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TheColu.mn ceased publication in 2019, but we are keeping the site running to ensure our authors and stories remain. A lot of important stories were covered by TheColu.mn and a significant amount of LGBTQ history recorded. Our aim is to make that accessible. Thank you to everyone who supported us over the ten years we were live!

Queering the Tarot: The Five of Pentacles

Last month we looked at greed and uncertainty in the pentacles, and I promise the Pentacles get cheerful again! Just, uh, not right now. Fives in general are our cards of duress and heartbreak, and this one specifically speaks to financial loss and poverty. Pentacles are Earth energy, and Earth is anything that keeps us connected to the world around us and allows us to grow and thrive. That means this Five also speaks to feeling isolated and disconnected, and it can include feeling lost or alone spiritually or existentially. This is a hard card and one where it’s easy to get down on yourself and lost in your emotions.

I don’t want to overlook a very common factor in the artwork in this card though; often the card shows a couple of people lost/stuck in the snow/etc. while they look in on a lush room filled with happy people. There’s two ways to interpret that. One is that, yeah, wow, this is a really hard time you’re going through. You’re 100% right to feel like it isn’t fair or justified. That message can also be taken as a warning not to compare yourself and your life to others though. In the heyday of the internet and instagram and all of our wonderful apps it’s easy to look at what it looks like other people have and are boasting about and feel low about where we are and how we’re doing. Depending on how you see this card, there’s two different outlets for those feelings. You can use that stable Earth energy to figure out how to move forward yourself, or you can just…stop. Stop comparing yourself to other people, because where you are now is where you are. If you can change that behavior, this card is a necessary message to do so. If you can’t, you’re only going to hurt yourself more by staring in vain at what other people have.

In my own life, this card has shown up when I get the blues about not being romantically partnered, or when it feels like my life is behind schedule because a lot of my college friends are two or more kids in already. Sometimes the card shows up because it wants me to recognize where maybe I am a little behind schedule, but more often than not it is that stark reminder to stop comparing myself to my often straight and cisgender age peers. I don’t want a family in the traditional way, and that’s a pretty common (though certainly not unilateral) mindset in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s ridiculous then that the feelings of inadequacy and “What am I even doing with my life” creep in when I see that Betsy from Advanced Geometry is on her third kid, but it happens with stark regularity.

As we queer this card, we need to look at the realities of life for a queer seeker, and while not having a partner is not life threatening, it does lead into that feeling of isolation and certainly makes us feel lost at times. The reality is that it’s harder to date in the queer community, especially when you’re over thirty. That’s fine! Everyone who is single needs the occasional reminder to stop comparing yourself to other people and their relationships. In a community that makes up approximately five percent of the population, the odds are a little stacked against you. Be gentle on yourself.

Of course I’m not going to ignore the effects of poverty on querents from the LGBTQ+ community and how this card plays a hand there. Another one of those realities of our lives that keep coming up is that housing, employment, and stability very often do not come easily or securely to us as queer people. In a card of poverty or financial loss, we do need to take that into account. Unfortunately, we are likely still climbing uphill the best we can when this card shows up. Non-profits and community resources fold, and this Five isn’t going to lie to us if a resource we are building is heading that way. Our personal financial lives can be in shambles for the foreseeable future because of how poverty intersects with other marginalized identities. That can all be a tough pill to swallow. That can be valuable information too though. It could be that we needed to hear our current path wasn’t about to lead to success so we can switch gears. It could be the final straw that encourages you to seek help and resources. It could be that sometimes we need to struggle before we move ahead in our journey, which the Pentacles do promise in the following cards.

Another harsh reality for queer seekers is the spiritual poverty often seen in this card. So many of us grew up Christian, Muslim, or Jewish in churches, mosques, and temples that didn’t want us once we came out. The temptation to turn away from our Gods or spirituality on the whole is nearly impossible not to give in to when we are pushed away from religious communities that once felt like home. Unpopular opinion, I know, but I actually think that time of feeling separated from your Higher Power is good. Religion should be deeply personal, and until you are metaphorically lost in the dark woods, you are never going to find your personal sunrise. Some LGBTQ+ people are very Christian, very Muslim, very Jewish, and many of them find a spiritual home that lets them be both. Still I think this is something you have to find for yourself. This card is not a fun one, but a time to question is an opportunity, and it’s an opportunity that leads so many of us to a deep, primal understanding of ourselves and our spirits if we let ourselves lose our way for awhile.

Exciting Note: Queering the Tarot is getting turned into a book published through Weiser/Red Wheel publishing! That book comes out in early 2019 and I’ll keep you posted as I know more. Thanks for continuing to follow this journey.

Pride Month Must Sees: Smaller Events You Still Won’t Want to Miss!

I struggled with what I wanted to cover and how for this month’s Queer Arts Must Sees. There are obviously a lot of big, important events happening all over the Twin Cities. That includes out of towners dropping by and a host of regular events (see the list of recurring events at the end of this post) amping it up several notches. In the end, I decided to primarily cover things you might otherwise miss in the sea of events happening this month. Those of us looking for something quieter or different are (hopefully) served well by the list below. I threw in a few super sized bonuses for good measure though; Pride sometimes brings out my rare desire to get loud and wild.

