in their lives might be struggling and maybe help them understand why they are struggling in the first place, or even help them understands what the signs are. So few people talk openly about suicide, we are left to read the signs. 

Lastly, yes, the play is specifically about suicide, but suicide is a byproduct of mental health and we need to remember that mental health is intrinsically tied to overall health. Everyone can agree that poor mental health leads to poor physical health, both in the short term and long term. I experience this on a daily basis — my anxiety can get so severe that my doctors are worried I will develop ulcers. And if you believe in energy, having your body flooded with the negative energy your mind is creating throughout the day is sure to affect your health.  So we all need to take action to make sure our brains are cooperating as fully as possible. What does ‘action’ look like for you? Therapy? Medication? Both?

You’ve been a vocal advocate for de-stigmatizing HIV. How do you see the parallels between the stigma surrounding HIV and that of mental health issues? 

They used to be inseparable. Thankfully we have come so far with HIV treatments that we can finally separate the two – through research and through meeting others living happily with HIV you can reach a place where any misgivings, worries or fears can be put away in a box and burned. Every time I encounter someone on my live streams or in my messages who is in a dire state about their HIV diagnosis, it becomes clear right away that they haven’t done their research and are simply living in the stigma.

To be clear, I’m not judging them for not having done their research. I’m simply acknowledging that the act of finding out your positive is so overwhelming and intrinsically tied to shame and fear, you don’t know what to do. Ten years ago, I was always hopeful and positive when responding to people who had just found out. Now I can tell someone with confidence that they can and will live a happy healthy life, even with HIV. The fear dissipates quickly once they realize that taking their medication, as prescribed, will allow them to live long lives — I mean, I’m 20 years positive and in the best health of my life. Learning that (U=U) is real and viable and that taking PrEP can prevent transmission and can remove the shame surrounding being sexually active again. Meeting others who are living full lives should clear any remaining stigma. 

That’s when you ‘pop out and into’ your new world with a new passion for life. That’s my personal mantra for a lot of things, when I find myself worrying about my acting career for instance — I try to ‘pop out’ of the negative mindset and ‘pop into’ my manifestations or the very least, ‘pop into the present moment.’

What role do you believe the entertainment industry plays in shaping public perceptions of mental health? 

As I’ve always believed, the entertainment business creates opportunities to change public perception every day. I said 100 times already that one of the ways to end stigma and bring mental health issues more to the forefront is through education. But not everyone is going to pick up a pamphlet and decide to become more educated about suicide or depression — at least not until they’re faced with it personally.

But those same people are watching more and more film, TV and social media and if we present them with honest, real and relatable examples of people with suicidal tendencies, depression, mental health issues, etc… while also presenting them with examples of how to help those people — bam, they’ve become educated.

I’ve been saying this since 1997 about the LGBTQ community — one of my jobs in coming out was [and] is to be an honest, real and relatable example of someone who is gay. The more examples, the more acceptance, education and understanding. 

Right now, one of the things we are not seeing much of at all in film and TV are people living happily with HIV and having sex. We need to start seeing more examples of this [because] it will help everyone understand and learn. It will make it easier for people just finding out to move through the stigma, it will show how far we’ve come and it will educate people.

I constantly have people ask me how I’m ‘doing.’ And it’s always clear they actually mean, ‘I know you’re dying from HIV, how long do you have?’ If we can start showing people that we are doctors, nurses, teachers, politicians, parents and friends, we can get them to believe we’re not all dying. The only difference between you and me is that I have to take a pill every day, hell, some people get a shot every three months now, that is truly the only difference in our daily lives. 

Given your diverse career, from acting to animal rescue, how do you balance your personal passions with your advocacy work? 

You know, I wish I could say I was more of an advocate. I wish I was more like Alyssa Milano or Wilson Cruz, just every day taking on the challenges of being vocal about multiple causes. Compared to them, it really feels like I’m not doing anything, It’s also hard to be as prevalent as they are when your daily life is filled with so much uncertainty.

