THE FIGHT CALIFORNIA'S LGBTQ MONTHLY MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019

DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 1

2 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

GIFT YOURSELF A SMILE.
ORDER WEED ONLINE.
Everybody can use extra cheer during the holidaze. Get yours delivered.
DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 3

THECONTENTS
FEATURES
14 WE ARE THE WORLD
LA PRIDE BIDS ON WORLDPRIDE 2025
16 THE FUTURE OF HIV/AIDS
MEN’S HEALTH FOUNDATION’S
ANTHONY MILLS MD
20 ANNETTE BENING: I’M PROUD
OF MY TRANSGENDER SON!
FOUR-TIME OSCAR NOMINEE SPEAKS OUT
24 CHOSEN FAMILIES
LIKE BIRDS OF A FEATHER
28 HOLIDAYS SURVIVAL GUIDE
COPING WITH END-OF-YEAR STRESSORS
30 A PLACE OF HEALING
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE MASTER
32 THE GOOD FIGHT
GREYSON CHANCE COMES OF AGE
36 NOT JUST A PHASE
LA-BASED SINGER/SONGWRITER FAZE
40 EXPLORING QUEER KINSHIP
ROBERT ANDY COOMBS: PALM SPRINGS
MUSEUM OF ART
DEPARTMENTS
08 THE TALK
10 THE STATE
12 THE CITY
18 THE ROSTOW REPORT
22 THE TRANSACTION
26 THE SHARE
39 THE PLACE
42 THE ART
44 THE CALENDAR
4 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com
ON THE COVER
& ON THIS PAGE
RAY MARTINEZ
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/RAYYYMARTINEZ
IVAN NUÑEZ
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/SHABLAMGELA
ERNESTO CASILLAS
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/ERNESTOCASILLAS
TONY MEDINA
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/HISVINTAGETOUCH
COVER PHOTO, CONTENTS PHOTO & FEATURE PHOTO
BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM

I N R I V E R S I D E
C O U N T Y ,
M O R E T H A N
1 0 , 0 0 0
P E O P L E L I V E W I T H
H I V .
G E T T E S T E D
DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 5
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THEEDITOR
At the beginning of this month, on
Sunday, December 1, lights turned
red across Los Angeles County, including
Los Angeles City Hall and the
pylons at Los Angeles International
Airport—to commemorate the 31st
annual World AIDS Day.
“These lights are seen by millions
of people across Los Angeles every
night and we hope their shining red
will remind those millions of the
over 31,000 Los Angelenos we have
lost to AIDS and the over 61,000 of
our friends and neighbors currently
living with HIV/AIDS,” said Craig E.
Thompson, CEO of APLA Health.
“Los Angeles County has the
second largest HIV epidemic in the
country and we must continue to
educate everyone on how to prevent
new infections. With broad access
to healthcare, tools like PrEP and
PEP, the science of Undetectable =
Untransmittable, and the passion of
countless advocates we can stop HIV
in its track.”
“We have the knowledge and tools
to stop HIV in our lifetime; what we
need is a real commitment to action,”
Thompson continued. “Hopefully
people are inspired by these lights
>> IN THIS ISSUE

T
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HO-HO-
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T
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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 7

THETALK
>> WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Join us in the Centennial Celebration of
Grand
Canyon
National Park
by donating in support of protecting our
natural, historic, and cultural resources.
LGBTQ
friendly
@grandcanyonconservancy @GCConservancy @grand_canyon_conservancy
Use Centennial hashtag #GoGrand
www.grandcanyon.org
DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 9

THESTATE
>> BY ORLY LYONNE

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Helping you take
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You could get financial help even if you
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CoveredCA.com
Sign up by December 15 to have coverage starting January 1.
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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 11

THECITY
>> BY PAULO MURILLO

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK
PEP is an emergency medication that
can stop HIV infection when taken
within 72 hours of exposure.
At Men’s Health Foundation, we offer
same-day PEP appointments and
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Call our 24-hour PrEP/PEP hotline
at 310-721-0255 to learn more.
9201 W. Sunset Blvd. Suite 812,
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@MensHealthFound
MensHealthFound.org
DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 13

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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 15

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

CASEY SPOONER

THEROSTOWREPORT
>> BY ANN ROSTOW

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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 21

THETRANSACTION
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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 23