Theatre & Film

  • There’s a new small theatre company in town called The BAND Group devoted specifically to supporting other non-profits, and I’m really excited about their inaugural producted. TART is an all queer retelling of the Moliere classic Tartuffe told in a present day gay nightclub. It will be running June 1st-16th at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Tickets available here.
  • Uprising Theater Company’s latest and first site specific work Apples In Winter by Jennifer Fawcett tackles the death penalty and prison system with this one woman show in a literal kitchen. This company is queer-led and always leaves us with tangible steps we can take to make a difference in the issues at hand. Tickets are limited so grab yours now.
  • Also running on June 1st and 2nd is Altered Esthetic’s Fifth Annual Film Festival, Force Majeure, which actually started on May 31st at Strike Theater. Local queer and trans filmmakers are among those featured. There’s music and more going on, so be sure to check it out.
  • If you’re looking to spend most of your Pride month laughing, don’t forget about Huge Theater. This small improv theater is always inclusive, and Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout June will feature performances by LGBTQ+ artists (as well as other great improv acts). Their calendar is here, and that’s also where you can secure tickets.
  • Fellow Travelers is an exciting opera about the love affair between two men in 1950s Washington D.C. being produced by the MN Opera. This show runs at The Cowles Center June 16th-26th, and you can find out more here. There’s a few special events with the show you can find out about at that link as well.
  • June 26th sees Gadfly Theatre Productions’ bring Drunk Queer History back to the stage. This event combines storytelling, improv, and queer history to raucous and hilarious results at Lush. Our Brown Paper Tickets page is here.

Visual  & Literary Arts

  • The “Femme & Fancy Flea Pop-Up” features some of my favorite makers and artists in town at Canteen on Sunday June 3rd. I’ve attached the flyer (below) so you can see more details and mark your calendar.

  • Girlpond Productions has been rebranded as The L Spot and are hosting a really fabulous night of music and perusing their shopping selection of used books and more on June 9th. The Facebook event is the best way to find out more.
  • Also on Saturday June 9th is the Lit Crawl MN, a really wonderful literary event that will take you through a variety of writers and literary arts creators, many LGBTQ+, and introduce you to new literary spaces and friends. A lot of familiar names like Graywolf Press and The Loft Literary Center are involved, but you’ll see lots of small and unique work too. That event link is here.
  • If you want to learn a new literary and artistic skill, I’m leading a Queering the Tarot workshop at The Future on June 14th that will seak to tear down the hierarchies and binaries inherent in a standard tarot deck and take you on a new (queer) journey through the cards. More info and tickets here.
  • Pride isn’t the only festival in town this month. The annual Northern Spark Festival which takes place overnight on June 15th & 16th all over downtown Minneapolis is coming back and always features some great queer artists and generally progressive and radical viewpoints in the work featured. Find out more at their really beautiful website.
  • If you want to end the month as queerly as you started, don’t miss Black Poets: On Creating A Blackmosphere featuring Lisa Marie Brimmer and Keno Evol. Brimmer is known for her lilting words and queer black activism, and she’ll be presenting new work and helping lead a conversation. Also known as Juneteenth, this June 30th event is happening at the Hennepin County Library.

Drag, Burlesque, Cabaret & Music

  • What would Pride month even be without it’s 3rd Annual Pride Yacht Party kickoff featuring Quinn Villagomez AKA Shimmer, Dua, and Marcel Michelle Mobama (among others) on June 1st? Luckily we don’t have to find out. This lavish event features all QTIPOC and will likely sell out. Be among the few by grabbing your spot here.

  • Patrick’s Cabaret is really, really ending this month but not without a chance to say good-bye. The company’s FUNeral will be held at Lush and feature eulogistic performances by top Twin Cities artists, mostly LGBTQ+. You really do not want to miss this one on June 3rd, and you can purchase your ticket here.
  • Much like Pride itself doesn’t need a ton of press, I’m sure you’re already well aware of Rock The Garden hosted at and by The Walker Art Center. Nonetheless queer favorites Chastity Brown and Feist will be there, so it’s worth a mention. June 16th is the date this year. More info available here. As a side note, the Walker will also feature a family friendly Pride event for their First Saturday series. You can find that information here.
  • Daddy is already known as one of the hottest tickets in town but for Pride their doubling our fun with two nights of dancing and unique, super queer entertainment that you sometimes can’t catch anywhere else. This will be Wednesday & Thursday June 20th and 21st. Tickets for Wednesday are here and Thursday are here.
  • If a comedy show is more your style this Pride, local lesbian comedy Maggie Farris has your back as she produces the simply named LGBT MPLS Pride Comedy Show featuring local LGBTQ+ comedians like Farris herself, Sarah McPeck, Jakey Emmert, and so many other really amazing comedians. That is at Sisyphus on Friday, June 22nd and tickets are here.

  • Also happening on Friday June 22nd is the Black Hearts Burlesque, #DragRevolution and Lush Pride kickoff to end all Pride kickoffs. While the Black Hearts are a recurring show, I’m ending with this event because their Pride line-up features Aja from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Luminous Pariah so it’s for sure an extra special show. As always, tickets are available at Lush’s website. This Four Hour show really will be an amazing event if you’re looking for standard Pride parties.

Recurring Events
Huge Theater has an open Queer Improv Jam for queer improv artists to come and laugh and play together on the first Sunday of the month at 5:00 P.M. No need to register, just come to 3037 Lyndale Ave S. to jam with great professional and amateur improv-ers. No cover.

You definitely don’t want to miss OutSpoken, a queer open mic hosted by Paul Canada, Marcel Michelle Mobama and Blaze Bordeaux on the second Wednesday of every month. This great event is now hosted at Lush! More information here.

Every Thursday night Can Can Wonderland puts together a variety show like none other. Six to eight acts share Can Can’s stage. Local LGBTQ+ talent and those known to the community for legitimate allyship often feature. The event is free, 21+, and starts at 9:00 P.M.

