Top LGBTQ Student Network Names J. Gia Loving As New Co-Executive Director

Oakland-based organizer, trainer, writer and facilitator Juniperangelica Gia Loving (she/her), has been named co-executive director of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network effective September 1, 2022. She will hold this role in collaboration with current executive director Ginna Brelsford.

Loving, a transgender Latina graduate of Citrus College and University of California, Berkelely, has been on staff with GSA Network, a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities since 2015.

Prior to this appointment, Loving was Director of the Gender Justice Leadership Programs at GSA Network and Transgender Law Center. In this role, she has led the two organizations’ national collaborative trans youth programming for the last several years.

“Gia’s move to become GSA Network’s new co-executive director is a win, win, win,” said Ginna Brelsford, GSA Network’s current executive director. “It is a win for our organization, which will benefit from her deep wisdom and tremendous trust in the TQ2S community. It is a win for our movement, which will benefit from her visible leadership and vision. And it is a win for Gia, who will be able to put her talents and skills to use in a new way, in service of the queer youth she holds at the center of her work.”

Loving, of El Monte, Calif., is a mom, writer, facilitator, and frequent speaker, trainer and teacher at universities, conferences and convenings from coast to coast, and has been an organizer in the transgender community, queer community and on campus at UC Berkeley.

“With trans youth under relentless attack from politicians and the media, there is no better time for me to move into this role,” said Loving. “This moment demands that we fight like hell to make sure that every queer kid, no matter where they come from or what they look like, has the freedom to learn, thrive and pursue their dreams.

“I remember being a young queer kid dreaming far beyond society’s boxes, so I am incredibly grateful to help shape the future of our young people and our community in visionary heart-driven co-leadership with Ginna,” Loving said. “We all deserve the chance to be our best selves.”

Magdalena Bay - Unconditional

 

Los Angeles-based electro indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay—a.k.a. Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin—recently announced a deluxe reissue of their breakout debut album Mercurial World, out September 23 on Luminelle Recordings. They have since released Danny L Harle’s remix of “Chaeri,” their own remix of Soccer Mommy’s “Shotgun,” and their first new single of 2022 with “All You Do.” Today they share another new track entitled “Unconditional,” alongside an amazing, self-directed video. 

“We think of ‘Unconditional’ as ‘Secrets’ weird little cousin. Just like ‘All You Do,’ we loved it when we made it but it didn’t quite fit the flow of Mercurial World,” explain Magdalena Bay. As for the accompanying visual, they say: “This video is our dream birthday party, and you’re all invited.”

Aurora Public Library Hosts “Calacas” and Photo Exhibit in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Aurora Public Library is hosting two art exhibits at six library branches by local Latino/Latina artists, one with giant hand-painted skulls or “calacas,” and the other one with a community-generated photography exhibit.

In partnership with Denver Botanic Gardens' annual Día de los Muertos celebration, Aurora Public Library is hosting seven larger-than-life paper-mâché skulls “calacas” hand-painted by several Colorado artists: Alejandra Huerta, Xencs, Artmando Silva, Cal Duran, Cindy Loya, Julio “Jwlc” Mendoza and UC Sepia. Each “calaca” provides a visual story of the artist’s roots and their own interpretation of the ancestral Día de los Muertos celebration. “Calacas” are often made of decorated sugar, named for loved ones and placed upon the altar in the ofrenda (“offering” table for the honored deceased including photos, favorite meals, personal items, etc.) indicating that life is sweet and fleeting.

Each library branch, except Iliff Square (given space limitations), is hosting a skull from Friday, Sept. 16, to Friday, Oct. 21. People are encouraged to visit all branches to experience the exhibit in its totality. The “calacas” will be brought to Denver Botanic Gardens to be part of its Día de los Muertos celebration Nov. 5.

Aurora Public Library is also partnering with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) on the collaborative photography exhibit “Pride on Your Side,” opening Sept. 30 at Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Parkway. This exhibit is led by Juan Fuentes, a documentary photographer born in Mexico who grew up in Denver’s northside neighborhood, and whose work tells stories of contemporary America, highlighting the immigrant and Chicano experience.

In August, Fuentes taught two photography workshops encouraging participants to explore the joy of photography and empowering them to document their own experiences. “Pride on Your Side” will include photos from Aurora community members reflecting their everyday experiences and showcasing their pride in the city.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Power the Polls Partner to Recruit More Poll Workers Before Midterm Elections

With the midterm elections fast approaching in November, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) – the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization – is partnering with Power the Polls to help recruit potential poll workers from LGBTQ+ communities across the country to serve in the midterm election, alleviate poll worker shortages, and ensure representation at the polls. Power the Polls is a first-of-its-kind, nonpartisan initiative for recruiting the next generation of poll workers. The initiative first launched in 2020 and has recruited more than 125,000 potential poll workers since relaunching in May 2022.

