a&e features
Best of LGBTQ LA
Your picks for the city’s best in people, dining, nightlife and more

This third annual special issue of the Los Angeles Blade celebrates the best of the LGBTQ community. From DJs to activists, restaurants to doctors, these are your picks for the Best of LGBTQ LA.The process began in November with online nominations. We picked the top five vote getters in 40 categories. Then our readers voted in December and here we present the winners. About 2,000 nominations and 10,000 votes were cast.
The Blade staff congratulates each of this year’s winners and finalists.
Best LGBTQ Influencer
Winner: Gigi Gorgeous

Gigi Gorgeous
Nobody can make you do something you don’t want to do—but our winner has a knack for nudging her millions of fans and followers to be their best selves, be it by stepping up their look, or living their truths. Leading by example, self-professed “creator, personality, model/actor, lover of beauty, fashion, and a good party” Gigi Gorgeous made a public declaration of her identity as a transgender woman in 2013 and, last year, wed Nats Getty, the fashion designer and daughter of passionate philanthropist Ariadne Getty (who takes this year’s honor as Most Committed LGBTQ Activist). “You can have everything in the world, but if you aren’t happy within yourself,” Gorgeous once said, “it’s not worth it.”
@gigigorgeous
Runner-up: Ryan Mitchell (@theslaygawd)
Most Committed Activist LGBTQ Activist
Winner: Ariadne Getty

Ariadne Getty (Washington Blade photo by Zach Brien)
Last year’s winner for Best Straight Ally is an unyielding advocate for our community. The granddaughter and godchild of J. Paul Getty, she told the Blade, “I’ve never pretended that I made a penny in my life. I inherited this money and I’m a steward.” Her interpretation of that stewardship merges money and mouth. Not content to simply write a check—millions have been donated to organizations including the Los Angeles LGBT Center and GLAAD, via the Ariadne Getty Foundation—she works the phones and speaks at public events, in the service of securing and protecting LGBTQIA rights. “The time is now to stand by marginalized communities and promote a better world for all,” said the mother of two out children.
ariadnegettyfdn.org
Runner-up (Tie): Eddie Martinez and Queen Victoria
Best Ally
Winner (Tie): Dwyane Wade/Gabrielle Union and Kathy Griffin

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade; Kathy Griffin
Married since 2014, now-retired NBA legend Wade and uncompromising actress Union solidified their status as awesomely affirming parents last year, when they celebrated their son’s gender expression via the social media posting of 12-year-old son Zion showing off fancy long fingernails. Union did the Twitter posting, and Wade shut down the sadly predictable backlash, tweeting, “As a parent my only goal is that my kids feel that I see them, love them and support them.” For those who feel adrift while navigating less-than-nurturing environments, that one-two punch of Pride-centric messages landed in the sweet spot where we all deserve to live.
dwyanewade.com
@itsgabrielleu
Kathy Griffin
Whether hosting the Str8UpGayPorn Awards (as she did, with her usual filthy fabulousness, on Jan. 12) or holding the severed head of Donald Trump, this Griffin has claws—and never fails to let them rip in the service of supporting LGBTQ people. Gays who find themselves zinged know enough to get the joke, and move on to the next laugh. She’s poised to pierce all comers, and that’s why we love her.
kathygriffin.net
Best DJ
Winner: DJ Morningstar

DJ Morningstar
“I’m extremely honored to earn people’s votes again,” says DJ Morningstar, of his second consecutive win in this category. “I’m having more fun and am happier DJ’ing today than I’ve ever been,” he notes, crediting the LGBTQ community “for not just literally saving my life, but for providing the source for that happiness. I feel very fortunate to be accepted within a community who are so diverse, proud, intelligent, fun, free, and are quite literally always righteous in any cause. Not to mention, by far the most vibrant crowd I’ve ever played to. I want to thank everyone for supporting and valuing me.”
Morningstar, whose “father created and opened up Rage, which is known as a leading force behind what has become known as WeHo nightlife,” says he thinks of West Hollywood as “an incredible place because it’s proudly gay, and I hope that it remains that way, and that the claws of corporate over-capitalizing gentrification don’t suck that majestic soul out.”
@MORNINGSTARdj
Runner-up: DJ Derek Monteiro (djderekmonteiro.com)
Best Drag Queen
Winner: Mayhem Miller

Mayhem Miller
Caps and exclamation points are well-earned prerogatives of Mayhem Miller, who writes, “WOW!!! It’s such an honor to win BEST DRAG QUEEN.”
The seasoned performer the world knows as a Season 10 contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” surely got the vote out via the love from fans of her weekly events at The Abbey (“All That ’90s” 1990s-themed party on Tuesdays, “Brunch Service” drag brunch on Saturdays).
Calling LA a “city full of amazing drag entertainment,” Mayhem says she’s “just one of its many shining examples, for how fierce our drag really is out here. The scene is growing more and more, and I’m just happy to be part of it after all these years.” This young year is already looking bright for Mayhem, who told us she’s got gigs and projects in the realms of “film, TV, and music, coming very soon.”
692 N. Robertson Blvd.
Runner-Up: Melissa Befierce (@MelissaBefierce)
Best Bartender
Winner: Tyler Booth, Flaming Saddles

Tyler Booth
Having spent a good portion of 2019 pouring on the charm while mixing cocktails and serving suds at WeHo’s let-the-good-times-roll western-themed watering hole, last year’s winner in this category wiped out the competition to emerge once again on top. We’ll drink to that.
8811 Santa Monica Blvd.
flamingsaddles.com
Runner-up: Anthony Saldana (Micky’s West Hollywood)
Best Public Official
Winner: Lindsey Horvath

Lindsey Horvath
Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey P. Horvath was elected to the West Hollywood City Council in 2015, and won reelection last year.
Previously, she served as a Council member from 2009-2011.
“To even be included in a category with the officials who are my fellow nominees is an honor in and of itself,” said Horvath, of her win, promising she “will fight tirelessly to protect, defend, and empower our LGBTQ+ family in West Hollywood, the greater Los Angeles region, and beyond.”
Helping to connect West Hollywood to the broader Metro rail system, creating new housing options, and a hope to see “changes in the current federal administration to acknowledge, uplift, and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community” are among her 2020 priorities.
Of her home turf, the WeHo resident says, “our values aren’t just words on a page—they are a way of life. That’s why it’s important to hold ourselves accountable in the ways we fall short, and to work together to make West Hollywood even better for generations to come. I appreciate that I have a unique opportunity to work with the members of my community to do just that.”
Runner-up: Congressman Adam Schiff (last year’s winner)
Best LGBT Businessperson
Winner: Chris Miller

Chris Miller
Articulate and altruistic Chris Miller wasn’t at a loss for words, when we reached out to him for comment on his win—but he did begin by distilling it to this dense nugget: “Be nice.” That, says the president of Flower Films and film/television branding conglomerate Barrymore Brands, “is honestly the core of everything we do, and how I personally operate and run Revolver [Video Bar].
Whenever anyone hears that I own Revolver, their first reaction is normally, “Everyone is so nice there!”—and that just makes me so happy.”
Life, Miller reflects, is hard, “and it’s so easy to get bogged down with the daily grind and politics, body image, shaming, and not feeling happy or taken care of. We’ve lost so many incredible friends and loved ones recently, and we can’t stop all of the daily challenges—but if we’re all just nice to each other, we can make a big difference!” Miller and crew have done just that, by participating in events with GLAAD, AIDSRide, and The Center.
Revolver is located at 8851 Santa Monica Blvd., revolverweho.com
Best Shopping Center
Winner: FIGat7th
Downtown LA’s premier entertainment, retail, and dining destination delights fashionistas, foodies, and fun- seekers alike.
The open-air shopping center’s 333,000 square feet of offerings include live music events, art exhibitions, and a first-class collection of unique eateries inside TASTE Food Hall.
Thursdays, 10 AM to 2PM, the farmer’s market is a rain-or-shine happening that sends you home ready to cook up a storm, with fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, breads, olives, and more.
7th & Figueroa Sts.
figat7th.com
Editor’s Choice: The Original Farmer’s Market (6333 W. 3rd St.; farmersmarketla.com)
Best Queer-Friendly Night Out
Winner: Chico’s Angels

Chico’s Angels
Once upon a time, 2003 to be precise, comedy collaborators Kurt Koehler and Oscar Quintero wrote a little show that grafted a gay sensibility onto the wildly popular, often awful ’70s TV show about three little girls plucked from the police academy by a mystery man who sent them on dangerous missions. Audiences on every point of the Kinsey scale have been flocking to the “Chico’s Angels” series ever since, and the dependability factor of its bawdiness makes them our winning destination for friends of Dorothy, and their friends. This Latin drag queen version of “Charlie’s Angels” casts Quintero as Kay Sedia, Danny Casillas as Frieda Laye, and Ray Garcia as Chita Parol. Infiltrating a beauty contest, protecting Charo from an assassin, and busting a Mexican baby black market ring are among the undercover crime-fighting endeavors that never fail to put them in close proximity to shirtless hunks.
chicosangels.com
Editor’s Choice: Tramp Stamp Granny’s (1638 N. Cahuenga Blvd.; trampstampgrannys.com)
Most LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace
Winner: The Los Angeles LGBT Center