The second Thursday of the night is a special time in comedy here in the Twin Cities. Pssy Ctrl is an all female & queer comedy event happening at the Comedy Corner Underground. It’s hosted by Rana May and Shelley Paul and is just $7 unless you’re a student—then it’s free. No reservations, just show up!

Telling Queer History is a story-telling and community building event that happens on the second Sunday of every month and changes locations. Check out their Facebook page for more information and to keep up with their rotating spaces.

Another amazing storytelling event is curated and hosted by the one and only Andrea Jenkins and John Medeiros. It’s called Queer Voices: A Reading Series and takes place monthly with amazing features each month. Intermedia Arts’ website has more.

Lush’s entire nightlife entertainment line-up is incredible. Must sees include:

  • Black Hearts Burlesque every Friday night at 10:00 P.M. featuring Black Hearts Founder Elektra Cute.
  • #DragRevolution every Saturday at 10:00 P.M. hosted by Twin Cities legend Victoria DeVille.
  • Deviance: A Transmasculine Cabaret featuring music, drag, boylesque and more every fourth Saturday at 7:00 P.M.
  • Local lesbian comedy darling Sarah McPeck’s variety show The Big Fat Comedy Hour on the second Sunday of the month at 7:00 P.M.
  • Drag Brunch every Sunday at 11:30 featuring an all-star line-up and always with a theme that guarantees the most fun for your money.

For tickets to events at Lush head over to their website. They’ve got an event space that seats plenty, but it does sell out regularly so grab your tickets in advance.

The Gay ’90s has a rough reputation in the LGBTQ+ community, but they’ve spent the past year or two cleaning up their act and bringing in some great new acts. Fan favorites include:

  • Sweetpea and Mistress Mara hosting Kinky Friday on the first Friday of every month. This 18+ event is part performance, part kinky party, and all around great time.
  • GLAM! Boylesque shows up intermittently at the Ladies of La Femme Lounge. The next one is June 9th. Don’t miss out!
  • Speaking of Ladies of La Femme—there are nightly drag shows at this huge lounge for plenty of you and yours to show up and see some great drag. Many of the queens have been there for years, and those legends alone are worth seeing. The new talent that gets brought in is also absolutely wonderful.

One of the first LGBTQ+ bars I came to regularly when I first came to Minneapolis was The Townhouse in St. Paul. While the entertainment line-ups are obviously completely different now than the were almost a decade ago, they’re still diverse, entertaining, and full of solid artists. Best shows include (but are not limited too):

  • Pumps and Pearls Drag Revue at 9:30 P.M. Every Wednesday night.
  • Dragged Out, a cast of Drag Kings with special guests that fills up the main room on the third Friday of every month.
  • A great trial run for aspiring burlesque performers and other awesome performances happens the second Friday of every month at 10:30 P.M. And the Nudie Nubie’s Show hosted by Red Bone and Foxy Tann.

Please note: we’d love to include YOU and YOUR work at TheColu.mn’s Arts Calendar. Please submit events to [email protected] or . As a fun bonus, if your event is super innovative or exciting, we’re likely to reach out for a deeper feature or review.

Please note: we’d love to include YOU and YOUR work at TheColu.mn’s Arts Calendar. Please submit events to [email protected] or . As a fun bonus, if your event is super innovative or exciting, we’re likely to reach out for a

Around the Region: WI attorney general attended anti-LGBTQ conference on state dime

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Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Attorney General is taking heat for using state funds to attend an anti-LGBTQ conference, WPR reports:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel came under fire from Democrats on Tuesday for reports he was paid to speak at an anti-LGBT group’s conference last year.
According to state records first reported on by the Associated Press, Schimel spoke at an Alliance Defending Freedom conference in 2017.
Alliance Defending Freedom is known for its opposition to homosexuality and has pushed for legislation that would allow businesses to refuse service to gay customers.
According to the AP report, Schimel was paid more than $4,000 for travel and a daily honorarium for the appearance.
Wisconsin Democrats quickly moved to criticize Schimel’s association with the group.
“Our attorney general should not be associating in any way with hate groups,” said Josh Kaul, who is running against Schimel for the attorney general’s office this fall.

In a statement, One Wisconsin, the state’s LGBTQ advocacy group, demanded transparency about his attendance at the conference:

“Brad Schimel needs to come clean on why, in his official capacity as Attorney General of the state of Wisconsin, he took over $4,100 for first class travel and accommodations to appear before a hate group,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “He needs to immediately turn over the records related to his appearance, for which he was paid, and what remarks he delivered at this gathering of rabid homophobes.”

Schimel tried to keep the trip secret, the Post Crescent reports:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel planned to keep secret a $4,100 trip last year that was funded by a Christian legal organization accused of being a hate group, according to newly released records.
The five-day trip to a southern California resort in July 2017 surfaced this month after Schimel alluded to a conference paid for by the Alliance Defending Freedom in annual financial disclosures.
The Republican attorney general has since faced criticism from Democrats and a national civil rights group. ADF has been previously called an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Schimel appeared on conservative talk radio programs last week to refute the criticisms, saying in one interview that there is “nothing anti-gay” about ADF and he attended the conference to speak on a panel about states’ rights.
“I’ve never gone to a conference where there was frankly so much love,” Schimel said during another interview.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says ADF has supported criminalizing homosexuality, defended state-sanctioned sterilization of transgender people and developed legislation that would deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people goods and services on the basis of religion. ADF says it works to preserve freedoms for all Americans.