Since coming back to the entertainment business in 2022, I have had minimal success due to everything that’s affected the business since then. I know success is just around the corner for me. I can feel it — but right now we worry about paying our bills, not so much about being an advocate. I think just existing in this world as an example of a healthy, happy HIV [positive] gay man with addiction issues, is going to have to be enough for now. 

For people struggling with mental health challenges, what advice would you offer based on your own journey? 

My journey is unique, and while I’m not a mental health professional, I always encourage anyone struggling to seek real help because it’s easier than ever to find. What I can share is what’s worked for me.

I talk about this a lot during my TikTok lives: you’ve got to live in the present. That’s one of the main reasons I’ve survived everything I’ve been through. I’m great at letting go of the past, but my anxiety keeps me living too far in the future. Staying grounded in the moment takes work — deep breaths, mindfulness, and yes, therapy.

When I feel myself spiraling, I remind myself: in five years, I don’t want to look back and regret wasting time stuck in a mental health hole. While it’s not always easy to spot when you’re slipping, the key is awareness — what I call my mantra: ‘pop out and pop into.‘ Be conscious enough to pop out of destructive thoughts and pop into the present. Grieve, process, heal — but then live.

Because you’re the only one you truly need to live for.

If you’re stuck in the past or paralyzed by the future, find a therapist. If your mental health isn’t where you want it to be, talk to a doctor about medication. And yes — that stigma still exists. Why is it so taboo to say [to yourself], ‘my brain needs help and I’m choosing medication so I can fully live?’

Our brains aren’t perfect — some need support. That’s not weakness, it’s wisdom.

To my trans brothers and sisters: I see you. I hear you.

According to The Trevor Project, suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youth rose by 72% in the wake of anti-trans legislation. I know what it’s like to not feel safe — I came out at a time when being openly gay was a radical act. We’ve made huge strides, but our trans friends don’t always have the same safety. We must protect them.

We lost a trans friend in Austin this year. It hurts and I can’t help but think — if the political climate were different, maybe they’d still be here. But we will get through this. When I came out, we barely had two gay characters on TV. Now queer people are everywhere on screen — and that visibility saves lives. So stay visible. Stay here. It does get better.

 Looking ahead, how do you envision continuing to contribute to mental health awareness and support? 

Hopefully by continuing to read this play in other places around the country. But it will not be hard for me to always be vocal about mental health considering I suffer from it. That’s really the key, people need to talk more openly and freely about their mental health issues — to breakdown stereotypes, to help others see they are not alone, to learn more about yourself — all of it. 

What do you hope people remember about your involvement in Right Before I Go  and your advocacy efforts? 

I hope that people remember the collective moment we get to have after the show in our talk back – that’s where the real work begins!

Right Before I Go: Curtis Theatre, Sun, May 18th, 2025 at 5:00 pm: Tickets Here

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Best of LGBTQ LA

Los Angeles Blade to celebrate 8th annual Best of LGBTQ LA with awards show

The ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 22 at The Abbey in WeHo with on-stage winner announcements and live performances

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Best of LA Awards Show graphic

Late last year, L.A Blade founder and publisher Troy Masters passed away, leaving behind a legacy which has continued to thrive regardless of the current state of LGBTQ media. He not only founded the L.A Blade, but he also pushed for more diverse representation in LGBTQ media and created space to celebrate the accomplishments of those on the frontlines. Eight years ago, Masters started hosting the Best of LGBTQ L.A Awards.

This year, the LGBTQ community is facing some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ legislation on a local, state, national and global scale. Here in L.A, some community members were directly impacted by the January fires and many even lost their homes and businesses.

Despite all of this, the Blade — L.A’s premiere LGBTQ media outlet, the nation’s only LGBTQ Media member of the White House Press Corps and sister newspaper of the historic Washington Blade in D.C. — refuses to lose our spirit as we gear up to celebrate the Best of LGBTQ L.A on Thursday, May 22, at The Abbey in West Hollywood. This event will be presented in part by Visit West Hollywood.