LA Center
“For more than 50 years, the Los Angeles LGBT Center has been providing invaluable services to our community. Many of our employees choose to work at the Center precisely because they are empowered to grow professionally in an environment that respects and honors who they are,” said Center Director of Human Resources, Sharon Brown. “We believe this ability to be one’s authentic self—regardless of background or identity—creates a workplace that is full of compassion and respect for the LGBT community and all who enter our doors. We are enormously proud of our staff and grateful to be acknowledged in this way.”
McDonald/Wright Building, 1625 Schrader Blvd.
lalgbtcenter.org
Editor’s Choice: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (winner of this year’s Best Doctor/Medical Provider; 6255 Sunset Bldg.; aidshealth.org)
Best Non-Profit
Winner: Project Angel Food

Project Angel Food
“A world where every sick person is fed, nourished, and loved” is the vision statement of this year’s winner, a repeat of their 2019 honor. They give that vision focus, via preparing and delivering 15,000 meals per week to people impacted by serious illness. “We believe no one fighting critical illness should go hungry,” they say, “which is why we personally deliver, with care and compassion, free medically tailored meals, handmade with healthy ingredients, to those in our community who are hungry and alone.” Stars align April 5, when Project Angel Food offers “an incredible opportunity” to see the 11-time Tony Award-winning Broadway Musical “Hamilton” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, this year’s winner for Best Venue. Your purchase of prime Orchestra seats at $500 each (with $288 per ticket tax-deductible) goes to support this (literally) winning non-profit.
922 Vine St.
angelfood.org
Editor’s Choice: LA Pride, GMCLA (gmcla.org)
Best Pet Business or Vet
Winner: VCA-Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital

VCA Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital
Last year’s runner-up is this year’s top dog, which gives us pause (paws?) to ponder their pedigree: They’ve strutted down the victor’s catwalk before, when their Dr. Mark Nunez was awarded 2018’s Best in Show, so to speak. Nunez is still part of the VCA team—an anything-but-mangy menagerie of dedicated, friendly, professional colleagues who have “made it their mission to help pets live longer, healthier lives,” as their website notes. “To be true to this mission, the hospital team relies on several individuals, each equally important, in helping us deliver the highest quality care and client experience for both you and your pet.”
8807 Melrose Ave.
vcahospitals.com/miller-robertson
Editor’s Choice: Laurel Pet Hospital (7970 Santa Monica Blvd.; laurelpethospital.com)
Best Regional Pride
Winner: DTLA Proud
DTLA Proud’s mission to strengthen and empower the local LGBTQ and ally community in Downtown Los Angeles took a decisive turn in 2019, when Board of Directors President Oliver Alpuche spoke with the Blade, in advance of the annual community festival, held Aug. 23-25. “We need to be active 365 days a year,” said Alpuche, “so we set out to start building the infrastructure of how we become an organization that is represented year-round.” The answer came in the form of their construction-to-begin-this-year Community Center, which will offer an all-ages cafe featuring a transitional youth job training program, a queer library, co-working office spaces for LGBTQ+ non-profit start-ups, a conference room and theater, a community room and artist studios, a drop-in center, and services including career counseling, testing, senior support, and financial advisement.
Editor’s Choice: Palm Springs Pride (pspride.org)
Best House of Worship
Winner: InVision Church
Runner-up: Congregation Kol Ami
Offering a “spirit-led, inclusive, affirming, non-denominational gathering of Christ-followers seeking authentic identity in Jesus,” InVision gives the LGBTQ community its own down-home, rollicking place of worship. Our runner up-last year, InVision flip-flops with 2019’s winner, Congregation Kol Ami (2020’s Editor’s Choice), whose “commitment to progressive spirituality, diversity, inclusion, and social justice remains rooted in Jewish tradition and practice.”
Invisionchurch.com
kol-ami.org
Most LGBT-Friendly City
Winner: West Hollywood
As we noted last year, when singing the praises of WeHo’s win for Best Place to Live, “There’s just no place like it. The little town 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, and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival.” What’s more, WeHo City Council member and Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey P. Horvath took top honors this year, in our Best Public Official category. See her write-up for what Horvath has planned, in the quest for further glorifying an already fabulously friendly city.
Editor’s Choice: Palm Springs (vistpalmsprings.com)
Best LGBT Red Carpet Event
Winner: GLAAD Media Awards
The crimson carpet has always been a call to fabulousness—but with the possible exception of Cher on the year of her win for “Moonstruck” and Björk for that swan thing, who’s answered it better than the rainbow tribe? Here, in their natural habitat, they shine most brightly when they primp, preen, pose, and pontificate while awaiting entry to the GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards are held in NYC on March 19, and in Los Angeles on April 16. Instagram better pre-order congratulatory fruit baskets now, in anticipation of the sudden spike in traffic.
Editor’s Choice: OutFest (outfest.org)
Best Real Estate Firm
Winner: The Collective, Realty
A co-winner of this category last year, Collective emerged this time around as the sole victor. As we wrote then, “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.”
8278 1/2 Santa Monica Blvd and 2146 Sunset Blvd.
thecollectiverealty.com
Editor’s Choice: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (last year’s co-winner; bhhscalifornia.com)
Best Salon/Spa
Winner: Shorty’s Barber Shop
No close shaves here: Shorty’s won this category last year, and did it again by considerably more than a whisker. As we wrote in praise of their 2019 win, “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.”
755 N. Fairfax Ave.
@shortys_barbershop
Editor’s Choice: The Powder Room (thepowderroomla.com)
Best Car Dealership
Winner: Cadillac of Beverly Hills
Rightly hailed by a recent Los Angeles Blade article as “the Cadillac of Cadillac dealerships,” Cadillac of Beverly Hills is, we noted, a “sleek, sprawling, super-modern facility, located on the marquee corner of Robertson and Wilshire.” This is not, General Sales Manager Ronald Elkhoury told us, “your traditional auto dealership that you go into, and are attacked by salespeople with tacky techniques. And you feel that right away. There’s no pressure at all. It’s a place where you’re able to relax, and encouraged to just hang out.” Five distinct lounges, Netflix viewing, and Starbucks coffee back up that assertion—but it’s the high standards of the iconic American-made luxury brand that has the competition spinning its wheels.
8767 Wilshire Blvd.
cadillacbeverlyhills.com
Editor’s Choice: Tesla, Century City (10250 Santa Monica Blvd)
Best Drag Show
Winner: Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s
Editor’s Choice: Showgirls Mondays (Micky’s West Hollywood; mickys.com)
Best Dance Party
Winner: Club Papi
Club Papi Productions and Stefano Rosso put a smoking hot spin on the notion of TGIF, with this Friday night gathering of 1,000+ people well-prepared to party on two caliente dance floors flavored by 16 mouth-watering, drop-dead gorgeous muscle Papi and Latin twink go-go boys, presided over by the scandal-loving Ms. Lola. DJs Hardy and Ben lay down bossy beats and sweet rhythms in the main room and upstairs lounge (think Latin, Reggation, dance, and hip hop). The trouble starts at 9 PM, with the cover waived until midnight, and after hours dancing until 4 AM. Sex sells, and we’re buying (in crumpled single bills)!
8857 Santa Monica Blvd.
clubpapi.com/los-angeles
Editor’s Choice: Confessions (at The Abbey; theabbeyweho.com)
Best Restaurant
Winner: Tortilla Republic.
Delicious and decadent—just like you! After winning last year, victory is on the menu again for Tortilla Republic, whose West Hollywood location offers fresh and inventive takes on classic Mexican cuisine. Signature dishes include Pork Chop Al Pastor, Ancho Rubbed Salmon, and Carnitas with caramelized orange peel. The fan favorite Smoke ‘n Berries mezcal cocktail washes everything down exceedingly well, as will their margaritas, made with freshly squeezed juices shaken with premium tequila. Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options mirror the spirit of inclusiveness fostered by the friendly staff.
616 N. Robertson Blvd.
tortillarepublic.com/location/west-hollywood-california
Editor’s Choice: Catch LA (https://catchrestaurants.com/catchla)
Best Cannabis Business
Winner: The Artist Tree
Like marriage equality and an Oscar win for Lady Gaga, the legal consumption of cannabis in California is a hard-won cause for celebration. Since opening in November 2019, this budding pot purveyor has been providing wide-eyed patrons not just with product, but something to stimulate the heightened mind. There are dozens of works of art on the walls, all by local artists who get every penny of profit from sales. “When we came up with this concept,” says Lauren Fontein, one of four Artist Tree founders, “we wanted it to be an experience, not just a destination. WeHo is a very special place, with a unique demographic that’s really focused on the arts. So we wanted to give artists a forum, and draw people in to see that.” Fontein, who says two consumption lounges will open in other locations by the end of this year (one for smoking, one for edibles), notes they want their Tree to grow, while staying true to its roots as “an extension of the community that really reflects its creativity and diversity.” Bonus points: Fellow co-founder Aviv Halimi is spearheading a recycling/compost initiative committed to a 25% landfill rate in 2020, and a 0% rate by 2022.
8625 Santa Monica Blvd.
theartisttree.com
Editor’s Choice: MedMen (735 S. Broadway; medmen.com)
Best Doctors/Medical Provider
Winner: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Last year’s Editor’s Choice for Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace won the admiration of this year’s voters, for the consistently excellent work of doctors, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, med techs, benefits counselors, and support staff at 14 AHF Healthcare Centers and satellite clinics throughout Southern California. In its quest to rid the world of AIDS, this nonprofit organization provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy in 43 countries. Locally, says AHF Senior Director of Communications Ged Kenslea, “Our ‘circle of care’ concept starts with free and accessible HIV testing. When called for, AHF then provides swift linkage to care and follow-up treatment. We try as best we can to keep the focus on the patient by serving as their partner in care, in order to make it easier for them to adhere to their medication and care regimens to help them achieve their best selves, health and wellness-wise.”
6255 Sunset Blvd
aidshealth.org
Editor’s Choice: Southern California Men’s Medical Group/Men’s Health Foundation (9201 W. Sunset Blvd.; menshealthfound.org)
Best Museum or Art Gallery
Winner: The J. Paul Getty Museum
In praise of its 2019 win in this category, we noted the Getty’s mission to collect, conserve, and exhibit works of outstanding quality, as well as its ongoing commitment to scholarly research, public education, and programming in the visual arts. Current exhibits include “Unseen: 35 Years of Collecting Photographs” (on view through March 8) and Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics” (on view through March 29). Their Feb. 19 talk, “Place is the Space: Recasting Black Presence and Power through Art,” is a free event requiring advance reservations. Six daily tours tell the story of The Getty Center’s Central Garden, designed and conceived by artist Robert Irwin.
1200 Getty Center Drive
getty.edu
Editor’s Choice: One Gallery (626 N. Robertson Blvd.)
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
Winner: 24 Hour Fitness
Like an insatiable man’s dating app that always seems to be on, many locations of this gym are open, as the name implies, 24/7. “We care about getting you the results you want,” they say, and do so by setting members up with a free custom workout plan from the moment you join, and providing daily guidance through a wide variety of fitness classes, personal and small group training programs, and their free custom workout app, 24GO. “Our goal is to guide you to success with personal fitness experiences that are not only challenging and motivating, but also fun and inviting,” they say, noting that applies equally to those “looking to get back on track, start fresh, or simply not sure where to start.”
LA gyms at 505 S. Flower St., 5045 W. Slauson Ave., 3699 Wilshire Blvd.
24hourfitness.com
Editor’s Choice: Barry’s Bootcamp (last year’s runner-up; 1106 N. La Cienega Blvd.)
Best LGBTQ-Owned Business
Winner: The Abbey
The world-famous West Hollywood bar and eatery made local history late last year, by announcing the launch of “Heavenly Bodies,” the first known transgender club event in Los Angeles history, to take place monthly, on Sundays, at The Chapel at The Abbey. Owner David Cooley’s commitment to community includes his annual Academy Awards viewing party, which has raised nearly $2 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles. He helped found Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, hosts an annual “Christmas in September” event and toy drive for Children¹s Hospital Los Angeles, and is known for his politically charged stunts. (He banned bachelorette parties from The Abbey until marriage was legal in California, and created the Chick-for-Gay sandwich, which raised thousands of dollars for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.) Cooley supports dozens of LGBT and community groups annually, including OUTfest, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Trevor Project, and GLAAD.
Editor’s Choice: Block Party (5052 York Blvd; blockpartyhlp.com)
Best Hotel
Winner: Kimpton La Peer
Last year’s runner-up won a “suite” victory this year. Mere steps from the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, Kimpton La Peer Hotel is its own destination, within a Design District that draws visitors from around the world. The design-centric hotel offers 105 luxury guestrooms and suites, a pool, a rooftop event space, and more than 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining and lounge spaces. Butler service and 24/7 in-room dining are available, loaner bikes are free, and dining options include an Italian eatery, an open-air bar, and made-to-order picnic baskets.
627 N. La Peer Dr.
lapeerhotel.com
Editor’s Choice: SLS Beverly Hills (465 S. La Cienega Blvd.; slshotels.com/beverlyhills)
Best Social Group
Winner: AIDS LifeCycle
Last year’s runner-up went the distance to claim the top spot this time around. Previously, we noted a truth that stands tall to this day: “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.”
Editor’s Choice: Impulse Group LA (impulsegrp.org)
Best Performing Arts Venue
Winner: Hollywood Pantages Theatre
Having opened on Hollywood Boulevard, right down the block from Vine Street, in 1930, The Pantages has become one of the greatest landmarks of Hollywood, signifying both the glorious past and adventuresome future of the world’s entertainment capital. Primarily a movie house for several decades, Howard Hughes took possession 1949, changing its name to the RKO Pantages and setting up offices there (Hughes’ ghost is among several rumored to roam the environs). Pacific Theatres bought the place in 1967, leading to a refurbishment and reopening of the theatre sections closed down during the Hughes reign. In 1977, the Nederlander Organization came in as Pacific’s partner and re-opened it as a legitimate theatre, after a renovation to recapture its 1930s look and luxury. Upcoming must-sees at the 2,703-seat space include “Hamilton” (March 12-Sept, 20), “Mean Girls” (April 28-June 7) and “My Fair Lady” (June 2-July 5).
6233 Hollywood Blvd
hollywoodpantages.com
Editor’s Choice: Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (9390 N Santa Monica Blvd.; thewallis.org)
Best LGBTQ Tourist Activity
Winner: RuPaul’s DragCon LA
Tourists in T-shirts are frightful sights—but it’s easy to love the look of a visitor from Down Under, who emerges from the merch table wearing an autographed top with the likeness of a lady who’s got something extra going on, “down there.” Wide-eyed wonder from out-of-towners is what won RuPaul’s DragCon LA our top spot, for its debut year in the City of Angels. Sending comments from London where they were debuting RuPaul’s DragCon UK (Jan. 18/19), con creators and World of Wonder co-founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey said they were “thrilled” with their win. “The fierce performances, exclusive panels, one-of-a-kind merch, Kids Zone, and Drag Queen Story Hour make it a truly unforgettable event for drag fans of all ages,” the duo declared, adding, “The convention will sashay back to the Los Angeles Convention Center for the 10th-ever DragCon, May 1-3, 2020.” Capping their comments with a quote that show’s mama knows how to make coin, Barbato and Fenton noted, “Tickets are on sale now at RuPaulsDragCon.com!”
Editor’s Choice: Cirque Du Soleil (cirquedusoleil.com/usa/los-angeles/shows)
Best Neighborhood Bar
Rocco’s Tavern WeHo (
8900 Santa Monica Blvd.)
Opened in May of 2019 by Lance Bass in association with well-known local chain Rocco’s Tavern, this neighborhood bar in the heart of West Hollywood has quickly become a favorite hotspot for locals and visitors alike. With nightly events like Monday Karaoke and GTFO (Gay The F*ck Out) Fridays, décor that celebrates LGBTQ pride and history (courtesy of the One Archive), a full menu of delicious food and drinks, and a strong sense of community, it’s no wonder that Blade readers have chosen it as their favorite.
Editor’s Choice: Fubar
Best Chef
Cat Cora