A gay conservative Republican wants to replace Rep. Paul Ryan, US News reports:

A Republican who describes himself as a “gay Christian conservative” is joining the race to replace House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Brad Boivin announced Thursday that he is running in the 1st Congressional District race in southeast Wisconsin.
Boivin grew up in Janesville and his father worked for the now-closed General Motors plant there. Boivin says he is a Christian, conservative and gay man who has learned to “fiercely” defend his beliefs because of that.

A gay man has been appointed as alderman in West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

From a field of nine candidates who were interviewed for an appointment as interim second district alderman, Eric Euteneier was chosen by the common council Tuesday, May 15.
Euteneier, who already serves on the West Allis Board of Appeals and the beautification committee and is a Neighborhood Watch captain, will serve until April 2019. Then he can run for the year remaining on the four-year term of Cathleen Probst, who resigned after moving to Appleton. Several of those who also had applied for the appointment said they would run for the office next April.
In reacting to the council’s appointment, Euteneier said he was “extremely honored” and that his appointment holds a special meaning for him.
“I hope to be a role model to not only the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community of which I am a part, but to all minority groups,” Euteneier said. “Our voices are important and very much have a place within the community, as well as in public service.”

Iowa
Iowa City is looking to increase LGBTQ inclusivity in the school district but some religious community members are pushing back, the Press Citizen reports:

Reading from the Bible and quoting the definition of gender dysphoria, a handful of community members voiced their opposition to the idea of to introducing more LGBTQ topics into curriculum at Iowa City area schools at Tuesday’s board meeting.
The idea to gradually integrate LGBTQ topics into existing curriculum across all subjects and grade levels in some form or fashion was first presented to the board by a task force this school year. Made up of parents, community members, school district staff and University of Iowa researchers, the task force formed after the 2017 school climate survey showed that a high rate of LGBTQ-identifying students felt unsafe in Iowa City schools. The 2018 survey results presented Tuesday showed similar results.
Their recommendations include bolstering support for LGBTQ student groups and ensuring that LGBTQ students feel comfortable reporting harassment to an adult at their school — preferably to teachers and administrators who have had training on how to respond to such reporting.
The recommendation to infuse LGBTQ curriculum particularly caught Ian Corbin’s attention, because it applied to all grade levels, including some form of curriculum infusion for elementary school students.
The longtime Iowan has children who will attend Iowa City schools when they are older, like he did. He kicked off the backlash during public comment by reading a Bible verse, 1 Corinthians 6:9-12, which says “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God,” including “men who practice homosexuality.”

LGBTQ students in the district feel unsafe which has prompted the move, KCRG reports:

A 2017 climate survey found that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-sexual students feel unsafe when it comes to bullying and harassment in the Iowa City School District. A task recommended including more LGBTQ-centered curriculum but not everyone agrees that’s the answer.

At the most recent Iowa City School board meeting, the issue of adding LGBTQ content to classrooms drew complaints, mostly from parents on religious grounds. The district said the discussion is about more than just curriculum; it’s culture.
“I feel like comments that focus on just one part of what we’re trying to do is not understanding the bigger picture in that we’re trying to shift a system,” said Iowa City Community School District Equity Director Kingsley Botchway.
That shift is one reason Iowa City Pride was at the same board meeting. They donated LGBTQ-friendly books to elementary school students.
“The book are meant to help them understand some things that their parents might not understand even,” said Chris Hawe of Iowa City Pride.

North Dakota
The Red River Rainbow Seniors got a profile in North Dakota newspapers last week:

Lee Clarens walked into the room with a big smile on her face and an even bigger exclamation.
“I brought popcorn!” she said as she placed the big blue bag of cheddar and caramel popcorn on the table.
While Clarens and her friends in the Red River Rainbow Seniors weren’t here for a party, it still kind of felt like it as they sat on the old white couches surrounded by books, rainbow flags and plenty of laughter. A group of LGBTQ people over the age of 50 living Fargo-Moorhead, the Red River Rainbow Seniors offer a place for socializing, education and advocacy.
On this recent night, they gathered for a business meeting at the Pride Collective and Community Center, 1105 1st Ave. S., North Dakota’s only brick-and-mortar gathering space for the LGBTQ community. Other nights, the group meets at restaurants or bars for happy hours or goes to a member’s house to watch movies.
“As people age, they tend to isolate themselves and that can be especially true for us,” said Ella Huwe. “We wanted to create a community so they don’t have to do that.”

Policy and Laughter Blend Beautifully With The Theater of Public Policy

If you’ve never been to a show at the Theater of Public Policy, you should go–soon. This part Town Hall, party comedy show brings conversations about government, policy, and reform to Bryant-Lake Bowl audiences in an accessible and fun format. The theater invites experts in a field related to government, policy, or social justice to the stage to speak on their area of interest, and then the improv cast performs a set based on that. In the first half of the show, the host facilitates a conversation about policy and other important topics between the panelists. The improv cast then takes the stage and creates a set loosely based on that conversation. The second half of the show gives audience members a chance to ask those panelists questions. After some back and forth between the experts and the audience, the improv team goes at it again.

The Theater of Public Policy show I attended was, of course, their LGBTQ+ show entitled We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Going to Use a Hashtag. The guest speakers were Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham and Mossier Social Action Program Manager Charlie Rounds. I mention this to give credit to these notable speakers, but the guests do change every week depending on the topic. The night was marketed as an intergenerational conversation, and the improv cast reflected that as well. Topics covered in future weeks are climate change, our national economy, and the death with dignity movement.