The evening will be co-hosted by socialite and entertainment personality Billy Francesca and L.A Blade publisher Alexander Rodriguez, and will include performances from pop singer Robert Rene, Bring It To Brunch’s Cake Moss, viral influencer and comedian Allison Reese, and go-go and performer Prince Joshua, with a reading from West. Hollywood’s 4th Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace.

This year’s Local Hero Award will be presented to Pickle, the City of West Hollywood’s Drag Laureate, founder and executive director of Drag Arts Lab, for her activism, support of the queer community continued visibility.

It is both a scary and exciting time for our community. The excitement comes from our community’s resilience and refusal to stay silent. I am thrilled that we can continue to honor L.A’s choice for the best of the best this year in such a fun way. I am grateful for our readers coming together to pick the nominees and to come out and party. I am also thankful for our power partners for their support.

This year has already proven to be a true testament to the resilience and power of L.A’s queer community and we continue to celebrate and remain powerful.

Nominees across 38 categories were submitted by the community, recognizing some extraordinary pioneers of LGBTQ life in SoCal, businesses, agencies, political leaders, entertainers and allies. The top nominee recipients in each category were added to the final ballot and over twenty thousand of our readers voted for the winner. We congratulate each of this year’s winners and final nominees.

“This is my first year being a part of the celebration and I could not be more excited to share a night of queer joy and celebration with my community,” said Gisselle Palomera, editor of the L.A Blade. “Events like these are crucial for us during these politically oppressive times to celebrate each other, ourselves and to plan for what’s to come next for us. Remembering that queer joy is our ultimate act of resistance, this year’s nominees either bring us that joy, or do everything in their power to protect it and they deserve our recognition.”

This year’s Best of LGBTQ L.A nominees are:

Best Drag Performer

  • Allusia
  • Cake Moss
  • Kyra Jete
  • Lolita Colby
  • Mauro Cuchi
  • Salina EsTitties

Best Drag Show

  • Beaches Drag Brunch
  • Bring It To Brunch
  • Brunch Service at The Abbey
  • Fat Slut at Precinct LA
  • Rocco’s Rocc-ettes Drag Brunch

Local Influencer of the Year

  • Allison Reese
  • Cosmo Melrose
  • Eden and Jay (Preciosa Night)
  • Jesse Sulli
  • Rose Montoya
  • Tony Moore

Best Musical Queer Artist

  • Chappell Roan
  • David Archuleta
  • Doechii
  • Frankie Grande
  • Lil Nas X

Best LGBTQ Bar

  • Akbar
  • Hi-Tops
  • Mickys
  • Precinct
  • Rocco’s Weho
  • The Abbey

Best Happy Hour

  • Bayou
  • Fiesta Cantina
  • Gym Bar
  • Hi-Tops
  • The Abbey

Go-Go of the Year

  • Jake Mathew
  • Jean Paul
  • Josh Flores
  • Prince Joshua
  • Steven Dehler
  • Victoria Shaw

Best Restaurant

  • Bavel
  • Bottega Louie
  • Casita Del Campo
  • Mas Mananitas
  • Mi Corozon
  • Ysabel

Best Radio or TV Station

  • 99.1 KLBP
  • CHANNEL Q
  • LatiNation
  • Out TV
  • REVRY

Best Cannabis Retailer/Lounge

  • Artist Tree Lounge
  • CCA Silverlake
  • Elevate
  • Green Qween
  • The Woods WeHo

Best LGBTQ Owned Business

  • Andrew Christian
  • Fan Daddies
  • JJLA
  • MISTR
  • Underdog Bookstore
  • Wildfang

Best LGBTQ Social Group

  • Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
  • Outloud Sports
  • Pride Business Leaders
  • T Boy Wrestling
  • Unique Woman’s Coalition
  • WeHo Dodgeball