Cat Cora
The first female winner of “Iron Chef America” and the first woman inducted into The American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame, Cat has blazed her own trail through the culinary world since debuting on Food Network in 1999. With more than 18 restaurants across the U.S. and globally, and a dedication to health, wellness and sustainability, she’s a welcome addition to our SoCal community, where she lives with her wife Nicole and their six boys.
Runner Up: Susan Feniger, Border Grill
Best Radio
Channel Q
Calling themselves “an innovative media destination built for and by the LGBTQ community and our allies,” this welcome community resource brings a proudly queer voice into the daily lives of its listeners with diverse programming, from pounding DJ beats to stimulating talk shows like “Sidebar with John Duran,” delivered via the airwaves or online for maximum convenience and availability.
Editor’s Choice: WeHo TV, City of West Hollywood, Communications Dept.
Best Local Media Personality
Enrique Sapene
Q Agenda LATV

Enrique Sapene
This actor, host, and reality TV star continues to be an audience favorite as the co-host of LATV’s flagship LGBTQ+ talkshow. Alongside Juliana Joel, Lianna Carrere, Victor Ramos, and other Latinx LGBTQ+ personalities and influencers, he provides us with a fresh, honest and funny conversation – and an LGBTQ perspective – about the news and culture of the day.
Runner-up: Mikalah Gordon, Channel Q
Best Sports Team
Los Angeles Lakers
It’s no surprise that the Lakers, who are one of America’s favorite basketball teams, period, would also score high with readers in their LA home. With their dedication to diversity, inclusion and unity in hosting an annual Pride night, they’ve earned their spot as Blade readers’ number one champions.
Editor’s Choice: Los Angeles Dodgers
Best Home Furnishings
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
At its signature store in the heart of Beverly Hills (and its other location in Glendale Galleria), this elegant brand presents the style and sophistication of its comfortable, eco-friendly American made line of furnishings, and offers a talented team of designers to help customers choose the ones “best suited to the way you live,” says general manager Rick Cordero. Add to this their longtime commitment to LGBTQ advocacy and inclusion, and there’s no wonder they win our readers’ hearts for the second year in a row.
Editor’s Choice: Ashley Furniture
Best Movie Theater
El Capitan Theatre
Just up the street from the Pantages is this reader favorite, a 1920s movie palace lovingly transformed into a showcase venue for everything Disney. Yes, there’s an ever-changing lineup of first-run must-sees and beloved classics to draw us there; throw in the added attraction of a pre-movie floor show and musical stylings from that enormous organ (a restored 1920s Wurlitzer, just to be clear), and you have an unbeatable movie destination for families, friends, or just a Disney fan who wants a deluxe experience all to themselves.
6838 Hollywood Blvd.
elcapitantheatre.com
The Pleasure Chest
This flagship store has been making WeHo a sexier place since 1980, and even though many other iconic adult boutiques have come and gone from the local landscape over the years, it’s still here with no intention of going anywhere. It’s superstore-sized inventory of erotic accessories would be enough to make it an essential part of our sex lives; add to that their PleasureEd program, with its free weekly workshops for anyone who wants to expand their sexual education, and it’s no wonder that this refreshingly sex-positive business makes the top of our readers’ list of favorites, once again.
7733 Santa Monica Blvd.
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Sandra Bernhard unpacks her anecdotal “Shapes & Forms” live show and why it’s more important than ever to reach straight audiences
“Everybody’s just sort of fried and burned out, and it’s only been five or six months since this all sort of cracked open,” Bernhard says of Trump’s presidency