I expected some rough spots in the conversation during We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Going to Use a Hashtag. Intergenerational conversations are not easy, nor are conversations about any of the topics the Theatre of Public Policy is presenting this May. I don’t think everyone in the audience was as prepared as I was though, and that’s actually a good thing. There needs to be a place where people like Cunningham can openly call out white supremacy and economic privilege in our movement and community. There needs to be a place that we call into question or our privilege and experiences. There needs to be a place where queer youth can learn about the history and ongoing struggles of our movement and community. I also think it’s important that those things happen in an arts environment, where we know we are safe and we know the laughter is coming. A lot of people will check out of a more intense setting, or just not show up at all, and the Theater of Public Policy doesn’t leave room for either of those options

It is likely that upcoming conversations will get less tense less often. That’s also fine; the primary point of the panel portion of this show is education. Both Cunningham and Rounds taught me some facts and stats that even I didn’t know about our rights movements, and I’m pretty well-versed in all things queer. The Theater of Public Policy also strikes me as a necessary meeting ground and community space for politicos and policy nerds to mingle with the arts community that is consistently doing radical work and vice-versa.

The show itself is a stroke of genius. We need to be educated on these issues and this format really “goes there”, but with the promise of some of the best improvisers in the Twin Cities hitting the stage we never check out. This type of show is ushering in conversations and creating comedy sets that are urgent, now more than ever. The promise of events like this is why I do art in the first place.

Cast member Denzel Belin has some feelings during the improv team’s set.

Moving into the art of this series, I am always pleasantly surprised when an improv show is not just funny and cathartic but also polished and professional. This show hits all of those marks. The cast rotates out each week, so rather than go into everyone I saw, here’s a link to their larger cast. The cast played beautifully together creating a consistent sense of joviality throughout the show–a difficult thing to do when tackling such intense material. I was impressed with how social justice oriented the improv set stayed too. This cast stayed very conscientious about queer identities and who might be in attendance for the whole show without ever sacrificing the humor we came to the show for. Note to the improv and comedy scenes: it is absolutely, for sure possible to be both hilarious and respectful of marginalized people. The Theater of Public Policy hits it out of the park. As a side note, I am personally a huge fan of musical improv and comedy and this show had no less than three show-stopping numbers created on the spot for us.

It is both difficult and necessary to have events like the Theatre of Public Policy. There aren’t a ton of resources that break down policy for laypeople that those laypeople will show up to. Furthermore, laughter is absolutely critical for navigating difficult things and times. Finding a balance between the two is challenging, but this group does a stellar job.

The Theater of Public Policy is running shows every Monday through the end of May at Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. The shows are at 7:00 pm and are done by 8:30. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The Theater of Public Policy also has a podcast that promises to be really wonderful too. You can find out more about this great group (including the cast), their upcoming shows, how to get tickets, and the aforementioned podcast at their website.

Queering the Tarot: The Four of Pentacles

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The Four of Pentacles denotes success, but it’s one I’ve always had a hard time connecting with. The figure pictured in a traditional Rider Waite tarot deck is holding on to his coins tightly, refusing to let anyone else touch them–and refusing to take chances or move forward in his own life for fear of losing them. This then is a card about conservatism, and worse yet, stinginess or miserliness. It’s a card that leads to loneliness, and it’s a card that creates a wildly unpleasant, if technically successful, life. This card shows up when someone is overly concerned with the financial part of a career they don’t love, but the most common manifestation I see in clients and friends is more of a metaphor. If this card is about being ungenerous, that doesn’t always just mean money. Most people getting tarot readings are not money-centric to a fault the way that this card indicates, though it has had the traditional applications when querents were asking about their boss, a parent, or a partner where things were turning sour. Most often though, this is a card of holding your hand to close to your chest and refusing to let go of information people close to you may need about your inner workings. It’s very often a card of not being generous of heart or spirit and can indicate a seeker who wants to open their heart but can’t. Much like the traditional figure holds his coins close to his body, if this card is showing up as you or an energy you’re putting out there, it’s showing you that you are holding your mysteries, secrets, or capacity for love too tightly and keeping them too internal.

As LGBTQ+ people, it’s a really common temptation to fall into. We get messages and coding from society around us all the time that the way we love or even the way we are isn’t “right.” After enough messages become internalized, we don’t trust when love (in any form) crosses our path. We hold our hearts tightly in our own hands no matter what your queer community or a potential partner does to earn us opening up a little bit. The nature of this card running through my veins is one of my greatest weaknesses as a human. So I know, and I get it. That fear of being hurt, and not only losing someone we could have loved but proving this hurtful world right about us seeps into how we treat the people who are actually worth our hearts. This card shows up mostly as a warning. “This is what you’re doing. Please stop.” or sometimes more politely “It’s okay to let your guard down now.”

Alternatively, this card often indicates that this is what someone (who isn’t you) in your life is doing or going through. It may not be personal, and if anything they may be desperately trying to let you in. Yet they grip themselves so tightly that you can not find your way; this is not your fault. Unfortunately though, it may not change. You have to decide if those pieces of themselves they are clutching are precious enough to wait for. They may be–but the reality is it may be time to walk away. You’re not a friend or partner’s therapist. This is not your job. You are dealing with someone who likely has years or decades of holding too tightly under their belt, and sometimes it’s better to walk away and work through your own stuff.