Best House of Worship

  • Congregation Kol Ami
  • Founders Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles
  • Hollywood Boulevard Episcopal
  • Hollywood United Methodist
  • InVision Church Los Angeles

Activist of the Year

  • Bamby Salcedo
  • Chris Baldwin
  • Edwin Soto
  • Rose Montoya
  • Tristan Schukraft

Public Official of the Year

  • Chelsea Byers
  • Eunisses Hernandez
  • John Erickson
  • Lindsey Horvath
  • Rick Chavez Zbur
  • Ysabel Jurado

Best Local Pro Sports Team

  • Angel City FC
  • LA Chargers
  • LA Dodgers
  • LA Lakers
  • LA Rams
  • LA Sparks
  • Los Angeles FC

Local Ally of the Year

  • Abbe Land
  • Andrew Solomon
  • Chelsea Byers
  • Natalie Sanchez
  • Steve Galindo

Best Doctor/Medical Provider

  • AIDS Healthcare Foundation
  • APLA
  • LA LGBT Center
  • St. John’s Wellness
  • UCLA Health – Williams Institute

Most LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace

  • AIDS Healthcare Foundation
  • City of West Hollywood
  • JJLA
  • Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Trader Joe’s

Non-Profit of the Year

  • Equality California
  • GLAAD
  • Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
  • Project Angel Food
  • The Queer 26
  • Trans Lifeline

Best Local Actor

  • Cameron Esposito
  • Jason Caceres
  • Lena Waithe
  • Rain Valdez
  • Shaan Dasani
  • Trevor Dow

Best Queer Art Space

  • Circus of Books
  • Junior High
  • Museum of Latin American Art
  • Superchief LA
  • Tom of Finland House

Best Local Theatre

  • Center Theatre Group
  • Geffen Playhouse
  • LA Opera
  • Laguna Playhouse
  • Pasadena Playhouse

Local Musical Artist of the Year

  • Jordy
  • Prince Joshua
  • San Cha
  • Tom Goss
  • Vitamina C

Best LGBTQ Event

  • Dinah Shore
  • GLAAD Awards
  • LA Opera Pride Night
  • Out at the Fair
  • Outloud Music Festival at Weho Pride

Best Regional Pride

  • DTLA Proud
  • Hermosa Beach
  • Long Beach Pride
  • Palm Springs Pride
  • WeHo Pride

Best News Source Ally

  • CALÓ News
  • Glendale News-Press
  • KTLA News
  • Los Angeles Times – De Los
  • Spectrum News 1 SoCal

Athlete of the Year

  • Anthony Bowens
  • Cece Telfer
  • Christen Press
  • Freddie Freeman
  • Tom Daley

Best Promoter of the Year

  • Beau Byron
  • DJ Lez Ortiz
  • Eden and Jay
  • Paul Nicholls
  • Stefano Rosso
  • Tony Moore

LGBTQ Professional of the Year

  • Abogada Jess
  • Brian Holt
  • Kate Sosin
  • Oliver Alpuche
  • Queen Victoria Ortega
  • Tristan Schukraft

Best Bartender

  • Addie Rae – Fiesta Cantina
  • Hayden Bebber – Gym Bar
  • Manny De Cielo – Schmitty’s
  • Matt Stratman – Motherlode
  • Max – Trunks
  • Sumner Mormeneo – Beaches

Best DJ

  • Cazwell
  • DJ Lez Ortiz
  • DJ Preciosa
  • DJ SRO
  • DJ Vick Jagger
  • Paulo Ramirez

Best Local LGBTQ Podcast

  • Cool Cool Cool
  • Sloppy Seconds
  • Sorry for Asking
  • Today in Gay
  • Very Delta

Best Salon/Spa

  • Bautis LA
  • Folklore Salon & Barber
  • Project Q
  • Serenity on Sunset
  • Shorty’s Barber Shop

Best Music Venue

  • The Disney Concert Hall
  • The Hollywood Bowl
  • The Roxy Theatre
  • The Troubadour
  • The Wiltern