Across the country, election administrators in a number of counties and states are reporting a need to recruit more poll workers before November who will help ensure a fair, free, accessible election. The partnership between HRC and Power the Polls will aim to ensure a safe and welcoming voting experience for all voters, especially those from LGBTQ+ communities, by recruiting potential poll workers from LGBTQ+ communities to expand representation of LGBTQ+ people at the polls. 

“Serving as a poll worker is a great way to serve one’s community and empower others by making sure everyone feels safe and welcomed at the polls – including the LGBTQ+ population, who have incredibly high turnout rates,” said Interim President of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Joni Madison. “The Human Rights Campaign is excited to continue our partnership with Power to the Polls and to do our part to make sure the smiling faces at your local polling place represent the full diversity of our community.”

"Our democracy relies on civic engagement to ensure a safe and fair election for all, yet every election cycle, our local election administrators report poll worker shortages that threaten to disrupt voters' access to the polls. This year, there is an increased need for poll workers who are multilingual, tech savvy, and represent the communities in which they are serving," said Jane Slusser, Program Manager at Power the Polls. "Already this year, we're thrilled to have recruited over 125,000 younger, more diverse potential poll workers who are excited to do their civic duty and work the polls this election cycle. By partnering with organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, we have the opportunity to reach more potential poll workers in the LGBTQ+ community and increase representation at the polls."

In 2020, Power the Polls recruited over 700,000 potential poll workers ahead of the general election. The Human Rights Campaign and Power the Polls' work together in 2020 helped to address the nationwide shortage of poll workers, recruit LGBTQ+ poll workers, and ensure a safe and fair election for all, combatting discrimination and harassment toward LGBTQ+ people while exercising their constitutional right to vote. According to the National Election Pool exit poll by Edison Research, LGBTQ voters represented 7% of the 2020 electorate, while representing 4.5% of the adult population.

Poll workers play an essential role in our democracy, helping to ensure every polling place is properly staffed with poll workers, open to voters, and free from harassment or discrimination. Becoming a poll worker is one way for everyday people to give back to their communities, support their neighbors, and ensure every voter is treated as a full and equal citizen in our democracy.

To sign up to be a poll worker, please visit https://www.powerthepolls.org/hrc.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” Drops Trailer for Season 4 Ahead This Thursday’s Premie

“RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” just released a stunning first look at the series’ highly anticipated return, making its way to WOW Presents Plus on September 22rd at 1pm PT / 4pm ET in the US and select territories worldwide, day-and-date with the BBC3 airing.

RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr will all be returning to the judges’ panel this season. The 12 wig-snatching queens competing to be the UK’s next Drag Race Superstar include: Baby, Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous, Copper Top, Dakota Schiffer, Danny Beard, Jonbers Blonde, Just May, Le Fil, Pixie Polite, Sminty Drop, and Starlet.

Hulu's "Welcome to Chippendales" Premieres Nov. 22

 

Check out the new teaser for Hulu's upcoming Original limited series "Welcome to Chippendales," which premieres Tuesday, November 22 with two episodes. New episodes stream Tuesdays.

A sprawling true-crime saga, “Welcome to Chippendales” tells the outrageous story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire—and let nothing stand in his way in the process.

Ballet Ariel Announces its 24th Season

The Ballet Ariel artistic team has put together an exceptional three-show season that is the perfect combination of original ballets and beautifully re-staged classics.

The season opens in October with Carnaval, a light and romantic Fokine masterpiece and Ballet Ariel’s original Sleeping Beauty’s Dream. Performances will be presented on October 1 at 7:30 pm, and October 2 at 3:00 pm at Elaine Wolf Theater JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center; Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 pm at PACE Center, and October 16 at 3:00 pm at Parsons Theatre adjacent to the Northglenn Recreation Center. The matinee performances will be followed by a Tea Party reception with the costumed cast members, and all are welcome to attend.

Ballet Ariel’s iconic interpretation of The Nutcracker returns to Lakewood Cultural Center for eight performances, December 10 through 23. The full-scale production will feature nationally renowned guest artists Jennie Begley, Anton Iakolev, Alexandru Glusacov and Ryan Seate, along with company members Yoshiko Brunson and Marcelina Gaudini. This stellar cast will be joined by aspiring dancers from Lakewood Dance Academy.

The season finale is Firebird, a Ballet Ariel original inspired by Slavic folklore about a prince and his princess and the firebird that rescues them from an evil magician. Ballet Ariel’s creative team, led by Artistic Director Ilena Norton, will reimagine this ancient tale into a stunning, contemporary ballet. Performances will be held at the Elaine Wolf Theater on April 8 at 7:30 pm, and Lakewood Cultural Center on April 29 at 7:30 pm and April 30 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are now available at www.balletariel.org for Carnaval and The Nutcracker; tickets for Firebird will be available later in the season. 