Sandra Bernhard knows there’s nothing quite like the power of live performance. And with her upcoming Sept. 29 stop at Oscar’s in Palm Springs on her Shapes & Forms tour, she knows she has plenty of material to work with, given the current state of the world.
“It’s that fine line and balance between really entertaining people, bringing them up and also still reminding everybody of the times we’re living in,” Bernhard tells the Blade. “I edit carefully because everybody’s just sort of fried and burned out, and it’s only been five or six months since this all sort of cracked open. So the whole thrust of the show is to bring people up and have it be more upbeat, personal, anecdotal.”
Bernhard’s upcoming live appearance comes after a banner year for the GLAAD-award winning actor, with notable roles in the breakout second season of Severance, RuPaul’s Drag Race and an upcoming performance in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, which is already receiving early Oscar buzz.
Bernhard’s performances blend music and singing in a unique, eclectic way, with the band Sandyland Squad Band continuing to perform. “I’m not saying I was the first to do it, but I certainly was one of the first people to do it in a post-modern way. So I try not to really look around and see what other people are doing. It’s not helpful for me,” she says. “I don’t know if people are inspired by me, but I can only inspire myself.”
Returning to California with decades of success in her career makes this stop personal for Bernhard. “I worked in Beverly Hills as a manicurist on Canon and North Canon Drive, and I also first started performing at a place called the Ye Little Club, which isn’t there anymore. So while I was supporting myself by doing this day gig, and then I started doing my night gig, it was sort of a funny little insular world,” Bernhard says. “And I still have friends, women that I did their nails back in the ‘70s. Some of them are still around and I have lunch with them when I’m in town. It’s a really wonderful continuum of where I’ve come from and where I’m going.”
Bernhard first broke out as an actor in Martin Scorsese’s 1982 classic The King of Comedy. She starred in the dark comedy alongside Robert de Niro and received a coveted National Society of Film Critics Award.
“It was way ahead of the curve — very prescient about fame and people doing anything to be famous. And certainly we’ve gone over the top of that. I mean, it’s insane,” she says. “Social media influencers, people that really don’t have anything specific or important to say, have managed to forge careers for themselves in ways that almost don’t make any sense to me.”
She continues, not mincing words: “I think you have to roll up your sleeves and go into life as a young person and work … But with all these people who just seem to lay around all day on the internet and social media, I don’t have much respect for that. I think it’s lazy, ignorant, stupid. You’re not reading, you’re not elevating yourself or your intellect. I don’t find it in any way, shape or form inspiring.”
The King of Comedy not only put Bernhard on the map for on-screen roles, but also helped her expand into live performance. And as she prepares to take this next stop after bringing Shapes & Forms to New York and Massachusetts, she has her priorities set on which audiences she needs to reach.
“It’s more important for me to reach the straight audience than it is the gay audience in terms of opening them up to thinking about things in a new way. I mean, it’s a given that my gay following loves me and gets me and understands all the aspects of what I do and the nuances,” she says. “[People] connect with me because of my humanity, and it’s my humanity that means the most to me — especially right now — with people being snatched off the streets, being sent down to South America in violent situations, where people are dying in Gaza.”
Sandra’s SoCal dates:
September 27
Carpenter Center
Long Beach, CA
September 29
Oscar’s
Palm Springs, CA
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Get swept away by ‘Sparks Camp,’ the Philippines’ first gay dating show
The team behind this landmark series discusses its impact on LGBTQ+ representation in the country.

Whether it be iconic crashouts or jaw-dropping moments of drama, reality television has always had a tremendous impact on queer culture — but few shows have done as much in the fight for global liberation as Sparks Camp.
This series has awed since its premiere, with U.S. audiences discovering Sparks Camp when the first episode dropped for free on YouTube back in 2023. Focusing on a group of “Campers” who participate in romance-themed challenges while exchanging the titular “sparks of love,” the program made history as the Phillipines’ first ever gay dating show. It was a landmark production for a country that still struggles with widespread prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. Yet with each season comes increasing viewership and more people (both within the country and across the world) learning from the love on display and the many messages of queer self-acceptance featured in each episode. The Los Angeles Blade sat down with the cast and creatives behind this series as they wrap up their third season, with the Sparks Camp team breaking down what this groundbreaking show has done for LGBTQ+ representation in the Philippines — and how they plan to do even more going forward.
“The journey [to] Sparks camp hasn’t been easy,” said Creative Head Hyro Aguinaldo, as he spoke to the Blade alongside Director Theodore Boborol. The pair detailed the many difficulties they faced in getting greenlit by ABS-CBN — one of the Phillipine’s biggest TV networks — and their fight against an entertainment industry that had never given LGBTQ+ stories the platform they deserve. “Most queer individuals here in the Philippines are tolerated, but not accepted,” explained Boborol. “Queer people are usually only relegated to [comic relief], never [portrayed] in any serious way…and that includes, of course, reality shows.” He describes how impossible it once seemed that they’d actually get to create the program and, now that they’re wrapping up its third season, how heartwarming it’s been to see LGBTQ+ audiences fall in love with the project. It’s not always a great experience, as the series has been the victim of countless discriminatory attacks online. But it’s undeniable that Sparks Camp has become one of the most educational, authentic portrayals of what it truly means to be LGBTQ+ in the Philippines today…but what is it like to actually be on the show?
While reality series can skyrocket contestants to internet fame, none elevate their cast to international icon status like Sparks Camp does for its ensemble. Season 3 stars Andrew, Kim, and Edward spoke about how thrilling it felt to have their attempts at romance get filmed on camera, with Kim saying, “Being there in the camp with nine other strangers, where I have to be as vulnerable as I can!? It was very challenging!” From half-naked mud wrestling tournaments to discussions about healing from trauma, the experience is intense enough on its own, yet it wasn’t until their installment began airing that the men realized just how influential these moments would be in the Philippines’ ongoing fight for queer rights. These were narratives that the heterosexual members of their audience (a demographic that has steadily increased since season one) weren’t used to, with Andrew detailing, “One of the reasons why a lot of people are unaware [about LGBTQ+ issues] is because we’ve been restricted from talking about these very normal topics.” They all explained how mainstream Filipino culture often discourages discussions about sexual safety and LGBTQ+ romance, meaning not only are people disallowed from learning about these identities, but young queer folk aren’t able to see themselves represented onscreen. “Moving forward,” said Edward. “I want queer boys and girls to see their stories reflected in ours.”
Representing your community on such a large scale can be daunting, but these campers take pride in using every scene to show their audience what it means to be gay in the Philippines today. It’s a heavy responsibility for many, but luckily, this show is hosted by someone who truly knows what it means to fight for your found family: “Mother Sparker” herself, Mela Habijan.
When she isn’t advocating for transgender rights or winning international pageants, Habijan acts as the host of Sparks Camp, moderating the series and imbuing each episode with her unique brand of self-love. It’s a role she does not take lightly, emphasizing, “Whenever I spend time with [the campers], there’s an assurance that their stories are safe, that this isn’t just a mere reality show about finding love— it’s [a space] for them to find value in themselves.” It’s an assurance that shows through the screen; whether it’s witty banter at challenges or reminding Campers to love themselves above all else, she brings a level of care to her role unusual for your typical reality host. She describes how this kind of openness is sadly missing in the Philippines, with the country’s deep roots in Catholicism meaning anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination is the norm in many areas and that there are few laws safeguarding queer rights. It’s because of this that she recognizes just what a huge impact Sparks Camp has on their local communities, saying, “I take pride in being ‘Mother Sparker’ because once a young trans person [watches the show], they can say: my future can be in front of the camera.” Habijan, who’d spent her entire career fighting to make easier pathways for other trans artists, emphasized how essential it is for people to see her and her campers being their truest selves onscreen. “The future is bright for [young people], because if they see more and more people who reflect [their] same experiences, then they’ll gain the courage [they need].”
Sparks Camp stands out not only for its historical impact, but because it does something that few reality shows are able to: it offers an amazing show, with an even better message. As each of the team expressed in their interviews with the Los Angeles Blade, this program and the few others like it are bringing LGBTQ+ stories to the Philippines like the country has never seen before. It’s helping to not only start vital conversations surrounding the respect and rights of queer communities, but fosters a kind of inclusive, love-filled influence that any viewer, no matter what country they’re watching from, can benefit from. In the last few moments of her interview, Mela Habijan perfectly encapsulated the core of what Sparks Camp is truly about.
“The value of their being queer…that’s what matters most. When you create and enrich the love that [the Campers] have within [them] — even if they don’t find the spark at the end of the series — they will end their journey at Sparks Camp with so much pride in themself.”
It’s a pride that LGBTQ+ people worldwide can use now more than ever, and luckily for all, it’s a pride that anyone can watch three seasons of for free online right now.
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John Waters dishes on upcoming Unleashed LGBTQ+ appearance and connecting with new generations on the road
“Humor is how we win,” says the GLAAD-award winning filmmaker and cultural legend