Best Fitness/Workout Spot

  • Barry’s
  • Equinox on Sunset
  • Gold’s Gym
  • John Reed Fitness
  • LA Fitness, Hollywood

Best Hotel

  • Andaz
  • Edition Hotel
  • Hotel Ziggy
  • Kimpton La Peer Hotel
  • SoHo House

Best Tattoo Shop/Artist

  • Ale from B36 Tattoo
  • Cindy Ortega Tattoos
  • June Bug Tattoos
  • Plant Daddy Tattoos
  • Salvavida Tattoos

With live performances, special presentations, the announcement of our winners and the electrifying buzz of recognition, it’s an event no LGBTQ Angeleno should miss — unless you’re looking to get some serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

Join us on Thursday, May 22, as we raise a glass to the trailblazers and storytellers who illuminate our journeys and light the path towards a brighter future.

Let the L.A Blade Awards be your beacon of hope, where you show off your Pride, and make it an unforgettable night of belonging and radical queer joy.

Stay tuned for further updates on nominees, presenters, and exciting surprises ahead of the celebration.

In the meantime, mark your calendars and let’s prepare to celebrate the brilliance of the LGBTQ+ community at the 2025 Los Angeles Blade Best Of LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Awards!

The Abbey | May 22, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.

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Arts & Entertainment

Opera is alive and well, keeping the queer voice in arts strong with LA Opera’s ‘Ainadamar’

This is not your grandmother’s opera… this is an opera that even non-opera goers will fall in love with

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Ainadamar production photo

Crowds filled the seats and halls to the brim for the LA Opera production of Ainadamar: The Fountain of Tears at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion last week. The Los Angeles Blade was on hand for Pride Night as the diverse crowd engaged in lively chatter about what they had heard about this truly stunning production.

This Argentinian opera by composer Osvaldo Golijov is a standout from this year’s season. It is not only a sultry and moving score with international stars leading the way, but it is also a celebration of pageantry with flamenco-inspired choreography and sounds, presented in a breathtaking environment of outstanding visuals.

This is not your grandmother’s opera. At an hour and twenty minutes, this is an opera that even non-opera goers will fall in love with.

The story celebrates the tragic story of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, who was arrested in Granada at the onset of the Spanish Civil War, stemming from his political beliefs and works, and homosexuality.

Lorca was executed in Ainadamar and buried in an unmarked mass grave. The opera is a mix of reality and the surreal as it tells his story through the eyes of his long-time muse, actress Margarita Xirgu, and the main character in Lorca’s play Mariana Pineda, his first theatrical success, a real-life political heroine.

The minute the curtain rises, you know you are in for something different. The opera features a top-notch cast that includes a diverse and moving ensemble, there is no weak player here. But in addition to the main roles, there are other stars in this production. Lighting, sound, and set design are literally breathtaking. The audience murmured many times as beautifully stylized projections coupled with intoxicating sound effects as performers moved through a number of dazzling and sleek set changes.

A scene from Ainadamar (Photo: Cory Weaver)

Fluidity is key here. The performers dance and engage in beautifully crafted, stylized movement.

This isn’t just the opera , it is an experience.

Black fans, shirtless flamenco dancers, cultural percussion and plaintive musical lines all add to the Latin flair. Whereas some Latin presentation can come across as kitsch or overplayed, this is subtle, sensual, erotic, and emotionally tragic. The audience is not just a witness to a beautiful production, they are transported. You could hear a pin drop to the last very note, until the audience sprang to their feet with a well-deserved standing ovation and never-ending shouts of “Bravo.”

Daniela Mack, hailing from Argentina, plays Lorca in gender-exploring casting. The result is a truly moving performance that is both sultry and sad. We celebrate Lorca’s love of language, his devotion to divas, and his refusal to remain quiet.