I don’t want to overlook the elements of control in the Four of Pentacles and how they can manifest negatively in our lives too. Sometimes people hold on to themselves too tightly, but sometimes they hold on to others too tightly. There are times when this is okay. You want someone in your life who’s going to fight for you and your love, but this card isn’t that. There are times when our cards about control become fun explorations into BDSM and kink, but this card isn’t that either. This card is someone who may need to know your every move and who may need to control every facet of how the relationship is going. This card is someone who ultimately wants to control you in an overbearing, abrasive, and abusive way. Abuse is not uncommon in queer relationships, and it’s unfortunately all too common for bisexual and transgender people to be abused by their partners. Furthermore, there often aren’t resources on where to turn to leave those relationships. As a community, we are even more scared than mainstream society to call out abuse. We don’t want people looking at our relationships as bad or our identity as reason for abuse. So we keep quiet, and we don’t call out. That is, to put it mildly, a mistake. I digress a bit–other cards will let us know when it’s time to take a stand publicly. The Four of Pentacles’ job is to urge us to leave that partner/friend/family member. Immediately.

The Four of Pentacles is a card that I’ve seen straight, cisgender readers read positively. In a spiritual community, this has always confused me. Materialism is, generally speaking, not good. I’m not someone who doesn’t value my work, and I absolutely see spiritual work as real work. Yet if we’re hustling for the money to the point that we lose our hearts, what’s the point? Why take a spiritual path at all? I love money–but it’s not why I do what I do. As an LGBTQ+ person, I’ve tried to put a spin on it regarding resource building and sharing, but it still comes up negative. Specifically, it comes up as someone who has the resources to lift our community up but won’t share or contribute. Remember why we’re even queering the tarot though. As marginalized people, our point of view is going to be much different than someone else’s. Plus my whole thesis as a tarot reader is that every card is different to every person. If you can’t turn the wealth yet stinginess, the success yet coldness of the Four of Pentacles into something good, don’t. Question the things we place on pedestals as a society, and know that for every strictly negative card in the deck, there’s seven more cards ready to promise you healing and adventure.

Spotlight On the Arts: Catherine Charles Hammond

Photo by Jason Bucklin for Mixed Blood Theater.

Queer art for queer people really stands out, even in a beautifully artistically saturated area like the Twin Cities. There is something so unique about the voice that comes through when you hand someone a microphone and let them tell their own stories. For this reason (among others), the music and performances of Catherine Charles Hammond have always stood out to me. I was elated when they agreed to interview for our “Spotlight on the Arts” column so I could learn more about their process and the art itself.
Hello! Welcome to “Spotlight on the Arts”. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi Cassandra! My name is Catherine Charles Hammond and I prefer they, she or he pronouns. I’m a writer, musician, and performer.
What draws you to such a variety of art forms? What inspires you to write and perform?
I’ve always loved art that tells some kind of story – hence songwriting, storytelling, theatre, and video. Within those forms, I gravitate toward work that involves an element of “pop” – art that’s intentionally entertaining, pleasurable, fun. I think the most accessible and magical stuff happens when art sets out to connect with its audience while raising meaningful questions and saying something worth saying.
A lot is changing locally  in the queer arts community (and the larger arts community). A lot of companies are shuttering but some really interesting new stuff is popping up. What iss your hope as a queer artist for this community as we move forward?
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationship between the various sizes of arts organizations – how the big, established, relatively securely funded organizations and the folks doing work on a smaller, grassroots scale can coexist, share talent and resources, and support each others’ well being. With the recent loss of several organizations who were actively making space for new, raw, nontraditional, marginal work, I’m curious and hopeful about what new spaces and contexts might start to see that work seeping in. Because new work can’t be suppressed. People will not stop telling stories and expressing themselves and sharing with each other. People who feel that urgency to share and create and gather together will find ways and places to do it. I hope that established artists and producers will also do their part to foster a healthy local arts ecosystem by getting creative and seeking new methods and avenues for providing training, resources, and platforms to emerging creators.

Photo by Darin Kamnetz for Daddy MPLS

Talk to us a little bit about your music! I really love what you’re doing.
I’m currently working on an album called whats a boy like you doin in a place like this. The songs come from a few different places in terms of sound and genre, but I think they all have that very direct approach of pop music and they all have a common theme, which I’d sum up as “misadventures in sex and gender.”

My big goal is to make good, fun songs that are also just very, deeply gay. For me and for many queers I know, engaging with existing pop music has always involved some kind of adaptation. To sing anything authentically, we always have to change a song’s lyrics, or pronouns, or octave, or tease out a hidden subtext. Writing my own songs is a joy because I finally get to have music that’s made for my voice, my body, my perspective. There are enough songs about sex and attraction between feminine women and masculine men. I want to make music that could never make sense within that dynamic – songs that are fundamentally, audibly gay.
You’re in a play at Mixed Blood! Tell us about that. What’s the show? What’s it about? What has that process been like?

I am! It’s a new musical called Mermaid Hour: ReMixed and it’s been a ton of fun. It’s about two parents figuring out how to show up for each other and for their daughter, who’s 12 years old and trans.

I love this play because it feels totally honest about this family’s struggles, but is very kind and gentle in its telling. Also, unlike many “trans plays” (and books and movies), this piece isn’t centered around a trans character’s coming out, or transition, or suffering, or a cis character’s journey toward acceptance. Which is so very refreshing since cisgender writers and audiences have a tendency to fixate on those particular themes.

On a personal level, this is my first time performing in a traditional-format play with a professional company. I never thought I’d be able to work in this realm without crushing dysphoria, so getting to play a character whose gender I can identify with, and feeling seen and cared for by the creative team throughout the process, has been a really lovely surprise.
Where and how can we support you and your work further?
You’ve got a few more chances to come see Mermaid Hour – we run through April 29 and it really is a lovely story. (Ed. note: Mixed Blood’s website is here if you want details on this show.)  For my personal music, check out my Bandcamp page where my album will be available to stream and download soon. I’m also hoping to put together an album release event of some kind, which I’ll announce on Bandcamp. One of these days I’ll should really get an up-to-date artist presence going on Facebook and Instagram too. Probably not Twitter. Twitter stresses me out.
Thanks so much Catherine Charles! 