John Waters lives on the road for most of the year, and he likes it that way.
The iconic GLAAD-award winning filmmaker behind cult classics like Serial Mom and Female Trouble (just to name a few!) has already done 51 live shows this year, and next he is appearing at the Unleashed LGBTQ+ festival in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 19 for a conversation with Brad Pritchett at the Warwick Melrose, which will allow for audience participation. Waters will also be receiving the Unleashed LGBTQ+ Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I like the attitude of that title, and I think we need to be more unleashed today,” Waters tells the Blade. “I’m excited that I continue to be in touch with my audience. It seems to get younger and younger, which is just amazing to me. It’s like being a politician. You know, you always tour, you always meet your audience, and that always gives me the reason to keep going and making new stuff.”
While Waters has long been recognized as an unfiltered legend within the LGBTQ+ community, he admires that labels have fallen away: “The new generation — they’re not even queer, they’re all new everything. They’re not that limiting. They’re gay, or straight or just everything … It’s a new world out there. But I survived the first sexual revolution. Now I’m going through a new one, which is even more surprising.”
Waters’ first feature film starring Divine, Mondo Trasho, released back in 1969, so he’s seen “half a century” of different audiences connect with his work. “I think the key was I was never mean spirited, that I made fun of the rules that liberals live by, not our parents,” he reflects. “I made fun of hippie rules and then punk rules and politically correct rules. And now there’s more rules in that world that my parents had that I rebelled from. So I’ve always made fun of things I love, and I think that has been the key to my longevity.”
Just last year, the Academy Museum dedicated an entire exhibit to Waters’ filmography, appropriately titled Pope of Trash. “That gives hope to anybody that anything can happen,” Waters says. “For those movies that were universally hated when they first came out by critics — not by audiences — and to end up at the Academy Awards, giving me nine rooms, it’s just amazing. [And] a gift shop that sold T-shirts that said, ‘He’ll make you sick.’ You know, how did that ever happen? I don’t know.”
Outrageous humor and political satire are key to Waters’ filmography, and it’s that same sense of humor he sees as key to winning today’s many fights.
“Let’s pick our battles and win them and use humor,” Waters says. “Don’t preach to people. Don’t tell people they’re stupid, even if they are. You got to make them think that they’re smart and listen to you … You have to use politics. Humor is politics. Freud even wrote a book about the psychoanalysis of jokes. Humor is how we win, and we have to pick our battles. And I don’t think we did last time.”
The Los Angeles Blade will be on site for Unleashed LGBTQ SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2025 | DALLAS, TX Get your tickets here
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CinePride Film Festival highlight: Director Nate Gualtieri on his erotic trans short and Cate Blanchett’s executive producer credit
With “Queerbait,” Nate Gualtieri flips the switch on the professor-student dynamic.

CinePride’s inaugural year kicks off with a fresh erotic short titled Queerbait, executive produced by Cate Blanchett and written and directed by one of Hollywood’s most exciting up-and-coming talents, Nate Gualtieri (Desire Lines, Gotham Knights).
Queerbait features a new spin on the professor-student dynamic. Sydney Mae Diaz plays a trans student who has recently undergone top surgery and is drawn into the world of his classics professor, played by Matthew Floyd Miller, who sees great potential in his talented pupil. But the line between professor and student soon blurs, and tensions build up as the two get stuck together during a major rainstorm.
Gualtieri discusses with the Blade how Queerbait has developed throughout multiple fellowship programs, what he wants to see more of from trans storytelling, and his hopes for a festival like CinePride to rebuild the queer creative community in Los Angeles. (This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
I’m really excited to chat with you today. I know Queerbait went through a proof of concept program, and Cate Blanchett is attached as an executive producer. I’d love to hear how that whole process has been because I believe your goal is to turn this into a feature-length project.
We’re in the middle of financing the feature version right now. But just to go back to where it all started was actually a bit earlier. I was in the Film Independent Project Involve Fellowship, and that interestingly reoriented my career toward film. When I was in that program, I actually met one of my now producers, Jesus Garcia, and he was the first person I ever pitched this project to. Originally just as a short for their program, and they didn’t select it, but I really liked this idea and kept working on it. And so we submitted to this Proof of Concept Fellowship, it’s the first year of the program, and Netflix financed a bunch of short films at $30,000 each. Cate Blanchett’s company Dirty Films was then attached as producers, and they helped guide the projects along.
The whole point of that program was to support women, trans and non-binary directors. The USC Annenberg School of Communication was also involved because they put out numbers every year on how many female directors are working, how many trans films are getting made — which, sometimes there’s zero. To apply to that program, we also had to have a feature script ready, so that was always the intention for us. Regardless if we had gotten into the program, I really wanted to do a proof of concept that was the basis for a feature script or film. The biggest thing I got out of Film Independent was that so many collaborators and people in my cohort ended up working on this film. It just feels like I’ve met people where I’m like, “I hope we can do every film together!”
We shot in October 2024 and a few weeks after that, we applied to the Sundance Screenwriting Lab with the same feature and got in. That happened in March 2025, so that was all virtual. Andrew Ahn and Laura Moss ended up being my mentors, and they’re still very invested in how I’m doing, which is lovely. The script’s gone through a couple revisions since then, and now we’re ready to take it out to market. We’re going to the Gotham Project Market at the end of September, and that’s going to be some of the first steps of financing. Right now, I really do feel it’s a question of when it happens and not if.
That’s all super exciting. Talking more about cinematic inspirations and representation, I saw very few trans films in high school and middle school.
There are some great trans films that I wouldn’t say are touchstones for this piece at all, but I really want to build on that lexicon of what a great trans film is and can be. I really tend to shy away from the coming out narrative. I’ve written pieces like that before, but I think we can do something more intriguing and more interesting. My real goal is to bridge that gap between seeing a film with trans people as niche, and particularly what we’re doing with Queerbait is leaning into that erotic thriller genre and playing off films like Dressed to Kill or The Crying Game, where the trans woman is the murderer. I think there’s an interesting flipping we’re doing where the trans person is the victim, but they can also be the perpetrator as well.
With the premise of this project featuring trans chasers, what void in trans/queer storytelling are you hoping Queerbait might fill?
With a lot of the work that I do it’s like, “Yeah, you could put a cis guy in it.” But there wouldn’t be the same impact. There’s such a specific perspective of masculinity that I bring to the work. In terms of trans films, people are a little afraid to make a movie that’s really complicated and honestly dark, and I want to bridge that gap. We get so caught up in these gentle, indie romances. And I think that’s great, and there’s a place for that too. But what I want to do is something more challenging, where it almost forces you to look at trans people without othering them. I just want the film to be great, and the main character’s trans. There’s not a separation that I’m making in that sense. But I don’t think enough trans films really leave an impression on me, and really have something to say that I haven’t seen before. I think I just want it to be a good film first, but its transness is kind of irremovable from it. It’s called Queerbait, the people know!
It’s a great title! And this is the opening night selection at this year’s CinePride festival. Could you speak about what led you to apply to that festival, which I know is hoping to fill the void left by Outfest.
That’s actually part of why I reached out to CinePride, because the last short I directed played at Outfest. One, they had Outfest and Outfest Fusion, which immediately othered any people of color that submitted, so that was a little bit unusual. They were running on a huge deficit, I want to say a quarter of a million, so anyway, that’s just why they fell apart. So I was really excited when I saw that there was going to be another L.A.-based festival because there really was a void. Outfest was a large event for the community. I’ve also been told we’re the very first film that’s screening at the festival, which is crazy. I’m just really excited to see the turnout and attendance. I hope that this is an opportunity to build something a little bit better. I like being on the ground floor of things I find promising. I don’t think it’s worth waiting to see, “Is this going to be the next big thing?” I appreciate the people who were there from the start.
As the big day approaches, is there anything else you want to add about Queerbait or anything you’re particularly looking forward to?
It’s an erotic thriller, and we’re really looking to do something commercial, or as commercial as possible. I appreciate you reaching out. It’s always flattering! When I say it’s weird, it’s like, again, not bad, it’s just like, “Wow! This is so crazy. People are watching stuff I put on the internet!”
CinePride runs September 11 – 14, 2025 at Landmark Theatres Sunset.
For more information, visit CinePride.org
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The queerest moments of the VMAs 2025
LGBTQ+ artists proved to be a central part of the music industry at this year’s award show.