A scene from Ainadamar (Photo credit Cory Weaver)

Ana María Martínez, who is Puerto Rican, commands the production as Lorca’s muse, Margarita Xirgu. We are watching a true artist at work who captures the pathos of the production.

A scene from Ainadamar (Photo: Cory Weaver)

Debuting in 2003, Ainadamar comes at crucial time when the government continues to try and silence the queer voice both politically and artistically. No one needs an interpreter to correlate Lorca’s persecution with what is happening today.

This production was a perfect match for LA Opera’s Pride Night, and the audience was full. Copies of the Los Angeles Blade were passed out at the evening’s post-opera party, presented by LA Opera and the Opera League of Los Angeles. The queer folk were out in numbers, but the Pride Night gathering was extremely diverse, brought together by this provocative production.

Ainadamar runs only one more weekend, closing on May 18th. This is a perfect production for someone who has never been to the opera, or doesn’t consider themselves opera-goers.  

Visit the website for tickets.

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Music & Concerts

Underdog glorious: a personal remembrance of Jill Sobule

Talented singer, songwriter died in house fire on May 1

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Writer Gregg Shapiro with Jill Sobule in 2000. (Photo courtesy Shapiro)

I’ve always prided myself on being the kind of music consumer who purchased music on impulse. When I stumbled across “Things Here Are Different,” Jill Sobule’s 1990 MCA Records debut album on vinyl in a favorite Chicago record store, I bought it without knowing anything about her. This was at a time when we didn’t have our phones in our pockets to search for information about the artist on the internet. The LP stayed in my collection until, as vinyl was falling out of fashion, I replaced it with a CD a few years later.

Early in my career as an entertainment journalist, I received a promo copy of Jill’s eponymous 1995 Atlantic Records album. That year, Atlantic Records was one of the labels at the forefront of signing and heavily promoting queer artists, including Melissa Ferrick and Extra Fancy, and its roster included the self-titled album by Jill. It was a smart move, as the single “I Kissed A Girl” became a hit on radio and its accompanying video (featuring Fabio!) was in heavy rotation on MTV (when they still played videos).

Unfortunately for Jill, she was a victim of record label missteps. When 1997’s wonderful “Happy Town” failed to repeat the success, Atlantic dumped her. That was Atlantic’s loss, because her next album, the superb “Pink Pearl” contained “Heroes” and “Mexican Wrestler,” two of her most beloved songs. Sadly, Beyond Music, the label that released that album ceased to exist after just a few years. To her credit, the savvy Jill had also started independently releasing music (2004’s “The Folk Years”). That was a smart move because her next major-label release, the brilliant “Underdog Victorious” on Artemis Records, met a similar fate when that label folded.

With her 2009 album “California Years,” Jill launched her own indie label, Pinko Records, on which she would release two more outstanding full-length discs, 2014’s “Dottie’s Charms” (on which she collaborated with some of her favorite writers, including David Hadju, Rick Moody, Mary Jo Salter, and Jonathan Lethem), and 2018’s stunning “Nostalgia Kills.” Jill’s cover of the late Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” on “Nostalgia Kills” was particularly poignant as she had toured with him as an opening act.

Jill was a road warrior, constantly on tour, and her live shows were something to behold. My first interview with Jill took place at the Double Door in Chicago in early August of 1995, when she was the opening act for legendary punk band X. She had thrown her back out the previous day and was diagnosed with a herniated disc. To be comfortable, she was lying down on a fabulous-‘50s sofa. “I feel like I’m at my shrink’s,” she said to me, “Do you want me to talk about my mother?”

That sense of humor, which permeated and enriched her music, was one of many reasons to love Jill. I was privileged to interview her for seven of her albums. Everything you would want to know about her was right there in her honest lyrics, in which she balanced her distinctive brand of humor with serious subject matter. Drawing on her life experiences in songs such as “Bitter,” “Underachiever,” “One of These Days,” “Freshman,” “Jetpack,” “Nothing To Prove,” “Forbidden Thoughts of Youth,” “Island of Lost Things,” “Where Do I Begin,” “Almost Great,” and “Big Shoes,” made her songs as personal as they were universal, elicited genuine affection and concern from her devoted fans.