CHOSEN
FAMILIES
Like birds of a feather—where everyone can
shine and be their authentic selves.
BY VICTOR MELAMED | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM
Four best friends, all working
in the visual arts field, have
proven that sometimes
choosing your own family
provides a unique support
network—a place where
everyone can shine and be
their authentic selves.
RAY MARTINEZ
Raymond Martinez, film maker and
visual artist, Ivan Nuñez, makeup artist,
Ernesto Casillas, makeup artist, and
Tony Medina, hair dresser and vintage
fashionista all met through mutual
friends around seven years ago.
“After getting to know everyone more
in depth we realized that we had a lot of
things in common—especially a passion
for art. We all became family,” say Ray
Martinez in an interview with THE FIGHT.
Martinez is a film creator and visual
artist from Los Angeles. Being a life
long horror fan has highly influenced
his work in many ways, he tells THE
FIGHT. He’s inspired mainly by a lot
of 70’s and 80s horror slasher films,
especially from Darrio Argento. The use
of bright colors and hues of reds, blues,
and pinks, are also a staple in his work.
As a film creator he loves challenging
himself to work on projects outside his
comfort zone.
IG: https://instagram.com/rayyymartinez
IVAN NUÑEZ
Ivan Nuñez, a first generation
Mexican American, says his make up interest
“began as a teen playing with my
moms make up and wanting to emulate
her style; drawing and painting the
faces of magazine high fashion models
on canvas became my pastime… this
“I REMEMBER LOOKING
AT EVERYONE AND
FEELING LIKE … ‘THIS
IS WHERE I BELONG’
AMONG FRIENDS
AND ARTISTS AND AN
ENTIRE COMMUNITY
THAT CELEBRATES
EACH OTHER.”
hobby ultimately led into what’s been
a lucrative and rewarding journey into
the professional Los Angeles beauty
industry. Make up is my passion and I
live it everyday.”
Nuñez, says his all-time favorite
memory of being together happened
“one night at club Puteria…. the group
and all our friends came out (no pun intended
) dressed up, ready for absolute
debauchery, and I remember looking
at everyone and feeling like … ‘this is
where I belong’ among friends and
artists and an entire community that
celebrates each other.”
IG: https://instagram.com/shablamgela
ERNESTO CASILLAS
Born and raised in Los Angeles,
Ernesto Casillas is an Emmy winning
makeup artist with a decade of experience
under his belt working with celebrities,
mostly women of color.
“I first met Ivan through Myspace
over ten years ago, and I had the biggest
crush on him,” he reveals. “I used
to chat with him online, but I was too
shy to actually ask him out. We stopped
talking once Myspace died out, but a
few years later we met each other at
this party Evita when it used to be in
Hollywood, and we became best friends
almost instantly.”
“I’ve met most of my queer friends
through social media, and that’s one of
the positive things that has come out
of this social media era,” says Casillas.
“The ability to connect with other queer
people, no matter how far or close they
are. It’s amazing.”
IG: https://instagram.com/ernestocasillas
TONY MEDINA
Tony Medina, professionally known by
his business name “His Vintage Touch”,
describes himself as a “Mama’s Boy.”
A native Angeleno, Medina considers
himself “a vintage fashionista, that
not only dresses in vintage fashion,
but has made it a part of my art form…
I’m a working hairdresser, specializing
in vintage glamour. I’ve brought
my vintage touch to stars like Lil Kim,
Zendaya, Amber Rose, Paris Hilton,
Cardi B, and I am best know my work
on the modern queen of vintage glamour,
Dita Von Teese.”
Medina says the friends featured in
this article are “a tight knitted group of
Latinx artists in LA that collectively have
became my tribe.”
“When we are all here in LA, I try
to have everyone over for food and
drinks,” reveals Medina. “We all catch
up, have a few drinks, talk about our
travels, new projects, talk a little shit,
and roast each other! These are my
FAVORITE memories with my sisters!”
IG: https://instagram.com/hisvintagetouch
24 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

COVER FEATURE

THESHARE
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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 27