Uprising Theatre Company’s Twisted Deaths Tackles Death Head-on

“I just want to live my life and die my death.” -Ryan Brown in Twisted Deaths

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll start by saying that I’m a deathworker. Part of my spiritual work is helping people prepare, both emotionally and administratively, for their own and their beloveds’ deaths. Honest conversations about death, in art and in life, especially where those conversations intersect with marginalized identities, are squarely in my wheelhouse. So I was probably inclined to enjoy Uprising Theatre Company’s world premiere of Twisted Deaths, written by Uprising founder and Artistic Director Shannon TL Kearns and directed by Ashley Hovell, even if it had sucked. Spoiler alert: it definitely doesn’t suck.

Twisted Deaths has a fairly straightforward premise: Ryan (Anthony Neuman), a young trans man, and Pam (Holly Windle), an older, conservative cis woman, form an unexpected friendship after they both receive terminal cancer diagnoses. Complications arise when those diagnoses—and the decisions Ryan and Pam make in regards to them—butt up against the rest of the world. Pam, stubborn and isolated, despite her insistence otherwise, immediately begins chemo and radiation and then has to live with the consequences of undergoing such severe treatments with a flimsy support network. Ryan, weighing quality of life against quantity, considers not undergoing treatment, to the extreme consternation of his wife Melissa (Jamila Joiner) and best friend Jason (Jeff A Miller).

As you can guess even from that brief synopsis, this play delves into very charged and weighty themes. These are characters in literal life-or-death situations. Trans activism, bodily autonomy, family estrangement, Right to Die legislation, Christianity, and the profoundly broken and transphobic US healthcare system all get at least a foot in the door. Fortunately, Hovell’s deft direction, the cast’s emotionally engaging performances, and the script’s flashes of humor keep the play from feeling heavy or draggy, even when dialogue inches toward screed territory.

Photo credit Hillary Olson featuring Kendra Alaura, Jeff A. Miller, Julia Alvarez, and Jamila Joiner

Performances are solid all around. All of the cast members offer us a clear sense of what their characters want and a wide range of deeply believable human reactions when they can’t get it. The play works best when characters are allowed to lay down their Big Ideas for a moment and connect to each other and/or the audience on a personal level. Standout moments for me were: hospital chaplain Heather (Kendra Alaura) and her oncologist wife Jen (Julia Alvarez) who’ve been deeply at odds throughout the play about coming out to patients and colleagues finally talking to each other, rather than across each other; Pam hitting (literal) bottom and finding herself fixated not on Life’s Big Questions but on the minutiae that usually slides past us; and Melissa finally being able to say, “You’re dying” as she falls apart in Ryan’s arms.

I wanted to shake every character at least once. This is great news, because it means that 1) the script handles complicated themes with a lot of nuance; and 2) the actors show us characters we care enough about to want them to do better by each other. No character is always right or always wrong. They all have their stances and opinions, some of which had me nodding along, some of which had me tearing my hair out, and many of which they have a heart-rendingly difficult time articulating. They screw up. They say terrible things to each other. It’s sad, infuriating, and, as I think most of us have experienced, absolutely representative of how we respond when death is knocking at a loved one’s door—or our own.

I can’t review a play where a queer character dies without addressing the fact that, well, a queer character dies. I understand and respect that some folks just cannot handle another dying LGBTQ+ character. However, Twisted Deaths (unsurprisingly, given that the playwright is trans) makes very clear that Ryan’s cancer is in no way a “punishment” for being trans, nor is it done for the shock value of creating a queer character just to kill them off. Ryan’s death, like Pam’s, is simply the price he pays for living, as do we all. The play’s disapprobation is saved for the transphobic, bottom-line-driven medical establishment that prevented Ryan from receiving competent medical care that could have saved his life.

I don’t often stay for post-show talkbacks, but because death is so central to my life I was curious to see what reactions Twisted Deaths elicited from viewers. I was thrilled to see how many audience members expressed a willingness to more actively engage themselves and their loved ones in addressing hard questions about death and dying. The post-show call to action is an integral part of Uprising’s mission, and I’m heartened to see it turned toward the one truly universal, but still woefully underdiscussed, human experience.

Twisted Deaths is a difficult play, because it’s about difficult topics, but rest assured that you will be in good hands the whole way through. 

Twisted Deaths runs through Saturday, April 28, at the Phoenix Theater. Times, dates, and tickets available via the Uprising website.

Around the Region: Chippewa Valley is becoming more LGBTQ friendly

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Wisconsin
BluGold Media takes a look at LGBTQ climate in the Chippewa Valley:

In the past year, the Chippewa Valley has made strides in its efforts to strengthen the LGBTQIA+ friendliness in the community.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire ranked No. 3 in the country on the list of best colleges for LGBTQIA+ students, while recent community efforts have revolved around the opening of a new LGBTQIA+ community center, sponsoring Queer Prom and planning the annual Pride Days that’s expected to draw its biggest crowds yet.
But, what does this mean for students on campus and members across the Chippewa Valley who identify somewhere along the sexuality and gender identity spectrum?