While she was a consummate songwriter, Jill also felt equally comfortable covering songs made famous by others, including “Just A Little Lovin’” (on the 2000 Dusty Springfield tribute album “Forever Dusty”) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (from the 1997 Laura Nyro tribute album “Time and Love”). Jill also didn’t shy away from political subject matter in her music with “Resistance Song,” “Soldiers of Christ,” “Attic,” “Heroes,” “Under the Disco Ball,” and the incredible “America Back” as prime examples.

Here’s something else worth mentioning about Jill. She was known for collaboration skills. As a songwriter, she maintained a multi-year creative partnership with Robin Eaton (“I Kissed A Girl” and many others), as well as Richard Barone, the gay frontman of the renowned band The Bongos. Jill’s history with Barone includes performing together at a queer Octoberfest event in Chicago in 1996. Writer and comedian Julie Sweeney, of “SNL” and “Work in Progress” fame was another Chicago collaborator with Sobule (Sweeney lives in a Chicago suburb), where they frequently performed their delightful “The Jill and Julia Show.” John Doe, of the aforementioned band X, also collaborated with Jill in the studio (“Tomorrow Is Breaking” from “Nostalgia Kills”), as well as in live performances.

On a very personal note, in 2019, when I was in the process of arranging a reading at the fabulous NYC gay bookstore Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, I reached out to Jill and asked her if she would like to be on the bill with me. We alternated performing; I would read a couple of poems, and Jill would sing a couple of songs. She even set one of my poems to music, on the spot.

Jill had an abundance of talent, and when she turned her attention to musical theater, it paid off in a big way. Her stage musical “F*ck 7th Grade,” a theatrical piece that seemed like the next logical step in her career, had its premiere at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre in the fall of 2020, during the height of the pandemic. The unique staging (an outdoor drive-in stage at which audience members watched from their cars) was truly inspired. “F*ck 7th Grade” went on to become a New York Times Critic’s pick, as well as earning a Drama Desk nomination.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Jill’s eponymous 1995 album, reissue label Rhino Records is re-releasing it on red vinyl. Jill and I had been emailing each other to arrange a time for an interview. We even had a date on the books for the third week of May.

When she died in a house fire in Minnesota on May 1 at age 66, Jill received mentions on network and cable news shows. She was showered with attention from major news outlets, including obits in the New York Times and Rolling Stone (but not Pitchfork, who couldn’t be bothered to review her music when she was alive). Is it wrong to think that if she’d gotten this much attention when she was alive she could have been as big as Taylor Swift? I don’t think so.

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Queer history, identity interweave in theatrical ‘Lavender Men’

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Pete Ploszek and Roger Q. Mason star in ‘Lavender Men.’ (Photo by Matt Plaxco courtesy Pride Flix)

For someone who’s been dead for 160 years, Abraham Lincoln is still hot.

No, we don’t mean it that way, though if we were talking about the Lincoln of “Lavender Men” – a new movie starring and co-written by queer playwright Roger Q. Mason, who also wrote the acclaimed play from which it is adapted – we certainly could be. We’re really just making the observation that the 16th POTUS continues to occupy a central place in America’s national imagination. And in an age when our America is torn by nearly as much division (over many of the same core values) as the one he presided over, it’s impossible not to compare the ideals he has come to stand for with the ones currently holding sway over the country’s political identity, and wonder at how short we have fallen from the mark.

Yet there has always been a gap between the historical reality of Lincoln’s “Great Emancipator” reputation and the romanticized pedestal upon which he has been placed; and if he looms large as an influence over American identity, it’s as much for his enigmatic nature as for the values he represents. Was he a true believer in the principals of “liberty and justice for all” or a political pragmatist who recognized that preserving the nation – and its growing power in the larger arena of world affairs – required the abolition of an increasingly unsustainable system that had divided it? Your answer to that rhetorical question will likely depend on which version of “American Identity” aligns most closely with your own.