Whether it be sultry Frank Ocean performances or Madonna reminding everyone that drag queens run the world, the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have always been an unofficial honoring of the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to music. Yet many fans were nervous going into the 2025 ceremony; during a time when marginalized voices are being attacked across the country, would there still be a queer presence at this historic award show? Luckily, they weren’t disappointed, as the VMAs quickly reminded everyone of a very important fact: there is no music industry without queer artists.
And with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the moments that made the 2025 VMAs one of the gayest award shows ever!
Before it even began, the ceremony’s red carpet hosted some of the entertainment industry’s biggest queer stars (and their impeccable fashion choices). Whether it be the eviscerating Law Roach, hilarious comedian Megan Stalter, or renowned drag queens like Lexi Love and Symone, this crimson runway was a space for these icons to strut their stuff.
The invite list alone made it clear that LGBTQ+ artists would continue being an integral part of the VMAs — a fact that was taken to unimaginable heights when Lady Gaga won the award for ‘Best Artist of the Year!’
Even after countless wins, it can’t be overstated just how important a triumph for Lady Gaga is for the LGBTQ+ community, especially when she’s being awarded for the massive amount of work she’s done this year. Not only has her new album, Mayhem, been the soundtrack for every gay bar, but in the face of rising discrimination, she is constantly speaking up for queer and trans individuals across the country. It was so cathartic for her LGBTQ+ fans to watch Mother Monster accept the award, starting the show with an uplifting, quintessential queer energy that would only get better from there.
Not only did numerous LGBTQ+ artists perform — a huge shoutout to Lola Young and Conan Gray — but a portion of the night was focused on rewarding gay trailblazer Ricky Martin with the first-ever Latin Icon Award. He used his speech to encourage unity during this time of division, reminding listeners that music should be what brings us together during a time when people are literally trying to tear us apart. And he wouldn’t be the only LGBTQ+ artist going home with a Moon Man! Stans across the globe cheered when KATSEYE won the VMA for Push Performance of the Year, the inaugural award for a global girl group that is revolutionizing what it means to be an idol today. Not only are they breaking barriers, but with members Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel, KATSEYE makes history as one of the only idol groups to openly feature two queer women!
Halfway through the VMAs, this award ceremony was already shaping up to be one of the queerest yet…but someone wanted to bring even more to the stage. Someone who used every moment she had to amplify LGBTQ+ artists and call for the respect these communities deserve. She was already regarded as an icon before the show, but with her performance and acceptance speech, Sabrina Carpenter solidified herself as one of the biggest advocates in music today.
While every VMAs performer brings a unique concept to their performance, few are as instantly captivating as Carpenter’s performance of “Tears.” The faux-city streets of her stage bring to mind moments from history like the Stonewall Riots, acts of resistance that fueled LGBTQ+ liberation and made the modern music industry possible. Then, as the camera panned out, audiences learned that Carpenter brought queer royalty onstage with her: Drag Race queens Denali, Willam, Symone, Lexi Love, and Laganja Estranja, along with Ballroom legends Dashaun Wesley and Honey Balenciaga. The entire group took part in some visually stunning choreography before each held up a cardboard sign, with their sayings ranging from “Protect trans rights” to “In trans we trust” and “Support local drag.” With this song, Carpenter fought transphobia and called for equity with more bravery than anyone else that night — and she wasn’t done.
“I do want to say: to my incredible cast and dancers and queens on stage with me tonight…this world, as we all know, can be so full of criticism and discrimination and negativity,” said Carpenter, as she accepted the award for “Best Album.” “So to get to be part of something so often, more than not, that is something that can bring you light, make you smile, make you dance, and make you feel like the world is yours…I am so grateful.” It’s an unfortunate truth that, while many celebrities enjoy featuring queer performers in their acts, too often these folks are treated as props rather than actual artists. Carpenter used every minute onscreen to show her love for these LGBTQ+ artists and grant them the national applause they deserve. It created many jaw-dropping, utterly LGBTQ+ moments throughout the night, and it gave everyone watching an exceptional model for how to be a true ally today.
There were so many amazing moments at the 2025 VMAs, it’s unfair to label one as the best! From Eyekons to short n’ sweet activists, the award ceremony was stacked with reminders to everyone that queer people built the music industry they love — and that we’re not going anywhere. But, while each of these resonated with different fans for different reasons, there was a single instant that touched every queer person watching.
When Ariana Grande accepted her award for “Video of the Year,” she succinctly surmised her appreciation for the LGBTQ+ community in a way that truly anyone can understand: “Thank you to my therapists, and gay people. I love you.”
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CinePride Film Festival highlight: Filmmaker Alicia Coppola explores identity, memory, and trans representation in ‘And You Are?’
In And You Are, Alicia Coppola tells a touching story of a trans man navigating love and recognition alongside a family member experiencing dementia.

As part of CinePride’s inaugural year, filmmaker Alicia Coppola brings a deeply emotional and heartfelt short film, And You Are?, to the spotlight. The film explores the intersection of queerness, memory, and identity through the lens of a trans man and a loved one battling with dementia. Drawing from her own family experiences, Coppola crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universally resonant, challenging mainstream portrayals of aging, gender, and familial acceptance. And You Are? stands as a powerful testament to the kinds of stories CinePride seeks to share with the world – authentic, complex, and unapologetically human.
What prompted you to create such an intimate story about experiencing the queerness of a loved one through the lens of dementia in your short film And You Are?
The film is really a love letter to two of my family members. I found it so interesting that one of them, despite struggling with memory loss, completely and totally accepted the other without hesitation. She never once misgendered her, not even once. Meanwhile, everyone else, occasionally including myself even, did at some point. But she never did. And I just found that remarkable. She couldn’t remember what she had for breakfast, but that stuck.
Misgendering happens more often than we’d like to admit, so that kind of unwavering respect is deeply moving. And your film is part of the inaugural CinePride Film Festival in Los Angeles. How does it feel to be part of CinePride’s inaugural year?
I’m beyond honored to be part of CinePride’s first year. I think this will be the beginning of many, many years to come. It’s time. Personally, I believe we shouldn’t have to silo these stories into their own festivals. I get why we do. It’s to ensure they’re seen, but it’s also sad that a separate space is still necessary. Why do I have to be labeled a “woman filmmaker”? I’m a filmmaker. Why is a trans person labeled first and foremost as trans? They’re a person. We don’t say “my gay daughter,” we just say “my daughter.” Why do some people need a preamble while others don’t?
That leads into another question, how do you feel labels affect creators in the entertainment industry?
Until we come up with something better, we have to keep saying: people are people. I’m a woman, yes, but I’m also just a filmmaker, an actor, and a damn good one. Why do we never hear “male doctor” or “male filmmaker”? It’s always the marginalized who get the descriptor. And that’s part of the problem.
It’s all based on the assumption that the white, cis, straight male identity is the default.
Exactly. And not to get too political, but I don’t understand why we have old, wealthy white men trying to legislate everything- our bodies, our bedrooms, our kids’ lives. They have no right to dictate the lives of anyone who isn’t just like them.
Back to your film, what was the most emotionally challenging scene for you to write/shoot?
Writing it was hard. I started with one script and ended up with something completely different. I just wasn’t ready. It took three years to finally sit down and say, “This is the story I want to tell.” If I could open someone’s mind, open their heart, maybe we could start a dialogue. As for filming, when I saw Jane Seymour transform on set, especially since we shot in my family member’s actual room, it hit me emotionally. She inhabited that space and role so completely. I was looking at a movie star. I consider myself a good actress, but Jane blew me away. She’s like a storm. You know the moment she enters the room, nothing will be the same.
If your character Max wrote a memoir, what would it be called and what would Nana’s chapter be titled?
The memoir would be See, I Told You My Name Was Jake. Nana’s chapter? I Already Told You That, Nana.
How do you think identity is affected when someone from an older generation forgets – or never quite understood – it?
In our family, the ones who struggled most were the middle generation. People my age couldn’t quite rewire their brains. But kids? They get it instantly. And the elderly? They don’t miss a beat. So the ones stuck in the middle are the most resistant. They’ve already learned a certain language and worldview, and they just can’t, or sometimes even won’t, adjust.

Do you think it’s more about inability or willful ignorance?
Both. There’s fear. People are terrified of the LGBTQ+ community and even more so of the trans community. Much like men fear women because we hold the power of sex and creation. It’s all rooted in ignorance, hypocrisy, and control. Trans people are being scapegoated, but they’re not the reason eggs cost $15. The 1% of the population that’s trans isn’t wrecking the world. The other 1%, the wealthy elite, is.
With legislation regressing across the country, what’s your biggest fear, having a daughter who happens to be gay?
I’m terrified of what happens when healthcare is taken away, especially life-affirming care for LGBTQ+ youth. Denying them that is basically saying, “We’ll choose how your kids die.” Suicide? Fine. School shootings? Fine. Just don’t choose abortion, because that they want to control. My family has felt the impact firsthand. Children’s Hospital L.A. shut down their entire transgender division. It’s reprehensible.
Do you think festivals like CinePride help shift the narrative about whose stories get shared and who controls that narrative?
Every story deserves to be told. Women, men, Black, queer, everyone. CinePride is important because it’s archival. It’s a museum for our children’s children. With people trying to erase history, from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to Stonewall, we need to preserve these stories. I hope one day kids ask, “Why is this film in a special category? Isn’t this just life?”
Your film challenges sanitized portrayals of queerness and aging. How do you think the film community can push for more authentic, complex storytelling?
We need to be brave. Take off the filters. Women age. Show it. Dementia isn’t pretty. Show it. I think we showed the first testosterone shot on film. Zach Barack, our incredible actor, actually saved his T-shot to do it on camera. We didn’t fake it. We showed what it’s really like. And when you show truth, you create empathy. That opens minds, hearts, and hopefully, conversations.

What conversations do you hope this film sparks?
I hope people leave the film with questions. Maybe even realizations. One character has only the past to prove she exists; the other wants to erase the past because it never reflected who he truly was. How many of us do that? Reinvent ourselves, try to escape something? And how many of us are lucky enough to have support when we do? If this film can create understanding, if even one person watches and thinks, “Oh, I get it now,” then we’ve done something meaningful. One of my producers said he learned more about Alzheimer’s in the first minute of the film than he ever had before. That meant the world to me.
CinePride runs September 11 – 14, 2025 at Landmark Theatres Sunset.
For more information, visit CinePride.org
a&e features
The Angels In Los Angeles
In West Hollywood, Mike Pingel’s Charlie’s Angels collection will be on full display on MeTV’s Collector’s Call this Sunday, September 7th.