Iowa
An anti-gay activist has been fired by the Iowa Senate, KCCI reports:

A legislative clerk in the Iowa Senate has been fired over sexual harassment allegations, Secretary of the Senate Charlie Smithson confirmed to KCCI.
Smithson said in a brief statement Saturday afternoon that “a credible complaint of sexual harassment was made” against Jake Dagel, who clerked for state Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from Iowa’s 26th District.
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“Upon acknowledging the conduct in question, Mr. Dagel was immediately terminated under the Senate’s strict policy prohibiting harassment in the workplace,” Smithson said.
KCCI interviewed Dagel regarding an incident in September in which he sued the city of Des Moines over traffic cameras.
In 2013, Des Moines Area Community College paid nearly $14,000 to settle a free-speech lawsuit filed by Dagel, who was barred from distributing fliers criticizing a conference on gay youth.

One Iowa is marking 9 years of marriage equality, North Iowa Today reports:

A leading Iowa lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) organization is celebrating 9 years of marriage equality.
Nine years ago today on April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously decided to uphold Iowa’s legacy of equality and make Iowa the third state in the nation to establish marriage equality (Varnum v. Brien). Six brave plaintiff couples and families raised their voices, shared their stories, and stood up to intense public scrutiny in order to advance equality for same-sex couples statewide. Varnum v. Brien was a watershed moment for the nationwide LGBTQ rights movement that proved marriage equality could be achieved not just on the coasts, but in the heartland as well.
“One Iowa was founded as a marriage equality organization in 2005, and Varnum v. Brien was an incredible victory not only for our organization, but LGBTQ people throughout the state,” One Iowa Executive Director Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel said. “We’ve moved on to other important work, but One Iowa will never forget the Courageous Six and their contribution to LGBTQ equality in Iowa. We would not be where we are today without them, and I personally would not have had the privilege of marrying my husband Charles in 2010.”

The American Legion has reversed course and will allow a transgender boy to participate in youth programs, the Des Moines Register reports:

A transgender Iowa boy will be allowed to attend Boys State, an American Legion’s high school program, after the state board first denied himacceptance into the program.
Emmet Cummings, a transgender high school student from Center Point, said he was denied by the organization’s state board of directors March 19 after he was nominated by his local post in November to attend the weeklong governmental educational program.
Michael Etzel, president of the American Legion Hawkeye Boys State board, said they announced they were going to make an exception for Emmet on March 26. He referred questions regarding the exception back to the American Legion of Iowa headquarters.
Daniel McClure, one of six members of the legion’s board of directors, previously told the Register that the board was reinforcing its decades-old rules when it emphasized: You must be a biological male to attend Boys State.

A Different Kind of Intimacy Comes to the Walker

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Many of us remember the ‘80s and ‘90s as being a time of hilariously bad (but comforting) clothes, music, and TV shows. It’s easy to forget through rose colored nostalgia glasses that these were also incredibly charged and polarized times socially and politically. Conservative lawmaking tried to push marginalized people even further into the margins, but the ensuing Culture Wars made sure we were here to stay visible. This conflict and the truly stunning and subversive artwork that emerged from the queer artists of the time are the focus of the Walker Art Center’s A Different Kind of Intimacy: Queer and Radical Performance At The Walker 1990-1995 .

A Different Kind of Intimacy is full of ephemera, videos, and photographs and includes groundbreaking queer artists like Karen Finley (who’s book of essays, stories, photos and more lends this exhibit it’s name), Ishmael Houston-Jones, and the Twin Cities’ own Patrick Scully. In addition to being rooted in queer ideas and interests, artwork being created in this time fought against racism and pushed boundaries all around. A Different Kind of Intimacy reflects that, offering a well-rounded collection in the small Best Buy Aperture at the Walker. The small space, which is free for visitors to explore in the main corridor of the Herzog building, is a great fit for the intimacy many of these artists sought to portray with their classic works. It also forces us as patrons to get up close and personal and face off with the ugliness of the racism, AIDS epidemic, and rampant sexism and queerphobia of the time.

All of the artists featured in A Different Kind of Intimacy have been featured at the Walker before, making this a comfortable homecoming for a number of important LGBTQ+ artists. Gwyneth Shanks, from the Walker’s Visual Art department adds “My desire to work at the Walker was closely linked to my long-held respect for the work the Walker has done, and continues to do. This show is quite personal in that regard, and it has been a pleasure to spend time in the Walker’s archives, unearthing this history in more detail. It has also been an absolute pleasure to meet artists like Patrick Scully and activists and curators like Eleanore Savage, both still based in the Twin Cities. They feature in the exhibit, and spending time with each of them and learning more about the queer landscape of the Twin Cities in the early ’90s and their own activist and artistic practices has been enriching.”

I asked Shanks about some of the pieces on display in this exhibit. She was most excited to talk about costume and set pieces from Ron Vawter’s Roy Cohn/Jack Smith. Vawter was an actor across film, stage, and experimental theater, and Roy Cohn/Jack Smith was the last solo theatre piece he developed before he passed away from HIV/AIDS in 1994. The Walker was gifted the set and costume for the piece a few years after his passing, as the art center had played a key role in supporting Ron’s work. The costume and set, as visitors will see, are made up of lush, colorful fabrics, kitchy gold props, and costume jewelry. It’s really a delight to look at, belying, in many ways, the more serious themes Ron explored in the work. This is also the first time since Ron’s last performance and his death that his costume will be on display. The display for me is both a celebration of his work and a poignant reflection on his death and the deaths of so many artists of the time from HIV/AIDS.”

A Different Kind of Intimacy: Queer and Radical Performance At The Walker 1990-1995 is currently on display at the Best Buy Aperture in the Herzog building of the Walker Arts Center. You can walk in and take a look around at no charge. This space was meant to welcome people in for intimate exhibits, and A Different Kind of Intimacy is a great exhibit to fill that space. Find out more at the Walker’s website, or plan a full trip.