It’s also a question that’s further complicated in the context of Lincoln’s private life, something that has itself been the subject of debate as modern historians and scholars consider the questions about his sexuality unavoidably implied in his well-documented biographical record, which reveals not only a pattern of closely bonded male “friendship” with various companions throughout his life but plentiful evidence that the romantic nature of these relationships was something of an “open secret” in his lifetime, as explored in last year’s brash but scrupulously documented “Lover of Men.” If Lincoln was himself an “other,” a queer man who had risen to position and power in a world that despised and shunned people like him, what new light would that cast on his legacy?

That’s the crux of the premise behind “Lavender Men,” which builds a “fantasia” around one of Lincoln’s most intense male relationships – with Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a young family friend who helped him carry out his 1860 campaign for president and would later become the first “notable” casualty of the Civil War when he was shot while removing a Confederate flag from the window of an inn facing the White House. The film, however, doesn’t take place in a period setting; instead, it happens in an empty modern-day theater – an apropos allusion to the location of Lincoln’s ultimate fate – where the overworked and underappreciated Taffeta (Mason) oversees the production of a play about the romance between Lincoln and Ellsworth (Pete Ploszek and Alex Esola). After a particularly demoralizing performance, the put-upon stage manager ponders alone about their own life – as a queer, plus-sized, Black Filipinx TGNC person trying to find connection and community in a world where they feel invisible – through an imagined retelling of Lincoln’s doomed love story in which the narrative is projected through the lens of their own struggle to be seen, loved, and accepted,

Expanded from the play and directed by co-screenwriter Lovell Holder, a lifelong friend of Mason who helped develop the project and oversaw the original 2022 stage production at Los Angeles’s Skylight Theater Company, the film was in his own words “shot over 10 days on a shoestring budget” – and it admittedly shows. However, it leans into its limitations, letting the spare, isolated atmosphere of the empty theater exert its own influence over the material. In this framing, Taffeta becomes something like a reverse ghost, a spirit from the present haunting a past in which their own unfulfilled longings – and resentments – are reflected through the rumored romance of a president and his “little” man, and their exploration of the narrative, with all its inherent observations about the dynamics of power, gender, status, and physical attraction, ultimately becomes a meditation on the importance of redefining personal identity free from the shaping influence of other people’s experience or expectations.

Needless to say, it’s not the kind of movie that will appeal to every taste; highly conceptual in nature, with a nonlinear storytelling pattern that frequently calls attention to its own artificiality, it might prove perplexing to audiences used to a more traditional approach. Even so, it’s refreshingly unpretentious, acknowledging its own campiness without undercutting the authenticity of the voice which drives it – which is, of course, Mason’s.

Delivering an entirely charismatic, commandingly fabulous, and palpably honest tour de force, the playwright/actor is at the center of “Lavender Men” at every level, evoking our delight, laughter, tears, discomfort, and myriad other shades of response as they take us on their historically themed tour of queer identity, which involves its own collection of repressive and/or demeaning social expectations about “fitting in” – and illuminate this hidden chapter of queer history along the way. Indeed, capturing their performance – which Mason reprises, along with fellow original co-stars Ploszek and Esola, from the stage production – is arguably the film’s most significant accomplishment. It’s a powerful example of the kind of fierce, spirited expression that is rarely seen outside the half-empty houses of underground theaters, well worthy of several repeated viewings.

For Mason, however, the thing that matters most is not their performance, nor even their brilliantly conceived script. Discussing the movie, he describes it as something much bigger than that: “I hope this film serves as a rally cry, a fountain of joy and a grounding of purpose for the LGBTQIA+ movement in the U.S. and abroad at a time when we need stories which affirm, empower and embolden us more than ever.”

“Lavender Men” is showing in limited theaters now. Watch for information on streaming/VOD availability.

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