Los Angeles may be the “City of Angels,” but if there were one man who could claim the title of Angel-in-Chief, it’s Mike Pingel. On Sunday, September 7, Collector’s Call on MeTV spotlights his “heavenly” collection of Charlie’s Angels memorabilia. This is not just a story of a man coming across a few Charlie’s Angels magazines or dolls. Pingel’s collection includes more than 2,000 items spanning from rare scripts and dolls to a pinball machine. If God had a giftshop, Pingel is the one who has the spare key.
For Pingel – writer, publicist, and lifelong superfan – Charlie’s Angels has always been more than nostalgic TV. It is a culturally iconic masterpiece with deep resonance for LGBTQ+ audiences who saw glamour on-screen. The glamour was undeniable, even though each episode was basically an EPA violation caused by too much hairspray.
“Us queers love our beautiful, strong women, and Charlie’s Angels fits that bill on and off the TV screen,” Pingel tells the Blade. “The world fell in love with Charlie’s Angels as soon as it hit the airwaves on ABC-TV on September 21, 1976.” For Pingel, that love affair was fueled by the cast itself: “Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack, and Tanya Roberts are timeless beauties… The Angels got through it together just like the LGBTQ+ does together as a group, as we have always fought for our rights together – we got each other’s backs!”
The origin story of Pingel’s collection (or should we say addiction?) started with a few allowance dollars burning a hole in his pocket in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “I’ve been collecting since 1977!” Pingel explains, “I think the very first item I bought with my allowance was a few packets of Charlie’s Angels Topps trading cards.”
Since then, Pingel has amassed just about everything you can imagine the Charlie’s Angels series producing – games, puzzles, posters, and personal gifts from the actresses themselves. It’s still a smaller collection than Cher’s wigs, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Out of the thousands of items, Pingel has a favorite: “The Kris Munroe Business card Cheryl Ladd gave me for my 30th Birthday. She used them in the show as her character. Now that’s pretty cool!”

Mike Pingel & his Angels / Photo courtesy of Mike Pingel
Like many LGBTQ+ kids of the ’70s, Pingel fell in love with one of the lead actresses in Charlie’s Angels, Farrah Fawcett. Unlike most people, he ended up working for her. “Being Farrah’s assistant was something I never thought I would be doing,” he recalls. “She was so sweet but also the smartest businesswoman.”
As Fawcett’s personal assistant, Pingel tells the Blade something most might not know about her: “One thing people might not know is she liked her cookies more on the burnt side! … Farrah called me on the intercom [picture how Charlie calls the Angels on the show]. She said ‘Mike, can you cook these a bit more – I like them a little burnt!’ It broke my heart a bit but I have to do what an Angel asks!” Only Farrah could make burnt cookies sound glamorous. If Martha Stewart did it, we’d just call it a parole violation.
When asked if he considers himself a preserver of LGBTQ+ pop culture as well as TV history, Pingel laughs: “I never thought of it that way! I guess I am!” He tells the Blade that everyone is an expert in something. “I just happen to be that for Charlie’s Angels.” And he’s not shy about sharing it. “If you’re in the West Hollywood area, hit me up. I love sharing my Charlie’s Angels collection.” As of now, this is officially the gayest Airbnb listing in recorded history.
Pingel speaks of filming for Collector’s Call – the episode which will be released on September 7th. “One thing that did surprise me was once they arrived at 7am (they were a bit early) in the morning. I did not have time to shower or shave for the show! They were here and boom right into production.” And then came the surreal moment: the host, Lisa Whelchel – the actress who played Blair Warner from The Facts of Life – getting her makeup and hair done in his bathroom. “I could not believe Blair Warner was in my apartment! Now that was some Facts of Life!”

Collector’s Call team / Photo: MeTV
Though Charlie’s Angels first appeared in the 70’s, with a few movie sequels in recent years, it is easy to assume that Charlie’s Angels might be too dated. But with a new Brazilian Charlie’s Angels series on the way, Pingel is confident the Angels’ mission is eternal. Specifically, the mission being independence for all: “Girl Power. Outside the glamour and adventure lies the power of women. Charlie’s Angels showed how woman can do anything without the help of men.”
Before you dismiss Pingel’s Charlie’s Angels as just another quirky collection, remember what it really preserves: a world where beauty, camp, and solidarity gave LGBTQ+ kids the courage to see themselves differently. Pingel leaves the Blade with a final comment: “Together we can conquer anything and that includes all of us LGBTQ+ Angels!”
Mike Pingel’s episode of Collector’s Call airs Sunday, September 7, at 6:30/5:30c p.m. on MeTV.
a&e features
“Dear queer cinema, thank you:” Mark A. Dahl on queer belonging at CinePride
‘Wee Willie Winky’ is the dark comedy that shares the story of two siblings who return home after discovering their dad, who they thought died twenty-five years ago, has just died again. What follows is a twisted, über-funny unraveling of family drama, sibling dysfunction, and obviously unresolved grief.

CinePride is more than a film festival, it serves as a reminder that queer storytelling refuses to be put in a box. CinePride celebrates creators who color outside the lines and push stories to the emotional edge. It’s the type of platform where visibility becomes prioritized and where chosen family sits front row. And among the standouts: a sibling story that checks all of the following boxes – hilarious, heartbreaking, and (w)holly unhinged.
We (heart emoji) Wee Willie Winky, the wickedly sharp short film from writer-director Mark A. Dahl, which playfully untangles family dysfunction with a cocktail in one hand and a raised eyebrow in the other. When two estranged siblings discover their allegedly long-passed father is actually recently deceased, chaos and comedy are not far behind the news. Think The Royal Tenenbaums meets John Waters on a psilocybin trip through the Hollywood Hills.
With biting wit, a tickle of trauma, and a mother who can easily outdo the entire Real Housewives franchise and then some, Dahl delivers a proof-of-concept that demands more. Preferably a full series. Fingers (and toes) crossed…
Let’s start with the basics. For those who haven’t seen your short film Wee Willie Winky yet, can you describe it for us in one sentence?
Two pretty horrible kids go visit their mother when they find out their father died, who they thought died twenty-five years earlier, to find out what the hell actually happened.
Speaking of Daddy, uh, there’s clearly some pointed and also playful daddy issues at play with this film. Is this theme personal?
That’s a really interesting question. You know, my sister and I, we both have daddy issues. . My dad died when I was six. She was estranged from her father as well. And I think that’s kind of a common thread with the LGBT community, especially gay men. I don’t wanna speak for anyone else. I am a gay man. There’s a lot of family with this piece that I found really cool.
In the film we have some conniving siblings, a twice dead father and a mother standing in their way. What drew you to explore this kind of dysfunctional family dynamic? And were there any specific films or creators that influenced your tone here?
I’ve always been a really big fan of dark humor in all of its forms. I love dark comedy, and I would say the House of Yes is a very big influence. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it with Parker Posey. It’s twisted, twisted, twisted, and we love Parker. And that’s definitely a big influence on the writing. And then what was the other half?
I’m a huge fan of John Waters, and that was always massive family dysfunction, which I always found hilarious. You know, every movie of his, the kids are screaming at the parents. And there’s just nothing more fun than a f*cked up family to watch. There really isn’t.
On your Instagram, I may have peaked at the John Waters Walk of Fame Star on there…
Yes. I went to see him get his star. That was so cool, because I remember seeing Hairspray in the eighties in the movie theater in the West Village. I remember it was pouring rain, and I saw that film. I had seen all the others on videotape, but that was the first one I saw in a movie theater. And I was like, these can be in movie theaters! These kinds of crazy stories can be in movie theaters!
And to see him get his star was also the same kind of feeling. I was like, wow. Someone like us, someone that demented and twisted could end up on Hollywood Boulevard. That’s incredible. So, it was a really cool day.
We tackled daddy issues. And now it’s time to discuss mommy. The mother in your film is a knockout character, and her rendition of Gwen Stefani’s “Chala Bread Girl“ was pretty epic. Was this character inspired by anyone from your actual life or pop culture?
100% inspired by Jena’s actual mother in real life. She is a sun-bunny, and even down to the voice and intonation and the way she just says things is 100% inspired by my sister from another, Jena’s mother.
Los Angeles plays a huge role in the tone of your film, with all of its grittiness and glamor. What does LA represent to you and how did you want to capture it visually?
When we first moved here – and I say “we” because my sister and her producers were scouting places for her to live – she was about to shoot a movie she had written, loosely based on her life. Joey King plays her in it, and it’s called Smartass.
They were moving us around different neighborhoods, kind of testing out where she might want to settle. So we spent a month here, a month in WeHo, then a month downtown, and eventually they put us up in the Hills for a month.
That was absolutely mind-blowing. There we were, the two of us, from basically the middle of nowhere, living in this massive, dilapidated, falling-down mansion in the Hollywood Hills. It was owned by a costume designer, and they had rented it from her. The place was packed with antiques and strange old clothes. It felt like stepping into another world.
Every day, I’d be dressing up in turbans, looking out at the city, it honestly felt like a dream. It was that Hollywood dream. That’s actually what inspired the idea for Wee Willy Winkie. We thought, what if these two kids, because that’s really what we were, what if they ended up in Hollywood?
Everything felt so beautiful back then, just looking out over the city and feeling the magic of it. That’s the feeling we wanted to capture. You’d look down the street, see a line of palm trees, and think, Oh my God, I’m really in California. I’m really in Hollywood.
That was the vibe we were chasing, something magical, a little surreal. Visually, we were heavily influenced by The Royal Tenenbaums, that kind of aesthetic really shaped the look and feel we were going for.
On your socials you refer to yourself as a “high school drama queen.” Can you tell us a little bit about your theatrical background and how that bleeds into your filmmaking style?
Actually, that’s a really good question. I think I was on stage for the first time when I was five. I come from a very religious family—I was a church singer growing up. I remember my first play in kindergarten was The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and I played the boy. During the actual performance, the kid opposite me forgot his lines. And I totally lost it—went a little ape, honestly—in front of all the parents.
I said, “I know your lines!” and I just did them for him. I finished the scene while he stood there watching. So I ended up playing both characters. And then I said something like, “I know your lines and my lines—I don’t know why you can’t learn them!” That was probably my first diva fit—my first full-on drama queen moment.
After that, I really leaned into being a drama kid. Even as a young teenager, I was acting in college plays. So my entire foundation for performance came from theater and its visual storytelling.
Eventually, we started our own non-profit film and theater company in Philadelphia, which we ran for 15 years. We just wanted to tell stories. None of us had really made films before. I mean, I had a silent Super 8 camera when I was a kid and a little video camera, but we’d never made a real movie.
So we basically created our own school, we just started doing it. We didn’t know we “weren’t supposed to” or that it wasn’t how things were done. We just wanted to make stuff, so we did. We put on a full season of live shows, and we also made music videos and short films on weekends, gathering everyone we could to help.
How do you think that background influences your storytelling style or your filmmaking approach?
It’s 100% guerrilla filmmaking. Just get it done—by any means necessary. That’s really our style. I don’t know all the technical terminology. I never went to film school. I just wanted to create. We’ve always loved the process, and that’s what kept us doing it.
With your title. Wee Willie Winky, was there any intentional nod to the 1937 Shirley Temple film where she plays a daughter of a widowed mother?
100%. And you know, the Wee Willie Winky is a child’s nursery rhyme in London, so it’s actually a little key into the father’s life. We wrote it actually as a series, a full series. So, and this is the proof of concept sort of for that series about these two estranged kids who end up back together in London, owners of a big antique shop, and then they’re discovering their own lives through their father, who has passed away. So they learn a whole new family and a whole new life about themselves.
Do you think that entertainment has a responsibility to be political? Or do you think it is also a means of escapism from politics? Or can it be both?
It can absolutely be both. Sometimes I go to the movies because I just wanna watch sh*t blow up. I go to the movies at least once a week, and I have for a very long time. It’s my favorite place in the world, and my mind is constantly worried about things in this world. If I could quote that whole Nicole Kidman thing, it’s 100% true. You sit down, the lights go down, the magic happens and you can forget about your life for a while, whatever that was. That thing cracks me up so hard.
But also sometimes you really want to watch work that is moving you. It has the power to change people. It has the power to shed light on situations that people don’t know about or have never thought about. And it really has the power to make people think. So 100% it can be both.
The matriarch of our story is no stranger to pina coladas. based on their personality types and respective quirks. What would be Len and Mark’s cocktails of choice?
Well, I think Len would drink anything bubbly. I think Mark would drink anything that was free, a free cocktail. Mark’s favorite cocktail is a free cocktail.
What do you hope audiences walk away with after watching Wee Willie Winky?
I hope they learn to laugh at dark stuff if they haven’t before. I hope they can find humor in pain. And I hope they want to know what happens next, and that someone else wants to know what happens next. Because I certainly want to, Jena and I certainly want to show you what happens next.
We started with one sentence and we’re going to end with one sentence. If you could write a one sentence love letter to queer cinema, what would that one sentence be?
This might make me cry because I remember the first gay movie I saw… Dear Cinema, thank you for… Hold on. Dear Cinema, thank you for showing me onscreen that I was okay, and that me being in the world was not an abomination, and for showing me that I have a place in the world. Yeah…
CinePride runs September 11 – 14, 2025 at Landmark Theatres Sunset.
For more information, visit CinePride.org
a&e features
Shaking up West Hollywood: Prince Joshua drops new single, ‘QUAKE’
The go-go personality and local music favorite celebrates self-expression and queer joy with a bold new release