New Cookbook Delivers Recipes for Anti-Aging from Around the World

Chef and author Grace O has traveled the world in search of delicious, good-for-you foods. Her passion for discovering food treasures from the Blue Zones and elsewhere, where people live longer, healthier lives, is the driving force behind her new cookbook, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World. In her third cookbook, Grace O, founder of the ground-breaking healthy food website, FoodTrients.com, delivers all the hallmarks of her two previous award-winning cookbooks, and more.

 

In addition to 250 easy-to-make recipes using everyday favorites, exotic ingredients, and superfoods from around the world, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World includes healthy resources, guides, and tips for improving your lifespan and health-span. Grace’s global approach to her age-fighting recipes is to ramp up the flavor profiles of each dish to entice food lovers everywhere.

 

“My life has been devoted to my two passions – great food and wellness,” Grace says.  “I have traveled the world in search of foods that can help us age better, and I love discovering food treasures from the Blue Zones and places beyond, where people live longer, healthier lives. This is the driving force behind FoodTrients.com and this new cookbook.”

 

In Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World, Grace takes classic recipes and gives them international twists with a few simple steps, creating very interesting meals. Grace uses superfoods and spice profiles from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, South America, the South Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.

WalletHub: Denver Is 2022’s 10th Best Coffee City in America

Source: WalletHub

With National Coffee Day around the corner and coffee consumption up 14% since January 2021, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022's Best Coffee Cities in America, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary. Alongside that report, WalletHub also released its list of top coffee deals and discounts offered by retailers during the holiday.

To determine the best local coffee scenes in America, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 12 key indicators of a strong coffee culture. The data set ranges from coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita to the average price per pack of coffee.

The Coffee Scene in Denver (1=Best, 50=Avg.):

• 25^th – Avg. Price per Pack of Coffee
• 18^th – Avg. Spending on Coffee per Household
• 29^th – % of Adults Who Reported Drinking “Ready-to-Drink” Coffee in the Past Six Months
• 28^th – Coffee Shops, Coffee Houses & Cafés Per Capita
• 20^th – Coffee & Tea Manufacturers per Capita
• 47^th – % of Households that Own Coffee Makers

Are You Gay With Something To Say? Bloggers Wanted to Write About Denver's Gay Community

Are you a new or experienced writer or blogger? Do you want to be? Or maybe you're just some gay guy with something to say? Well, what better forum for you than MileHighGayGuy?

MileHighGayGuy is looking for regular and guest bloggers to write about local news and events, do music and movie reviews, or write opinion or feature pieces from a gay perspective.

These are unpaid positions but offer the opportunity to be published in Colorado's Best Gay Blog (2010, 2011, 2012 OUTstanding Awards, Denver 2012 #WebAwards), expand your audience and gain valuable experience. There's also swag available in the form of free movie and concert tickets, music, books and other cool stuff.

If interested, shoot an email over to Drew Wilson at drew@milehighgayguy.com. And if you've got column or story ideas to pitch, this is the place to do it.

It Gets Better Project Partners with Rock the Vote & DoSomething, Releases Educational Election Content Series

On National Voter Registration Day today, the It Gets Better Project is announcing the release of the new digital content series #ElectionSzn which aims to educate and offer voting resources for young LGBTQ+ people. As the world’s largest storytelling effort to uplift LGBTQ+ youth, the non-profit has produced a series of short videos which premiered on September 12 and will be released weekly through Election Day 2022 (November 8).

With an estimated 8.3 million eligible new voters who have turned 18 since the 2020 general election, the purpose of #ElectionSzn is to encourage eligible LGBTQ+ young people to register to vote and inform young future voters about the process of voting. These bite-sized videos will highlight a diverse cast of young LGBTQ+ content creators and activists sharing the reasons they are voting and the issues that matter most to them this election cycle.

To further amplify #ElectionSzn and provide election resources and information to young voters, the It Gets Better Project is collaborating with a number of voting and youth-focused organizations, including Rock the Vote, DoSomething and GLSEN. The series will be promoted on the It Gets Better Project’s TikTok and Instagram channels and on itgetsbetter.org. The series is also accompanied by an effort to register new voters. Eligible voters can now register at itgetsbetter.org.

“LGBTQ+ youth care deeply about a wide range of issues facing this country, and we want to equip them with resources and information that can help them get involved in the process,” said Ross von Metzke, Director of Communications and PR for the It Gets Better Project. “Whether it’s registering to vote, getting out to the polls or, for LGBTQ+ people who are not yet 18, identifying other ways they can get involved, we are deeply grateful to the organizations that are working with us to educate and empower LGBTQ+ youth ahead of the midterm election.”