HOLiDAYS
SURVIVAL
GUIDE
Coping with prejudice,
discrimination and
end-of-year stressors
BY JAMES GUAY, LMFT
Holiday experiences are so
wide and varied that they can
conjure up a diverse array of
thoughts, feelings and memories.
For some, they’re the best time of
the year and for others it’s a continual
reminder of what’s missing. As LGBTQ
people, we face additional challenges.
So how do we learn to move from
merely surviving the Holidays to thriving
in the present moment?
Holiday Blues—including loneliness,
disappointment, grief, stress, and sadness—hits
people of all genders, sexual
orientations, ages, races, bodies and
differing abilities.
Frequent holiday stressors are: too
many or too few holiday commitments;
financial strains of gift giving & extra
expenses; grief from breakups and lost
loved ones; family estrangement; family
drama; travel stress; and less daylight &
colder weather.
When we’re expected to be happier
and are around people who have an
extra step in their stockings, it can highlight
that we’re not in sync and increase
our holiday blues. When we’d rather not
celebrate THAT holiday or feel inundated
with constant reminders, it can
increase our holiday blues.
Typical advice for coping with the
holidays include: get organized; budget;
don’t overcommit; take breaks; pace
yourself; don’t bring up politics/religion
at family events; remember what it’s all
about; and be grateful.
And while those might be helpful
reminders, what do we do when we’re just
not into it or worse, experiencing holidayrelated
rejection, abandonment or trauma?
While there’s greater acceptance of
us overall in society
there are still far
too many families
that are intolerant
or even hostile toward
their LGBTQ
relatives. Given that
we usually don’t have
LGBTQ parents, we often
miss out on the validation,
support and instruction
on how to cope with a
homophobic, biphobic, and
transphobic society…especially in
the Trump era of decreasing protections
and increasing hate.
How do we cope with prejudice and
discrimination in addition to the other
end-of-year holiday stressors?
First, let’s be honest with ourselves.
Let’s admit that this is actually happening,
if not to ourselves, to others within
our community. We don’t need to gloss
over things. That can be a form of gas
lighting where we know something is
very wrong but others around us ignore
or question our reality. When we resist
or minimize the facts of the present moment,
this often leads to stuckness and
voluntary entrapment.
Let’s also recognize that not all families
are alike. Blood is not always
thicker than water in many of
our lived experiences. While
some of us have rockstar families
who vote with us, march at
Pride and welcome our chosen
family, others of us face continual
and repeated assaults to our very
being-ness. Family estrangement is
real, and strong boundaries including
no contact can be exactly what’s needed
28 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

IT’S NOT OUR JOB TO MAKE OTHER
PEOPLE, FAMILY INCLUDED, FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR PREJUDICES
AND DISCRIMINATION, WHETHER THROUGH
THEIR ACTIONS OR INACTIONS… IT’S
PERFECTLY FINE, HOWEVER, TO TABLE THOSE
CONVERSATIONS TO ANOTHER TIME OR TO
PICK AND CHOOSE OUR BATTLES.
>> COVER FEATURE

PASTOR PEG

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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 31

GREYSON CHANCE

DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 33

34 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 35

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DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 37

38 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com
38 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

THE PLACE

EXPLORING
QUEER KINSHIP
Photographs by disabled, queer artist and activist
Robert Andy Coombs at the Palm Springs Museum of Art
The “Touching History: Stonewall
50” exhibition at the Palm
Springs Museum of Art—running
through March 19, 2020—features,
among others, photographs by
disabled, queer artist and activist Robert
Andy Coombs.
Bringing together an intergenerational
group of contemporary artists working in photography
and collage, the exhibition explores
queer kinship, care, and community through
the immediacy and intimacy of touch.”
Self-described as, “Ballsy, charming,
devastatingly handsome, homosexual,
yooper, disabled, artist, activist,” Coombs
is currently working towards his Masters
in Fine Art Photography at Yale University.
Grateful to be a part of the historic exhibition,
Coombs says: “I am just glad that I
can get the topic of disability and sexuality
out to the masses, and more specifically, to
have the opportunity to show that there are
disabled queers out here. We need to be
recognized and included within the queer
community, because current queer spaces
are inaccessible and unwelcoming to us!”
About the inclusion of Coombs work,
“Touching History: Stonewall 50” curator
David Evans Franz says, “Robert’s work
is important within the exhibition both for
its unabashed commitment to producing
sex-positive imagery of disabled people, as
well as the collaborative process in which
they are produced.”
More about the Touching History:
Stonewall 50 exhibition at www.psmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/stonewall-50
More about Robert Andy Coombs at
www.robertandycoombs.com
40 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 41

THEART
>> LGBTQ ARTISTS

QUEER MAPS

THECALENDAR
>> THINGS TO DO

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For Daily News Visit:
www.thefightmag.com
DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 45

46 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com

DECEMBER 2019 | THE FIGHT 47

LENNIE ROMAN
GENERAL
MANAGER
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I would like to extend a very warm
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We will help you find the car of your
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MANAGER
Call: 833-707-2506
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48 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com