In the vibrant heart of West Hollywood’s nightlife, one name has become synonymous with electric performances and fearless self-expression: Prince Joshua. Known for his jaw-dropping gogo routines at world-famous venues like The Abbey, Joshua has long captivated queer bar-goers up and down the West Coast. But lately, it is not just his moves turning heads, it is his music.
Fresh off a double win at the Los Angeles Blade’s Readers Choice Awards, where he was named “Go-Go of the Year” and “Local Music Artist of the Year,” Joshua is keeping the momentum alive with his latest release, “QUAKE.” Dropping on his birthday, August 20, the high-energy single and self-directed music video are a celebration of individuality, confidence, and shaking off insecurities.
“‘QUAKE’ is for the bad bitches,” Joshua says with a smile. “It is about owning what makes you unique, living for your own approval, and letting go of anything that holds you back.”
This release follows the success of his debut EP Crowned, which dropped in January and offered a raw yet playful exploration of queer nightlife, dating, and self-love. The project’s six tracks and three music videos blended club-ready beats with deeply personal lyrics, marking Joshua’s arrival as a recording artist with something to say.
Joshua’s artistry is rooted in his background as a performer. Originally from a small conservative town, his move to Los Angeles was an act of both self-preservation and self-celebration. “I grew up in a world that wasn’t made for someone like me,” he says. “But West Hollywood was made for people who express themselves through fashion, who are unapologetically queer. Here, the things I was bullied for are the things that are celebrated.”
He brings that same spirit to the stage, whether performing at WeHo Pride, SUMMERTRAMP, or in intimate club settings. His shows mix choreography, stunts, toe touches, splits, and costume changes, proving that gogo dancing is performance art at its finest. “While I respect the sex work industry, what I do is different. My performances come from a cheer background and combine music, movement, and fashion into one high-energy package.”
With “QUAKE,” Joshua takes his vision even further. He wrote, produced, directed, and styled the project himself, weaving together elements of cheerleading, twerking, and bold visuals that radiate Leo-season confidence. It is a one-man production that showcases his versatility and commitment to his craft.
As he looks ahead to his next EP and more collaborations with fellow queer artists, Joshua’s message remains consistent. “Every day you get a chance to be yourself and inspire others to do the same,” he says. “This world is not always kind to us, but we have each other. So take up space, use your voice, share your art, and never let anyone dim your light.”
With moves that dazzle, bars that bite, and a creative vision that refuses to be boxed in, Prince Joshua is proving there is more than one way to rule the stage. And with “QUAKE,” he is making sure everyone feels the aftershocks.
Watch “QUAKE”
a&e features
Belinda Carlisle on paying tribute to the California Dream in new cover album and why being an ally to queer people shouldn’t feel like effort
In “Once Upon a Time in California,” Carlisle recaptures the sounds she grew up around in Burbank and Thousand Oaks.

Belinda Carlisle thought this was going to be a calm summer. She says this now was a laugh.
Back in April, Carlisle reunited with The Go-Go’s at Coachella after the band’s last performance in 2022. What struck her was the young audiences that turned out knowing all the words — not the usual demographic for the band, she tells The Blade.
“It was like a feather in the cap. We got together for that festival, so I don’t think there’s going to be any more Go-Go’s, but I’ve learned you can never say never,” Carlisle says. “And I’m really blessed that people even care to talk to me, to be honest.”
But today, we’re not here to talk about The Go-Go’s. After the band’s public split in 1985, Carlisle transitioned into a high-profile solo career, one that continues with the release of her newest cover album, “Once Upon a Time in California,” on Aug. 29. As Carlisle switches gears — contributing to that not-so-calm summer she laughed about – she prepares to share tributes to iconic songs by The Carpenters (“Superstar”), Harry Nilsson (“Everybody’s Talkin”) and The Hollies (“The Air That I Breathe”) in a soulful tribute to home.
As a California native from Burbank and Thousand Oaks, Carlisle felt compelled to look back on her influences, and she started from a pool of a hundred songs. “The concept for this, first of all, were California radio songs that I loved,” Carlisle says, citing The Beach Boys. “I think we all wish we could have a time machine and go back in time … it’s more of a tribute to a dream of California and an idea.”
Carlisle hasn’t lived in California since 1994, when the devastating Northridge earthquake occurred, leaving her a spectator to the many changes the music industry has been through over the past three decades. Her new album arrives during a particularly tumultuous and deadly year for the state, with the wildfires that raged through the Palisades and the continued struggles in the film industry.
“It was inspiring to see people really step up to help others in the midst of so much loss and sadness — you could see humanity at work,” Carlisle says.
Beyond her music, Carlisle is constantly recognized for her allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. Her status as a gay icon became clear in the late ‘70s “punk days” while performing in The Go-Go’s. “My attitude was always, well, they have the best taste. I know it’s a cliché thing to say, but it’s true,” she says.
One of her biggest hits, “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” even became an official queer love anthem. In 2016’s “Black Mirror: San Junipero,” the song connects the two female protagonists who fall for each other, tying the story together thematically. While Carlisle admits to never getting around to watching the episode, she still recognizes its undeniable impact.
“It brought a whole new life to that song [from 1987]. It brought a whole new demographic of fans for me,” Carlisle says. “I heard that the way it’s used was really clever. And actually, the director of the episode had to have that song — that was what the whole episode was about. So I have to [finally] see it. I always kind of forget everything.”
A throughline in her decades-spanning career is Carlisle recognizing that allyship shouldn’t feel like a conscious effort. And that’s especially true in a year that has already seen countless attacks on queer and trans rights.
“Most of my friends are gay and lesbian, and I just always felt a real duty to do what I could,” Carlisle says. “I know that I will always continue to do what I can to be a voice for the community, especially having a son that’s being affected by all this.”
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