“Voting is important to me because my voice plays a role in selecting my representatives at all levels of government,” said Rowen Elsmore, who streams on Twitch as ms_huffle and contributed to the campaign. “So much of our society can be better than it is now, regardless of a person's identity. Voting is the small thing I can do to play my part in making that happen.”

Futurity: The Aurora Fox is building a machine that creates peace and wants you there when they flip the switch!

The Aurora Fox has announced casting for the Colorado regional premiere of brand-new folk musical “Futurity” with music by César Alvarez and the Lisps, book and Lyrics by César Alvarez and story development and additional text by Molly Rice.

Futurity is a new musical that helps us imagine a different future for ourselves; and asks the question – what could we invent to stop violence? In a raucous, bold, and utterly unique way, Futurity sees its characters invent a machine of peace as it tries to stop the Civil War. Does it work? Find out while going on the most beautiful of rides.

“This musical is shifting the way we see musical theatre,” says Murray, who is hard at work in rehearsals for her last show before she leaves town. “I love that more and more musicals are engaging the actors as musicians, which is harder to cast, direct, music direct and choreograph – but the payoff is incredible. I am feeling pretty lucky to have Angela and Patrick as my collaborators on this piece – they are true innovators. And this cast is a complete delight. And

the music... I can’t stop singing it I love it so much!”

Murray also highlights that she picked the show very intentionally for this time in our world. “This show asks a big question – is there a way to create peace using science and art? This is not a love story between Julian and Ada during the Civil War, but rather a union of two minds who desperately want to change the world – out of a sense of purpose as well as for a basic reason – Julian wants to live. He wants all his fellow soldiers to live too, so the machine has to work.”

So, make your way to the Fox – watch as they build a giant machine for peace. And when it is turned on, hope along with them that it will work.

THE STORY OF FILM: A NEW GENERATION

 

A decade after The Story of Film: An Odyssey, an expansive and influential inquiry into the state of moviemaking in the 20th century, filmmaker Mark Cousins returns with an epic and hopeful tale of cinematic innovation from around the globe. In The Story of Film: A New Generation, Cousins turns his sharp, meticulously honed gaze on world cinema from 2010 to 2021, using a surprising range of works—including Frozen, The Babadook, and Cemetery of Splendour—as launchpads to explore recurring themes and emerging motifs, from the evolution of film language, to technology’s role in moviemaking today, to shifting identities in 21st-century world cinema. 

Touching on everything from Parasite and The Farewell to Black Panther and Lover’s Rock, Cousins seeks out films, filmmakers and communities under-represented in traditional film histories, with a particular emphasis on Asian and Middle Eastern works, as well as boundary-pushing documentaries and films that see gender in new ways. And as the recent pandemic recedes, Cousins ponders what comes next in the streaming age: how have we changed as cinephiles, and how moviegoing will continue to transform in the digital century, to our collective joy and wonder. 

Kelley Robinson to Serve as President of the Human Rights Campaign

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) announced that Kelley Robinson (she/her) — a widely respected leader in the progressive movement — will become the organization’s ninth president and the first Black, Queer woman to lead the organization. Robinson comes to HRC after serving as the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), where she led the organization and its 18 million supporters in its efforts to ensure all people have access to healthcare as a human right. Her first official day as president of HRC will be November 28.

Robinson started her career as a community organizer for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign in Missouri and has spent more than 15 years on the frontlines of the progressive movement and the fight for equality. Developing and leading campaigns and programs that have secured major electoral and legislative wins federally and in states, Robinson has cultivated a reputation as a champion for inclusion, a fierce optimist, a battle-tested organizer, and a changemaker whose career has centered around the fight for bodily autonomy and racial and gender equity, with a focus on lifting up marginalized communities and building political power. During her time at the helm of PPAF, Robinson has led the largest electoral programs in the organization’s history, helped to quadruple the annual budget, and expanded membership and engagement, increasing the number of supporters from 6.5 million in 2012 to over 18 million today.

“I’m honored and ready to lead HRC — and our more than three million member-advocates — as we continue working to achieve equality and liberation for all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people,” said Kelley Robinson, HRC’s incoming president. “This is a pivotal moment in our movement for equality for LGBTQ+ people. We, particularly our trans and BIPOC communities, are quite literally in the fight for our lives and facing unprecedented threats that seek to destroy us. The overturning of Roe v. Wade reminds us we are just one Supreme Court decision away from losing fundamental freedoms including the freedom to marry, voting rights, and privacy. We are facing a generational opportunity to rise to these challenges and create real, sustainable change. I believe that working together this change is possible right now.  This next chapter of the Human Rights Campaign is about getting to freedom and liberation without any exceptions — and today I am making a promise and commitment to carry this work forward.”

Want to Connect with Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With MileHighGayGuy!

Denver's gay community is the 7th largest in the United States - and growing all the time! And the best way to reach them is by working with MileHighGayGuy – Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.

Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.